2005 in music. • Page 9

Yeah I think I've only heard that a few times because I rarely ever listen to EPs and I was kinda hoping he would end up making a full length shortly after and he might include some of those, haha.

 

I think Bang is definitely on par, though obviously very short. Infomaniac does have some really cool songs, but the production just ruins the whole thing unfortunately

 

The Movielife are another big oversight for me

Jesus, no chance could I get through singing that. You must have nerves of steel.

For me, it’s in large part that I listen to digital stuff less than albums I own

 

I just put on some songs for fun and “Microphone” still rips

 

The Movielife are a great fast-paced melodic punk from that time period, 40 Hour Train Back To Penn is the easy starting point there, really showcases their heavier stuff mixed perfectly with almost ballad-y stuff.

 

Hmm...sounds like something I should listen to as well

 

uh YES, I dunno how you missed the boat on them, completely and utterly up your alley.

 

I was in a very very dense fog of FOB back then my friend....you should know this lol

 

I'm pretty sure @Elder Lightning told me to listen to them in 2008 but I was such a fucking brat...

Makes me really happy we can't access old AP.net threads. I hate who I was on the forums back then. ugh.

 

hahaha, fair fair fair. Well The Movielife are very much the kind of band that meshes well with FOB, it's like if Take This To Your Grave was a bit more hardcore, just a bit though

 

Nice!!! Adding this album to my list rn!

 

please report back, I'm gonna jam out to it today as well

 

I should have a full report no later than Friday. Got a few albums to listen to before this one on the list.

 

God I’m in a full time warp to senior year of HS today listening to this stuff. Which is weird because I work at said HS now.

 

Be is the best Kanye album

 

I don't agree at all, but I love the concept of the sentence

 

Very white rockist confession but it’s the album that got me to love hip-hop as an album genre and not just singles on the radio.

 

Definitely fits in alongside TTTYG. Plenty of pop hooks and just enough hardcore aggression. They had that Long Island pop-punk / hardcore adjacent sound down.

 

It was definitely one of those albums, which would usually make me resent it a little, but I can’t in this case

 

People talking about feeling old who are 5-10 years younger than me makes me feel REALLY old. 2005 was Junior/Senior year of college for me.

 

Damn, I was a 3rd grader

 

Tried giving The Afterglow by Mae a listen, as it's not a name I recognise, and it seems to be popular here, but didn't get far with it unfortunately. Musically, it seems okay, piano heavy bits of pop-rock sounding a bit like bands I'm a little bit more familiar with like Jack's Mannequin or Something Corporate.

The vocals though... Couldn't hack this at all, it's exactly the sort of nasally American mid-00s pop punk vocals that send shivers up my spine, can't get into any bands with a singer like this, unfortunately. Not for me, sorry.

 

that's fair, I used to always say his voice was the peak of the "emo voice"

 

1. Jack's Mannequin - Everything in Transit
2. Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
3. The Wallflowers - Rebel, Sweetheart

Everything in Transit is the greatest summer album of all time. Top-tier hooks, ace production, a band firing on all cylinders, and McMahon singing like his life depends on it. As tied to my coming of age as any album ever.

Transatlanticism is the stronger album overall, but my favorite Death Cab songs are on Plans. Dark, melancholy, and aching, but full of observations about what makes life beautiful.

Bringing Down the Horse is the masterpiece, but Sweetheart has always been my second favorite Wallflowers album. A balance between the Springsteen-meets-Petty anthems that Jakob Dylan made a name for himself on, and the more lyrical approach he was moving toward (in his dad’s footsteps).

Tough cuts:

City and Colour – Sometimes: The saddest breakup album of all time? Sounds like late-night dejection and loneliness. This album got me through one of my biggest-ever heartbreaks, and I’ll always love it for that.

Averi - Drawn to Revolving Doors: Chad Perrone’s knack for melody and for writing songs that hit right in the feels is second to none. “Goodnight, Goodbye” is one of the most meaningful songs in the world for me.

Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This to Memory: I’ve always said I preferred Even If It Kills Me, but getting this one on vinyl has me questioning that stance. One of the greatest scene albums from this era, with a truly knockout closing punch.

Better Than Ezra - Before the Robots: Bought this one ahead of a summer vacation that year and listened to it probably three dozen times over the course of a week and a half. One of the most nostalgic albums of all time for me.

Switchfoot - Nothing is Sound: Their best. Soaring, yearning anthems with a spiritual bent. Made me think they were their generation’s U2.

Coldplay - X&Y: Could have been their masterpiece, if you swapped a few tracks for ace b-sides like “Proof” and “Gravity.” But it also has “Fix You,” the ultimate Coldplay anthem. I vividly remember buying this one on release day.

Love these:

Bruce Springsteen - Devils & Dust: The best-sounding “acoustic” album Springsteen ever made, with a few songs (the title track, “All the Way Home,” “Long Time Coming”) that are among his best.

Foo Fighters - In Your Honor: A single-disc version would have been a masterpiece, but there’s plenty to love here. Foos acoustic still had a lot of novelty back then, and I remember playing that disc a lot on summer nights in ’05.

Black Lab - See the Sun: Hit or miss, but with a few songs (“Remember,” “Circus Lights”) that are truly special.

Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning: The only Conor Oberst album I like from top to bottom, but I love it. Listened to almost nothing else for a month during the spring of my freshman year of college, so it’s a special reminder of that time.

Augustana - All the Stars and Boulevards: Their biggest triumph is to come, but between the big hit (“Boston”), some underrated bangers (“Feel Fine”), and a few lovely ballads (“Sunday Best,” “Coffee and Cigarettes”), they make a pretty strong argument for themselves as the new Counting Crows.

Nada Surf - The Weight is a Gift: Not as top-to-bottom brilliant as Let Go, but featuring the song (“Always Love”) that feels like it might be their foremost classic.

Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better: These guys lose me after this, but this album is brilliant and so, so fun. They had a ton of energy and charisma, and when they channeled it into great songs (the title track, “The Outsiders”) they really popped.

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm: “This Modern Love” is as good as any song released this year.

Anberlin – Never Take Friendship Personal: I’ve come around on this one as their best record; easily their best collection of melodies, even if Cities has a little more heft as a full-album experience.

Honorables:

Jamie Cullum - Catching Tales: Cullum had an effortless swagger on this album that I fell in love with. The lead-off track, “Get Your Way,” feels like it should have become a new-jazz standard.

The Fray - How to Save a Life: One of the last true radio rock hit machine albums? The singles, IMO, are undeniable.

Rob Thomas - Something to Be: Was about as excited for this album when it came out as I had ever been about any album release. It didn’t live up to my expectations, and is still weaker than any Matchbox Twenty record. Some outstanding songs, though – particularly the John Mayer-featuring “Streetcorner Symphony,” which sounds like a block party.

The Alternate Routes - Good and Reckless and True: These guys made a quartet of great roots rock records and then disappeared. This one features one of my favorite openers of the decade in “Ordinary.”

Feeder - Pushing the Senses: Speaking of killer openers, “Feeling a Moment” from this record is one of my favorite songs of all time

Oasis - Don’t Believe the Truth: The most underrated Oasis album. “Mucky Fingers” has as much tuneful swagger as any of their ‘90s stuff.

The All-American Rejects - Move Along: Listened to this one a few months ago for the first time in ages, and was surprised at how well it held up. “Move Along” is a first-ballot hall-of-fame scene hit.

Athlete – Tourist: I lost track of these guys after this, but they did the “let’s ape Coldplay” thing pretty well. “Wires” and “Street Map” are songs that mean a lot to me.

The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday: Boys & Girls in America is the best Hold Steady record, but I’m not sure they ever made anything as classic as “How a Resurrection Really Feels.”

O.A.R. - Stories of a Stranger: Picked this one up on vinyl last Record Store Day and was surprised at how well it held up. I never really got into O.A.R. beyond this album, but they really balanced their jam band roots with their radio-friendly potential here.

Lifehouse – Lifehouse: Can’t tell you how much I loved “Come Back Down” and “You & Me” back in eighth grade.

Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams: Speaking of things I loved in eighth grade…”Better Together” and “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing” were classics. IMO, his best record.

Iron & Wine - Woman King
Jimmy Eat World - Stay on My Side Tonight

A pair of EPs, but they have some of the best songs these bands ever did (“My Lady’s House” and “Jezebel” for Iron & Wine; “Disintegration” and “Closer” for JEW).

 

It's funny I was checking out The Academy Is last night and had a similar issue with the vocal delivery on that but I love the vocals on The Everglow haha.