T O P 2 5 ALBUMS OF 2 0 0 5 (PART ONE)


25. LCD Soundsystem - S/T - 2005 saw the overdue release of James Murphy's bands debut album. Murphy had been teasing the dance-punk hipsters with a bunch of ass-shaking, body rocking singles (see Yeah and Give It Up) and when the album finally dropped, it seemed to be a little over-looked. Regardless of the way it was received, it's still quite good. Murphy didn't stray much from deface quintessential sound, but really, why fix something that isn't broken. Think The Rapture (Murphy's proteges) but much more based in 80s electro. Stand-out tracks include Daft Punk Is Playing At My House, Too Much Love and Tribulations.
Pitchfork Review
LCD Soundsystem - Too Much Love


24. Sigur Ros - Takk - Takk isn't Sigur Ros' best record, but compared to the majority of music released in the last year, this album shines. It opens with the gorgeous first single (and video where children fly like Peter Pan) Glosoli, an epic piece that builds into a wall of My Bloody Valentine-like noise. The rest of the album is standard Sigur Ros material, frail and beautiful post rock greatness. This album also gets my vote for best CD packaging of the year (the only flaw is that it doesn't quite fit properly on my CD rack.
Pitchfork Review
Sigur Ros - Glosoli.mp3


23. M.I.A. - Arular - About a month ago on my way out of the office while strapping on my headphones (to drown out the sound of "GO" friends talking about inane things) a co-worker asked me what I was listening to. I asked "M.I.A.", and proceeded to explain to said co-worker who she was (wicked cool Sri-Lankin born, British raised female dancehall rapper). The co-worker made a confused face and kind of chuckled, thinking
I was joking. This is what makes M.I.A. so important. The existence of an artist that represents such a diverse mash-up of cultures, ideologies and sounds makes Arular one of the most relevant, important albums of 2005. The co-worker seemed to be satisfied when I explained to her that the previous week's episode of The O.C. featured on of M.I.A's tracks, not to mention also being featured in a Toyota car commercial.
Pitchfork Review
M.I.A - Bucky Done Gun


22. The Fiery Furnaces - E.P. - Like shitloads of band before them (Suede, Radiohead, Belle And Sebastian), The Fiery Furnaces seem to release their best songs as b-sides. E.P. features ten of the Furnaces most listenable, poppy songs in their entire catalogue. From the bass-heavy "Single Again, to the sing-a-long friendly "Tropical-Iceland", this E.P. gleams with sugar pop sounds. It's too bad that their latest album, Rehearsing The Choir (a terrible collaboration with their grandmother, which I consider to be one of the most disappointing releases of the year) didn't sound more like this.
Pitchfork Review
The Fiery Furnaces - Here Comes The Summer


21. Tom Vek - We Have Sound
Dubbing his music "raw garage rock energy", Tom Vek released his debut album earlier this year, when most people in the blogsphere were officially caling the movement dead. But We Have Sound's lead single "I Ain't Saying My Goodbyes" quickly became hipster dancefloor filler, due to its catchy 4x4 dance beat, and lo-fi messy guitars. Some even have called it the best underground single since Bloc Party's Banquet. Regardless, Vek's debut reveals someone who was equally obsessed with Gang Of Four and mainstream pop.
Pitchfork Review
Tom Vek - C-C (You Set The Fire In Me)


20. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Sufjan is the new anti-folk posterboy, a manchild that makes the indie girls and sexually confused boys swoon with his good looks and sweet, sentimental songs. Call him the new Connor Oberest. Illinois is the second album in Steven's ridiculiously grandose 50 state project and on first listen can be seen as a difficult one. But with multiple plays, Steven's songwriting pulls you in. Listening the Stevens is like reading Kerouac's beautiful benzedrine-fueled road memoirs, you get a sense of what the writer's viewpoint of the country he is writing about. Illinois is near perfect in every way.
Pitchfork Review
Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Macy Jr.