Soundtrack: 2005

in no particular order, the songs that 2005 attaches memory and meaning to:

Feel Good Inc. (Gorillaz)
a) whoever picks out the iPod commercial background music knows their marketing shit. Because I'm totally their niche. And I'm buying. Shoot, all that long-windedness about resisting materialism... out the window.
b) seriously, a cartoon band? I love the 21st century. My remaining question: do the cartoon band member get to go through angst and rehab and bad relationships, too?

Pump It (Black Eyed Peas)
Another song a commercial (Best Buy) introduced me to, about which I have consequently obsessed. I love the fact that some 60s guitar and mariache thing (think Wipeout) is happening on the background of this song while the Black Eyed Peas (who, yah I know, not indie rock, not even really my style, but I cannot help myself... they make me want to dance) do their thang. Hey, it's a great song to walk the dogs to, run to, work out to. What can I say? I'm only human.

Do You Want To (Franz Ferdinand)
God, I love Franz Ferdinand. I know that most 15-year-olds feel the same way. But that boum-boum-twang guitar thing, that catchy drum riff, the obvious early Beatles influence, that incredibly sexy Scottish accent... you know I cannot resist the BritPop. Guilty pleasures.

Stay (Blue Merle)
OK, guilty pleasures aside (for the time being), let's talk about good songwriting. And an amazing emotional conveyance that sends chills up my arms. I love Luke Reynold's voice. He makes me want to fall in love again and again til it hurts.

It's a Disaster (OK Go)
OK Go is one of my all-time favorite things from Chicago (Nordlund's and Fado being a couple of the other things...) John and I saw OK Go for the first time early this summer when they opened for Kaiser Chiefs. Their music is 100% pop-punk (just the way I like it). But what I really love about these guys: their performances. This band has a quirky, crazy, energy-laden stage presence like nothing duplicated out there (check their website for the crazy dancing skills these boys have perfected). I'd take my grandma to OK Go. I'd take my 2-year-0ld. I'd take anyone who'd allow me to drag them along. Long live OK Go.

Blow it Out (The Features)
Paige and I were driving home from work and day care one day when this song started playing on the radio. My perfect, darling, awesome little girl started dancing in her carseat, banging that blonde little head, looked me straight in the face, and said, "Mama, good song."

I have a 2-year-old rock and roll fan on my hands. Not precisely sure what I did right in life to deserve that perfect little package. But I'll TOTALLY take it.

Dirty Little Secret (All-American Rejects)
I love when friends introduce me to a genre that wasn't even on the radar (you rock, Keith and Sarah). Suddenly, I realize I have about 10 CDs that fall under what I would call pop-punk with a jaded attitude. I love this, the title track to All-American Rejects latest release. It's representative of their music, fun to sing, and the guitar absolutely sings and snarls in turn.

Get Myself Arrested (Gomez)
This particular song, while neither new to 2005 or to my repertoire this year, has an inside loop meaning on several levels and has been played at appropriate funny story, near-miss moments (for friends, not myself... of course...)

That, and I saw Gomez live for the first time this year. Cake headlined the concert, and while I love Cake (Chris and the boys make it on the list a little later, I promise), Gomez transcends genre and tastes to just be an all-star rock band. If you haven't picked up their live release, Out West, from early this year... get on it! The only thing better than Gomez on CD is Gomez live. And since these boys don't have any plans for heading back to the states in the next month or so (that I have seen), the live CD is as close are you are going to get.

An Honest Mistake (The Bravery)
Maybe it's because I am a child of the 1970s. I don't really know why, but something about disco-inspired music makes me involuntarily do that Night at the Roxbury thing with my head.

That leading into my favorite "new band", The Bravery. Yes, I know that they'll probably lose luster as fast as the Killers did for me this year (note: the Killers are the only band who didn't make it on this list in 2005 whose show I went to see this year -- it sucked that bad...) But you know what? Sometimes short-lived crushes are totally the most fun.

Sari (Nellie McKay)
Nellie McKay is no stranger on my best of/favorites list (she was on last year's mix too...), and in fact, she's probably my very favorite female artist at the moment. I got her first CD, Get Away From Me, for my birthday last year... and I've been in love ever since. I have had a whole year to memorize all 18 songs on the 2-disc release, and Sari is hands-down my favorite (as well as often representative of my experiences as a 20-something career woman, mother, wife, alternative-girl, liberal, forward-thinking, intellectual, urban dweller.)

In related years, mark your calendars for the first Tuesday of the new year, when Nellie McKay's next CD, Pretty Little Head, hits stores. To quote a certain blonde I know, "I so 'cited, I scream!"

(I Am) What I Am Not (Idlewild)
Idlewild is my "Crikey, what rock have I been living under?" band of 2005. On a whim (and mostly because I'd rather chill with friends than idol worship a big-named band from afar), I scalped my U2 tickets in September and instead dumped the profits into dinner and the Idlewild show at First Ave. Best decision I made all year. Seriously, Idlewild (by the way, another Scottish band... do you sense a theme here?) put on an amazing show, poked some good-natured fun at "the big show going on next store" and rocked the venue. (I Am) What I Am Not is off an older album, but it's the first album I have, and a great tune.

L.S.F. (Kasabian)
Hey, look, another band I was starting to dig on at the end of last year. Except that I haven't heard anything about Kasabian since about May, which I find a little disheartening. Kasabian's music is unclassifiable (in my world), but is a unique sound that makes me want to dance, drink a beer, and scream lyrics in turn. Their self-titled album gets the "Best album to clean house to" stamp from me. The hardest part of putting Kasabian on this list was choosing just one song.

Filthy/Gorgeous (Scissor Sisters)
OK, OK... I promise I'll find entirely new bands to talk about next year. Honestly, Scissor Sisters is another group that seemed to have one hit (Take Your Mama) and disappear. However, one track from their self-titled debut, Filthy/Gorgeous, singlehandedly takes #1 most played on my iTunes. 23 times. Oh, and I just got my play counter working in September. If I want to go out, get pretty, start a party, dance by myself, feel beautiful, or get into mischief, this is my theme song. Take a listen sometime and see if you can stop yourself from dancing.

Everyday I Love You Less and Less (Kaiser Chiefs)
Kaiser Chiefs hit airwaves this spring (can you guess? They jumped the pond... a bunch of football hooligans from Leeds...) and I fell in love. Surprisingly, when they hit First Ave this spring, not nearly as many people were in love with them as I was, and so I was able to treat John to a first-rate rock concert (his first... imagine that, only being 26 and all... OK Go also played this show... double my pleasure, double my fun!). Now, Everyday I Love You Less and Less isn't their big radio hit, but since I've memorized the CD by now, I feel safe saying that it's my favorite (mostly because it's the cheekiest of the lot.) They are touring Japan and Europe this spring -- but when are they getting back into the studio for a new album???

Carbon Monoxide (Cake)
"Too much carbon monoxide for me to bear..." A single wailed line announces the beginning of this overlooked Cake tune. Maybe best known for The Distance, Cake really isn't at all about racing cars, but about just being plain nonconformist. Gotta love that. And gotta love this song about traffic and expensive cars and urban sprawl. Go on with your bad selves, boys. I love ya.

Hell Yes (Beck)
I didn't manage to go see Beck when he was here (John hates him, and there were approximately 286,000 good shows in town over about 12 days in September), but I really love some of the stuff on Guero, his latest album. Especially Hell Yes. It sort of throws back to Where It's At, but it's got more attitude. Anytime I needed a dose of anti-establishment this year, I turned to this song. Bonus: it's got a decent beat, so it also played double duty when I needed bitterly to nail a deadline at work while still feeling sassy. Did I mention there's harmonica? You know how I feel about the harmonica, right?

Dance, Dance (Fall-Out Boy)
Dance, Dance kind of falls into the Dirty Little Secret/All-American Rejects category... but even angrier. Fall-Out Boy is another fabulous thing to hail from Chicago (someone explain why we haven't packed up our house and moved there yet???...), and has enjoyed a healthy explosion of popularity. As long as they don't turn into pyrotechnic fatheads like another very promising punk band (ahem... Green Day...) I'll be a happy girl.

She's Hearing Voices (Bloc Party)
How do I even begin to describe Bloc Party's sound? Hailing from south London, these boys are positively global. I love their sound; it's the stuff I love about music, generally (tight lyrics, driving drums, dancing guitar riffs, a unique lead vocal), fast-forwarded 15 years. Silent Alarm, their first full-length, released this year, has gotten all sort of critical acclaim... and that's gotta mean something. I can't wait til they get to my town. Sigh...

Busting Up A Starbucks (Mike Doughty)
Most of the world probably recognizes Mike Doughty's gravely vocals from his Soul Coughing years. Well, we all know Soul Coughing is no more (and the world a worse place for it, even if inter-band quibbling ate them alive... I need my quirky experimental music, man!), but Doughty's made a decent stab at solo goodness. Mike Doughty is truly one-of-a-kind (and while generally a big fat jerk, he's beautiful...) and I love the tongue-in-cheek Busting Up a Starbucks. So, experimental quirkiness, live on.

Two Sides of the River (Dar Williams)
Dar Williams, a perennial favorite, FINALLY got a new CD out there this fall (giving her what is due, she did get married and have a baby...) and I just love the soulfulness of Two Sides of the River. It reminds me of the fluid and dicey state of relationships (she reflected on this song following her out of New Orleans when she performed in St. Paul this fall.) I could give or take most folk music, but Dar is enchantment to my ears. Did I mention I got to meet her (squeal!) after her show? For the record, she thinks I'm a good mom. Aww...

Such Great Heights (The Postal Service)
Originally, I heard Such Great Heights as an Iron & Wine song... which in and of itself, was pretty fantastic (if not a little downtempo for my tastes). So when I heard The Postal Service's version, I had to remind myself to breathe. Take a beautifully penned love song, throw indie-rock edge at it, and double the tempo. Perhaps the best all-around song of the year. Unmistakable genius. 'Nuff said.

Let There Be Love (Oasis)
How I love to hate Oasis. They are arrogant, self-righteous, quarrelsome brothers and friends (at the best of times, it seems) who I would otherwise detest. But they make music that... well, you know. Sometimes music speaks about things that words cannot. And my sweet lord, the last song on this year's release, Don't Believe the Truth, is exactly what Oasis is best at: beautiful songs about the good stuff I cherish in human nature. Noel and Liam, quarrel on, but don't stop making music. I have a connection with that artist's deep love/deep rift cycle, too.