Silent K's Decent 21 of 2005

2005 was a good year. As music connoisseurs, we're lucky - because unlike fine wine - music doesn't need to be bottled up and sealed away in order to be enjoyed a decade down the line.

We're at a time where every music source is rushing to publish their definitive lists. I don't intend this list to be a compilation of 'albums of the year' or even 'the best tracks of the year.' I do intend it however to be a list of highly decent tracks from 2005 that I've thoroughly enjoyed while behind the decks, on my snowboard, while riding the subway or relaxing in my beat up black leather chair that was a gift from my buddy's parents when they bought new furniture.

I've listed these tracks in alphabetical order and not in an order of preference - because they are all good tunes - and at the end of the day - that's what we feed you.

Enjoy [& Happy Holidays].

21.


Send a Message to Her
Beck
Guero [Special Edition w/ DVD] [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Beck's work will undoubtedly appear on many lists - and rightly so. Guero was more than an album, it was an event. His return to the classic Beck-ransom-note style was a must. I understood that Sea Change was something that he needed to get out of his system [Damn you Winona! You shop-lifted my heart!] - but this effort was far more to my liking. Add the special edition DVD into the mix and you can 'watch' the album too. I'm absolutely in love with the section of 1:33 to 1:17 [remain].

20.


Human After All
Daft Punk
Human After All [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

The long awaited return of the french duo. Human After All is neither a follow up to Homework or Discovery, but a new beast altogether. It was produced well, but a little repetitive and stagnant. And though, this isn't my favorite Daft album, I do hope that Thomas & Guy continue to evolve and change their style with each forthcoming effort.

19.


The Number Song [Cut Chemist Party Mix]
DJ Shadow
Endtroducing DX [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Josh needs no intro, he's amazingly skilled and we'll leave it at that. The Cut Chemist's remix breathes a parallel life into this already sweet track. It's been used on a lot of compilation CDs this year - and it's good enough to appear on mixes for years to come.

18.


Twister
Drumattic Twins
Wipeout Pure Soundtrack [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Here's a breakbeat gem that appeared on the soundtrack to the Sony PSP game, Wipeout Pure. The Wipeout games have always been the love child of great gaming and rave culture -It's debatable, but this one could arguably have the best soundtrack in the series.

17.


Furball Shindig
Fila Brazillia
Dicks [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

To me, Fila Brazillia is to Electronic music as Medeski, Martin & Wood are to Jazz. They are innovative and always impressive.

16.


Utopia
Jackson and His Computer Band
Smash [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Jackson's blind sighted arrival is quite solid. I really don't know how Warp records continues to secure such solid talent of varied nature while staying true to a very unique aesthetic - but keep it up!!

15.


(Don't) Give Hate a Chance
Jamiroquai
Dynamite [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Ah, the return of Jay Kay. No longer is he at the peak of his popularity, but the guy still has plenty of that canned heat that he was talking about 2 albums ago. I had the pleasure of seeing him (and the group) live at the House of Blues in Atlantic City as they kicked off their US tour a few months ago. The show was phenomenal, and not only is Jay Kay still an accomplished musician (and dancer) - but he does something that so many artists forget about - he respects his fans.

14.


Transatlantic
Jose Zamora & Damian DP
Paul van Dyk - The Politics of Dancing 2 [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

This one is an excerpt from Paul van Dyk's most recent compilation set. It's very rare that I blast Trance anymore unless it's deep and dark. If I were to DJ a new years party, this would have been my count-down-to-the-last-10-seconds-of-the-year track, with "Happy New Year" taking place at 1:25 [remain].

13.


I Changed My Mind [Stereo MC's Rattlesnake Remix]
Lyrics Born
Same Shit Different Day [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

I discovered this guy through my love for DJ Shadow via the Quannum project. Solid hip-hop beats all around.

12.


My Heart is Beating Fast
Mint Royale
See You in the Morning [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

See You in the Morning sure isn't On The Ropes - but it's still got some great beats, this is my favorite track on the album

11.


Pagino Cinco
Prefuse 73
Prefuse 73 Reads the Books [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Prefuse 73's unique cut-and-paste sound is just fucking awesome. I know that if you're trying to take a journalistic approach to music review you probably shouldn't say "fucking awesome" - but it is. Honestly, his stuff got me back into Hip-hop again.

10.


Ghostwriter [RJD2's remix]
RJD2
Prime Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

"The archaeologist, diggin' 'em up!" Ghostwriter is a track that all RJ fans know, but this version has a very 'live' sounding horn section that strays just a bit from the original. Maybe it wasn't produced this year, but it was on a soundtrack released this year, so it counts!

9.


Mechanical Ape
The Aquabats
Charge!! [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Quite possibly the best band in the entire world. I've seen them three times - the most recent of which, I saw them at B.B. Kings here in NYC. At that show, a guy proposed to his girlfriend from the stage and the Bat Commander [placed center in the image above] did back flips to celebrate. Their horns have dwindled a bit, but their music is still a lot of fun. My favorite track remains to be The Cat with Two Heads from the second album. Remind me to sign up for the Aquacadet club, that's been on my to-do-list for about a decade now.

8.


Anthem for the Earnest
The Bad Plus
Suspicious Activity? [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

I first stumbled onto these guys with their cover of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' from These Are the Vistas. 'Anthem for the Earnest' is my favorite TBP track by leaps and bounds. It starts off sounding like Ben Folds, but maintains an unbalanced mathematical perfection that's usually found in electronic beats.

7.


Single Serving Jack [Silent K remix]
The Dust Brothers
FMGT [2005]
[Listen]

Hmm, can I order a side of self promotion? I'm proud of what I've done with only a snippet of the original track - it might be a little on the long side, but I find it dark and soothing.

6.


Warning Shots
Thievery Corporation
Cosmic Game [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

The quintessential downtempo / lounge producers continue to pump out quality tunes that always find their way to my playlist. Cosmic Game was great and quite an improvement from The Richest Man in Babylon. I still haven't checked out that club that they apparently own.

5.


Big Chevy
Timo Maas
Pictures [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Dark & Sexy.

4.


Damentag
Tosca
JAC [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

With almost as many Tosca embroidered uniforms as good tracks - I wonder if their closets rival their record racks? These G-stone kings have picked up right where K&D left off. I want one of those bathrobes!

3.


Poney Part 1
Vitalic
OK Cowboy [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

This is what I wanted from the new Daft Punk album - Not that I dislike the Daft album at all, but I needed my fix. Best served shaken and mainlined.

2.


(Track 20 on CD2) [Honestly, I can't read the song title]
Yasuharu Takanashi
Genji: Dawn of the Samurai Original Soundtrack [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

Genji: The Dawn of the Samurai is a videogame for the Playstation 2 that's loosely based on two Japanese folklore heroes. Game soundtracks are truly eclipsing film scores as of late. Yasuharu's exquisite work contains so many traditional Japanese elements and he's turned what would have been a simple 'beat-em-up' game into something incredibly Epic. The power of tunes folks.

1.


Breakfast Club
Z-Trip
Shifting Gears [2005]
[Listen] [Buy]

If you grew up while watching Saturday morning cartoons in the US, then you'll laugh your ass all the way to the kitchen with this one. Pass the Fruity Pebbles necro.

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Until 2006 - I'm Silent K - Thank you for your patronage.