impossibly geeky: The Top 68 Albums of 2005

OK kids: as per last year, it's not just my top 10, it's all the albums from 2005 I heard, ranked in roughly preferential order (obviously, the lower it gets, the shakier the rankings are). Scarily, I have apparently written about every one of these in the last year.

As a reminder to myself/preview of things to come: 2006 stuff I've been listening to includes the Arctic Monkeys, Fiery Furnaces, Bishop Allen's February EP, Sparks, and the Flaming Lips. And I still need to write about Cat Power. Older recent listening includes Bishop Allen's Charm School and MBV's Loveless. Another time.

PRO
1. Kanye West, LATE REGISTRATION
2. Franz Ferdinand, YOU COULD HAVE IT SO MUCH BETTER
3. Brendan Benson, THE ALTERNATIVE TO LOVE
4. Stars, SET YOURSELF ON FIRE
5. Saint Etienne, TALES FROM TURNPIKE HOUSE
6. Josh Rouse, NASHVILLE
7. M. Ward, TRANSISTOR RADIO

Pro
8. Sufjan Stevens, ILLINOISE
9. Venetian Snares, ROSSZ CSILLAG ALLAT SZULETETT
10. Sleater-Kinney, THE WOODS
11. Bloc Party, SILENT ALARM
12. The Cribs, THE CRIBS
13. Brakes, GIVE BLOOD
14. Eels, BLINKING LIGHTS & OTHER REVELATIONS
15. The National, ALLIGATOR
16. The Fiery Furnaces, EP
17. The Game, THE DOCUMENTARY
18. Slim Thug, ALREADY PLATINUM
19. Oranger, NEW COMES AND GOES
20. LCD Soundsystem, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
21. Metric, LIVE IT OUT
22. Roisin Murphy, RUBY BLUE
23. Matias Aguayo, ARE YOU REALLY LOST?
24. Coldplay, X&Y

Mixed
25. Spoon, GIMME FICTION
26. The White Stripes, GET BEHIND ME SATAN
27. The Tears, HERE COME THE TEARS
28. My Morning Jacket, Z
29. Teenage Fanclub, MAN-MADE
30. Stereo Total, DO THE BAMBI
31. Bodies Without Organs, PROTOTYPE
32. Clem Snide, THE END OF LOVE
33. Hanne Hukkelberg, LITTLE THINGS
34. Doves, SOME CITIES
35. De Novo Dahl, CATS & KITTENS
36. Architecture In Helsinki, IN CASE WE DIE
37. Richard Hawley, COLES CORNER
38. Graham Coxon, HAPPINESS IN MAGAZINES
39. Aqueduct, I SOLD GOLD
40. Portastatic, BRIGHT IDEAS
41. The Decemberists, PICARESQUE
42. The Clientele, STRANGE GEOMETRY
43. Bright Eyes, DIGITAL ASH IN A DIGITAL URN
44. Bright Eyes, I'M WIDE AWAKE IT'S MORNING
45. Beck, GUERO
46. Mercury Rev, THE SECRET MIGRATION
47. Lemon Jelly, '64-'95
48. The Cardigans, SUPER EXTRA GRAVITY
49. The Go-Betweens, OCEANS APART

Con
50. Busdriver, FEAR OF A BLACK TANGENT
51. Babyshambles, DOWN IN ALBION
52. John Davis, JOHN DAVIS
53. Vitalic, OK COWBOY
54. Okkervil River, BLACK SHEEP BOY
55. Crooked Fingers, DIGNITY & SHAME
56. Daft Punk, HUMAN AFTER ALL
57. 13 & God, 13 & GOD
58. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH
59. Antony & The Johnsons, I AM A BIRD NOW
60. Aimee Mann, THE FORGOTTEN ARM
61. Montag, ALONE, NOT ALONE
62. ...and you will know us by the trail of dead, WORLDS APART
63. The Dandy Warhols, ODDITORIUM OR WARLORDS OF MARS
64. Big Star, IN SPACE
65. Jamie Lidell, MULTIPLY
66. M.I.A., ARULAR
67. Out Hud, LET US NEVER SPEAK OF IT AGAIN
68. Radar Bros., THE FALLEN LEAF PAGES