The best of 2005?

My brother in law tends to call me and ask if I've bought any new music lately. Taking me off guard, this question usually leaves me speechless. Usually, I can't really remember the CD I bought (or, reluctantly admitting got off the net) a month ago, or even if I saw something interesting yesterday. It just doesn't come to me like that. Yesterday though, I figured I'd get in advance of the next question. And since the last year has been somewhat of a musical drought, I kinda ended up making a “best of 2005” list. It's really short. Surprisingly short, but the more manageable. Maybe it's not so much a “best of list” as a way to remember 2005. Some songs are representative of a CD, or larger sample of music, some are new of 2005. Some are just new to me. The list consists of 9 songs and is as follows (in alphabetic order, by whatever comes first in the entry on my player):

• Fiona Apple: “Extraordinary Machine”. This song is on the album with the same name, that was not released after the relative success of “Tidal” and “When the Pawn...” because Sony music didn't think it had commercial potential or something. When they finally did, everyone who was interested had already got it on BitTorrent. Anyways, nice album, even if someone might send the straight-police after me.


• Johnny Cash: “Folsom Prison Blues” etc. This is just one of many songs of JC that has come to my attention this year. As Ron, the country music oracle, says, this is just of course due to his death being commercialized. And who can blame them – lots of classics in his discography. Even his CD with cover versions are good, some times better: Will Oldham's (aka Bonnie “Prince” Billie) “I see a Darkness” is better with JC, and Nick Cave's “Mercy seat” is very also good, and by far easier to catch the lyrics of... Perhaps Johnny was less under influence during the recording. Anyways, with Johnny Cash I could make another Best Of with “Cry! Cry! Cry!”, “Hey Porter”, “Hurt”, “I Hung My Head”, “I walk the Line”, “I've been everywhere”, “Man in Black”, “One Piece at the time”, “Ring of Fire”, “The Beast in me”, “The man who couldn't cry”. But I guess that's been done before.


• Green Day: “Extraordinary Girl”. Perhaps the most played band on Norwegian radio 2005? Haven't really listened to Green Day since “Basket Case”.


• Madruguada: “Slow Builder”. Just one of the songs of a brilliant album, “The Deep End”, from Norway's best.


• Mickey3d: “Respire”. Very cool, and French, in a rather weird genre. This is like the sound track of sustainable development, save the world, don't fight, be nice.


• Nick Cave: “Nature Boy”. Another song with a rather depressive contents, which Nick manages to make into some sort of tribute to a beautiful woman. I turned on the TV and “saw some ordinary slaughter, some routine atrocity” - but beauty is gonna save the world, and she moves among the shadows and she floats upon the breeze and she moves something deep inside of me.


• Ryan Adams: “Easy Plateau”. Ryan Adams made something like 3 albums in 2005. He's very productive, but sounds so tired. “I just want an easy plateau, somewhere I can rest.” Hey, relax a little Ryan, stay off the cigarettes and the dope for a couple of days... I guess he's a bit troubled...


• System of a Down: “Radio Video”. Fun song from a fun album. The kind of music that makes me spend a little less time running around Sognsvann in Oslo. The album is very schizophrenic, so the running pattern goes into some kind of interval training with this album on your ear.


• Tori Amos: “General Joy”. This is actually a very disappointing album from an extraordinary girl (woman, just couldn't help myself). 18 songs, that just don't distinguish themselves to me. The DVD that comes with this album is perhaps the most cheesy display of American cheesiness. It makes me want to puke. Anyways, it got on the list, because Tori Amos is after all a significant artist, that I've listened to a lot, although not that much in 2005. But hey, the album is OK, but it's kinda sad that there's nothing remarkable about it, if you don't count that DVD, the huge amount of songs and the rather cool cover (although unstandardized in shape :( )