A Belated 2005 Recap

2005 was a damn good year in music. As the delineation between genuine indie bands and pre-fabricated "indie" bands becomes clearer, I found this past year had less overnight top 40 indie hits and thus yielded a more interesting crop of new bands & new releases. Even some of the mass-marketed bands (like Franz Ferdinand for example) yielded albums with a bit less accessibility but a lot more character. Okay, so maybe that worked for some and not for others. Well anyway, to keep it simple, I tried my best to narrow down my "best of" to the following:

Top 5 "Above the Radar" Albums of 2005:
1. The Go! Team / Thunder, Lightning, Strike
2. Broadcast / Tender Buttons
3. Bloc Party / Silent Alarm
4. The Magic Numbers / The Magic Numbers
5. Out Hud / Let Us Never Speak of It Again

Top 5 "Below the Radar" Albums of 2005:
1. Jens Lekman / Oh You're So Silent Jens
2. Clor / Clor
3. The Boy Least Likely To / The Best Party Ever
4. Acid House Kings / Sing Along With Acid House Kings
5. Fine China / The Jaws of Life


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np. Felt Tip, Love Is All