Hall of Awesome: The Next Five Best Albums of 2005 (and Honorable Mentions)

So...where were we?

6. eels, Blinking Lights and Other Revelations

Mark Oliver Everett (the man called "E") has always been the antithesis to popular music. While the Britneys and Justins talk about how pretty they are and how much money they have, E won't stop telling you how ugly he is and how poor he is. The video for "Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)" features E simply holding a video camera because he "spent all the money making the new album." And what an album it is. Two discs, thirty-three tracks. And E has never been a musician who's valued quantity over quality. Blinking Lights owes a lot to another famous double album, The Beatles' White Album. Like that double-LP, the songs on Blinking Lights don't seem to flow from one to the other, but there is a unified sound throughout, one that is unmistakably eels-like. E continues to nurture his affection for catchy pop songs (as evidenced by his appearances on the soundtracks for both Shrek movies) by recording tunes like the ethereal "From Which I Came/A Magic World," and the bouncy aforementioned "Hey Man." He even uses his pop palette for self-parody on the laughable "Going Fetal," a dance number featuring a sample of Tom Waits crying like a baby. But its when he's somber and reflective that Blinking Lights truly shines. The instrumentals "Marie Floating Over the Backyard" and "God's Silence" are haunting in their immediacy, and the listener is left amazed that such beauty could be relegated to a simple minute-long interlude track. E reaches his apex with this sprawling album, and no stone is left unturned under his watchful eye. Bottom line: This album has something for everyone, and after multiple listens, it might prove to have more than just something.

7. The Chemical Brothers, Push the Button

The Chemical Brothers have had a long, successful career. Long because they've just released their ten-year singles compilation, and successful because they're one of only about three or four electronica acts you've probably heard of (Moby and Fatboy Slim being two more). This is all good and well except for the fact that up until now, the Brothers (Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands) had hit a snag when it came to crafting solid albums. Their recent efforts, Surrender and Come With Us had some great singles, but the albums never really felt cohesive. Flash forward to 2005 and the release of Push the Button, the album that went relatively unnoticed on most Best Of lists due to its early January release date, but the album that proves to be the Brothers best effort yet. Everything flows with an urgency seldom heard since 1997's Dig Your Own Hole, with the duo seamlessly blending the hard rock breakbeats of their early work with the atmospheric psychedelia of their later albums. The guest appearances are back, but the vocalists (like Kele Okereke of Bloc Party and frequent ChemBros guest Tim Burgess) don't distract from the music; they transcend it, making their vocals just another piece in the Chemical Brothers' electronic puzzle. Bottom line: This is the album for everyone who thought electronica had nothing new to offer and who would very much like to be proven wrong.

8. The Mars Volta, Frances the Mute

The Mars Volta is the ultimate ADD band. They blaze and howl through a mess of guitars, horns, and drums before settling into unnerving electronic beats for the better part of three minutes. Not that I'm complaining. On the contrary, Frances the Mute is one of the best prog-rock releases of 2005, even if the band refuses to call it prog-rock. Like eels (the band, not the animal), The Mars Volta takes their time and crafts four epic tracks and one single, totaling a 76-minute experience that is equal parts disturbing, exhilarating, and hard-rocking. "L'Via L'Vasquez" could've been an old Santana tune if it weren't for its creepy, Pink Floyd-esque coda. The melodies in the songs are catchy enough to merit repeated listenings, and the lyrics are cryptic enough to merit repeating musings and interpretations. Bottom line: If you like your rock albums to confound you while they astound you, this is your disc.

9. Coldplay, X&Y

In 2005, Coldplay faced a slew of criticism, the harshest coming from inside the band as lead singer Chris Martin publicly declared after the release of their third album that Coldplay was working on improving their lyrics. It shouldn't be surprising that he's so self-conscious. This is the big Third Album. They gained a cult following with Parachutes, plunged into the mainstream with A Rush of Blood to the Head, making expectations for X&Y ridiculously high. The truth of the matter is that if you've never been a big fan of Coldplay, X&Y probably won't change your mind anytime soon. For those who are, however, the rewards are plenty. X&Y is Coldplay's most cinematic, most anthemic, and also their longest album (almost twice as long as Parachutes). And while they're lyrics may not be the most brilliant, the persistent catchiness of the melodies more than make up for it. Everyone's already lovin' "Fix You," but what about the equally impressive "Swallowed in the Sea"? Coldplay might be drifting from the enclosed, ambient rock that made the bulk of their early EPs and debut album, but they've taken their unparalleled songwriting skills with them. Bottom line: There's always room for at least one mainstream album in your music collection.

10. The White Stripes, Get Behind Me Satan

Okay, I'm sorry, I meant to say that there's room for two mainstream albums. But, make no mistake, the White Stripes may be selling a ton of records, but they never show it. The raw opening single "Blue Orchid" was just a bait-and-switch for the Stripes as they abruptly jump into marimba mode on the haunting "The Nurse," right before the incessantly catchy "My Doorbell" takes center stage. It's this kind of helter-skelter instrumentation that keeps Get Behind Me Satan consistently interesting and fun to listen to. The hard guitars of "Blue Orchid" rarely make a second appearance, except for the Elephant-esque "Instinct Blues," which neatly segues into the brief Meg White interlude "Passive Manipulation." Instead, mastermind Jack White ops for sparse piano, acoustic guitar, and the aforementioned marimbas. Surprisingly, the best tracks are pushed to the back of the album, like "As Ugly as I Seem," a self-conscious guitar track that wouldn't feel out of place on Rubber Soul, and "I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet)," a beautiful, piano-laden ballad that neatly rounds out this exceptional release by the most consistent act in lo-fi indie rock. Bottom line: The perfect album for those that like their music raw and rugged.

Honorable Mentions:
Ben Folds, Songs for Silverman
Bright Eyes, Digital Ash in a Digital Urn
Bright Eyes, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
DangerDoom, The Mouse and the Mask
Gorillaz, Demon Days
Hot Hot Heat, Elevator
Josh Rouse, Nashville
Kanye West, Late Registration
Robbers on High Street, Tree City
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Jacksonville City Nights
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Broom
Stars, Set Yourself on Fire
System of a Down, Mesmerize/Hypnotize
The Go! Team, Thunder, Lightning, Strike
The New Pornographers, Twin Cinema
Thievery Corporation, The Cosmic Game
Z-Trip, Shifting Gears

Alright, that's it! I'm finally finished with my Top 10 Albums list! Look for the Best Movies of 2005 coming soon!