Hah, after all this discussion I just hope I am qualified to post my list.

1. "Black Sheep Boy," by Okkervil River
2. "Illinois," by Sufjan Stevens
3. "Get Behind Me Satan," by the White Stripes
4. "Apologies to the Queen Mary," by Wolf Parade
5. "Gimme Fiction," by Spoon
6. "...Mysterious Production..." by Andrew Bird
7. "No Direction Home Soundtrack" by Bob Dylan (This is kind of cheating, but I had to put it here.)
8. "Twin Cinema," by the New Pornographers
9. "You Could Have It So Much Better," by Franz Ferdinand
10. "Guero," by Beck
11. "Z," by My Morning Jacket
12. "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah," s/t
13. "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning," by Bright Eyes
14. "Picaresque," by the Decemberists
15. "Thunder, Lightning, Strike," by the Go! Team (not sure whether this was a 2005 release)
16. "The Woods" by S-K
17. "Arular," by MIA
18. "X&Y," by Coldplay
19. "Late Registration," by Kanye West (you can tell I don't listen to much rap)
20. "Devils and Dust," by Bruce Springsteen

I think a time-delineated system is much more reasonable, frankly. 2 months since joining seems sufficient to "weed out" people who are only contributing to this thread.

Still finishing up a list. Sorry for clogging your thread, TFIF.

Scratch the previous post (and sorry for the double), I think I'm ready. I've heard most of the albums I was interested in through the end of the year, and though the new Ryan Adams sounds (to my ears) better than both of his other fine 2005 albums, it's not a contender for the top.

I would have preferred if votes were tabulated fully after the end rather than after every 5 posts, so as not to give that "Gore carries Florida" impression to newcomers to the thread.

Regardless, here's what I've settled on:

1) The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday
2) Keith Fullerton Whitman & Greg Davis - 3 Shows
3) The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
4) Antony and the Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now
5) Animal Collective - Feels
6) Cyne - Evolution Fight
7) Thunderbirds Are Now! - Justamustache
8) My Morning Jacket - Z
9) Sigur Ros - Takk
10) Steve Reich - You Are (Variations)
11) Decemberists - Picaresque
12) CocoRosie - Noah's Ark
13) Susumu Yokota and Rothko - Distant Sounds of Summer
14) The National - Alligator
15) Spoon - Gimme Fiction
16) Xiu Xiu - La Foret
17) Shining - In the Kingdom of Kitsch You Will Be A Monster
18) Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
19) A Silver Mt Zion - Horses in the Sky
20) Zeljko McMullen - Disorder

quote:

Originally posted by Vykromond:
I would have preferred if votes were tabulated fully after the end rather than after every 5 posts, so as not to give that "Gore carries Florida" impression to newcomers to the thread.

It's not really a big deal since the lists are publicly posted anyway. Anybody with some free time and a calculator can figure out the current rankings. Personally, I like to see how things are shaping up. We may not see all the lists for another month.

Just a question... how many of the people who aren't even putting Architecture In Helsinki in the top 20 have actually heard the album?

I just love that album, and a lot of people I know agree so i'm wondering if its that people haven't heard it or if people just don't like it nearly as much as I do.

quote:

Originally posted by Twowaymonologues:
Just a question... how many of the people who aren't even putting Architecture In Helsinki in the top 20 have actually heard the album?

I just love that album, and a lot of people I know agree so i'm wondering if its that people haven't heard it or if people just don't like it nearly as much as I do.

I've heard it, and I really don't like it. I don't see what the hype is about at all. I've given it a few relistens, but it really doesn't do anything for me. Regardless if I like it or not, I don't see it as the type of album everyone would instantly like anyway, so it's absence from a lot of lists doesn't really shock me.

I really dislike Architecture in Helsinki, actually. Hey look! It's Twee! Hi Twee!

quote:

Originally posted by Twowaymonologues:
Just a question... how many of the people who aren't even putting Architecture In Helsinki in the top 20 have actually heard the album?

I just love that album, and a lot of people I know agree so i'm wondering if its that people haven't heard it or if people just don't like it nearly as much as I do.

I'm not a huge fan of twee either(but cuddlecore is a whole other story ), but I don't dislike Architecture that much. I just didn't like "In Case We Die" enough to make it into my top 20. Top 50? Maybe.

quote:

Originally posted by Twowaymonologues:
Just a question... how many of the people who aren't even putting Architecture In Helsinki in the top 20 have actually heard the album?

I just love that album, and a lot of people I know agree so i'm wondering if its that people haven't heard it or if people just don't like it nearly as much as I do.

I haven't posted my list yet, but I've heard it and other than a coule select songs, I don't like it. I just don't really like twee.

I will include with my top-20 list a list of critically acclaimed albums that I listened to and didn't like as well as a list of critically acclaimed albums that I didn't listen to. I'd like to see others do this as well, just out of curiosity.

I was really into AiH for like a couple weeks, but my interest fell off sharply after that. It's definitely a lot of fun to listen to in a Go! Team kind of way, and they have some pretty interesting ideas, but after a while it just got old. It just sounds like very enthusiastic children that happen to be very good at playing virtually every instrument available. If I'm in the right mood I'll still listen to it from time to time. It could make my Top 20, but I'm disenfranchised anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by RavingLunatic:

I haven't posted my list yet, but I've heard it and other than a coule select songs, I don't like it. I just don't really like twee.

I will include with my top-20 list a list of critically acclaimed albums that I listened to and didn't like as well as a list of critically acclaimed albums that I didn't listen to. I'd like to see others do this as well, just out of curiosity.

That's a good idea. I definitely have listened to more than a few albums that received critical acclaim that I didn't like. But it might be better to start an entirely different thread for those of us who have already posted.

quote:

Originally posted by RavingLunatic:
I will include with my top-20 list a list of critically acclaimed albums that I listened to and didn't like as well as a list of critically acclaimed albums that I didn't listen to. I'd like to see others do this as well, just out of curiosity.

Some Critically Acclaimed Albums I listened to and thought were decent, but just didn't make my top 20:

My Morning Jacket, Eels, Sufjan, Andrew Bird, New Pornographers, Clientele, Franz Ferdinand, Frank Black

Some Critically Acclaimed Albums I listened to and didn't really like:

AIH, The Go Team, Antony and the Johnsons, Buck 65, Art Brut, The Decemberists, Steven Malkmus,Common, Deerhoof, Animal Collective.

AiH is a shoo-in for my top ten.

I get why people wouldn't like AiH, but I don't like when things get labelled things like 'Twee'.

'Twee' is one of those sub-genre labels you tag an album with if you're looking to write it off.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobthespirit:
AiH is a shoo-in for my top ten.

I get why people wouldn't like AiH, but I don't like when things get labelled things like 'Twee'.

'Twee' is one of those sub-genre labels you tag an album with if you're looking to write it off.

Honestly, I really don't get into the sub-genre labels either; I think most are redundant anyway...I just like the word "twee." Whatever you call it, I don't like "In Case We Die" enough to put it in my top 20, but I'm happy if you like it enough to put it in yours.

Respec.

Did the officiators of this thread ever come up with a decision regarding the eligibility of 2004 foreign releases that were released for the first time in the US in 2005? Personally, I think we should just say they're in, or they're out. I've seen the Go! Team on a couple lists and I would include them and Dungen if they're allowed. I don't want to submit a list (I don't even know if my list will count because I can't keep track of the rule changes, but I'm trying to be active, and I've even started a topic!) and have two of my choices not count.

i agree. i left them out b/c i acquired those albums last year, but they would definitely be included in my lists for this year.....

I got the impression that they wouldn't be, so I took Dungen out of my top 10.

I know movies a lot better than music, but from my perspective, if you live in America, The Go! Team and it's ilk should definitely be eligible for this list. Just because you heard it in 2004, or because it was released internationally in 2004, doesn't make it a 2004 release to a US listener.

I know, for instance, that in England, many albums and films that came out in the US the yera before show up on the UK end of year list, because that's when they are released there (look at the Uncut top 10 - they've got the Arcade Fire on there because it didn't come out until 05 in the UK). Some people may have seen said films the year before via multi-reigon DVD players, but they still count towards the year in which they come out in the country you live in. This seems like by far the most sensible solution to me, but from what I've seen on here, I'm in the minority.

Along with that list...I think Absence by Dalek is 2004 too(?). With the U.S. import of The Go! Team, on the packaging it is listed as 2005. I will be including it in this year's list(may not make Top 20...but will be on my list). I don't know about some of the other one's listed, but, if it is a 2005 release in the region you are voting in....anything counts. So, those in UK, Arcade Fire may be in your list(as I know it was a 2005 releasse there and doing well). Same with Aussie releases...etc., etc.

1) Emiliana Torrini— Fisherman's Woman
2) Sleater-Kinney— The Woods
3) M.I.A.— Arular
4) Kate Bush— Aerial
5) Wolf Parade— Apologies to the Queen Mary
6) Vashti Bunyan— Lookaftering
7) Tori Amos— The Beekeeper
8) Shakira— Fijación Oral Vol. 1
9) Imogen Heap— Speak For Yourself
10) Björk— Drawing Restraint 9
11) Fiona Apple— Extraordinary Machine
12) Antony and the Johnsons— I Am a Bird Now
13) Me'shell Ndegeocello— The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel
14) Broken Social Scene— Broken Social Scene
15) The White Stripes— Get Behind Me Satan
16) Metric— Live It Out
17) Architecture in Helsinki— In Case We Die
18) Sufjan Stevens— Illinois
19) The Fiery Furnaces— EP
20) Colleen— The Golden Morning Breaks