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I've recently found myself going back to M. Ward's Transistor Radio quite often. I first heard it very early this year, and it has held up quite well. I went back and checked the Metascore, and despite the fact that it pulled a respectable "82", it was based on only 5 votes. It's sad that an album that good, (while frequently discussed in these forums) got such little attention.

There was, at some point, two entries on Metacritic for Transistor Radio: the unfinished one (5 reviews, an 82), and a more complete one (12+ reviews, a 76). I found the latter once by searching for "Transistor" some weeks ago, but it didn't come up this time...perhaps the wrong one was deleted.

I haven't listened to the record in a while, but it's easily among my top 20 of the year, if not 15. Ward was great live, too.

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Definitely one of my favorites of the year. I didn't think it would stay with me as much as it has. Collections of this sort can be so uneven. When ever it comes up on random play, though, I'm transfixed and its holds together even better start to finish. I need to track down the DVD when it becomes available.

I walked down the street and picked up Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus immediately after reading LT and Daniel's comments, since I'd passed on the disc the past few times I'd been to the record store (which, to be honest, would have all been in the same week). It's a really remarkable collection, although the Cat Power tune feels a little out of place.

Speaking of Arular, I'm pissed. I saw it on sale at a store, and it had 'U.R.A.Q.T.' on it. Mine doesn't have that song on it! Screw it, I'm downloading it. I paid for all the songs on Arular. If they add another one later, I paid for that too.

My first post-- here goes!

Some of the albums I really enjoyed that were released this year:

--Crooked Fingers, Dignity and Shame: While I don't think it's Bachmann's best CF album (I'd probably say that would be the self-titled one), I keep coming back for more since I got it on its release. The band sound actually works, and it's good to see Bachmann rock again. While a few tracks do get a tiny bit tainted by syrupy mid-tempo vibes, they still work.

--Spoon, Gimme Fiction: Like Crooked Fingers, their '05 release isn't their best. But the good tunes (sadly most caged in the front end of the album) are so good it makes my head spin. The one-two punch of "Sister Jack" and "I Summon You" will haunt me for years to come.

--Teenage Fanclub, Man-Made: I'm definitely another psychotic power-pop fan. Their first "real" album in five years, this disc doesn't have a bad song on it. Some find it boring, but that's their loss. The album is so beautiful in spots, so melodic without being shallowly catchy, that it makes me smile for hours on end.

--Frank Black, Honeycomb: It seems to be either a love-it or hate-it album, and I'm the former. I've always felt Black's solo albums were underrated (even the "bad" ones had some really great tunes on 'em). Adding the legendary session musicians to the mix is the icing on his songwriting's cake.

--Sufjan Stevens, Illinois: Great, great album. Having "hung out" with Stevens too really makes me biased in favor of the album, I guess, but it's stirring and ambitious and all of those other descriptions.

There were some others I really liked too, like Los Super 7's Heard it on the X, Common's Be, Headphones' Headphones, Starflyer 59's Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice and Eels' Blinking Lights....

I also sorta liked the new Weezer album and the new Stephen Malkmus, but I'm not freaking out about them.

i just heard (hmm...stole?) the new sigur ros, and it is easily the best album i've heard so far this year. i think most of the people who kinda liked but had serious reservations about sigur ros could go nuts for this one. it's their shortest and generally "poppiest" album yet. it's insanely beautiful, frequently loud, more beat driven, and more fun/accessible. i don't see any albums that are on the horizon that could take this one over as the best of 2005 for me. (btw, i think it comes out in about a month from now)

The year is still not over and like I have said before it is going to be hard to compile my top 100 of 2005.
Right now the frontrunners for album of the year are...

Sigur Ros "Takk"
Sufjan Stevens "Illinois"
Sleater-Kinney "The Woods"
Mount Eerie "No Flashlight"
Eluvium "Talk Amongst The Trees"

It is going to be a very tough decision in the end. We still have three or four good months of music yet to come.
A handful of albums could almost for certain mess up the top 5 (Broken Social Scene, Fiery Furnaces, Built to Spill and This Is Process Of A Still Life).
All I can say is that 2005 have surpassed all expectations and given 2004 a serious asskicking.

I'm really enjoying the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah album. It didn't really click with me at first, but the more I listen to it, the more I like it. I've held off on making a top 10 for the year so far, but I think this album would probably be on it.

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Originally posted by Bobthespirit:
Speaking of Arular, I'm pissed. I saw it on sale at a store, and it had 'U.R.A.Q.T.' on it. Mine doesn't have that song on it! Screw it, I'm downloading it. I paid for all the songs on Arular. If they add another one later, I paid for that too.

I think U.R.A.Q.T. was the track that had a sample which caused some copyright issues, leading to the initial delay in the release. I remember reading that the UK release included it, while the US did not. Maybe they finally settled the issue?

thus far:
1. illinois- sufjan stevens
2. the mysterious production of eggs- andrew bird
3. man in a blue turban with a face- man man
4. picaresque- the decemberists
5. the woods- sleater-kinney
6. gimme fiction- spoon
7. set yourself on fire- stars
8. s/t or bodies and minds- great lake swimmers
9. the complete guide to insuffiency ep- david thomas brougton
10. lonely people of the world unite!- devin davis
11. the best party ever- the boy least likely to
12. american whip- joy zipper
13. in case we die- architecture in helsinki
14. somber wurlitzer- greater california
15. cat spectacular- bearsuit

maybe bearsuit a little higher?

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3. man in a blue turban with a face- man man

Hello, fellow Philly-folk.

This was actually released October 2004. Have You seen them live yet?

yeah, i saw them open for cat power a few years back. i know it was 2004 but it has been getting press mostly this year. besides its good enough to be listed both years the stars album was also 04 but again, just getting props this year. and the great lake swimmers s/t was just re-released this year as well. it was released in 03 but was only an import. i think man man will be on several year-end lists this year so i felt it was ok to add them. giving them mentions on places like this cant hurt right?

As much as I like 'Illinois,' I've decided (after many, many listens) that it's just a little too precious for my taste. I still GREATLY prefer Seven Swans to both of his 50 States installments and consider it his masterwork, easily his most personal and intimate work thus far. I still like Illinois plenty, but I'm not sure it'll even wind up on my top ten for the year...

And about the 'U.R.A.Q.T.' song on Arular, it's the version from Piracy Funds Terrorism, vol. 1. The ORIGINAL version of U.R.A.Q.T. (which was intended to be on the UK edition of the release - and maybe it was, I dunno) can be found on the net, I'm assuming... Somebody sent it to me a while back.

Anyhow, I like it a lot more than the version currently on Arular; it's more, uh, 'industrial-pop' so to speak, like the rest of the album. Haha... And, like the rest of the album, it's INSANELY catchy.

Also, there is a b-side from Arular called 'Do Ya' which is most excellent. If you Arular fans out there don't have it, I highly suggest you find it!!!!

My opinion on downloading yet-unreleased albums is that it's not stealing so long as you're committed to buying it when it's possible.

Maybe I should try to listen to Takk again (Though I think the place I found it streamed may not have it anymore). But I didn't like it nearly as much as the other people here on my first listen. I agree that it's 'beautiful', but it also seemed a bit boring to be, mainly because the tracks I heard kind of blended together.

I listened to some Jan-Mar albums again and decided to my relief that I still think the five I chose are the best five from that period. I'm not quite so 100% sure about one of my Apr-Jun choices, though, so maybe I should re-consider that one later. (Black Sheep Boy).

And right now my favorites from Jul-Sep are Sufjan Stevens, Super Furry Animals, Wolf Parade, Thee More Shallows, and Twin Pornographers, in that order. (And Super Furries are gaining on Sufjan quickly. Like I said, it may turn out to be one of my favorites of the deace).

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My opinion on downloading yet-unreleased albums is that it's not stealing so long as you're committed to buying it when it's possible.

I'm a little surprised some of you start ranking leaked albums several weeks before you can verify the songs on a hard copy. The versions I found of Picaresque and Hail to the Thief weren't the final master, and sounded it. Admittedly, my overall opinion didn't change much, but isn't it a little premature?

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Originally posted by Platypus Quest:
Also, there is a b-side from Arular called 'Do Ya' which is most excellent. If you Arular fans out there don't have it, I highly suggest you find it!!!!

There is a whole second album's worth of material out there that is worth it.Even moreso than arular.

Come on m leland, you know very well that I'm going to be tirelessly listening to the final products over and over before I reach my final list.

I'm tacking on a few more that I forgot about to my above list-- I forgot about the Andrew Bird disc and-- thought I think it's the weakest of her career-- I really enjoyed Aimee Mann's new album.

I hoping the new Big Star and Built to Spill albums will be amazing (if the latter comes out this year, that is...my friend interviewed Doug Martsch last week and I guess they're shooting for early '06.)

01 Patrick Wolf - Wind in the Wires (listen)
02 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
03 Beck - Guero
04 Bright Eyes - Digital Ashes...
05 Gustav - Rettet die Wale (listen1, listen2)
06 Of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins (listen)
07 Say Hi To Your Mom - Ferocious Mopes (listen)
08 The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
09 Enon - Lost Marbles And Exploded Evidence
10 Masha Qrella - Unsolved Remained (listen)

Runners-up: Russian Futurists, 13&God, Caribou, Boy Least Likely To, Decemberists, Gorillaz