Hard to believe these albums are 10 years old already! It says something about the songwriting and the musicianship of a band when an album can still sound relevant 10 years later, and these ones stand the test of time. Check out my list of great releases from 2005 and let me know which one was your favourite.
BLOC PARTY, SILENT ALARM
Although they’d been blowing up in the UK and Ireland, Bloc Party didn’t have a lot of radio support in North America, so when I saw them at Coachella in 2006 I was pleasantly surprised to be part of one giant sing-a-long. Who doesn’t want to have a good dance-cry to songs like “This Modern Love” or “Little Thoughts”?
M83, BEFORE THE DAWN HEALS US
Anthony Gonzalez inspired countless bands with his dramatic movie soundtrack style – Kings Of Leon’s Jared Followill admitted to borrowing the dynamic of “Don’t Save Us From The Flames” for their song “Use Somebody”. This album also set the stage for 2008’s excellent Saturdays = Youth.
THE DECEMBERISTS, PICARESQUE
Colin Meloy & Co could always spin a tall tale like no one else – he’s a disappointing jock in “This Sporting Life”, a soggy seaman in “Mariner’s Revenge Song”, and a deceased street vendor in “Eli, The Barrow Boy”. But the band is at its best when they get serious on songs like “The Engine Driver”, with heartbreaking lines like “If you don’t love me, let me go.”
EDITORS, THE BACK ROOM
Writing off Editors as an Interpol sound-alike would be a big mistake. Granted, Tom Smith’s baritone sounds an awful lot like Paul Banks, but the band sets themselves apart with the earnestness and intensity of tracks like “Munich” and “Blood”.
WOLF PARADE, APOLOGIES TO THE QUEEN MARY
Did you know this album was recorded by Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock? Wolf Parade travelled to Portland to work with him in 2004 and Isaac signed them to Sub Pop. Although they went on indefinite hiatus in 2011, Wolf Parade secured their place in Canadian music history with songs like “Shine A Light”, “Modern World”, and “This Heart’s On Fire”. Fellow Montrealers Arcade Fire even covered “I’ll Believe In Anything” during the Reflektor tour.
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, PLANS
“I Will Follow You Into The Dark” is Death Cab’s best selling single to date but there are plenty of other gems on here. The longing of “Marching Bands Of Manhattan”, the nostalgic lurching of “Summer Skin” and the hopeful acoustic guitar of “Your Heart Is An Empty Room” all make this their finest collection of songs.
