The Best Albums of 2005

Looking back on our Best Albums of 2005 feature twenty years later, I’m struck by the strength of this set of records. It truly was a bumper year for new music, and many of these releases have rightfully been celebrated throughout the year via anniversary reissues.

Of course, there are always going to be surprise omissions—wait until you see our 2025 list—and it’s certainly true that you could make a pretty strong list from albums we missed altogether. I’ll start you off with Boris’ Pink, Kate Bush’s Aerial, Spoon’s Gimme Fiction, Common’s Be, and of course, Ye’s Late Registration.

But as a celebration of a year in music, I think we did a pretty good job. Our wonderful 2005 team has mostly moved on—I’m only really in touch with Gabbie these days—but, on the off chance they stumble upon this article, I’d like to thank them for their excellent service.

Finally, there’s a Spotify playlist at the bottom, which is a real nostalgia trip if you fancy a distraction from the 2025 EOY madness that’s about to hit. – David Coleman

50. Crooked Fingers
Dignity And Shame
(Merge)

From the bold trumpet and decidedly Spanish mariachi guitars on the opening instrumental “Islero” to his trusty lap steel and sparse, captivating piano notes, Eric Bachmann and his Crooked Fingers continue to redefine a sound that simply cannot be pigeonholed. Lou Reed, Neil Diamond, and a handle of scotch hitch a ride on The Partridge Family bus, perhaps. - Chris Conti

49. Mountain Goats
The Sunset Tree
(4AD)

I’m not sure why, but next to Illinois, this probably got the heaviest rotation on my iPod this year. Maybe it was John Darnielle’s strange voice, or his obvious commitment to the intensely personal material, or maybe it’s just that these were great songs. Whatever the case, if you missed it you should go back and check it out, if only to hear the best line of the year—“St. Joseph’s Baby Aspirin, Bartles & Jaymes, and you.” If that phrase means anything to you, then you’ll love the rest. - Alan Shulman

48. Wilderness
Wilderness
(Jagjaguwar)

Wilderness was a breath of fresh air in an early 2005 dominated by twee-pop and ‘meta’ music. But who to compare Wilderness too? 1000 critics with 1000 type-writers came up with: The Talking Heads, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Discipline-era King Crimson. The truth is that what all three of these bands have in common is that they took elements existing before them and stylised them into an important new form. The dense atmospheres and paranoid stutters of Wilderness are one such form. - David Ferris

47. Test Icicles
For Screening Purposes Only
(Domino)

In my bitter old age, I don’t expect many good post-hardcore albums to come around. I especially don’t expect them to come out of anywhere but Washington, Long Island and the small handful of remaining locations containing post-harcore hold-outs. Armed with 1001 Blood Brother comparisons and a bag of hooks, Test Icicles have proven me wrong. If straight-edge hardcore verses were this accessible, nobody would ever do drugs. - David Ferris

46. Xiu Xiu
La Forêt
(5RC)

Jamie Stewart is one of the best lyricists around today. People often compare Xiu Xiu to the Silver Jews, or any other lyric-centric project, in that even though the music may be awkward at times, the words always carry the show. The difference, though, is that Xiu Xiu’s music is SUPPOSED to be awkward. Each pause between simple strums and “please” in “Yellow Raspberry,” raises the awkward tension to almost unbearable heights. The lyrics are so good in fact, that Stewart could have collaborated with his grandmother, and this album still would have been great. - David Ferris

45. Andrew Bird
The Mysterious Production Of Eggs
(Righteous Babe)

The Mysterious Production of Eggs is a gorgeous, sleepy record. Equal parts folk and orchestral, it’s filled with haunting melodies and the acidic lullabies that are Bird’s disturbing but poignant lyrics. Even a few vestiges of his Bowl of Fire pepper this beautiful album with their gypsy fiddles. Tremendously satisfying. - Gabbie

44. Four Tet
Everything Ecstatic
(Domino)

Hats off to Kieran Hebden, you might say, for so consistently ploughing a furrow entirely of his own making; for inventing a genre (I shudder to say it, folktronica) and still pushing it; for making music that’s both easy and pleasant to listen to and at the same time fantastically complex and rewarding. Everything Ecstatic is a very Four Tet record, but there’s still no one else to touch him if you’re looking for electronic music that will, at every step of the way, inspire and entertain. - Simon Briercliffe

43. Julien Neto
Le Fumeur de Ciel
(Type)

Very little is known about the reclusive M Neto other than that he’s produced a debut album of quite outstanding authority. All credit to Type, the little UK label with the great heart, whose championship of this kind of beautiful, enigmatic, slightly disturbing music that creeps into your heart by a side door that you never knew existed until you heard it creak is absolutely typified (sorry) by this wonderful album. - Paul Roylance

42. CocoRosie
Noah’s Ark
(Touch And Go)

Dishing out syrupy irony and barbed-wire boho in equal measure, the Casady sisters’ fast follow-up to last year’s cult success of La Maison de Mon Rêve was more polished but no less faux-diffident and scratchy-screechy—something that really gets up some people’s noses, for some reason. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re one of the more distinctive sibling acts of the moment, and keep über-cool collaborative company—Anohni, Sufjan Stevens, inter alia—to boot." - Paul Roylance

41. Kraftwerk
Minimum Maximum
(EMI)

Two discs, one of the most influential outfits of the last thirty-plus years, and every one a thriller - it’s clear that Kraftwerk wanted their definitive live album to be the business. So what if they’ve done really very little in recent years? These guys built their studio from scratch, and The Man-Machine offers a blueprint for commercial dance, electropop, the works, quite frankly. The recent stuff, like the Tour de France soundtracks, is sparkling; the older works—“The Model,” “The Robots,” especially—dusted down, fresh and vivid. I try not to get carried away: you have to have this album. - Ben Bollig

40. Richard Hawley
Coles Corner
(Mute)

2025 comment: Prior to 2005’s Cole Corner, Richard Hawley was still being introduced as “former Longpigs guitarist.” This album changed everything. Hawley is now a beloved name in Sheffield and beyond. His music was turned into an award-winning musical—the excellent Standing at the Sky’s Edge— and there’s even a bus with his image plastered all over it. Coles Corner remains his finest work. - David Coleman

39. Love As Laughter
Laughter’s Fifth
(Sub Pop)

This was my pick for album of the year. Say what? That’s right, I know you never heard it, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who agrees with me, but I’m sticking to my guns. Why? Because this is the album that best achieved what it set out to do, which was to have fun, kick back, and rock it old school. It’s not in love itself, it’s not trying to be cute, and it’s not trying to impress you; it’s trying to reach you through the universal language of rock and roll, and it makes no apologies for doing so. It could have been put out in 1966, and it’ll still be frickin’ awesome a hundred years from now because it’s as pure an expression of its genre as you’re likely to find, and a rarity in these fractured times. - Alan Shulman

38. Blood On The Wall
Awesomer
(The Social Registry)

The beauty of Awesomer is how familiar it sounds, even to first timers. You might think of Sonic Youth, of Pavement, of Yo La Tengo, or maybe even the Pixies. It’s a melange of early 90’s lo-fi greats, tugging on nostalgic heartstrings without having to compromise originality. - Gabbie

37. Architecture In Helsinki
In Case We Die
(Bar/None)

If there is one music trend worth hailing this past year, it’s this whole jigsaw mish-mash of eclectic styles jammed into one album. And Melbourne eight-piece Architecture in Helsinki, with their hyperactive, multi-coloured approach to melody-making, have probably done it best. That’s eight different instruments, eight voices, and some truly gorgeous sounds. In Case We Die is their second album, and it’s just as nutso as the first one—emphatically twee, inventive, and surprisingly dark in places. Dark as only childlike voices and toy-like instruments can sound. It’s twinkly and clunky and sparkles like an over-decorated Christmas tree. Can you dig it? - Sally Pryor

36. Patrick Wolf
Wind In The Wires
(Tomlab)

The precocious boy wonder has dyed his hair black and returned to present us with more Boho anthems. Praise, however, must be attributed to Beck, Vek, and Gough for creating a market for this over-indulgent, under-produced, pseudo-folk melancholia. At times trite and immature, this is an album of guilty pleasure. Yes, he is juvenile in his approach, but no, I can’t think of a single reason to dislike Wind in the Wires. Patrick, take a bow. - Ian Simpson

35. Beck
Guero
(Interscope)

It took three albums worth of waiting, but Beck has given fans another album of trashcan beats and geeked-out rhymes. The first few seconds of listening and the energetic, walk-tall riff of “E-Pro” sums up the album: Play this really loud and dance around, preferably in summer weather. Yeah, it’s a fun album. As usual, there’s slacker wisdom in the man’s words: “Shoot your mouth off if you know where you’re aiming.” And Beck’s aim is so true. - Jason Endress

34. Fiery Furnaces
EP
(Rough Trade)

How can a band release both their most accessible and inaccessible albums in one year? I have a theory that the Fiery Furnaces, still bitter about the White Stripe comparisons which followed Gallowsbird’s Park, decided to follow up each accessible album with a beast. At least we have some consolation that for each collaboration they do with their uncles, nieces, or grandparents, we will get a blast of pure accessible, often nonsensical, bliss, such as the EP. - David Ferris

33. Sleater-Kinney
The Woods
(Sub Pop)

The band’s first record on Sub Pop, The Woods is quite a departure from typical Sleater-Kinney. A foray into classic rock and even psychedelia, this album is a playground for epic guitar solos and powerful, smack-in-the-face lyrics marking, some say, the pinnacle of riot rock that the band has been working so hard to reach. - Gabbie

32. DANGER DOOM
The Mouse And The Mask
(Epitaph)

2025 comment: Did we really not post a comment for this stellar collaboration between Danger Mouse and MF DOOM? In retrospect, The Mouse And The Mask marked the end of DOOM’s imperial phase. His output dropped off significantly afterwards and his voice deteriorated (note the gruff tone on 2009’s Born Like This), but here—on this silly little record, packed full of Adult Swim samples—he is on towering form. - David Coleman

31. Elbow
Leaders Of The Free World
(V2)

Some bands embrace the normality and the boredom of day-to-day life that they hope to kick out against to such an extent that they become as dull and pedestrian as those that they are out to knock. Not so with Elbow. Leaders Of the Free World mixes moments of lyrical bleakness about world events and everyday life with a shimmering musical patchwork that is proof positive that Elbow are not quite the spent force that so many people suggest they are. More gas fire than log fire, but all the more interesting and just as cockle-warming for it. - Ben Stroud

30. My Morning Jacket
Z
(ATO)

Though still buried under a haze of reverb, this effort was yet another step forward for the band that blends soundscapes and Skynyrd. Jim James’ haunting vocals propel these tunes forward on gossamer wings, occasionally landing to kick out the jams. While I may never forgive them the judgmental lapse that allowed them to close the album with the rambling “Dondante" rather than the transcendent “Knot Comes Loose," or their tendency to hide a little too much in reverb’s shadow, I have to admit that these were as solid a set of tunes as you were likely to get this year. - Alan Shulman

29. The White Stripes
Get Behind Me Satan
(XL)

In which Meg and Jack go back, back, back in search of an authentic American voice and find it hiding in a dark alley, lurking under the covers, or dancing on a crumbling porch. Though augmented slightly by the occasional piano or marimba, the Stripes still make the most out of the least, which is about as ballsy a manoeuvre I can imagine for a band actually competing for chart space with today’s overproduced corporate swill. Talent, intensity and sheer chutzpah win the day, and if “The Denial Twist” doesn’t kick your ass, then you don’t have one. - Alan Shulman

28. Maxïmo Park
A Certain Trigger
(Warp)

This year, more than any I’ve known, has been a year of ‘hype’—some deserved, some not so. A Certain Trigger is most certainly of the former. Paul Smith perches his lanky body clumsily atop his Novo-Castarian soapbox and commands attention. His working-class tales of woe are undoubtedly something to shout about... and shout he does. Maxïmo Park are the bona fide saviours of this country’s much-ridiculed rock and roll persona. I wasn’t alive for Nevermind the Bollocks..., All Mod Cons, or London Calling, but I sure as hell am glad I was around to witness the long overdue arrival of my generation’s “My Generation.” - Ian Simpson

27. Josh Rouse
Nashville
(Rykodisc)

At first listen, you could be forgiven for dismissing Josh Rouse’s farewell to Nashville as another polished slice of easy Americana. Dig a little deeper, however, and you’ll realise that Nashville packs a far greater emotional punch than fans of Rouse’s unashamedly retro 1972 album would dare to expect. Songs like “Sad Eyes” and “My Love Has Gone” are polar opposites to the call and response shenanigans of “Love Vibration,” and all the better for it. - David Coleman

26. The Raveonettes
Pretty In Black
(Columbia)

For a record that seems so unashamedly in love with its influences (Phil Spector, The Everly Brothers, The Jesus & Mary Chain), Pretty In Black is The Raveonettes making good on the promise shown in their first two albums. Mixing teen-pop anthems (“Ode To LA”) with sleazy, dark-eyed grooves (“Love In A Trashcan”) to stunning effect, The Raveonettes make you realise that whilst fads and fashions in music may come and go, there is nothing quite as stunningly simple and exciting as three chords and both eyes trained towards the gutter. - Ben Stroud

25. Low
The Great Destroyer
(Rough Trade)

Low rock out: who’d have thought it? Very few fans of the band that brought us Secret Name and Things We Lost In The Fire would have predicted tracks so fiery as “Monkey” or the crashing “When I Go Deaf.” And yet, it’s still very much a Low album, sparse, even stark in places and always beautiful. But with Dave Fridmann producing, even the most unexpected of crescendos sounds perfectly at ease, making this an extremely fine record indeed, and one of Low’s finest. - Simon Briercliffe

24. Vashti Bunyan
Lookaftering
(Fat Cat)

Lookaftering is a symphonic composition, and in that sense it’s a proper, pre-CD album, functioning as a whole, yet with subtle shifts and variations throughout; lyrically there’s a unity to the stories told—travelling, loving, losing, caring, in short, lookaftering. Vashti Bunyan’s picked acoustic guitar and Max Richter’s piano provide the backing for her soothing, often heartbreaking voice, while luxurious production layers in flutes, strings, harps, and Rhodes like warm sunlight filtering through the forest canopy. A beautiful album, a fitting follow-up, albeit years late, to a classic. - Ben Bollig

23. (British) Sea Power
Open Season
(Rough Trade)

None of your second album syndrome bollocks here. Cumbria’s finest follow up their killer debut with an album that takes in icebergs, insomnia, and finding God. “Please Stand Up” managed to get banned by MTV America but even that couldn’t stop it from being the summer’s best anthem. Elsewhere, bassist Hamilton stepped up to the songwriting plate and provided three cracking numbers—including the heart-wrenching album closer “True Adventures.” (British) Sea Power are the best there is and you should own this record. - Peter Mattinson

22. Devendra Banhart
Cripple Crow
(XL)

How to top two of the best albums of 2004? A 22-track souped-up collection of drunken imagery, protest songs, nursery rhymes, and Spanish party tunes. 22 tracks recorded with the help of an amorphous collective of nu-folk luminaries, matched only in its ambitiousness by its accomplishment. Intricate, insane, and brilliant. - Peter Hayward

21. The Decemberists
Picaresque
(Kill Rock Stars)

So Colin and the gang have signed to Capital Records, looking for “something bigger.” I can’t say I’m surprised, since his shanty-band has been casting off the ballast and tacking into the wind faster than ever, as evidenced by last year’s brilliant The Tain and this year’s not quite as brilliant but still terrific Picaresque. Hardly a sellout, the album was quirky, bizarre, tuneful, and, most importantly, it rocked hard. Gone is the clumsy charm of “The Chimbley Sweep," replaced by the tight, menacing groove of “The Infanta." The Decemberists, once a band that stared at their shoes on record, are now looking us straight in the eye, daring us to blink. The other records will always have the allure of the insecure outsider, but let’s face it, now they’re better. - Alan Shulman

20. The Books
Lost And Safe
(Tomlab)

Nick Zammuto’s guitar, Paul de Jong’s cello, Anne Doerner’s perky banjo, a battery of found and altered instruments, including a vintage Hohner clavinet, a set of tuned plastic drainpipes, and a cheap metal filing cabinet with subwoofers installed inside, plus some of the randomest text you’ll find this side of a Surrealist tea-party are the basis of a sound like no other, which, for once, merits the description, utterly unique. - Paul Roylance

19. Boards of Canada
The Campfire Headphase
(Warp)

In common with a number of this year’s big releases, BoC’s follow-on to 2002’s hugely successful Geogaddi had a much lighter tone than its predecessors—no less quirky and gorgeous in its dreamwash sound textures, but, most significantly, incorporating guitar in a kind of happy shoegazing way that took a lot of fans aback. But new fans just basked in the greatness that is the Sandison brothers and enjoyed the ride. - Paul Roylance

18. Stephen Malkmus
Face The Truth
(Domino)

He’s ba-aack! The louche, charismatic ex-Pavement frontman has delivered perhaps his most solid album yet, and that’s saying something. Many didn’t like his first two solo efforts. But so what? Maybe he doesn’t care what you think. Maybe he’s too busy being way too cool for his own good. Anyway, just as well: Face The Truth is quintessential Malkmus—playful and freewheeling, in-your-face sort of dirty rock, with plenty of excellent riffy guitars and some beautiful poetic moments. It’s like Malkmus has reinvented himself… in his own image. We all knew he had it in him somewhere, and this is just the album we’ve been waiting for. - Sally Pryor

17. New Pornographers
Twin Cinema
(Matador)

The latest release from power-pop royalty, the New Pornographers, is catchier than ever. Twin Cinema is a confident and brilliantly executed album, sporting a bevy of lyrical hooks and some of the tightest rhythms in the business. - Gabbie

16. Mogwai
Government Commissions
(PIAS)

“...This music can put a human being in a trance-like state and deprive them of the sneaking feeling of existing…" - The immortal opening words of Young Team, Mogwai’s 1997 debut album, still ring true in this year’s essential Beeb sessions collection. Never failing to inspire, this album charts the rise and further rise of Scotland’s greatest export. Outshining all previously heard recordings, these cuts are a rare glimpse at the unusually intimate side of the band. Endorsed by and dedicated to the infinitely wise John Peel. Enjoy this album alone. The great man would’ve wanted it that way. - Ian Simpson

15. Gorillaz
Demon Days
(EMI)

Ever find yourself longing for the heady days of 1996, or the fascinatingly media-propagated days of “Roll With It” versus “Country House”? Well, take a listen to Demon Days, you’ll soon realise who the winner was there. While Oasis have bloated into self-parody, Damon Albarn has continued to push himself, resulting in this, Gorillaz’s second. That’ll teach you to dismiss them as a cartoon band—this record is chock-full of potential singles and left-field hip hop, produced with a swagger and yet two feet on the ground. High class material here. - Simon Briercliffe

14. Hood
Outside Closer
(Domino)

You could probably make a successful argument that Hood’s output to date has been a little patchy. Not so with Outside Closer, a record of uniformly excellent songs and a cohesive sound that ties the whole thing together extremely well. Maintaining the listenable electronic sound and combining it with more organic vocals and instruments is a tricky one to get right, but it’s certainly done with panache here. There’s even potential mainstream singles here, not that that’ll ever happen. - Simon Briercliffe

13. Deerhoof
The Runners Four
(5RC / Kill Rock Stars)

One of the most consistent, inventive, and, it has to be said, fun bands of the last ten years, San Francisco’s Deerhoof shows no signs of growing stale on its latest opus. Less disorientating than the chaotic Reveille, less saccharine than Apple ‘O, and with much better cover art than the otherwise fantastic Milk Man, The Runners Four is, for my money, the band’s finest offering to date. - David Coleman

12. Wolf Parade
Apologies to the Queen Mary
(Sub Pop)

For the often maligned Wolf Parade, backlash had already started before many got a chance to hear them. By the time many got to listen, taste-makers who live to destroy beautiful things—who also hate Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, Wilco, Everything, etc.—had them convinced Wolf Parade was a Modest Mouse cover band. Perhaps the reason people love-or-hate Wolf Parade, is the fact that they represent every aspect of the “modern” indie-pop band in both their sound and rise to fame. If you can’t help to compare them to somebody else you love, it’s not because they are ripping anybody off, it’s because they are knee-deep inside the consciousness of what people want to listen to today. And the way everybody interprets this band differently, personalising the music and lyrics to their own experiences/perspectives, just goes to prove this. - David Ferris

11. Bloc Party
Silent Alarm
(V2)

The first (and undeniably best) British band to pin their colours to the reinvigorated post-punk mast, Bloc Party still remain an enigma to many people even after all of their success this year. Moody and stand-offish in print, yet devastatingly honest and emotionally raw on record, the South London quartet have made an album in Silent Alarm that crackles with nervous tension and wide-eyed enthusiasm, and one that I can guarantee will act as a musical reference point for others for many years to come. - Ben Stroud

10. Caribou
The Milk Of Human Kindness
(Leaf)

Snaith continues to completely disregard genre. The beats of “Lord Leopard” could show up on a cLOUDDEAD release, while “Bees” is slightly reminiscent of Mercury Rev’s “See You on the Other Side.” “Hand’s First” is thirty seconds of Florien Hecker-style noise, followed by Elliott Smith-tinged psych-folk on “Hello Hammerheads.” “Pelican Narrows” could be an instrumental jazz medley take on Wu Tang’s “C.R.E.A.M,” in the style of Jethro Tull. - Tom Lee

9. Sigur Rós
Takk
(EMI)

This was one of the big releases of the year, and there was a lot hanging on it—SR’s fourth, and the first since signing to EMI. Generally speaking, it won even the approval of the indie miserabilists who fell in love with (to?) the spectral sound of the Icelandic indie princelings’ Ágætis byrjun back in 2000. Some say the spawned single “Hoppípolla” is one of the best of the year, too. It’s certainly the first SR track to get any prime-time airplay on radio, that’s for sure, and spreading the love like that is never a bad thing. - Paul Roylance

8. Antony and the Johnsons
I Am A Bird Now
(Rough Trade)

Lou Reed protégé and leading light of New York’s cabaret circuit, Anohni Hegarty’s story of gender confusion, identity, and transformation has been one of the surprise breakthroughs of the year. Guest appearances from Reed, Boy George, and Rufus Wainwright are completely overshadowed by Hegarty’s remarkable voice, torch-song arrangements, and emotional hymnals. - Gabbie

* The band now performs as Anohni and the Johnsons

7. LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem
(EMI)

While monster bass riffs guide the album, the self-effacement of the bass player is found throughout, particularly on the bashfully marvellous “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House.” Murphy’s genius is to produce tracks that will send you wild in the club and then, at home, make you laugh out loud while wanting to root out all your old Suicide and Neu! Records. “I heard you have a compilation of every great song ever done by anybody,” sings Murphy. It may even be true. LCD Soundsystem is knowing and knowledgeable, inspired and inspirational: it takes the electro model and kick-starts it into outer space. - Ben Bollig

6. M.I.A.
Arular
(XL)

Far beyond the popular “World Music” label it has acquired, Arular is a fantastic amalgamation of dozens of styles, too many to be classified by one, perhaps even deserving of a whole new genre. M.I.A. should be a club standard, if she isn’t already, shaking hips from L.A. to Tokyo. Sure, her lyrics are rebellious and controversial, but try to close your eyes and tune out instead. Focus on the perfectly placed repetitions, the mixture of tribal and electronic beats, the pulse of her voice undulating in and out of the drums. Sound pretty sexy? It is. Listen to this record and just try not to dance. - Gabbie

5. M83
Before the Dawn Heals Us
(Gooom)

In 2003 M83’s Dead cities... flew in from a weird galaxy where Tangerine Dream and My Bloody Valentine rewrite Vangelis soundtracks. Their camp synth genius looked set not to last, and even less so when they split and M41.5, Anthony Gonzalez, hired his brother to do the vocals. Ready to sneer, instead we’ve been blown away by the magnificent ambition and attention to detail on their follow-up; Before... is rockier, scarier, and weirder than its predecessor. Slick yet charming, precise yet human, M83 are quite unique and quite brilliant. - Ben Bollig

4. Bright Eyes
I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning
(Saddle Creek)

The cry-baby, bed-wetter, self appointed spokesman of Emo has had a busy year. One album of folk, one of Bitch-Disco ,and one recorded live to chronicle his exploits. Adore him or abhor him, you can’t deny the fact that I’m Wide Awake... is a classic. Another Saddle Creek family fairytale, placing legendary Emmylou Harris as ‘Mother Goose.’ If you’ve yet to form an opinion about Nebraska’s very own Slacker Prince it’s about time you did. Buy this album for someone else; when they fall in love with you, you’ll truly appreciate its power. - Ian Simpson

3. Animal Collective
Feels
(Fat Cat)

It’s an amazing accomplishment when a band follows up their breakthrough album with a better one. The trippy sound that started to coalesce on 2003’s Sung Tongs reaches a kind of twisted perfection on Feels. The band has always been praised for producing a sound that called forth visions of drug-addled campfires and communal freak-outs, but what has been most overlooked is their audacious use of melody, which in its range and lyricism challenges Andy Partridge and Brian Wilson. Culminating in the tense “Banshee Beat,” Feels has everything fans of the band could want and a few nuggets for anyone with open ears ready to have an open mind totally blown. - Alan Shulman

2. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
(Self-released)

Recently signed Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are easily one of the year’s best discoveries, having spiked into rockstardom in record time. They’ve been compared to Neutral Milk Hotel, the Talking Heads, the Arcade Fire, the Unicorns, and Yo La Tengo, among countless others. But it’s their very own brand of awkward, spastic-yet-charming rock that makes them prime contenders for This Year’s Next Big Thing. - Gabbie

1. Sufjan Stevens
Illinois
(Rough Trade)

Last December, when a rather daunting Excel spreadsheet revealed The Arcade Fire’s Funeral as our number one album of 2004, I almost fell off my chair. Unavailable in the UK at that time, I’d barely listened to it myself. It certainly hadn’t dented my personal top 20. I felt so out of the loop. Thankfully, this year’s victor comes as no real surprise to me. Illinois is Sufjan Stevens’ second offering in his wildly ambitious 50 States Project, and it’s to the songwriter’s great credit that it somehow eclipses its brilliant predecessor, Michigan. A vast and demanding album, its 22 songs stretching out way beyond the 70-minute mark, Illinois is guaranteed to test even the most patient of music fans. Furthermore, aside from three or four immediate standouts (“John Wayne Gacy, Jr” and “Chicago” spring to mind), the startling quality of much of the material here only becomes apparent with repeat listens. It will take time, but as initial frustration gives way to awe, you’ll be glad you chose to persevere with this inspirational masterwork. - David Coleman