First of all, thank you everyone who has replied so far. And Ben, I was so sure that Funeral was released in 2005. Huh. Damn release dates.
I'll start things off today with a special treat in return for you guys waiting to see my Top 5 Albums, as I present to you the ten WORST songs of 2005.
10)
Hawthorne Heights - Niki FM
-- There's another Hawthorne song higher up, this one at least has a tolerable chorus, but everything else is so bland and unoriginal.
9)
Simple Plan - Shut Up
-- Pretty sad when Simple Plan only has the #9 worst song of the year.
8)
Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl
-- Meh. Used to hate it a lot more than I do now. Still horrible, however.
7)
Rihanna - Pon De Replay
-- I know i'm not the only one who hates this song..right?!
6)
Nickelback - Photograph
-- They just never change.
5)
50 Cent - Candy Shop
-- Slightly catchy beat, but that is IT.
4)
Fall Out Boy - Sugar, We're Goin' Down
-- See #7.
3)
Jennifer Lopez - Get Right
-- How anyone could like this trash is beyond me.
2)
Eminem - Ass Like That
-- The absolute WORST song i've ever heard from Eminem.
1)
Hawthorne Heights - Ohio Is For Lovers
-- Without a doubt, my least favorite song of 2005. The chorus alone makes me want to rip my ears off.
Now, finally, the Top 5 Albums of the year 2005.
5) System Of A Down - Mezmerize
-- The FIRST album by System Of A Down in 2005 is definitely crazier, more out there and generally more experimental. Whereas Hypnotize makes sure you remember who has the pants in System Of A Down(with a few exceptions), Mezmerize is the Serj and Daron show. The only song completely dominated by Serj on this album is the second single off of Mezmerize, the amazing "Question!". Every other song is either shared by the two crazy mofos or dominated by Daron. Now, that's not REALLY a bad thing, but I don't want to see it every album. Luckily, for what it is, it's really good. There's only one song I don't like("Sad Statue"), and even that is tolerable. What makes this album so good is that, even at its low points, it all meshes together and, once you combine Mezmerize with Hypnotize, it feels like a truly complete album. We'll see System later on on this list, but in its own right, Mezmerize still holds up well.
Favorite Songs: Question!, Lost In Hollywood
4) Queens Of The Stone Age - Lullabies To Paralyze
-- I have listened to both Songs For The Deaf and this album in the past week, trying to find a way to compare them to each other. And honestly? I couldn't. They are two different breeds. Songs For The Deaf was wild, insane, and didn't let you catch your breath the whole way. Lullabies To Paralyze is the first album since Nick Oliveri left the band, and it's noticeably different than their last affair, more of a softer Queens Of The Stone Age. There are some songs that harken back to the older Queens("Medication" and "Everybody Knows That You're Insane"), but most of the album is completely different. The very first single, "Little Sister" shows this off perfectly. The anger is still there, but it's more under the surface, brooding. "I Never Came" is one of the softest Queens songs i've heard and it's truly wonderful. But for those who worry that Queens has officially lost it, fear not. One song, above all others, makes this album a Top 5 album and not simply just a good one: The epic "Someone's In The Wolf", a 7 minute opus that lets everyone know that, even though their sound has changed a bit, they've still got it.
Favorite Songs: Someone's In The Wolf, I Never Came
3) Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth
-- How do you describe an album that defies description? How can you explain an album that requires listening to explain? With Teeth is one of those albums that I can't just describe and hope you enjoy it by my description. It's the kind of album you need to LISTEN TO to truly appreciate. It's Nine Inch Nails still, but there's something different about With Teeth compared to the rest of their discography. The voice is still there, and Trent Reznor is as angry as ever, but everything else seems like a breath of fresh air. "The Line Begins To Blur", "Only", "Every Day Is Exactly The Same", "The Collector" and "Getting Smaller", along with the first single "The Hand That Feeds", are all destined to go down as NIN classics but they're not in the same vein as the older Nails. "Only", in particular, is dominated by a sound unlike anything i've heard from Trent before. I love this album more than I love myself and it's just something you need to experience for yourself.
Favorite Songs: Only, Every Day Is Exactly The Same, Getting Smaller
2) Korn - See You On The Other Side
-- My favorite album cover of 2005 fittingly accompanies one of my two favorite albums of 2005. So many Korn "fans" complained about wanting the older sound back. What they got was "Take A Look In The Mirror", an album panned by so many people that i'm shocked it wasn't named one of the ten worst albums of all time by just about everyone. Me? I liked it. But i've already talked about that, so lets get back to the main point. Well, we saw the results of what happened when Korn wasn't allowed to make an album of their own, and they jumped ship to Virgin in the process. Along the way, Head left the group and suddenly, it was a FOUR man band. After the bad taste that was left in many people's taste after TALITM, Korn finally got fed up and decided to do the album THEY wanted to do. The result is "See You On The Other Side", an album that does what it wants to do on its own terms. The first song, "Twisted Transistor", is unlike Korn in many different ways. The music, the lyrics, the vocals, everything is different. It continues on throughout the album with songs like "Politics", "Hypocrites", "Liar"(the only song that I could make a case for actually sounding like Korn), "Coming Undone" and "Getting Off". However, what sets this album apart from their other ones are the softer songs, like "Love Song" and the fittingly titled "Tearjerker". On that song, Jonathan SINGS. No, seriously. And it's really good too. Long story short, Korn went through so much trouble and pain to record this album, and the result is the most out there Korn album yet, and fittingly, one of their best too.
Favorite Songs: "Hypocrites", "Tearjerker", "Liar"
1) System Of A Down - Hypnotize
-- First of all, yes, I actually did seperate Mezmerize from Hypnotize. While I loved Mezmerize, and while I think See You On The Other Side is one of Korn's best albums, I knew going into this list that Hypnotize would be the #1 album of 2005. Unlike Mezmerize, Hypnotize is dominated moreso by Serj Tankian and, as a result, it FEELS more like a System Of A Down record than Mezmerize. Not only that, but the album is better as a result. It starts off with "Attack", featuring an amazing, crazy bridge that I can't help but bang my head to every time I hear it. Other tracks like "Dreaming", "U-Fig", "Stealing Society" and "Vicinity Of Obcsenity" just give you the sense that you are listening to a SYSTEM OF A DOWN ALBUM.
However, there are a few tracks that actually stand out from the crowd. The first couple are softer tracks and seem more polished than the slower songs on Mezmerize. "Holy Mountains" is, simply put, one of the best songs of 2005. The verses are amazing and an epic song if there ever was one. There are others, like "Lonely Day", "Soldier Side" and the title track that are all softer than expected and work very well as a result. But, surprisingly, the best song sounds like something that might have deserved to be on an older System album, but it feels more polished than those songs. "Kill Rock 'N Roll" is a 148 second long roller coaster that has you going one way, and then zooms you into a completely other direction. Serj and Daron trade vocals throughout the track and try to one up each other the whole time, trying to prove which one has the craziest voice. Some have accused this song of being sloppy, but I can't see that at ALL. If anything, it's the most well-done and well-made System song i've heard, if not certainly one of their best. It's my favorite song of 2005, single or not.
System Of A Down has had a truly wonderful year, but it took all year before we got to see what the big deal was all about. When you combine Mezmerize and Hypnotize, you have an album for the ages: A truly magnificent double album that meshes together so well: On one side, you have Mezmerize, angry, screaming out to the world, wanting a release, and then quietly settling down in the end. On the other, you have an album that NEVER lets up in Hypnotize, which has a softer side than Mezmerize, but also has moments when its even angrier. They compliment each other very well and, while I do think one is better than the other, together, they are also unquestionably the best. As it is, Hypnotize is my favorite album of 2005, but I like both enough to consider them as one double album as well...one album to rule them all. *cue Lord Of The Rings music* Yeah, I know, bad me.
There you go, a long ass write up for the #1 album of the year, and we're done here. Coming up over the next week, the Honorable Mentions for my Top 50 Singles Of 2005. Stay tuned and always remember to keep your pets spayed or neutered.