Top 20 Records of 2005

1. The Hold Steady – Separation Sunday (French Kiss): This blend of witty character-based story telling and sloppy-but-tight bar band classic rock never got old for me all year. Craig Finn is an unlikely chronicler of decadent young adulthood, but there he is, telling you what Charlemagne has in his sweat pants and about the struggle between sin and salvation of Holly a/k/a Hallelujah. As the album winds on, I found that I cared for her, and her unlikely redemption was touching...and managed to also kick ass. This is Springsteen for the 21st Century, with the operatic glorification of teenage dreams replaced by the gritty reality of suburban fuckups, set to romantic rock and roll music.

2. Rogue Wave – Descended Like Vultures (Sub Pop): Zach Rogue -- I don't know if the name is real, but the talent certainly is. Rogue's music sounds rooted in the acoustic pop of the ‘60s and ‘70s, with hints of everyone from Simon & Garfunkel to Lindsay Buckingham. However, he doesn't ape any of the greats from the past. He adds his own layers, with cryptic psych-pop lyrics, odd and sublime chord changes, and arrangements that go from bare bones to lush in the most natural fashion. This record balances an elusive quality with enough big hooks to make it hard to take out of the player.

3. The Sugarplastic – Will (Tallboy): Ben Eshbach was inspired by the death of a close friend, and the result was an album that is the best representation of the various artistic strands of The Sugarplastic. The band has always taken cues from both the artier side of late-‘70s and early-‘80s post-punk and late-‘60s psychedelia. Here, the psychedelic part takes over a bit more. The Sugarplastic had always had the odd atmospheric track here and there, and on this album, not only are there more of them, they find a better way to meld everything together into a satisfying whole. Amidst the typical sharp pop tunes, there are dreamlike numbers that waft in like mist and then come together and take you someplace.

4. Poor Luther's Bones – Next To Nowhere (Heavy G): Garth Forsyth's band dives into the muck on an album that devotes about half its time to old-fashioned heavy rock. Not heavy metal or stoner rock, but guitars that sting and explode, and a rhythm section that provides a lot of bottom. Forsyth compliments these filthy sounds with salacious and/or menacing lyrics. The remainder is more in line with PLB's psychedelicized rock, with a couple numbers sporting a bit of a Velvet-y touch. As always, the playing is thoroughly committed. I say it all the time, and will keep doing so – the most overlooked band around.

5. The Bees (a/k/a The Band Of Bees) – Free The Bees (Astralwerks): The bottom line is that this is simply a ‘60s revival album, with not even the slightest attempt to be contemporary. So what? Recovering from the reefer madness haze of their uneven debut, this British band comes up with a brand new psych-pop classic, hitting everything from ethereal anthems to blues-rock to wacky dance music, even throwing in a sweet love ballad. It helps when your singer shows a bit of McCartney-esque soul shout.

6. M.I.A. – Arular* (XL): A sort of hip-hop/world music electroclash, with this Sri Lankan rhymer at the controls. Her sloganeering by itself would be nothing special. But riding on top of the amazing rhythm tracks that she has conjured up, it works perfectly. Part of the secret of the record is the great production, which lets the tinny and cheap sounding horns and other effects stay tinny and cheap sounding, while making sure the bottom is rich and full. I'll be putting tracks from this CD on party mixes for the rest of my life.

7. The Sames – We Are The Sames (Pox World Empire): I believe it was Truffaut who said that a great movie only needs three or four great scenes and no bad ones. Then there are the great movies where there isn't one standout scene, but a plethora of very good ones. This album is akin to the latter. The Sames hit the jackpot on their long playing debut. They are expert in concocting catchy guitar parts and winning choruses, infusing their quintessential college rock with fine melodies and at least one hook in every song. Every year there are a number of bands who play guitar rock without any strong leaning towards any one style, and many of them are good. Rarely does such a band reel off so many top notch songs.

8. Maximo Park – A Certain Trigger (Warp): Yet another British band trading on old New Wave and post-punk influences. And one of the best. They have a compelling front man in Paul Smith. Moreover, they all can play like nobody's business, with special shout outs going to guitarist Duncan Lloyd and drummer Tom English. Topping it all off, rarely can you nail them down to one influence on any given song. They've clearly absorbed a lot of rock history and found a way to create their own vocabulary (so they are more like Supergrass than Oasis, to use an analogy). With these skills, they craft old fashioned hit singles. Tracks like "Apply Some Pressure" and "Graffiti" are stellar examples of how to create a whole world in three and a half minutes.

9. Saint Etienne – Tales From Turnpike Road (Sanctuary): After trying out more ambient sounds, this British trio comes back to pure pop, while not abandoning the dance music that put them on the map. The conceptual nature of the record (a look at various people in suburbia) frees them to further delve into their love for Burt Bacharach and The Beach Boys (with help from Tony and Anthony Rivers on backing vocals). These character studies are sublime, and Sarah Cracknell is as masterful as ever.

10. The Fall – Fall Heads Roll (Narnack): This sounded good right away. The newest band assembled by Mark E. Smith is tight and touring has really given them a specific feel. With every play since, I admire them more and more. They are obviously in touch with Fall history, as this record covers many of the band's styles from throughout its 27-year long career. Dissonant riffs, wobbly rockabilly, a little pop, urgent guitar and much more. And Mark E. Smith is extremely engaged, though he'll never be engaging. Thankfully.

11. The Doves – Some Cities (Capitol): The Doves have always created a compelling blend of swoony British guitar rock, mixed with some rhythmic ingenuity that they brought from their dance DJ days. They fit in perfectly with Radiohead, Coldplay, Travis and that ilk, yet they stand out, since their music is often more clearly rooted in classic traditions. In particular, there's always been a warm R & B vibe in some of their songs, and they make it more overt on some of the best tracks on this album. Anthemic grandeur mixes with Motown inspiration to create a new form of dazzling pop song. The first half of this disc is pretty close to perfect, and the second ain't too shabby either.

12. Steve Dawson – Sweet Is The Anchor (Undertow): A few of the songs on this disc are worthy of in depth analysis, as they show how masterfully Dawson synthesizes the strains of traditional American pop music. A song will start with a pop-spiked country foundation, when suddenly a melody or chord progression that is classically R & B will come to the fore, fitting perfectly. Dawson has absorbed all of this, making it second nature. His one-man band production is homey and layered at the same time, while his voice is as soulful and terrific as ever.

13. Julian Cope – Citizen Cain'd (Head Heritage): Apparently, like a hermit squirreled away in a remote Montana cabin, Cope has gone way off his rocker, and it wasn't like he was exactly sane in his heyday. Like the Unabomber with better cheekbones, Cope is working on his own manifesto, set to murky blues rock and pounding garage rock that at times invokes the best of Detroit in the ‘60s. Tight bashers abound, and Cope mixes in some longer epic dirges. Meanwhile, he rants about current events, and decries how people have become the ‘living dead,' virtual zombies who've been anesthetized by corrupt governments serving corporate greed and rampant consumerism. Maybe he's not that crazy after all.

14. Nothing Painted Blue – Taste The Flavor (Shrimper): Someday, Nothing Painted Blue frontman Franklin Bruno needs to face off with Bad Religion lead singer Greg Graffin in a vocabulary battle. A showdown between two rock and roll professors with Ph.D's. Until that time, revel in the purported swan song from NPB. Bruno's wordplay is in fine form, as he is the best at clever rhymes since Elvis Costello was angry. Meanwhile, this album really surveys the different musical approaches this band has taken from the beginning, from tame indie pop whimsy to scorching guitar fueled rock. There's even an epic closer called, appropriately enough, "Swan Song". I hope that this isn't the finale.

15. Pernice Brothers – Discover A Lovelier You (Ashmont): After rocking up their sound and revealing how strong the ‘80s college rock scene inspired Joe Pernice, the band dials down the ampage. Yet some of the ‘80s influence remains, in some song structures and the sonic palette used by the band. Which isn't to say that the ‘60s popcraft that has always grounded the band's music has been abandoned. It's really a best of both worlds. Meanwhile, Pernice is still writing some of the best woeful love songs around. Maybe someday he and Mark Eitzel can do the rock equivalent of a poetry slam.

16. Oneida – The Wedding (Jagjaguwar): This trio has always traded in minimalism, following in the steps of Can and The Fall. The band has tempered this with a psychedelic vibe. However, the more mechanistic side always dominated. Not so this time. Not only is this is a full-fledged psychedelic album, at times, it's pretty. Earlier records would make this notion seem inconceivable. What is retained is the dedication to the minimalist principles -- songs are compact and don't have obvious retro psych melodies. At times, it gives things a odd fairy tale quality. This is quickly dissipated on a couple of acid rock style numbers. As always, the music is uniquely Oneida.

17. Spoon – Gimme Fiction (Merge): After the retreat back to minimalism, which to me, means undeveloped songs, Britt Daniel and Jim Eno get more expansive and truly build on the songcraft of the superb *Girls Don't Tell*. In fact, they add a strong R & B vibe into the mix, leading to some funky moments amidst the indie power pop nuggets. Now, if I could just figure out what the hell these songs are about.

18. The New Pornographes – Twin Cinema (Matador/Mint): In many ways, this album was as much a follow up to A.C. Newman's solo debut as the successor to the second New Pornos album. On his solo plate, Newman showed a bit more introspection, which doesn't always take in a group setting – I think there are a few tunes here that might be a tad overarranged. This isn't always the case, and a couple other subdued numbers shine. This certainly is not as instantly accessible as the first two albums, but shows that the band will keep exploring the many different things they can do with their sound.

19. Novillero – Aim Right For The Holes In Their Lives (Mint): This band is driven by the piano, but doesn't succumb to the by now standard Ben Folds comparisons. Instead, the band blends some nods to ‘60s pop with an aggressive approach reminiscent of the angry men of New Wave, especially Joe Jackson. Or maybe another good comparison would be a more belligerent Zumpano. Novillero has two strong songwriters, who have slightly different approaches, but a consistent sensibility. The record is awash in hooks and the lyrics are smart and sharp.

20. John Cale – blackAcetate (Astralwerks): For the second disc in a row, Cale puts one foot back in the past and one in the future. While Cale is back to writing distinctive rock songs with pop hooks, just like he did back in the ‘70s, he's also exploring new textures and approaches. Quite frankly, as long as he can write songs as good as his work 30 years ago, the production is secondary. But the modern R & B touches that dot the album work very well. And Cale is singing with more confidence than ever.

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