They keep rolling in and I'll keep pushing them out. No, I'm not talking about warm biscuits, (shout out to Gigs!). I'm talking about Top Five lists. Today's commentary comes courtesy of Ben and Stefan who make up half of the New York (or Brooklyn if you want to be a dick about it) rock band End of the World. These guys are top of the pops, but if you own their EP then this is old news. 2006 should see the release of their debut full length, but it has yet to score a release date. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed. Oh, and incase you're scratching your head - yes, that is the best picture I could find of Ben and Stefan.

Ben's Top 5 of 2005:

The Narrator :: Such Triumph (Flameshovel)

There really is no substitute for the sort of guitar-anguish that the Narrator are putting into song. A great way to feel young. When Sam screams "With a dripping mouthful of blood/I'm trying really hard not to care" in "Now Is The Time For All Good Men" I really lose it. The Narrator's songs, not to mention performances, contain moments of intensity so beautiful that it only makes sense that they devolve into chaos. I should also mention that, Stefan, David Yourdon and I singing backup on "(This) Party's Over" at the Empty Bottle record release show was a personal highlight in my life.

Cass McCombs :: PREfection (Monitor)

A great album that reveals itself in vastly different ways with each listen. The stylized production can occasionally mask the simple beauty of Cass' songs, but when you finally enter the world that this album inhabits and hear the record from the right vantage point it all begins to make perfect sense. There are physical sensations built in. I can't listen to "She's Still Suffering" without feeling like I'm falling. I can't listen to "City of Brotherly Love" enough.

Animal Collective :: Feels / Prospect Hummer EP (Fat Cat)

Two records, I know. But while Feels is the much-celebrated record that I listen to with the lights off and get sensations of other-worldliness, Prospect Hummer is such a startlingly beautiful collection of songs that it would be an injustice to ignore it here. Somehow Vashti Bunyan and Animal Collective bring out amazing hidden elements of each other's musical personas - she seems childish and free while they suddenly seem calm and musically domestic. Perfect for driving with the windows down when everyone else has air conditioning.

Dead Meadow :: Feathers (Matador)

In addition to putting on the best show I saw all year - at the Church of the Friendly Ghost in Austin during SXSW - Dead Meadow made a record that's incredible from the first minute to the last. It's as if you press play on your stereo and doors suddenly open to a vast psychedelic medieval banquet hall where you get to spend an hour wandering around touching all of the strangely colored objects and hiding from the king. But you're not stoned, you're dreaming, and dreaming is far better than being stoned. Anyone who casually refers to this band as "stoner-rock" should stop talking about music and go out and get stoned immediately.

Ume :: Urgent Sea (Pretty Activity)

I put out this record, so it may seem a bit unfair, but whenever I put it on I am first excited by how heavy this band is and later entranced by the sad beauty of some of Laure's vocals. A casual listener might easily overlook the complexities of this record, but I don't know anyone who's seen them live and walked away indifferent. Three wonderful and humble people who put more of themselves out on the stage in a single night than countless bands do in a career.

Stefan's Top 5 of Y2K5:

...Trail of Dead :: Worlds Apart (Interscope)

This album does not hesitate. It's the sound of men picking points on the horizon and running towards them. Epic songs played with a heavy hand, and it couldn't be done any other way. Put this record in the music machine and try not to rage. Things couldn't be better.

My Morning Jacket :: Z (ATO/RCA)

One of my favorite bands, and their show at Webster Hall in October further reminded me how much I like them. This band sounds like they spend just as much time with the Ghost of Christmas Past as they do with the Ghost of Christmas to come. They've got the spirits in them, and you can hear it as Jim James' voice sails around the rafters.

The Pathways :: Boat of Confidence (RIYL)

These guys have made a few records, but I think this may be my favorite. There is a bounce to these tunes, and great pop elements, but it's more than that. It's thoughtful gentlemen letting it all hang out while still keeping it together. As I look to the New Year, I hear the Pathways singing in my ear: "Start acting like it's going to happen--it might." Words to live by; bingo bango let's go jango.

Doves :: Some Cities (Capitol)

2005 was an epic year, and this record brings that point home once more. "Snowden" alone makes this record worth owning. I guess the word lush applies to the way a lot of the notes on this album feel. Sweeping guitar, blown-out drums - there are numbers on this album that sound like winter in the mountains, and numbers that sound like Joe Jackson. Makes for a nice record.

M.I.A. :: Arular (XL/Beggars)

This record is the suspenders that keeps your ragepants on. The beats are bouncy and triumphant, and her voice just has a great lilt to it. I cannot avoid raising my hands to the ceiling and nodding along whenever this record comes on. Important element of the summer of 2005.

Thanks guys!