Top 100 Albums of 2005 (100 to 1) :: Wessex Scene Online

Top 100 Albums of 2005 (100 to 1)

31st December 2005

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Dec 05 - Album Reviews: December 2005 Part 1 (The Mars Volta, The Bad Plus, Various Artis
Jan 06 - Album Reviews January 2006, part 1 (The Strokes, Cat Power, The Most Terrifying
Dec 05 - Album Reviews November 2005 Part 4
Nov 05 - Album Reviews November 2005 Part 3
Nov 05 - Album Reviews November 2005 Part 2

This is the last edition of The Edge for 2005, so it was decided that we would compile a chart of the top albums of the year. Some charts only measure commercial success, others just radio airplay. Our chart is an attempt to capture the opinions of regular student music fans. Therefore the entries were voted for by everyone who has worked for The Edge over the last year. Each writer had ten votes. Here are the top 100 of 2005!

100) Doves – Some cities
99) Supergrass - Road To Rouen
98) Elbow - Leaders Of The Free World
97) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Howl
96) Skindred – Babylon
95) Fantomas - Suspended Animation
94) Miasma & The Carousel Of Headless Horses – Perils
93) Thrones - Day Late, Dollar Short
92) Guapo - Black Oni
91) Khanate - Capture and Release
90) Lemon Jelly - ‘64-’95
89) Royksopp -The Understanding
88) Hard Fi - Stars of CCTV
87) Chemical Brothers - Push the button
86) Architecture in Helsinki - In case we die
85) Nine Black Alps - Everything is
84) Dogs – Turn against this land
83) Robert Plant - Mighty rearranger
82) The Boxer Rebellion – Exits
81) Jamiroquai – Dynamite
80) AYWKUBTTOD - Worlds apart
79) Brakes - Give blood
78) Engineers – Engineers
77) Beck – Guero
76) Vitalic - OK Cowboy
75) Whitey - The light at the end of the tunnel is a train
74) The Rakes - Capture/Release
73) Soulwax - Nite Versions
72) Broadcast - Tender buttons
71) Jamie Lidell – Multiply
70) Wedding Present - Take Fountain
69) Laura Veirs - Year of meteors
67) Low - The Great Destroyer
66) Fantomas - Suspended animation
65) Decemberists – Picaresque
64) Coco Rosie - Noah’s Ark
63) Laura Cantrell - Humming by the flowered vine
62) Bonnie Prince Billy/Matt Sweeney – Superwolf
61) Bjork - Drawing Restrain
60) Dave Pajo – Pajo
59) The Fall - Heads roll
58) Animal Collective – Feels
57) Sleater Kinney - The Woods
56) Hanson - Live and electric
55) The Wallflowers - Rebel sweatheart
54) Weezer - Make believe
53) Jack Johnson - In between dreams
52) The Posies - Every kind of light
51) A - Teen dance ordinance
50) Kanye West - Late registration
49) Richard Hawley - Coles corner
48) Devandra Banhart - Cripple crow
47) Trivium – Ascendancy
46) Kate Bus – Aerial
45) El Presidente - El Presidente
44) Pure Reason Revolution - Cautionary Tales for the Brave
43) Roadrunner United - The All Star Sessions
42) The Juan McLean - Less than human
41) My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
40) The Crimea – Tragedy Rocks
39) Stephen Fretwell – Magpie
38) Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
37) The Prodigy - Their Law
36) lcd soundsystem - lcd soundsystem
35) Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger
34) Kaiser Chiefs – Employment
33) Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
32) Eels - Blinking Lights & Other Revelations
31) M.I.A - Arular
30) Martha Wainwright - Martha Wainwright
29) Tom McRae - All Maps Welcome
28) Tom Vek – We have sound
27) Johnathan Rice – Trouble is real
26) Foo Fighters – In your honour
25) Oasis – Don’t believe the truth
24) The Mars Volta - Scab Dates
23) Mew - ...And the Glass Handed Kites
22) Franz Ferdinand – You could have it so much better
21) Ryan Adams - Jacksonville city nights
20) Queens of the Stone Age – Lullabies to paralyze
19) Gorillaz – Demon days
18) The White Stripes – Get behind me Satan
17) Editors – The back room
16) British Sea Power – Open season
15) SOAD – Mesmerize
14) Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman
13) Babyshambles – Down in Albion
12) The National – Alligator
11) Bright Eyes - Digital ash in a digital urn

10) Ryan Adams - ‘Cold Roses’ is the best album of Adams’ career so far. It is also his most mature album, both lyrically and musically. Thriving on the alt-country sound that he does so naturally, Adams has crafted an intoxicatingly beautiful collection of songs. This is undoubtedly the album of a generation. Tracks you must hear before you die? All of them. HD

9) The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers: Equally at home on either spine-tingling ballads (‘I See You, You See Me’) or energetic country-rock (‘Long Legs’), the band even combine the two in ‘Mornings Eleven’ and pull it off. Ignore the unseemly spat with Richard Bacon and get lost in the joyous summery melodies and harmonies as the winter chill takes hold. IJ

8) Patrick Wolf - Wind in the Wires: The arrival of ‘Wind in the Wires’ has concreted Wolf’s status as a great British musician and songwriter. At times, his voice is genuinely Buckley-esque, combined with an electronic-folk backing; the relationship is perfect. Some artists evoke images of warm sun drenched beaches; Wolf draws a picture of grey windswept coastlines. Don’t be put off by this, Wolf is magnificent at what he does. JC

7) Coldplay - X and Y: This continues with their winning formula of sincere ballads and upbeat stompers, but with stronger guitars which make the songs sound more epic than some of their previously understated work. It’s their most consistent record to date, and confirms the band’s status at the top of this genre. Coldplay continue to connect with a wide audience with this spectacular record. CD

6) Antony & the Johnsons - ‘I am a Bird Now’: Antony Hegarty visits dark places with his lyrics, his songs explore intimate issues such as private memory and relationships. After winning this year’s Mercury Music Prize, Antony and the Johnsons were hailed as one of the oddest success stories of 2005, because of Hegarty’s ‘status’ as being a musician far from the ordinary but his lyrics speak to anyone who has ever felt uncomfortable in their own skin. AT

5) Sigur Ros - Takk: The purveyors of ethereal and glacial post-rock majesty provide us with their most contended, rounded and, arguably, best work to date. The tracks are frequently busy and heavily layered with rich vibrant sounds, but at the same time they are never overcomplicated. The overall mood of the album is indicative of the band’s satisfaction with the recording process. It is essentially their ‘happy album’. GS

4) Bright eyes - I’m wide awake its morning: Of Conor Oberst’s two simultaneous albums this year, this is the superior and sees Bright Eyes back in the familiar country groove, complete with guitars, whiskey-soaked lyric sheets and Marylou Harris’ distinctive vocal talents on several tracks. ‘We are nowhere’ and the harrowingly sparse ‘Lua’ make this one of the best releases of 2005. TW

3) Sufjan Stevens - Illinois: This epic concept album is the musical highlight of the year. Beautifully sculpted but not precious, carefully researched without sounding esoteric, the instrumental and lyrical diversity of this album is astounding. Stevens draws on two hundred years of state history and frames them with majestic, expansive arrangements. An eighty minute journey through timeless perfection. BB

2) Bloc Party - Silent Alarm: A cacophony of pulsating drum beats and aching vocals, the sheer diversity of the album ensures that every song deserves a mention. A fusion of racing guitar riffs and fresh vocals on one of the albums more up tempo numbers, Bloc Party have managed to give indie rock a bright and unique twist thus creating an album amongst the most essential this year. CW

1) Arcade Fire - Funeral: Like all great albums, this wasn’t one I immediately loved upon first listen. But oh how I was rewarded for my patient pressing of the repeat button. Pounding drums, soaring violins and mesmerising vocals. You want to stamp your feet, clap your hands and chant like a mad thing. The rest of the time you just want to curl up and take a nap amidst its cherubic tones. Captivating. CS