Enjoy, post loads...
Lists, people!
2005 will go down, for me, as the year having an iPod supplanted my
walkman, putting a near-full eclipse on radio for the first time in a
long time. But I had no problem finding jamz that got me whipped up.
- Songs 2005 -
10) Mick Jagger & Dave Stewart "Old Habits Die Hard" - Old guys, well,
I liked this horribly middle-of-the-road ditty that I only found out
about because it was nominated for a Golden Globe.
9) Usher "Caught Up" - Did it come out this year? Well, its my
favorite of the never-ending new wave of Usher. In the mix, indeed.
Louis XIV "Finding Out True Love Is Blind" - Car radio brought thisto me, only a few times, not a huge hit, but I found it very exciting.
7) (tie) Keyshia Cole "I Should've Cheated"/ Twista "Girl Tonight" -
Hot 97 still brings me some great R&B jamz, these onez while I was
cleaning my bathtub. Ironic? No, any place is a good place for good
jamz.
6) Slim Thug "Like A Boss" - The wild enthusiasm of one Sarah Williams
makes this heavy rap song a lister. She played it for us at her BBQ.
We listened to it 7 times in a row.
5) The Killers "Mr. Brightside" - I am unenthused by this band as a
whole, but then they keep making undeniable hits.
4) Amerie "One Thing" - Summer's #1 jam. Every summer has one. Every
one holds a special place.
3) Three 6 Mafia "Stay Fly" - I can't say enough how much I like this
song. Rap jamz are strong this year, from places I never expected,
sounded like I never imagined. Released late in the year, it might be
on top with a few more months in my head.
2) Kelly Clarkson "Since U Been Gone" - I never would've thought, even
after hearing it so many many times. But stand it up against most
anything else and the quality comparison is lost. Straight up great
song.
1) 50 Cent/ The Game "Hate It Or Love It" - 50 actually gives me
reason to like, not hate him on his verse, in which he sounds nice.
The Game does little to win favor, but that is the finest old R&B
sample/beat I can think of. Add on to it a feel-good chorus-hook that
stands as an awesome statement of principle, this is the #1 song I
could never get out of my head. Underdog is on top.
- Albums 2005 -
2005 was a weird year for albums. I'm leaving it at 9, just to mark
that while I heard more than 10 albums this year, I can't get behind
even 10 of them.
9) Fiona Apple "Extraordinary Machine" (the Jon Brion version) - I
didn't love it. I heard the released album, I found it pretty boring.
But when I heard the Brion versions, he was solidified as the great
collaborator right now (see #1). He took OK songs and made them
interesting.
The Decemberists "Picaresque" - This is a great band I found outabout this year. Boy, am I glad they also released an album this year
so I could show my appreciation in list form.
7) Beck "Guero" - This sounds like a good Beck album. One of the
un-depressing Beck albums I like. Was it all that new for him? No. But
I still like him alot.
6) The Shout Out Louds "Howl Howl Gaff Gaff" - What a terrible year
for me and rock albums! This one is not even that rocking. In a world
where alot of bands sound like each other, this one sounds something
like a more upbeat 80's The Cure. Pretty good combo.
5) Bloc Party "Silent Alarm" - The eternal battle against magazine
rock hype. The only thing that can beat it is my weakness for things
English. So, in the end, I like this album. I like that the bad was
really excited and that the drummer goes nuts the whole time.
4) Common "Be" - Everyone was so glad Common got back to basics, but I
loved the weird Electric Circus. So while the Chicago super grouping
with Kanye wasn't quite as amazing as I hoped, this is album is really
good beats with a really really good rapper.
3) Sufjan Stevens "Illinois" - Again, reluctant against the hype, this
guy (it is a guy, right?) makes very weird stuff that is really
pleasant. I haven't heard much like it before, which is huge in my
books, and totally makes up for its pretentiousness.
2) Caribou "The Milk Of Human Kindness" - I don't hear many 2005 album
releases, so I don't know how I got ahold of this. Its mostly
electronic, but it sounds like The Association. Until it sounds like
rap music. I love to confuse and be confused, so I love this.
1) Kanye West "Late Registration" - This is partially a make-up
choice, since I was so late in appreciating his first record. But I
keep relearning, with good artists, the best tracks aren't on the
radio. And this is why Kanye is the genius: he knew that the
collaboration of the year was not him and Common, but him and Jon
Brion. And the 2 experimented. This guy likes to try new things that
at first sound crazy ("We Major"?!). If they don't all work it doesn't
matter. And further, I love Kanye because he is so un-gangsta ("Drive
Slow" is about driving around the mall), but he is still hard. He is
the #1 man right now.