11. Extraordinary Machine (the Jon Brion version) - Fiona Apple * In case your head has been lodged up your distal orifice all year, you should know that Fiona abandoned her original version of this album with original producer Jon Brion (a primarily non-hip-hop producer who recently helped to produce Kanye's latest album) to collaborate with Mike Elizondo (a primarily-hop hop producer most famous for working alongside Dr. Dre and Eminem). The official released album isn't bad, but I prefer the instrumental arrangements on the unreleased bootleg version, especially on the tracks "Not About Love," "Red Red Red," and "Used to Love Him." Fiona's sultry voice and thick chords deserve the more colorful instrumentation. Either way, both albums open with the same Jon Brion-produced "Extraordinary Machine," which is the best opening number to a musical that isn't from a musical.
12. Demon Days - Gorillaz * I am a fan of Dan the Automator, the producer behind the Gorillaz' debut album, but his absence here on this sophomore follow-up is not missed at all. Danger Mouse does a stupendous job on the boards, cornering the market on cartoon-based productions. Occasionally, the music sounds derivative: "Dirty Harry" sounds like a remix of Fat Joe's "What's Luv" and "Feels Good, Inc." sounds like a mashup with Cake's "Never There." Furthermore, the lyrics are entirely incoherent: why is Damon Albarn singing about windmills while De La Soul is spitting verses about chocolate attacks and ass cracks? I have no idea, but Danger Mouse's eclectic and unpredictable production makes this the unusual encore of a concept album that actually is an upgrade. Too bad the Gorillaz didn't score King Kong.
13. Digital Ash in a Digital Urn / I'm Wide Awake It's Morning - Bright Eyes * I know, I know. These are two separate albums. But you take the best from both and you have yourself one mighty fine record. "Arc of Time" from Digital Ash is the stand-out track that rises above all others like a resurrection, which, coincidentally, is what that song is about. (I think.) Conor Oberst's uber-emo vocals usually force me to take him in small doses, but on these albums, his songwriting talent overpowers any emotive melodrama that otherwise might sap my energy.
Article comments
1 - Jackson
Good list. I've been looking over all kinds of 'best of' music lists for the year, and this is one of the most inclusive, varied, and complete ones I've seen yet. Some of my favorite albums, like Bright Eyes, Spoon, Sufjan, and Death Cab are on there, plus plenty more I've been curious about but haven't heard and some I have never heard of. I think I'll have to check out some of the stuff I haven't heard... thanks!
2 - Sterfish
Great post. There are a lot of good picks on this list and I like that it's pretty diverse (I have to give you props for actually putting a Ying Yang Twins album on a "Best Albums" list). My list will be up soon and I can tell you that my hip-hop picks are almost exactly the same as yours.
3 - DL
This is a really informative list. Why aren't you in charge of the Blogcritics music section?
4 - Flim Flam
I am placing a moratorium on Death Cab For Cutie cds on any top lists of 2005 ( or any year for that matter). Thank you for observing this.
P.S. They really aren't very good.
5 - Bob A. Booey
I don't know about this list, but it's cool that you put Roisin Murphy on it, deserving or not.
Sing it back, bitches.
That is all.
6 - waveonshore
Too narrow in view of musical tastes. Where are some of the best ever?
7 - Christopher Rose
Comment #1 was chosen as Comment of the Day for Christmas Eve, Saturday 24th December 2005.
8 - Aaman
Janye West - Late Registration