Stephen's Top 11 Albums of 2005!

My (Radio Free Tobias employee, Stephen) personal top 11 list for the year. Some background information on how I compiled it.

I haven't been paying enough attention this year to really have a running list of the best albums. So, I looked at other lists and reminded myself what the good albums were. Those lists, though, missed a few that I might have wanted to include.

So, I started listening to anything I could preparing to make this list. As a result, a lot of these albums are ones I had listened to previously and then relistened to only these past few weeks. Some of them I heard for the first time this week. Either way, I'm confident this little list is pretty much an accurate list of my opinion on the best albums this year.

11. New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
Most people are saying that this one surpasses the previous one, "The Electric Version." I disagree, but that dosn't mean its not a great alterna-pop album. It's rollicking in true New Prnographers style.

10. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
Bright Eyes puts out a really Bright-Eyes-sounding album. I think it's pretty good, in fact.


9. Coldplay - X&Y
I've had a soft spot for Coldplay for a very long time. This album marked a new evolution in Coldplay's sound, and I will gladly sacrifice some of my indie cred just so I can pay tribute to this album. And the standout track "Till Kingdom Come" is an instant classic of sorts.

8. Decemberists - Picaresque
Not a hard choice at all. This album is easily one of the tops this year. In this case, it's almost all about the lyrics and the really involving stories and snapshots in each song. The music is also pretty unique, in that the term "pirate-folk alternative rockabilly somthing" totally fails to come close to describing it.

7. Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
The Mountain Goats have always been a band that hinges on lyrics and raw delivery. Sometimes the best songs they record are nothing more than vocals and guitar recorded with what sounds like a Playskool microphone. This album is no exception in the lyrical content department, but the songs have a little more sonic ornamentation than on previous albums. Works really well.

6. Imogen Heap - Speak for Yourself
On the tails of Frou Frou rides Imogen Heap's phenomenal solo disc. Her voice and spot-on songcraft really shine here. Production is golden, and "Hide and Seek" and "Just for Now" are instantly stuck in my brain even when I just think about them.

5. Kelpie - Hey Friends, It's...
I am as shocked as you are that this is on my top eleven. But since I heard it a few weeks back, it's grown on me tremendously. Think The Mars Volta cramming their progressive songs into The Shins' folksy indie shuffle. I really like it. Came out in Spetember, and had no real chance of getting recognition, even though I think it deserves it.

4. Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs
Intricate songs and instrumentation. Great lyrics and a real sonic sensibility. This guy studied in a music conservatory for a portion of his life, and the real talent he honed there is evident on this master-crafted disc. A really great album.

3. Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
There is nothing that I can say about this album that hasn't been said before. It made almost every top ten list I read. The only catch in my case is I didn't hear this album until about three weeks ago. Despite that fact, it still makes my list.

2. Sigur Ros - Takk
A really new aproach from these guys. Writing songs first and turning them into intricate soundscapes afterward, which is kind of the reverse of what they have done before. The result is the same abstruse sonic structures but with an almost pop-y twist.

1. Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
A tremendous album. Great, catchy songs, with really compelling subject matter. Again, it's the stories that really make this album a standout. "What Sara Said" stands alone in it's ability to impact me emotionally every listen.

So there you have it. My list. Use it for good, not evil.