J's Indie/Rock Mayhem

Playlists, podcasts and music from WQFS Greensboro's J's Indie/Rock Mayhem

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Since I won't be up doing this show tonight, I thought I'd post a little something as a conversation starter. But first, a few notes.

Sadly I won't be able to get an interview with Josh Ritter this evening, however, I have been given some really nice offers of some advance things and an interview in the spring when his new album is released. I'll take it. Josh Ritter is well worth a mass. Won't stop me from going to enjoy his show tonight, though.

Now for the conversation: Here we are in the near-middle of October which means that it's about two months and some change until the J's Indie/Rock Mayhem Top 25 Albums of 2005 show. This time of year always makes me giddy with excitement as I get ready to compile the best records I've heard this year and then, subjectively and totally under my discretion, rank them in order of who's best.

This year has been an especially fertile crop of music. Last year, the top 25 albums were chosen from a master list of 56. This year, with two months worth of releases (and new discoveries) still to come, the master list sits at fifty-nine albums. Now for the good part.

That's a great list of music (which I will show you shortly), but I also want y'all's input. So, in the comment box to this post, if I've missed anything you would love to file criminally negligent charges against me for leaving out, or something that's been flying low on the radar all year, or if you just want to pitch in for your favorite albums of the year, do it. From now until the Top 25 show in mid-December, the comment and email boxes are open for your input. I want to hear what you have to say.

Also a few questions: Anyone know if Graham Coxon's Happiness In Magazines was a 2005 American release? Allmusic.com has it listed as having coming out in 2004, but I know we didn't get it until early-early this year. Was there a separate American release? I go by American release date for terms of this top 25 list.

Should Iron and Wine's Woman King EP be a separate entry from the Iron and Wine/Calexico collaboration In the Reins? What about Ryan Adams' two (and eventually, three) albums from this year? I find a better case for separating the former than the latter, but let's hear what you think.

Now, here's the list. If you haven't heard all these, don't worry. Honestly, a few of them I've only heard a handful of songs off of, but I will have heard them in their entirety by the time I start ranking them. All I know is I've heard songs good enough to make me want to dig deeper. Here's the list and please let me hear your comments!

The Finks - More Songs About Robots and Black Things
Josh Rouse - Nashville
Kathleen Edwards - Back to Me
Archer Prewitt - Wilderness
Iron and Wine - Woman King EP
M. Ward - Transistor Radio
Glen Phillips - Winter Pays For Summer
Citified - s/t
Crooked Fingers - Dignity and Shame
Ani DiFranco - Knuckle Down
Talib Kweli - The Beautiful Struggle
The Kills - No Wow
Mando Diao - Hurricane Bar
The Decemberists - Picaresque
Tiger Bear Wolf - s/t
Blind Boys of Alabama - Atom Bomb
The Perceptionists - Black Dialogue
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
John Doe - Forever Hasn't Happened Yet
Brendan Benson - The Alternative to Love
Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
Spoon - Gimme Fiction
Stephen Malkmus - Face the Truth
Ryan Adams - Cold Roses and Jacksonville City Nights
The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
The Everybodyfields - Half Way There: Electricity and the South
Son Volt - Okemah and the Melody of Riot
Teenage Fanclub - Man-made
Medications - Your Favorite People All In One Place
Dwight Yoakam - Blame the Vain
The Tears - Here Come the Tears
Common - Be
Smog - A River Ain't Too Much In Love
Dawn Chorus - Second Dawn Chorus
The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
Rogue Wave - Descends Like Vultures
Portastatic - Bright Ideas
Devin Davis - Lonely People of the World, Unite!
John Vanderslice - Pixel Revolt
Bob Mould - Body of Song
Nickel Creek - Why Should the Fire Die?
Denison Witmer - Are You a Dreamer?
The Rosebuds - Birds Make Good Neighbors
Surfjan Stevens - Come On Feel the Illinoise
Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs
Autopassion - Is a Tedious Disguise
Idlewild - Promises/Warnings
Michael Penn - Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947
Iron and Wine/Calexico - In the Reins
My Morning Jacket - Z
The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up - Picks You Apart
Blackalicious - The Craft
Supergrass - Road to Rouen
Nada Surf - The Weight is a Gift
Greg Dulli - Amber Headlights
Little Brother - The Minstrel Show
Richard Hawley - Cole's Corner

5 Comments:

  • At 5:53 PM, October 12, 2005, Blogger Satisfied '75 said…

    lookin' good, man. What do you think of the Great Lake Swimmers album? I just got it myself and will be posting some tunes on the Drunkard.

    Woman King is damn solid, as is the Calexico collaboration.

    What did you think of Castanets? Weird shit...but cool.

    Kingsbury manx album is pretty good, and I think in your backyard too.

    Great list as usual. Your radio playlist is always tops.

     
  • At 7:24 AM, October 13, 2005, Blogger J. Neas said…

    Greak Lake Swimmers I haven't heard, so I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for your post. Same with the Castanets, although I've heard of them, so I'll do some research at the station.

    The Kingsbury Manx album is actually pretty good. It's been sitting in my car for a few weeks. I'll be playing it next week, so you might as well go ahead and consider it part of the list. I haven't seen them live since the first time I saw them a few years ago (when I didn't know who they were), but they were a stellar live act even then.

     
  • At 3:55 PM, October 13, 2005, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I don't know if there's a new minus 5 album coming out this year or next year, but I heard it's shaping up to be good.

    While we're on a YepRoc kick, check out the new Marah album. One of their best, right up there with Kids In Philly.

     
  • At 10:05 PM, October 13, 2005, Blogger J. Neas said…

    Down With Wilco was quite close to being my number one record of 2003 if I hadn't been introduced to the absolutely amazing Kathleen Edwards. They were #2 that year after her remarkable debut, Failer.

    I've never given Marah the fair shake I probably ought to, but they've also never really caught me as they have others either. I'll see what I can do about hearing it.

     
  • At 10:18 PM, October 19, 2005, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    dawn chorus! mmm.

     

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