So here we are, finally, at Good Weather For Airstrikes’ Top 25 Songs of the 2005. After much deliberation, we’ve managed to narrow everything down to the 25 songs that stood out the most in 2005. Everett and I disagree somewhat on the ordering of the tracks, but this list is mostly mutual, or as mutual as we could get it to be. Some might question our picks (five Bloc Party songs in the Top 25? Sorry, it had to be that way), others might scoff at the inclusion of less-indie bands like Motion City Soundtrack on the list, but this is just the most accurate representation of what songs made 2005 great for us. Hopefully you’ll all enjoy it, and remember to stay tuned for the grand finale, the Top 50 Music Videos of 2005 post that should be up tomorrow.
25. “So Here We Are” - Bloc Party - MP3
DEREK: Though on the surface “So Here We Are” appears to be about a failed relationship and trying to figure out what went wrong, Bloc Party lyricist and frontman Kele Okereke told NME that it’s actually about ecstasy, and the moment of clarity and purity one feels when under its influence. The first half of the song is spent trying to get back to that aforementioned feeling of clarity, and then finally at the 2:51 mark when everything speeds up at the point of epiphany the listener is finally taken to that “place”, and Okereke can “see it again”, and the experience comes full circle. Just a beautiful, well-executed song.
Video: “So Here We Are” - Bloc Party
24. “Since U Been Gone” - Kelly Clarkson, Ted Leo - MP3 (Ted Leo Version)
DEREK: Props to Kelly Clarkson for making the catchiest, most perfect radio pop song of the year, but even more props to Ted Leo for making it cool for the hipsters to like. Finally, the most props have got to go to whoever directed the Kidz Bop music video for this song and casted that asian kid (follow the link to see an animated .gif of this champ in action). And just to specify again, the MP3 download link above is for downloading the acoustic Ted Leo version (which he so gracefully turns into the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Maps” for a little while at the end), not the Kelly Clarkson version.
Video: “Since U Been Gone” - Kidz Bop Kids (sooo worth your while)
23. “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” - We Are Scientists - MP3
DEREK: Featuring what is easily the catchiest guitar riff of the year, “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” is the best track on We Are Scientists’ debut, With Love & Squalor, an album that’s already jampacked with fantastic singles. Like The Go! Team’s “The Power Is On”, which made my Top Songs of 2004 list, “Nobody Move” is the perfect getaway or driving song, a feature which is highlighted in the band’s suspenseful escape-oriented music video, and one can’t help but drive at least 100 mph to it (please note: neither GWFAS or We Are Scientists are responsible for any accidents you might get in while listening to this song).
Video: “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” - We Are Scientists
22. “Triumphant” - Royksopp - MP3
EVERETT: “Triumphant” is possibly Royksopp’s most anthemic track yet. The lone piano loop that starts the track off is memorable enough; the sonic architecture Royksopp constructs on the foundation of that piano is stunning. Initially sparse, “Triumphant” continually grows in complexity, as drums cascade and angelic voices are barely made out over the bustling soundscape. The songs original piano loop can be heard throughout, and just as the controlled chaos reaches its breaking point the song ends, abruptly and without due warning, leaving the listener in silent reflection on the masterpiece they’ve just been accosted by.
21b. “On The Bus Mall” - The Decemberists - MP3
21a. “The Engine Driver” - Decemberists - MP3
DEREK: I grouped these two tracks together because they come one after another on Picaresque and flow into each other beautifully, coming together to form the highlight of the album. “The Engine Driver” is another one of the year’s saddest songs, and Meloy captures all the pain and heartbreak of unrequited love, employing numerous characters and perspectives to do so. Each character battles with the similar dilemma of having their actual existence (the engine driver, the county lineman, the money launderer, and the writer - who I believe to be Meloy’s character) conflict with their love’s desired perception of them. That is, the women who they are in love with all want them to be something they are not, and they cannot change who they are. The writer, Meloy’s character, does his best to employ his craft to write her out of his life, but alas, cannot, thus re-enforcing the heartbreaking theme of this song. From there “Engine Driver” flows seamlessly into “The Bus Mall”, a story of young male companionship, accompanied by the beautiful dulcet tones of Chris Funk’s herdy-gerdy. According to an interview with Meloy, the song is about two young boys who become the “kings among runaways” in Old Portland, making a living as young prostitutes with the old men (”who paid in palavers and crumpled old dollars”) of the town. Both songs, though the subject matter is unrelated, are two of the most beautiful works Meloy and Co. have ever produced, and are two of the primary reasons that Picaresque is The Decemberists’ best release yet.
20. “The Predatory Wasp” - Sufjan Stevens - MP3
DEREK: For the first months that I had this album (which I had a good 2 months prior to its release), I rarely, if ever ventured past track 10 (”Casimir Pulaski Day”, see below), but after the album’s official release in July I finally took the plunge and was rewarded handsomely by tracks like “The Man Of Metropolis” and “Night Zombies”, but most of all, the breathtaking “Predatory Wasp”. This is perhaps the most beautiful track on the entire album, and was my stand alone favorite for a while, if not solely for the epiphany/rebirthing that the listener goes through at the 2:30 mark. Hallelujah.
19. “Two More Years” - Bloc Party - MP3
DEREK: On this, their first post-Silent Alarm single (I’m not sure if this was made for the deluxe edition of Silent Alarm or for the band’s upcoming 2006 second album), Okereke, Tong and the boys forsake their danceable Gang Of Four sound for a slower, more morose Joy Division-esque sound, to great success. Kele Okereke sings in that distinctly British and urgent wail of his about a relationship gone wrong and wanting to start over or something, but it’s Gordon Moakes’ backing vocals and driving bassline that seals the deal on this, BP’s third best song of ‘05.
Video: “Two More Years” - Bloc Party
18. “From The Ritz To The Rubble” - Arctic Monkeys - MP3
DEREK: Ridiculously hyped Sheffield guitar-rock outfit Arctic Monkeys actually live up to the hype on “From The Ritz To The Rubble” their first release, part of a double A-side single along with “Fake Tales Of San Francisco”. Brilliantly clever lyrics open the song (”Last night these two bouncers, one of them’s alright, the other one’s the scary ‘un, his way or now way: totalitarian”) and remain throughout, but the real money’s made with that unbelievably catchy riff at the chorus (dunna-nunna, dunna-nunna, DUNNA-NUNNA!).
17. “Time Turned Fragile” - Motion City Soundtrack - MP3
DEREK: “Time Turned Fragile” is an absolute pop-punk masterpiece, featuring frantic, helter skelter keyboard lines to open the song and some of the year’s best drumming (outside of Matt Tong of couse) in the song’s last minute, as well as possibly my favorite musical moment of the year at the “got so cold the words just froze, we had to wait ’til summer to find out what was said” part that begins at the 1:42 mark.
16. “Only This Moment” - Royksopp - MP3
EVERETT: Instantly aurally pleasing and shamelessly catchy, “Only This Moment” is one of my favorite tracks of 2005. The first thirty seconds alone solidify the tracks place on this top 25 list, and the male/female tradeoff vocals pose a wonderful contrast. The hushed male verse is followed by a digitized female chorus, with the backing instrumental remaining superb all the while. This song is evocative of feelings of pure, unadulterated bliss, and the almost childlike glee exhibited by the vocalists leaves me wholly unable to feel sorrow in the wake of the music. This is the most emotion I’ve heard captured by an electronic group.
Video: “Only This Moment” - Royksopp
15. “Saeglopur” - Sigur Ros - MP3
EVERETT: This song is a perfect example of the manner in which Sigur Ros creates its masterpieces. It starts off as nothing more than a piano, and additional chimes are added, followed by vocalist Jonsi Birgisson’s patented ethereal vocals. The chimes and vocals cut out, leaving the piano alone to usher in the guitar and drums. At this point the drums, guitar, piano, and vocals come together to grow, over a period of a few minutes, in to a stunning crescendo if beautiful noise. Though the formula may seem unoriginal, the beauty of Sigur Ros lies in the execution; I’ve said before that this is my favorite band currently recording new material, and for my money there is no band that can create sonic beauty as consistently as Sigur Ros. “Saeglopur” rises above the normal quiet/loud-quiet/loud formula Sigur Ros has been known to masterfully utilize, mostly on the strength of the piano and strings that provide the perfect backdrop for Birgisson’s otherworldly vocals for the latter half of the song. This may very well be the most beautiful song of 2005.
14. “Breathe Me” - Sia - MP3
EVERETT: The second song on our Top 25 that burst on to the indie scene as the heartstring-pulling tearjerker in an emotional season finale (this time on Six Feet Under), Sia’s “Breathe Me” is similar in many ways to our #13 track, Imogen Heap’s Hide and Seek. “Breathe Me” definitely has more instrumentation to complement Sia’s fantastic voice, and the piano-and-strings arrangement works perfectly with her strained vocals. If you saw Garden State, you may recognize Sia as the voice behind Zero 7’s “In The Waiting Line”, though I feel “Breathe Me” is a far superior track. The song also acts as the lead single for Sia’s sophomore album, Colour The Small One, which is actually being released here in the United States today (January 10th). The swirling, epic song captures all the emotion from Sia’s vocals and raises them to a new level with the powerful orchestral arrangement, and though we here at Good Weather for Airstrikes prefer Imogen Heap’s sparse “Hide and Seek” (barely), many may prefer the more complex and equally emotional “Breathe Me”.
Video: “Breathe Me” - Sia
13. “Hide and Seek” - Imogen Heap - MP3
EVERETT: This song was pretty much unavoidable for much of the year. It was featured prominently in the season finale of The O.C., being played at nearly every remotely dramatic scene in the episode. Remarkably, despite the obvious overplay, the song never lost so much as an ounce of its fragile beauty. Never has a songs production been built more around the ‘less is more’ mantra, as the obvious centerpiece of the song is Imogen Heap’s stunning voice. With a voice as powerful as Heap’s, nothing more is necessary, and “Hide and Seek” succeeds as one of the most emotionally stirring songs of 2005.
12. “Mushaboom” - Feist - MP3
DEREK: Possibly the most adorable song of 2005, an indie wedding staple, and Feist’s finest work yet, “Mushaboom” is just one of the happiest and most fun songs you’ll ever hear. The always lovely, ever-mutable (she’s worked with everyone from Broken Social Scene to Peaches to Kings of Convenience and even Massive Attack) Leslie Feist sings with that striking voice of hers about being happy with what you have but dreaming about the future (”it may be years until the day my dreams will match up with my pay”) over subtle handclaps, twinkling xylophones, and other equally adorable instrumentation. Cheery, catchy pop doesn’t get any better than this.
Video: “Mushaboom” (New Version) - Feist
11. “The Start of Something” - Voxtrot - MP3
EVERETT: Unsigned bands just don’t make songs this good. The quality of the recording equipment Voxtrot used is evident, and in my opinion that is the only thing keeping this song off of the radio. Now on Magic Marker Records (see also: Tullycraft, All Girl Summer Fun Band), Voxtrot seems just about ready to take the indie world by storm (and have already begun to, if the storm of coverage they’ve received in the blogosphere is any indication). Bold prediction of the moment: by the time I graduate from college, Voxtrot will be the new Death Cab for Cutie. The thing is that Death Cab never made a song this good before they hit Barsuk. This song has that vague Belle & Sebastian, Scottish sort of feel to it, which initially seems odd as the band is hails from Texas (note: Texas is very different from Scotland). The lead singer did, however, attend university in Scotland, which in my opinion accounts for the vaguely twee influence. In summary, this song is phenomenal from any band, much less an unsigned band (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, your move). For more info regarding Voxtrot, check out lead singer Ramesh Srivastava’s personal blog, The Voxtrot Kid.
10. “Blue Light (Engineers’ Anti-Gravity Mix)” - Bloc Party - MP3
DEREK: Though this is technically attributed to Bloc Party, Engineers deserve all the credit here, on this, their first venture into remixing. Engineers actually eclipse everything they’ve produced as a band to this point in their career, completely reinventing Bloc Party’s “Blue Light”, a track that, though certainly not forgettable, could easily have been lost among the stellar tracks of the band’s stellar debut. One thing that worked so well on Silent Alarm: Remixed was the fact that most of the remixers tossed out the unfortunate notion that remixes should always have to be danceable, and instead merely offered their own takes on the song, without the pressure of having the track be a dancefloor hit. Engineers succeeded the most with their offering, stripping down everything (thus rendering the “Anti-Gravity” title perfectly fitting) and centering everything around atmospheric synths and that ethereal xylophone line. When the synths eventually fade out and it’s just you and the xylophone, it’s as if God himself is plinking away at what must be the Anointed Xylophone .
09. “Crosses” - Jose Gonzalez - MP3
DEREK: “Crosses” and its creator, Jose Gonzalez, are easily my favorite things to come out of Sweden in a long time (since IKEA I guess… what else does Sweden do?), and after originally feeling lukewarm to this song, I found myself listening to it on almost a daily basis in the last quarter of the year. The seminal track from Gonzalez’ debut, Veneer, as well as M3 Volume 5 (well, after “Trapeze Swinger”) offers not only a catchy, though melancholy, melody, but profound lyrics as well. Gonzalez leaves the word “crosses” open for multiple interpretations, as both the cross that marks his grave (”crosses all over the boulevard”) and the cross that burdens us in our daily life (”crosses all over, heavy on your shoulders”). Gonzalez further reinforces the religious undertones of the song in the final line, leaving the listener with a thought of hope and inspiration: “We’ll cast some light it’ll be alright”.
08. “Casimir Pulaski Day” - Sufjan Stevens - MP3
EVERETT: The lyrical content of this song may be the most personal and touching Sufjan has ever penned, detailing the memories he has shared with a friend who is dying of cancer. In the last two verses of the song, Sufjan is succumbing to the reality of mortality; he states solemnly in the final line of the song that the Lord, “takes and he takes and he takes.” When I had the opportunity of seeing Sufjan live, this song was absolutely the show-stopper. It’s difficult to explain my personal feelings for this song; for all its lyrics on the subject of mortality it somehow conveys a sense of absolute warmth and comfort. Possibly my favorite song from Illinois, this is a song with the quality to live on long after Sufjan and his 50 States project have been forgotten.
07. “Helicopter” - Bloc Party - MP3
DEREK: Another classic “driving song” (Heidi Klum agrees), “Helicopter” is itself driven by a ridiculously sharp and catchy riff courtesy of lead guitarist Russell Lissack, one of the best of the year. If the angular guitar lines and polished execution, most evident at the abrupt “Stop me!” instrumentation breaks, don’t immediately grab you, further listening reveals a decidedly anti-Bush message that will no doubt leave you intrigued. Okereke has insisted in interviews that the message is in fact not anti-Bush, but lyrics like “Just like his dad, just like his dad: same mistakes” (obviously referring to Bush Senior and Bush Junior) and “as if to say, he doesn’t like chocolate” (referencing the unfair treatment of the African-American vote in the 2000 election). The undeniably anti-Bush, or at the very least anti-American, message pervades throughout, and “Helicopter” provides the first glimpse of Bloc Party’s surprisingly intelligent (for what the haters would call your generic British guitar-rock band) subject matter on Silent Alarm.
Video: “Helicopter” (New Version) - Bloc Party
06. “Apply Some Pressure” - Maximo Park - MP3
DEREK: One of the greatest non-radio pop songs of 2005, Maximo Park’s “Apply Some Pressure” is nearly flawless, so much so that they released it twice (as did Bloc Party with “Banquet”). Pitchfork put it best in their track review, calling “Pressure” a “test of endurance”, as the song takes the listener on a balls-to-the-wall adventure for two minutes before finally letting them revel in the incredible “What happens when you lose everything?” bridge. The central guitar riff of the song is easily the catchiest you’ll hear all year (outside of “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt”) and when the song finally reaches it’s climax just after the three minute mark you can’t help but smile and hold on tight as you go out in a hail of gunfire and pandemonium.
Video: “Apply Some Pressure” (New Version) - Maximo Park
05. “Chicago” - Sufjan Stevens - MP3 (Acoustic Version - Live on KCRW)
DEREK: The obvious highlight (and obvious single, if you know, Sufjan did the whole singles thing) from one of the best releases of 2005, “Chicago” features more complex and layered instrumentation than the majority of songs on Illinois, or any other album (not released by Sigur Ros) this year. “Chicago”, whose “all things ‘go” chorus is a repeated play on the city’s final syllable, is a story of self-discovery and self-realization, as Sufjan’s hushed tone relates the ups and downs of his youth. For the swelling chorus, a definite highlight of the song, Sufjan hands over the singing reigns to a full-fledged chorus, and the Illinoisemakers, as usual, fail to disappoint. However, the true highlight of the song comes at the three-minute mark when nearly all of the instrumentation drops out and Sufjan bares his soul to the listener: “If I was crying… in the van, with my friend… it was for freedom, from myself and from the land… I made a lot of mistakes, I made a lot of mistakes”. That moment alone, one of my favorite in any song in 2005, is the primary reason that “Chicago” is one of the single most moving listening experiences of this year.
04. “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead” - Stars - MP3
DEREK: One of the most perfect post-breakup songs of all time, “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead” is the song Stars were put on this earth to record. No other band (period) coud capture the pain of love and relationships that is so perfectly represented in this song. Immediately, the foundation of the song is made on swirling, emotionally stirring strings and keyboards, and the stage is set for a heartbreaker. However, once Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan’s boy-girl dual vocals are brought in, two ex-lovers singing back and forth, call and return to one another, the deal is sealed. The typical post-relationship themes are examined - the idea that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone (”Now you’re outside me you see all the beauty”), the idea that you’re stronger having survived such a tramatic break-up (”this scar is a fleck on my porcelain skin”), and finally the idea that one should not regret but should learn (”I’m not sorry I met you, I’m not sorry it’s over, I’m not sorry there’s nothing to say”). Both sing of the difficulties, and, often, the impossibilites of getting over someone you once loved, and both cling to one ideal, one notion that keeps them going: “Live through this and you won’t look back”. However true that statement may be, both parties seem to be having a hard time with it, having seemingly survived only on the idealized notion that “your ex-lover is dead”, that is, that they never existed, never ruined your life, and never moved on from you. Campbell’s character so intensely clung to this notion, and had so successfully blocked out Millan’s character that when they were first reunited he was left “trying to remember her name”. When all is said and done though, this song only proves to reinforce the antithesis of it’s title, that you’re ex-lover never can be truly dead.
Video: “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead” - Stars
03. “Poison Oak” - Bright Eyes - MP3
DEREK: “Poison Oak” is one of the saddest songs of this, or any year. In fact, it is one of the most heartbreaking, emotionally touching, and moving songs of all time. There was a period of this year when I even thought that this may have been the best song I had ever heard. While that proved to be not quite true, “Poison Oak” is an amazing ballad no less, an ode to his brother whose confused childhood led to a troubled young adult life and ultimately his suicide. However, Conor’s experience with his brother helped him to strengthen his own life, and his dead brother is representative of the “yellow bird” (when mining still existed on a large-scale basis, canaries were sent down to check for signs of danger, and if the canary returned it was safe) referenced in this as well as “We Are Nowhere, And It’s Now” that showed him that the path is safe for Oberst to continue down. When the first “single cell on a serpent’s tongue” chorus hits, the listener is overcome with sweeping emotion, one of the most powerful moments of any song this year, and Oberst manages to pull it off not once, but twice, repeating it on the second chorus to equal affect. Emmylou Harris’ beautifully worn vocals are the perfect compliment to Oberst’s emotion in the song, her final appearance on the album, and everything in this track comes together perfectly to form what might be the most beautiful and moving song of this, or any, year.
02. “Hoppipolla” - Sigur Ros - MP3
Easily the most beautiful, most pristine song of the year, “Hoppipolla” is a true masterpiece of a creation. “Hoppipolla” gives Brendan Benson’s “Cold Hands (Warm Heart)” a run for it’s money as the twinkliest song of the year, but blows away nearly every other song this year in every other aspect, so much so that it is one of the few, if not the only, that completely and successfully transcends language. Even without being able to understand Sigur Ros’ native Icelandic, which as a result means not being able to understand the lyrics, the theme of nostalgia for the fleeting innocence of youth is completely understandable and able to be grasped. The song is a playful bow to the more whimsical, playful, and less complicated days of childhood, the days of “Jumping [in] Puddles”, which is what “Hoppipolla” translates to in English. The video further reinforces this idea, trading Sigur Ros’ typical use of child actors for the first time in exchange for senile actors re-enacting childish games, like causing mischief, staging impromptu battles, and even jumping in puddles, a nod to the song’s title. Pure beauty.
Video: “Hoppipolla” - Sigur Ros
#1. “Banquet” - Bloc Party - MP3
DEREK: “Banquet” is the ultimate single. Accessible, danceable, and enough fun to sweep the nation and please even the shallowest listener, but with themes deep enough and music interesting enough to interest the rest of us. Musically, the song is characterized by Gang Of Four-esque call-n-return guitar riffs (this is where all the “Gang Of Four rip off” accusations originate from), but it’s Matt Tong’s immaculate drumming (words can’t do it justice, so aside from that, I won’t even try) that makes this song. The song is also a rewarding experience from a lyrical perspective. Lead singer Kele Okereke recently told NME (click here for full article via Blog Party) that with Silent Alarm he “wanted to talk about how it felt to be a 20 year-old in the western world… a lot of kids, me especially, just kind of felt that they had all this passion, but that it was very hard to find a focus. And that’s what I wanted Silent Alarm to represent”. “Banquet” is an amalgamation of all the themes on Silent Alarm, calling out to this aforementioned lost generation to find direction and take action (similar to my 2004 #2 song of the year, Arcade Fire’s “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)”). In the bridge, Okereke urgently wails over Gordon Moakes’ driving basslines, calling out to others who “feel a little left behind”, and in the song’s opening lines he adresses his generation: “Why’d you feel so underrated? Why’d you feel so negated?”. The song’s overt sexual references add another element to the coming of age process and “Turning away from the light, becoming adult” exemplifies this idea of taking control, turning away from innocence, and reaching adulthood. In essence, “Banquet” is not only an accessible song to please the masses on the danceflor, it’s also a call-to-arms to an entire generation of misguided youths in need of direction, the perfect song of 2005.
Video: “Banquet” (New Version) - Bloc Party
