so for the 2005 shmoo poll, this was my top 20 (+1):



if i had to rank 'em now, my top 10 would stay firm..

11. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
12. The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers
13. The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
14. Spoon - Gimme Fiction
15. John Vanderslice - Pixel Revolt
16. Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs
17. Ladytron - witching hour
18. Apologies To The Queen Mary - Wolf Parade
19. The Mars Volta - Frances The Mute
20. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy

[then]
21. Death Cab For Cutie - Plans

With more listens, that "29" by ryan adams is probably his worst yet.

i couldn't tell you what mine was, but i know that the only ones i still listen to with any regularity are gimme fiction, the woods, and push barman to open old wounds.

I think I'd switch Marah and Babyshambles.

1. Spoon - Gimme Fiction
2. Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
3. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
4. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
5. Doves - Some Cities
6. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
7. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
8. Josh Rouse - Nashville
9. My Morning Jacket - Z
10. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem
11. M.I.A. - Arular
12. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
13. Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft
14. Sage Francis - A Healthy Distrust
15. The Rosebuds - Birds Make Good Neighbors
16. Low - The Great Destroyer
17. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
18. Brazilian Girls - Brazilian Girls
19. Death Cab For Cutie - Plans
20. Coldplay - X & Y
_________________


this was my original list, I would probably replace MIA with the Octopus Project, and I'd replace Bloc Party with Art Brut.

I'd also have to move everything down one from #7 to put feist in there.

The list I submitted:

01. Deerhoof - The Runners Four
02. Smog - A River Ain't Too Much to Love
03. Orthrelm - OV
04. Animal Collective - Feels
05. Jackie-O Motherfucker - Flags of the Sacred Harp
06. Akron/Family - s/t
07. Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers
08. Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow
09. Badgerlore - Stories for Owls
10. Konono No. 1 - Congotronics
11. Autechre - Untilted
12. Gospel - The Moon Is a Dead World
13. Need New Body - Where's Black Ben?
14. Sunburned Hand of the Man - Complexion
15. Caribou - The Milk of Human Kindness
16. Lightning Bolt - Hypermagic Mountain
17. Low - The Great Destroyer
18. Gang Gang Dance - God's Money
19. Angels of Light & Akron/Family - Akron/Family & Angels of Light
20. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois


Still looks about right, I guess. I still haven't really heard anything from 2005 that would replace anything in my top 20, but I might shuffle these around a bit.

Here's kind of a rough estimate of what it would be now (I haven't listened to most of these very much this year):

01. Deerhoof - The Runners Four
02. Smog - A River Ain't Too Much to Love
03. Animal Collective - Feels
04. Akron/Family - s/t
05. Jackie-O Motherfucker - Flags of the Sacred Harp
06. Orthrelm - OV
07. Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers
08. Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow
09. Badgerlore - Stories for Owls
10. Gospel - The Moon Is a Dead World
11. Autechre - Untilted
12. Low - The Great Destroyer
13. Caribou - The Milk of Human Kindness
14. Gang Gang Dance - God's Money
15. Need New Body - Where's Black Ben?
16. Lightning Bolt - Hypermagic Mountain
17. Angels of Light & Akron/Family - Akron/Family & Angels of Light
18. Konono No. 1 - Congotronics
19. High on Fire - Blessed Black Wings
20. Sunburned Hand of the Man - Complexion

Sufjan is the only one that gets bumped off the top 20 by my #21 choice, High on Fire.

I'm a stubborn bastard and once my mind is made up that's that. So my lists don't change.

In the last five years or so I can think of maybe 5 or 6 albums that actually grew on me over a long period.

In: Marah
Out: Hold Steady or eels

I don't think I submitted one.
But I am sure that my top-10 included:

Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Produciton Of Eggs

and, were these '04 or '05?:
Nick Cave - Abbatoir Blues/Lyre Of Orpheus
Shrimp Boat - Something Grand
Brian Wilson - SMiLE

Ah, 2005 shmoo. I remember him. He was working in Boston and then had two months off before starting school and meeting a whole bunch of new friends. What a great time.

yeah, that guy was awesome.

although I wasn't around these parts at the time, here's what mine was:

01. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
02. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Broom
03. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
04. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
05. British Sea Power - Open Season
06. Spoon - Gimme Fiction
07. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
08. The Books - Lost and Safe
09. Animal Collective - Feels
10. Russian Futurists - Let's Get Ready to Crumble

updated for now, probably:

01. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
02. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Broom
03. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
04. British Sea Power - Open Season
05. Spoon - Gimme Fiction
06. Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto - Insen
07. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
08. Animal Collective - Feels
09. Ricardo Villalobos - Achso EP
10. Russian Futurists - Let's Get Ready to Crumble

Why thank you.

this was mine:

1. Wolf Parade- Apologies to the Queen Mary
2. Hot Chip- Coming On Strong
3. Pendulum- Hold Your Colour
4. Tom Vek- We Have Sound
5. Juan Maclean- Less Than Human
6. Jamie Lidell- Multiply
7. Constantines- Tournament of Hearts
8. Controller.Controller- X Amounts
9. Mice Parade- Bem-Vinda Vontade
10. Leaf- Made Into Itself
11. Gravenhurst- Fires in the Distant Buildings
12. Sigur Ros- Takk
13. Broken Social Scene- s/t
14. Ladytron- The Witching Hour
15. Spoon- Gimme Fiction
16. Engineers- s/t
17. Bloc Party- Silent Alarm
18. Four Tet- Everything Ecstatic
19. Doves- Some Cities
20. The Rakes- Capture/Release


i'd replace #3 pendulum with tapes 'n tapes - the loon and replace #16 engineers with art brut - bang bang rock 'n roll. i'm tired of spoon (ack, did i actually say that!) and haven't listened to it in awhile.

this is why i hate committing to year-end lists, it always changes.

Then...

20. Love as Laughter - Laughter's Fifth
19. American Analog Set - Set Free
18. Damien Jurado - On My Way To Absence
17. Portastatic - Bright Ideas
16. Nada Surf - The Weight is a Gift
15. The Ike Reilly Assassination - Junkie Faithful
14. The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
13. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
12. Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
11. Spoon - Gimme Fiction
10. My Morning Jacket - Z
9. Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs
8. Crooked Fingers - Dignity & Shame
7. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
6. M. Ward - Transistor Radio
5. The Deathray Davies - The Kick and The Snare
4. Ryan Adams - Cold Roses
3. The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday
2. Josh Rouse - Nashville
1. Devin Davis - Lonely People of the World, Unite!

Now...

20. Love as Laughter - Laughter's Fifth
19. Damien Jurado - On My Way To Absence
18. Portastatic - Bright Ideas
17. Nada Surf - The Weight is a Gift
16. The Ike Reilly Assassination - Junkie Faithful
15. Spoon - Gimme Fiction
14. Heavy Trash - Heavy Trash
13. Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs
12. Crooked Fingers - Dignity & Shame
11. Wussy - Funeral Dress (I didn't hear this until 2006)
10. The Detroit Cobras - Baby
9. M. Ward - Transistor Radio
8. The Deathray Davies - The Kick and The Snare
7. Ryan Adams - Cold Roses
6. Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
5. The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday
4. Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock & Roll (I didn't hear this until 2006)
3. Josh Rouse - Nashville
2. Devin Davis - Lonely People of the World, Unite!
1. My Morning Jacket - Z

The ones you no longer see aren't missing because I all of a sudden don't like them anymore, it's just that they don't have much staying power.

Bloc party would plummet antony #5, wolf parade #4, art brut #3, mountain goats #2 #1 stays the same

My list was:

1. Deerhoof - The Runners Four
2. Herman Düne - Not on Top
3. Smog - A River Ain't Too Much To Love
4. Colleen - The Golden Morning Breaks
5. Animal Collective - Feels
6. Akron/Family - Akron/Family
7. Archer Prewitt - Wilderness
8. Heartless Bastards - Stairs and Elevators
9. Akron/Family & Angels Of Light - Akron/Family & Angels Of Light
10. OOIOO - Gold and Green
11. The Rosebuds - Birds Make Good Neighbors
12. Lorna - Static Patterns and Souvenirs
13. Harris Newman - Accidents With Nature and Each Other
14. Calexico/Iron & Wine - In The Reins
15. Low - The Great Destroyer
16. Nudge - Cached
17. 50 Foot Wave - Golden Ocean
18. Broadcast - Tender Buttons
19. Jack Rose - Kensington Blues
20. The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree


I wouldn't change much now. Bump Heartless Bastards out of the top ten, and replace The Mountain Goats with Hanne Hukkelberg at 20. Other than that, just minor shuffling.

What happens when you find a great older album you've never heard?

Well most of the older albums I buy are from 10 or 20 years ago rather than 1 or 2 years ago, so that doesn't happen very much. I've not bought any 2005 releases in 2006 for instance. My Konstantirank lists only really go back to 2000, although I'm trying to get on for every year but that will take a long time.

The only album not in my Top 20 from last year that would be if I was making my list now, would be Sam Prekop's 'Who's Your New Professor'. It was way down in 46th on my list from 2005 but it's grown on me a whole lot since then.