Although I’ve been really impressed by some new artists this year, I’ve found 2005 to be the year of the disappointing follow up as a whole:

Pernice Brothers, Discover A Lovelier You – I love Joe Pernice and while this record grabbed me in spots, I find that overall, it’s a snoozer. This is one of those records that I have a feeling I’m never going to listen to ever again.

British Sea Power, Open Season – Certainly not a bad record. It’s smart and listenable….and I don’t know, just really ho-hum.

My Morning Jacket, Z – I love “Gideon.” I really like “Off The Record.” I just don’t think every of the rest compares to “At Dawn” or “It Still Moves.”

Dandy Warhols, Odditorium or Warlords of Mars – The last Dandys record caught a lot of shit, but at least “The Last High” was a great single. Maybe I’m getting old, but I’m running out of patience for seven-to-nine minute songs and half-baked “skits” on albums.

Doves, Some Cities – Dalen’s going to vehemently disagree, but this album, outside of the title track is completely forgettable. Have you ever seen a buzz on a band die so quickly?

Chemical Brothers, Push The Button – This album just sucks.

Gorillaz, Demon Days – The only reason to complain about this record is because the first one set impossible expectations, but I still was hoping for more.

Stellastarr, Harmonies For The Haunted – I have a big soft spot for the first Stellastarr record, but I’m beginning to think that this one might just suck.

New Pornographers, Twin Cinema – On the Bejar-Newman spectrum, I lean hard toward Newman and this album’s too far the other way for me. I also need more Neko.

BRMC, Howl – I respect their decision to shake up the sound and they’ve done a fine job with a rootsy approach, but I’m just not nearly as interested in this as the first two albums. Could be me.

Spoon, Gimme Fiction – I truly don’t understand the raves for this album. I understand that Spoon is great but this record doesn’t hold a candle to anything else in their catalog for me.

Nada Surf, The Weight Is A Gift – Another case of heightened expectations. This is a good album, it just suffers from being not as good as “Let Go.”

Exceptions:

Beck, Guero
The Kills, Now Wow
Bright Eyes – I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning/Digital Ashes In A Digital Urn
Iron & Wine – The Woman King (EP)
M. Ward – Transistor Radio
Thievery Corporation – The Cosmic Game
eels – Blinking Lights And Other Revelations
New Order – Waiting For The Siren’s Call
Sleater-Kinney – The Woods

Another exception should be Sufjan Stevens - Illinois

I definitely agree with you on these. For me, Doves are a hit-or-miss band to begin with. They have some great songs but often just sound like another Brit-pop band to me. I think Black and White Town is the only really strong track on the new one. The rest are average but not bad.

Stellastarr* is the best example of a disappointing follow-up. I liked, didn't love their first album but thought they could be really good if they did it right. This follow-up shows they're just another 80s throw back band with a more interesting lead vocalist than most.



Haven't heard this yet. I'm curious given the hype but I didn't really like Electric Version so I haven't rushed out to buy this one.



Disagree here. To me this is one of the best albums of the year and is leagues above Kill the Moonlight overall.

I can't think of any others off the top of my head but I'm sure I will at some point.

My wife's asked me to buy this, but not cuz she's got a clue who they are. She read in FHM that Bill Curtis does a spoken bit on it. And Bill is Her Man.

Yet another silly way she'll get to know one of those "weird" bands I like.

I wholeheartedly agree. Biggest disappointment of the year for me.



This one really grows on you after several listens. I don't think it's a disappointment at all. Is it essential? No. But definitely not a disappointment.



I totally disagee here. Probably Top 10 album of the year for me. Very solid album.

I'm not a huge New Pornographers fan, but this album seems like a perfectly good follow-up to Electric Version. It's the exact same template - Bejar and Newman's clipped sense of melody on top of a sort of carnival version of power pop - plus it deepens their usual schtick a little by slowing things down occasionally.


For me, this album gets better with every listen, but I thought BRMC sounded like they were sunk in a major rut on Take Them On. The acoustic stomps (like "Shuffle Your Feet") work, as do the moments of the more usual BRMC big drama ("Howl"). I think some of the more transparently fake attempts at, um, rustic soul could have been helped by an injection of electricity, if just for the sake of contrast - but overall it's a solid album.


With the release of each of their albums, Spoon have been taken to task for not "being as good as the last one." Time, so far, has proven the naysayers wrong on every complaint. Personally, I don't see that Gimme Fiction will be any different. When the next Spoon album is released, every review will start out with the phrase "what made Gimme Fiction so great..." (and then go on to compare the new one unfavorably). With the exception of "Was It You?", GF is as perfect a Spoon album as one could hope for.

That New Pornographers album is probably the best thing they've put out (well, based on one listen), but I wouldn't say I really like it or anything. It actually didn't seem too Bejar-heavy to me, and he's pretty much the reason I can't listen to Mass Romantic.

I think that M. Ward album is pretty disappointing as is the Beck album (depending on what you consider it a follow-up to, but I don't even think I like it as much as Sea Change which I really don't like either).

More disappointments for me:
Mike Ladd - Negrophilia
Six Organs of Admittance - School of Flower (actually much better than the last album, but I expected more)
The Double - Loose in the Air (not bad, but Palm Fronds was better)
Gang Gang Dance - God's Money

See Uncle Monger, I'm glad I have you around to articulate things for me.
I have yet to hear that BRMC. Should I remedy that?

I also think Guero is a major dissapointment. Actually its just sorta boring, listless even.

I'm still undecided on exactly where Z fits in. I definitely enjoy the good very much. I'm still dealing with the rest. I can definitely listen to the whole thing all the way through.

I have the BRMC, haven't exactly digested it yet. Guero is really good music to randomly hear in a bar, from a jukebox. Z, on one listen wasn't what I was hoping for, but I need time to digest that as well.

I've only listened to the new Ike Reilly twice, but even in those two listens it doesn't make me want to run out and break the law like the last two did.

I really liked Stellastarr's first album. I still play it a lot, and i found the follow-up to be practically hookless. The very definition of disappointment.

Haven't digested Z yet, but it never crippled me like It Still Moves and At Dawn. I also think Beck's album was a bit of a disappointment in relation to some of his other stuff. Even Midnite Vultures grabs you more. Scientology claimed another rube.

I'm listening to the Dandy Warhols right now and while it isn't as immediate as the last one I'm still liking it. They were playing around with 6 min+ songs on the last one too. Actually they've always sort of flirted with that meandering tune since Come Down. Sleater-Kinney I enjoy a lot, but not as much as The Hot Rock. And the New Pornographers exceeded my expectations.

agree on:

Pernice Brothers, Discover A Lovelier You - borrrrinnngggg

Chemical Brothers, Push The Button – i really really like a coupla songs on this one, but overall...meh.

disagree on:

British Sea Power, Open Season – IMO, better then their debut.

Doves, Some Cities – great album, great band.

BRMC, Howl – probable top 10'er o' 2005 for me.

jury is still out on:

My Morning Jacket, Z – definitely don't like this as much as it still moves. definitely don't dislike it. still need more time with this one. and need to see them live in october.

Dandy Warhols, Odditorium or Warlords of Mars – waaaaaaay better than monkey house, but still too new to tell.

I agree with you on these. The rest of them I haven't heard in their entirity, but I love the 2 Stellastarr* songs I have heard. The Nada Surf and Spoon grew on me a bit.

I'd add the following to your list:
Sufjan Stevens (holy crap this is boring)
Sleater Kinney (just didn't catch me the way the last one did, maybe it hit me as a much harder sound.
Eels (this is a good record, but way too erratic to listen to all the way thru.)

British Season - definitely disappointing. Whereas Decline is so cohesive, this one seems to lack the same focus.

I haven't made my mind up about New Pornos yet. I absolutely love Electric Version....it's probably one of my favorite records this decade, so I think it'll be hard for it to measure up with that. I felt Newman's solo was a bit of a disappointment actually, whereas Bejar's most recent Destroyer outing allowed me to come around to his style. Now I can't get enough of him. Has anyone here heard the Fancey record? A couple of people have strongly recommended.

Nada Surf will probably be the same for me. I absolutely love Let Go and I can't imagine a follow up competing. The same will probably be true of any future Wrens record.

Z is not the same record as It Still Moves, but definitely not a disappointment in my opinion. I absolutely love it.

Gimme Fiction I like, but I haven't decided where I place it in the canon. It's close to Kill the Moonlight. I just wish there were more up tempo numbers.

doves - some cities. its a decent album, and i like it, but theyre not getting the results of the potential black and white town proved they have.

coldplay - x&y. again, bucketloads of potential, but they seem to be settling into a rut and it doesnt look like theyre coming out anytime soon.

the mars volta - frances the mute. a bit too self indulgent. if theres anyone who shouldnt be producing their own material, its mars volta.

super furry animals - love kraft. used to be a great band. too bad used to's dont make good albums.

I haven't heard the new one - but can't imagine it being much different than the first, which meant to be airy, '70s AM pop but lacked that era's indelible melodies (with the exception of the song "Rock 'n' Roll Rhythm" - that song SHOULD'VE been a hit in the '70s).

Doves - Some Cities. One of my favorite albums of the year. It's no Last Broadcast, but I enjoy it quite a bit.

New Pornographers - Twin Cinema. I thought it was ok when it first came out, but its growing on me. "Sing Me Spanish Techno" is one of my favorite songs of the year.

And the new Franz Ferdinand, after hearing it once through, is a pretty good sized letdown so far.

BRMC - Howl and MMJ -Z are two welcomed change ups for me because I don't know how much further each band could have went into their previous sound and kept my interest. I think both of them pulled it off. Both have a few misses, but on the whole I think their excellent. Z was grower.

Big disappointments: Beck, Mercury Rev, Doves
Slight disappointments: M83, British Sea Power, Manitoba(Caribou), Okkervil River, New Pornographers (don't really dislike these albums, but likely due to grand expectations, they're not as good as hoped).

On the other hand, I've enjoyed the follow-ups from Vanderslice, Malkmus, MMJ, BRMC, Low, Love As Laughter, Brendan Benson, Decemberists, Spoon, Roots Manuva, Josh Rouse, Lou Barlow, Sleater Kinney, Richmond Fontaine and Salim Nourallah.

Jury's still out: Bright Eyes, Oranges Band, M. Ward, White Stripes, Architecture In Helsinki, Sufjan Stevens, Sigur Ros

I feel the exact opposite way. The debut was all over the place in terms of style and quality. This one, in my opinion, is solid (and flows well) from beginning to end.

I had actually forgotten about that Pernice Brothers album. It was that boring.

Crooked Fingers "Dignity and Shame" had a few bright spots, but more than a handful of cringeworthy moments.

For the record,

Spoon
BRMC
MMJ

will all be in my Top 10.

Doves will be in my Top 15.

Beck and M.Ward both have a shot at Top 5.

i'm in total agreement with both of these. they were also the two that i was looking forward to more than anything else in 2005 and neither's worthwhile apart from maybe one or two songs on each.

I felt the same about "Some Cities" and put it away after only one listen. I am hoping that when I feel like some Doves, that I'll grab for that one and like it!

I haven't heard all the ones you mentioned but "Gimme Fiction" is probably my fave of the year so far (great from start to finish). I haven't really bought that many 2005 releases but of the ones I have bought I have been very happy particularly with the new New Pornographers (even though I still think A.C. Newman's solo cd from last year is the best work he's done).

I am disappointed in Ivy's new one (only one listen thus far) and slightly so on John Vanderslice's "Pixel Revolt" which I like in parts but it hasn't quite grabbed me yet (and I really want it to because I love me some J.V.).

Wish I had mo' money...I'd get the Pernice Brothers and more.

Disappointments:

Doves – This album can't hold a candle to the other two
House Of Love – Expecting more
Wedding Present – Expecting more
Oasis – Well it’s better but I’m over this group
Coldplay – Just way too long and never want to play it
Beck – His weakest album on a major label
Billy Corgan – Does this count? Two good songs
Coral – Lost interest
Mercury Rev – Not good
Stereophonics – They should give it up
Weezer – Biggest joke of the year


Yes I do really like 2005 but these just didn't do it for me.

Three words



Super

Furry

Animals




...nuff said