   |
1
Funeral
Arcade Fire In the year when leftfield pop finally became big again, the finest album of the bunch turned out to be the one with the greatest sense of scope. Couple-centred Canadian collective The Arcade Fire had begun being trumpeted as autumn set in last year, but by this Christmas they were also being violined, grand piano'd, and really chuffing enormous drummed to the rafters, due partly to several messianic gigs but mostly because of an album that quite simply remapped what epic indie is capable of. 'Funeral' is a wildly orchestral and shatteringly melodic odyssey that knocked many more established beatific combos into a magical cocked hat and, almost a year after its full release, continues to unveil new surprises with each exposure. In all honesty, and with some inevitability, it buried the opposition. PlayLouder said: "These tales of family ties, family loss, deep memory, time-travel, catastrophe, astral flight and the 'escape' gene will shatter your heart one second; swell it with bravery and pride the next." |
 |
2
I am a bird Now
Antony & The Johnsons For such a conspicuous individual, hailing, as we all know in the wake of the Mercury, from Chichester-via-New York, Antony Hegarty's breakthrough album didn't half pose two remarkable questions: namely, where on earth did that voice come from and how the hell did he keep it hidden away for so long? Still, he's blasted his way out of bohemian circles now, aided by an all-star cast but doing so in a peculiarly uncompromising fashion, making timeless, unforgettably piano-soaked music steeped in gorgeousness and bleeding with confused honesty. Several records this year broke our hearts for all the wrong reasons, but when 'I Am A Bird Now' takes full flight it does so with overwhelming rightness, exceptional drama, and all the romance you could ever demand. Not quite '05's winner here, but never short of being a triumph. PlayLouder said: "When I got hold of this record I considered quitting my job so I could spend more time at home alone with it." |
 |
3
Bang Bang Rock & Roll
Art Brut By the end of the year much had happened to Art Brut. They lost their guitarist Chris Chinchilla and replaced him with Art Goblin's Jasper Future. They had numerous dust ups including one memorable one with Bloc Party. They became superstars, not in Britain but in Germany, though sadly that appearance on TOTP still eludes them. Most importantly they made 'Bang Bang Rock & Roll' which against expectation joins a pantheon of classic indie debut albums. It's the funniest, sweetest, most honest album of 2005 and thoroughly deserves its position in PlayLouder's end of year poll. PlayLouder said: "It's the most original independent album in years... 'Bang Bang Rock & Roll' is as clear as crystal a piece of untainted genius." |
 |
4
Wind in the Wires
Patrick Wolf Arguably one of the greatest young musical talents in Britain today, Patrick Wolf wowed PlayLouder with his second album back in the dark days of February. The tale of his escape from troubled times in the capital that marked much of debut album 'Lycanthropy', 'Wind In The Wires' was an ode to the creative juices being unleashed by a good bit of fresh sea air. Patrick's skill on a multitude of instruments was deftly employed on songs of pastoral evocation and arrival at some kind of self-awareness far from the laptop precocity of his debut. And judging from just one new song we heard at his last gig of 2005, next year could be the moment when the rest of the world finally wakes up to just how good this young man is. PlayLouder said: "While he may be "singing to be free", you can't help but feel that through the writing, conception and birth of 'Wind in the Wires' Patrick Wolf has found security, a new home." |
 |
5
You Could Have It So Much Better
Franz Ferdinand Well do you, do you, do you want you? Of course you do. Alex Kapranos and his arch(duke) chums eclipsed even their own high standards with a record so dangerously infectious it should have come with a health warning. Not since Suede's 'Coming Up' had an alternative album by a British band featured so many potential bona fide singles, and while so many of their contemporaries floundered, Franz Ferdinand fever gripped planet earth with more tenacity than they managed last time around. Some feat. PlayLouder said: "I'm contractually obliged to mention that if you didn't actually like the cold, arch, clipped art pop of the debut, then don't buy this because you're probably not going to like it; just get back to your Status Quo records, you tin eared muppet..." |
 | |
| 1-5 | |
| 1 | Arcade Fire |
| 2 | Antony & The Johnsons |
| 3 | Art Brut |
| 4 | Patrick Wolf |
| 5 | Franz Ferdinand |
| 6-10 | |
| 6 | The White Stripes |
| 7 | M.I.A. |
| 8 | Sufjan Stevens |
| 9 | Gorillaz |
| 10 | Circulus |
| 11-15 | |
| 11 | clor |
| 12 | Editors |
| 13 | Ladytron |
| 14 | Adam Green |
| 15 | The Broken Family Band |
| 16-20 | |
| 16 | The Bloodhound Gang |
| 17 | Sigur Ros |
| 18 | Goldfrapp |
| 19 | The Mars Volta |
| 20 | System Of A Down |
| 21-25 | |
| 21 | Smog |
| 22 | Elbow |
| 23 | The Darkness |
| 24 | Bloc Party |
| 25 | Devendra Banhart |
| 26-30 | |
| 26 | Arab Strap |
| 27 | Weird War |
| 28 | British Sea Power |
| 29 | Buck 65 |
| 30 | Queens Of The Stone Age |
| 31-35 | |
| 31 | Vitalic |
| 32 | Broadcast |
| 33 | Brakes |
| 34 | Kaiser Chiefs |
| 35 | Rammstein |
| 36-40 | |
| 36 | Animal Collective |
| 37 | Rufus Wainwright |
| 38 | Kate Bush |
| 39 | Depeche Mode |
| 40 | General Patton vs the X-Ecutioners |
| 41-45 | |
| 41 | Jose Gonzalez |
| 42 | The Rakes |
| 43 | The Fall |
| 44 | Roots Manuva |
| 45 | Malcolm Middleton |
| 46-50 | |
| 46 | Nine Inch Nails |
| 47 | 65daysofstatic |
| 48 | System Of A Down |
| 49 | lightning bolt |
| 50 | Black Mountain |
 | |
|
Nelly Furtado Loose |
|
Camera Obscura Let's Get Out Of This Country |
|
Final Fantasy He Poos Clouds | |
|
Sonic Youth Rather Ripped | |
|
Paul Simon Surprise | |
 | |
