In keeping with
tradition, I present the
borborygmus track list for 2005!
1.
Winter In The Hamptons Josh Rouse from
Nashville2.
Something Less Than Something MoreCaitlin Cary/Thad Cockrell from
Begonias3.
OxygenWilly Mason from
Where the Humans Eat4.
The One You LoveRufus Wainwright from
Want Two5.
Black RoadRichmond Fontaine from
The Fitzgerald6.
Devils & DustBruce Springsteen from
Devils & Dust7.
Secret MeetingThe National from
Alligator8.
I Burn Today Frank Black from
Honeycomb9.
Trains Ryan Adams & The Cardinals from
Jacksonville City Nights10.
Bloody Mother F***ing A**hole Martha Wainwright from
Martha Wainwright11.
How to be Invisible Kate Bush from
Aerial12.
Lua Bright Eyes from
I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning13.
Sometimes Abigail Washburn from
Song of the Traveling Daughter14.
John Wayne Gacy, Jr. Sufjan Stevens from
Illinoise15.
He Lays in the Reins Iron & Wine/Calexico from
In the Reins16.
Top of the World Patty Griffin from
Impossible Dream17.
Sing Me Spanish Techno The New Pornographers from
Twin Cinema18.
When in Rome Nickel Creek from
Why Should the Fire Die?19.
Good Hearted Man Tift Merritt from
Tambourine20.
Dusk: A Peach in the Orchard Eels from
Blinking Lights and Other RevelationsAs before, tracks chosen from releases in 2005, or releases from 2004 which did not hit my radar until 2005.
When I first started thinking about this year's selection, I predicted a difficult choice from a shallow year. Turns out I was completely wrong. I probably bought about 50 albums this year. Not that this was profligate spending; I discovered
e-music.com, and a chap who was selling a bunch of stuff on e-bay which fit my taste. Amazon and
CD-WOW! finished me off, but overall I spent modestly.
So, to the justification for this year's list.
Nashville was probably my favourite album of the year
(as predicted?). Pop music, but with alt country sensibilities and huge strong melodic content. Caitlin Cary was in the sublime Whiskeytown with Ryan Adams. Here, she successfully takes on the Emmylou to Thad Cockrell's Gram in a country record. Willy Mason was delightfully li-fi and basic.
Ah, the boy Rufus, my discovery in the first half of the year. It all started with seeing him play
I Don't Know What It Is (from
Want One) on some TV program. Strong songs! Slightly too OTT in concert, but endearingly so. Richmond Fontaine followed up last years triumph
Post to Wire with a low key record which might have been a Willy Vlautin solo effort until you listen closely. Springsteen can do no wrong, really. I wanted to finish off this compilation with the 30th anniversary edition of
Born to Run, but no room.
Alligator was a grower. I heard this Frank Black track on a couple of magazine cover discs, and fell for it. Yes, it's that man from alt rawk band The Pixies, this time with sessioneers Steve Cropper, Spooner Oldham et al. Ryan Adams released three albums this year, one a double. Probably would have made one helluva special record if you took the best tracks from all three.
The boy's sister Martha, turns out wonderful debut record, was delicious in concert, and writes profanity-laden paean to her father. Kate Bush reappears, sings about the number PI and sex disguised as a washing machine. Bright Eyes's Conor Oberst is obviously extremely talented, but released one too many records in 2005. Still,
I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning was a firm favorite early in the year.
Abigail Washburn was someone I stumbled over - voice, banjo and Chinese overtones. Sufjan (how
do you pronounce that?) produced this year's sit down and listen record, like last year's
SMiLE. Quite brilliant, but not casually. I have liked Calexico, and I have liked Iron & Wine - found out I liked them both together too.
Patty Griffin - you may know this song as covered by the Dixie Chicks. Criminally underrated songwriter and singer, broad palette. Memorably great set at Glastonbury, seemingly attended only by me, Steve Earle and Steve's new fiance. I was turned on to the New Pornographers because it was a suggested gig, so I bought the record as research. Turns out the record was brilliant, the gig so-so. Third record from Nickel Creek sees them moving on from Alison Krauss production to a new kind of contemporary, progressive bluegrass.
Tift Merritt - country soul. Final track is a snippet from the Eels album, a double 33 tracker of eclectic beautiful music which I have not had time to fully appreciate yet. Chosen because it was short enough to fit, and features an
autoharp (which, let's face it, needs more credibility than just me playing one).
Finally, some that didn't make it: I tried, I tried really hard, but just did not get the Arcade Fire's
Funeral, the critics' darling. Neil Young's
Prairie Wind was supposedly
this year's Harvest - next year Neil, try
this year's Zuma, please. Also didn't have room for pop bands Rilo Kiley and the Magic Numbers, although they were good. Older records discovered this year include Beth Orton's
Trailer Park, Jimmy Webb's
Archive and Big Star.
