The 10 Best Jazz Albums of 2005
Jump back 20 years, listen to the best jazz albums of 2005, and hear the state of the art. It was an era of brilliant veterans and bold, new innovators.
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Jump back 20 years, listen to the best jazz albums of 2005, and hear the state of the art. It was an era of brilliant veterans and bold, new innovators.
Given Jason Isbell’s track record as a songwriter, it’s no surprise that a completely stripped-down album turns out to be one of his best.
Flora Hibberd’s sonorous voice immediately grabs your attention, which imbues these tapestry-like songs with depth and an ineffable grandeur.
Influential Meters bassist George Porter Jr. delivers a groovy instrumental LP with his Runnin’ Pardners, based on jams from their weekly residency in New Orleans.
With its homespun folk tunes, Clara Mann’s Rift is like a tête-à-tête between close friends under a crepuscular sky that leaves you listening to every word with the utmost attention.
The Tubs’ Cotton Crown deals with darker themes about love, loss, and failure despite their penchant for sunny jangle pop sounds.
The central theme of Sir Woman’s If It All Works Out is the primacy of love. The songs’ narrators make their way forward by finding love in all the right places.
In February’s best metal, Pissgrave produce laser-focus disgust, Retromorphosis dazzle with technical prowess and Sleep Paralysis blur the lines between genres.
Lollapalooza dragged alternative culture into the sunlight, created a safe space with Mötley Crüe-level hedonism, and became an artifact that will never be replicated.
Jump back 20 years, listen to the best electronic albums of 2005, and hear the era’s state of the genre’s art. It was a highly innovative and influential time.
The Devil Makes Three let listeners lose themselves in song, but not without missing sight of the deeper truths. It’s a compelling and cathartic musical experience.
Parisian mellow indie rockers the Oracle Sisters are at their best when given the freedom to experiment, and Divinations offers ample space for that.