2005: A Year In Music

A retrospective on one of the most important years in music.

Hurricane Katrina wipes out New Orleans, Pope John Paul the second’s dies and Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory was rebooted. Although 2005 was plagued with these tragic events, there was some light in the form of some game-changing entertainment, and I’m not just referring to the fact that Madonna STILL had a music career. What follows is a list of artists and albums who helped to not only make 2005 a bit less dire but made a direct impact on music in one way or another, some of which are still apparent in music nowadays.

Bloc Party – Silent Alarm

An album that has been argued as being one of the best of the noughties, let alone 2005, Silent Alarm came out of nowhere to take the music world by storm. Although other indie rock artists such as Kaiser Chiefs were releasing music that year, their album being the vastly popular Employment, no other artist could make the same dent as Bloc Party did. Evoking global and political woes at the time such as the Iraq War (Pioneers) and the rise in price of oil (Price of Gas), Silent Alarm is a true testament to the power music has. Even now, a full decade after the album was released, Silent Alarm’s messages are more relevant than ever and manages to showcase not only Bloc Party’s excellent lyrics but also their tight music writing that manages to show off its energy while still keeping its head afloat to deliver its message.

Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have It So Much Better

Remember how I said no other indie rock artist could make a dent on the amazing Silent Alarm? Well that wasn’t exactly true. 2005 was a tremendous year as it provided a surge in growth of indie rock and one of the most prominent figures of this genre even to this day are Franz Ferdinand. Politics at this time were shady: Tony Blair had just won his third election and the public were furious after he had led the country to war out of pure greed. This could arguably be the catalyst for this growth as shown by the Glaswegian rockers second album, the follow up to their eponymously titled debut. The song You’re The Reason I’m Leaving is an excellent example of the political worries at the time, serving as a tongue in cheek song about PM Tony Blair and the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time Gordon Brown. “I’d no idea that in 4 years I’d be hanging from a beam behind the door of number ten.” The album overflows with crunchy guitars and catchy hooks that really show that you can have it so much better than your debut.
Kanye West – Late Registration

Along with indie rock, RnB was in full bloom. New artists were invading the stage, most notably Dr Dre protégé 50 Cent and contender for the title of queen of pop Rihanna. However, one loud-mouth self-titled genius with the ego the size of Jupiter was cementing on the success of his critically acclaimed debut with his sophmore release. The genius in question is none other than Kanye West and he did not disappoint. Regarded by many as a modern day classic, Late Registration features a tracklist that would make a Hollywood blockbuster go green with envy. Although there were pop hits like Touch The Sky and Gold Digger, which isn't surprising with West’s history in music production, but there were also thought provoking tracks. Album opener Heard Em Say is one of these songs, discussing the subject of being honest with yourself in a world that’s corrupt with lies. This release made way for Kanye’s heated rants that would be a notable theme in follow up albums Graduation, 808’s & Heartbreaks and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

Fall Out Boy – From Under The Cork Tree

Musical fallacy seems like an appropriate term to use when describing Fall Out Boy's sophmore album. With all the tragic events that happened in 2005, it seemed inevitable that a genre such as emo music (style of rock music characterized by expressive, often confessional, lyrics ) would grow in popularity. Fall Out Boy were without a doubt one of the most prominent bands in the mid 2000's, it was almost impossible to find a teen magazine that wasn't covered in pictures of Pete Wentz. Their music was bipolar in nature and From Under The Cork Tree was no different. It was immensely popular with younger people due to their lyrical content that would have you kicking with teenage angst one minute, the next crying with despair over romantic woes. Lyricist and bassist Pete Wentz, in an interview that was as dark as his eye-liner, said “the lyrics are about the anxiety and depression that go along with looking at your own life” which is a universal theme regardless of age. To this day their sound still has an effect just like blink-182 did and bands like Neck Deep owe a lot to Fall Out Boy for making their style of sound more accessible to the general public.

Gorillaz – Demon Days

Thinking about this album has me feeling pretty old. Not only because it came out ten years ago but also because it was the first album I bought with my own money. I can still remember going to Asda and seeing the cartoon members of the fictional band adorning the cover, playing on my love of Saturday morning television that made up a large chunk of my childhood. What I heard though was exactly what I was expecting yet I was still surprised by what I heard. I can still remember the first time I heard Kids With Guns which gave me the image of a apocalyptic world where the playground has no barriers or rules, something that at the time both amused and frightened me. The maniacal laughing that's fundamental to the track Feel Good Inc will never leave my mind for as long as I live, as will every element of that track and this album. It's undeniably one of the most important albums I've ever listened to and with the recently confirmed new album in production, Gorillaz are now more relevant than ever.

I know I've missed out a lot of classics such as Danger Doom's The Mouse and The Mask as well as LCD Soundsystem's eponymous album but I didn't want to bore the lot of you with my constant droning about how much I love each individual album. If there's any albums you think deserve to be on this list then drop me a tweet @blinkclyro and I'll be back next Saturday with some more youthful ramblings.