2005 Favorites, 25-21

25. Franz Ferdinand-You Could Have it so Much Better...
Yes, I like this album more than the first one. Yes, I think it is more catchy. Yes, I think it is more ambitious. The songs go through just the right amount of change to stay interesting but not collapse under the pressure of their own complexity (see: The Strokes' "Juicebox"). Then again, I'm not the hugest fan of this whole new dance-punk fad that's been catching for the past couple years (note: there is no Bloc Party on my year-end albums list). Nevertheless, the new album from Franz is amazingly well put-together, and deserves a spot in the top 25.

24. Jamie Lidell-Multiply
I am a sucker for good soul music. And this is it. Former Glitch artist extrodinaire went all soulful for his 2005 release, and it sounds sugary sweet sweet sweet, featuring a couple of my faroite singles of the year as well. Wait, you might ask, isn't this released on Warp Records? Yes it is, and the connection is more than just historical; the album features some great, crazy Warp-tastic production that brings out the best in Lidell's always changing vocals and songwriting. If you haven't heard this album, at least listen to the title track. And try not to dance.

23. Lightning Bolt-Hypermagic Mountain
No, I am not including this album just to get indie/metal cred. I sincerely like it. I have listened to Lightning Bolt for a couple years now, thanks to the pressure from a crazy friend from high school. (She also loves the Lightning Bolt side project, Mindflayer). The album before this I could almost get into, but still not for the whole record. Finally, with lovable tracks like "2 Morro Morro Land" and "Dead Cowboy," I can stand and love every minute of mind-shredding guitars and Bizarro Bass. It's intense to listen to, but, I believe, after half an hour of this noise metal, one just might be able to achieve transcendence.

22. Magic Numbers-Magic Numbers
I really don't have much to say about this record, just that it is a great pop-rock album. Touches of Brit-Pop, yes, but mostly just pop-rock, hailing back to (gasp) the Lovin' Spoonful as much as Screamadelica. A minor complaint--they should cut a minute or two from almost every song to achieve total pop perfection. The songs get a bit long, but great songwriting can still sustain them.




21. Ryan Adams-Jacksonville City Nights
I like Ryan Adams more than most well-informed rock nerds, and I am unapologetic. He is better than the other singer-songwriters people compare him to, and he is better than other contemporary alt-country artists. He has released 2 albums already this year, and he will release one more. Cold Roses was pretty good, Grateful Dead-sy stuff, and I liked it alright. On this album, though, he fully embraced the honky tonk, making his own Nashville Skyline (I didn't say he was like Bob Dylan). The album is fun, a little heartfelt, and interesting. Well-produced, too. Plus, I love Ryan Adams. Fuck you if you make fun of me for that.