The Speed of Sound

So it took more than a week. Sue me.

Alright, so a reluctant #6 is obviously Oasis's Don't Believe the Truth. For all practical purposes, it should have beat most of the bands it didn't just by virtue of being Oasis. But the thing is, listening to it, even the very first time, I didn't feel like I was listening to a new album. It's a great, solid piece of work. There's nothing even remotely wrong with it. It's just not all that exciting. The thing that I loved about my top five for the year is that each one smacked me in the face with something vivid and fresh. It's that quality that I loved about each of Oasis's previous releases. This album just played like out-takes of earlier efforts (primarily "Heathen Chemistry"). I repeat, in case it sounds like I'm complaining, that Don't Believe the Truth is a great album. It just didn't excel. Is it fair to hold them to a different standard than the rest of the bands? I think it is. Oasis was, at one time, one of the top rock bands in the world. I want them to maintain that position, but to do that, they need to keep improving on themselves rather than just treading enough water to stay above the rest. Luckily, they're young. There's plenty of time. In the meantime, Don't Believe the Truth has some stellar tracks, including (but not limited to): "Keep the Dream Alive," "Love Like a Bomb," and the charming album opener, "Turn Up the Sun."

This year's critical darlings came in the form of Bloc Party with Silent Alarm, the debut effort from the London-based quartet. Some call them the next Franz Ferdinand, but I think there's just as much of Mike Skinner in the work as their is Alex Kapranos. Not putting this album in the top five was very, very difficult. I think the only thing that kept it out is that its sound is rather spare in a year that had band after band putting out these rich, wall-of-sound style albums. On the one hand, this makes Bloc Party stand out. On the other hand, I'm just a sucker for a wall of sound. :) Still, it's an essential album to the year of 2005. Top tracks? "Banquet," "This Modern Love," and "Like Eating Glass" are highlights, but you really can't go wrong with any of them.

Death Cab for Cutie's Plans was another of the year's shining releases, and an album that almost made the top five. I know, right? I'm as surprised as you are. In the past, I've always kind of wavered on them, stating that they require a certain mood. But Plans is a stunning album from beginning to end, their best effort by far, and a tremendous piece of work that is a treat for any mood. Plans gives us a darker Death Cab with rich tones and haunting lyrics, solid almost the whole way through (slowing only for "What Sarah Said," which sounds as if it may have escaped from one of the earlier albums, a decent song, but seemingly out of place on this album). "Brothers on a Hotel Bed" is by far my favourite on the album, but the first single, "Soul Meets Body," is another winner, as is the cautiously optimistic "Marching Bands of Manhattan."

Some other triumphant returns include: