My Favorite Discs of 2005 - #25-14

This thing is getting more and more cumbersome each year. Anyway, why only give #25-14 now? Because I'm crazy like that. The Top 13 will be out tomorrow. Enjoy. Or skip, because it's not funny. Either way.

25. EMOTIONAL ANIMAL-Dug Pinnick (Magna Carta)
In a year where his full-time band, King's X, puts out their best effort in 5 years, bass player and vocalist Doug (Dug) Pinnick throws together EMOTIONAL ANIMAL, a heavy and soulful offering which draw on Pinnick's vocal strengths and fat, bassy low end upon which he builds the rest of the music. While some of the songwriting is a little on the weak side, Pinnick does redeem with some crunching numbers like "Crashing" and "Change" (complete with a nice slide guitar solo). While King's X might be greater than the sum of its parts, Pinnick shows that its members can still go out on their own and produce something quite viable.

24. ORIGIN VOL. 1-The Soundtrack of Our Lives (Republic)
Sweden's greatest export since ABBA (did I really just type that?) follows up 2002's absolutely brilliant BEHIND THE MUSIC with another collection of songs that channel 60s and 70s psychedelia. And while the overt influences by Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones are harder to distinguish, one listen will really show you how retro-sounding this band is. The 60s-tinged sounds on "Lone Summer Dream" and the dual guitar attack of "Royal Explosion (Part III)" exhibit this as obviously as the spacey "Age of No Reply" and "To Somewhere Else". The straight ahead crunch of "MotherOneTrackMind" makes you wish that TSOOL focused more on dumbing down their rock, especially since their lyrics and vocals won't win any superlative awards, but even though ORIGIN VOL. 1 can't touch BEHIND THE MUSIC, it is still list-worthy.

Previous list appearances: BEHIND THE MUSIC (#2 in 2002)

23. THE BEEKEEPER-Tori Amos (Sony)
Not quite as strong as her recent offerings, THE BEEKEEPER continues Tori's fascination with semi-concept discs, heavily garnished with quirky music and enigmatic lyrics. Less minimalistic and more layered, this disc succeeds mostly when the tunes are more accessible ("Sleeps With Butterflies", "General Joy"), but also hits the mark with some of the more epic-sounding tracks like "Witness", "Marys of the Sea", and the title track. The 70s swagger of "Sweet the Sting" also showcases Amos' trend away from the solo piano pieces and into a realm that emphasizes more of a band. Slightly overlong at 19 tracks, THE BEEKEEPER is far from being a kick-ass Tori Amos record, but given her growth and her complete fearlessness in putting out music on her terms, as well as being buoyed by some occasionally strong writing, it does find itself part of the esteemed 25.

Previous list appearances: FROM THE CHOIRGIRL HOTEL (#11 in 1998), TO VENUS AND BACK (Honorable mention in 1999), STRANGE LITTLE GIRLS (#8 in 2001), SCARLET'S WALK (#4 in 2002)

22. FOREVER HASN'T HAPPENED YET-John Doe (Yep Roc)
The former X-man delivers another nice solo offering with the help of some very talented friends. Among the guest musicians on FOREVER are Grant-Lee Phillips, Kristin Hersh, and the divine Neko Case. All lend guitar and/or vocal help to solid, though not spectacular collection of folky ("Twin Brother"), bluesy ("Heartless") rock tunes. The shuffle of the opening "The Losing Kind" is Doe at his best, but his ability to mesh seamlessly with his guest stars further cements him as one of the more adaptable artists today.

Previous list appearances: DIM STARS, BRIGHT SKY (#16 in 2002)

21. AMBER HEADLIGHTS-Greg Dulli (Infernal)
A brief, nine song, foray into the limbo between old band the Afghan Whigs and current players The Twilight Singers, AMBER HEADLIGHTS seems, at first, like a hastily thrown together collection of Greg Dulli tunes. But a closer listen will reveal a nice meld of the crunchier Whigs tunes ("Cigarettes") with the more soulful, composition-oriented Twilight Singers offerings ("Wicked", "Domani"). Dulli's slightly off-key, gravelly yells and breathy sighs are as charming as ever, and while he sometimes gets overtly poppy ("Golden Boy"), he never lets the disc turn into a mainstream-sounding effort. A nice bridge between his two bands, AMBER HEADLIGHTS is surely setting the table for a productive 2006 for Dulli.

20. WHY SHOULD THE FIRE DIE?-Nickel Creek (Sugarhill)
As the opening notes of the haunting "When In Rome", possibly Nickel Creek's most powerful tune of their young career, greet your ears, there is almost an associated loss of innocence. This brilliant trio of once wunderkinds seems to have gotten away from their bluegrass roots and have delved into more darker pop. This isn't a bad thing, as the superior musicianship and vocal harmonies of guitarist Sean Watkins, violinist Sara Watkins, and mandolin aficionado (and one of the best stringed-instrument players on the planet), Chris Thile are still ever-present. All of the instrumentals ("Scotch and Chocolate", the Union Station-like "Stumptown") here are great, but the other songs, particularly the majestic "Eveline" and the Glen Phillips-influenced "Best of Luck" do not disappoint. Still young, but more mature, Nickel Creek's 3rd disc shows great growth and even more potential.

19. OGRE TONES-King's X (Inside Out)
The last few offerings from this Texas power trio have been a little underwhelming and while this release doesn't quite surpass the band's superior discs, it is a welcome return to heavy rock sprinkled with the usual absurdly good musicianship, soulful vocals of bassist Doug Pinnick and Beatle-esque harmonies courtesy of guitarist Ty Tabor and drummer Jerry Gaskill. And while the rockers are certainly appreciated by fans ("Alone", "Freedom"), the more pensive songs tend to stay with the listener as well ("Hurricane", "Mudd"). As usual, Tabor's guitar heroics are front and center, but this is a very solid album from top to bottom. All of the band's various side projects seem to have finally paid off in a stronger King's X effort.

Previous list appearances: TAPE HEAD (#12 in 1998), PLEASE COME HOME...MR. BULBOUS (#10 IN 2000), LIVE ALL OVER THE PLACE (#2 live album in 2004)

18. SUSPENDED ANIMATION-Fantomas (Ipecac)
Per the norm, it is impossible to categorize or even describe Fantomas, the weird uncle of a band fronted by ex-Faith No More vocalist extraordinaire Mike Patton with members of the Melvins, Mr. Bungle, and Slayer. Their newest release is a strange amalgam of Fantomas' quizzical first release (which, instead of "songs" contained "pages" made up of short musical bursts) and their brilliant, more focused THE DIRECTOR'S CUT. The songs here are brief and broken up into 30 "days", all of which occur in the month of April of 2005. For example, playing right now is "04/03/05 Sunday". The music is frantic and all over the map...speed/death metal and rock peppered with every sound effect imaginable, all played behind Patton's cartoonish yelps and screams. SUSPENDED ANIMATION is not for everyone, but listeners who liked to be challenged by their music every once in awhile ought to give it a try.

Previous list appearances: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT (#3 in 2001)

17. IN YOUR HONOUR-Foo Fighters (RCA)
Dave Grohl has really done a lot in his somewhat brief career. He played drums for Nirvana, fronted a death metal band ("Probot"), has been a musical whore the likes of which haven't been seen since Michael Stipe. But the one thing he keeps going to back to is his band, Foo Fighters. For almost ten years now, Grohl consistently proves to the world that he is a damn good frontman, singer, guitarist, and writer. IN YOUR HONOUR is a bit of a mind-boggling double disc. The primary disc consists of the rockers. Here, Grohl plays it safe and doesn't stray for from the formula that makes the band successful: straight ahead, heavy guitar pop rock, with unyielding melodies and strong vocals. The songs that exemplify this are "No Way Back" and "Free Me" and while it doesn't sound new, the disc ends with a flourish courtesy of "The Deepest Blues Are Black" and the jangly "End Over End". Then, you put in disc two and all formula is tossed out the window. It is a softer, acoustic disc that surprises the listener with its power and ability to both soothe and move. Grohl shows off his songwriting here with such tales as "Still", "Friend Of A Friend", and "Over And Out". He even does a duet with Norah Jones ("Virginia Moon"). The complete daring and ambition of disc two outshines the rocking disc and makes IN YOUR HONOUR a rewarding, if not confounding, listen.

Previous list appearances: THE COLOUR AND THE SHAPE (#2 in 1997), THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE (#5 in 1999), ONE BY ONE (#7 in 2002)

16. FRONT PARLOUR BALLADS-Richard Thompson (Cooking Vinyl)
OK, so it's a bummer of a disc, but it does have the word "ballad" in the title, so what do you expect? Truth be told, folk master Richard Thompson's latest is laden with down-tempo tunes, but his songwriting and virtuoso guitar playing is so top-notch that whatever downer havoc the tunes play on your emotions, it is forgivable. Thompson is melodic as ever here, especially on the sprawling and gorgeous "For Whose Sake" and "Old Thames Side" and the shanty-like "Miss Patsy." His fingerpicked guitar always in the forefront, Thompson wails these ballads with his ever-recognizable British brogue. While RT fanatics and newcomers alike would probably wish for something lighter, any opportunity to hear new Thompson music, even the depressing stuff, is OK by me.

Previous list appearances: THE OLD KIT BAG (#5 in 2003)

15. THE MOUSE AND THE MASK-Danger Doom (Epitaph/Ada)
It's very easy to take the lazy way out and label this collaborative effort by MF Doom and Dangermouse a novelty rap disc, because it is pretty goofy and contains cameos throughout by the casts of various Cartoon Network Adult Swim shows like "Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast" and "Aqua Team Hunger Force". But to do so would really be denying a great, fun rap disc that brilliantly showcases Doom's rapid-fire rhymes ("El Chupa Nibre", "A.T.H.F.") and Dangermouse's amazing beats, combining jazz with groove and horns with strings. This tag team works wonderfully and seamlessly, especially when you factor in Doom's gift of rhyme and meter. Surely one of the better rappers and writers today, Doom excels and punctuation while Danger lays the perfect sonic backdrop. It doesn't have to be gangsta to be good, and THE MOUSE AND THE MASK more than proves it.

14. 29-Ryan Adams (Lost Highway)
To say this is the weakest of the Ryan Adams troika to come out this year certainly isn't to say this is a weak release. It's just...different. Just as melancholy and piano-driven as the aforementioned JACKSONVILLE CITY NIGHTS, yet still dissimilar, 29 channels Nick Drake while still being unmistakably Ryan Adams. The honkytonk twang of the opening title track is a cruel tease as nothing else other than the truly odd "The Sadness" approaches non-balladville. But Adams is still a master songwriter in every degree: from musicianship to lyrics, to vocals, a note is never wasted and too much or too little is ever played. The piano ballad "Night Birds" sprawls gloriously and elicits chills while the folky irony of "Strawberry Wine" goes to show that after 4 discs (if you count the double COLD ROSES as two), Ryan is still so prolific to have plenty left in the tank to round out the year.