My tops of 2005

While I don't think this is a bad list by any means - in fact I think this is a pretty darn good list - this may be my weakest best of list in at least a few years. Although I weeded out many purchases I made in '05, the fact that I slept on more releases this year than previous years (see previous entry) probably makes this relatively weak compared to previous years' lists. Also, there's more lack of variety on this list than previous lists...and I take pride in trying to be as open-minded to different genres and sounds and not be tied down to any one genre/sound. Here's to '06 being bringing in more variety into my collection than '05. Here's the list:

1. M.I.A. - Arular (XL)
2. Circle - Tulikoira (Ektro)
3. Lula Cortes e Ze Ramalho - Paebiru (Shadoks)
4. Six Organs of Admittance - School of the Flower (Drag City)
5. Gang Gang Dance - God's Money (The Social Registry)
6. LCD Soundsystem - S/T (DFA/Capitol)
7. Konono No. 1 - Congotronics (Crammed Discs)
8. Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask (Epitaph)
9. Major Stars - 4 (Twisted Village)
10. Oneida - The Wedding (Jagjaguwar)
11. V/A - World Psychedelic Classics, Vol. 3: Love's a Real Thing (Luaka Bop)
12. August Born - S/T (Drag City)
13. Animal Collective - Feels (Fat Cat)
14. Lau Nau - Kuutarha (Locust)
15. Oneida/Plastic Crimewave Sound - Split 12” (Jagjaguwar)
16. No Neck Blues Band - Qvaris (5 Rue Christine)
17. Residual Echoes - S/T (Holy Mountain)
18. Sunn O))) - The Grimmrobe Demos (Southern Lord)
19. Lightning Bolt - Hypermagic Mountain (Load)
20. Lady Sovereign - Vertically Challenged (Chocolate Industries)

Honorable Mention:

Badgerlore - Stories for Owls (Free Porcupine)
Espers - The Weed Tree EP (Locust)
High On Fire - Blessed Black Wings (Relapse)
Konono No. 1/Dead C - Split 12" (Fat Cat)
Mahjongg - raYDONcoNG (Cold Crush)
New Pornographers - Twin Cinema (Matador)
V/A - Choubi Choubi! Folk and Pop Sounds from Iraq (Sublime Frequencies)

Most slept-on music of 2005

Sometime before the end of the month I’ll come up with my list of top releases of 2005 (probably 20?). Every year, when I think of my list and see others’ lists, it’s quickly apparent that there are so many albums, EPs, singles, etc. that I’ve slept on, which means I completely missed it or I listened to them insufficiently or for whatever reason (money, time, etc.) just never bought, burned, or downloaded. This year’s slept-on albums are based on what others have said or written, and also based on some listening on my part (sample mp3s, hearing a song or two, etc.). So here’s my list (in alphabetical order) of 2005 releases that I’ve slept on and will not be included in my top releases list. My birthday is this Sunday, so I think you should buy me these:

Akron/Family - S/T (Young God)

Antony & the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now (Secretly Canadian)

Avarus - Ruskea Timantti (tUMULt)

Black Taj - S/T (Amish)

The Books - Lost & Safe (Tomlab)

Boris - Pink (DIW Phalanx)

The Clientele - Strange Geometry (Merge)

The Coup - My Favorite Mutiny EP (Epitaph)

Deerhoof - The Runners Four (Kill Rock Stars)

Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom - The Days of Mars (DFA/Astralwerks)

Earth - Hex: Or Printing in the Infernal Method (Southern Lord)

Edan - Beauty and the Beat (Lewis)

Excepter - Throne (Load) & Self-Destruction (Fusetron)

The Fall - Fall Heads Roll (Narnack)

Flaherty/Corsano Duo - Last Eyes (Records) & Steel Sleet (Tyyfus)

Fursaxa - Amulet (Last Visible Dog) & Lepidoptera (ATP)

Gary Higgins - Red Hash (Drag City) (I have some mp3s, but every time I go to a record store, they don’t have it, goddammit. I should just order it from Drag City)

Islaja - Palaa Aurinkoon (Fonal)

Jack Rose - Kensington Blues (VHF)

Jackie-O Motherfucker - Flags of the Sacred Harp (ATP)

Josephine Foster - Hazel Eyes, I Will Lead You (Locust)

Keith Fullerton Whitman - Multiples (Kranky)

Kemialliset Ystavat - Lumottu Karkkipurkki (Fonal)

Khanate - Capture & Release (Hydra Head)

Mountains - S/T (Apestaartje)

Om - Variations on a Theme (Holy Mountain)

OOIOO - Gold and Green (Thrill Jockey)

The Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers (Drag City)

Sir Richard Bishop – Improvika (Bo Weavil)

Sleater-Kinney - The Woods (Sub Pop)

Smog - A River Ain’t Too Much to Love (Drag City)

Sunn O))) - Black One (Southern Lord)

Vashti Bunyan - Lookaftering (Fat Cat)

V/A - Cambodia Rocks Vol. 3: All Psyched Up (Khmer Rocks)

V/A - Can You Jack? Chicago Acid and Experimental House 1985-95 (Soul Jazz)

V/A - Cult Cargo: Belize City Boil Up (Numero Group)

V/A - Dirty Laundry: The Soul of Black Country (Trikont)

V/A - Love, Peace, & Poetry: Turkish Psychedelic Music (QDK)

V/A - Nao Wave (Man Recordings)

V/A - Rio Baile Funk: Favela Booty Beats (Essay)

V/A - Thai Beat A Go-Go Vol. 3 (Subliminal Sounds)

V/A - Welsh Rare Beat (Finders Keepers)