Home
sign up| features / music feature |
 content by: editor |
 albums of 2005
 to access audio and video on collective you need real player.Albums that mattered in 2005. 2005 was the year the DIY ethic made real headway with Arctic Monkeys and Sway making a big name for themselves - all by themselves. Quality acts like Franz Ferdinand, Sigur Rós, Eels, SFA, The White Stripes, Boards Of Canada, Beck, Four Tet, Roots Manuva and Elbow all returned with good records. The Magic Numbers' winsome pop made lots of new friends, while Gorillaz made a plain fantastic pop album with producer du jour, Danger Mouse, who also teamed up with our fave rapper MF Doom for, you guessed it, Dangerdoom. Meanwhile Kanye West confirmed his position at the top of the hip-pop tree. Of the Mercury Prize nominees, we really liked Maximo Park, the most versatile of the angular guitar bunch, and Bloc Party’s album has something classic about it. MIA’s art-school electro also has its moments (courtesy of producer power from Diplo and Yes Productions), and KT Tunstall proved you can be talented, grounded and mainstream all at once. As for Antony & The Johnsons - no one else sounds like that, and for good reason. Why don't we like the Kaiser Chiefs? Or Pete Doherty for that matter? Answers on a post below. Twas another bumper year for singer/songwriters: Jose Gonzalez, Willy Mason and King Creosote all did good. Bright Eyes also impressed with two good albums at the same time, but somehow he didn't endear himself to Collective. I bet he’s gutted. So where does that leave us? With all the other good stuff you might have missed of course…  DungenTa Det Lugnt Top-notch Swedish psychedelic proggy rock. But much better than that sounds.  dungen review listen to panda Devendra BanhartCripple Crow Our favourite weird folk exponent comes back with an altogether more bluesy and chunky sound. And we like it a lot. devendra banhart reviewlisten to i feel just like a child Arcade FireFuneral Yeah OK, we’re not the only ones to pick up on this strange gaggle of Canadians, but we got there pretty quick. arcade fire interviewlisten to neighbourhood #1 (tunnels)listen to arcade fire audio feature M.WardTransistor Radio Beautifully crafted songs of ghostly Americana. If you like alt country royalty like Smog then Mr Ward is your next stop. m. ward sessionlisten to sweethearts on parade Boom BipBlue Eyed In The Red Room Electronica has struggled to excite this year, but Bryan Hollon’s collaboration-fuelled LP proves he can still find soul in the circuitry. boom bip interviewlisten to do's and don'ts Sufjan StevensCome On Feel The Illinoise! Having set himself the task of creating an album for each American state, one hopes Mr Stevens hasn’t used up all his breezy offbeat tunes on part 2 of 50. sufjan stevens reviewlisten to come on feel the illinoise Matt Sweeney & Bonnie Prince BillySuperwolf Bonnie Prince Billy and Matt Sweeny’s bleary-eyed country meditations are the real sound of an achy breaky heart. superwolf reviewlisten to lift us up CaribouThe Milk Of Human Kindness Dan Snaith, previously Manitoba, returns with a musical health drink of electronica, baroque, English folk, hip-hop, Krautrock and a raw egg. caribou reviewlisten to yeti Animal CollectiveFeels The Brooklyn clan offer a kaleidoscopic dreamscape of chant and ritual with hillbilly undertones. It’s strangely comforting and that’s quite scary. animal collective sessionlisten to grass The RakesCapture/Release Witty tunes take in the daily grind of pubs, drugs and dull jobs. Fuelled by taut riffs and white funk, could this be The Streets for indie rockers? the rakes sessionlisten to 22 grand job LCD SoundsystemLCD Soundsystem James Murphy expands his punk-funk palette to incorporate Mark E Smith rants, Kraftwerk bleeps and even a couple of slowies. lcd soundsystem reviewlisten to disco infiltrator The Mother & The AddictsTake The Lovers Home Tonight Glaswegian garage band conjure a hothouse party from the ghosts of 60s R&B, British psychedelia and US funk. Be good and take your medicine. mother and the addicts reviewlisten to father in heavenplus honourable mentions for… field music – field music Inventive lopsided pop from ex-Futurehead’s new band. róisín murphy – ruby blue Matthew Herbert and ex-Moloko singer's electro-jazz cabaret. venetian snares – rossz csillag allat született Melancholy Hungarian classical with blasts of mashed drum‘n’bass. lightning bolt – hypermagic mountain A relentless onslaught of live bass and drums. Raaar! andre galluzi – berghain 01 (compilation) Sophisticated mix of minimal funky techno from rising Berlin DJ. edan – beauty and the beat The hip-hop professor adds 60s psychedelia to the old school mix. daedelus – exquisite corpse Eccentric LA producer's cut and paste collage of lullaby jazz. ellen allien – thrills Widescreen, bass-heavy techno from the Bpitch Control boss. broadcast – tender buttons Trish Keenan’s melodic drone on a bed of alternative synth pop. jamie lidell – multiply Old-fashioned soul music from a very new-fashioned guy.
Alastair Lee
To download Collective's 2005 Music Artwork PC and Mac screensaver, simply click on the link below that matches your system. The screensaver should install itself. If not, you'll need to open the file once downloaded - so remember where you save it. PC version (3.1/95/98/2000/ME/NT/XP)mac OS Xmac OS 8/9Disclaimer: The BBC has taken all reasonable care to ensure that this screensaver contain no errors, viruses or defects, however, the BBC does not warrant that this is the case. You are advised to ensure that you take precautions to protect your computer from virus infection. The BBC will not be liable for any loss or damage which you may suffer as a result of or connected to the use of the software.  comments
Read members' comments related to this music.
comment by zac_forest
Dec 31, 2005
Not a bad list of albums and bands. It was nice to see The White Stripes, Maximo Park, and The Rakes mentioned, although Supergrass and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's excellent albums were overlooked. My personal favourite album of the year was BRMC's Howl.
comment by vincent_roccoforte
Dec 28, 2005
what do you knoooooooooow? oh you know nothing.the rakes. best album of the year, best band of the year. nuff said. in city it's orite.
comment by amir
Dec 27, 2005
The Arcade Fire's Funeral. By a country mile.
comment by michaelmouse
Dec 26, 2005
David McAlmont's "Set One - You Go To My Head" for me. Yep - they're all old songs - but the man has more emotion, passion and singing ability in his little finger than most of the 'artists' out there. This album is superb!And what's wrong with Antony & The Johnsons? Original, beautiful and incredible.
comment by fingerchimp
Dec 20, 2005
i wasnt that impressed myself. this just in......got espers new mini album/extended ep the weed tree...its six covers and an original tune and its really rather special. its currently in the car park going toe to toe with vashti bunyans lookaftering and it looks like it could go the distance.
comment by faustshausuk
Dec 19, 2005
It's very gratifying that everyone is putting Arcade Fire in their top tens for the year - I'd been banging on about them since October last year, when an American friend sent me the album via Gmail. Naturally, none of the people I praised them to paid any attention till the media picked up on them.
comment by fingerchimp
Dec 16, 2005
id like to join in on this but i have a feeling much of what ive bought this year was released in 03 or 04...that said i did get superwolf, its ok, not bonnies best stuff, and i also have transistor radio by m ward which is unusually good. just got the new espers album but havent really had a chance to hear it yet.
comment by rowan
Dec 16, 2005
The Bad Plus, not even an honourable mention! Shocking.
|
 |
see also
 best albums2004  best albums2003  best albums2002  dungenat atp 2005  sufjan stevensmichigan review  bonnie prince billy reviewinterview
related conversations
your music awards 2005
related member reviews
music awards 2005 by amirfestive ho-down 2005 by vincentarcade fire by eazzyeboom bip by digitalbul1etthe rakes by therajmanlcd soundsystem by alternative...daedelus by mark e broadcastby mark e jamie lidellby vahva music  music archive Watch music sessions and interviews from 2002 to 2008. books  books and comics archive Author interviews and reviews from 2002 to 2008. |
send to a friend
access 1000s of articles