katy bar the door…it’s:

ryan’s top 5 favorite albums of 2005

1. coldplay - x & y [it's coldplay...i waited three whole years for this album...was it a letdown? possibly...but topping "a rush of blood to the head" and "parachutes" is a tall order for anyone...even mr. paltrow himself]
2. sufjan stevens - illinois ["michigan" and "seven swans" were better albums on the whole but "illinois" will bide the time nicely until sufjan finds his way to ohio]
3. david crowder band - a collision [so he stole a few ideas (and even a song) from the aforementioned mr. stevens...even still, he's ten times more original than any other "christian worship band" out there...but i guess that isn't too much of a feat these days...a fantastic album regardless]
4. death cab for cutie - plans [the big question of 2005: did death cab sell out? the answer: who cares as long as ben gibbard still writes beautiful music...and yup...he still does]
5. nada surf - the weight is a gift [it's hard to imagine that these are the same three guys that wrote a song i headbanged to in junior high...but our musical paths have reconvened nearly 10 years later and i for one am hooked...it's indie pop at it's finest]

criteria: must be released in 2005 and played continuously in my car for longer than two weeks…

notable mention (in alphabetical order, naturally):

• anberlin - never take friendship personal
• beck - guero
• ben folds - songs for silverman
• copeland - in motion
• denison witmer - are you a dreamer?
• discover america - psychology
• doves - some cities
• elbow - leaders of the free world
• sigur ros - takk
• strada - you have nothing to fear

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i do occasionally post at another site that many of you may or may not find somewhat interesting…let’s just call it the “relevant version of my virtual self”…plus what could be better than a double dose of yours truly?…

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may you and yours find peace, warmth, and great deals at target this holiday season…

######Note: This post is from a very old Xanga blog of mine. A very, very old blog. In fact, it’s practically a museum. Be sure not to touch any old references or links. You won’t break them, they are most certainly already broken.