My top albums of 2005 (rated based on personal preference, pure style, and musical genious):
10) Bright Eyes - I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning
09) The Juliana Theory - Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat
08) Anberlin - Never Take Friendship Personal
07) Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
06) Fall Out Boy - From Under the Cork Tree
05) Mae - The Everglow
04) Coheed & Cambria - Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness
03) Thrice - Vheissu
02) Jack’s Mannequin - Everything in Transit
01) Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This to Memory

Best Songs of 2005 In No Particular Order (view iMix on iTunes):
• Fall Out Boy - Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year
• Coheed & Cambria - Ten Speed (Of God’s Blood & Burial)
• Thrice - The Earth Will Shake
• Anberlin - The Feel Good Drag
• Reggie and the Full Effect - Get Well Soon
• Panic! At the Disco - The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is the Press Coverage
• Something Corporate - Watch the Sky
• Mae - Someone Else’s Arms
• Jack’s Mannequin - Dark Blue
• Motion City Soundtrack - Feel Like Rain
• Death Cab for Cutie - What Sarah Said
• Copeland - You Have My Attention
• Daphne Loves Derby - Pollen and Salt

Best Old Spins of 2004:
3) The Pantom of the Opera (Movie) Soundtrack
2) Relient K - Mmhmm
1) Green Day - American Idiot

5 Years Ago I was listening to:
• Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
• New Found Glory - New Found Glory
• Lifehouse - No Name Face
• Sister Hazel - Fortress

10 Years Ago I was listening to:
• Mariah Carey - Fantasy
• dc Talk - Jesus Freak
• Jars of Clay - Jars of Clay
Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for my musical tastes a decade ago. dc Talk and Jars of Clay are still good, but Mariah Carey? Divas are such a turnoff.

20 Years Ago I was listening to:
• Uhm… couldn’t say for sure, but perhaps George Winston’s rendition of the children’s tale, “The Velveteen Rabbit,” and probably some other children’s music.

2006: What to look for
• Angels & Airwaves
• Plus 44
• Matchbook Romance

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look back at 2005 and further. Let’s see what ‘06 can bring us!

Categories: Music

Welcome to 2006!  I celebrated with bluegrass. It was Newcomers Home’s next-to-last concert till they go separate ways. Good times, plus I got to see Heidi — a friend from college.

I called in a drunk driver on the way home, too. Who knows if they caught him though. He turned before the cop showed up and I kept driving home.

Apparently a bunch of new laws went into effect.  Thankfully, some aren’t related to assault, sex crimes, or taxes:  “Not all laws were so serious. Illinois approved a state amphibian, the Eastern tiger salamander, after it won 51 percent of Internet voters, beating the gray tree frog and the American toad. “The toad and the frog kind of split up the vote and allowed the salamander to slip in,” Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn said.”

Gotta have those state amphibians. That’s the important stuff. Personally, I think my state ought to select an official jelly bean flavor. The State Cherry Jelly Bean.

Categories: Life