ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2005
compiled from the critics' choices in the following publications: Uncut, Q, Mojo, the NME, Time Out and Word.
1
Funeral
The Arcade Fire
2
Demon Days
Gorillaz
3
You Could Have It So Much Better
Franz Ferdinand
4
Get Behind Me Satan
The White Stripes
5
I Am A Bird Now
Antony & The Johnsons
6
The Magic Numbers
The Magic Numbers
7
Cripple Crow
Devendra Banhart
8
Illinois
Surfjan Stevens
9
Late Registration
Kanye West
10
I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
Bright Eyes
11
Aerial
Kate Bush
12
Want Two
Rufus Wainwright
13
Coles Corner
Richard Hawley
14
LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem
15
Employment
Kaiser Chiefs
16
Arular
M.I.A.
17
Devils & Dust
Bruce Springsteen
18=
Leaders of the Free World
Elbow
18=
Don't Believe the Truth
Oasis
18=
Chavez Ravine
Ry Cooder
21
X&Y
Coldplay
22
Silent Alarm
Bloc Party
23
Prairie Wind
Neil Young
24
Z
My Morning Jacket
25
Stars of CCTV
Hard-Fi
26
Supernature
Goldfrapp
27
Oceans Apart
The Go-Betweens
28
Black Mountain
Black Mountain
29
As Is Now
Paul Weller
30
Ta Det Lungt
Dungen
NOTES:
A few points of interest. First, the appearance out of left field of the Arcade Fire to run away with the poll. Second, the re-appearance of a lot of the stars of last year's chart: Franz Ferdinand, Devendra Banhart, Surfjan Stevens and Kanye West. And third, the return of the old-timers: Kate Bush, Bruce Springsteen, Ry Cooder, Neil Young, the Go-Betweens and Paul Weller. Also, we offer a welcome back to Oasis, after seven years of under-performance.
Just missing out were Sigur Ros, Super Furry Animals, Eels, Madonna and Doves. James Blunt, who had the best-selling album of the year in the UK, came in at #44.
After 15 years, I'm breaking with tradition and nominating my own choice of album of the year from outside the critics' 30. That's because I finally lost patience with the continuing failure to recognize genius in our midst, and wanted to celebrate a 3CD career retrospective:
