2005 revisited: my favorite albums of 2005 with a view from 2009

2005. This was probably the strangest year for me in the past four, due mostly to the fact that most of the albums that have ended up on the list three years after the fact weren't there to begin with. In fact, a few of these albums I didn't even hear until this year. Anyway, here we go.

1. Jack's Mannequin - Everything In Transit

This is without a doubt one of the most well written records of the 00's, and the songs only gained more depth after Andrew McMahon's diagnosis and successful defeat of leukemia. McMahon, the former singer of Something Corporate, delivers his most mature and well conceived set of songs to date, and the results are fantastic. From the slacker anthem, "Holiday From Real", that opens it, to the massive and unforgettable closer that is "Into The Airwaves", this album never once missteps. "I'm Ready" is one of the most badass songs I've ever heard, mostly thanks to a spoken interlude at it's climax, and "Bruised" and "La La Lie" are endlessly catchy. The album highlight is the fantastically vulnerable "Rescued", a gorgeous piano ballad that serves perfectly for its location near the end of the album. However, one must not forget the album centerpiece "Dark Blue", an epic arena rock anthem that will addict you no matter what.

2. City & Colour - Sometimes

Acoustic singer/songwriters are truly all the rage these days, and Dallas Green of City & Colour is undoubtedly one of the best. On this album, the emotions hit you like a bomb. It matters not that the songs are comprised entirely of acoustic guitar and Green's flawless voice. The focus of this album is simple: genuine human emotion, and you'd be hard pressed to find many albums that do it better than this one. On "Like Knives", Green ends the song with a repetition of the line "can I have you". It's so simple, yet the honesty of the words and power of Green's voice make it a chilling moment. "Save Your Scissors" is a sweeping and vocally perfect ballad, as is "Day Old Hate", but the highlight is "Hello I'm In Delaware", a song about intensely painful separation from the person you love. The first time I heard the song, I was driving late at night in the summer. That is the perfect time for this song. When Green hit the chorus after the bridge, the emotions of the song overwhelmed me. It's one of the few moments in any song that has brought me to uncontrollable tears, and it's nothing short of breathtaking. One of the best songs of the decade, and one of the best break-up albums of all time.

3. The Wallflowers - Rebel, Sweetheart

Yes, that 90's band who hit it big with "One Headlight" and "6^th Avenue Heartache" are still around making music, and damn good music at that. "Rebel, Sweetheart" might actually be their best. The album opens with the sublime "Days of Wonder", a song that quickly earned a spot at the top of the year and at the top of the Wallflowers catalog for me. The chorus is intoxicatingly catchy, but the lyrics are very anti-war. It's a song that truly showcases how far Jakob Dylan has come as a songwriter. His father would be proud. While the rest of the album doesn't reach the blinding heights of it's opener, the remainder is certainly nothing to laugh at. "Beautiful Side of Somewhere", "God Says Nothing Back", and "How Far You've Come" show that the band has lost their touch with writing at performing beautiful folk-tinged ballads. On the other side of things, "We're Already There", "Back to California", "All Things New Again" and the driving "Nearly Beloved" keep things upbeat. Both band and vocalist have never sounded better, and it makes this arguably a better album than the one that made them famous.

4. Better Than Ezra - Before The Robots

A bullet proof summer album, this one caught me completely off guard back in 2005. I had heard some stuff from these guys (anyone remember "Good"?), but nothing of this caliber. From the beginning to the end, it's evident that these guys know how to write a great hook. Just listen to "Burned", "A Lifetime", or "Hollow". That being said, these guys do some of their best work when they slow the tempo down. "Our Last Night" and "Our Finest Year" are both gorgeous midtempo ballads, while "Overcome" is haunting and "Breathless" provides a perfect fade out to the disc. Definitely a great record for a summer road trip.

5. Black Lab - See the Sun

The first thing that must be said is that this guy KNOWS how to right a great pop song. Almost every song on this album has a chorus that is both catchy and instantly memorable. But underneath the hooks and infectious melodies, there is aching heartbreak everywhere. Songs like "Remember" and "Lonely Boy" are especially catchy, but are filled with a subtle ache of sadness. "Without You" is especially emotionally driven, and "Ecstasy" has lyrics that almost go completely against it's techno-ish sound. The highlight however, comes at the end. "Circus Lights" is a gorgeous ballad that sounds like a late summer evening. The album climax occurs over the singers wails of "do you need me now?", a lyric that somehow gives emotional clarity to the rest of the disc. This album is heartbreaking.

6. Jimmy Eat World - Stay On My Side Tonight

Who cares if it's only four songs long? The 3 new songs on the ep (4 if you count the Heatmiser cover) are a perfect example of Jimmy Eat World at their very best. Futures was perfect as far as I'm concerned, but this takes things in a slightly different direction. The songs are a little darker and a little more experimental (see the 7 minute + "Disintegration"). This is a great direction for the band and it makes me wonder at the kind of album they could have made if they had continued down this path. Here's hoping they do so for the next one.

7. Death Cab For Cutie - Plans

It took me awhile to buy into the hype with this band, but I'm glad I did. While 2003's "Transatlanticism" is probably a finer album as a whole, "Plans" is undoubtedly their most accessible, and dare I say, most beautiful. Beauty here is plentiful, whether you find it in the dark acoustics of "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" or on tracks like "Stable Song", "Summer Skin", or "Brothers on a Hotel Bed". Everything, however, pales in comparison to "What Sarah Said", a piano based song that is glorious in its simplicity. The lyrics are the strong suit here, as Gibbard paints an extended picture of a hospital waiting room. The song concludes with the lines "But I'm thinking of what sarah said/That love is watching someone die./So who's gonna watch you die?" Simple once again, but sometimes, simple is all you need.