So we’ve reached the end of the year and I thought it was time to reflect on what a great year 2005 was for music. Some of these releases were from 2004, but I only heard them this year, So that counts as 2005 for me. I’m offering every track here so you can see what I’m talking about. Download them, make a compilation, share it. I have to say without the fantastic music blogs out there, there is a lot of music on this list I would never have heard (and subsequently bought the CD). Hats off to music lovers. And now, on with the list.
All mp3s offered in this post are offline permanently.
1. LCD Soundsystem – Tribulations
This song has a great synth line and a great guitar solo at 2:25, and owes much to the excellent production which allows James Murphy’s vocals to breathe alongside the percussion and keyboard pulses. Probably one of the only songs this year I listened to 10 times in a row at full blast. Listen loud.
Download MP3: Tribulations
2. Gorillaz – DARE
With Demon Days, Damon Albarn produces a career best by miles, with excellent production from Danger Mouse and great performances from Roots Manuva, Matrina Topley Bird, MF Doom, That dude from the Pharcyde, De La Soul and Shaun Ryder on this track (Although he only has about three lines on it and sounds a bit incoherent throughout). Feel Good Inc, All Alone and November Has Come were the other standout tracks for me, but DARE is the one I like the most.
Download MP3: DARE (feat Shaun Ryder)
3. Arcade Fire – Wake Up
OOOOHHHHHH OOAAAAAAAAHHH OOOOOOHHH AAAAAH OOOOHHHH OHHHHHHH OHHHHHH OHHHHHH OOOOOHH OOHHHH OHHHH OHHH OWWWW OHHH!!!!!!!!!!! What else can you say that hasn’t already been said about the Arcade Fire? What a song.
Download MP3: Wake Up
4. Jose Gonzalez – Crosses
This is a lovely intimate song with excellent classical guitar and tender vocals. It’s very atmospheric considering it’s only vocals and guitar and that’s why I keep coming back to it. Simple yet sublime.
Download MP3: Crosses
5. Four tet – Sun. Drums and Soil
Kieran Hebden aka Four Tet returned in 2005 with a new album Everything Ecstatic that sounded harsh and more experimental than his previous effort Rounds. By largely doing away with the things that characterised Rounds (melody and normal song structure) and adding more drums, more electronics, more experimentation, Everything Ecstatic is just more fun. Sun, Drums and Soil is a perfect example.
Download MP3: Sun, Drums and Soil
6. Saul Williams – Talk to Strangers
The Saul Williams gig in Crawdaddy in August was fantastic; part-poetry reading, part social commentary, part hip hop show – Just like Saul himself. His lyrics are what’s important here, and spoken-worded Talk to Strangers, the album opener has entrancing lyrics set to a haunting piano which demands attention. “the world is not a flat screen I ain’t trying to fit in. “
Download MP3: Talk to Strangers
7. TV on the Radio – Staring At the Sun
Officially a 2004 release, it was brought to my attention from listening to Diplo’s Breezeblock Mix this year, the harmonies on this song are bleedin great and the synth just lifts it to another level.
Download MP3: Staring at the Sun
8. Tegan and Sara – Walking with a Ghost
Only heard this song a month ago, haven’t heard anything else from them. I like your wan’s voice and the song is class and stands up to repeated listens. There’s also a good mashup where it’s mixed with Mylo called “Walking with a Ghost in Paris”, and was also covered by the White Stripes (just so you know).
Download MP3: Walking with a Ghost
9. M83 – Don’t Save us from the Flames
This French band remind me of Godspeed! You Black Emperor but with more electronics and more focus. Or they sound a bit like highly emotional robots, whatever you prefer. The harmonies on this song rock and the drums are LOUD. This song has so much energy. There’s also a great 10 minute Supoerpitcher remix, well worth checking out. The remix slows the song down and removes the distorted guitars leaving the piano stabs and harmonies in place with a subtle beat. Nice.
Download MP3: Don’t Save Us from the Flames
10. Kraftwerk – Planet of Visions
Having started the year, never really liking Kraftwerk, I finish this year listening to their back catalogue and seeing them live at Electric Picnic in a fantastic performance I wrote about earlier. It is this song though which surprised me the most. Having heard Kraftwerk before, I always assumed their sound was a bit too awkward for me. Listening to this song from their Live album Minimum Maximum, it is a rollicking electro song with great synth lines, vocal samples and gliding strings. Listen.
Download MP3: Planet of Visions
11. Roots Manuva – The Falling
“Guns, Bitches, Hoes, Crack. Death and disease and a baseball bat. STDs that have no name. Down in the clinic with headful of shame” – The rap song with the best lyrics of the year, was also the most stark. On Awfully Deep, Roots Manuva chronicled his depression and mental state of the past two years but don’t let that fool you into thinking this is a depressing listen. Roots manages to turn his dystopian state into something positive with a more focused potent release than his previous albums.
Download MP3: The Falling
12. Shitmat – Theme from 1998 Morris Dancer Massacre
Imagine the maddest song you’ve ever heard. Imagine it faster and harder. That’s Shitmat. Everytime I listen to Shitmat, a big grin appears across my face. He played was one of the most enjoyable gigs I was ever at in the Rowing Club in Galway this year, even if it was supposedly cut short by the gardaí. On to the song, though. Frenetic breakbeats and drums sound collide to sound like a gun-toting massacre at a Morris Dancer Massacre. The meowing cat at 0:31. That amazing break at 0:44. Sailor’s Hornpipe at 1:10. That “cop killer” sample at 1:48 Then Rage Against the Machine appears from nowhere at 2:55. RUN DMC at 3:12. It just keeps going. Breakcore UK.
Download MP3: Theme from 1998 Morris Dancer Massacre
The Rest #13 – #20
Related Tags:
Broken Social Scene
Beck
LCD Soundsystem
Gorillaz
Arcade Fire
Jose Gonzalez
Saul Williams
TV on the Radio
Tegan and Sara
M83
Kraftwerk
Roots Manuva
Shitmat
Super Furry Animals
Tagged under: Alternative / Rock, Best of Lists, Dance / Electronic, Hip Hop, Indie, Music
Some nice choices there Nialler, nice and eclectic too, my poor head can’t deviate from indie…damn this head and all that sail in her….
nice list. wanted to say thanks for “Ladyflash” as i’m putting together a mix for a New Years Eve party and my copy of the Go Team cd is in my office at work. Nialler 9 to the rescue!
cheers,
matt
Where’s Prince, bitch?
cool ear farm, always nice to be a help and get one thanks per 1000 downloads.
Hi Niall. Thanks for your comment on my blog. Some nice choices on here (and thank you for providing the mp3s!), but where’s Queens of the Stone Age!?
And I’m presuming you didn’t just find my site by coincidence but got there through my sister’s (who I think you were in college with) – am I right?
ah yes, you are correct, yeh i saw your site through Sarah’s alright. I think we met before in Dame Lane if my memory is correct! Well Queens of the Stone Age would have been on my list of 25 but it was shortened to 20 cos I couldn’t be arsed writing any more, but then I got lazy and couldn’t comment all 20 songs. Their album is a little disappointing compared to Songs for the Deaf (best rock album of the last 5 years), so there’s no real standouts compared to it, although Someone’s in the Wolf is a pretty amazing song. With regards to your post, Ill Communication was my first cool album I got while I was growing up after all the Michael jackson albums I had up until then. It’s probably responsible for the weird place I’m in now (musically)!
Ooooo! Sweet – I just bought Songs for the Deaf the other day! Really looking forward to listening to it : ) and Dame Lane definitely rings a bell with me – I think it was your class graduation.
[...] Gorillaz – Darethanks to nialler9 [...]
Hey Niall, check out my new IPOD, I got it in North Korea:
http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/would-that-be-internal-or-external-technically-018574.php
http://unapieldeastracan.blogspot.com/
Wow, I just happened upon this blog, and it’s scary how my “best music” iPod playlist mirrors your list here. Great taste man!!
Might I suggest some Pinback :)
Pinback huh?
Never heard of them but i’ll check it out, Thanks
Wonderful list of songs. Thanks for the mp3s… a couple of which I was missing in my playlists…
Good to see an underappreciated Saul near the top.
Keep up the rock.
Thanks Kyle.
Saul Williams is amazing live if you get the chance to see him.
Spot on Nialler9! Just what I’ve always been looking for!!
like the list man – my own wouldn’t be too far off that
speaking of M83, my fave track of last year was their stunning remix of Bloc Party’s ‘Pioneers’ – THIS is what M83 are capable of
yeh its a cool cool tune
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