Friday, January 8, 2010

The Twelve Days of Christmas Countdown - 2005

You thought I had given up, didn't you?  Admit it!  Well, guess again, Pal.

2005 - Another solid year for music. 

KG'S TOP 12 ALBUMS OF 2005

#12 Eisley - Room Noises - A family band, beloved by Wheels and I.  The harmonies of the DuPree sisters will haunt your dreams.



#11 Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill Acoustic - Released to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Alanis' classic album, these acoustic versions give new life to her greatest hits.



#10 Sufjan Stevens - Illinois - Would have finished in the top 3 at the end of 2005 but it has slowly fallen out of rotation.  That said, it is still full of nice little folk tunes based on the state history of Illinois.



#9 Mike Doughty - Haughty Melodic - Former lead singer of Soul Coughing delivers an album of guitar driven folk/rock.  Looking At the World From the Bottom of a Well frequently feels like my theme song.



#8 Ben Lee - Awake is the New Asleep - I accidentally left a few of Ben's other albums off of previous countdowns but I won't make the same mistake with this pop classic.



#7 Clem Snide - End of Love - If songs about Lucille Ball and Driving in Europe interest you then look no further.



#6 Seu Jorge - The Life Aquatic Sessions - Anybody who saw The Life Aquatic will remember the David Bowie covers sung in Portuguese by Seu that were featured throughout the film.  I listened to this album so often that I not only made Wheels tired of it but also her brother Marc.  Their loss.

#5 Neil Diamond - 12 Songs - Big Neil got back to his songwriter roots and blew us all away with the subtle tunes on this gem.  Ranks right up there with his finest work.



#4 Amos Lee - Amos Lee - I bought Amos on a whim because it was inexpensive and he looked like a cool dude.  I had never heard a note of his music.  I didn't stop listening to this album for several weeks. 



#3 Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine - KG, Wheels, Herms, and Kim love us some Fiona.  Her most complete album by far.



#2 Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman - Musically better than Rockin' the Suburbs but not quite as fun.  Kind of like comparing The Last Supper to Mona Lisa.



#1 My Morning Jacket - Z - Would have barely made the top 5 in 2005 but has aged like the finest of wines.



Honorable Mentions

They Might Be Giants - Here Come the ABC's - A lifesaver if you have children and are trying to keep them from The Wiggles.

Doves - Some Cities - Give Black and White Town and Sky Starts Falling a quick listen.

Aqualung - Strange and Beautiful - Coldplay type Britpop.  Brighter than Sunshine is fantastic.

Louis XIV - The Best Little Secrets Are Kept - Not sure why I love this album by San Diego guys pretending to be British punks but I do.

Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations - Double album.  A little too ambitious but Trouble With Dreams, Railroad Man, and Hey Man (Now You're Really Living) are great.

Coldplay - X and Y - Good but not great album from Mr. Paltrow and Friends.

The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan - Similar to the Coldplay album above, good but not the band's best work.

Death Cab For Cutie - Plans - Toughest omission from this year's list.  Let's call it 12b.

The Decemberists - Picaresque - A band that I never quite like as much as I think I should, this album is their best work.

Josh Rouse - Nashville - Shared by Vanwarmer, a delightful album.

We Are Scientists - With Love and Squalor - Great songs but even better videos.  Yes there were still a few bands making videos in 2005.  Youtube those suckers.

3 comments:

Wheels said...

Amos Lee does look like a cool dude...if you think Jafar is cool.

Corbie said...

I love when Wheels busts your chops.

For me, this is the best of your lists yet - Alanis' acoustic album is one of my top ten road trip albums and any list with both Neil and Amos on it is a home run.

Mindy said...

What Corbie said.