Tobias's Top 11 of 2005

11. The Eels – Blinking Lights and Other Revelations - I bought this album at the same time as I bought Illinois, and the sheer volume of tracks on both of them staggered me. Many tracks from Illinois proved to be fake-outs, but the double-disc Blinking Lights was an album of epic proportions. E managed to introduce a cacophony of emotions into this release, punctuated by some black humor. Cheers.

10. The Aquabats – Charge!!!! - I don't really like theatrical bands. I can appreciate the music, but the dog and pony show begins to wear on me after not too many repeated exposures (ie: The Decemberists). That being said, the world's greatest superheroes returned from exile to put out their first record in like ten years. Having been reduced in numbers to a cadre of about six, they now are a rocking Cars-inspired surf-pop band now (pretty much like they always were, but there are no longer any ska affectations). Plus, the music cuts back on the grating nerdy humor. But not too much.

9. Alkaline Trio – Crimson - These gentlemen continue to produce macabre and morose music that is full of pop hooks. Always seemingly on the verge of blowing up to full-fledged xstardomx a la Green Day, it seems that My Chemical Romance somehow beat them to it. The original 'dead girlfriend' band quietly put out a great release that was overshadowed in its market by second-rate knockoffs.

8. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - The Kids really up and ran with this one, and to be honest, I'm still a little starry-eyed about their Horatio Alger-esque rise to success. Quirky, nerdy, charming, and all those other sort of backhanded compliments perfectly describe this record. No one can legitimately knock its success and few really do, except by the elitist critical types anyways. A feel good story and a smashing record. If indie-rock had a Time magazine, CYHSY would make 'person of the year'.

7. matt pond PA – Several Arrows Later - Curiously high for what I admit is a flawed album, the sort of emotional contribution it offers makes up for any shortcomings, at least in my mind. Double-edged, the instrumental arrangements are rich and subtle, but perhaps also uninspiring. Regardless, melodic and smooth, this album is an emotional contemporary of the Promise Ring's swan song Wood/water, one of my favorite albums. I don't use words like 'guilty-pleasure', but if I did, this would probably be it.

6. Mountain Goats – Sunset Tree - Bravely (in a sense) dropping the low-fi trappings of previous releases, the Mountain Goats 2005 release does so with pleasant results. A very likable and deceptively complex album.

5. Tiara – Chained to the Crown - A bit of a change for Columbus' own Tiara, this record adopts an introspective and mellow tone. Coincidentally, my musical taste this year seems to lean towards the introspective and mellow. The best Columbus has the offer and always seemingly close to blowing up, Chained to the Crown adds another wrinkle to Tiara's story.

4. The National – Alligator - The National never really worked for me, but this album came out of nowhere and converted this boy, possibly propelling them into my personal 'favorite band' status. Full of energy and feeling yet emotionally withdrawn, this may have risen higher on the list if I had have listened to it as much as I did the top three.

3. Sufjan Stevens – Illinois - Released to a bunch of well-formulated hubbub and universal acclaim, this album more or less took the indie-world by storm. With spiritually complex (as usual) lyrics addressing (as usual) populist themes, Sufjan really hit his stride in this record and successfully followed up the stellar Michigan. Clever instrumentation, creative harmonies, unique melodies, humor, emotional depth, this album pretty much has it all. My only gripe is that about a third of the songs are flowery instrumental interludes between songs.

2. John Vanderslice – Pixel Revolt - I happily bought a promotional copy of this record for $2. Another album that successfully fulfilled great expectations created by a previous release by one of the best in the business. What else can I say?

1. Chris Mills – The Wall to Wall Sessions - sort of riding a wave created by Illinois, The Wall to Wall Sessions, an effort from the Fruit Bats guitarist wonderfully combines different aspects of traditional music, forming a sound that is truly American. I can't sing its praises enough. Buy it now.