Best Albums of 2005

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1.

Illinois 

 Sufjan Stevens

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"The Greatest album of the 21st century so far. Storytelling worthy of Dylan. 5 stars!"  Reply

- SamTheMan | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +16 votes (17 helpful | 1 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2005

Appears in:

1,701 charts

Rank Score:

19,773

Rank in 2005:

1

Rank in 2000s:

5

Overall Rank:

43

Average Rating:

 86 (1,927 votes)

Comments:

169

2.

Demon Days 

 Gorillaz

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"Last summer, LeBron James famously "took talents to South Beach" to form a basketball superpower. Twelve short months later, the mighty Miami Heat suffered defeat to the underrated Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. A lesson was learned: sometimes it doesn't matter if you go all Voltron, you can...""Last summer, LeBron James famously "took [his] talents to South Beach" to form a basketball superpower. Twelve short months later, the mighty Miami Heat suffered defeat to the underrated Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. A lesson was learned: sometimes it doesn't matter if you go all Voltron, you can still be had by one giant superstar with a cast of savvy, well-worn, hungry veterans. Which brings me to Demon Days. Damon Albarn took a supporting cast of musical upcomers and also-rans and made one of the most magical albums of the 21st century. Damon was the first major artist to hire Danger Mouse to handle production efforts, a stroke of genius. Damon and Danger were the ones to introduce me to MF DOOM, not Madlib. He used De La Soul and Shaun Ryder (of Happy Mondays) to create two of the most brilliant pop songs in history. He captured lightning in a bottle to get Ike Turner to lay down a piano track and to get Dennis Hopper to narrate a track. Both have now tragically passed on, with most of Gorillaz' fans probably knowing one for his infamous shoe and the other for being the bad guy in Speed. This album invokes shades of Pink Floyd, Primal Scream, and Portishead among others and is so diverse that trying to classify it under one genre has been proven impossible with tracks jumping back and forth between Hip Hop, Dance, Trip Hop, Alternative, and Gospel. Demon Days is more than an album, it is a collaborative work of art not meant to be duplicated, even though it was tried with mixed results. Plastic Beach was not a bad effort, it was just too clean, too polished, too driven with star-power. Plastic Beach was the Miami Heat, which only served to prove how unique and ridiculously awesome the wonderfully dark and brooding Demon Days truly is."  [+]  Reply

- ShaneSpear | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +18 votes (18 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2005

Appears in:

1,133 charts

Rank Score:

9,427

Rank in 2005:

2

Rank in 2000s:

20

Overall Rank:

145

Average Rating:

 82 (1,684 votes)

Comments:

95

3.

Late Registration 

 Kanye West

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"Spoiler alert: The upcoming review is totally biased. I am not sure if I can maintain the slightest degree of objectivity (not a fan of the term when it comes to music, but you get the point) To my mind Kanye West is a godlike figure not only in hip hop but music in general. To say he single – ha...""Spoiler alert: The upcoming review is totally biased. I am not sure if I can maintain the slightest degree of objectivity (not a fan of the term when it comes to music, but you get the point) To my mind Kanye West is a godlike figure not only in hip hop but music in general. To say he single – handedly ignited my interest for this particular genre would be a fair assessment. One might argue that he leans towards the poppier end of the spectrum, so it’s understandable that I find him more accessible than other hip hop greats. He is not too hip hop, but also not too non hip hop, if that makes sense. Maybe that’s the case. No matter how he did it, he opened a whole new world for me and made me realise the endless arising possibilities. Ok, I am a fanboy, point taken, let’s move on. To follow up the widely acclaimed and commercially successful College Dropout was no easy task, but he delivered. Production is once more the major attraction, it’s head and shoulders above every other aspect of the album. Lyrics are often the center of attention in hip hop. Well, not here. For all I care, he could be mumbling random nonsense that nobody understands and it would still sound majestic nonetheless. I don’t mean to suggest that he does, there are many great lines here. In the space of a year he managed to reinvent the sound of his debut album. The themes are a bit more serious (though there are still some moments of fun) but he doesn’t hold anything back, he is as honest and ever. The sound is, well, massive. Bigger than a Hollywood blockbuster, more epic than Homer’s poems, you name it. The variety is also outstanding. Every song is unique. The core of his sound is still a pop take on soul/funk, but he has expanded in many different directions. Picking some highlights would be close to impossible, it’s more or less the whole album (yes, even the skits were entertaining). In Heard’ em Say he struggles dealing with the difficulties of life (“So this is in the name of love like Robert say Before you ask me to go get a job today Can I at least get a raise of the minimum wage? And I know that the government administer AIDS So I guess we just pray like the minister say Allāhu Akbar and throw in some hot cars”) , but he accompanies it with none other than Adam Levine (crazy, I know). He makes a song with Adam Levine work, for that alone he deserves full credit, don’t know who else could have pulled that off. Touch the Sky comes with a pinch of disco, followed by the club/party oriented Gold Digger which provides tons of fun. Drive Slow has an irresistible jazzy vibe, the saxophone is on steroids. By the way, Paul Wall also belongs to the Adam Levine category (in the sense that Kanye makes these things work seemingly out of nowhere, even though they seem destined to fail). Crack Music is another cool tune with a wonderful gospel touch as the icing on the cake. Roses flows as smooth as anything I can think of. Kanye is on top form there (as a rapper I mean). Even the silly Addiction is so addictive (these cringeworthy puns are becoming a thing). Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix) is just a huge song. Not a fan of remixes in general, but this is exemplary. If I had to pick one track that represents the whole album the most accurate, it would most likely be this one. We Major features Nas and is considered one of the weaker tracks. This speaks volumes about the depth of the album. Hey Mama is the pinnacle of songwriting, one of the most emotional and touching songs you can possibly encounter (“I wanna tell the whole world about a friend of mine This little light of mine and I'm finna let it shine I'm finna take y'all back to them better times I'm finna talk about my mama if y'all don't mind”). Then, as the title suggests, it’s time for Celebration- and deservedly so. And after all this insane ride, it seems he saved best for last. Gone keeps improving verse by verse. That’s what it means to go out with a bang. It’s worth noting that what I usually complain about in other album, here works the other way around. The most obvious example is the duration. It is 70 minutes long and it feels so short, it leaves you thirsty for more."  [+]  Reply

- kokkinos | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2005

Appears in:

772 charts

Rank Score:

5,505

Rank in 2005:

3

Rank in 2000s:

44

Overall Rank:

303

Average Rating:

 82 (1,216 votes)

Comments:

71

4.

Silent Alarm 

 Bloc Party

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"Also known as Bloc Party 'Best Of' album"  Reply

- AlexandreFortin | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2005

Appears in:

715 charts

Rank Score:

4,605

Rank in 2005:

4

Rank in 2000s:

59

Overall Rank:

361

Average Rating:

 77 (872 votes)

Comments:

48

5.

Takk... 

 Sigur Rós

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"I'm seventeen, and I've cried four times in the last five years that I can remember. Twice was over girlfriend stuff, once was when my dog died, and once was the first time I heard Glosoli."  Reply

- JulianR | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +15 votes (15 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2005

Appears in:

616 charts

Rank Score:

4,437

Rank in 2005:

5

Rank in 2000s:

60

Overall Rank:

376

Average Rating:

 82 (853 votes)

Comments:

37

6.

I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning 

 Bright Eyes

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"This is one of the first albums that got me into folk and indie music. Even if I don't love it now, it was pretty important to me. Some of the songs, however, are bona fide classics for sure."  Reply

- HoldenM | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2005

Appears in:

590 charts

Rank Score:

4,047

Rank in 2005:

6

Rank in 2000s:

66

Overall Rank:

410

Average Rating:

 78 (764 votes)

Comments:

36

7.

Alligator 

 The National

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"Love the energy in this one compared to Boxer, which is slightly more poppy or High Violet which is a little more dreary (in a good way). This album has a more direct sound, more anger. I love it when Berninger screams the lyrics like in Abel and Mr. November, similar to the Pixies - has the same...""Love the energy in this one compared to Boxer, which is slightly more poppy or High Violet which is a little more dreary (in a good way). This album has a more direct sound, more anger. I love it when Berninger screams the lyrics like in Abel and Mr. November, similar to the Pixies - has the same oomph."  [+]  Reply

- | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (5 helpful | 1 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2005

Appears in:

521 charts

Rank Score:

3,587

Rank in 2005:

7

Rank in 2000s:

77

Overall Rank:

477

Average Rating:

 80 (736 votes)

Comments:

30

8.

X&Y 

 Coldplay

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"Why does this album get shat on so much? I always thought this was their magnum opus before looking online to see really what people thought. It's such a solid record, it has a really cool alternative space rock sound to it, very dramatic. It's fantastic."  Reply

- tmbarnes8 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2005

Appears in:

557 charts

Rank Score:

3,242

Rank in 2005:

8

Rank in 2000s:

86

Overall Rank:

536

Average Rating:

 72 (1,199 votes)

Comments:

76

9.

Feels 

 Animal Collective

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"Oh boy, I "avoided" this band for so long, I didn't know what I was missing! This might be their best, or at the very least it best represents the band as a whole. There are the somewhat crazy, but super fun songs like Grass and Purple Bottle, and then there are the stripped down, psychedelic, so...""Oh boy, I "avoided" this band for so long, I didn't know what I was missing! This might be their best, or at the very least it best represents the band as a whole. There are the somewhat crazy, but super fun songs like Grass and Purple Bottle, and then there are the stripped down, psychedelic, sometimes borderline ambient pieces, like Bees, Daffy Duck - the latter reminds me of Talk Talk at their finest. Awesome stuff, awesome band."  [+]  Reply

- 19loveless91 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2005

Appears in:

417 charts

Rank Score:

2,847

Rank in 2005:

9

Rank in 2000s:

96

Overall Rank:

600

Average Rating:

 79 (602 votes)

Comments:

34

10.

I Am A Bird Now 

 Antony & The Johnsons

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"A beautiful album, romantic and heartbreaking and extremely powerful for the LGBT community"  Reply

- lanadeleswift | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2005

Appears in:

408 charts

Rank Score:

2,541

Rank in 2005:

10

Rank in 2000s:

104

Overall Rank:

681

Average Rating:

 78 (383 votes)

Comments:

21

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100

Best Albums of 2005 composition

Top 1,000 Top 500 Top 250 Top 100

Artist	Albums	%
Various Artists	7	1%
Bright Eyes	3	0%
Beck	2	0%
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals	2	0%
System Of A Down	2	0%
Animal Collective	2	0%
Richard Thompson	2	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	449	45%
	184	18%
	49	5%
	31	3%
	28	3%
	26	3%
	25	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	940	94%
Yes	62	6%

Live?	Albums	%
No	980	98%
Yes	22	2%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	992	99%
Yes	10	1%