2005 Albums of the Year

Delivered weeks late in blog world terms but conclusively assuming no more great albums will be released before the end of the year. Also almost a month earlier than 2004's Albums of the Year list (Jan. 12- WTF?) Apologies to ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead's January '05 release, Worlds Apart, and to The Cardigans' Super Extra Gravity for their omissions from the list. Serves you right for releasing worthy albums at polarizing times for listmakers. On with the list.

First, at this point everyone and their asshole mailman have created lists, but hopefully it will be through the proliferation of such lists that the prominence of shitty music, movies, whatever comes to an end. I submit to you the belief that sales are down not only due to the availability of pirated media, but as well a significant increase in the intelligence of the viewer/listener in tolerating entertainment devoid of substance. It's no coincidence groups such as Arcade Fire and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are breaking through with increasing regularity. Yes the music holds up but there is an air of receptivity amongst those new to the style of music that is accepting of it and bringing more energy to an already vibrant scene.

This year I expanded from 20 to 40 albums, mainly because it's an easier way of saying I couldn't decide entirely which albums were good enough to make the list. So the formula came down to roughly liking 80 discs over the course of the year and charting half. No honorable mentions so really you're only getting about ten more than 2004. But enough about the technical stuff...the 2005 albums of the year (#1 shouldn't be a surprise to all ten who read this place regularly.)

40. The Most Serene Republic - Underwater Cinematographer
39. The Clientele - Strange Geometry
38. The Decemberists - Picaresque
37. Ellen Allien - Thrills
36. The Rakes - Capture Release
35. Okervil River - Black Sheep Boy
34. Gorillaz - Demon Days
33. Nine Black Alps - Everything Is
32. Roisin Murphy - Ruby Blue
31. Tom Vek - We Have Sound

30. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
29. Thunderbirds Are Now - Justamustache
28. Xiu Xiu - La Foret
27. Bell Orchestre - Recording A Tape The Colour Of The Light
26. The Rosebuds - Birds Make Good Neighbors
25. Out Hud - Let Us Never Speak Of It Again
24. Brazilian Girls - Brazilian Girls
23. We Are Wolves - Non Stop Je Te Plie En Deux
22. Doves - Some Cities
21. Common - Be

20. M.I.A. - Arular
19. Great Lakes Swimmers - Bodies and Minds
18. Sons & Daughters - The Repulsion Box
17. The Subways - Young For Eternity
16. British Sea Power - Open Season
15. Sigur Ros - Takk
14. The Deathray Davies - The Kick And the Snare
13. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem
12. Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
11. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema

10. Aqueduct - I Sold Gold
09. The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers
08. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
07. Final Fantasy - Has A Good Home
06. John Vanderslice - Pixel Revolt
05. Jose Gonzalez - Veneer
04. Andrew Bird - Andrew Bird & The Mysterious Production of Eggs
03. The National - Alligator
02. Architecture in Helsinki - In Case We Die
01. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary

Guess who's back? November/December Playlist

Back in the saddle for the tail end of '05, Moving in the Margins may very well be prepared for its worst month ever, and it's already ten days into December. Be forewarned.

With that said, expect an albums and singles of the year list in the near future, coupled with many other niceties that cannot be quantified without giving away more.

In the meantime, gloss over this extended playlist designed with smoothing over the obvious unrest created by the posting void brought on by a broken computer. As always click on the image for a larger view. Obvs.

Montreal Calling

Obviously the hype surrounding Montreal's music scene and artist community has been overwhelming over the course of the last year or so. While the Arcade Fires and Wolf Parades of the world have certainly fared well, the focus on most groups emerging from the city largely revolves around the broody, self-indulgent tone of the lyrics, and the all-encompassing orchestral sound crafted by a seemingly endless assembly of instruments.

Lost in the shuffle, and certainly not to be discarded is a more aggressive, Moog-inspired blitzkrieg of electro-rock groups such as We Are Wolves, Les Georges Leningrad, and Duchess Says. The way a scene is identified as conducive to a certain sound is a ridiculously simple argument that has permeated a lot of the mainstream media's viewpoint of Montreal as a hotbed of inspired and enlightened music making. Groups such as these have received scant amounts of attention in comparison, and while some would prefer it remained that way, such an attitude is only brought on by an aversion to the notoriety that comes with appealing to larger audiences.

What led to this topic was an audio documentary produced for BBC Radio 1's Lamacq Live. Reporter Imran Ahmed paints a more balanced view of the city producing much of the current sound on the blog scene. While he concedes that much of Montreal's current popularity is the result of the cultural and social settings that make the city so geopolitically unique, he also talks to people who acknowledge a wealthy talent base that has largely been in existence for quite some time, but only now seems to be rewarded for its quality by those seeking to co-opt the musical landscape.

Montreal or Nothing: Is Montreal the new Seattle? (BBC)

We Are Wolves - La Nature (mp3)
Duchess Says - Cut Up (mp3)