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undefined the top 50 albums of 2005:

	50. Robbers On High Street Tree City
	49. Josh Rouse Nashville
	48. Emiliana Torrini Fisherman's Woman
	47. Thumbsucker Official Soundtrack
	46. Of Montreal The Sunlandic Twins
	45. Eisley Room Noises
	44. Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies Hurrah! Another Year, Surely This One Will be Better than the Last, the Inexorable March of Progress Will Lead Us All To Happiness
	43. Prefuse 73 Prefuse 73 Reads The Books
	42. Beck Guero
	41. Norma Jean O' God The Aftermath
	40. Me, You And Everyone We Know Official Soundtrack
	39. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
	38. Diane Cluck Oh Vanille/Ova Nil
	37. Giant Drag Hearts and Unicorns
	36. Mogwai Government Commissions
	35. Ten in the Swear Jar Accordion Solo!
	34. DangerDoom The Mouse And The Mask
	33. The White Stripes Get Behind Me Satan
	32. Spoon Gimme Fiction
	31. Belle & Sebastian Push Barman To Open Old Wounds
	30. Antony And The Johnsons I Am A Bird Now
	29. The Boy Least Likely To The Best Party Ever
	28. The Dead Science Frost Giant
	27. Bright Eyes Digital Ash In A Digital Urn
	26. Broadcast Tender Buttons
	25. Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Matt Sweeney Superwolf
	24. The Clientele Strange Geometry
	23. M83 Before the Dawn Heals Us
	22. The Books Lost And Safe
	21. The Fiery Furnaces Rehearsing My Choir
	20. Deerhoof The Runners Four
	19. Rogue Wave Descended Like Vultures
	18. Animal Collective Feels
	17. The Rosebuds Birds Make Good Neighbors
	16. Architecture In Helsinki In Case We Die
	15. Broken Social Scene Broken Social Scene
	14. Bright Eyes I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
	13. Iron & Wine Woman King
	12. Sigur Rós Takk
	11. The Fiery Furnaces EP
	10. Sleater-Kinney The Woods
	9. Xiu Xiu La Foret
	8. Devendra Banhart Cripple Crow
	7. The New Pornographers Twin Cinema
	6. Okkervil River Black Sheep Boy

TOP 5:

5. M.I.A.
Arular

MP3: Bucky Done Gone

i wasn't supposed to like this album. in fact i didn't when i first heard it. but like most albums after repeated listens, it really starts to grow on you. if you really want to know more about her, i highly suggest reading this interview she did with downhillbattle.org in it she says "You know, I get to stick my fingers up at every single person in the music industry and go pssht I didn't need your fucking play on the radio so fuck you and no, I'm not going to edit Sunshowers" damn straight.

4. Wolf Parade
Apologies To The Queen Mary

MP3: I'll Believe In Anything

by now, everyone has heard the analogies. Wolf Parade's Apologies To The Queen Mary is to 2005 as Arcade Fire's Funeral is to 2004. but it's okay because they're not the same bands nor do they sound alike, well maybe a tiny bit. anyway, blah blah blah this album was all hyped and everyone thought it wouldn't be good and then blah blah blah it blew everyone's expectations away. really not much else to say except this one damn good album and hopefully that dame was enough emphasis for you to go out and get it.

3. The Decemberists
Picaresque

MP3: The Engine Driver

really, it's the decemberists best album to date. i hate to regurgitate what everyone else has said about Picaresque but that's the truth. "The Mariner's Revenge Song" is their most epic song to date, especially if you've heard them play it live, where a giant whale does in fact swallow up the audience...Don't know how I survived, the crew all was chewed alive, i must have slipped between his teeth. well thankfully we're all alive to hear this album again.

2. Mount Eerie
No Flashlight: Songs of the Fulfilled Night

MP3: No Inside, No Out

"no flashlight" really took me by surprise. mount eerie is phil elverum, who was once the microphones. the idea behind the album is simple, yet very aesthetically pleasing. with no flashlight, you're seeing the world with a new perspective. there are two songs on the album called "no flashlight" and on the second, he sings "No Flashlight" means that there's another world and it's inside this one. phil also sings some of the strangest, yet most intriguing lyrics i've ever heard. in the album opener "I Know No-One" phil begins by singing about singing songs saying, no one has ever asked what does Mount Eerie mean. on my favorite track "No Inside, No Out" he sings Because the pupil of my eye is a hole, there's no inside and no out. The world is in me, i am in the world. on the japanese import, there are four bonus songs and on the last track "Where" phil actually sings "Where is Mount Eerie and how do I get there?..."Mount Eerie is playing tonight. "Where is the concert and will it be all ages? And what time are doors? And how much does it cost?" his lyrics are somewhat of a serious philosophical humor and if you've ever heard a mount eerie live album or have been to a show, you'll know phil is a funny guy. there's a lot of overt self-referencing and reflection in the lyrics, but if you haven't heard this album, i suggest that you don't just download it, buy it because the meaning of the album is described in much greater (and much better) detail in No Flashlight's huge foldout artwork (5 ft. x 3.5 ft). with track explanations, lyrics, photos, and excerpts from other sources.

1. Sufjan Stevens
Illinoise

MP3: Casimir Pulaski Day

sometimes you really like an album and then you see that band live and then you really like that album. said band is sufjan stevens and said album is illinoise, which is the 2nd installment of his 50 states project. this was my summer album which had some of the best moments of the year for me. i really could go on about sufjan's attention to detail and how beautifully crafted his lyrics are, but i think everyone who has heard illinoise already knows that and why this album is on everyone's top 5 of the year or for some, #1. top 25 songs of 2005: 1. sufjan stevens - casimir pulaski day 2. the decemberists - the mariner's revenge song 3. sigur rós - sæglópur 4. wolf parade - i'll believe in anything 5. iron & wine - evening on the ground (lilith's song) 6. deerhoof - wrong time capsule 7. the new pornographers - streets of fire 8. devendra banhart - hey mama wolf 9. xiu xiu - pox 10. mount eerie - no inside, no out 11. m.i.a. - bucky done gone 12. rogue wave - publish my love 13. architecture in helsinki - it's 5! 14. the clientele - since k got over me 15. sufjan stevens - john wayne gacy, jr 16. rogue wave - 10:1 17. animal collective - turn into something 18. the rosebuds - hold hands and fight 19. sleater-kinney - the fox 20. bright eyes - landlocked blues 21. m83 - don't save us from the flames 22. okkervil river - get big 23. bonnie "prince" billy & matt sweeney - i gave you 24. norma jean - charactarantula talking to you and the intake of glass 25. josh rouse - my love has gone most disappointing album:

1. Weezer
Make Believe

not that i thought weezer would come through and make a decent album, but c'mon. We Are All On Drugs sounds like the diarrhea song, as pointed out by my good friend alex and Beverly Hills is by far the worst song weezer has ever made, period. there's about one decent song or two on the whole album and that's excluding the lyrical content of those songs. their producer and long time legend Rick Rubin has even stated that the band is the "most dysfunctional group" he has ever worked with. it's really a shame that the band i grew up with in high school has come so far to drop so low. best cover song: devendra banhart covering "fistful of love" by antony and the johnsons [mp3] best concert: sufjan stevens @ the 40 watt club in athens, ga

runner's up: sigur rós @ atlanta symphony hall in atlanta, ga

xiu xiu @ i/o in miami, fl

best music video: m83 - don't save us from the flames [watch in quicktime] best video game: god of war (ps2)

best movie: walk the line

runners up: me, you and everyone we know

the 40 year old virgin

best road trip: to atlanta with stephen to see sufjan stevens and the decemberists see also my best of 2004 list and best of 2003 list