2005- it’s crazy hard to believe that was 8 years ago. My first son was born early on that year so I spent most of the year in an early parenting haze, but the music of ’05 is still very memorable and helped energize me through those often sleepless nights and days. Listening to much of the music today- it feels both of a slightly different era and very much tied to the music of today. America has just seen the re-election of W. Bush and was in the midst of Hurricane Katrina and it’s aftermath by year’s end. The middle of the oughts saw the decentralization of the music business- away from terrestrial radio and MTV and toward artist’s websites, e fanzines, and influential music blogs like Pitchfork. As a result a number of bands on indie labels received great exposure that they likely would not have received previously. Digital music was also becoming increasingly prominent, with the iTunes store dominating the competition, along with many illegal free music sites allowing people to sample vast quantities of music, as they never had before. As a result, the walls separating musical genres began to come down and indie rock kids started listening to more dance music and pop, as well as metal etc… As someone who has always loved many different genres of music (at least since my later high school years) this change made and continues to make me very happy.

Even though it wasn’t that long ago I wasn’t sure how 2005 would stack up against the other post-millennium years. I’m a big fan of that whole decade of music but the years tend to run together a bit because we don’t yet have much distance from them. Like most years I have reviewed for my blog, 2005 was better than expected. ’05 delivered three absolute classics, but then a slew (25 or so) very great to near classic albums. M.I.A.’s major label debut “Arular” is at the head of the pack of the 3 classics and its blend of world music, hip hop, pop & dance made her music the newest, freshest sound going. Sufjan Stevens 2nd (and last so far) State concept album “Illinois” is nearly perfect and still his best album by a mile. Kanye West 2nd album “Late Registration” bettered his great debut album and remained his best album until “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” trumped it in the next decade.

Rap & Hip Hop still dominated the commercial landscape in ’05. In addition to West, Young Jeezy’s “Thug Motivation” (his debut) was a huge success and cashed in on the coke-rap produced by rappers like Raekwon from the Wu-Tang Clan & Va. Beach natives Clipse. Clipse released their 2nd mixed tape “We Bought It For Cheap Vol. 2”, anticipating the onslaught of rap mixtapes to come once the genres commercial fortunes began to wane. Perhaps the biggest commercial story of ’05 was the emergence of Lil Wayne. The New Orleans rapper had been around since his teenage years in the late 90’s, but his ’05 album “Tha Carter II” considerably upped his status and he was soon thought to be the best rapper in the game. In Chicago, Common released his best album in years with “Be”, enlisting Kanye as a producer and guest rapper on many of its tracks. Though L.A. had certainly fallen by the wayside since it’s golden era of Tupac, Dre, Snoop & Deathrow Records, young rapper The Game released his debut “The Documentary”, containing the great single “Hate It Or Love It” with 50 Cent rapping the hook. In the dirty south longtime Memphis rappers Three-Six Mafia achieved their biggest success with “Most Known Unknown” which includes the awesome “Stay Fly” single.

Pop music was in a fun place as well in the middle of the decade. Beyonce’s “Crazy In Love”, one of the biggest and best singles of the decade, released several years earlier made its producer Rich Robinson a hot ticket item. He produced two of 2005’s best singles- “1 Thing” by Amerie and “Get Right” by believe it or not Jennifer Lopez. J. Lo up until then had never made a song I would even call average. And she hasn’t made a good once since. I give all of the credit to the producer but “Get Right” still sounds like magic to me. Maybe even stranger, 1st American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson released the outstanding “Since U Been Gone”, which took a “Maps” (by Yeah Yeah Yeah’s) like riff and melded it to the perfect pop production machine helmed by Max Martin, who produced much of the teen pop music at the end of last century and the beginning of our current one. I never liked much of his stuff either, but with Clarkson he came up with a perfect song. Former Swedish teen pop sensation released her self-titled debut album which took another two years to be released in the U.S. It’s one of the better pure pop albums I’ve heard in the last 20 years and her follow-up album even bettered it. 2005 also saw Rihanna’s album debut which included the still great singles “Pon De Replay” and “If It’s Lovin’ That You Want”. Madonna released her last great single to date as well with “Hung Up”.

Electronic dance music, while not yet fully mainstream, was all over the place in ’05, but mostly in Europe and in the American underground. British/European acts like Vitalic, Goldfrapp, Broadcast, Jamie Lidell, Ladytron, Roisin Murphy, M83 & The Go Team released great stuff that year as did their Brooklyn DFA Records counterparts LCD Soundsystem and The Juan MacLean. Former Blue frontman’s fictional animated band Gorillaz released a successful follow-up to their 2001 self-titled smash with “Demon Days”- not dance or electronic music per se, but a hybrid of both along with rock & hip hop. As per usual the underground and Europe would permeate the culture enough to push similar sounding music above ground later. Whether or not you like the current state of EDM all of this stuff deserves credit for paving the way toward more mass acceptance of the genre.

Indie rock was healthier and more varied than ever. Some of the biggest and best releases in my opinion were the 3rd New Pornographers album “Twin Cinema”, the 2nd Hold Steady album “Separation Sunday”- which really put them on the map, the much hyped self-distributed self-titled debut Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, which they have yet to come close to equaling, the debut from Wolf Parade “Apologies to the Queen Mary”, Brooklyn’s the National whose slow burner “Alligator” eventually made them one of the bigger indie rock bands out there,and Sleater-Kinney’s swan song and nod to classic dinosaur rock “The Woods”. Also Portland’s theatrical/literary art rockers Decemberists released their best album to date “Picaresque”. British sincerely ironic jokesters Art Brut’s debut “Bang Bang Rock N’ Roll” injected some punky sass into the scene. “Z” is still my favorite My Morning Jacket album, where the band’s tunefulness, chops & stretched out jams were at their peak and lowest amount of excess. Austin’s Spoon, one of indie’s most consistently great groups, released another very fine release with “Gimme Fiction”. Franz Ferdinand followed up their great debut with a tight follow-up “You Could Have It So Much Better”. The Canadian collective Broken Social Scene followed up their classic debut with a self-titled second release. Death Cab for Cutie’s major label debut “Plans” contained some actual hits and good ones at that. The White Stripes “Get Behind Me Satan” was a bit of a let down after the awesome “Elephant”, but still contains its fair share of excellence. Gang Of Four dance-punk disciples Bloc Party released their debut “Silent Alarm”, another indie fan favorite. Experimental Brooklyn group Animal Collective released their first mostly song oriented album, the very well received “Feels”. They would continue to amass a larger following toward the end of the decade.

Singer songwriters had some great moments as well in ’05. Fiona Apple released her long awaited third album after multiple delays. Though I consider it slightly weaker than 1999’s underrated “When the Pawn Strikes…”, it has hold up well. Fiona has a consistently strong discography. The freak folk movement was dying down a bit as a fad, but one of its head practitioners Devendra Banhart released its White Album in 2005 with “Cripple Crow”. It may be a bit long and scattered but does has a handful of brilliant moments. Gay New York City artist Antony Hegarty released “I Am a Bird Now”, a beautiful and tear jerking album that announced him as an artist to be reckoned with. Conor Oberst’s Bright Eyes released his/their best album to date with “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning”, one of the better post-9/11 records out there. In ’05 Oberst was an ex-Nebraskan living in NYC for the first time as a young twenty-something. The album shows the sadness, confusion & exhilaration of living in the city during that time and is pulls plenty of political punches as well. It, along with Sleater-Kinney’s “One Beat” got me through a time when it felt like the world was turning insane and turning on its head.

 

 

 

BRIGHT EYES- I’M WIDE AWAKE IT’S MORNING

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning – Bright Eyes
Buy I’m Wide Awake, It’s MorningAmazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BLOC PARTY- SILENT ALARM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Silent Alarm – Bloc Party
Buy Silent Alarm (U.S. Version) [Explicit]Amazon
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE HOLD STEADY- SEPARATION SUNDAY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Separation Sunday – The Hold Steady
Buy Separation SundayAmazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH!- CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Buy Clap Your Hands Say YeahAmazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMMON- BE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Be – Common
Buy Be [Explicit]Amazon
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ROBYN- ROBYN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Robyn – Robyn
Buy Robyn [Explicit]Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MY MORNING JACKET- Z

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Z – My Morning Jacket
Buy ZAmazon
 

 

 

 

 
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM- LCD SOUNDSYSTEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy LCD Soundsystem – LCD Soundsystem
Buy LCD SoundsystemAmazon
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ART BRUT- BANG BANG ROCK N’ ROLL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Bang Bang Rock & Roll – Art Brut
Buy Bang Bang Rock & RollAmazon
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
THE GO TEAM!- THUNDER LIGHTNING STRIKE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Thunder, Lightning, Strike – The Go! Team
Buy Thunder, Lightning, StrikeAmazon
 

 

 

 

 

 
M.I.A.- ARULAR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Arular – M.I.A.
Buy Arular [Explicit]Amazon
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
WOLF PARADE- APOLOGIES TO THE QUEEN MARY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Apologies to the Queen Mary – Wolf Parade
Buy Apologies To The Queen MaryAmazon
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE- FEELS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Feels – Animal Collective
Buy FeelsAmazon
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE DECEMBERISTS- PICARESQUE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Picaresque – The Decemberists
Buy PicaresqueAmazon
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS- TWIN CINEMA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Twin Cinema – The New Pornographers
Buy Twin CinemaAmazon
 

 

 

 

 

 

LIL WAYNE- THA CARTER II

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Tha Carter II – Lil Wayne
Buy Tha Carter II [Explicit]Amazon
 

 

 

 

 

 

SLEATER-KINNEY- THE WOODS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy The Woods (Bonus Track Version) – Sleater-Kinney
Buy The WoodsAmazon
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE NATIONAL- ALLIGATOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Alligator – The National
Buy AlligatorAmazon
 

 

 

 

 

 

KANYE WEST- LATE REGISTRATION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Late Registration – Kanye West
Buy Late Registration [Explicit] Amazon
 

 

 

 

 

SUFJAN STEVENS- ILLINOISE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Illinois – Sufjan Stevens
Buy IllinoiseAmazon

Best of 2005 Volume 1 (2/3/06)

1.  Common- Be (Intro)

Buy Be (Intro) – Be
Buy Be (Intro) [Explicit]Amazon

2.  Kanye West (Feat. Lupe Fiasco)- Touch the Sky

Buy Touch the Sky (Featuring Lupe Fiasco) – Late Registration
Buy Touch The Sky [Explicit]Amazon

3.  Amerie- 1 Thing

Buy 1 Thing – Touch
Buy 1 Thing (Radio Version featuring Eve)Amazon

4.  M.I.A.- Bucky Done Gun

Buy Bucky Done Gun – Arular
Buy Bucky Done Gun [Explicit]Amazon

5.  The Go Team!- Ladyflash

Buy Ladyflash – Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Buy LadyflashAmazon

6.  LCD Soundsystem- Tribulations

Buy Tribulations – LCD Soundsystem
Buy TribulationsAmazon

7.  Clap Your Hands Say Yeah- The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth

Buy The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Buy The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth (Album Version)Amazon

8.  Bloc Party- Like Eating Glass

Buy Like Eating Glass – Silent Alarm
Buy Like Eating Glass (Album Version)Amazon

9.  The Hold Steady- Your Little Hoodrat Friend

Buy Your Little Hoodrat Friend – Separation Sunday
Buy Your Little Hoodrat FriendAmazon

10.  The Raveonettes- Love in a Trashcan

Buy Love In a Trashcan – Pretty In Black
Buy Love In A TrashcanAmazon

11.  Art Brut- Emily Kane

Buy Emily Kane – Top of the Pops
Buy Emily KaneAmazon

12.  The National- Abel

Buy Abel – Alligator
Buy AbelAmazon

13.  My Morning Jacket- Off the Record

Buy Off the Record – Z
Buy Off The RecordAmazon

14.  Spoon- I Summon You

Buy I Summon You – Gimme Fiction
Buy I Summon YouAmazon

15.  Kelly Clarkson- Since U Been Gone      (*Original release 11/04 – single broke in 2005)

Buy Since U Been Gone – Greatest Hits – Chapter One
Buy Since U Been GoneAmazon

16.  Franz Ferdinand- Eleanor Put Your Boots On

Buy Eleanor Put Your Boots On – You Could Have It So Much Better
Buy Eleanor Put Your Boots OnAmazon

17.  Sleater-Kinney- Jumpers

Buy Jumpers – The Woods
Buy JumpersAmazon

18.  Sufjan Stevens- The Man Of Metropolis Stole Our Hearts

Buy The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts – Illinois
Buy The Man of Metropolis Steals Our HeartsAmazon

19.  Bright Eyes- Land Locked Blues

Buy Land Locked Blues – I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning
Buy Land Locked BluesAmazon

Best of 2005 Volume 2 (2/5/06)

1.  Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley- Welcome To Jamrock

Buy Welcome to Jamrock – Welcome to Jamrock
Buy Welcome To JamrockAmazon

2.  Spoon- I Turn My Camera On

Buy I Turn My Camera On – Gimme Fiction
Buy I Turn My Camera OnAmazon

3.  The New Pornographers- Twin Cinema

Buy Twin Cinema – Twin Cinema
Buy Twin CinemaAmazon

4.  Rihanna- Pon De Replay

Buy Pon de Replay – Music of the Sun
Buy Pon de Replay (Album Version)Amazon

5.  LCD Soundsystem- Daft Punk Is Playing At My House

Buy Daft Punk Is Playing At My House – LCD Soundsystem
Buy Daft Punk Is Playing At My HouseAmazon

6.  M83- Don’t Save Us From the Flames

*Album version not available via iTunes or Amazon

7.  Wolf Parade- Shine a Light

Buy Shine a Light – Apologies to the Queen Mary
Buy Shine A LIght (Album)Amazon

8.  Broken Social Scene- 7/4 Shoreline

Buy 7/4 (Shoreline) – Broken Social Scene
Buy 7/4 (Shoreline)Amazon

9.  The Mountain Goats- This Year

Buy This Year – The Sunset Tree
Buy This YearAmazon

10.  The Clientele- Since K Got Over Me

Buy Since K Got Over Me – Strange Geometry
Buy Since K Got Over MeAmazon

11.  Fiona Apple- Get Him Back

Buy Get Him Back (New w/o Sample) – Extraordinary Machine
Buy Get Him BackAmazon

12.  Art Brut- Good Weekend

Buy Good Weekend – Top of the Pops
Buy Good WeekendAmazon

13.  Three-Six Mafia (Feat. Young Buck, Eightball & MJG)- Stay Fly

Buy Stay Fly – Most Known Unknown
Buy Stay Fly (Explicit Album Version)Amazon

14.  Kanye West- Gold Digger

Buy Gold Digger (feat. Jamie Foxx) – Late Registration
Buy Gold Digger [Explicit]Amazon

15.  M.I.A.- Amazon

Buy Amazon – Arular
Buy Amazon Amazon

16.  The Decemberists- The Sporting Life

Buy The Sporting Life – Picaresque
Buy The Sporting LifeAmazon

17.  The White Stripes- Forever For Her (Is Over For Me)

Buy Forever for Her (Is Over for Me) – Get Behind Me Satan
Buy Forever For Her [Is Over For Me] (Album Version)Amazon

18.  Sufjan Stevens- John Wayne Gacy, Jr.

Buy John Wayne Gacy, Jr. – Illinois
Buy John Wayne Gacy, Jr.Amazon

19.  Devendra Banhart- Heard Somebody Say

Buy Heard Somebody Say – Cripple Crow
Buy Heard Somebody SayAmazon

20.  Antony & the Johnsons- Hope There’s Someone

BuyHope There’s Someone – I Am a Bird Now
BuyHope There’s SomeoneAmazon

Best of 2005 Volume 3 (12/23/06)

1.  Art Brut- Formed a Band

Buy Formed a Band – Top of the Pops
Buy Formed a BandAmazon

2.  Franz Ferdinand- Do You Want To

Buy Do You Want to – You Could Have It So Much Better
Buy Do You Want ToAmazon

3.  The Game (Feat. 50 Cent)- Hate It Or Love It

Buy Hate It or Love It – The Documentary / Doctor’s Advocate
Buy Hate It Or Love It [Explicit]Amazon

4.  Kanye West (Feat. Adam Levine)- Heard Em Say

Buy Heard ‘Em Say (Featuring Adam Levine) – Late Registration
Buy Heard ‘Em Say [Explicit]Amazon

5.  Lil Wayne (Feat. Robin Thicke)- Shooter

Buy Shooter – Tha Carter II
Buy Shooter [Explicit]Amazon

6.  Goldfrapp- Ooh La La

Buy Ooh La La – Supernature
Buy Ooh La LaAmazon

7.  Vitalic- My Friend Dario

Buy My Friend Dario – OK Cowboy
Buy My Friend DarioAmazon

8.  Young Jeezy (Feat. Jay-Z)- Go Crazy

Buy Go Crazy (feat. Jay-Z) – Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101
Buy Go Crazy [Explicit]Amazon

9.  The Juan MacLean- Give Me Every Little Thing

Buy Give Me Every Little Thing (Gmelt) – Less Than Human
Buy Give Me Every Little ThingAmazon

10.  The New Pornographers- Sing Me Spanish Techno

Buy Sing Me Spanish Techno – Twin Cinema
Buy Sing Me Spanish TechnoAmazon

11.  Sleater-Kinney- Entertain

Buy Entertain – The Woods
Buy Entertain (Album)Amazon

12.  Bloc Party- Banquet

Buy Banquet – Silent Alarm
Buy Banquet (Album Version)Amazon

13.  The Go Team!- Bottle Rocket

Buy Bottle Rocket – Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Buy Bottle RocketAmazon

14.  Broadcast- America’s Boy

Buy America’s Boy – Tender Buttons
Buy America’s BoyAmazon

15.  The Decemberists- 16 Military Wives

Buy 16 Military Wives – Picaresque
Buy 16 Military WivesAmazon

16.  The Hold Steady- Multitude of Casualties

Buy Multitude of Casualties – Separation Sunday
Buy Multitude of CasualtiesAmazon

17.  M.I.A.- Bingo

Buy Bingo – Arular
Buy BingoAmazon

18.  Sufjan Stevens- Chicago

Buy Chicago – Illinois
Buy ChicagoAmazon

19.  Death Cab for Cutie- I Will Follow You Into the Dark

Buy I Will Follow You Into the Dark – Plans
Buy I Will Follow You Into The DarkAmazon

Best of 2005 Volume 4 (12/25/06)

1.  Hard-Fi- Hard to Beat

Buy Hard to Beat – Stars of CCTV
Buy Hard To Beat (Album Version)Amazon

2.  Maximo Park- Apply Some Pressure

Buy Apply Some Pressure – A Certain Trigger
Buy Apply Some PressureAmazon

3.  Missy Elliott (Feat. Ciara & Fatman Scoop)- Lose Control

Buy Lose Control (Featuring Ciara & Fat Man Scoop) – The Cookbook
Buy Lose Control (Featuring Ciara & Fat Man Scoop) (Explicit Album Version) [Explicit]Amazon

4.  Madonna- Hung Up

Buy Hung Up – Confessions On a Dance Floor
Buy Hung UpAmazon

5.  Robyn- Be Mine

Buy Be Mine! – Robyn
Buy Be Mine!Amazon

6.  Death Cab for Cutie- Soul Meets Body

Buy Soul Meets Body – Plans
Buy Soul Meets Body (Album Version)Amazon

7.  Jamie Lidell- Multiply

Buy Multiply – Multiply
Buy MultiplyAmazon

8.  The White Stripes- My Doorbell

Buy My Doorbell – Get Behind Me Satan
Buy My Doorbell (Album Version)Amazon

9.  Gorillaz- Dare

Buy Dare – Demon Days
Buy DareAmazon

10.  Kanye West (Feat. Paul Wall)- Drive Slow

Buy Drive Slow (Featuring Paul Wall & GLC) – Late Registration
Buy Drive Slow (Kanye West Featuring Paul Wall and GLC) (Explicit Album Version)Amazon

11.  Common- The Corner

Buy The Corner – Be
Buy The Corner [Explicit]Amazon

12.  Young Jeezy- My Hood

Buy My Hood – Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101
Buy My HoodAmazon

13.  Lil Wayne- Fireman

Buy Fireman – Tha Carter II
Buy Fireman [Explicit]Amazon

14.  M.I.A.- Sunshowers

Buy Sunshowers – Arular
Buy Sunshowers [Explicit]Amazon

15.  Clap Your Hands Say Yeah- In This Home On Ice

Buy Is This Home On Ice – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Buy Is This Home On Ice (Album Version)Amazon

16.  Wolf Parade- I’ll Believe in Anything

Buy I’ll Believe In Anything – Apologies to the Queen Mary
Buy I’ll Believe in Anything (Album)Amazon

17.  My Morning Jacket- Anytime

Buy Anytime – Z
Buy AnytimeAmazon

18.  Spoon- Sister Jack

Buy Sister Jack – Gimme Fiction
Buy Sister JackAmazon

19.  Iron & Wine- Woman King

Buy Woman King – Woman King – EP
Buy Woman King (LP Version)Amazon

Best of 2005 Volume 5 (5/9/09)

1.  Robyn- Konichiwa Bitches

Buy Konichiwa Bitches – Robyn
Buy Konichiwa BitchesAmazon

2.  M.I.A.- Hombre

Buy Hombre – Arular
Buy Hombre [Explicit]Amazon

3.  Juelz Santana- Mic Check

Buy Mic Check (Edited Version) – Mic Check – Single
Buy Mic Check [Explicit]Amazon

4.  Clipse & Famlay- Zen

*This version not available via iTunes or Amazon

5.  Gorillaz- Feel Good Inc.

Buy Feel Good Inc – Demon Days
Buy Feel Good Inc (Album Version)Amazon

6.  Beck- E-Pro

Buy E-Pro – Guero
Buy E-ProAmazon

7.  The Go Team!- Panther Dash

Buy Panther Dash – Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Buy Panther DashAmazon

8.  Animal Collective- Grass

Buy Grass – Feels
Buy GrassAmazon

9.  Fiery Furnaces- Here Comes Summer

Buy Here Comes the Summer – EP
Buy Here Comes The SummerAmazon

10.  My Morning Jacket- Wordless Chorus

Buy Wordless Chorus – Z
Buy Wordless ChorusAmazon

11.  Okkervil River- For Real

Buy For Real – Black Sheep Boy
Buy For RealAmazon

12.  Devendra Banhart- Now That I Know

Buy Now That I Know – Cripple Crow
Buy Now That I KnowAmazon

13.  Sufjan Stevens- Casimir Pulaski Day

Buy Casimir Pulaski Day – Illinois
Buy Casimir Pulaski DayAmazon

14.  Antony & the Johnsons- Fistfull of Love

Buy Fistful of Love (With Lou Reed) – I Am a Bird Now
Buy Fistful Of LoveAmazon

15.  Goldfrapp- Number 1

Buy Number 1 – Supernature
Buy Number 1Amazon

16.  Roisin Murphy- Ruby Blue

Buy Ruby Blue – Ruby Blue
Buy Ruby BlueAmazon

17.  Broadcast- Blackcat

Buy Black Cat – Tender Buttons
Buy Black CatAmazon

18.  Ladytron- Destroy Everything You Touch

Buy Destroy Everything You Touch – Witching Hour (Bonus Track Version)
Buy Destroy Everything You TouchAmazon

19.  Clap Your Hands Say Yeah- Details of the War

Buy Details of the War – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Buy Details Of The War (Album Version)Amazon

20.  The Decemberists- We Both Go Down Together

Buy We Both Go Down Together – Picaresque
Buy We Both Go Down TogetherAmazon

21.  Art Brut- Bang Bang Rock N’ Roll

*Track not available via iTunes
Buy Bang Bang Rock & RollAmazon

Best of 2005 Volume 6 (5/10/09)

1.  The Hold Steady- Hornets! Hornets!

Buy Hornets! Hornets! – Separation Sunday
Buy Hornets! Hornets!Amazon

2.  Franz Ferdinand- I’m Your Villian

Buy I’m Your Villian – You Could Have It So Much Better
Buy I’m Your VillianAmazon

3.  Okkervil River- The Latest Toughs

Buy The Latest Toughs – Black Sheep Boy
Buy The Latest ToughsAmazon

4.  The New Pornographers- Jackie, Dressed in Cobras

Buy Jackie, Dressed In Cobras – Twin Cinema
Buy Jackie, Dressed In CobrasAmazon

5.  Sleater-Kinney- Modern Girl

Buy Modern Girl – The Woods
Buy Modern Girl (Album)Amazon

6.  M83- Teen Angst

*Track not available via iTunes
Buy Teen AngstAmazon

7.  Serena-Maneesh- Drain Cosmetics

Buy Drain Cosmetics – Serena-Maneesh
Buy Drain Cosmetics (Album Version)Amazon

8.  Robyn- Crash and Burn Girl

Buy Crash and Burn Girl – Robyn
Buy Crash And Burn GirlAmazon

9.  Jennifer Lopez- Get Right

Buy Get Right – Rebirth
Buy Get RightAmazon

10.  Rihanna- If It’s Lovin’ That You Want

Buy If It’s Lovin’ That You Want – Music of the Sun
Buy If It’s Lovin’ That You Want (Album Version)Amazon

11.  Lil Wayne- Money On My Mind

Buy Money On My Mind – Tha Carter II
Buy Money On My Mind [Explicit]Amazon

12.  M.I.A.- 10 Dollar

Buy 10 Dollar – Arular
Buy 10 Dollar [Explicit]Amazon

13.  Lady Sovereign- Random

Buy Random – Vertically Challenged
Buy Random [Explicit]Amazon

14.  Deerhoof- Wrong Time Capsule

Buy Wrong Time Capsule – The Runners Four
Buy Wrong Time CapsuleAmazon

15.  Broken Social Scene- Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)

Buy Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day) – Broken Social Scene
Buy Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)Amazon

16.  Animal Collective- Did You See the Words

Buy Did You See the Words? – Feels
Buy Did You See the WordsAmazon

17.  Common- Testify

Buy Testify – Be
Buy Testify [Explicit]Amazon

18.  The Game- Dreams

Buy Dreams – The Documentary
Buy Dreams [Explicit]Amazon

19.  Soulwax- NY Excuse (Radio Edit)

Buy NY Excuse (Radio Edit) – NY Excuse – Single
Buy NY ExcuseAmazon

20.  Sufjan Stevens- Decatur, Or Round of Applause for Your Stepmother

Buy Decatur, Or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother! – Illinois
Buy Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Step-Mother!Amazon

Best of 2005 Volume 7 (5/9/13)

1.  Broken Social Scene- Major Label Debut (Fast)

Buy Major Label Debut (Fast) – EP to Be You and Me
Buy Major Label Debut (Fast)Amazon

2.  Black Mountain- Modern Music

Buy Modern Music – Black Mountain
Buy Modern MusicAmazon

3.  M.I.A.- Pull Up the People

Buy Pull Up the People – Arular
Buy Pull Up The PeopleAmazon

4.  Clipse- Run This Shit

*Track not available via iTunes or Amazon

5.  Lil Wayne- Best Rapper Alive

Buy Best Rapper Alive – Tha Carter II
Buy Best Rapper Alive [Explicit]Amazon

6.  The Gossip- Standing In the Way of Control

Buy Standing In the Way of Control – Standing In the Way of Control
Buy Standing in the Way of ControlAmazon

7.  Sleater-Kinney- Wilderness

Buy Wilderness – The Woods (Bonus Track Version)
Buy Wilderness (Album)Amazon

8.  Wolf Parade- We Built Another World

Buy We Built Another World – Apologies to the Queen Mary
Buy We Built Another World (Album)Amazon

9.  Jackson & His Computer Band- Utopia

Buy Utopia – Smash
Buy UtopiaAmazon

10.  Lindstrom- I Feel Space

Buy I Feel Space – I Feel Space – EP
Buy I Feel SpaceAmazon

11.  Super Furry Animals- Frequency

Buy Frequency – Love Kraft
Buy FrequencyAmazon

12.  Jamie Lidell- When I Come Back Around

Buy When I Come Back Around – Multiply
Buy When I Come Back AroundAmazon

13. Roisin Murphy- If We’re In Love

Buy If We’re In Love – Ruby Blue
Buy If We’re In LoveAmazon

14.  Beanie Sigel- I Feel It In the Air

Buy Feel It In the Air (Radio Edit) – Feel It In the Air – Single
Buy Feel It In The Air [Explicit]Amazon

15.  Kanye West (Feat. Jay-Z)- Diamonds of Sierra Leone (Remix)

Buy Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix) [Featuring Jay-Z] – Late Registration
Buy Diamonds From Sierra LeoneAmazon

16.  Cam’ron (Feat. Juelz Santana)- It’s Nothin

*Track not available via iTunes or Amazon

17.  Bright Eyes- Poison Oak

Buy Poison Oak – I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning
Buy Poison OakAmazon

18.  The National- Mr. November

Buy Mr. November – Alligator
Buy Mr. NovemberAmazon

Best of 2005 Volume 8 (5/9/13)

1.  Bright Eyes- First Day Of My Life

Buy First Day of My Life – I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning
Buy First Day of My LifeAmazon

2.  LCD Soundsystem- Never Tired As When I’m Waking Up

Buy Never As Tired As When I’m Waking Up – LCD Soundsystem
Buy Never As Tired As When I’m Waking UpAmazon

3.  The National- All the Wine

Buy All the Wine – Alligator
Buy All The WineAmazon

4.  The Rakes- Work, Work, Work (Pub Club Sleep)

*track not available via iTunes or Amazon

5.  Doves- Black and White Town

Buy Black and White Town – Some Cities
Buy Black and White TownAmazon

6.  Burial- South London Boroughs

Buy South London Boroughs – South London Boroughs – EP
Buy South London BoroughsAmazon

7.  Kano (Feat. Demon & D Double E)- Reload It

Buy Reload It – Home Sweet Home
Buy Reload It feat. Demon & D Double E – album versionAmazon

8.  The Go Team!- We Just Won’t Be Defeated

Buy We Just Won’t Be Defeated – Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Buy We Just Won’t Be DefeatedAmazon

9.  Kanye West (Feat. Nas & Really Doe)- We Major

Buy We Major (Featurning Nas & Really Doe) [feat. Nas & Really Doe] – Late Registration
Buy We Major [Explicit]Amazon

10.  Mike Jones (Feat. Slim Thug & Paul Wall)- Still Tippin’

Buy Still Tippin’ – Still Tippin’ – Single
Buy Still Tippin’ [featuring Slim Thug And Paul Wall] (Explicit Version)Amazon

11.  Goldfrapp- Ride a White Horse

Buy Ride A White Horse – Supernature
Buy Ride a White HorseAmazon

12.  Robyn- Handle Me

Buy Handle Me – Robyn
Buy Handle MeAmazon

13.  Fiona Apple- Oh Well

Buy Oh Well – Extraordinary Machine
Buy Oh WellAmazon

14.  Sufjan Stevens- Jacksonville

Buy Jacksonville – Illinois
Buy JacksonvilleAmazon

15.  The Decemberists- The Engine Driver

Buy The Engine Driver – Picaresque
Buy The Engine DriverAmazon

16.  Bloc Party- Helicopter

Buy Helicopter – Silent Alarm
Buy Helicopter (Album Version)Amazon

17.  Animal Collective- Purple Bottle

Buy The Purple Bottle – Feels
Buy The Purple BottleAmazon