T O P 25 ALBUMS OF 2 0 0 5 (PART TWO)
19. The Most Serene Republic - Underwater Cinematographer
Underwater Cinematographer sounds like the bastard little brother of Radiohead circa Kid A via Broken Social Scene's You Forgot It In People, meaning exciting indie rock from the left field. The songs are sometimes spastic and sloppy, but with multiple listens, the genius of the songwriting prevails. From the first single Content Was Always My Favourite Colour to the beautiful Proposition 61, with its yell-back chorus "She took a sad song and made it sadder", everything about TMSR's debut screams love me. And I do.
18. Kayne West - The Last Registration
The Last Registration has been praised by critics, loved by white backpack hip hop kids, and hated on by the underground rap scene who were loudly proclaiming West as a sell-out. Registration can be easily compared to Jay-Z's The Black Album in a sense that it's a rap album for the pop world and also for those who don't regularly listen to hip hop. Featuring collaborations with Maroon 5 heartthrob Adam Levine and movie star-turned musician Jamie Foxx (who's releasing his debut in the new year), TLR is full of pop gems that gets better with every listen. His lyrics (...or rhymes) are smart, funny and actually tend to say something other than the boasting of bling that's typically heard. Not only is West an amazing writer/producer, but the guy has the guts to speak out against the ills of the political world. He bashed Bush stating "Bush don't care about black people" at the New Orleans relief telethon and also showed support for gays/lesbians by blasting the hip hop world for their negative stereotypes of said lifestyles. But enough about his politicals, its all about his hump shaking beats and intelligent rhymes that makes Registration one of the best albums of 2005.
17. The Ladies And Gentlemen Small Sins
Small Sins is the product of Thomas D'Arcy, formerly of Toronto's own The Carnations. Small Sins is bedroom synth pop for The O.C. generation. Think The Postal Service, but Canadian, younger and much poppier. Every track on Small Sins is chalk full of wicked pop hooks. For example, lead single Stay which features a great rejection chorus "You can stay if you want to, but you can't stay in my bed". This album has fallen under the radar of pretty much everyone I know, but when I play it for them, all they seem to be able to do is smile and bop along. Maybe it's not getting press because Boompa's not marketing correctly or could it be that D'Arcy chose to tour with Matt Good (which can only lead to bad things). Whatever it is, I think 2006 could be the year that the rest of Canada picks up on this addictive band. Ps. check out their live show, it's fantastic and features matching all white outfits (a la Islands).
16. Aquaduct - I Sold Gold
Oaklahoma's Aquaduct is actually one gentlemen by the name of David Terry. I was first introduced to Terry 's music via Scott's blog way back in January when he published a link to a Catbirdseat mix for cold January nights. The first tune of the mix was Aquaduct's The Suggestion Box, the opening track on I Sold Gold. Within a couple listens, I was totally obsessed with this album. There are tons of reasons to love this band (or one-man band), Death Cab endorsed (he's on Barsuk), cites listening to Axl Rose as a child and a wicked cool album cover that resembles a 70s rock t-shirt. ISG has all the elements of a perfect indie rock record. If your a fan of the Barsuk scene, this is a definite buy.
15. Architecture In Helenski - In Case We Die
AIH's second full-length release In Case We Die is a beautiful, lush record that pulls together all the individual strengths of the band's eight members. The tunes are perfect pop mixed with indie rock and laced with electronics. Recommended for anyone who loves the grand indie pop such as Belle And Sebastian, The Magnetic Fields and Stars.
Also See:
Top 25 Albums Of 2005 (Part One)
19. The Most Serene Republic - Underwater Cinematographer
Underwater Cinematographer sounds like the bastard little brother of Radiohead circa Kid A via Broken Social Scene's You Forgot It In People, meaning exciting indie rock from the left field. The songs are sometimes spastic and sloppy, but with multiple listens, the genius of the songwriting prevails. From the first single Content Was Always My Favourite Colour to the beautiful Proposition 61, with its yell-back chorus "She took a sad song and made it sadder", everything about TMSR's debut screams love me. And I do.
18. Kayne West - The Last Registration
The Last Registration has been praised by critics, loved by white backpack hip hop kids, and hated on by the underground rap scene who were loudly proclaiming West as a sell-out. Registration can be easily compared to Jay-Z's The Black Album in a sense that it's a rap album for the pop world and also for those who don't regularly listen to hip hop. Featuring collaborations with Maroon 5 heartthrob Adam Levine and movie star-turned musician Jamie Foxx (who's releasing his debut in the new year), TLR is full of pop gems that gets better with every listen. His lyrics (...or rhymes) are smart, funny and actually tend to say something other than the boasting of bling that's typically heard. Not only is West an amazing writer/producer, but the guy has the guts to speak out against the ills of the political world. He bashed Bush stating "Bush don't care about black people" at the New Orleans relief telethon and also showed support for gays/lesbians by blasting the hip hop world for their negative stereotypes of said lifestyles. But enough about his politicals, its all about his hump shaking beats and intelligent rhymes that makes Registration one of the best albums of 2005.
17. The Ladies And Gentlemen Small Sins
Small Sins is the product of Thomas D'Arcy, formerly of Toronto's own The Carnations. Small Sins is bedroom synth pop for The O.C. generation. Think The Postal Service, but Canadian, younger and much poppier. Every track on Small Sins is chalk full of wicked pop hooks. For example, lead single Stay which features a great rejection chorus "You can stay if you want to, but you can't stay in my bed". This album has fallen under the radar of pretty much everyone I know, but when I play it for them, all they seem to be able to do is smile and bop along. Maybe it's not getting press because Boompa's not marketing correctly or could it be that D'Arcy chose to tour with Matt Good (which can only lead to bad things). Whatever it is, I think 2006 could be the year that the rest of Canada picks up on this addictive band. Ps. check out their live show, it's fantastic and features matching all white outfits (a la Islands).
16. Aquaduct - I Sold Gold
Oaklahoma's Aquaduct is actually one gentlemen by the name of David Terry. I was first introduced to Terry 's music via Scott's blog way back in January when he published a link to a Catbirdseat mix for cold January nights. The first tune of the mix was Aquaduct's The Suggestion Box, the opening track on I Sold Gold. Within a couple listens, I was totally obsessed with this album. There are tons of reasons to love this band (or one-man band), Death Cab endorsed (he's on Barsuk), cites listening to Axl Rose as a child and a wicked cool album cover that resembles a 70s rock t-shirt. ISG has all the elements of a perfect indie rock record. If your a fan of the Barsuk scene, this is a definite buy.
15. Architecture In Helenski - In Case We Die
AIH's second full-length release In Case We Die is a beautiful, lush record that pulls together all the individual strengths of the band's eight members. The tunes are perfect pop mixed with indie rock and laced with electronics. Recommended for anyone who loves the grand indie pop such as Belle And Sebastian, The Magnetic Fields and Stars.
Also See:
Top 25 Albums Of 2005 (Part One)
posted by Daniel Josef at
12:26 p.m.
1 Comments:
Nice blog...looks like you've put a lot of hard work into it. My blog is about Canadian Indie music so come check it out if you have a chance. Happy new year :)
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