The Best Albums of 2005
by Steve on January 6^th, 2006

As we watch 2005 sail off into oblivion, it is time to reflect on the things that impacted us the most. What were the most tragic moments? What were the most uplifting? What surprised us? What restored our faith in humanity? What rocked our socks off?

I'd like to field that last question first.

2005 was a forgettable, unassuming year for music. Yet, when you look back you see a rich tapestry of wonderful recordings. Many were new artists breaking ground, others were veterans for whom breaking ground is their daily routine. Clearly some styles of music fared better than others, but overall I feel the art has indeed been pushed forward, if only by a slight degree.

Here are my Top 10 Albums of 2005 (roughly in order):

1. They Might Be Giants - Here Come the ABC's!
John and John come bouncing back to top form on pogo sticks and rubber balls. Their second children's album is packed from end to end with astoundingly catchy, singable songs relating to the alphabet in every way imaginable. However, the most impressive thing TMBG does is write songs truly for children; songs that operate in the surreal, malleable world that children perceive. Naturally, these translate easily to adult listeners, with the musical and lyrical caliber on par with any of TMBG’s “adult” albums. ‘Here Come the ABC’s!” is a classic for any age.

2. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Stevens’ second album in his theoretical 50 States project leaves all of his other albums (which were already high-achieving) in the dust. Illinois shows maturity and heightened skill for Stevens’ songwriting and trademark orchestrations are as intriguing as they are insightful. Stevens is an unappreciated chameleon of songcraft, as soft and lovely ballads give way to raucous instrumental exercises on ‘Illinois’. Also true to form is Stevens’ unabashed fascination with everything, which means that unusual and unexpected lyrical subjects are used to give a charming and comprehensive illustration of the titular state. By this rate, Stevens’ 50th State album will be utterly transcendent.

3. Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane - At Carnegie Hall
Thank the Jazz Gods for the discovery of this concert in the Library of Congress archives. Not only is the collaboration rare (Coltrane only played with Monk for roughly 6 months in 1957), but also the sound quality is very good (unreasonably good). And then there’s the performances: two of the greatest and most daring bebop players discuss music, love, God and reality, through their instruments, for a solid hour. No one could reasonably ask for anything more.

4. Ry Cooder - Chávez Ravine
Cooder worked on the actual album for three years, yet his inspiration had been with him since childhood. The tragic true story of an immigrant community outside of Los Angeles being fought for their land by the government, which was eventually razed and made into Dodger Stadium, is given a delicate yet satirical retelling on this album by a voyeuristic alien above the battle in a UFO. Cooder’s musicological interests come through in the songs styled in the pop, rock, and Mexican music of the time, played by many veteran artists. Cooder gives the deceased Ravine, its people and its culture, a fitting eulogy.

5. Pat Metheny Group - The Way Up
Metheny, along with longtime keyboardist Lyle Mays, have always reached far in their compositions on previous Pat Metheny Group albums. Yet even ‘The Way Up’ surprised and impressed most fans. Here the Group, which now also included percussion, harmonica, and other instruments, composed a tight and towering, 69-minute composition. The music is jazz and rock and world music, to be sure, but it remains accessible, and also leaves many spaces for the impeccable improvisations by Metheny and Group. This recording proves that jazz-fusion is still alive and well.

6. Sigur Rós - Takk...
To much is given, much is expected. This is certainly true of this Icelandic post-rock quartet who has been the darling of music critics and college radio since their breakthrough 1999 sophomore album. Fortunately Sigur Rós is that rare artist that is most successful not so much by forging ahead, but staying true to its proven formula. While it can’t be said that ‘Takk...’, the group’s fourth album, is as revelatory as their previous two masterpieces, it is remarkably strong. In fact, some may be relieved to see the loneliness and despair of past works banished, replaced by exuberant celebration of the little pleasures in life. This is one of the true joys of 2005.

7. Keith Jarrett - Radiance
Any man to base a reputation on performing 2-hour concerts of completely improvised solo piano is bound to be seen by some as arrogant or self-absorbed. This is compounded when he releases a 2-disc concert with the esoteric intent of, “not imagining the music”, but, “letting the music happen to me.” Yet, anyone who has born witness to Jarrett’s supernatural skill at creating vibrant, pleasing, musically cohesive compositions spontaneously (whether live or on record), knows that this jazz pianist is entirely capable of such a thing. ‘Radiance’ stretches the listener’s ear more than on other popular concert albums of the same lineage, as the advanced concept of “improvisation” yields more dense, often dissonant or even atonal figures, but Jarrett uses everything with such perspicacity that all is made beautiful, captivating and indispensable.

8. Nickel Creek - Why Should the Fire Die?
On the progressive bluegrass trio’s third album, Nickel Creek travel along the same musical trajectory, with slightly more bare rock and blues influences than before. The surprise came in the lyrical content, which was much bleaker than the wide-eyed optimism present on their debut. Songs about loss, death and unrequited love are given the full treatment with superb arrangements and performances. And while this brilliant group seems to be running out of innovations, this is still a powerful and enchanting album.

9. Fantômas - Suspended Animation
The music is fundamentally temporal: a 30-part soundtrack to the month of April, 2005. Yet it would not be a stretch, or a surprise, to say that the most recent album by the always daring and experimental metal supergroup fronted by the venerable Mike Patton is timeless. Here Patton and crew weave together concise yet intricate compositions, where thrashing guitars, nonmusical vocal techniques, and cartoon sound effects share a bed. The haunting yet surprisingly comfortable music is crowned by the brilliant “calendar” packaging and artwork by Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara.

10. Bill Frisell - East/West
On this live album, jazz guitarist Bill Frisell devotes two full discs, respectively, to a concert from L.A., and from New York, in an effort to illustrate the subtly different musical sounds of each coast as informed by their population and culture. This is achieved through the striking attention to detail, as well as the different rhythm sections Frisell uses for the two concerts. In the West, Frisell stretches out the tunes into dreamy jams and chooses pleasant covers like the traditional folk tune “Shenandoah”, while East-side Frisell makes use of tighter, more jittery compositions with a slight air of self-consciousness. All the while, Frisell’s guitar is the essence of restraint; rather than burning through wild solos, Frisell plays around the melody, choosing modest licks and ornamentations only at the perfect moments. ‘East/West’ is a successful experiment, and a gem in Frisell’s catalog.

Five runners-up:

11. The Bad Plus - Suspicious Activity?
With their third album in as many years, The midwestern jazz trio The Bad Plus are riding high. As the releases come on one another’s heels, they leave little room in between for musical and artistic evolution. Thus, ‘Suspicious Activity?’ wears a bit thin on the trio’s usual tricks. Nevertheless the depth and quality is there, with playful yet deliberately arcane compositions, and the obligatory quirky cover (“Theme from Chariots of Fire”). As always, the sparse soloings of the group, particularly pianist Ethan Iverson, leave something to be desired, which means that this music won’t appeal to traditional jazz fans. But the power is in the members’ psychic interplay, collectively stretching the tempos and harmony to their will. The Bad Plus seem to be outgrowing their terrain, but this album shows they have the power to one day fly.

12. Arvo Pärt - Lamentate (Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra; Alexei Lubimov)
Estonian composer Arvo Pärt has always been a musician of soft music with strong intentions. ‘Lamentate’, demanding music with a superficial inspiration, flips that around. Released to coincide with Pärt’s 70th birthday on September 11, the titular work is a powerful orchestral suite of 11 movements inspired by Anish Kapoor’s gargantuan ‘Marsyas’ sculpture in the Tate Modern. This is a departure for Pärt, who almost exclusively writes sacred music (being a devout Orthodox Christian). Likwise, it is unusual for his music to not feature voices. And although it mostly operates in Pärt’s ingenious Tintinnabuli style (simple figures orbiting a constant triad), the music is remarkably more harsh and unexpected than previous works. Nevertheless, ‘Lamentate’ achieves wonderfully. The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, along with pianist Alexei Lubimov, perform the piece with delicacy and transcendent clarity. In addition, this album begins with another recording debut, the sorrowful choral piece ‘De Pacem Domine’, sung beautifully by the Hilliard Ensemble, and is all packaged with the usual love and care by the splendid ECM New Series.

13. The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
‘Frances the Mute’ was easily one of the most polarizing albums of 2005. Many saw the experimental heavy rockers The Mars Volta as having been consumed by their own pretentiousness. It is difficult to argue against, with lengthy sections of dissonant noodling bedded into aimless songs outfitted with esoteric lyrics. However the key to ‘Frances’ was the forest, not the trees. The duo of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler Zavala created a painstakingly textured and varied 78-minute soundscape, one which reveals its worth when taken on the right terms (and one which contains undeniable fits of brilliance). It is a temperamental album, to be sure, but it’s a terribly rewarding one as well.

14. Venetian Snares - Rossz Csillag Allat Született
Charles Mingus traveled to Mexico and later recorded ‘Tijuana Moods’. Paul Simon traveled to South Africa and later recorded ‘Graceland’. And when Aaron Funk, the Winnipeg bedroom-artist of intense breakbeat electronica also known as Venetian Snares, traveled to Hungary, he came home and recorded ‘Rossz Csillag Allat Született’. While Hungarian music, both high art and folk, is underappreciated in the English-speaking world, Snares embraced it wholly, and was enriched. The album does not simply add snippets of popular songs to his trademark snare rolls and breaks, but rather shows a true and deliberate understanding of the music. Snares instead samples from more comprehensive selection, like the weighty string quartets of composer Béla Bartók, and the traditional folk tune, the Hungarian Suicide Song. What’s more, Snares incorporates the compositional styles of the east-European country’s music, such as setting most of the tracks on the album in 7/4 time. This is a sincere and unselfconscious recording, all too rare in the electronic world.

15. Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
In the six years it took Fiona Apple to release her newest album (thanks to bureaucracy at Epic Records), much had changed. In the public, the Internet leak of the album’s demo form led to fans’ outcries for an official release, which in turn brought this suspicious songstress from the 90's back into popular thought. Yet during that hiatus Apple also changed personally, and ‘Extraordinary Machine’ is the proof. Here Apple retains all of her strengths– bold compositions, sultry vocals and confessional lyrics– but also has the wisdom to discard her alienating traits. She then goes for the hat-trick: penning songs that are accessible, playful even mildly lampooning herself. ‘Machine’ makes Apple real without compromising her staggering musical abilities.

And some honorable mentions:

Architecture in Helsinki - In Case We Die
Beck - Guero
Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman
Dr. Dog - Easy Beat
Garage a Trois - Outre Mer
LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem
Matisyahu - Live at Stubb's
My Morning Jacket - Z
Sage Francis - A Healthy Distrust
Trey Anastasio - Shine

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