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| From | Joe Field <joe@flyingcolorscomics.com> |
| Subject | My 2005 Top 20 (maybe 19) |
| Date | Fri, 13 Jan 2006 13:32:28 -0800 |
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1. SPOCK’S BEARD "Octane" (Inside Out)
Another huge step forward. This is their second release after the
departure of former front man Neal Morse, and it’s a confident effort
with plenty of hooks for pop fans and some amazing playing for proggers.
2. PAUL McCARTNEY "Chaos & Creation in the Back Yard" (Capitol)
More sparse in production than any of his solo albums since "McCartney",
the melodies are still stunning, the voice is still in fine shape and
the songs are worth many repeated listens.
3. CHURCHILLS "The Odds of Winning" (Near)
Saw them at Café du Nord in San Francisco (with CVS opening). These
guys, like most of the indie acts on this list, should be big stars.
Totally infectious tunes with melancholy to down-right dark lyrics.
4. CAPTAIN MIKE & THE TOTEMS s/t (self-released).
I don’t know anything about these guys other than I know what I like
when I hear it---and the Totems have it. "Passed Along" is a simply
sticky song.
5. THE DOTTED LINE s/t, (Not Lame).
Scott Bennett’s side project features guest appearances from the
Wondermints and Brian Wilson. Soft pop at its finest! (Note: I did vote
for this last year, but it is officially an '05 release.)
6. THE SUPAHIP "Seize the World" (Not Lame)
Michael Carpenter and Mark Moldre (Hitchcock’s Regret) work really well
together, this is one of those slow burns for me. The more I hear it the
more it, the more I like it.
7. KINO "Picture" (Inside Out)
Bought this for the prog pedigree (members are from Porcupine Tree,
Marillion and It Bites), so there are some long-ish tunes here. Lots of
lovely hooks and stellar playing, too.
8. PORCUPINE TREE "Deadwing" (Lava)
Saw them live twice this year. Sweet pop fused to thundering metal and
some spacey sounds.
9. BLACKFIELD s/t (KOCH)
This is PT’s Steve Wilson with Israeli musician Aviv Geffen and the
results are mostly sifter than any of PT’s output. Lovely melodies and
some ethereal sounds. More, please.
10. GLEN PHILLIPS ‘Winter Pays for Summer" (Universal)
A little country, a lot of power pop and some quieter folk sounds. Andy
Sturmer contributes background vocals. "Thankful" is three of the best
minutes of the year for me.
11. TEENAGE FAN CLUB "Man Made" (Merge)
A healthy and welcome dose of jangle pop.
12. CHRIS VON SNEIDERN "California Redemption Value" (Mastromonia)
From softer ballads to Spectre-ish walls of sound, CVS delivers another
excellent effort.
13. JAMES COOPER "Second Season" (Paisley Pop)
Produced by Michael Carpenter. Add a bunch of good songs (including
"Everything to Everyone" which is evocative of the best of Barenaked
Ladies) and it comes up a winner.
14. BRENDAN BENSON "The Alternative to Love" (V2 )
Solid stuff once again.
15. PERNICE BROS. "Discover A Lovelier You" (Ashmont)
Pretty subtle stuff that took some time to grow on me, usually a sign of
a long-term keeper.
16. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE "Plans" (Atlantic)
My daughters Cindy and Jenny got me into this one. Very cool, kinda
quiet in spots. One for chilling.
17. NEAL MORSE "?" (Radiant)
Much more dense than his previous CDs, there’s a lot of great stuff
here, but the dynamic range seems more limited and a bit forced. Maybe a
bit too obtuse for me to put it higher on the list.
18. THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES "Origin Vol. 1" (Universal)
A step back from "Behind the Music", but it’s still a big step ahead of
most rock these days.
19. SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE "The Rising Tide" (Time Bomb)
Another find from Cindy and Jenny, there’s pop, psych, a smidge of prog
and a lot of good listening.
20. AIMEE MANN "The Forgotten Arm" (Super Ego)
Much as I like Aimee’s music, I do wish there was more variety to it. I
know she can rock, so I wish she’d let go every once in awhile. Still
recommended.
Thanks again for doing this poll, Mike.
Joe Field
http://FlyingColorsComics.com
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