The Year in Music - Edition 2005

(I should warn you, this will be full of disclaimers.)

Well, much like last year, to be precise we'll have to call it the last 14 months in music, since it's been about that long since the last article.

I thought also I'd take a different approach to this year's article by reviewing my favorite songs that I've purchased over the past year. This does not mean that we'll cover any songs actually released in 2005 (although there'll be one in the honorable mentions). However, I do take some solace in that we won't be covering anything older than 2002, so at worst I'm only three years behind the popular times. So that's not so bad.

As a special bonus, those of you out there who use iTunes can preview my entire 2005 Mix Tape by clicking on the following link, or by clicking on the picture up top there. The iTunes Music Store (iTMS) will allow you to hear 30 second previews of any or all of the songs, and also purchase any or all of them. If I turn someone on to some new(ish) music, well that'll be great.

But before we get started, some more disclaimers. The honorable mention section is full of songs that would certainly have made the final cut if only they were available via the iTMS. It's not too surprising that all four of the albums were mentioned as being highly anticipated in last year's article. They are, in no particular order:

• Balancing, by The DoctoRx. (link) It would have been a toss up between this song and Me and Nick Drake. If you like rock music you should own this disc - easily one of the best of the year.
• It's been awhile since I was your man, by Matthew Good. (link) Just another solid entry to the list of fantastic mid-tempo rock songs by Mr. Good. Buffalo Seven would have been the alternate track from this disc.
• Burn it Down, by Alter Bridge. (link) It won't be the cut that most folks think of if they know the band, but it's my favorite.
• Sad Sad Movie, by Chroma Key. (link) Best cut off the really kinda strange Graveyard Mountain Home release. Then again, all of Moore's stuff is a bit out there. In a good way.

Just missing the list on merit was Dream Theater's I walk beside you from their new album Octavarium. It's a great song, probably the most radio-friendly song they've ever done. It kinda sounds like a slightly heavier U2 track. But when it was down to the last cuts, it just didn't fit with the rest of the songs I'd put together. Still a good song, though, you should check it out, as it is available via the iTMS.

So...

What we're left with is the ten best songs I've bought in the last year (and change). Let's take 'em in order, shall we?

The District Sleeps Alone
Jake turned me on to The Postal Service. I think he'd seen them play recently when he told me about them. So I checked it out, and sure enough, they're solid. This is the first track from their 2003 release Give Up. I love the blend of synths and backup vocals. If you like this track, you'll probably like any of the Chroma Key stuff mentioned above, too.

Shut Up
Another first track, from their 2004 album Still Not Gettin' Any. I think I found this by searching the iTMS for similar artists to Yellowcard. Either that or it was linked from the Matthew Good page (since those canadians stick together). I actually bought this song from hearing the 30 second store preview. I dig it.

Ocean Avenue
I'd say this is my song of 2005. I first heard the acoustic version one day while I was flipping past Fuse (the canuck MTV). It caught my attention (and is worth consideration on its own), and while the electric version here is a bit heavier, I've also been on a pretty big punk kick for the last year or so, and this fit right in with that. The bottom line stat, though, is that this song has moved to the #3 spot in my iTunes "Top 25 Most Played" playlist in under a year. That my friends is a good song.

Beautiful
I did mention Thornley in last year's article. I don't know if I picked a track that stood out more than any others, but it fit the mix best. Call it the last song added, but it does have a catchy melody, and if you like this song, you'll like the album.

She Will Be Loved
Katey Mo hyped Maroon 5 to me, and who am I to resist the diva? As usual, she was right, their 2003 release Songs About Jane was pretty much universally acclaimed (which is probably what kept me from buying it until 2005). This song stands out with several others, and what broke the tie in its favor is that it is my favorite one to sing along with in the car.

NYC Weather Report
Until a couple of months ago I probably would've picked 100 Years from Five For Fighting's The Battle for Everything album (2004). But then it got used in that damn Mastercard ad, and I grew to hate it. So this song gets the call instead, and does a great job of standing up for itself. I do like the guy's blend of falsetto vocals in this song...

Heart Strong
Hands down the best song from Silvertide's Show and Tell (2004) album. And that's saying something, since I was really keyed up about a couple of the other songs that were on the pre-release teaser that Jake gave me. But this one's tops. I would call these guys a slightly heavier Black Crowes, and a lot of that comparisson is on the sound of the lead's voice, but the music is pretty close too. This track is not too far behind Ocean Avenue, ranking in at #6 on the same playlist.

So Long, Astoria
The easy choice here would've been the Don Henley cover, but I just couldn't make myself do it. Another result of my punk binge, this is from the Ataris' 2003 release So Long, Astoria. The disc is a solid one, even if the tracks blend together a bit more than I'd ideally like.

Truth of My Youth
This track choice could have gone any number of ways, depending on what kind of song I needed for the mix. Since I needed a faster track, I went with this one, which is the best of the pure punk on this disc, Catalyst (2004). New Found Glory still hasn't topped their best track, My Friends Over You from their previous album, but this disc is the better one overall. They also had an honorable mention track, from their ridiculous From the Screen to Your Stereo EP, which featured covers of horrible movie themes, most notably The Glory of Love, from the Karate Kid II soundtrack. Good times. But this is a better song in that you're not laughing at it.

Let Go
Ok, so this really should be mentioned as part of the Garden State Soundtrack, but they wouldn't let me include that as an individual song for sale, so it's listed here under its rightful owner, the act Frou Frou, whoever that may be. Great song, great soundtrack, great movie. You should definitely go see it if you haven't already. And this song brings the SP mix full circle back to the kind of song we started with, which I always like to do on a mix tape.

So there you have it. No looking foward in this article - that's for another day. I hope you get a chance to enjoy some of these songs - drop me a line in the Forum if you do.

--08/18/05