Top 10 of 2005

2005 isn't over just yet! Plug In asked a group of musicians and label owners for their top ten album picks of 2005. We've collected their picks so see what their favorites were this year.

Scott Lucas of Local H
1. Daft Punk - "Robot Rock (Soulwax Remix)"
2. "The Other Hollywood: Inside the Porn Film Industry" by Legs McNeil and others
3. Kasabian - "Kasabian"
4. Wolfman featuring Pete Doherty - "For Lovers"
5. Various Artists - "Dread Meets B-Boy Downtown"
6. Whitey - "The Light at the End of the Tunnel is a Train"
7. "Rome" (HBO)
8. M.I.A. - "Arular"
9. "Killing Yourself to Live" by Chuck Klosterman
10. Queens of the Stone Age - "Lullabies to Paralyze"

Johnny Whitney of Neon Blonde, Blood Brothers
1.Death Cab for Cutie - "Plans"
2. My Morning Jacket - "Z"
3. Damien Marley - "Jamrock"
4. R. Kelly - "Trapped in the Closet"
5. Arcade Fire - "Funeral"
6. Antony and the Johnsons - "I am a Bird Now"
7. Devendra Banhart "Cripple Crow"
8. Me Without You - "Catch for us the Foxes"
9. Coldplay - "X and Y"
10. Bright Eyes - "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn"

Kite Pilot
1. Spoon - "Gimme Fiction"
2. Sufjan Stevens - "Illinoise"
3. Animal Collective - "Feels"
4. Sigur Rós - "Takk"
5. Sleander Means - "Neon & Ruin" (Mt. Fuji Records)
6. Floating City - "Entering a Contest" (First Flight Records)
7. Damien Jurado - "On My Way to Absence"
8. The Joggers - "With a Cape and a Cane"
9. Wolf Parade - "Apologies to the Queen Mary"
10. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah"
11. Broken Social Scene - "Broken Social Scene"

Warren Woodward of The Valley Arena
1. The Life and Times - "Suburban Hymns"
2. John Vanderslice - "Pixel Revolt"
3. Broken Social Scene - "Broken Social Scene"
4. Greg Dulli - "Amber Headlights"
5. Hot Snakes - "Audit In Progress"
6. Bullet Train to Vegas - "We Put Scissors Where Our Mouths Are"
7. Crystal Skulls - "Blocked Numbers"
8. Make Believe - "Shock of Being"
9. Bloc Party - "Silent Alarm"
10. R. Kelly - "Trapped in the Closet Parts 1 - 12" (DVD)

Bob Carlton of The Sixfifteens
1. M.I.A. - "Arular" (XL Recordings Ltd.)
2. Wilco - "A Ghost Is Born" (Nonesuch)
3. Wolf Parade - "Apologies to the Queen Mary" (Sub Pop Records)
4. Grand Buffet - "Five Years of Fireworks" (Fighting Records)
5. The Fall - "Fall Heads Roll" (Narnack Records)
6. Bright Eyes - "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning" (Saddle Creek)
7. Explosions In The Sky - "Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Live Forever" (Temporary Residence Ltd.)
8. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!" (Self Released)
9. Youth Group - "Skeleton Jar" (Epitaph)
10. Deerhoof - "The Runners Four" (Kill Rock Stars)

Aaron Barrett of Reel Big Fish
1. Dane Cook - "Retaliation" 2. OK GO - "Oh No" 3. The Aquabats - "Charge" 4. Bright Eyes - "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning"
5. Harland Williams - "Harlarious"
6. The Dead 60's - "Riot Radio"
7. The Ordinary Boys - "Brassbound"
8. Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer - "The Popsicle EP"
9. Hot Hot Heat - "Elevator"
10. Madness - "Dangermen Sessions"

Ian Corbin of The Conversation Heart
1. Damone - "Out Here All Night EP"
2. Fiona Apple - "Extraordinary Machine"
3. Young Sportsmen - "The Familiar Glow of Colliding Particles"
4. The Posies - "Every Kind of Light"
5. Super Deluxe - "Surrender"
6. Ash - "Meltdown"
7. Juliana Hatfield - "Made in China"
8. Runs With 2 Horses - "Demos"
9. Beastie Boys - "Solid Gold Hits"
10. Foo Fighters - "In Your Honor"

Somerset
1. Facing New York - "Facing New York"
2. Copeland - "In Motion"
3. Death Cab for Cutie - "Plans"
4. Broken Social Scene - "Broken Social Scene"
5. M.I.A. - "Arular"
6. Sigur Rós - "Takk"
7. The Exit - "Home For An Island"
8. The Hold Steady - "Separation Sunday"
9. Bell Orchestra - "Recording a Tape the Colour of Light"
10. Jimmy Eat World - "Stay on My Side"

Lars Stromberg of The (International) Noise Conspiracy
1. Black Mountain - "Black Mountain"
2. Dungen - "Ta det lugnt"
3. Nacka Forum - "Leve Nacka Forum"
4. John Coltrane - "One Ip One Down"
5. High On Fire - "Blessed Black Wings"
6. Ronkens - "Moderat"
7. Sound Directions - "Sound Directions"
8. Regulations - "Regulations"
9. Neil Young - "Prairie Wind"
10. White Stripes - "Get Behind Me Satan"

Casey Brandt of Furious Billy, Mungler Winslowe Records
1. Sleater-Kinney - "The Woods". Totally bad ass, and I'm not even really a fan.
2. Wolf Parade - "Apologies to the Queen Mary". This album is really sweet. Maybe a little long but sweet nonetheless.
3. High on Fire - "Blessed Black Wings". These guys completely shred. I don't want to hear any crap about Albini messing this record up, it rules. Not for the faint of heart.
4. Coachwhips - "Peanut Butter and Jelly Live at the Ming Lounge". Raunchy, distorted, good-time rock and roll.
5. Okkervil River - "Black Sheep Boy". Heart-achey countryish rock. Nice.
6. The New Pornographers - "Twin Cinema." Not their best but still better than most of what 2005 had to offer.
7. Four Volts - "Triple Your Workforce". The first 10 songs are solid. Skip the last 2 songs, I don't know what the hell they were thinking.
8. Tarantula A.D. - "Book of Sand." Mostly instrumental, theatrical, classical, concept album thing. First half is awesome, second half is disappointing. Still, cool idea.
9. Animal Collective - "Feels". Cut out all the noise/noodling crap from this and Tsung Tongs and you've barely got one full album but when they put together real songs, they're damned good.
10. T. Rex - "Born to Boogie". Okay, it's a DVD not an album. But go listen to Marc Bolan's first 4 records, he's got a lot of followers these days. Freak Folkies, you know who you are.

Jon of The A-Sides
1. Broken Social Scene - "Broken Social Scene"
2. Animal Collective - "Feels"
3. Sufjan Stevens - "Illinoise"
4. Spoon - "Gimme Fiction"
5. Mt. Eerie - "No Flashlight"
6. Devendra Banhart - "Cripple Crow"
7. Franz Ferdinand - "You Could Have It So Much Better With Franz Ferdinand"
8. Caribou - "The Milk of Human Kindness"
9. M83 - "Before the Dawn Heals Us"
10. Sigur Rós - "Takk"