a u t o p i a

Part 8: Top 20 Albums of 2005

The Top 20 Albums of 2005!

#20. The Decemberists - Picaresque

#19. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois

#18. Eskimohunter - Musical Snowglobe Machine

#17. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl

#16. M.I.A. - Arular

#15. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema

#14. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary

#13. Animal Collective - Feels

#12. Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase

#11. Jackson & His Computer Band - Smash

#10. Ladytron - Witching Hour

#9. Mazarin - We're Already There

#8. Broadcast - Tender Buttons

#7. Serena Maneesh - Self-Titled

#6. Caribou - The Milk of Human Kindness

#5. Stephen Malkmus - Face the Truth

#4. The Clientele - Strange Geometry

#3. Sleater Kinney - The Woods

#2. Deerhoof - The Runners Four

#1. Doves - Some Cities

In the past I’ve always glanced over Lost Souls and The Last Broadcast as decent yet strong albums.  And to be honest Doves have always seemed to straddle the line between Shoegaze and Britpop without committing to either side or attempting to make a statement. The task of trying to build a sound that simply brings out the best in both genres is nice, safe, and just okay, but not as convincing or rewarding as taking a risk with new ideas while maintaining your musical personality in every song.

Fortunately, Doves Made album #3 their perfect record that cuts and swerves through all genres while at the same time sounding completely fresh. The only band that came close to making a sonic leap from their last record in this fashion while still sounding ”new” was Deerhoof. It was close and both bands made incredible albums garnering new fans and blowing the minds of longtime followers.

Doves recorded an album that doesn’t owe so much to The Flaming Lips, Slowdive, and Joe Jackson as they do to themselves. They’ve always been masterful at creating mood and soothing melodies, but Some Cities is edgier, catchy, and mesmerizing all the way through. No album this year is this consistent and uplifting while sounding like they’ve stumbled into new pop territory. There’s also a nice balance between sound manipulation and instrumental arrangements, see “One of these Days”. Doves consistently introduce new sounds without relying on specific effects, studio trickery, or some tired 80’s trend. Tracks like “Snowden”, “The Storm”, and “Black and White Town” are so perfectly different, unique, and even accessible. Not that accessibility is the best quality in a song but even The Beatles still appeal to kids and adults all over the world. This is one of the few albums I can still listen to all the way through since it’s early 2005 release and still feel excited about what this band has in store for us.

Part 7: The Best Record Store & Best Festival

Best Record Store: Amoeba

This place is mega-good because they have mega-everything. They completely obliterated the once essential Aron’s by carrying tons of good vinyl, hard-to-find music, and bringing in weekly performances from touring bands. I call it “The Home Depot of music”. Hell yes you can quote me.

Best Festival: Arthur Fest

Olivia Tremor Control, Cat Power, Sonic Youth, Sleater Kinney, and Yoko Ono…!!! And there’s more? How these folks got hold of such a stellar lineup is beyond me. The place had such a great vibe, a relaxed environment, and security was hassle-free, the way it should be. Next year please give Kevin Shields a call, and don’t forget the MALO taco stand.

Part 6: Best & Worst in Radio

Tomorrow wraps up our "Best of.." lists, including the top 20 albums of 2005. There are still a couple of great gigs to attend before the year is up, check our listings.

Best Radio Station in Los Angeles: KCRW

KCRW has such a great variety of DJs who aren’t afraid to play whatever they want. They also bring in the indies, unsigned artists, and majors for live studio performances & interviews with video footage. I love this station.

Most Overrated Radio Station: Indie 103.1

Okay I get it, you guys love The Ramones, The Clash and The White Stripes. I do too, but that’s all you seem to play everytime I try and listen to your station. I thought this was supposed to be a valid and exciting alternative to the mediocre KROQ? Remind me again how spinning punk bands and jock-rock-emo all day and night is “indie”.

"You have much to learn young padouin." - Ben Kenobi

Best Online Radio: Little Radio

DIY with great musical taste. Listen for yourself and you’ll be amazed, I promise.

Best Radio Show: Gary Calamar, The Open Road – KCRW

I’ve heard this guy play Steely Dan, Brian Eno, Olivia Tremor Control, and The Beach Boys all in a row, and that’s a normal night for Mr.Calamar. Dragnet was a close runner up and deserves some serious attention as well for focusing on seminal rock/indie bands of the 70's through the 90's. Gary Calamar consistently plays great music and mixes the experimental with the classic.

Part 5: The Top 10 Gigs of 2005

The Top 10 Gigs of 2005:

1. Shellac & Autolux: The Echo

It was nice to see the hustle and bustle of daytime EchoPark packed with families walking the sidewalks together. I have never experienced that area during the daytime. We’re so used to parking on darkened streets nervously walking to the club with our keys clinched ready for battle. But on this bright sunny afternoon two incredible bands played twice in one day and everyone seemed happy to be together sharing the sweaty-cramped space of The Echo.

Shellac and Autolux rocked for the fans and they played harder and crazier than ever. The crowd was eager but still maintaining their cool, everyone’s hanging around making new friends while reminiscing about their favorite Shellac/Autolux moments. Todd Trainer is the scariest looking guy and hardest hitting drummer I’ve ever seen. And Autolux are the world’s best example of how a band can sound organic, fucked-up, and serene all at once. They are the most progressive rock band in the world right now. I felt lucky to be there.

2. Doves:  House of Blues/Anaheim

3. Caribou & Brad Laner: Spaceland

4. Dinosaur Jr: Spaceland

5. Deerhoof: The Echo

6. Broadcast: The Troubadour

7. Phillip Roebuck: The Echo

8. Eskimohunter & Marjorie Fair: The Silverlake Lounge

9. Broken Social Scene: The Henry Fonda Theatre

10. Dead Meadow: The Echo

Part 4: Best Bartenders, Best Residency, Most Overlooked L.A. Band

Best Bartenders & Staff: Spaceland

-They are all so nice and bust their asses when it’s crowded. I’d throw a Christmas Party just for them.

Best Residency of 2005: Eskimohunter - Wednesdays in March at KING KING (The Fold).

-Amazing live sound! They mix old flavors of late eighties noise-pop with futuristic laptop rhythms and samples. They also brought out some of L.A.'s best bands as openers (Marjorie Fair, Let's Go Sailing, The Lassie Foundation, Antarcticans....) and really cute girls at every show. What else could you ask for?

Most Overlooked Band in Los Angeles: The Temporary Thing

-Reminiscent of Belle & Sebastian but more rough around the edges. The Temporary Thing write great pop songs while maintaining an edgy and more believable delivery. Better than 90% of all bands in this fair town of ours.

Part 3: Best and Worst All-Around Venue

Best All-Around Venue: Henry Fonda Theatre

-Plenty of space, good sound, parking, lots of bars, and nice people. If it weren’t for The Fonda we’d have to go to the El Rey and pay $7 for a beer.

Worst All-Around Venue: The Viper Room

-Why do I even attempt the visit? Well here’s why you shouldn’t go: 10 dollar parking, attitude, and plenty of pretentious mofos. I can remember the days when the west side was filled with great bands playing every week at The Roxy & The Whiskey a Go Go, and parking was cheap! Now the streets are filled with Guitar Center rejects and Ashlee Simpson look-alikes. I’ve come to believe that The Viper Room is the place people go to get a job when their rock-star, pseudo-success has expired. The problem is they take it out on you. Need a drink? Plan on waiting while the bartender stands right in front of you and chats it up with one of his “bros” for ten minutes. I’m sorry the band thing never took off. In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary the word “bartender” means you serve drinks. I’d rather hang out at the DMV.

Part 2: Best & Worst Sounding Venue

Best Sounding Venue: The Echo

Every band that I've seen there sounds massive with each instrument perfectly mixed to make the entire sound unified and warm. It’s also very loud, but in a comforting way. I get more excited to see a band if they're booked at The Echo.

Worst Sounding Venue: The Knitting Factory, Main Room

I stood right in front at this Broadcast gig when it first opened and it actually sounded good. Unfortunately that was it and many sad returns followed. Poor mixing led to bands shaking their heads afterwards saying "why does it sound like shit in here?" I wish I knew.

So, If you like to stand in one place all night, and that means right in front in that particular spot, then you're probably really young and do calf exercises every day. And one more thing. It's probably not a good idea to have a low-end, bass blasting, hip-hop show in the alterknit lounge and a touring band playing at the same time in the main room, wtf?

Part 1: 2005's ultimate mixtape

Serena Maneesh: “Drain Cosmetics”

M.I.A.: “10 Dollar”

Broadcast:  “Goodbye Girls”

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: “In This Home on Ice”

Doves: “Black and White Town”

LOW: “Monkey”

Dungen: “Festival”

Deerhoof: “Scream Team”

New Pornographers:  “The Bones of an Idol”

The Clientele:  “Since K got over me”

Giant Drag:  “Kevin is Gay”

Stephen Malkmus:  “Pencil Rot”

The Fiery Furnaces:  “Duffer St. George”

Ladytron: “Sugar”

Caribou:  “Yeti”

The Year in Review 2005

We've only been doing this site since September 28th, but that doesn't mean we haven't been critical of every gig, release, and newsworthy item.  So far we've had thousands over the past three months and keep getting' props from people all over the country, thank you! We'd love to post our photos so you can see who we all really are, but wouldn't that just spoil it? You guys/gals rule.

We're not finished yet! There are 12 working days left until 2006. "The Year in Review 2005" is beginning today, piece by piece.

1. We'll still have news and a few more live shows to cover.

2. Most of the music being released during the end of the year is terrible and not even worth reviewing.

3. January is jam-packed full of new releases, we can't wait either.

4.  And one more thing, we're movin' on up to a "real" website in 2006. Sorry Blog-land we still love you, but baby needs a new pair of shoes.

Here we go!