Mark Runyon | ConcertTour.org
2005 proved quite a refreshing year for music, polishing the apple and unleashing quirky pornographers on savvy music kids across the nation. The best of the breed proved to be an eclectic mix, spanning everything from the resurrection of 70s disco fever to addicting bubble gum pop Britney would trade her first born for. The common element that they all share is an innovative approach to formulas that grew tired eons ago. Now pay particular attention to the fact that this isn’t a list of the top singles of 2005. I haven’t listened to commercial radio in four years so I wouldn’t know a band’s single if it came up and slapped me upside the head with a lobster. These are the songs that sprang off their albums and wrestled me to the ground like a possessive lover. They beg to be cherished in your iPod, and they’ve got all those luscious qualities where you simply must surrender to their seductive musical touch. Also, to save myself some whining over technicalities, the final five picks can’t claim 2005 as the year of their birth, but they sucker punched my attention through inclusion on soundtracks and just general discovery this year. Therefore, they are part of the family. Here is the best of 2005.
1. Sia : Breathe Me – Sadly, this year saw the close of one of television’s highest quality dramas, Six Feet Under. The producers made the final notes of the series so much sweeter by draping them over Sia’s exquisite “Breathe Me.” It was the perfect serenade as each character found their way to the Fisher family plot. Sia’s voice is as smooth as silk, billowing around the rich orchestration and methodic tap of pianos. Nothing released this year was as intoxicating as this heady melody. Album: Colour the Small One
2. Feist : Inside and Out – The death of disco is generally seen as a positive thing. I mean anything that warped minds to the point of dressing up in white polyester suits and platform shoes can’t be viewed as anything other than a blight on society. Every once in a while an artist bravely sticks up for the 70s, reminding us that not everything that came out of the era reeked of week old cheese left stale on the counter. Leslie Feist dusts off the Bee Gee’s “Inside and Out” and makes it sparkle more than the days it danced off the glimmering disco balls. Album: Let It Die
3. Fiona Apple : Used to Love Him (Jon Brion producing) – “Used to Love Him” is the song that all the other songs on Extraordinary Machine are struggling to become. It comes out swinging, holding up its rhythm on church bells intermingled with heavy lethargic drums. It has such a sweet punch and drive to it, that Fiona’s voice seems like it’s on a jungle gym flipping, ducking and contorting her way through the deep carnival beats. Perfection, I say. Album: Extraordinary Machine
4. Courtney Jaye : Can’t Behave – “Can’t Behave” is perhaps the catchiest thing I’ve heard all year. If radio happens across this sucker, we’ll never hear anything else. Park your thoughts on Sheryl’s “All I Wanna Do,” and you are pretty close. It is sweet bubblegum goodness that sets up camp in your head with a month’s supply of marshmallows. Album: Traveling Light
5. The White Stripes : My Doorbell – “My Doorbell” could have scored the Stripes a starting gig on Soul Train as the band of the week. It is a classic blend of funk and R&B that recalls the careless tunes of the Jackson Five. Album: Get Behind Me Satan
6. Martha Wainwright : GPT – It sounds like a light, fluffy version of Marianne Faithful’s “Who Will Take My Dreams Away?” It is basted in lovely kitch that reminds you of Neil Diamond at his best. This song loops, jangles and sashays, not caring who sees its drunken dance. It is a fun tune to carry and proves happiness definitely suits Wainwright. Album: Self-Titled
7. Sufjan Stevens : John Wayne Gacy, Jr. – This song really creeped me out the first time I heard it. I mean an ode to a serial killer? No one can ever accuse Steven’s of being a conventional songwriter. Then as one listen turned into a dozen, the lyrics really started seeping in, and I came to realize its unspoken beauty. It’s a deep psychological portrait, trying to understand a monster, and Steven’s realizes that the monster lies asleep in all of us. It all depends on the cards we’re dealt through nature and nurture that leaves the beast silent. Steven’s triggers an emotion and gets those cogs in your brain a turning, which is a rarity in today’s music. Album: Illinoise
8. John Mayer Trio : Gravity – It wields that “Your Body is Still a Wonderland” romantic magic wand to make the girls instantly go rubbery in the knees. It’s the wavering heartache he’s spooned up a hundred times before, but when its plugged into this fuller, more complete Trio sound, it just shines. Album: Try!
9. KT Tunstall : Suddenly I See – “Suddenly I See” is an infectious pop melody that skips along. It is a fun tune about self-discovery and those moments of life’s revelation. It wedges itself in your head and refuses to budge. Though it looks incredibly simple on the surface, think about how seldom we witness the birth of the perfect pop song? Album: Eye to the Telescope
10. Josh Rouse : Why Won’t You Tell Me What – This is deep brewed New Orleans Blues, thick in its soul and rough guttural groove. If Miles Davis had taken a different turn and become a blues artist, this is the sound that would have piped through him. This is the personification of cool. Album: Nashville
11. Coldplay : What If – Chris’ song to his little Apple. Quit with the snickering in the peanut gallery. We’ve always known Gwyneth was a little fruity. It seems fatherhood has taken the place of relationship angst as Chris Martin’s sandbox of choice for contemplative beauty. In the vein of “the Scientist,” “What If” offers a heartfelt plea to his young daughter that proves his new avenues of inspiration haven’t lost anything from the days when he was bouncing around the stage to “Yellow.” Album: X&Y
12. Depeche Mode : Precious – “Precious” is one of the enticing slivers Martin Gore serves up on Playing the Angel. It’s as if Depeche stepped into a time machine and fused their years of musical knowledge with the limitless potential of their glorious 80’s sound. It’s careful, delicate and a bit sinister with its deep stare. Album: Playing the Angel
13. The New Pornographers : Falling Through Your Clothes – It begins on a very ominous tone of soft guitars and this haunted vocal presence. Then the guitars couple up with the drums to softly crescendo to form this piercing beam of light, cutting through the dour piece. The stark contrasting elements really create a fascinating effect. Album: Twin Cinema
14. Hard-Fi : Move On Now – “Move On Now” is a quiet contemplation of a relationship on the brink. It’s a song about leaving a life that’s grown stale, where the color has drained out of the world. It reflects on better times, saying that we should be moving on, but its really he that will be doing the leaving before its all said and done. The pianos are careful, vocals hollow yet rich with emotion, and we get maudlin horns to accent the soft edges. It’s such a nice piece. It sounds like Oasis at their best quiet moment (“Talk Tonight”) or perhaps a classic Smiths tune like “I Know Its Over.” Album: Stars of CCTV
15. Death Cab for Cutie : What Sarah Said – Prominently placed pianos remind you of the priceless “I need you so much closer” moments of Transatlanticism. Its a song recalling the death of a girl, laced over the potent “piss and 409” that pervade the ICU. It’s a piece riddled with great lingering lines like “It’s done like a violent limp that out memories depend on a faulty camera in our minds.” Album: Plans
16. RJD2 : Ghostwriter – In the tradition of DJ Shadow, RJD2 has brought us some of the slickest, most addictive grooves of the year. “Ghostwriter” cuts through the collective crap and delivers the goods in pimp daddy fashion. What is keeping guys like this from putting the proverbial chokehold on hip-hop is beyond me. Album: Dead Ringer
17. Emiliana Torrini : Heartstopper – “Heart Stopper” is a nice innocent ballad reminiscent of her carefree ways on Love in a Time of Science’s “Fingertips.” It seems to be the remembrance of love at its confusing, nonsensical best. Album: Fisherman’s Woman
18. Ivy : Tess Don’t Tell – Our sultry goddess, Dominique Durand, is at it again with “Tess Don’t Tell.” Its structure is very reminiscent to the carefree feel of “Lucy Doesn’t Love You,” though it lingers in the shade. This song struts in wearing 9-inch stilettos, pouring attitude onto the floor, as it has its teasing way with us. Album: In the Clear
19. Royksopp : Beautiful Day Without You – “A Beautiful Day Without You” slides in as the brightest light steering Understanding. It is a rich melody, airy and fluid. The chorus sings “living under guard/wind is on my neck/sun is on my face/a beautiful day without you.” The rhythms create the feeling of driving up the coast on a sunny day, top down trying to let the pain of a broken relationship be swept away in the whipping wind. Album: Understanding
20. Ryan Adams : Meadowlake Street – It starts as little more than a whisper, kept company with a low acoustic guitar. It’s words are dripping of heartbreak, “If loving you’s a dream/not worth having/then why do I dream of you?” Outside of your notice, it steadily ramps up the tempo until the last stanza is slung forward like a bullet out of a gun. The different elements of the band suddenly come into focus, resonating around Adams’ aching voice. Album: Cold Roses
21. Martin Sexton : Can’t Stop Thinking About You – Martin Sexton is one of the most talented men in music that you haven’t heard of. He’s inspired musicians from John Mayer to Courtney Jaye. Like many of the great unknowns, this live cut unveils the simmering greatness that would fry all the nobs on a studio soundboard. This song is so thick with seething passion and utterly drunk on the taste of lust, captured in great images like “loving you is like loving a house on fire.” The energy and talent radiating off this song is ridiculous. Album: Live Wide Open
22. Johnny Cash : Hurt – Just like Jeff Buckley did with Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” Cash takes possession of this drug-addled song and channels all the pain and suffering inflicted in his life and buries that dark struggle between the notes. His voice waivers and flickers as this song becomes his confessional booth. It is one of Trent’s best works, and Cash carries it to another level, sealing it as a classic. Album: The Legend of Johnny Cash
23. Way Out West : Don’t Forget Me – I remember hearing this for the first time on Grey’s Anatomy. It was a very apt song, alluding to Meredith’s dealing with her mother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s. I immediately went and scoured the message boards to find out who this alluring siren was. Thirty minutes later, I had this great track that was very close in context to Frou Frou. The remaining album is mostly slick trance beats, but “Don’t Forget Me” and a couple other tracks really feature the greatness of the album. Its omission from the Grey’s Soundtrack has to be a low-grade felony. Album: Don’t Look Now
24. Sarah Harmer : Almost – This is one of those songs that just grabbed me without much explanation. Yes, its chorus has an enticing hook, and Sarah has a nice vocal presence, but it really shouldn’t be as sticky as it is. Yet time and time again, I’ve found myself going back to this track to hear about the man whose “blown into this little port and roused my dreams again.” Sarah is definitely a talent to keep an eye on. Album: All of Our Names
25. Iron and Wine : Naked as We Came – “Naked As We Came” has been featured in films like In Good Company. It was only after seeing Tarnation that I really saw this song for what it is. It has a very relaxing, almost haunting, feel to it. Its lilting quality is just a notch above sleep, but the subtleties Sam Beam creates in this short space mark the track of his career. Album: Our Endless Numbered Days
Top 25 Songs of 2005
2005 proved quite a refreshing year for music, polishing the apple and unleashing quirky pornographers on savvy music kids across the nation. The best of the breed proved to be an eclectic mix, spanning everything from the resurrection of 70s disco fever to addicting bubble gum pop Britney would trade her first born for. The common element that they all share is an innovative approach to formulas that grew tired eons ago. Now pay particular attention to the fact that this isn’t a list of the top singles of 2005. I haven’t listened to commercial radio in four years so I wouldn’t know a band’s single if it came up and slapped me upside the head with a lobster. These are the songs that sprang off their albums and wrestled me to the ground like a possessive lover. They beg to be cherished in your iPod, and they’ve got all those luscious qualities where you simply must surrender to their seductive musical touch. Also, to save myself some whining over technicalities, the final five picks can’t claim 2005 as the year of their birth, but they sucker punched my attention through inclusion on soundtracks and just general discovery this year. Therefore, they are part of the family. Here is the best of 2005.
1. Sia : Breathe Me – Sadly, this year saw the close of one of television’s highest quality dramas, Six Feet Under. The producers made the final notes of the series so much sweeter by draping them over Sia’s exquisite “Breathe Me.” It was the perfect serenade as each character found their way to the Fisher family plot. Sia’s voice is as smooth as silk, billowing around the rich orchestration and methodic tap of pianos. Nothing released this year was as intoxicating as this heady melody. Album: Colour the Small One
2. Feist : Inside and Out – The death of disco is generally seen as a positive thing. I mean anything that warped minds to the point of dressing up in white polyester suits and platform shoes can’t be viewed as anything other than a blight on society. Every once in a while an artist bravely sticks up for the 70s, reminding us that not everything that came out of the era reeked of week old cheese left stale on the counter. Leslie Feist dusts off the Bee Gee’s “Inside and Out” and makes it sparkle more than the days it danced off the glimmering disco balls. Album: Let It Die
3. Fiona Apple : Used to Love Him (Jon Brion producing) – “Used to Love Him” is the song that all the other songs on Extraordinary Machine are struggling to become. It comes out swinging, holding up its rhythm on church bells intermingled with heavy lethargic drums. It has such a sweet punch and drive to it, that Fiona’s voice seems like it’s on a jungle gym flipping, ducking and contorting her way through the deep carnival beats. Perfection, I say. Album: Extraordinary Machine
4. Courtney Jaye : Can’t Behave – “Can’t Behave” is perhaps the catchiest thing I’ve heard all year. If radio happens across this sucker, we’ll never hear anything else. Park your thoughts on Sheryl’s “All I Wanna Do,” and you are pretty close. It is sweet bubblegum goodness that sets up camp in your head with a month’s supply of marshmallows. Album: Traveling Light
5. The White Stripes : My Doorbell – “My Doorbell” could have scored the Stripes a starting gig on Soul Train as the band of the week. It is a classic blend of funk and R&B that recalls the careless tunes of the Jackson Five. Album: Get Behind Me Satan
6. Martha Wainwright : GPT – It sounds like a light, fluffy version of Marianne Faithful’s “Who Will Take My Dreams Away?” It is basted in lovely kitch that reminds you of Neil Diamond at his best. This song loops, jangles and sashays, not caring who sees its drunken dance. It is a fun tune to carry and proves happiness definitely suits Wainwright. Album: Self-Titled
7. Sufjan Stevens : John Wayne Gacy, Jr. – This song really creeped me out the first time I heard it. I mean an ode to a serial killer? No one can ever accuse Steven’s of being a conventional songwriter. Then as one listen turned into a dozen, the lyrics really started seeping in, and I came to realize its unspoken beauty. It’s a deep psychological portrait, trying to understand a monster, and Steven’s realizes that the monster lies asleep in all of us. It all depends on the cards we’re dealt through nature and nurture that leaves the beast silent. Steven’s triggers an emotion and gets those cogs in your brain a turning, which is a rarity in today’s music. Album: Illinoise
8. John Mayer Trio : Gravity – It wields that “Your Body is Still a Wonderland” romantic magic wand to make the girls instantly go rubbery in the knees. It’s the wavering heartache he’s spooned up a hundred times before, but when its plugged into this fuller, more complete Trio sound, it just shines. Album: Try!
9. KT Tunstall : Suddenly I See – “Suddenly I See” is an infectious pop melody that skips along. It is a fun tune about self-discovery and those moments of life’s revelation. It wedges itself in your head and refuses to budge. Though it looks incredibly simple on the surface, think about how seldom we witness the birth of the perfect pop song? Album: Eye to the Telescope
10. Josh Rouse : Why Won’t You Tell Me What – This is deep brewed New Orleans Blues, thick in its soul and rough guttural groove. If Miles Davis had taken a different turn and become a blues artist, this is the sound that would have piped through him. This is the personification of cool. Album: Nashville
11. Coldplay : What If – Chris’ song to his little Apple. Quit with the snickering in the peanut gallery. We’ve always known Gwyneth was a little fruity. It seems fatherhood has taken the place of relationship angst as Chris Martin’s sandbox of choice for contemplative beauty. In the vein of “the Scientist,” “What If” offers a heartfelt plea to his young daughter that proves his new avenues of inspiration haven’t lost anything from the days when he was bouncing around the stage to “Yellow.” Album: X&Y
12. Depeche Mode : Precious – “Precious” is one of the enticing slivers Martin Gore serves up on Playing the Angel. It’s as if Depeche stepped into a time machine and fused their years of musical knowledge with the limitless potential of their glorious 80’s sound. It’s careful, delicate and a bit sinister with its deep stare. Album: Playing the Angel
13. The New Pornographers : Falling Through Your Clothes – It begins on a very ominous tone of soft guitars and this haunted vocal presence. Then the guitars couple up with the drums to softly crescendo to form this piercing beam of light, cutting through the dour piece. The stark contrasting elements really create a fascinating effect. Album: Twin Cinema
14. Hard-Fi : Move On Now – “Move On Now” is a quiet contemplation of a relationship on the brink. It’s a song about leaving a life that’s grown stale, where the color has drained out of the world. It reflects on better times, saying that we should be moving on, but its really he that will be doing the leaving before its all said and done. The pianos are careful, vocals hollow yet rich with emotion, and we get maudlin horns to accent the soft edges. It’s such a nice piece. It sounds like Oasis at their best quiet moment (“Talk Tonight”) or perhaps a classic Smiths tune like “I Know Its Over.” Album: Stars of CCTV
15. Death Cab for Cutie : What Sarah Said – Prominently placed pianos remind you of the priceless “I need you so much closer” moments of Transatlanticism. Its a song recalling the death of a girl, laced over the potent “piss and 409” that pervade the ICU. It’s a piece riddled with great lingering lines like “It’s done like a violent limp that out memories depend on a faulty camera in our minds.” Album: Plans
16. RJD2 : Ghostwriter – In the tradition of DJ Shadow, RJD2 has brought us some of the slickest, most addictive grooves of the year. “Ghostwriter” cuts through the collective crap and delivers the goods in pimp daddy fashion. What is keeping guys like this from putting the proverbial chokehold on hip-hop is beyond me. Album: Dead Ringer
17. Emiliana Torrini : Heartstopper – “Heart Stopper” is a nice innocent ballad reminiscent of her carefree ways on Love in a Time of Science’s “Fingertips.” It seems to be the remembrance of love at its confusing, nonsensical best. Album: Fisherman’s Woman
18. Ivy : Tess Don’t Tell – Our sultry goddess, Dominique Durand, is at it again with “Tess Don’t Tell.” Its structure is very reminiscent to the carefree feel of “Lucy Doesn’t Love You,” though it lingers in the shade. This song struts in wearing 9-inch stilettos, pouring attitude onto the floor, as it has its teasing way with us. Album: In the Clear
19. Royksopp : Beautiful Day Without You – “A Beautiful Day Without You” slides in as the brightest light steering Understanding. It is a rich melody, airy and fluid. The chorus sings “living under guard/wind is on my neck/sun is on my face/a beautiful day without you.” The rhythms create the feeling of driving up the coast on a sunny day, top down trying to let the pain of a broken relationship be swept away in the whipping wind. Album: Understanding
20. Ryan Adams : Meadowlake Street – It starts as little more than a whisper, kept company with a low acoustic guitar. It’s words are dripping of heartbreak, “If loving you’s a dream/not worth having/then why do I dream of you?” Outside of your notice, it steadily ramps up the tempo until the last stanza is slung forward like a bullet out of a gun. The different elements of the band suddenly come into focus, resonating around Adams’ aching voice. Album: Cold Roses
21. Martin Sexton : Can’t Stop Thinking About You – Martin Sexton is one of the most talented men in music that you haven’t heard of. He’s inspired musicians from John Mayer to Courtney Jaye. Like many of the great unknowns, this live cut unveils the simmering greatness that would fry all the nobs on a studio soundboard. This song is so thick with seething passion and utterly drunk on the taste of lust, captured in great images like “loving you is like loving a house on fire.” The energy and talent radiating off this song is ridiculous. Album: Live Wide Open
22. Johnny Cash : Hurt – Just like Jeff Buckley did with Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” Cash takes possession of this drug-addled song and channels all the pain and suffering inflicted in his life and buries that dark struggle between the notes. His voice waivers and flickers as this song becomes his confessional booth. It is one of Trent’s best works, and Cash carries it to another level, sealing it as a classic. Album: The Legend of Johnny Cash
23. Way Out West : Don’t Forget Me – I remember hearing this for the first time on Grey’s Anatomy. It was a very apt song, alluding to Meredith’s dealing with her mother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s. I immediately went and scoured the message boards to find out who this alluring siren was. Thirty minutes later, I had this great track that was very close in context to Frou Frou. The remaining album is mostly slick trance beats, but “Don’t Forget Me” and a couple other tracks really feature the greatness of the album. Its omission from the Grey’s Soundtrack has to be a low-grade felony. Album: Don’t Look Now
24. Sarah Harmer : Almost – This is one of those songs that just grabbed me without much explanation. Yes, its chorus has an enticing hook, and Sarah has a nice vocal presence, but it really shouldn’t be as sticky as it is. Yet time and time again, I’ve found myself going back to this track to hear about the man whose “blown into this little port and roused my dreams again.” Sarah is definitely a talent to keep an eye on. Album: All of Our Names
25. Iron and Wine : Naked as We Came – “Naked As We Came” has been featured in films like In Good Company. It was only after seeing Tarnation that I really saw this song for what it is. It has a very relaxing, almost haunting, feel to it. Its lilting quality is just a notch above sleep, but the subtleties Sam Beam creates in this short space mark the track of his career. Album: Our Endless Numbered Days
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