Top 25 Songs of 2005

As promised, I’ll continue celebrating the new years with another year end list. Here are my 25 favorite songs of 2005.

TOP 25 Songs of 2005

25. Matt Pond PA – Halloween

       Despite an ugly Pitchfork review, this song really stands out for. Listen to this and tell me it doesn’t remind you of some of The Arcade Fire‘s work.

24. The Boy Least Likely To – I’m Glad I Hitched My Apple Wagon To Your Star
       The lyrics are smart and funny, the music is cute, and the strong, repetitious beat recalls The Beatles’ Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. All in perhaps the funnest song on this list!

23. Tapes ‘n Tapes – Manitoba

       Another beautiful song that suggests a hint of Win Butler’s unsteady vocalistics…Look out for this band to be one of the most hyped of 2006.

22. Bell Orchestre – Throw It On A Fire

       This song from the side project of a few Arcade Fire members has everything post rock should have: explosiveness, originality, and handclapping.

21. Rogue Wave – Catform

       The quick, sythesized base and Zach Rogue’s soft voice are what do it for me for this track. Definitely the best off thier second album.

20. Death Cab For Cutie – Different Names For The Same Thing

       I love this song, no matter what the other hipsters say. It may be “over-produced,” but that makes no difference when the song is as good as this one.

19. José González – Heartbeats

       This cover of a song by newcomers The Knife is by far one of the best acoustic songs of the year, performed beautifully in the vein of Nick Drake.

18. Final Fantasy – The Sea

       With this demo, Final Fantasy shows a lot of improvement over an already great song. The influence from touring with AF is obvious.

17. The Rosebuds – Blue Bird

       The falsetto’d melody, the steady drumming, and the beautiul lyrics make this one of the best of the year. Another Arcade Fire-like charmer (see a pattern developing?).

16. Bloc Party – This Modern Love

       This song has a personal importance to me (yes, I’m a love-sick boy too)…but even without the sappy shit, it’s an amazing tune.

15. Antony And The Johnsons – Hope There’s Someone

       Antony’s voice is enough to get this song on my list…you reall have to hear it to believe it. I love the chaos at the end too.

14. Ris Paul Ric – Purple Blaze

       Despite the fact that this 2005 debut slipped pretty far under the radar, it’s his skilled fingerpicking and whispy voice that put this song on my top 25 of 2005.

13. Kanye West – Gone (feat. Consequence and Cam’ron)

       Thanks to Jon Brion, master producer, Kanye delivers one of the best rap songs I’ve ever heard. The minimalistic piano and cello is amazing.

12. Andrew Bird – Sovay

       A beautiful love song with swaying guitar and drum brushing matched perfectly with Bird’s subtle voice. Also lyrically one of the best songs of the year.

11. Patrick Wolf – The Libertine

       This came out of nowhere for me at the end of the year and really struck a chord somewhere in my mind. Listen for the horse trotting sounds in the beat, it’s classic.

10. Sia – Breathe Me

       I cried like a baby when as this played in the Six Feet Under finale, and every subsequent listen still makes me a little teary…it’s just that beautiful.

9. Devendra Banhart – When They Come

       This is probably his most accessible song…not to say that his other stuff isn’t amazing, but this song is powerful beyond words in every sense that it can be.

8. Wolf Parade – Grounds For Divorce

       I love his voice, I love the cascading guitar riff in the background, and I love how it builds up to conjure up emotions, like a good song should.

7. Animal Collective – The Purple Bottle

       To be quite honest with all of you, I’m just amazed how something can be both genius and boderline-retarded at the same time.

6. Elliott Smith – New Disaster

       When an album’s worth of unreleased songs leaked later on in the year, this one stood out. I’d say it’s one of the best song’s he’s ever written, and that’s coming from a guy who worships Elliott Smith.

5. Paul McCartney – Jenny Wren

       According to Paul, this was written as Blackbird’s younger sister, and I couldn’t agree more. It not only meets the beauty of the original, but maybe even challenges it.

4. Eagle*Seagull – Photograph

       I heard this for the first time just a few weeks ago… I can’t believe this isn’t one of the biggest bands in the world right now, it’s that good.

3. Iron And Wine – The Trapeze Swinger

       Lyrically speaking, this is the best song of the year. Sam Beam managed to create one of the best songs ever written for a film…and was still snubbed by the Oscars.

2. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth
       Love ‘em or hate ‘em, there’s no denying that this song seriously makes you wanna dance around the room, clapping your hands and saying “yeah!”

1. Sufjan Stevens – Come On! Feel The Illinoise!

       Words cannot do this song justice, much less the album, so I’ll stop right there and let it speak for itself.

HONORABLE MENTION:

Goldspot – The Guard
This song has the ability to be placed anywhere on the above list, I just didn’t know where…decide for yourself and take a listen!