Motel de Moka's Top 6 -11 albums of 2005

And so it is. I updated this post and added #11 to the list after realizing that even numbers are evil. Here's the trackback to the other post with: Motel de Moka's top 5 albums of the year. Remember to support hungry musicians. Buy records, go to gigs, show them love.

11. Electric President - electric president
Download: Electric President - good morning, hypocrite
Download: Electric President - ten thousand lines (alternate mix)

This album is phantastic albeit much too short comprised of 10 clear but complex pop jems. They have recently been signed to the excelent Morr Label and it's been scheduled as a 2006 release, so I'm kind of cheating on this one, oh, and I'm not telling how I got my hands on it.




10. Marsen Jules - herbstlaub
Download: Marsen Jules - fans d' automne

Herbstlaub, which simply means "autumn leaves" is a hazy ambient album that I've found myself coming back to time and time again. Easily the best pure ambient album and probably one of the best electronical ones released on 2005.
If you like it you might want to try Eluvium's "talk amongst the trees", another noteworthy ambient album released this year.


9. Sigur Ros - takk
Download: Sigur Ros - hoppipolla

I must be honest, I didn't enjoy this one as much as Agaetis Byrjun or even (), Jonsi's voice has gotten a bit too high for me to enjoy and I'm already irritated at his supposed hopelandic full of "iyu"s, yet, they remain one of the most inventive modern musical outfits in the world today and the music is still carried with power and beauty so I'm not complaining. It just didn't hit me the way their past releases did. Maybe I was expecting too much from this one. Nonetheless, highly recommended.


8.Idaho - the lone gunman
Download: Idaho - live today again

I like this one, Jeff Martin has that type of wispy voice that I can't resist, and the lone gunman might be the best Idaho album in years. In case you didn't knew: Idaho has been around the music scene for more than 12 years yet almost noone has heard about it. Give it a try, you wont regret it. A timeless somber beauty.



7. Cocorosie - noah's ark
Download: Cocorosie - Beautiful Boyz

The sisters Casady are the best reinvention Bjork never made, of course Bjork couldn't possibly imagine her sound as conceived on the bayou. Those harps and saloon pianos coloring this album give it a very bohemian take on avant-folk, and for fans of the genre this is a must.
If they continue improving their stylings and focusing their efforts a little more they might create something truly inspiring on a few years.


6. Colleen - the golden morning breaks
Download: Colleen -the golden morning breaks
Download: Colleen - summer water

Im warning you, this is a collection of harmless soft lullabies and the record has a unicorn and a fairie on the cover, somehow, I'm ashamed to say I love it. Every song on this release has the hability to seep into your subconcious with subtlety.
Cecile Schott picked the instruments punctuating the release carefully (most of them are from renaissance-era origin) which makes the whole record sound seemingly naked and it actually makes for the better because it finds her emotions bare for us to take. Quite lovely.
I'd also reccommend you to look for Susumu Yokota's "Symbol" which didn't make it to the list but has a certain resemblance to this one in it's use of electronically-infused barroque music.