For me 2005 was a great year for music (and other things). I saw some great shows back in Chapel Hill and Europe (but thats another list). I got to play a show at the Nightlight in July with some friends before I skipped town. I had a song on a compilation put out by my friend Brian Miller's label, broken fader cartel. I got to contribute some sounds and spoken word to the defunct Other Nature's shining masterpiece. The Tarheels won it all and I met Jerry Stackhouse at Linda's. All in all it was a good year, so here is my list of best albums of 2005:

1. Animal Collective - Feels (pawtracks)
2. Gang Gang Dance - God’s Money (the social registry)
3. Architecture in Helsinki - In Case We Die (Bar/None)
4. Nada Surf - The Weight is a Gift (Barzuk)
5. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary (SUB POP)
6. Thuja - Pine Cone Temples (Strange Attractors)
7. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (ASTHMATIC KITTY)
8. No-Neck Blues Band - Qvaris (5 Rue Christine)
9. The Books - Lost and Safe (TOMLAB)
10. The Skygreen Leopards - Life & Love in Sparrow’s Meadow (Jagjaguwar)
11. Greg Davis and Sebastien Roux – Paquet Surprise (CARPARK)
12. Decemberists - The Decemberists Present "Picaresque" (KILL ROCK STARS)
13. Of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins (POLYVINYL)
14. Boards of Canada-The Campfire Headphase (WARP)
15. Beck – Guero (Geffen)
16. other nature – awakentime (self-released)
17. New Pornographers - Twin Cinema (MATADOR)
18. V/A the collective polycarbonate release (broken fader cartel)
19. Six Organs of Admittance - School of the Flower (DRAG CITY)
20. Why? - Elephant Eyelash (ANTICON)