Jim's Top Ten Best Albums of 2005

Not crossing over with last year’s list is hard, particularly when noting that we have officially released a handful of pre-2005 faves in the U.S. this year. Like The Chrysler, Peter Bjorn And John, The Jan Martens Frustration, and David Fridlund…heck, I’ve had Jose Gonzalez’s “Veneer” on my list since 2003! So they’re missing from this list, but not from my heart… Outside of those here’s a list of what albums I’ve enjoyed most in 2005.

1. The Chrysler "Cold War Classic" (Flora & Fauna) [more/buy]
This is the follow-up to “Failures And Sparks” (which we released this year in the U.S.) and a more bright-eyed and bushy-tailed affair to be sure. Minimalist, nearly-twee popsongs bedecked in melancholy psych finery, but still it is the band’s innate creepy factor and the occasional blood spatter that separates them from the rest of the rootsy pop faction. There is also a nice handful of extra tracks available on The Chrysler’s Blue Gold EP and their brand new First Blood EP.

2. Frida Hyvonen "Self-Titled" (Licking Fingers) [more/buy]
Frida is Swedish and soulful, she’s blond and two meters tall, and she plays piano…what’s not to like? This is your chance to pick up one of 2005’s very best releases (and mine won’t be the only list she appears in) before our supply runs out and we await an expected U.S. release for this album. This qualifies, much to Angie’s amusement, as an “Important Record”, one that we'll hear alot about in the new year.

3. The Bear Quartet "Saturday Night" (A West Side Fabrication) [more/buy]
Genius of an entirely different stripe from one of the world’s very best pop bands… Possibly the band's most challenging release, once again it's more about integrity than pleasing a discombobulated fanbase (well, me)...and now hopefully I’ve learned my lesson.
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4. Hip Whips "Self-Titled" (Dubious/Brass Button) [more/buy]
This is the band's second "self-titled" releases, which came out earlier this year. Another batch of howling Hammond urgency and a trip through time… A late-sixties throwback of the highest magnitude.

5. Eskju Divine "Come Join Close Your Eyes Become Blind We're On Our Way to Eskju Divine" (Imperial Recordings) [more/buy]
How can a band be so epic and bombastic without guitars? The only thing more genius than this album might be the EPs that preceded it (believe it or not). Check out ED's Darkness All Around EP and Struck By The Halo EP for the rest of the story...

6. Celestine " Between Bedtime & Sunrise" (Exergy) [more/buy]
When you put Celestien frontman Mattias Eriksson’s voice and a supremely talented band together in AK-Momo/Nanook Of The North wizard Mattias Olsson’s studio you get magic, melancholy to the point of despair.

7. The Soft Eyes " Let's Dance to Our Own Beats" [more/buy]
You provide a home recorded lo-fi gem recorded by members of The Concretes, Marit Bergman's band and various other North Sweden regulars (playing songs that wouldn't fit in with their dayjob bands) and I'll provide the love. Fuzzy, four-track machinations with a heart of gold.

8. 22-Pistepirkko "Drops & Kicks" (Bare Bone Business Oy) [more/buy]
Tenth album from revered Finnish trio together for 25+ years. Discover them with "Drops & Kicks" or start with their 2-CD retrospective "The Nature of 22 Pistepirkko 1985-2002". If you enjoy what you hear then as much as I love this album, their previous "Rally of Love" is their masterpiece.

9. Bjorn Olsson "Self-Titled (The Lobster)" (Gravitation) [more/buy]
Bjorn’s music has played a special part in my Scandinavian obsession (Union Carbide Productions and TSOOL’s first two albums, which sort of kickstarted the whole thing), and personally his music has been the soundtrack to some of my very favorite days, emotional events like my daughter’s birth (and countless rockings to sleep) and my wedding. Yes, Bjorn’s music was background to Lisa and my wedding ceremony. And our 13-year-old does his part…many is the evening when the familiar strains of one of Bjorn’s five album reverberate through the house, playing loudly in his basement lair… I don’t recommend this particular album as much as I recommend everything he releases, so get on it.

10. The Soundtrack Of Our Lives "A Present From The Past" (WMI) [more/buy]
Since "Behind the Music" came out we've been saying that a b-sides collection would rank up there with their best albums. I lean toward the earlier stuff myself, b-sides from the "Infant Freebase" and "Extended Revelation" eras, but the inclusion of 9 previously unreleased tracks from the last 10 years makes this more of a new release than "Origin" was! As an avid fan and collector of TSOOL releases I own just about everything they’ve officially released and b-side intergalactic, time-traveling rock action like “Galaxy Gramophone” and “Avenger Hill Street Blues” are some of the best songs the best rock band in the world has ever recorded. Nice to have it all in one package!