Bakotopia

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A friend of mine posted her top 10 albums of 2005 over in our little group of college misfits and I got to thinking about that. And my first thought was "F--K. Did I even BUY (or accumulate?) any albums that were released in 2005? Did I even HEAR any?" Hard to believe, but true. I am apparently spending far too much time hurting myself to pay attention to music these days. But, thank Gawd for iTunes and the all-knowing "Sort by year" button, it turns out that I do actually own (snicker) music that was released in 2005. So I'll list what's on my iPod, and I suppose that can serve as my "favorites" of the year. I mean holy hell, if I went through the trouble of either actually purchasing it, ripping it mp3 and putting it on there OR stealing every song... I mean, errrr... collecting all the songs via peer to peer file sharing network... then they're probably my favorite. Or maybe just an indication of stuff I checked out last year.

Audioslave - "Out of Exile" - Although I haven't gotten into it as much as their first offering (call it the sophomore curse or something) I still think it's a pretty viable record. I mean seriously, is anyone surprised that I listen to a band made up of members of Soundgarden and RATM? Didn't think so.

Black Eyed Peas - "Monkey Business" - Uhg. This is still on my iPod? I thought I'd deleted every track except the sugary sweet "Don't Phunk With My Heart". Put that on the to-do list, James.

Dangerdoom - "The Mouse and the Mask" - Yes please. Sick beats thrown down by DJ Dangermouse (also responsible for the Jay-Z/Beatles "Grey Album" mash-up and the new Gorillaz record) and smooth lyrical stylings by MF Doom. All with a Cartoon Network "Adult Swim" theme. Oh si, señora.

Dujeous - "City Limits" - Collected from my friend Josh, this is a solid hip-hop album. I think fans of J5, Heiroglyphics, and that ilk (like myself) would be pleased to own this. Unfortunately, like a lot of stuff, I listen to this while I drive or ride my bike, so I don't know lyric numero uno, but the beats and phrasing make for good cycling.

Foo Fighters - "In Your Honor" - I really wanted to like this record more, having REALLY liked the last couple. But, it's just not grabbing me as much as I thought it would. Maybe if I lock myself in a sensory deprevation tank and put this on repeat for 17 and 3/4 hours I'll get into it. I think it's just not quite as hook-laden and rockin' as I really wanted it to be. Probably still a good record, just not for me right now. John Spencer is like that, I HATED Blues Explosion when it first came out, but now I really enjoy it. Different music for different times in your life, I suppose.

Gogol Bordello - "Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike" - I bought this to check out because they were on tour with on of my favorite bands of late, Throw Rag. Gogol Bordello is NOT for the meek. They're from Russia (well New York by way of Russia) and they have fiddles and accordians in the band. And they play punk rock. And it's obvious the singer's first language is not English. And they pretty much rule... "Sally was a 15 year old girl from Nebraska!"

Gorillaz - "Demon Days" - Bad ass is all I'm gonna say. Some really dark moments on this record, and some really upbeat danceable ones too. Totally well-rounded recording, where musical genius collides headfirst with a brakeless-big rig hauling cotton candy, xanax, and rhinos. Chalk another one up for collaboration between the genres.

Local 33 - "Hearts that Bend" - No one here may know this, they're a local Denver band, and a DAMN good one. Workingman's music, rocking alt country with great songwriting and catchy guitar hooks. These guys would be at home sharing a stage with Son Volt, Wilco, Social D, or Lucero. Definitely occupied my repeat-button for a solid month of this year.

The Mars Volta - "Frances the Mute" - Mmmmmmm, aaaaaah... uuuuhhhh... what? The Mars Volta doing Spanish or something? I long for the days of anger-saturated emo-core At The Drive-In, or even a little fire from De-Loused in the Comatorium, but this is a pretty good distraction I suppose.

Queens of the Stone Age - "Lullabies to Paralyze" - Maybe if I drank enough codiene cough syrup and finished off the rest of my Percosets I could get in the right mood to finish listening to this record and actually determine if I like it or not. But right now, I'm all about the RAWK, and this ain't it. But I'll keep it around because I liked "Rated R" and "Songs for the Deaf" so f--king much I can hardly stand it. And three years from now this may be my favorite record of 2005, who knows?

Slunt - "Get A Load of This" - Ever since I saw this band open for Zeke, Corrosion of Conformity, and Motorhead on Easter Sunday have I been waiting for this record to come out. Sugar sweet tough girl vocals laid of a barrage of AC/DC inspired guitar riffs and pounding drums. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts for a new generation. Yeah, the lyrical content can be pretty trite and mostly centers around smokin' and drinkin' and fuckin' - but I fucking LOVE it anyways. Throw this one on the iPod shuffle, crank it to 11 and roost your friends and the motocross track. Yeehaw!

Supersuckers - "Devil's Food" - If you have never heard the Supersuckers and you like Rock n' Roll then you, my friend, are doing yourself a dis-service. This disc, which I think is a collection of b-sides and rarities from the band, has spent more time on PLAY than anything else I've owned last year. Eddie and Company know about the rock, and they preach it like Sunday School: loud, fast, and with the occasional power ballad. Throw in a few random covers (Outkast's "Hey Ya", Jerry Lee Lewis' "East Bound and Down" and the doo-wop standard "Rubber Biscuit") to show your partyin' side and throw it in the oven at 4,000 degrees for a little over 46 minutes and you're good to go. Anyone that listens to this record and doesn't get their head kicked in by RAWK is bald-faced, red-assed liar.

Throw Rag - "13 Feet High and Rising" - From the opening riff of "Swingset Superman" to the final dissonance of "Children of a Secret State" this record doesn't dissapoint the punk rock malcontent. With lyrics about everything from drinking to male go-go dancers to just your basic hate and violence, it's every 15-year-old skateboarder's vision of the perfect soundtrack. Plus they have a crazy Brit that plays washboard and spits on the crowd, and Crispin Glover's half brother holds down the vocal duties. I defy you to find another Sailor Rock album from the briney shores of the Salton Sea that's any more rocking.