40. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings – Naturally (Daptone)
Sharon Jones’s career arc is less dramatic than the rediscovery of Howard Tate, but her return from obscurity (and a job at Ryker’s Island Jail) is equal cause for celebration. Like fellow Augusta, Georgia native James Brown, Jones knows a thing or two about keeping the groove, and Naturally is a blast of horn-drenched, sexy, sweaty, old-school, lockstep soul.
Jones even pays worthy homage to Brown on the brand new bag of “Your Thing Is a Drag”, showing off the Dap-Kings’ road-tightened sound. The album’s highlight, though, is easily “This Land Is Your Land”, where Jones and company retool Woody Guthrie’s classic as a slinky soul workout. From the funk of “Natural Born Lover” and “My Man Is a Mean Man” to the tender soul of “How Long Do I Have to Wait for You”, Naturally makes you feel like you’ve discovered your own hidden slice of classic soul. – Andrew Gilstrap
39. Kathleen Edwards – Back to Me (Rounder)
While I jumped up and down, drooled and pontificated a little less about this one than I did preaching to many about Failer, Kathleen Edwards’s songwriting and craftsmanship will only continue to improve, which is a blessing for anyone not going deaf (sorry Foxy Brown). The sophomore album contains gems such as “In State” and “Good Things”, the former a possible continuation of “Six O’Clock News” if her beau weren’t shot.
From there, you’re thrown headlong into the Tom Petty-perfect title track and a fabulous cover of Jim Bryson’s “Somewhere Else”. Then there are the tender moments like “Copied Keys”, “Old Time Sake”, and “Pink Emerson Radio”. But the key to the album is the cocky swagger fueling the roots rock of “Independent Thief”. Another one hard to top, but I said that about Failer. My bad. – Jason MacNeil
38. Supergrass – Road to Rouen (Capitol/EMI)
Not so much Supergrass is 11 as 11-going-on-40, Road to Rouen finds the band in smoked-out, nature-loving, laid-back form, an almost 180-degree switch from the cool, twangy space-pop of Life on Other Planets. At times, Supergrass are so unapologetic about its backward-leaning 1960s sensibility that you find yourself momentarily annoyed (as in the opening bouncy bounce of “Low C”). But like a rolling meadow, the sound quickly envelops you in pastoral pop warmth: you can almost see those French starlit nights.
Two months post-release, the album’s still solid, though more “Step Into My Office”-era Belle & Sebastian than classic, “Pumping on Your Stereo” fist-in-the-air ‘Grass. But listen to “St. Petersburg” and try not to smile. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s hardly the band’s road to ruin, either. – Dan Raper
37. Silver Jews – Tanglewood Numbers (Drag City)
While it’d be oblique by any other musician’s standards, Tanglewood Numbers is easily David Berman’s most direct and personal work. The album may be framed by two honest examinations of his life “Punks in the Beerlight” (“I always loved you to the max!” he promises (presumably) his wife, Cassie) and the closer “There Is a Place”, where he alludes to the battles with drugs that resulted in his band’s four-year hiatus with the ominous “I saw God’s shadow on this world”, but Tanglewood Numbers is much more than Berman’s “recovery record”.
It’s a summation of his career, from fuzzed-out indie (the aforementioned “Punks”) to alt-country waltzes (“The Poor, the Fair and the Good”) to the uncategorizable flotsam and jetsam in his and co-conspirator Stephen Malkmus’s brains (“The Farmer’s Hotel”). Tanglewood Numbers stands as the finest record in Berman’s stellar discography. – Stephen Haag
36. System of a Down – Mezmerize (American/Sony)
What the first CD of System of a Down’s ambitious double album may lack in focus, it makes up for in fervor. The more sober Hypnotize might have been the more consistent CD. Still, the madness of Mezmerize provides the most thrills, whether it’s the blastbeat-driven polit-metal of “B.Y.O.B.”, the brooding “Lost in Hollywood”, the staggering one-two punch of “Question!” and “Sad Statue”, or the ferocious stomper “Cigaro”.
Like 2001’s Toxicity, this record has its share of absurd, Frank Zappa-goes-aggro interludes, but for all the caterwauling about gorgonzola, Nabisco, and Tony Danza, they seem to gel far better than the band’s earlier, more sophomoric tracks ever did. The topic of much discussion among fans, guitarist Daron Malakian shares lead vocal duties with lead singer Serj Tankian, and for all the criticism of Malakian’s nasal whine, when juxtaposed with Tankian’s more authoritative baritone, the pair offset each other surprisingly well.
The fact that a band as weird, inimitable, loved, and reviled as System of a Down managed to put out two number-one albums in six months speaks volumes about how important a hard rock band it has become. – Adrien Begrand
35. The Mars Volta – Frances the Mute (Universal)
Barely in control, occasionally incoherent, and consistently intense, Frances the Mute lets the Mars Volta tear through as many styles as minutes on a disc, and the group melds them all perfectly. Its lyrical density will keep you occupied through as many listens as you can handle, but you’ll need a drink of water (or something) to relax in between spins. Putting aside Cedric Bixler’s challenging content, we’re still left with manic guitar work and some of the year’s finest drumming merging powerfully.
The sound feeds conspicuously on the past but shows no concern for historical or contemporary context; it’s pure emotion, electric scream (even when whispered), and precise anarchy. The band rarely rests, and it expects as much out of its listeners, leading to an album that’s every bit as rewarding and enjoyable as it is intense and demanding. – Justin Cober-Lake
34. Kate Bush – Aerial (Columbia)
After a dozen years between records, Kate Bush begins with silence. Aerial starts with quiet, then birds tweet, and then the sound of a child quietly calling. More than a minute goes by before Bush sings, and it feels so good to hear her dulcet tones again. Her mock operatic voice sweeps and soars through two discs of grand passion and the glory of daily life experienced.
The first set, “A Sky of Honey”, contains seven songs that move through the cycle of the day. Bush goes through a range of rock styles, from the funky and dramatic to the quiet of a piano solo, and ends, again, with the sound of birds and silence. The second disc, “The Sea of Honey”, collects seven marvelous songs that move from the ardor of a woman for her dead husband (“Mrs. Bartolozzi”) to the mind of a mathematician (“Pi”) with grace and flair. – Steven Horowitz
33. Queens of the Stone Age – Lullabies to Paralyze (Interscope)
Prior to recording Queens of the Stone Age’s eagerly awaited fourth album, frontman Josh Homme lost two elements crucial to his band’s past success: bass player Nick Oliveri (gone due to personal issues) and celebrity skin-pounder Dave Grohl (back home with the Foo Fighters). But rather than fold, Homme raised the stakes and returned with Lullabies to Paralyze, a remorseless and meticulous killer of an album.
Other bands may be louder, meaner, or angrier, but no band can match the blend of sinister inevitability and hooky songcraft evident throughout Lullabies. Whether it’s the high-octane, cowbell-driven chug of “Little Sister” or the eerie, Escher-like geometry of “Someone’s in the Wolf”, Homme and Co. cut with the macabre precision of a surgeon with a buzz saw.
Lullabies didn’t capture the music public’s attention like 2002’s Songs for the Deaf, but don’t be fooled; Queens of the Stone Age MK II may be leaner, but they’re also better. – David Marchese
32. Curumin – Achados e Perdidos (Quannum)
This Brazilian wildman is all about the swinging-butt thing, so he got a record deal with the mighty Quannum collective. When he turns it on, it cooks: “Samba Japa” is sublime, and he brings Rio and Sao Paulo funk together for “Cade O Mocotó?” But his song structures are much more than just mindless fun. His chord changes sometimes mimic the enigmatic brilliance of early Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil. When he does protest music, there ain’t no half-stepping; his charmingly accented slow burn on Stevie Wonder’s “You Haven’t Done Nothing” proves that Brazil’s President Lula has lost the support of the average João in the streets. Forget your favela booty beats; this is the sound of the future. – Matt Cibula
31. The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan (V2)
For the last couple of years, it seems that Jack White has worn a bulls-eye on his red, black, and white outfits. Some say he’s gone commercial, some say he’s gone way too snarky, and others are tired of his supposed one-trick-blues/rock pony that somehow manages to work for him and ex-wife/”sister” Meg (who still gets slammed for not being a “real” drummer). So what does White do? He says the hell with the guitar (with a couple of exceptions), and makes the most experimental, yet engaging album of his career.
Though most songs are only two instruments long, the piano and the marimba have become White’s preferred weapons. First single “Blue Orchid” is awash in squeals of both guitar and voice, but the rest of Get Behind Me Satan connects with scorching, irresistible melodies. I dare you to shake the song “My Doorbell” from your soul. “Denial Twist” and “Take Take Take” are just as catchy, while “The Nurse” and “Forever for Her (Is Over for Me)” showcase White’s marimba talents.
Everyone wondered how the Whites would follow up the crazy success of Elephant, but nobody suspected it would be with an album where the guitar makes only cameo appearances. It’s that kind of risk that paid off for the White Stripes. Get Behind Me Satan is challenging yet catchy, and loaded with surprising twists and turns. It’s my top album of 2k5. – Lou Friedman