Darren McLeod

[Darren McLeod]

Best Albums
30. Bruce Springsteen - Devils And Dust
29. Antony and the Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now
28. Animal Collective - Feels
27. Death Cab For Cutie - Plans
26. The Silent Type - Of Writing/Of Violence
25. The Constantines - Tournament of Hearts
24. Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Matt Sweeny - Superwolf
23. Every Time I Die - Gutter Phenomenon
22. The Receiving End Of Sirens - Between The Heart and the Synapse
21. Modern Life Is War - Witness
20. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
19. 7 Seconds - Take It Back, Take It On, Take It Over!
18. Ryan Adams - Jacksonville City Nights
17. Comeback Kid - Wake The Dead
16. Minus The Bear - Menos El Oso
15. Against Me! - Searching For A Former Clarity
14. Thrice - Vheissu
13. Bright Eyes - Digital Ash in a Digital Urn
12. Daggermouth - Stallone
11. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
10. A Wilhelm Scream - Ruiner
9. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
8. Troubled Hubble - Making Beds in a Burning House
7. Choke - Slow Fade, Or: How I Learned To Question Infinity
6. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
5. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
4. The Decemberists - Picaresque
3. Latterman - No Matter Where We Go..!
2. Gatsby's American Dream - Volcano
1. Propagandhi - Potemkin City Limits

These are the albums I listened to the most in 2005 and the ones that I will continue to listen to well into 2006. I didn't include any reissues or B-Side albums, but I made a special category for the latter as I felt it would be criminal not to include The Lawrence Arms' Cocktails and Dreams in my list.

Honorable Mentions
Damien Jurado - On My Way To Absense
Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary
Street To Nowhere - Charmingly Awkward
Rogue Wave - Descended Like Vultures
Copeland - In Motion
Circa Survive - Juturna
The Mars Volta - Frances The Mute
Nightmare of You - Nightmare Of You
Boys Night Out - Trainwreck
Limbeck - Let Me Come Home
Kevin Devine - Split The Country, Split The Street
The Starting Line - Based On A True Story
Limbeck - Let Me Come Home
Cartel - Chroma
Paint It Black - Paradise
Dredg - Catch Without Arms
Architecture In Helsinki - In Case We Die

Albums I Missed In 2004
Bedouin Soundclash - Sounding a Mosaic
The Falcon - God Don't Make No Trash or Up Your Ass With Broken Glass (EP)

Best EPs of 2005
3. Crime In Stereo - The Contract
2. Iron & Wine and Calexico - In The Reins
1. Get Back Loretta - Get Back Loretta

Albums Your Parents Will Love
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Matt Sweeney - Superwolf
Bruce Springsteen - Devils And Dust
Ryan Adams - 29

Best New Band of 2005
Daggermouth

Best B-Side of 2005
Against Me! - Wagon Wheel

Best B-Side Album of 2005
The Lawrence Arms - Cocktails and Dreams

Best Compilation of 2005
Protect (Fat Wreck Chords)

Best Lyrics of 2005
Chris Hannah of Propagandhi

Best Live Show
Moneen

Hardest Working Band of 2005
Tourmaline

Best Record Label of 2005
Smallman Records

Most Overrated Bands
The Rocket Summer
Emery

Most Underrated Bands
Daggermouth
Latterman
Choke
Troubled Hubble

Band(s) Most Pimped By AP.net
Thrice

Best Movies of 2005
Sin City
The 40 Year Old Virgin

Best TV Show of 2005
Arrested Development

The Next Big Thing(s) of 2006
Cartel
Get Back Loretta
Panic! At The Disco

Most Anticipated For 2006
Moneen
Murder By Death
The Lawrence Arms
The Bronx
Brand New
Thursday
The Weakerthans (hopefully)

Best Song(s) of 2005
15. The New Pornographers - Bleeding Heart Show
14. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
13. Bright Eyes - Poison Oak
12. The Receiving End Of Sirens - Broadcast Quality
11. Get Back Loretta - Pretty Song
10. A Wilhelm Scream - The King Is Dead
9. Gatsby's American Dream - A Mind Of Metal And Wheels
8. Death Cab For Cutie - I Will Follow You Into The Dark
7. Troubled Hubble - 14,000 Things To Be Happy About
6. The Decemberists - Eli, The Barrow Boy
5. Comeback Kid - Wake The Dead
4. Against Me! - Wagon Wheel
3. Latterman - My Bedroom Is Like For Artists
2. Propagandhi - Iteration
1. Sufjan Stevens - Casimir Pulaski Day

[dave vegan]

yay for some okkervil river love. you should've put eisley's room noises somewhere on there though...

[poppa Q]

Great list(s), Darren. I wouldn't expect any less out of you, either; haha.

Great to see Troubled Hubble make top ten albums and songs. I love it.

[brooklynburning]

casimir pulaski day...so good.

[nizzlefoshizzle]

i too hope there is a new weakerthans record next year

[number2alien]

The thought of a new Weakerthans album makes me happy. Your list is definitely my favourite here.

Also, my condolences to the fact that you're in Saskatchewan. I've never been, but I kind of want to keep it that way.

[brass buttons]

tourmaline is very hardworking

[Kelley Nicole]

i think this is the best list i've seen here! =)

[ghostyouare]

I could S you d for putting the crime in stereo ep on your list, also props for the latterman recognition

[TurnOnTheLight]

nice list. great inclusion of 7 Seconds.

[PlaCracktheSky]

I think Casimir Pulaski Day is right on. Great pick

[derricklc22]

yay for some okkervil river love. you should've put eisley's room noises somewhere on there though...
Great list...this maybe the best list so far, imo, but its because I agree with most of it, haha.

[Darren McLeod]

Haha there's no "best list" or "worst list," just lists that are more or less similar to your own.

TurnOnTheLight - glad to see that you like 7 Seconds as well. They are a band that not many folks seem to know about over here, but they play some good old fashioned punk rock.

ghostyouare - I couldn't leave out Latterman. Probably the catchiest album I've heard all year, which is something you don't usually expect from "shouted" vocals.

Marchand - We've all known this has been coming for a while, and my list was actually sitting ready for the last week or so. I didn't put in more categories simply because I didn't want any other categories. Also, I didn't throw in predictions simply because I didn't have any to make.

Thanks for all the positive comments on the lists, guys.

[Kelley Nicole]

Haha there's no "best list" or "worst list," just lists that are more or less similar to your own.
well, yes, that's what i meant.

[poppa Q]

i think this is the best list i've seen here! =)

Darren has a great taste in music.

[yeknom]

best staff list. nice

[losethegirl]

AMEN!

The Rocket Summer = Overrated

[ParisInFlames55]

i don't know you, but i would like to say that after reading this you have become a hero to me.

[postpaintboy]

great calls with including okkervil river and calling out emery on being overrated.

[druck]

holy shit how did i completely forget about the troubled hubble album? i loved that shit.

great call on get back loretta too, and casimir pulaski's day as song of the year.

[poppa Q]

holy shit how did i completely forget about the troubled hubble album? i loved that shit.

great call on get back loretta too, and casimir pulaski's day as song of the year.

I love seeing fellow TH fans on the board; one of my favorite bands of all time.

[TFC88]

damn straight. tourmaline deserve all the success in the world for the amount of work they put into that band.

[TimeAsIdeology]

Easily the best list up so far.

My only wonder is why, not even you specifically, everyon likes the new Comeback Kid more than the new With Honor. Oh, and why anyone at all likes the new Every Time I Die. Other than that, solid list, good call on Latterman.

[mewithcoldplay]

Yes.

Some love for Choke.

Guys are great.

[Darren McLeod]

TimeAsIdeology - I didn't mention With Honor because I didn't listen to it. I really don't listen to much hardcore, because I'm not interested in most of it. However, I have a few friends that usually recommend some stuff, and so I go listen, and if I like it, I tend to like it a lot. Comeback Kid is one I liked a lot. As far as ETID goes, Gutter is an album that has just started to grow on me right now... I don't think I'll ever accept the change from Hot Dman! fully. I love that album. Thanks for the compliment on the list... can't wait to see yours.

[bf_nk]

Good list man. It's nice to see someone giving some love to Ryan Adams here. Oh yeah, Architechture in Helsinki also. Also, I am extrememly glad to see Murder By Death as a most anticipated.

[TimeAsIdeology]

TimeAsIdeology - I didn't mention With Honor because I didn't listen to it. I really don't listen to much hardcore, because I'm not interested in most of it. However, I have a few friends that usually recommend some stuff, and so I go listen, and if I like it, I tend to like it a lot. Comeback Kid is one I liked a lot. As far as ETID goes, Gutter is an album that has just started to grow on me right now... I don't think I'll ever accept the change from Hot Dman! fully. I love that album. Thanks for the compliment on the list... can't wait to see yours.

Fair enough. If you're into that CBK record, I have no doubts you'd be into With Honor. Some other stuff in that vein that you might want to check out if you feel so inclined;

Dead Hearts
How We Are
Guns Up!
Champion
The Promise
Shark Attack
Modern Life Is War

No promises, but you very well might dig a lot of that. And with ETID, I wanted to like that record so bad, but Keiths new vocals just really don't do it for me, and the guitars have lost a lot of... just presence I guess would be the best way to put it. Oh well, if you dig it, that's solid for you. My list will be up probably at the end of this week so check that if you want. Peace dude.

[Darren McLeod]

Fair enough. If you're into that CBK record, I have no doubts you'd be into With Honor. Some other stuff in that vein that you might want to check out if you feel so inclined;

Dead Hearts
How We Are
Guns Up!
Champion
The Promise
Shark Attack
Modern Life Is War

No promises, but you very well might dig a lot of that. And with ETID, I wanted to like that record so bad, but Keiths new vocals just really don't do it for me, and the guitars have lost a lot of... just presence I guess would be the best way to put it. Oh well, if you dig it, that's solid for you. My list will be up probably at the end of this week so check that if you want. Peace dude.
MLIW made my list, and I'm really looking forward to checking out their older stuff as I hear their other record is even better than Witness. Thanks for the list of bands to check out, once I get back to school I'll look into it, but like I said - hardcore really isn't my thing.

As far as ETID goes, I still dislike a lot of things about it, so what I try to do is forget that it's ETID. Once I imagine it as coming from some other band, I enjoy it a lot more. Whenever I was thinking of it as "the new ETID record" I'd end up turning it off three songs into it and put on Hot Damn! I also know what you're saying about the guitars, it's something I noticed a lot when I first listened to it but I've slowly been getting used to.

[SLADE775]

Props for putting the boss on there.