Top 10 Albums of 2005 (that I listened to…)

The album pool of 2005 seemed slightly better than the near abysmal group of CD’s that came out in 2004. Even though there was a lot of heated debate in the wake of last year’s list; I firmly stand by my choices from last year. Yeah, some people didn’t like The Darkness taking the coveted top spot, but it was the best of 2004, once again, that I listened to.

Once the list is done, I am sure I will hear some complaints as to why some albums were not in the Top 10. Also included in this list will be some albums that missed the Top 10, but were still better than any episode of “Laguna Beach”. The Top 10 albums must have had to be released from November 15, 2004 to November 14, 2005, in order to be eligible.

Without further ado, here are MY Top 10 Albums of 2005…

Number One: System of A Down-Mezmerize- Anyone want to disagree? It was the only album that I could listen to from start to finish, and recite most of the crazy lyrical diatribes. Rock purists shake their head when listening to this band, but the key to long term success is expanding one’s idea of what rock is. This band challenges those old archetypes in rock, and throws so many different curve balls into the mix that you just can’t help but to listen and be amazed. Key Tracks: “Old School Hollywood”, “B.Y.O.B.”.

Number Two: The Mars Volta- Frances The Mute- Another band that throws a lot of twists and turns in their music. From the straight forward alt-rock ballad “The Widow”, to the Latin-tinged “L’via Vasquez”, the El Paso duo proved that you could be enigmatic and accessible at the same time. The only reason this didn’t take the top spot was the fact that System won the tiebreaker, with the better live show. Key Track: “L’via Vasquez”.

Number Three: Avenged Sevenfold- City of Evil- Forget the Buckcherry hype from 1999, this is rock’s best shot at the next Guns n Roses. The band dumped a played out metalcore background, and turned up the pure metal, and exceeded all expectations. Lead singer M. Shadows learned how to sing, and guitarist Zacky Venegance turned out the best guitar solos and riffs since some guy in a black tophat 15 years ago. This is one band that could sell millions, if the Hot Topic crowd doesn’t scream “sellout” too much. Key Track: “Beast & The Harlot”

Number Four: Beck- Guero- After the horrifically morose “Sea Change” album, Beck turned out his best album since 1996’s “Odelay”. From the Beck of yesterday track “Girl”, the leadoff single “E-Pro”, and the old school electronic flavor of “Hell Yes”, this proved that the always unpredictable Beck could still turn out something diverse and crowd pleasing. Key Track: “Hell Yes”

Number Five: Kanye West- Late Registration- Last year, Kanye received a lot of the heat, from Detroit Buzz readers telling me I was buying into the hype of the biggest ego in music today. Well, after West’s second, near flawless record came out, most of that hype talked down simmered down, and the music spoke for itself. West brings a more personal side of rap; something that mass marketing machine 50 Cent could definitely learn from. But Kanye might want to watch what he says on TV though. Even though some may agree, telethons may not be the best place to talk politics. Key Track: “Touch The Sky”

Number Six: The Bravery- Self Titled- Ok, the rivalry with the Killers is truly the worst ever rivalry in the history of music. But The Bravery surprised me with a strong album of retro sounding Brit-synth pop, by way of New York City. The tracks had more bounce then the Killers records, and the lyrics seem a little darker than most of the bands in this genre. Key Track: “Fearless”

Number Seven: U2- How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb- U2 could probably fart on a snare drum, and it would probably still sound great. “Bomb” provided what was great about 2000’s “All You Cant Leave Behind”, and the guitar work from The Edge seemed almost better than previous albums at times. I think it’s safe to say they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. Key Track: “City of Blinding Lights”

Number Eight: - Probably the most underrated group from this genre, “Silent Alarm” seemed like a better fit here than Franz Ferdinand and country-mates Coldplay. The hooks are catchier, and Bloc Party seems to be more in tune with the late 80’s/early 90’s alternative sound than most of the other groups that share the airwaves with. Now, only if they could look like they are more into it live, Americans might clamor on a little more. Key Track: “Banquet”.

Number Nine: Corrosion of Conformity- In The Arms of God- Hey, metal had to be represented just a little bit here. The North Carolina and New Orleans band came back strong this year, after a five year break. After 2000’s polished sounding “America’s Volume Dealer”, “God” sounded raw and angry. Not as rock-radio friendly as previous material, but showed more emotion. Key Track: “In The Arms of God”

Number Ten: Nine Inch Nails- With Teeth- After spending a few years trying to make sense of “The Fragile”, Trent Reznor came back with his finest work since “The Downward Spiral”. The songs seem more full and tighter, and do not descend into some sort of spacey and puzzling context. Maybe getting off drinking and drugs helped out Reznor’s psyche, but he still sounds as angry as ever. Key Track: “You Don’t Know What You Are”

Albums 11-20

Number Eleven: Jack Johnson- In Between Dreams

Number Twelve:Foo Fighters- In Your Honor (1st disc only)

Number Thirteen:Chimiara- Chimiara

Number Fourteen: Hot Hot Heat- Elevator

Number Fifteen: Coldplay- X&Y

Number Sixteen: Weezer- Make Believe

Number Seventeen: Franz Ferdinand- You Could Have It So Much Better…

Number Eighteen: Queens of the Stone Age- Lullablies to Paralyze

Number Nineteen: My Chemical Romance- Three Cheers for Revenge

Number Twenty: Common- Be

Top 10 Singles of 2005

• System of A Down- B.Y.O.B.- Catchy and political. Right-wingers might have hated this one, but it’s the best damn protest song we’ve had in a while.
• Weezer- Beverly Hills- Sing-a-long alert. Makes us wish we were all living there, instead of the cold and snow of Michigan.
• The Mars Volta- The Widow- Dark, and haunting power ballad that we may see more of from the band in the future.
• Franz Ferdinand- Do You Want To- The bounciest, hipster approved rock song of the year. Too bad the rest of the album wasn’t as strong.
• Kanye West w/ Jamie Foxx- Gold Digger- Its an anthem for anybody who’s got someone who’s bleeding them dry in the wallet. Not just a guy’s anthem…
• T.I.- Bring Em Out- Using an old Jay-Z loop, the “King of the South” created one of the club anthems of the year.
• White Stripes- Blue Orchid- Forget “Seven Nation Army”, this may be the group’s best single. Great drum beat and guitar riff.
• Ying Yang Twins /w Mike Jones- Badd- Guilty pleasure song of the year. One of those tunes you will be rapping along secretly to in the office.
• My Chemical Romance- I’m Not Okay- One song I can agree with the 15 and 16 year olds with. More catchy than the group’s bigger hit, “Helena”.
• Avenged Sevenfold- Bat Country- Ever hear the movie “Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas” brought to music? Now you have….

Five questions you might be asking yourself (because I know I will hear them...Drumroll Please):

1. “Art, why is Franz Ferdinand so low on your album chart?” Answer: Just like on their first album, the group is capable of writing some great hooks and singles. However, it does not always translate into a great album. The real critics may drool at their greatness, but I am still not completely sold on them being the next great band.

2. “Oh my God! Isnt Coldplay the greatest?” Answer: I think that critics are too quick to place “the biggest band of the world” tag on Chris Martin and his bandmates. They are a quality band, but they have not reached the level of songs that could touch someone like U2 has. I still think Coldplay focuses too much on their piano sound, which comes off as somber and mopey at times. I see them as a more mainstream version of Radiohead (in the time before Kid A), than U2’s replacement.

3. “Where’s all the metal?” Answer: Last year was a better year for metal than this year. Chimiara, Corrision of Conformity and Devildriver put out great records; while Disturbed and Mudvayne released solid, more mainstream records. I think the alternative scene had a better year. But with new albums due in ’06 from Shadows Fall, Mastodon and others metal could represent in a big way again next year.

4. “Rap still doesn’t get the respect on the album side that it deserves…” Answer: As I have always said; the genre of rap produces better singles, than it does albums. 50 Cent became a parody of himself this year; Eminem released a hugely disappointing album, and others released great singles, but to hear an albums’ worth was asking a little much.

5. “Where’s The Darkness?” Answer: I stand by my choice 200 percent from last year. So, deal with it! But I have a feeling their newest album wont be topping any charts.

The singles and albums were a tough list to put together. The singles were more hotly contested; there could have been 25 or 30 songs that would have suitable contenders for the top 10.

Ok, so that is the best of 2005, and I will be back next week, to discuss upcoming records and tours for 2006.