Aquarius Records : Customer Favorites 2005

(see customer faves of 2002, and 2004,, as well as the AQ staff favorites of 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, and 2000) We are proud to present your favorite records from 2005! Thanks to all the fellow music-obsessing folk who sent in lists... especially our loyal AQ customers! And if you're anything like us, you love seeing what other folks have been listening to. Plus it's a great way to find out about stuff you might have missed! Anyway, check em out! And thanks again. Let's hope 2006 proves to be just as fruitful!

from : jon bernson smog - a river ain't too much to love mt. eerie - the drums of no flashlight kallikak family - may 23 2007 cerberus shoal - the land we all believe in the decemberists - picaresque vinyl version arizona amp and alternator modular set - beached on the half landing thelonius monk with john coltrane apostle of hustle - folkloric feel anamude - pentimento from : Paolo NG5361 Bandera 1. SUNN O))) "Black One" (Southern Lord) 2. EARTH "Hex: Or Printing in the Infernal Method (Southern Lord) 3. BLOODYMINDED "Gift Givers" (Bloodlust!) 4. KHANATE "Captured & Release" (Hydra Head) 5. PSI/PEE-ESS-EYE "Artificially Retarded Soul Care Operators "(Evolving Ear) 6. MY CAT IS AN ALIEN " From the earth to the Spheres split -LP series" (and everything else they have released) 7. BORIS & MERZBOW "Sun Baked Snow Cave" (Hydra Head) 8. DOUBLE LEOPARDS "A Hole is True" (Troubleman Unlimited) 9. LARSEN "Play!" (Important) 10. SKULLFLOWER " Orange Canyon Mind" (Crucial Blast) + (as usual) everything from TG / COIL / CARTERTUTTI / GPO / PTV, CURRENT 93, NWW and ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS and DEVENDRA BANHART! from : Lloyd Frangis 1. Brendan Benson - The Alternative To Love 2. Tim Burgess - I Believe 3. Cardinal - self-titled reissue 4. Cold Sun - Dark Shadows reissue 5. Noriko Kato - Les oiseaux bleu 6. Kronos Quartet - Mugam Sayagi 7. Low - The Great Destroyer 8. The Mars Volta - Frances The Mute 9. New Pornographers - Twin Cinema 10. The Raveonettes - Pretty In Black 11. The Residents - Animal Lover 12. Sons & Daughters - The Repulsion Box 13. Spoon - Gimme Fiction 14. Stars - Set Yourself On Fire 15. Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft 16. Supergrass - Road To Rouen 17. Swervedriver - Juggernaut Rides Anthology 18. T. Rex - Dandy In The Underworld reissue from : A F Buczynski ~Attack History Like A Radiant Suicide~ Julian Cope - Citizen Cain'd High On Fire - Blessed Black Wings Slough Feg - Atavism Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Bestial Machinery ASVA - Futurists Against The Ocean Cathedral - Garden of Unearthly Delights Leo Smith - Lake Biwa Stereo Total - Do the Bambi Disembowelment - Discography Circulus - Lick On The Tip Of An Envelope Yet To Be Sent Vandermark 5 - Alchemia John Zorn - Astaroth Free America - Volumes 1-15 Alexander Von Schlippenbach - Monk's Casino John Zorn/Ken Jacobs - Celestial Subway Lines / Salavaging Noise ~Utter The Great No To Life Without Weakness~ Robert Ashley - Celestial Excursions Burning Star Core - Mes Soldats Stupides '96 - '04 Jesu - S/T Khanate - Capture & Release Graves At Sea / Asunder - Split Mistress - In Disgust We Trust Rapestate - Squealer Deep Note 2: Inside Deep Note Sunny Murray - Perles Noires Vol. 1 & 2 Time Machine: A Vertigo Retrospective Witchcraft - Firewood Misha Mengleberg - Senne Sing Song Bunkur - Bludgeon Evoken - The Antithesis of Light Sunn o))) - Black One ~Then You Will See A Magnificent Cathedral~ Boris With Merzbow - Sun Baked Snow Cave Meads of Asphodel - Damascus Steel Absu - Mythological Occult Metal 1991-2001 Michael Manning - Inamorata Om - Variations On A Theme Necrophagia - Harvest Ritual Blood Ritual - Black Grimoire Deathspell Omega - Kenose Wolves in the Throneroom - S/T Depressor - Lord of the Flesh/Black God's Shadow + 4 Pinky Violence Jack Ruby - Hi Fi V/A - Crushing The Holy Trinity Twilight - S/T Anthony Braxton Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997 Vol. 3 ~And Your Senses, Vectors Of Unutterable Derangement~ Earthride - Vampire Circus Reverend Bizarre II: Crush The Insects Nattefrost - Terrorist Simon H. Fell - Composition No. 62 Fantomas - Supsended Animation Debris Inc. - S/T Saint Vitus - Live Eyehategod - Preaching The End-Time Message Dissection - The Past Is Alive Anthony Braxton - 20 Standards (Quartet) 2003 Cryptopsy - Once Was Not Blessing The Hogs - 12 Guage Solution Radio Pyongyang: Commie Funk and Agit Pop From The Hermit Kingdom Lamentations Of The Flame Princess Bjork / Matthew Barney - Drawing Restraint 9 ~Will Map Out An Integral Delerium~ Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine Dalek - Distance Bohren & Der Club of Gore - Geisterfaust Discordance Axis - Our Last Day Jon Hassell - Maarifa Street Baczkowski / Corsano / Flaherty - The Dim Bulb Serge Gainsbourg - D'Autres Nouvelles Des Etoiles Jean Claude Vannier (Insolitudes) - L'Enfant Assasin Des Mouches Gates of Slumber - Like A Plauge Upon The Land Anton Garcia Abril - Blind Dead Original Soundtrack Ritz Ortolani - Cannibal Holocaust Original Soundtrack Sigh - Gallows Gallery Ethopiques 20 - Either / Orchestra Live In Addis Antonius Rex - Magic Ritual Tsutomu Kudo - Gin-Paris Sessions ~That Will Be Lost In The Unnamable Architecture of Time~ Special Thanks To: MH, JB, Allan & Andee, FE, Hellride, Rise Above, Southern Lord & Cadence. "We are in a period when hope is not a very lucid idea." from : Rae Donaldson 2005's Musical Favourites, in no order and making no distinction between 'new' releases and reissues. Pinetop Seven "In Night's Bloom" Don Cooper "Howlin' At The Moon" Matt Sweeney & Bonnie Prince Billy "Superwolf" The Go-Betweens "Oceans Apart" Lau Nau "Kuutarha" Akron/Family "S/T" Blood Meridian "We Almost Made It Home" John Renbourn "The Nine Maidens" Dungen "S/T" Low "The Great Destroyer" Vashti Bunyan "Lookaftering" Wooden Wand "Harem Of The Sundrum And The Witness Figg" Alec K. Redfearn And The Eyesores "The Quiet Room" Micah Blue Smalldone "hither And Thither" Henry Flynt "Purified By The Fire" Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti "Worn Copy" No Neck Blues Band "The Collective Imaginings Of Quantarenius, Cook, & Co" Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice "Buck Dharma" A Hawk And a Hacksaw "Darkness At Noon" Mick Harvey "One Man's Favourites" Silver Jews "Tanglewood Numbers" Paavoharju "Yha Hamaraa" Smog "A River Ain't Too Much to Love Tex, Don & Charlie "All Is Forgiven" The Walkabouts "Acetylene" Jean-Claude Vannier "L'Enfant Assassins Des Mouches" Davy Graham "Folk, Blues & Beyond" Oneida "The Wedding" Field Music "S/T" Ilk "Canticle" Kate & Anna McGarrigle "La Vache Qui Pleure" Pelt "S/T" Islaja "Palaa Aurinkoon" Mick Softley "Sunrise/Street Singer" Harris Newman "Accidents With Nature And Each Other" The Wingdale Community Singers "S/T" Fursaxa "Lepidoptera" Nick Castro & The Poison Tree "Further From Grace" Gary Higgins "Red Hash" August Born "S/T" Gang Gang Dance "God's Money" Six Organs Of Admittance "School Of The Flower" V/A "Invisible Pyramid: Elegy Box" V/A "Maan Matoset" James Blackshaw "Celeste" Gigs Of the Year Dungen Giant Sand Jose Gonzales Michael Hurley Richard Bishop from : Jaak G RECORDS - Lurker of Chalice : Lurker of Chalice (Total Holocaust Records / Southern Lord) - August Born : August Born (Eclipse) - The Stars : Perfect Place to Hideaway (Pedal) - Marissa Nadler : Saga Of Mayflower May (Beautiful Happiness) - In Gowan Ring : Birch Book - Simon Finn : Magic Moments (Durtro Jnana) - Crisis : Holocaust Hymns (Apop Records) - Whitelodge : Whitelodge (Beta-lactam Ring) - Michio Kurihara : Sunset Notes (Pedal) - Nick Castro : Further From Grace (Eclipse) - SunnO))): Black One (2CD - Southern Lord) COMPILATIONS, BOXED SETS AND VARIOUS ARTISTS STUFF - V/A : Invisible Pyramid (Last Visible Dog - 6CD box) - V/A : Folklore Of The Moon (Subscription series - Hand/Eye / SomeDarkHoller) - V/A : Gold Leaf Branches (3CD Digitalis) - XTC - Apple Box (XTCIDEARECORDS - 4CD box) - The Fall : The Complete Peel Session 1978-2004 (BBC/Castle - 6CD box) - Ghost : Metamorphosis (CD+DVD - Drag City) WORK OF ART 1) Beta-lactam Ring "RECORDS ARE NOT FOR BAKING" Series #4 irr. app. (ext.) - "Resurrection of the Senses" 2) Mauro Pawlowski : Secret Guitar (Robo Recordings) 7" Times New Viking : "Love/War" (7" - Columbus Discount Records) SONG The Stars : "Subway (aka Night Walker)" - from "Perfect Place to Hideaway" - Pedal) ESSENTIAL REISSUES - Subway : Subway (Amber Soundroom) - The Cure : Seventeen Seconds, Faith, Pornography (Rhino) - Fresh Maggots : Fresh Maggots (Sunbeam) - Nurse With Wound : Salt Marie Celeste (Jnana) from : Chris Videll In no particular order: 10 favorite Satwa - S/T Chi Vampires - Birchville Cat Motel (Untitled) - Pelt Dead In The Woods - Grey Daturas Red Hash - Gary Higgins Alpine Static - Kinski Grey Daturas/Yellow Swans (not the tour split) Kohl - Steven R Smith Tuning To The Rooster - Vibracathedral Orchestra Bells Break Their Towers - Bright Some other highlights Accidents With Nature and Each Other - Harris Newman Sonic Prayer - Earthless Rotvalta - Spacious Mind Kensington Blues - Jack Rose You Must Be Psychic - DMBQ The Earth Is Blue - Damon and Naomi Paebiru - Lula Cortes e Ze Ramhalo Jesu - S/T Feathers - Dead Meadow Cypher Documents I - Bardo Pond Plus seeing Kinski, Blue Cheer, Birchville Cat Motel, Grey Daturas, Circle, especially DMBQ, and so many other great shows. from: Jasen Reeder 14. the broadway hush - featherchest (the apple union). 13. broadcast - tender buttons (warp). 12. wold - l.o.t.m.p. (profound lore). 11. sufjan stevens - illinois (asthmatic kitty). 10. wigrid - die asche eines lebens (no colours). 09. the clientele - strange geometry (merge). 08. lurker of chalice - lurker of chalice (total holocaust/southern lord). 07. ryan adams and the cardinals - jacksonville city nights (lost highway). 06. sunno)) - black one (southern lord). 05. make a change...kill yourself - make a change... kill yourself (total holocaust). 04. genghis tron - cloak of love (crucial blast). 03. red sparowes - at the soundless dawn (neurot). 02. vashti bunyan - lookaftering (dichristina/fat cat). 01. deathspell omega - kenose (norma evangelium diaboli). from : Philippe from Bip-Hop Explosions In The Sky : the earth is not a cold dead place (Temporary Residence Ltd.) The Two Pale Boys & Frank Black Francis : reinterpret the music of the Pixies (Cooking Vinyl/Spin Art) Tortoise : it's all around you (Thrill Jockey) Efterklang : tripper (Leaf) Mace : circulations (Sub Rosa) Kammerflimmer Kollektief : absencen (Staubgold) Murcof : remembranza (Leaf) Alarm Will Sound : performs Aphex Twin. Acoustica (Cantaloupe Music) The Drift : noumena (Temporary Residence Ltd.) Saul Williams : s/t (Wichita) Port Royal : flares (Resonant) Philip Jeck & Janek Schaefer : songs for europe (Asphodel) The Books : lost and safe (Tomlab) Tape : milieu (Hapna) Deviationists :: Sweetest Charms (Wiretapper # 13) from : Marc Weidenbaum 1. Christopher Bissonnette: Periphery (Kranky) 2. Colleen: The Golden Morning Breaks (Leaf) 3. FM3: Buddha Machine 4. Konono No. 1: Congotronics (Crammed Discs) 5. Daniel Lanois: Belladonna (Anti-) 6. Steve Reich: You Are (Variations) & Cello Counterpoint (Nonesuch) 7. SunnO))): Black One (Southern Lord) 8. Amon Tobin: Soundtrack to Chaos Theory: Splinter Cell 3 (Ninja Tune) 9. Stephen Vitiello & David Tronzo: Scratchy Monsters, Laughing Ghosts (New Albion) 10. Keith Fullerton Whitman: Multiples (Kranky) from : chase middaugh i do have a top 100 - but i'll keep it brief here: 1. YOB- THE UNREAL NEVER LIVED 2. ANGELS OF LIGHT- SING 'OTHER PEOPLE' 3. DJ MUGGS VS. GZA/GENIUS- GRANDMASTERS 4. SUNN 0)))- BLACK ONE 5. VENETIAN SNARES- ROSSZ CSILLIG ALLAT SZULETETT 6. SUPERSILENT- 7 7. BOHREN & DER CLUB OF GORE- GEISTERFAUST 8. WADADA LEO SMITH- SNAKISH 9. AKRON/FAMILY- AKRON/FAMILY 10. 13 & GOD- 13 & GOD 11. LITTLE BROTHER- THE MINSTREL SHOW 12. BUSDRIVER- FEAR OF A BLACK TANGENT 13. FANTOMAS- SUSPENDED ANIMATION 14. MIASMA & THE CAROUSEL OF HEADLESS HORSES- PERILS 15. COLD BLEAK HEAT- IT'S MAGNIFICENT, BUT IT ISN'T WAR 16. JAMIE LIDELL- MULTIPLY 17. JOHN ZORN- FILMWORKS XVI: WORKINGMAN'S DEATH 18. GROWING- HIS RETURN 19. BOOM BIP- BLUE-EYED IN THE RED ROOM 20. JOHN HOLLENBECK- A BLESSING 21. SHIPPING NEWS- FLIES THE FIELDS 22. KHANATE- CAPTURE AND RELEASE 23. BIGG JUS- POOR PEOPLE'S DAY 24. EARTH- HEX OR THE INFERNAL PRINTING METHOD 25. AZ- AWOL 26. JESU- JESU 27. ACOUSTIC LADYLAND- LAST CHANCE DISCO 28. ALARM WILL SOUND- ACOUSTICA: ALARM WILL SOUND PERFORMS APHEX TWIN 29. COLLEEN- THE GOLDEN MORNING BREAKS 30. BOARDS OF CANADA- CAMPFIRE HEADPHASE from : curran faris Riddle of Steel - Got This Feelin Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies to Paralyze Earth - Hex Sunn O))) - Black One Growing - Live Deathspell Omega - Kenose Cave In - Perfect Pitch Black Daniel Lanois - Belladonna Bend Sinister -Through the Broken City Propagandhi - Potemkin City Limits from : Hannu Haahti 1. The Fall - Fall Heads Roll (Narnack) 2. Caroliner - Transcontinental Pinecone Collector (self-released) 3. Paavoharju - Yhä Hämärää (Fonal) 4. Vashti Bunyan - Lookaftering (Fat Cat) 5. Animal Collective - Feels (Fat Cat) 6. v/a - Radio Phnom Penh (Sublime Frequencies) 7. v/a - Radio Sumatra: The Indonesian FM Experience (Sublime Frequencies) 8. Lau Nau - Kuutarha (Locust) 9. Black Twigs - Midnight Has Come And Gone (VHF) 10. Skullflower - Orange Canyon Mind (Crucial Blast) from : John Ennis Japanese Businessman's Top 12 Records of the Year: V/A - Folk and Pop Sounds of Sumatra Vol. 2 V/A - Cult Cargo: Belize City Boil Up V/A - Choubi Choubi!: Folk & Pop Sounds of Iraq Silentist - Nightingales EP Wetnurse - s/t Lula Cortes E Ze Ramalho - Paebiru Lurker Of Chalice - s/t Warhammer 48k - Uber Om The Psychic Paramount - Gamelan Into The Mink Supernatural Slomo - The Creep Riz Ortolani - Cannibal Holocaust (OST) Korekyojinn - Isotope from : y v m 1. Wintersleep - s/t 2. Dead Meadow - Feathers 3. Birchville Cat Motel - Chi Vampires 4. Holy Fuck - s/t 5. Sigur Ros - Takk... 6. Vibracathedral Orchestra - Tuning to the Rootser 7. Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger 8. Dredg - Catch Without Arms 9. The Psychic Paramount - Gamelan Into the Mink Supernatural 10. Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel the Illinoise 11. Broadcast - Tender Buttons 12. Bell Orchestre - Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light 13. Deerhoof - The Runners Four 14. Clutch - Robot Hive / Exodus 15. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods from : Brian Turner / WFMU MUSIC 2005 (in no order) Sublime Frequencies-o-rama Reeks and the Wrecks - Knife Hits (tUMULt) Country Teasers - Live (In the Red) Air Conditioning - Bachelor Party 7" (White Tapes) Whitehorse - West of the Sun (Whitehorse) Endless Boogie - Vol. 2 (Mound Duel) Tsehaytu Beraki - Selam (Terp) Jonathan Kane - February (Table of the Elements) Shapeshifter - Reticulum Flux (Schematic) Nurse With Wound - Shipwreck Radio Vol. 2 (ICP/United Dairies) Pissed Jeans - Shallow (Parts Unknown) Various - Congotronics 2: Buzz N' Rumble In the Urb'n Jungle (Crammed Disc) Rova:Orkestrova - Electric Ascension (Atavistic) REISSUES 2005 Gary Higgins - Red Hash (Drag City) Various - Can You Jack: Chicago Acid and Experimental House 1985-95 (Soul Jazz) The Fall - Peel Sessions Box (Castle) Laja Aijala - Passions of Laija Aijala (Bad Vugum) Disembowelment - Disembowelment (Relapse) Conrad Schnitzler - Conrad & Sohn (Creel Pone) Various - Jazz In Paris: St Germain de Pres 1946-56 (Universal France/Gitanes) Various - Wahrnehmungen 1980/81 (Vinyl On Demand) Icky Boyfriends - A Love Obscene (Menlo Park) Various - Time Machine: Vertigo Retrospective 3CD (Vertigo/Universal) VISUAL Berlin Super 80 (DVD) Peep Show - Seasons 1 & 2 (TV, UK) R Kelly - "The Closet" - all parts performed solo on 2005 MTV Awards Burden of Dreams deluxe (DVD, Les Blank/Maureen Gosling) Niger: Magic & Ecstasy in the Sahel (DVD, Hisham Mayet) Jan Svankmajer - Collected Shorts (DVD) Intervention (TV, US) Sixteen Years of Alcohol (Richard Jobson) Palindromes (Todd Solondz) Rize (David LaChapelle) Nathan Barley (TV, UK) Most Outrageous Live TV Moments (TV, US) Nighty Night (TV, UK) Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (Michael Winterbottom) Voivod - DVOD (DVD) from : Seth Tisue Jandek live (Gateshead/Glasgow/Austin/Manhattan/Brooklyn) Jandek - Khartoum CD (Corwood) Phill Niblock live (6ODUM, Chicago) Keiji Haino live (The Sage, Gateshead) Whitehouse live (Empty Bottle, Chicago) Tony Conrad live (Empty Bottle, Chicago) Anthony Braxton solo live (Wesleyan Univ.) Konono No. 1 live (Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago) No Neck Blues Band live (Empty Bottle, Chicago) Wagner's Ring cycle live (Lyric Opera, Chicago) from : Jim Evans Top Music Critics of 2005 Ed Pinsent Jennifer Hor Andee Connors Allen Horrocks Jim Haynes 6-12 - Review staff and contributors to the Sound Prjector 13-20 - Review staff of the Wire preliminary top 15 Dialing In Avarus Professor Prurient Wolf Eyes/Double Leopards split cdr Hotogisu Konono No1 Choubi Choubi Radio Pyongyang My Cat is an Alien Jandek Nurse With Wound Irr.App. (ext.) The Skaters Factrix from : Sarah Moolla in no particular order gravenhurst- fires in distant buildings pelt- untitled last visible dog elegy box set six organs of admitance - school of the flower electrelane - axes august born - august born vibracathedral orchestra - turning to the rooster black mountain - black mountain espers - espers patrick wolf - wind in the wires from : Chris / Soft Abuse The Bats - At the National Grid (Magic Marker) Broadcast - Tender Buttons (Warp) Colleen - Golden Morning Breaks (Leaf) Double Leopards - Out of One, To One and Through One (Eclipse) Excepter - Self Destruction (Fusetron) Las Malas Amastades - Jardin Interior (Psych-O-Path) Lungfish - Feral Hymns (Dischord) Cass McCombs - PREfection (Monitor) Mountains - Mountains (Aperstaaje) Of - The Buried Stream (Jewelled Antler) Nils Okland - Bris (Rune Grammofon) Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers (Drag City) Six Organs of Admittance - School of the Flower (Drag City) The Skygreen Leopards - Jehovah Surrender (Jagjaguwar) Steven R. Smith - Crown of Marches (Catsup Plate) Smog - A River Ain't Too Much to Love (Drag City) Times New Viking - Dig Yourself (Siltbreeze) some old new music: Bill Fay - Time of the Last Persecution (Eclectic) Satwa - Satwa (Time Lag) Selda - Vurulduk Ey Halkim Unutma Bizi (World Psychedelia) from : Erin Angela Sawyer Ye Olde Top Ten: Alvarius B-Blood Operatives of the Barium Sunset (Abduction) lp Feast Whisperpants & Penis Tea Flush-s/t (Ultra Eczema) cdr Lightning Bolt-Hypermagic Mountain (Load) 2lp/cd Various-Cambodian Rocks IV (Khmer Rocks) cd Michael Waisvisz-In Tune (Sonig) cd Hair Police/Wolf Eyes & Anthony Braxton-Live (Purple Stuff) cass Henry Jacobs-The Wide Weird World of (Important) cd/dvd Moondog-The Viking of Sixth Avenue (Honest Jon's) 2lp/cd Endless Boogie-#2/White (Mound Duel) lp Ennio Morricone-The Library Vol. 1 (Dagored) cd from : Mike Bjella Corrupted - El Mundo Frio Isis - Panopticon Mastadon - Leviathan Earth - Hex: Or Printing In The Infernal Method Boris - At last Feedbacker (2005?) Kayo Dot - Choirs of the Eye World Psychedelic Classics Nile - Annihilation Of The Wicked Dead Meadow - Feathers Mice Parade - Bem Vinda Vontade from : Michael Brown Top 20 in no particular order Feathers - S/T Deathspell Omega - Kenose Marissa Nadler - Saga Of Mayflower May Lavender Diamond - The Cavalry of Light Sunn O))) - Black 1 Earth - Hex Boris - Pink Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise Shallow North Dakota - Mob Wheel Ufomammut - Lucifer Songs Asva - Futurists Against The Ocean Yellow #5 - Demon Crossing Dead Meadow - Feathers Bunkur - Bludgeon Lemon Jelly - 64-'95 M.I.A. - Arular Girth - Living In Truth Laura Cantrell - Humming By The Flowered Vine Kayo Dot - Dowsing Anemone.. Cerberus Shoal - The Land We All Believe In Compilation of the Year Thrones - Day Late, Dollar Short Reissue of the Year Moondog - Viking of Sixth Avenue from : Curt Schommer 1- Strange Geometry - The Clientele 2- Separation Sunday - The Hold Steady 3- The Oranges Band - The World & Everything In It 4- Face The Truth - Steve Malkmus 5- Maxïmo Park - A Certain Trigger 6- Black Lipstick - Sincerely Black Lipstick 7- Spoon - Gimme Fiction 8- Kinski - Alpine Static 9- Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary 10- The Wedding Present - Take Fountain from : Michelle McKenzie Best 10 songs of 2005: (in order of preference of course!!) 1. Ten More Days, (David Christian) Pajo (s/t album) 2. Baby Please Come Home, Pajo (s/t) 3. Is That Blood, Radar Bros. (The Fallen Leaf Pages) 4. Rauutakaarme, Circle (Tulikoira) 5. Hi-Fi, M.Ward (Transistor Radio) 6. Use it, The New Pornographers (Twin Cinema) 7. 2 more New Pornographers songs!: Broken Hearts, Jackie Dressed in Cobras 8. Blue Blue Marble Girl, Arizona Amp & Alternator (s/t) 9. Hiding Drugs in the Temple (Pt.2), Kinski (Alpine Static) 10. Song From Uncle, Hella (Chirpin' Hard) 11.The Engine Driver Sporting Life, The Decemberists (Picaresque) Best shows: 1. Circle with Merzbow @Great American Music Hall, September 2. The Fucking Champs, Trans Am, Fucking Am @Bottom of the Hill, December 3. Slint (reunion tour) @Great American Music Hall, March 4. M. Ward @Bimbos, September 5. The Fucking Champs, Zombi & Boyjazz @Bottom of the Hill, September Best reissue: Dinosaur Jr.'s first three albums, s/t, You're Living All Over Me and Bug from : Michael Woodring Top 10 Darrin Verhagen "D/Classified" CD Coil "The Ape of Naples" CD The Drift "Noumena" LP Spoonbender 1.1.1 "Stereo Telepathy Academy - Live In San Francisco 2004" CD Port-Royal "Flares" CD Kammerflimmer Kollektief "Absencen" CD Skalpel "Konfusion" 2 CD Murcof "Remembranza" CD Ontayso meets Gizmo Cosmos meets Joel Tammik "Theme from Planet Space" CD [1] Kilo of Black Bondage "Fear the Windows" CD Favorite Guilty Pleasure Bloc Party "Silent Alarm" CD Favorite Reissues Pointed Sticks "Perfect Youth" CD Boomtown Rats "The Fine Art of Surfacing" CD DJ Shadow "Endtroducing" 2 CD Simon Fisher Turner "Caravaggio" CD from : Scott McDowell Magik Markers - I Trust My Guitar, etc. (Ecstatic Peace/Apostasy) The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday (Frenchkiss) Om - Variations on a Theme (Holy Mountain) Amadou et Mariam - Dimanche a Bamako (Nonesuch) Cline/Shoup/Corsano - Immolation/Immersion (Strange Attractors) Triptych Myth - The Beautiful (AUM Fidelity) Endless Boogie - #1/#2 (Mound Duel) Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers (Drag City) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - s/t (no label) Nuh Uh - demos (nuhuh.com) Miminokoto - Orange Garage (Last Visible Dog)/Green Mansions (Alchemy) Konono No. 1 - Congotronics (Crammed Discs)/Lubuaku (Terp) Bob Dylan - No Direction Home: Bootleg Series Vol. 7 M.I.A. - Arular (Interscope) William Parker Quartet - Sound Unity (AUM Fidelity) Tetuzi Akiyama - Route 13 to the Gates of Hell (Headz) Ali Farka Toure/Toumani Diabate - In the Heart of the Moon (World Circuit) David Last - The Push Pull (The Agriculture) Tsehaytu Beraki - Selam (Terp) Up-Tight and Makoto Kawabata - s/t (Galactic Zoo Disc) T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo: Hwe Towe Hun / The Kings of Benin Urban Groove 1972-1980 (Soundway) Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock and Roll (Fierce Panda) High on Fire - Blessed Black Wings (Relapse) Residual Echoes - Phoenician Flu and Atlantic Ocean (Holy Mountain) DFA Holiday Mix (DFA) Andy Votel - Folk/Prog is Not a Four Letter Word (Delay68); Vertigo Mixed (Family Recordings) Skullflower - Orange Canyon Mind (Crucial Blast) David S. Ware - Live in the World (Thirsty Ear) Oneida - The Wedding (Jagjaguawar) Various - Congotronics 2: Buzz N' Rumble In the Urb'n Jungle (Crammed Disc) from : Robert j Kirkpatrick Keith Rowe/Sachiko M/Toshimaru Nakamura/Otomo Yoshihide - EL005 (Erstwhile Records) 4g - cloud (Erstwhile Records) John Tilbury/Marcus Schmickler - Variety (A-Musik) Sean Meehan - Sectors (for Constant) (SoSEDITIONS) Graham Halliwell - Recorded Delivery (Confront Collectors Series) Bill Livingstone - A Piobaireachd Diary vols 1-4 (Self Released) Christian Fennesz/Sachiko M/Otomo Yoshihide/Peter Rehberg - EL004 (Erstwhile Records) Jonathan Colecloug/Lethe - Long Heet (special edition) (ICR Distribution) Allison Kinnaird - The Silver String (Temple Records) John TIlbury - Barcelona Piano Solo (Rossbin) The Tallis Scholars - Requiem (Gimmell Records) Siobhán Armstrong - Cláirseach na hÉireann (Maya Recordings) GOD - Anti-Sex/Anti-Wiretappong (Made in Taiwan) (Little Enjoyer/JYRK/GMBY) from : Garry Davis Audio Alvarius B--Blood Operatives of the Barium Sunset LP (Abduction) ABDT 032 Albert Ayler--Holy Ghost 10-CD (Revenant) RVN 213CD John Cale--New York In The 1960s 5-LP (Table of the Elements) Francium 87 Jandek--Modern Dances LP (Corwood Industries) CORWOOD 0752 Konono No. 1--Congotronics CD (Crammed Discs) CRAW 027CD Konono No. 1--Lubuaku CD (Terp Records) AS 090 Jacques Lasry + Bernard Baschet--Chronophagie LP (Arion) 30 U 060 Ralph Lundsten--Elektronisk Musik 4-CD (Andromeda) 497801-2 Harry Partch--The Harry Partch Collection Volume 3 CD (New World Records) 80622-3 Harry Partch--The Harry Partch Collection Volume 4 CD (New World Records) 80622-4 The Sea Donkeys--Volume 1 LP (Abduction) ABDT 033 Tangerine Dream--Electronic Meditation LP (Earmark) 42020 Uncle Jim--Uncle Jim's Superstars of Greenwich Meantime LP (Black Velvet Fuckere Recordings) Various Artists--Cambodian Cassette Archives CD (Sublime Frequencies) SF011 Various Artists--Folk and Pop Sounds of Sumatra Vol. 2 CD (Sublime Frequencies) SF018 Various Artists--Guitars of the Golden Triangle CD (Sublime Frequencies) SF024 Various Artists--Choubi Choubi! Folk and Pop Sounds From Iraq CD (Sublime Frequencies) SF025 The Wind Harp--Song From The Hill 2-LP (United Artists Records) UAS-9963 Video Amon Duul II--Play Phallus Dei DVD (Repertoire) REP 3017 Various Artists--ISAN: Folk and Pop Music of Northeast Thailand DVD (Sublime Frequencies) SF015 Various Artists--NIGER: Magic and Ecstasy in the Sahel DVD (Sublime Frequencies) SF022 The X-Files--Seasons 1-9 DVD box sets (Fox) Books Source--Music of the Avant Garde, Issue Number 9 (1971) from : Haroon, Singapore definitely top 2: 1. Boris - Pink 2. Reverend Bizarre - II: Crush the Insects Best re-issue: dISEMBOWELMENT 3xCD! from : Nathan Amundson (rivulets) Antony & The Johnsons | I Am A Bird Now if thousands | i have nothing Jesu | s/t Jonathan Kane | February Low | The Great Destroyer Mi and L'au | s/t Annelies Monseré | Helder Scout Niblett | Kidnapped By Neptune Sigur Rós | Takk... Xiu Xiu | La Forêt - Reissue/Single artist compilation - Belle & Sebastian | Push Barman To Open Old Wounds the Cure | Pornography Slowdive | Pygmalion from : J. Hall Here's my favorite 20 studio albums of 2005. 1. Get Behind Me, Satan -White Stripes 2. Woman King -Iron & Wine 3. Everything's Ok -Al Green 4. Samuari Struck -The Surf Coasters 5. Gimme Fiction -Spoon 6. Baby -Detroit Cobras 7. Apollo Sunshine -Apollo Sunshine 8. Z -My Morning Jacket 9. Cold Roses -Ryan Adams 10. Nolita -Keren Ann 11. The Magic Numbers -The Magic Numbers 12. In the Reins -Iron & Wine/Calexico 13. Hit the Floor -Breakestra 14. Superwolf -Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Matt Sweeny 15. Exploration -Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion 16. Freaks with the Savage Beat -The Hexxers 17. Okemah & the Melody of Riot -Son Volt 18. 21st Century SÈance -Green Pajamas 19. Oceans Apart -Go Betweens 20. Tie Your Noose -BBQ Top 5 Favorite artist compilations. 1. This Right Here Is Buck 65 -Buck 65 2. Gorilla Garage: The Jesse Hector Story -Jesse Hector 3. KaBoom -The Explosions 4. Popsided Guitar: Anthology 1984-2002 -Dom Mariani 5. Oscillons From the Anti-Sun -Stereolab Top 10 various artist compilations, in alphabetical order. 1. Between Goodlettsville And Murfreesboro (alt country/jangly pop) 2. Beyond the Sea (modern surf instrumentals) 3. Dirty Laundry- The Soul Of Black Country 4. Dream Brother- The Songs of Tim & Jeff Buckley 5. First Days Of Funk Vol 1 & 2 (each vol. is 2 cd's of rare 70's funk) 6. Folk is Not A Four Letter Word 7. Impeach The Precedent 8. Love, Peace & Poetry- Turkish Psychedelic Music 9. Party People Present: Street Soul Anthems 10. This Bird Has Blown: 40th Anniversary Tribute to Rubber Soul from : Jeff Yarbrough NEW STUFF: AVARUS: RUSKEA TIMANTTI (TUMULT) AUGUST BORN (DRAG CITY) BROADCAST: TENDER BUTTONS (WARP) CIRCLE: TULIKOIRA (EKTRO) CORRUPTED: ELMUNDO FRIO (HG FACT) DEATHSPELL OMEGA: KENOSE (AJNA OFFENSIVE/NORMA EVANGELIUM DIABOLI) EARTH: HEX, OR PRINTING IN THE INFERNAL METHOD (SOUTHERN LORD) EDAN: BEAUTY AND THE BEAT (LEWIS) GANG GANG DANCE: GOD'S MONEY (THE SOCIAL REGISTRY) DELIA GONZALEZ & GAVIN RUSSOM: DAYS OF MARS (DFA/ASTRALWERKS) GROWING: LIVE (GROWING SOUND) LARRY HEARD / LOOSE FINGERS: THE DOUBLE PLAY / THE DUALITY (TRACK MODE/ALLEVIATED) KONONO NO.1: CONGOTRONICS (CRAMMED DISCS) THE LIFT BOYS: THE LIFT BOYZ 12" (BROWN SOUND) LIGHTNING BOLT: HYPERMAGIC MOUNTAIN (LOAD) LURKER OF CHALICE (SOUTHERN LORD) MADLIB: MIND FUSION 3 (STONES THROW) OF: THE QUARTZ POND (JEWELLED ANTLER) OM: VARIATIONS ON A THEME (HOLY MOUNTAIN) QUASIMOTO: THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF LORD QUAS (STONES THROW) STEVEN R. SMITH: CROWN OF MARCHES (CATSUP PLATE) SOUND DIRECTIONS: THE FUNKY SIDE OF LIFE (STONES THROW) SUNN: BLACK ONE (SOUTHERN LORD) THUJA: PINE CONE TEMPLES (STRANGE ATTRACTORS AUDIO HOUSE) THREE 6 MAFIA: MOST KNOWN UNKNOWN (HYPNOTIZE MINDS/SONY) TWILIGHT (SOUTHERN LORD) ANDY VOTEL: VERTIGO MIXED (FAMILY RECORDINGS) REISSUES, COLLECTIONS & UNEARTHINGS: HORACE ANDY: EXCLUSIVELY (WACKIE'S) DAVID AXELROD: THE EDGE (1966-1970) (CAPITOL) CAN REMASTERS (ESPECIALLY FUTURE DAYS) (SPOON/MUTE) COMUS: SONG TO COMUS: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION (CASTLE) ROGERIO DUPRAT: A BANDA TROPICALISTA DO DUPRAT (EL) ENO & CLUSTER: S/T & AFTER THE HEAT (WATER) ENO/MOEBIUS/ROEDELIUS/PLANK: BEGEGNUNGEN I & II (WATER) HE 6: GO GO SOUND '71 (MERRY-GO-ROUND/BEATBALL) GARY HIGGINS: RED HASH (DRAG CITY) TOSHI ICHIYANAGI: OPERA FROM THE WORKS OF TADANORI YOKOO (BRIDGE) FRESH MAGGOTS: FRESH MAGGOTS (SUNBEAM) JAN DUKES DE GREY: MICE AND RATS IN THE LOFT (BREATHLESS) BASIL KIRCHIN: ABSTRACTIONS OF THE INDUSTRIAL NORTH (TRUNK) LA DUSSELDORF: S/T & VIVA (WARNER GERMANY) DESMOND LESLIE: MUSIC OF THE FUTURE (TRUNK) LEVIATHAN: HOWL MOCKERY AT THE CROSS (MORIBUND CULT) MOONDOG: THE VIKING OF SIXTH AVENUE (HONEST JON'S) ENNIO MORRICONE: CRIME AND DISSONANCE (IPECAC) PHAROAH SANDERS: ELEVATION (IMPULSE) SATWA: SATWA (TIME-LAG) ALAN SONDHEIM/RITUAL ALL 770: THE SONGS (FIRE MUSEUM) SUN RA: DISCO 3000 (ART YARD) JEAN-CLAUDE VANNIER: L'ENFANT ASSASSINS DES MOUCHES (FINDERS KEEPERS) YAMASUKI: LE MONDE FABULEUX DES YAMASUKI (FINDERS KEEPERS) VARIOUS: ACID: CAN YOU JACK? (CHICAGO AND EXPERIMENTAL HOUSE 1985-1995) (SOUL JAZZ) VARIOUS: AMERICAN PRIMITIVE VOL. II: PRE-WAR REVENANTS (1897-1939) (REVENANT) VARIOUS: CHOUBI CHOUBI: FOLK AND POP SONGS FROM IRAQ (SUBLIME FREQUENCIES) VARIOUS: COLD HEAT (NOW AGAIN) VARIOUS: FOLK IS NOT A FOUR LETTER WORD (DELAY68) VARIOUS: LAGOS ALL ROUTES / LAGOS CHOP UP (HONEST JON'S) VARIOUS: LOVE, PEACE & POETRY: TURKISH PSYCHEDELIC MUSIC (QDK MEDIA) VARIOUS: PROG IS NOT A FOUR LETTER WORD (DELAY68) VARIOUS: TIME MACHINE: A VERTIGO RETROSPECTIVE (VERTIGO) VARIOUS: WELSH RARE BEAT (FINDERS KEEPERS) BEST SHOWS: CIRCLE GHOSTFACE KILLAH THE IVYTREE COMETS ON FIRE & OM from : Antoine Duluard Here's my top 10: 01. 4G - Cloud (Erstwhile) 02. Fred Anderson, Hamid Drake & William Parker - Blue Winter (Eremite) 03. Edan - Beauty and the Beat (Lewis Recordings) 04. Supersilent - 7 (Rune Grammofon) (DVD) 05. Smog - A River Ain't Too Much to Love (Drag City) 06. Jack Rose - Kensington Blues (VHF) 07. Ginnungagap - Remeindre (Latitudes) 08. Brothers of the Occult Sisterhood - Lucifer's Bride (Foxglove) 09. Otomo Yoshihide New Jazz Orchestra - ST (Doubt) 10. Brendan Murray - Resting Places (Sedimental) And even 40 others: 11. Harris Newman - Accidents with Nature and Each Other (Strange Attractors) 12. Alvarius B - Blood Operatives of the Barium Sunset (Abduction) 13. The Skaters - Gambling in Ohpa's Shadow (Pseudo Arcana) 14. Robert Horton - Angel Humming Through a Wire (Foxglove) 15. Roots Manuva - Awfully Deep (Big Dada) 16. Ben Reynolds - Oh Joy and Beyond (Foxglove) 17. Alexander Tucker - Old Fog (ATP) 18. Flaherty/Corsano Duo - Last Eyes (Records) 19. GHQ - Hea (Arbitrary Signs) 20. Excepter - Throne (Load) 21. Adam Lane Trio (feat. Vinny Golia & Vijay Anderson) - Zero Degree Music (CIMP) 22. Giuseppe Ielasi - Gesine (Häpna) 23. Fursaxa - Lepidoptera (ATP) 24. Tomas Korber - Effacement (Cut) 25. Comets on Fire and Burning Star Core - S-T (Yik Yak) 26. Corrupted - El Mundo Frio (HG Fact) 27. Cold Bleak Heat - It's Magnificent, but it's not War (Family Vineyard) 28. Dälek - Absence (Ipecac) 29. Sam Prekop - Who's your New Professor (Thrill Jockey) 30. Richard Youngs - The Naive Shaman (Jagjaguwar) 31. Peter Wright - Yellow Horizon (Pseudo Arcana) 32. Uncle Jim - Superstars of Greenwich Meantime (Black Velvet Fuckere) 33. Okkyung Lee - Nihm (Tzadik) 34. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Naturally (Daptone) 35. Sunburned Hand of the Man - Wedlock (Eclipse) 36. Sunn O))) - Black One (Southern Lord) 37. Six Organs of Admittance - School of the Flower (Drag City) 38. Up-Tight & Makoto Kawabata - S-T (Galactic Zoo Disk) 39. Vandermark 5 - The Color of Memory (Atavistic) 40. Lichens - The Psychic Nature of Being (Kranky) 41. Hair Police - Constantly Terrified (Troubleman Unlimited) 42. Mori Chieko - Jumping Rabbit (Tzadik) 43. The Shadow Ring - I'm Some Songs (Swill Radio) 44. Keith Berry - The Ear That Was Sold to a Fish (Crouton) 45. Spires That in the Sunset Rise - Four Winds the Walker (Secret Eye) 46. Burkhard Stangl & Christof Kurzmann - Schnee_Live Erstlive 003 (Erstwhile) 47. Stilluppsteypa & BJ Nilsen - Vikinga Brennivin (Helen Scarsdale Agency) 48. Birchville Cat Motel & Lee Ranaldo - 30th December 2004 (Celebrate Psi Phenomenon) 49. Nick Castro - Further from Grace (Strange Attractors) 50. Ashtray Navigations - The Love that Whirrs (Last Visible Dog) from : Steve Carll New Releases: 1. Amadou & Mariam--Dimanche a Bamako 2. Caesars--Paper Tigers 3. Beck--Guero 4. Nada Surf--The Weight Is A Gift 5. Skygreen Leopards--Jehovah Surrender 6. Big Star--In Space 7. Julian Cope--Citizen Cain'd 8. The Go-Betweens--Oceans Apart 9. Maximo Park--A Certain Trigger 10. Vertigo Mixed--by Andy Votel Reissues/Compilations: 1. World Psychedelic Classics 3: Love's A Real Thing: The Fuzzy, Funky Sounds of West Africa 2. Backdoor Men--Sodra Esplanaden #4 3. Yellow Pills--Prefill 4. Donovan--Sunshine Superman 5. The Cure--Pornography 6. Roky Erickson--I Have Always Been Here Before 7. Jean-Claude Vannier--L'enfant Assassin des Mouches 8. The Cure--Seventeen Seconds 9. The Cure--Faith 10. Donovan--Barabajagal from : Matthew Adler 1. Murcof: Remembranza 2. Sanso-Xtro: Sentimentalist 3. Broadcast: Tender Buttons 4. Colleen: the golden morning breaks 5. Stereolab: Oscillons from the Anti-Sun 6. Marsen Jules: Herbstlaub 7. Cyne: Evolution Fight 8. American Analog Set: Set Free 9. 13 & God: s/t 10. Caribou: the milk of human kindness from : Jefferson Petrey HERE ARE MY TOP ALBUMS OF 2005 IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER Supersilent "7" (Rune Grammofon) Elaine Radigue "Elemental II" (Rosa) Tape "Rideau" (Hapna) Hototogisu "Green" (Eclipse) Mountains "Mountains" (Apestaartje) V/A + Shigeru Umebayashi "2046 Soundtrack" (EMI-UK) Pierre Schaeffer "L'Oeuvre Musicale - reissue" (INA-GRM) Iannis Xenakis "La Legende d'Eer - DVD" (Mode) Ryoji Ikeda "Dataplex" (Raster-Noton) SUNN O))) "Black One" (Southern Lord) Tod Dockstader "Aerial - series" (SubRosa) Alva Noto/Ryiuchi Sakamoto "Insen" (Raster-Noton) V/A "Small Melodies" (Spekk) The Lappetites "Before the Libretto" (Quecksilber) Stillupsteypa/BJ Nilsen "Vikinga Brennivin" (Helen Scarsdale Agency) EARTH "Legacy of Dissolution - remixes" (No Quarter) Birchville Cat Motel "Chi Vampires" (CPSIP) Rova::Orchestrova "Electric Ascension" (Atavistic) V/A "Archives GRM - box set" (INA-GRM) HERE ARE MY TOP FILMS OF 2005 ALSO IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER Michael Haneke "Hidden" (france) Wong Kar-Wai "The Hand" (china) David Croenenberg "History of Violence" (usa) Tsai Ming-Liang "Wayward Cloud" (taiwan) Hirokazu Koreda "Nobody Knows" (japan) Ingmar Bergmann "Saraband" (sweden) Ousmane Sembene "Moolaade" (africa) Hiroshi Teshigahara "Face of Another"/"Man Without a Map"/"Pitfall" (Re-released adaptations of Kobo Abe from the 60's - first time subtitled in English) (japan) Paolo Sorrentino "Consequences of Love" (italy) Aleksander Sokurov "The Sun" (russia) Miranda July "Me & You & Everyone We Know" (usa) from : ryan stively Okay- "High Road" Animal Collective w/ Vashti Bunyan- "Prospect Hummer" Castanets-"First Light's Freeze" Antony & The Johnsons-"I Am A Bird Now" The Finches-"Six Songs" Okay- "Low Road" Jana Hunter-"Blank Unstaring Heirs Of Doom" The Angels of Light & Akron/Family- S/T Split August Born- S/T Chinatown Bakeries- "Rise Wide Open" Little Wings- "Grow" Josephine Foster- "Hazel Eyes, I Will Lead You" from : Wilson Dinsdale 1) Lichens - Psychic Nature of Being 2) Earth People - The River Roared and the Wind Whispered as we Rushed Past (The Culmination of 4.6 Billion Years of Evolution) 3) Corrupted - El Mundo Frio 4) Bohren und Der Club of Gore - Geisterfaust 5) The Necks - Mosquito / See Through 6) Earth - Hex 7) Pharoah Overlord - #3 8) Tides - Resurface 9) Conifer - Conifer 10) Eluvium - Talk Amongst the Trees 11) Jesu - Jesu 12) Growing - His Return 13) Boris - Akuma no Uta 14) Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno - Iao Chant from the Cosmic Inferno 15) Skullflower - Orange Canyon Mind 16) Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase 17) Boris and Merzbow - Sun Baked Snow Cave 18) Ben Dinsdale - Fall Sketches 19) Paavoharju - Yha Hamaraa 20) Dave Seamen - This is Audio Therapy 21) Deerhoof - The Runners Four 22) Pelican - The Fire in our Throats will Beckon the Thaw 23) Red Sparowes - At The Soundless Dawn 24) Karl Sanders - Saurian Meditation from : Bruno Bissonnette 1. Memories of Underdevelopment: Throat of a Black Kitten (Menlo Park) 2. Sightings: Arrived in Gold (Load) 3. The Flying Luttenbachers: The Void (Troubleman Unlimited) 4. Blevin Blectum: Magic Maple 5. John Wall: cphon (Utterpsalm) 6. Runzelstirn & Gurgelstock: Runzelstock & Gurgelstirn (Nihilist) 7. Rudolf Eb.er: 23 Brutal-Humouroid Dramas (Tochnit Aleph) 8. Strapping Young Lad: Alien (Century Media) - the only metal album on here, and that's saying a lot 9. Paul Dolden: Délires de Plaisir (Empreintes Digitales) 10. Tod Dockstader: Aerial #1 (Sub Rosa) - I bet #2 is just as good but I haven't gotten around to buying it yet 11. Orthrelm: Ov (Epicene/Ipecac) Very honorable mentions: The Nath Family - Sounds Of The Indian Snake Charmer (Hanson) and anything else Schimpfluch-related this year, including the R&G/Beast People split LP on Spite, and the Joke Lanz/Rudolf Eb.er LP on Blossoming noise. Various artists comps: "The End of the Fear of God" (Tochnit Aleph) "Extreme Music from Russia" (Susan Lawly) from : Joel Minor MATT SWEENY & BONNIE PRINCE BILLY - Superwolf M. WARD - Transistor Radio ANTONY & THE JOHNSONS - I Am a Bird Now SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE - School of the Flower THEE SILVER MT. ZION... - Horses in the Sky JOSEPHINE FOSTER - Hazel Eyes, I Will Lead You SMOG - A River Ain't Too Much To Love DEVENDRA BANHART - Cripple Crow COCOROSIE - Noah's Ark EARTH - Hex or Printing in the Infernal Method SILVER JEWS - Tanglewood Numbers DIRTY THREE - Cinder RED - Nothing to Celebrate CONSTANTINES - Tournament of Hearts WOLF PARADE - Apologies to the Queen Mary MY MORNING JACKET - Z THE NATIONAL - Alligator from : Matthew Ward Maeror Tri's "Beauty of Sadness" and "Meditamentum 1." Felt's "Forever Breathes the Lonely Word," Splendour of Fear," "Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty" and "Poem of the River." Basinski's "Melancholia." Hired Hand OST Andrew Chalk's "Shadows from the Album Skies." And two quality items I don't believe are reissues: Lurker of Chalice s/t and Xasthur's "A Curse for the Lifeless." from : Joe Mulligan Goldmund - "Corduroy Road" (Type) Jose Gonzalez - "Veneer" (Peacefrog) Tape - "Rideau" (Hapna) Deaf Center - "Pale Ravine" (Type) The Boats - "We Made It For You" (Moteer) Women and Children - "Box Set" (Hallso) Porn Sword Tobacco - "Explains Freedom (City Centre Offices) Marsen Jules - "Herbstlaub" (City Centre Offices) Modeselektor - "Hello, Mom!" (Bpitch Control) Alva Noto + Riuchi Sakamoto - "Insen" (Raster Noton) Boards of Canada - "The Campfire Headphase" (Warp) Konono No. 1 - "Congotronics" (Crammed Discs) Alarm Will Sound - "Acoustica - Perform the Music Of Aphex Twin" (Cantaloupe Music) Paavoharju - "Yhä Hämärää" (Fonal) Imogen Heap - "Speak for Yourself" (RCA) Piana - "Ephemeral" (Happy) The Books - "Lost And Safe" (Tomlab) DJ Koze - "Kosi Comes Around" (Kompakt) Piano Overlord - "The Singles Collection (Money Studies) Nils Okland - "Bris" (Rune Grammofon) Midaircondo - "Shopping for Images" (Type) from : Michael Manning My Favorite 2005 Releases: Atom™ "iMix mini-LP" (Laboratory Instinct) Atom™ "CMYK" (Rather Interesting) Boards Of Canada "Campfire Headphase" (Warp) Boom Bip "Blue Eyed In The Red Room" (Lex) Boredoms "Seadrum/House of Sun" (Vice) Harold Budd & Robin Guthrie "Mysterious Skin - OST" (Colosseum) Dub Lab Presents "In The Loop 2" 12" (Plug Research) Brian Eno "Another Day On Earth" (Opal) Markus Guentner "1981" (Kompakt) Kinski "Alpine Static" (Sub Pop) Low "The Great Destroyer" (Sub Pop) Bruce Langhorne "The Hired Hand - OST" (Blast First) M.I.A. "Arular" (XL/Interscope) Nobody "And Everything Else" (Plug Research) OCS "3&4" (Narnack) OM "Variations On A Theme" (Holy Mountain) Omit "Tracer" (The Helen Scarsdale Agency) Prefuse 73 "Surrounded By Silence" (Warp) Residual Echoes "s/t" (Holy Mountain) Residual Echoes "Phoenician Flu and Ancient Ocean" (Holy Mountain) Señor Coconut Presents "Coconut FM - Legendary Latin Club Tunes" (Essay Recordings) Skullflower "Orange Canyon Mind" (Crucial Blast) Thrones "Day Late, Dollar Short" (Southern Lord) Mia Doi Todd "Manzanita" (Plug Research) My Favorite 2005 Reissues: Dungen "1999-2001" (Subliminal Sounds) OOIOO "Green & Gold" (Thrill Jockey) Totimoshi "¿Mysterioso?" (Crucial Blast) My Favorite 2005 Music-related Films: Brian Jonestown Massacre: Dig! The Ramones: End of the Century The Minutemen: We Jam EconoMy Favorite 2005 Live Shows: Boredoms @ The Independent Deletist/Null Space/DJ Tengu @ Cafe DuNord Mushroom @ The Connecticutt Yankee MIA w/ Diplo @ The Independent Oxbow (unplugged) at The Knitting Factory Nonstop Bhangra w/ Dholrhythms @ the Rickshaw Stop Prefuse 73 & Nobody dj set @ Amoeba Records Thrones/Boris/Sunn O))) @ The Echo Totimoshi/400 Blows @ The Golden Bull How I Capitalized On AQ-Owner Andee's Attempts To Foist Hanoi Rocks Off On An Uncaring Public: One of Lyn's and my last nights as San Francisco residents was spent at Benders playing DJ Sass R Ass' heavy metal/hard hock/punk trivia contest. After nailing a long string of alcohol-fueled brainteasers, we were at match point with the other remaining team. The tie breaking question was "What country was Hanoi Rocks from?" Like many other people, Lyn and I had read Andee's impassioned Hanoi Rocks reviews in the Aquarius newsletter and like just about everybody else who read those reviews, we hadn't bought any of the albums - BUT - we did remember that one vital bit of information. Lyn won a Benders t-shirt and I won a pitcher of the most expensive beer in the house - Chimay. Thanks Andee and thank you, Finland. from : Jennifer Hor Astrofaes "Those whose Past is Immortal" Aural Fit "Livestock" Avarus "Ruskeatimantti" Belketre "Ambre Zuerkl Vuorhdrevarvtre" (reissue) Brothers of the Occult Sisterhood "Animal Speak" Lula Cortes & Ze Ramalho "Paebiru" (reissue) Corrupted "El Mundo Frio" Drudkh "Lebednyi Shlyakh / The Swan Road" Earth "Hex: or Printing in the Infernal Method" Emit "A Sword of Death for the Prince" Keiji Haino "Uchi Ni Karamitsuiteru" ffehro "The Zeventean Frothing Cardinals" Keuhkot "Toimintatapoja olioille" Kneale Kneale Kneale "The Silver Chair" (nominated because 2 musicians are under 9 years of age although I think their dad is responsible for most of the racket) Albert Kuvezin & Yat-Kha "Re-covers" Monarch, self-titled double CD Ennio Morricone "Crime & Dissonance" Francis Plagne "Idle Bones" Striborg "Mysterious Semblance" SunnO))) "Black1" Terracid "Transcendent Reign Inheritor" Various Artists "Sound Surrounds Us (Volume 2)" Various Artists "Tibetan Buddhist Rites from the Monasteries of Bhutan" (reissue) Vibracathedral Orchestra "Tuning to the Rooster" Vlad Tepes / Belketre "March to the Black Holocaust" Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice "L'un marquer contre la moisonneuse" Honourable mentions: Hototogisu (2 albums bought in 2005), Kemialliset Ystavat (4 albums bought in 2005 incl "Latvasta Laho"), Konono No 1 (2 albums bought in 2005), Mutiilation (3 reissued albums on Tragic Empire Rex bought in 2005) Fave labels that supplied at least 2 records I bought in 2005: Celebrate PSI Phenomenon Creel Pone Fonal Records Last Visible Dog musicyourmindwillloveyou PSF Records Southern Lord Supernal Records Tragic Empire Rex from : Chris / Sub Pop Black Mountain - Black Mountain (Jagjaguwar) Oneida - The Wedding (Jagjaguwar) Pelican - The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw (Hydra Head) Crooked Fingers - Dignity and Shame (Merge) Cass McCombs - PREfection (Monitor) Animal Collective - Feels (Fatcat) Iron & Wine/Calexico - In the Reins (Overcoat) Thee More Shallows - More Deep Cuts (Turn) Mazarin - We're Already There (I and Ear) The National - Alligator (Beggars) from : Dan Schaaf 1. nada surf "the weight is a gift" (bursuk) 2. the assemble head in sunburst sound "s/t" (sunburst sound) 3. the coral "the invisible invasion" (sony intl) 4. drunk horse "in tounges" (tee pee) 5. oranger "new comes and goes" (eenie meenie) 6. clap your hands and say yeah "s/t" (self released) 7. dead meadow "feathers" (matador) 8. the national "alligator" (beggars banquet) 9. stars "set yourself on fire" (art & crafts) 10.radar bros "the fallen leaf pages" (merge) OTHERS: son volt "okemah and the melody of riot" (transmit sounds) detoit cobras "baby" (rough trade) 22-20s "s/t" (astralwerks) the dirtbombs "if you don't already have a look" (in the red) screaming trees "ocean of confusion" (epic) deadly snakes "pocella" (in the red) broken social scene "s/t" (arts & crafts) mercury rev "the secret migration" (v2) rouge wave (sub pop) new order "waiting for the sirens call" (warner) antony and the johnsons "I am a bird now" (secretly canadian) clampitt gaddis and buck "cascade serinade" (lelp) from : Matt Thompson / 333 Recordings matthew herbert - plat du jour (accidental) drumcorps - rmx or die 10" (kriss) silver daggers 7" (not not fun) business lady split lp w/rose for bodhan oneida - the wedding (jagjaguwar) exile - pro agonist (planet mu) tim exile - hanzo steel cuts 12" (mosquito) konono no. 1 - congotronics lp (ache/crammed) indian jewelry - in love with loving 7" (on/on switch) nao wave compilation curse of the birthmark - welcome to the hard times...you're late 12" (deleted art) curse of the birthmark - alibis/call yr lawyer 7" (333 recordings) axolotl - archons?/archons! cdr (collective jyrk) binray - cederoth bloodstopper mp3 ep drop the lime - step it up 12" (mirex) silentist - nightingales cd ep (celestial gang) the skaters/yellow swans - humming lattice flowers split cd ep (collective jyrk) terminal 11 - illegal nervous habits (cock rock disco) venetian snares - infolepsy (coredump) live: burmese flying luttenbachers reissues/old recordings newly presented: homosexuals - astral glamour 3xcd primitive calculators discography cd nao wave compilation cd die welttraumforscher - 21 weltraum-standards (staubgold) from : Sarah Gordon Top 4 1. Thee More Shallows - More Deep Cuts 2. The National - Alligator 3. M.I.A. - Arular 4. Moggs - The Whitebelt Is Not Enough Next 16 Aoki Takamasa + Tujiko Noriko - 28 Blood On The Wall - Awesomer Buttersprites - Buttersprites The Dead Science - Frost Giant The Finches - Six Songs Judith And Holofernes - Matanca Konono No. 1 - Congatronics The Lonelyhearts - Dispatch Mi and L'au - Mi and L'au Okay - Low Road/High Road Say Hi To Your Mom - Ferocious Mopes Summer At Shatter Creek - All The Answers Sunset Rubdown - Snake's Got A Leg Various Artists Vice Recordings - Run The Road The Waxfire - Blueprints Why? - Elephant Eylash from : Sarah and Andrew 1) BROADCAST "Tender Buttons" (Warp) 2) THE CLIENTELE "Strange Geometry" (Merge) 3) SUNN0))) "Black One" (Southern Lord) 4) GARY HIGGINS "Red Hash" (Drag City) 5) Eduardo Bort "s/t" (Fonomusic) 6) [V.A.] "Yellow Pills" (Numero Group) (disc one ONLY) 7) PEP LA GUARDA & TAPINERIA "Brossa D'ahir" (Discmedi) 8) MOONDOG "The Viking of Sixth Avenue" (Honest Jons) 9) M.I.A. "Arular" (XL) 10)MF Doom "MM Food" (Rhymesayers) 11) Shin Jung Hyun & The Men "It's a Lie" (World Psychedelia) from : Heath Mayhew august born- s/t animal collective- feels asano koji- spring estuary afrirampo- koregamayakuda lightning bolt- hypermagic mountain birchville cat motel- chi vampires boredoms- seadrum/house of sun jacula- in cauda semper stat venenum (re-issue) tenouti yomezou- when my hair grows and reaches your length ogurusu norihide- good morning koenjihyakkei- angherr shisspa any of the 'sublime frequencies' releases from : Jengiz Aziz 1. Primordial - The Gathering Wilderness 2. Vibracathedral Orchestra - Tuning To The Rooster 3. Various Artists - GRLZ: Women Ahead Of Their Time 4. Ween - "Shinola" Vol. 1 5. Julian Cope - Citizen Cain'd 6. Earth - Legacy Of Dissolution 7. Télépopmusik - Angel Milk 8. Yawning Man - Pot Head 9. The Angels Of Light - The Angels Of Light Sing 'Other People' 10. Animal Collective/Vashti Bunyan - Prospect Hummer from : Liv Statle Ensemble 96: Immortal Nystedt Coil: The Ape Of Naples Omit: Tracer This Heat: This Heat (reissue) Steeleye Span: Lark In The Morning Comus: Song To Comus (reissue) Albert Kuvezin & Yat-Kha: Re-Covers V/A: Shoubi Shoubi! Folk & Pop Sounds From Iraq Between: Dharana Paavoharju: Yha Hamaraa BEST CONCERT: Yat-Kha live @ Blå SADDENING LOSS: Monica Zettergren's tragic death in an apartment fire in Stockholm in May. from : Michael White Lungfish - "Feral Hymns" (Discord) The Double - "Loose In The Air" (Matador) Steven R. Smith - "Crown of Marches" (Catsup Plate) Oneida - "The Wedding" (Secretly Canadian) The Bats - "At The National Grid" (Magic Marker) Dead Meadow @ Empty Bottle, Chicago The Oranges Band - "The World And Everything In It" (Lookout) Tall Dwarfs @ Subterranean, Chicago, IL My Dad Is Dead - "Divided House" @ Empty Bottle, Chicago The Fall - "Fall Heads Roll" (Narnack) MV & EE, Alasdair Roberts, and Lichens @ Empty Bottle, Chicago Times New Viking - "Dig Yourself" (Siltbreeze) The Clientele - "Strange Geometry" (Merge) from : Jace Anselem 1. dISEMBOWELMENT - discography -The best slab of aluminum to be released this year is a re-issue*. Everything else argues for second place. I like hundreds of bands a lot, but this is the only one to whom I've committed to buying and wearing a hooded sweatshirt. When I was about 14, the local college radio weekly metal show had a habit of occasionally ending the night with "Cerulean Transcience of All My Imagined Shores." Hearing it for the first time single-handedly transformed and expanded what I thought heaviness and emotive power in music could be. Untouchable. 2. Mournful Congregation - The Monad of Creation -Maybe the only thing I could like as much as the Fucking Champs or dISEMBOWELMENT is an album that sounds like the Fucking Champs mixed with dISEMBOWELMENT. Unfortunately this is the only album in their ten+-year history that is that rad, but at least it exists--and at least it's their newest, so the future looks pleasantly grim! For once the album I actually listened to the most in a year came from that year, and not 1986 like most years, despite the fact that "monad" is one of the stupidest words ever. 3. Deathspell Omega - Kenose -There hasn't been a black metal album released by anyone since their '04 opus Si Monumentum Requires, Circumpsice to match it, or to even gaze with clarity upon its blackness from a distance, but with this they've come closest to revisiting their own glory. 4. Daniel Clay - Six Songs -Probably Georgia's best kept musical secret. Maybe ever. The delicate stylings of Sam Beam are a safe reference point, but he's about 777 times more breathtaking than Sam Beam, especially on the guitar (and especially live). 5. Lightning Bolt - Hypermagic Mountain -The only other time I felt the way that I felt when I first heard this album was the first time I ever heard Slayer: like popping a wheelie on my bicycle while headbanding and air-guitarring at the same time and then jumping a huge ramp made of naked girls and then my bicycle turns into a huge gleaming mystical sword in mid-air that I crash into the skull of the giant dragon that was waiting on the other side of the naked girl ramp. That's how I felt the first time I heard Slayer and that's how this album makes me feel. 6. Minibosses - Brass -Many people pass these guys off as a gimmick, but with this new album I think they've proved that at the very least, they have the hardest rocking gimmick in the land. Besides, it's the only thing tiding me over until a new proper Fucking Champs album. 7. Daft Punk - Human After All -Maybe they have some sort of philosophical reasoning for making the album so repetitive as suggested by many a diehard fan, but whatever, I think the main themes of these dance numbers are so great that neither I nor my booty want them to stop! 8. Slough Feg - Atavism -They will kill you. You will die. 9. Nile - Annihilation of the Wicked -Still the only death metal band who can approach the crazy awesomeness of peak (i.e. Obscura-era) Gorguts, and, honestly, smother it with snake venom and sand. Of four albums now, probably only their third best, which makes it heavier and better than 99% of monster trucks diving into a flaming pile of 99% of death metal albums that have ever been or ever will be made. 10. Mogwai - Government Commissions-BBC Sessions -Proving they're still the kings of the "build and release" instrumental post-rock thing. I don't know a single person who I would believe in a serious attempt to hate on this. It just wouldn't make sense! Why would they do it? What could they possibly have to gain from their lies? 11. M.I.A. - Arular -Why wasn't this the hugest international club hit of the year? Well, at least I heard "Galang" in a Honda commercial. 12. R. Kelly - Trapped in the Closet chapters 1-12 (dvd) -Unprecedented insanity in the world of pop music. R&B's mad genius officially doesn't give a fuck anymore, and the resulting breakdown-captured to perfection on this disc-is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. 13. Jesu - s/t -Everytime I pick up my guitar now, I can't NOT emulate this album (when I'm not NOT emulating the Fucking Champs or Darkthrone). Thanks for ruining everything, ruiner! 14. Big Business - Head for the Shallow -I think the first time I heard this is probably how my mom's old burnout friend Jeff must have felt the first time he heard Ace of Spades. Jeff has a Hulk Hogan moustache. 15. Des Ark - Loose Lips Sink Ships -Shannon Wright comparisons are understandable, but I think they greatly underplay Aimee Argote's painfully amazing vocal attack and very personalized and fucked-up guitar genius. The first time I ever heard this band I thought I was hearing the most timeless and perfect garage rock artifact in existence. This isn't as good as that demo, but now I sound like a pretentious black metal fan whose hands are in actuality covered not in blood, but in Cheeto dust. 16. Black Witchery - Upheaval of Satanic Might -So raw and fast that it might as well be an ambient album. A pure blur of destruction that makes me feel like I can fly... fist-first into your grave! 17. Leviathan - A Silhouette in Splinters -Thanks, Wrest! Your '05 offering has been like a happy cup of sleepytyme tea for me this year! See you on the last train to Dreamyland! Seriously, when I have this, I just can't make myself care about SunnO)))'s Black One. Percussion-less black metal dronage perfected. 18. Marriage - s/t -My 2nd favorite band from GA of all time (the first being Harvey Milk) and one of the top ten best live bands of any national standing that I've ever seen in my life. This album doesn't capture even a fifth of their live power, but it's worthy as a document to what most of you will sadly never witness. 19. Tiger Bear Wolf - s/t -NC's best bridge the gaps I didn't even know existed among Led Zeppelin, Di'Anno-era Iron Maiden, and Fugazi. Believe. 20. Hematavore - untitled -If you're going to shamelessly ape two bands at the same time, it's hard to beat the Fucking Champs and Opeth. More power to this. 21. Om - Variations on a Theme -" Approach the grid, substrate the sunglow's beam to freedom." Couldn't have said it better myself, dudes! Stone on! 22. Wold - L.O.T.M.P. -Aside from a lifetime of mostly very negative observational experience, albums like this keep me from being curious about drugs (see also #21). Because of this, I think I know. All the presumed awesomeness, none of the creeping physical and mental baggage. Damnit, Captain, my mind can't expand any further than this! 23. Darkest Hour - Undoing Ruin -Okay. Hopefully hardcore bands will stop pining so desperately for what the Swedes graciously birthed onto this planet some thirteen years ago, now that Darkest Hour have pretty much perfected the American bastardization of said Swedish melodic deathchild. Actually, the album's only on this list because they had the balls to start out a song with a ripping guitar solo blasting right out of (at) the gates. It's a great album, but I've officially had more American At the Gates worship than I can stand! 24. DMBQ - Essential Sounds from the Far East -I still can't believe the crash. I saw them a little less than two weeks before it happened and they were obviously immortal. Impossible. Twenty-four on the album list, but easily in the top-five-of-all-time list of great live rock experiences. * re-issue honorable mentions: Katharsis - 666, Forgotten Woods - Boklengs Mot Stupet: 1992-1996 The greatest musical event of 2005: HARVEY MILK, LIVE -My greatest musical experience of 2005 was not any album at all, but getting to see what might be my favorite band of all time resurrect themselves for three local shows in three nights. The first of these shows, held on July 28th at the 40 Watt club here in Athens, GA, stands as my favorite performance of live music witnessed in my life. I'm already declaring their yet-to-be-titled forthcoming album as the best album of '06. from : Andrew Tefft Nils Okland - Bris (Rune Grammofon) Nethers- In Fields We Will Lie (Box Theory) Steven R. Smith - Crown of Marches (Catsup Plate) Corrupted- El Mundo Frio (HG Fact) The Goslings- Between The Dead (self-released cdr) Big Business- Head For The Shallow (Hydra Head) Earthensea, Insect Factory, Forbes Graham- live & recorded Venetian Snares- Rossz Csillag Allat Szuletett (Planet Mu) Brendan Murray- Resting Places (Sedimental) Satwa reissue (Time-Lag) from : kenny highsmith ken's top 10 of '05, in no particular order (drum roll): 1. Deerhoof "The Runners Four" (Kill Rock Stars) 2. Urfaust "Verraterischer, nichtswurdiger Geist" (Goatowarex) 3. Brazilian Girls "S/T" (Verve) 4. Opeth "Ghost Reveries" (Roadrunner) 5. Debashish Bhattacharya "Calcutta Slide-Guitar, Vol. 3" (Riverboat) 6. Petra Haden and the Decemberists "Picaresque" (Kill Rock Stars) 7. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti "Worn Copy" (Paw Tracks) 8. Antony and the Johnsons "I am a Bird Now" (Secretly Canadian) 9. Witchcraft "Firewood" (Rise Above) 10. Sunn O))) "Black One" (Southern Lord) Honorable Mention: Mace "Circulations" (Sub Rosa) Top 10 Reissues/DVD/What-Have-You's from the local area 1. Comus "Song to Comus: The Complete Collection (Castle Music) 2. Jeff Mangum "Live at Jittery Joes" LP (Orange Twin) 3. The Happy Dragon-Band "S/T" (Radioactive) 4. Can "Future Days/ Unlimited Edition Remastered Reissues (Mute) 5. Manntis "Sleep In Your Grave" (Century Media) 6. Burden of Guilt "Untitled" CD-r 7. Jan Dukes de Grey "Mice and Rats in the Loft (Breathless) 8. "Alfred Hitchcock - The Masterpiece Collection" DVD (Universal Studios) 9. "Faster, Pussy Cat! Kill!... Kill!" DVD (Russ Meyer) 10. "Moog" DVD (Plexifilm) Honorable Mention: "The Simpsons - The Complete Seventh Season" (20th Century Fox) from : Vadim Egorov 1. Les Rallizes Denudes - Deeper Than the Night (Echoes From the Earth) 2. Stefano Pilia - Healing Memories and Other Scattering Times (Last Visible Dog) 3. V/A - The Invisible Pyramid: Elegy Box (Last Visible Dog) 4. ES - Sateenkaarisuudelma / Maailmankaari / Pianokaari ((K-RAA-K)3) 5. Jack Rose - Kensington Blues (Vhf/Tequila Sunrise) 6. The Opera Glove Sinks In The Sea - s/t (Apostasy) 7. Jazzfinger - Ugly For A Living (Gold Soundz) 8. Giuseppe Ielasi - Gesine (Hapna) 9. Grouper - Way Their Crept (Free Porcupine Society) 10. Satwa - s/t (Time-Lag) 11. V/A - By the Fruits You Shall Know the Roots (Eclipse/Time-Lag) 12. Can't - 7" (Ultra Eczema) 13. Tarentel - Home Ruckus (Root Strata) 14. Steven R. Smith - Crown Of Marches (Catsup Plate) 15. Landing - Brocade (Strange Attractors Audio House) 16. The Drift - Noumena (Temporary Residence) 17. Pengo - Moving Gelatin In a Translucent World (Audiobot) 18. Andrew Chalk - Shadows from the Album Skies (Faraway Press) 19. Raccoo-oo-oon - The Cave of Spirits (Time-Lag) 20. Leonid Fedorov, Vladimir Volkov - Besonders (Ulitka) from : Hoichi the Earless Musical Top Ten of '05 Nine Inch Nails - With_Teeth Telepopmusik - Angel Milk The Great Tyrant - s/t Charming Hostess - Punch Marianne Faithfull - Before the Poison Gorillaz - Demon Days Electralane - Axes Polar Bear - Held on the Tips of Fingers Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase Eraldo Bernocchi + Harold Budd - Fragments From The Inside Very Honorable Mentions Neil Young - Prairie Wind Her Space Holiday - The Past Presents the Future Red Sparowes - At the Soundless Dawn Røyksopp - The Understanding Boris - Pink Roots Manuva - Awfully Deep Adult. - Gimme Trouble Ephel Duath - Pain Necessary to Know Sunn O))) - Black1 Laura Veirs - Year of the MeteorsHonorable Mentions Animal Collective - Feels Piano Magic - Disaffected Sigur Ros - Takk #12LLY - Sad.Nuclear.Sad . Ion Dissonance - Solace Kayo Dot - Dowsing Anemone with Copper Tongue Shades of Despair - Shades of.. Kraftwerk - Minimum Maximum Buried Inside - Chronoclast The Fall of Troy - Doppleganger Pelican - The Fire In Our Throats..Worthy of Note Arab Strap - Last Romance Blockhead - Downtown Science Enya - Amarantine Minus the Bear - Menos el Oso Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene Burst - Origo Mic Fury - Au Bout Du Tunnel Coldplay - X&Y Ed Gein - Judas Goats and Dieseleaters X-Ecutioners - General Patton Vs the X-Ecutioners from : Jeffrey Smith 1. Albert Ayler "New Grass" 2. Keiji Haino "Black Blues" (electric) 3. Pharoah Sanders "Elevation" 4. V/A "Tokyo Flashback 5" 5. High on Fire "Blessed Black Wings" 6. V/A "Toytown, Volume 2" 7. Boris "Akuma No Uta" 8. Veena Sahasrbudde "One Thousand Nights" 9. Art Brut "Bang Bang Rock & Roll" 10. Boris w/ Merzbow "Sun Baked Snow Cave" from : Howard Ryan 1. Richard Youngs : The Naive Shaman 2. Kemialliset Ystavat : Latvasta Laho 3. R. Youngs & A. Neilson : Partick Rain Dance 4. Islaja : Paalaa Aurinkoon 5. Caroliner : Transcontinental Pinecone Collector 6. V/A : Guitars of the Golden Triangle 7. Charlambides : Our Bed Is Green (re-issue) 8. Animal Collective : Feels 9. Kasin & Adrianowicz : Boldly From the Westward 10. Liz Allbee : Quarry Tones from : Larry French 1. Fantomas "Suspended Animation" Ipecac Recordings. 2. Bjork "Medulla" Atlantic Recording 3. Clutch "Robot Hive/Exodus" DRT Entertainment. 4.Chimaira "Chimaira" Roadrunner Records. 5.General Patton VS. The X-ecutioners Ipecac Recordings 6.Queens Of The Stone Age "Lullabies to Paralyze" Interscope Records 7.Mastodon "Leviathan" Relapse Records 8.Kadda/Patton 'Romances Ipecac Recordings 9.Eyvind Kang "Virginal Coordinates" Ipecac Recordings 10. Mugison "Mugimama! Is this monkey music?" Ipecac Recordings from : Justin Evans 1. Cian Ethrie volatiles w./ aspartame (lucky Kitchen) 2. Theo Parrish v. ugly edit white labels 3. Toshi Ichiyangi "opera from the works of ... (reissue) 4. Domenico Guaccero Da Cantare (reissue) 5. Major Stars "black road" 7" 6. Cast King "saw mill man" 7. Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Mambo Nassau (reissue) 8. Judee Sill - Judee Sill (reissue) 9. Om - variations on a therme 10. Yomul Yuk- self release cd-r from : Angel Garcia John Fahey - the Great Santa Barbara Oil Slick Grouper - Way Their Crept PSYCHIC PARAMOUNT, THE - "Gamelan Into The Mink Supernatural" KISS THE ANUS OF A BLACK CAT - "If The Sky Falls, We Shall Catch Larks" JAN DUKES DE GREY - "Mice And Rats In The Loft" ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS - "I Am A Bird Now" ROSE, JACK - "Kensington Blues" pelt - Untitled No Neck Blues Band - the collective Imaginings Rameses III - Jozepha BENEATH THE LAKE - "Silent Uprising" V/A "American Primitive Vol. II: Pre-War Revenants (1897 - 1939)" Fursaxa - Amulet PAAVOHARJU - Yha Hamaraa VASHTI BUNYAN - Lookaftering JEAN-CLAUDE VANNIER - L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches Gang Gang Dance - God's Money Yamasuki Singers - Le Monde Fabuleux Des Yamasuki Friends of Dean Martinez - Lost Horizont Ennio Morricone - Crime & Dissonance Electrelane - Axes Gris Gris - For the Season smog - a river ain't too much to love Mick Harvey - One Man's TReasure Bruce Langhorne - "The Hired Hand" Shirley Collins with Davy Graham - Folk Roots, New Routes Lula Cortes e ze Ramalho - Paebiru Gary Higgins - Red Hash Lau Nau - Kuutarha Marissa Nadler - The Saga of Mayflower May Six Organs of Admittance - School of the Flower from : Jesse Hicks 1. (Smog) - A River Ain't Hard To Love Bill Callahan is someone we should all treasure. His lyrics are actually poetry and this specific album is made of the stuff that you'll cry about five years from now, when reminiscing about yr younger self. 2. M.I.A. - Arular It seems insane to me when I over hear people backlashing this monumental album. She's got everything! She's like a Political Nenah Cherry! She crosses all genres of music and her back-up singer Cherry will make yr heart stop and ass shake. Shut up and dance ya'll. 3. The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree John Darnielle latest is about his own adolescence, now that his abusive stepfather is dead "at last, at last." This tender album got me through so many difficult days this year. 4. Robin Guthrie & Harold Budd - Mysterious Skin Soundtrack Not since Angelo Badalamenti's Twin Peaks soundtrack have I fallen to sleep to an album as much. Wintery music to curl-up-in-ball and drink soup to. 5. (tie) Paavoharju This Finnish lady scared me while at the same time as calmed my restless thoughts. Reverby and epic. Finland is so the new Iceland! 5. (tie) Gang Gang Dance - God's Money This conceptually experimental band creates the most hauntingly melodic album of the year. For those of you that found Animal Collective's Feels a disappointing step backwards towards Arcade Fire, check this baby out. 7. Konono No. 1 - Congotronics This African group has been playing music for 25 years! With instruments made of used car parts and congos combined with electronics, Konono brought the audience at the Palace Of Fine Arts to our dancing feet for over two hours! 8. Boris - Pink This album sounds like the kick-ass metal soundtrack to John Carpenter's Ghost Of Mars, which was created by collaborating with Anthrax. Can I be a super Boris fan and not listen to Sunn0)))? 9. Deerhoof - The Runners Four Each song is like a stripped down tasty ingredient, which culminates into a delicious dish every 5 songs or so. This wonderful experiment that shows Deerhoof isn't interested in slowing down and making an album that sounds like their last. I can't wait for the next one guys! 10. Fanny Pack - See You Next Tuesday What started out as a funny joke actually turned into a bumpin' hip-hop album! These Brooklyn girls will give you a hard-on and then slap you in the face for being so easy. 11. AFX - Analord 1-11, & 43 Maybe a lot of this music sounds like stuff that Richard D James has made before, but I find myself putting it on over and over again. Let's all be thankful that at least the music is good. I mean, look what happened to Squarepusher! 12. Favorite John Carpenter influenced Electronic albums A. Disco Undead Compilation B. Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom - The Days Of Mars C, Zombi - Anthology Best Unreleased Album The Boise Cover Band - Album For Friends Doug Martsch has an amazing new Built To Spill album on the wings. And as we wait for the final touches on it, Martsch has recorded this side project that has some of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard, ever. Let's all hope that this album finds a release! from : Jeffrey Kreger 1) Lurker of Chalice - Lurker of Chalice 2) Sunn0))) - Black1 3) Leviathan - Howl Mockery at the Cross 4) Leviathan - 2000 demos (Oakenthrone/cassette) 5) Deathspell Omega - Kenose 6) V/A - Crushing the Holy Trinity 3-cd set (especially the DSO track on disk one!!!) 7) Wold - L.O.T.M.P. 8) Leviathan - Silouhette in Splinters LP (for those of us lucky enough to get one) 9) Lathspell - Fascination of Deviltry (This little tiny release is just awesome!) 10) Xasthur - Nocturnal Poisoning LP 11) Velvet Cacoon - NorthSuite 12) Xasthur/Leviathan split cd from : Robin Furne Favorite Albums: CocoRosie - Noah's Ark Carla Bley et al. - The Lost Chords Charlie Haden & the Liberation Music Orchestra - Not In Our Name Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio w/Billy Bang - Live at the River East Art Center Marc Ribot - Spiritual Unity Vivaldi: Bajazet [i'm not usually much of an opera fan, but this is quite good] Osvaldo Golijov w/ Dawn Upshaw & the Andalucian Dogs - Ayre Balanescu Quartet - Maria T Eluvium - Talk Amongst the Trees Earth - Legacy of Dissolution Circle - Forest Irreplaceable Hand [benefit compilation] Iron & Wine / Calexico - In the Reins Dirty Three - Cinder Also good: Odd Nosdam - Burner Marissa Nadler - Ballads of Living and Dying Daedelus - Exquisite Corpse Freddie Roach - Brown Sugar [reissue] Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - Naturally ROVA - Orkestrova Kronos Quartet with Asha Bhosle - You've Stolen My Heart Choubi! Choubi! Folk & Pop Sounds of Iraq Skullflower - Orange Canyon Mind Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate - In the Heart of the Moon The Numbers - We're Animals List Contenders: American Primitive Vol. 2 [compilation] Erstlive 005 (Yoshihide et al.) Arvo Part - Lamentate Gris Gris - For the Season Peggy Honeywell - Faint Humms Fursaxa - Lepidoptera Paul Motion - I Have the Room Above Her Lau Nau - Kuutarha Amina - Animamina Favorite Songs / Singles: Six Organs of Admittance: "School of the Flower" Low: "Silver Rider" Bright Eyes w/ Emmylou Harris: "Landlock'd Blues" Ladytron: "Destroy Everything You Touch" K-Otix: "George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People" The Coup: "My Favorite Mutiny" Busta Rhymes & ODB: "Where's Your Money" Black Dice: "Smiling Off" Gogol Bordello: "Mishto" from : Clay Jarvis My 10 Pretentious Thoughts About 2005 (Because I Live In Tokyo and Couldn't Afford to Keep Up With All the Good Music Released Last Year) by Clay Jarvis 1. There are bands who sound like they listen to a lot of music and there are bands who sound like they play a lot of music. Recently, waaaaaaay too much attention is being paid to the former. 2. Come on Feel the Illinoise? More like Meet Me in Snoregon. 3. Someone should write a book about Rocket From the Crypt. (Not you, Michael Azzerad. I still haven't had the nerve to finish Our Band Could Be Your Career.) I seriously believe that if RFTC would have broken big, the world would be a much happier place. 4. Their unimpeachable discography aside, Slint did a reunion tour and it wasn't for charity. Fuck Slint. (Even so, I still think a black metal tribute to Spiderland would be rather rad. Someone should really put that out!) 5. Shall we sheathe our Boris boners for a while? At least until they put out something that's actually as great as we hope it is before we buy it? 6. Some people might consider having your love of life enforced by suicidal black metal somewhat ironic. Those people probably see no irony in calling music that rips off The Cars 'new'. 7. Afrirampo is the best live band in Japan right now. Believe me when I say this: they are not ripping off old Boredoms. They are making fun of them. Once you understand that, enjoying their albums becomes a lot easier. 8. Sludge is the new metalcore: compliment or insult? I guess that depends on how many Equal Vision and Relapse cd's you traded in last year. 9. Daily AQ updates, please. 10. If I had to choose the worst song I have ever heard, it would probably be 'She's Cute' by Alvin Lee. If I had to choose the worst song never recorded, it would be a cover of 'Bombs Over Baghdad' by Sammy Hagar. If I had to choose one band both of those songs stomp the shit out of, it would be Chiodos. 11. i suppose if you clap your hands and say yeah, you can't cover your ears and say "this band sucks". from : Nadav Carmel 1. Erin Tobey - s/t (Plan-It-X) 2. Tullycraft - Disenchanted Hearts Unite (Magic Marker) 3. The WoWz - Long Grain Rights / Cool Dump (Recommended If You Like / self-released) 4. Renato Rinaldi - Hoarse Frenzy (Last Visible Dog) 5. Matthew De Gennaro - Humbled Down (Last Visible Dog) 6. Boyracer - Insults & Insights (Kittridge) 7. The King Khan & BBQ Show - s/t (Goner) 8. The Diskettes - "Weeknights At Islandview Beach" (Blocks) 9. v/a - The Invisible Pyramid: Elegy Box (Last Visible Dog) 10. v/a - Gold Leaf Branches (Digitalis) from : Taylor McLaren Boris: Pink Pop Will Eat Itself: the live CD-Rs from their mini-tour last January Edan: Beauty and the Beat Dalek: Absence Foetus: Love Clarinet Thing: Agony Pipes and Misery Sticks Choubi Choubi! Painkiller: the 50th-birthday disc thingy Experimental Dental School: 2-1/2 Creatures Blueprint: 1988 Curse of the Birthmark: Welcome to the Hard Times... You're Late Marianne Faithfull: Before the Poison Ni-Hao!: Gorgeous Aesop Rock: Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives Roots Manuva: Awfully Deep Tim Berne: Pre-Emptive Denial Einsturzende Neubauten: Solo Bassfeder And a couple of isolated tracks that I've played half to death: the live Jello Biafra/Melvins version of "Kalifornia Uber Alles", Lady Sovereign's "Ch-Ching", Sunship's "Almighty Father", Nine Inch Nails' "Only", the DJ Shadow track on Cage's album, the Perceptionists' "Let's Move", and "Back at Ya" from Mike Ladd's disc on Thirsty Ear. Best shows of the year: Otomo Yoshihide New Jazz Ensemble playing Eric Dolphy's "Out to Lunch" and Limited Express (Has Gone?) (plus the rest of Ni-Hao!, a couple of the other members of Don Matsuo, and some three-year-old bonus drummer) kicking my ass for two hours after they finished their tour of North America. Dalek were pretty snazzy, too, and deserved a way bigger crowd than they got. from : Eric Hatch 1) Gang Gang Dance - God's Money 2) Quasimoto - The Further Adventures of Lord Quas 3) Animal Collective - Feels 4) Dirty Projectors - The Getty Address 5) Celebration - s/t 6) Rod Lee - vol. 5: The Official 7) Fennesz/Sakamoto - sala santa cecilia 8) Boredoms - Seadrum/House of Sun 9) Danger Doom - The Mouse and The Mask 10) Sunn O))) - Black One from : Dave / 20 Buck Spin Black Boned Angel - Supereclipse Graves At Sea / Asunder - Split LP Skarp - Requiem (everyone needs this) Lurker of Chalice - S/T Sunn - Black1 (but boring live) Earth - HEX Victor Griffin - Late For An Early Grave Deathspell Omega - Kenose OM - Variations on a Theme Six Organs - School of the Flower from : Denis Kostromitin GREY DATURAS - Dead in the Woods (probably the year's best) LURKER OF CHALICE - s/t (I caught a cold after listening to this) DISEMBOWELMENT - Discography (re-released just in time, brings a lot of memories) CORRUPTED - El Mundo Frio (it's like a slowed down grindcore, brilliantly brutal (brutally brilliant?), on par with the above) EARTH - Hex; Or Printing In The Infernal Method (a living classic we witness here) BOHREN & DER CLUB OF GORE - Geisterfaust (got enveloped by this for months) SPEKTR - No Longer Human Senses (the band name alone is nekro enough! twisted stuff) V/A - Malpractice: A Fflint Central Primer (a discovery of the year" thingy) TENHORNEDBEAST - Woe To You, O Earth And Sea (Christopher Walton for the win! "one man band of the year") SKULLFLOWER - Orange Canyon Mind (sounds much like a sequel to Novatron's New Rising Sun", stunning) from : GERARDO JESÚS LLAMAS ZAS VARIOUS - RUN THE ROAD Vol. 1 ENNIO MORRICONE - CRIME AND DISSONANCE KLASHNEKOFF - FOCUS MODE LAPPETTITTES - BEFORE THE LIBRETTO DEATHSPELL OMEGA - KENOSE VARIOUS - MALPRACTICE: A FFLINT PRIMER AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED - BESTIAL MACHINERY VAINICA DOBLE - ACONTRACORRIENTE THE AXIS OF PERDITION - DELETED SCENES FROM THE TRANSITION HOSPITAL EVERYTIME I DIE - GUTTER PHENOMENON from : Erol Oran 1. Heroine Sheiks - Out of Aferica 2. Queen Adreena - The Butcher and the Butterfly 3. High On Fire - Blessed Black Wings 4. Unsane - Blood Run 5. The Prodigy - Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned 6. Jesu - Jesu 7. Mistress - Mistress 8. The Nomi Song (DVD) 9. Devo Live 1980 (DVD) 10. The Muppet Show (DVD) from : Luke Mosling 1. Hella "Church Gone Wold / Chirpin Hard" 2. Nile "Annihilation of the Wicked" 3. Anthony and the Johnsons "I am a Bird Now" 4. Devendra Banhart "Cripple Crow" 5. Animal Collective "Feels" 6. Earth "Hex" 7. Sun O))) "Black One" 8. Smog "A River Ain't Too Much To Love" 9. Paavoharju "Yha Hamaraa" 10. Torche "S/T" 11. Thrones "Day Late, Dollar Short" 12. Time of Orchids "Sarcast While" 13. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti "Worn Copy" Re-issues 1. Comus "Song to Comus" complete collection 2. Jan Dukes de Grey "Mice and Rats in the Loft" 3. American Primitive Vol. 2 4. Michel White "The Land of Spirit and Light" 5. Happy Dragon Band "S/T" 6. Gary Higgins "Red Hash" 7. diSEMBOWELMENT "Discography" 8. Bobby Hutcherson "Oblique" 9. Ed Askew "Ask the Unicorn" 10. Francisco "Cosmic Beam Experience" from : warren realrider Southern Thunder - Live at ASU Paal Nilssen Love & Lasse Marhaug - Personal Hygeine Burning Star Core - The Very Heart of the World Twilight - s/t Cold Bleak Heat - It's Magnificent, But It's Not War August Born - s/t phthalocyanine - No One Said You Didn't Alex E. Smith & Cheevers Toppah - Intonation The Clipse and Clinton Sparks - We Got It For Cheap Vol. 2 Dalek - Absence from : Rita Marmor Celebration/ Celebration The Double/Loose in the Air Cass Mccombs/Prefection The Drift/Noumena Kate Bush/Sea of Honey Grizzly Bear/ Horn of Plenty( Remixes CD) Mazarin/We're All Ready There Animal Collective/Feels Amadou & Mariam/ Dimanche a Bamako Oneida/The Wedding from : David Bradley The medalists: Gold: Lurker of Chalice - Lurker of Chalice (and to be honest, it wasn't even close.) Silver: The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree Bronze: Deathspell Omega - Kenôse The remainder of the field (in no order): Bolt Thrower - Those Once Loyal The Kronos Quartet with Asha Bhosle - You Have Stolen My Heart John Vanderslice - Pixel Revolt Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt (American issue) High on Fire - Blessed Black Wings Sufjan Stevens - Illinois Shining - In the Kingdom of Kitsch You Will be a Monster The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema Gang Gang Dance - God's Money Meshuggah - Catch-33 The Decemberists - Picaresque Xasthur/Leviathan split Between the Buried and Me - Alaska Edan - Beauty and the Beat Reissues: This category exists solely so I can mention Unquestionable Presence by Atheist. from : Curtis Sommerlatte Okay - Low Road/High Road Larsen - Play Weird Weeds - Hold Me Psychic Paramount - Gamelan into the Mink Supernatural Urdog - Eyelid of Moon Kammerflimmer Kollektief - Absencen Grouper - Way Their Crept Pelican - The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw Mitchell Akiyama - Small Explosions That Are Yours To Keep Sunn 0))) - Black OneBest concert: Hella & Charles Hayward at the London School of Economics from : Gary Cutler I listened to and loved way too much music in 2005. This is but the tip of the iceberg. Skullflower - "Orange Canyon Mind" (Crucial Blast) Konono No.1 - "Congotronics" (Crammed Discs) Paavoharju - "Yha Hamaraa" (Fonal) Sunn O))) - "Black One" (Southern Lord) Twilight - "s/t" (Southern Lord) Deaf Center - "Pale Ravine" (Type) Murcof - "Remembranza" (Leaf) Cold Bleak Heat - "It's Magnificent, But It Isn't War" (Family Vineyard) High on Fire - "Blessed Black Wings" (Relapse) Andy Votel - "Vertigo Mixed" (Family) Top compilations: VA- New Thing! (Soul Jazz) VA- Folk Is Not a Four Letter Word (Finders Keepers) VA- Welsh Rare Beat (Finders Keepers) VA- Invisible Pyramid:Elegy Box (Last Visible Dog) VA- Good for What Ails You (Old Hat) Top reissues: Jean Claude Vannier- L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches Davy Graham (too many too count) Pau Riba reissues (2) Yamasuki- Le Monde Fabuleaux des Yamasuki Pep Laguarda & Tapineria- Brossa D'ahir More wonderful music put out by the following folks: Hive Mind, Tod Dockstader, Boris, Merzbow, Daniel Menche, Burning Star Core, Jack Rose, (I could go on and on...) from : Kraig Keller 1. Subarachnoid Space 'The Red Veil' 2. Sauron 'Thrash Assault' 3. Blut Aus Nord 'The Work Which Transforms God' 4. Kylesa 'To Walk A Middle Course' 5. Genghis Tron 'Cloak of Love' 6. Cephalic Carnage 'Anomalies' 7. Ulver 'Blood Inside' 8. Velvet Cacoon 'Genevieve' 9. East/West Blast Test 'Popular Music for Unpopular People' 10. Circle of Dead Children 'Zero Comfort Margin' from : Jon Pitt Okay - Low Road/High Road (Absolutely Kosher) Viking Moses/Spenking - Crosses/Spenking (Marriage Records) Ryan Stively and His Poison Band - s/t (self-released) Port O'Brien - When the Rain Comes (oh map! records) Castanets - First Light's Freeze (Asthmatic Kitty) Jana Hunter - Blank Unstaring Heirs Of Doom (Gnomonsong) Adam Lipman - The Love and Water of a Dirty Mind (Benway Tapes) The Skygreen Leopards - Life and Love in Sparrow's Meadow (Jagjaguwar) Josephine Foster - Hazel Eyes, I Will Lead You (Locust) Tan or Boil - The Bones in Your Skin (self-released) from : Louis Libert in no particular order spoon - gimme fiction andrew chalk - the river that flows into the sand lungfish - feral hymns grouper - way their crept henrik nordvargr bjorkk - vitagen devendra banhart - cripple crow bohren und der club of gore - geisterfaust aeolian string ensemble - eclipse eric malmberg - den gatfulla manniskan eluvium - talk among the trees bibio - fi growing - live aavikko - back from the futer iron and wine - woman king ep pierre bastien - pop boards of canada - the campfire headphase feist - let it die nouvelle vague - s/t tape - rideau omit - tracer sufjan stevens - invites you to: come on feel the illinoise hwyl nofio - 'anatomy of distort' tiermes - malahvia salvatore - luxus from : John Lee, Chicago, IL 1. M.I.A. - Arular (XL) 2. Circle - Tulikoira (Ektro) 3. Lula Cortes e Ze Ramalho - Paebiru (Shadoks) 4. Six Organs of Admittance - School of the Flower (Drag City) 5. Gang Gang Dance - God's Money (The Social Registry) 6. LCD Soundsystem - S/T (DFA/Capitol) 7. Konono No. 1 - Congotronics (Crammed Discs) 8. Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask (Epitaph) 9. Major Stars - 4 (Twisted Village) 10. Oneida - The Wedding (Jagjaguwar) 11. V/A - World Psychedelic Classics, Vol. 3: Love's a Real Thing (Luaka Bop) 12. August Born - S/T (Drag City) 13. Animal Collective - Feels (Fat Cat) 14. Lau Nau - Kuutarha (Locust) 15. Oneida/Plastic Crimewave Sound - Split 12" (Jagjaguwar) 16. No Neck Blues Band - Qvaris (5 Rue Christine) 17. Residual Echoes - S/T (Holy Mountain) 18. Sunn O))) - The Grimmrobe Demos (Southern Lord) 19. Lightning Bolt - Hypermagic Mountain (Load) 20. Lady Sovereign - Vertically Challenged (Chocolate Industries) Honorable Mention: Badgerlore - Stories for Owls (Free Porcupine) Espers - The Weed Tree EP (Locust) High On Fire - Blessed Black Wings (Relapse) Konono No. 1/Dead C - Split 12" (Fat Cat) Mahjongg - raYDONcoNG (Cold Crush) New Pornographers - Twin Cinema (Matador) V/A - Choubi Choubi! Folk and Pop Sounds from Iraq (Sublime Frequencies) from : Wes Williams times new viking "dig yourself" (siltbreeze) pelican/mono split (temp. res./hydra head) reigning sound "live at goner" (goner) busy signals 7" (douche master) a-frames "police 1000" 7" (s-s) hot new mexicans "it's called leaning back" (salinas) high on fire "blessed black wings" (relapse) jesu (hydra head) blank its "johnny's tongue" 7" (contaminated) pulses "gather round and destroy our records" from : Phil Kretschman 25. Birchville Cat Motel - Chi Vampires 24. Jack Rose - Kensington Blues 23. Drudkh - The Swan Road 22. Acid House Kings - Sing Along With The Acid House Kings 21. Earth - Hex, Or Printing In The Infernal Method 20. Municipal Waste - Hazardous Mutation 19. Taake - ...Doedskvad 18. Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat - If The Sky Falls, We Shall Catch Larks 17. Cryptopsy - Once Was Not 16. Aavikko - Back From The Futer 15. Bekhira - L'Elu du Mal 14. Black Witchery - Upheaval of Satanic Might 13. The Boy Least Likely To - The Best Party Ever 12. Craft - Fuck The Universe 11. Pelican - The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw 10. Old Wainds - Scalding Coldness 09. Hair Police - Constantly Terrified 08. Ondskapt - Dödens Evangelium 07. Vibracathedral Orchestra - Tuning To The Rooster 06. Sunn O))) - Black One 05. Various Artists - Crushing The Holy Trinity 04. Orthrelm - OV 03. The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree 02. Lurker of Chalice - s/t 01. Jesu - s/t from : Scott Downing 1. Six Organs of Admittance - School of the Flower 2. Sunn O))) - Black One 3. Boris - Pink 4. Crooked Fingers - Dignity and Shame 5. Lurker of Chalice - s/t 6. Pelica n- The Fire in Our Throats 7. Various - Run the Road 8. Jack Rose - Kensington Blues 9. Corrupted - El Mundo Fio 10. The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday (i know there's a hug backlash against this record, but i think it still sounds great after six months and dozens of listens) 11. Earth - Hex 12. Jesu - Jesu 13. Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice - Buck Dharma 14. Quasimoto - The Furthe Adventures 15. Enslaved - Isa 16. High on Fire - Blessed Black Wings / Om - Variations on a Theme (these two discs complement each other so well...) 18. Ryan Adams - Cold Roses 19. Jackie-O Motherfucker - Flags of the Sacred Harp 20. Kronos Quartet & Asha Bhosle - You've Stolen My Heart from : John Adams 1. JESU - S/T 2. My Morning Jacket - Z 3. Doves - Some Cities 4. Dead Meadow - Feathers 5. Boris - Pink 6. Nightengale - Last Leaf EP 7. Pelican - The fire in our throats leads to a long album title 8. Earth - Hex: Or Printing in the Infernal Method 9. Jack Rose - Kensington Blues 10. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl 11. Yesterday's New Quintet - Future Sounds of Jazz? I can't remember the album title beyond that 12. Supergrass - Road to Rouen 13. Skullflower - Orange Canyon Mind 14. Acid Mothers Temple - Anthem of the Space 15. Thrice - Vheissu 16. Six Organs of Admittance - School of Flower 17. The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute 18. Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies to Paralyze 19. The Darkness - One Way Ticket to Hell....and Back! 20. Deftones - B-Sides and Rarities from : Ry Wharton 19 Full Lengths: The Goslings- Between the Dead CD Suishou No Fune- s/t CD Harold Budd- As Long As I Can Hold My Breath CD Lurker of Chalice- s/t CD/LP V/A- Konton Ear Damaging Massacre LP Nigel Wright- s/t CDR Sigh- Gallows Gallery Steven R. Smith- Crown of Marches CD James Blackshaw- Celeste CDR Spectre Flux- Oratum CDR Cold Sweat- Blinded LP Vampire Belt- Moth Lake CDR Pissed Jeans- Shallow CD Bone Awl- Not For Our Feet Tape Feathers- S/T LP Floating World- Unda CDR Birds- Birds Birds in the World CD WOLD- LOTMP CD Work/Death- Seven Branched Larch Boughs TAPE 10+ Eps: Carbonas- Frothing 7" Black Time- New Vague Themes 12" Major Stars- Black Road/Pocket 7" Knaught Knights- Death Has Come Over Me 7" Glass Organ Tape Fovea Hex- Bloom CDep Tokyo Electron- Put a Charge in You 7" Fucked Up- Generations 7"/12" A Frames- Police 1000 7" Angry Angles- Shattered 7" DMZ 12"s 003-006 10 Reissues/Anthologies: Manilla Road- Invasion & Metal LPs Randy Holden- Population II LP Frank Wright- Uhuru Na Umoja CD Roky Erickson Reissues 013- Takaisin Todellisuuteen LP Disembowelment- Discography 3CD V/A- American Primitive Vol. 2 2CD Thrones- Day Late, Dollar Short CD Stooges reiusses (full version of 'Ann'!) V/A- Vertigo Remixed CD from : Marcus O'Sullivan 1. Jesu - Jesu 2. Yob - The Unreal Never Lived 3. Earth - Legacy of Dissolution 4. Lurker of Chalice - Lurker of Chalice 5. Nadja - Truth Becomes Death 6. Boris - Pink 7. Alan Braxe & Friends - The Upper Cuts 8. Eluvium - Talk Amongst the Trees 9. Kamelot - The Black Halo 10. Growing - Live from : Benjamin Goldmuntz 1. Corrupted - El Mundo Frio 2. Disembowelment - Discrography 3. Yob - The Unreal Never Lived 4. Lurker of Chalice - s/t 5. Vashti Bunyan - Lookaftering 6. High on Fire - Blessed Black Wings 7. Drudkh - The Swan Road 8. Leviathan - Howl Mockery at the Cross 9. Om - Variations on a Theme 10. Deathspell Omega - Kenose And for Reissues: Comus - Song to Comus from : James Moy macronympha - melting softly into time (hospital / self abuse) earth - hex, or printing in the infernal method (southern lord) climax denial - seismic insecurity (self-released) striborg - black desolate winter / depressive hibernation (asgard) miasma & the carousel of headless horses - perils (web of mimcry) odd nosdam - burner (anticon.) sunn 0))) - black one (southern lord) growing - his return (troubleman) three 6 mafia - the most known unknown (sony) v/a - crushing the holy trinity (northern heritage) coco rosie - noah's ark (touch and go) john wiese - the pile of seven-inches he put out last year (various labels) from : jennifer and adam melinn A Silver Mount Zion -- Horses in the Sky High on Fire -- Blessed Black Wings Boris with Merzbow -- Sunbaked Snow Cave Xasthur -- Nocturnal Poisoning Heathen Shame -- Speed the Parting Guest Growing -- Archive Live Black Boned Angel -- Supereclipse Jennifer Gentle -- Valende Bunkur -- Bludgeon Hive Mind -- Chains of Ice from : Sean Sleight Here's my favorites from 2005 in no particular order: Jason Forrest - Shamelessly Exciting The Decemberists - Picaresque Messer Chups - Crazy Price Spoon - Gimme Fiction Aavikko - Back From the Futer Of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins Teenage Fanclub - Man Made Ulver - Blood Inside Stephen Malkmus - Face the Truth Sir Millard Mulch - How to Sell the Whole Fucking Universe... Caribou - The Human Milk of Kindness Keuhkot - Toimintatapoja Olioille Miasma and the Carousel of Headless Horses - Perils Shining - In the Kingdom of Kitsch You Will Be A Monster Amon Tobin - Splinter Cell Chaos Soundtrack A Hawk and A Hacksaw - Darkness At Noon Kare Joao - 2 Deerhoof - The Runners Four and Green Cosmos EP Fantomas - Suspended Animation Kehoe Nation - Music For Livers The Residents - Animal Lover Susumu Yokota - Symbol Venetian Snares - Rossz Csillag Allat Szuletett Fred Frith - Allies-Music For Dance, Volume 2 Jaga - What We Must Experimental Dental School - 2 1/2 Creatures Bob Drake - The Shunned Country 4g - Cloud from : John Beers (or, if you prefer I be a celebrity, Mr. Horribly-Charred-Infant) 1. Dirty Projectors The Getty Address 2. zZz Sound of zZz 3. Puka Puka Brians Pet Cemetary Sounds 4. Attwenger Dog 5. Bic Runga Birds 6. Antony and the Johnsons I Am a Bird Now 7. Yura Yura Teikoku Sweet Spot 8. Dead Meadow Feathers 9. The Selmanaires Here Come The Selmanaires 10. The Spinto Band Nice and Nicely Done 11. Dropsonic Insects with Angel Wings 12. The Darkness One Way Ticket to Hell . . . and Back 13. The Findells Finland 14. The Howling Hex All-Night Fox 15. Konono No. 1 Congotronics 16. M.I.A. Arular 17. Subsonics Die Bobby Die 18. Trephine Trephine 19. Van der Graaf Generator Present 20. Bottom you're Next from : Barrie Sutcliffe, Edmonton, Alberta 2005 - The Year of Doom Metal 1. Konono No. 1 - Congotronics 2. Keith Fullerton Whitman - Multiples 3. Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom - The Days of Mars 4. Earth - Hex, or Printing in the Infernal Method 5. Coil - The Ape of Naples 6. Alarm Will Sound plays Aphex Twin - Acoustica 7. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois 8. SUNN O))) - Black One 9. Richard Youngs - The Naive Shaman 10. New Pornographers - Twin Cinema 11. Ryoji Ikeda - Dataplex 12. Hyatari - The Light Carriers 13. Vibracathedral Orchestra - Tuning to the Rooster 14. Bohren & Der Club of Gore - Geisterfaust 15. Oneida - The Wedding 16. Psychic Paramount - Gamelan into the Mink Supernatural 17. Odd Nosdam - Burner 18. Corrupted - El Mundo Frio 19. Dirty Three - Cinder 20. Nadja - Truth Becomes Death 21. MIA - Arular 22. Christopher Bissonnette - Periphery 23. Holy McGrail - Collecting Earthquakes 24. BJ Nilsen & Stillyupsteypa - Vikinga Brennevin 25. Animal Collective - Feels Honorable mentions: Hafler Trio - A eg ad, halda afram?, Kawabata Makoto - Inui.3, Larsen - Play, Death From Above 1979 - You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, M. Gira - Body Lovers/Body Haters, 4g - Cloud, Boduf Songs - Same, Lurker of Chalice - ST, Alva Noto & Ryuchi Sakamoto - Insen, Alvairus B - Blood Operatives in the Barium Sunset Single Tracks 1. Keith Fullerton Whitman - Stereo Music for Yamaha Disklavier Prototype, Electric Guitar, and Computer 2. New Pornographers - Use It 3. Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom - Black Spring 4. Eluvium - New Animals from the Air 5. Birchville Cat Motel - Chi Vampires 6. Coil - Triple Sun 7. The Mars Volta - Cassandra Gemini 8. Larsen - Play (Track One) 9. Phosphorescent - Endless 10. The Chap - Baby I'm Hurtin' 11. John Cale - Outtathebag 12. Growing - Firmament 13. Sufjan Stevens - Chicago 14. Low - When I Go Deaf 15. Mono - Yearning 16. Psychic Paramount - X-Visitations 17. Mew - Apocalypso 18. Kinski - The Snowy Parts of Scandinavia 19. Espers - Dead King 20. The Timeout Drawer - Bursting with Tears I Commit to Destroying You 21. Shout Out Out Out Out - Tiiiiiiired 22. Alvarius B - Shenandoah 23. Tape - A Spire 24. Christopher Bissonnette - Traveling Light 25. Novillero - the Hypothesist Live Album of the Year Kraftwerk - Minimum/Maximum Label of the Year Kranky from : Kieran Kelley High On Fire "Blessed Black Wings" lp Doom Snake Cult "Love Sorrow Doom" lp Maniacs Dream "Die Learn No Way" lp Dead Meadow "Feathers" Depressor "Black God's Shadow" 7" Demon's Claws "S/T" lp Tetuzi Akiyama "Route 13..." cd Sunn 0))) "Candlewolf of thee Golden Chalice" lp V/A "By the Fruits You Shall..." comp lp Acid Mothers Temple "Just Another Band..." cd Lurker of Chalice "S/T" lp Deathspell Omega "Kenose" lp Fleshpress "III" lp Kemialliset Ystavat "Taju" cs Les Rallizes Denudes "Deeper Than The Night" lp Absu "Mythological Occult Metal" lp Seishokki "1975-1977" lp Witchcraft "Firewood" lp Fireball "Blessed Be" lp Boris "Pink" lp Videos: Iron Maiden "Early Years vol. 1" dvd V/A "Wizards Convention" dvd Kazuki Tomokawa "Pistol" dvd further accolades: The bane of the 10th commanment award goes : FM3's Buddha Machine. Too cool. The Tyner/Smith awards for kickin' out the jams, motherfuckers, go to: DMBQ in Chicago Acid Mothers in Brooklyn Boris in Manhattan Dungen in Chicago The Jim Carrol awards for people who died excellence go to: Bass Wolf (Hideaki Sekiguchi) China (Mana Nishiura)