Introduction Well folks, it's been quite a year for all of us. 2005 sucked a lot for the world, Europe's institutional future is in question, God is pretty angry at people who live near coasts and Pakistan, and apparently everyone's gonna die from West Avian Nile Flu-Virus!!! But there was a lot of good music to make up for all that pain. It's been a pretty big year for the site too. This was our first full year of existence (though we started some time in late 2004), and I think it went pretty well. We welcomed a whole host of new faces and voices and fully realized the base potential of the site. All of us here have learned a whole host of new things in the last twelve months; whether it's how to proofread (whoops), conduct an interview (hey, no one's at fault for noodles) or how to not freak out in front of your girly rock idols (live report coming sometime!!!). We're going strong right now but just wait to see what we have in store for everyone in the coming year! Here now are our Top 5 lists of 2005. Each staffer came up with their lists of what was hot in Japan (in our imaginations) for the year. Surprising to see so many people bestow honors upon Ging Nang Boyz who released their albums in the first month and toddle who was panned pretty widely when their debut cd came out. But that's the crazy world we live in! On to the lists! back to features		Keikaku.net's Top 5's of 2005 Ricardo Vilaro 1. The Back Horn - Headphone Children I may be slighlty biased on this one, but Headphone Children was excellent, a definite step up from their previous effort on Ikiru Sainou. An extremely solid rock album from my favorite band, incorporating all sorts of sounds into one cohesive package. Highlights include "Tobira," "Tabibito" and the title track "Headphone Children." 2. 銀杏BOYZ - 君と僕の第三次世界大戦的恋愛革命 Edging out the other GNB album by a hair's breadth, Kimi to Boku... was one of two lo-fi romps fueled by pure passion. Mineta and Co. unleashed a ferocious punk sound, cutting off all restraints. Highlights include "あの娘に1ミリでもちょっかいかけたら殺す," "童貞フォーク少年、高円寺にて爆死寸前," and the folky "なんて悪意に満ちた平和なんだろう." 3. 銀杏BOYZ - DOOR The other GNB album starts off with a bang, with excellent opening tracks "17sai" and "Inu Ningen," and you know from that point on that it's going to be a wild ride. Both Ging Nang Boyz albums got an unbelievable amount of playtime, and while I thought this one was the lesser of the two, it was still an epic effort. 4. Sparta Locals - Dreamer Even though at first listen Dreamer failed to live up to Second Fanfare and Sun Sun Sun, the previous two full-length albums, it wasn't long before this disc put a stranglehold on my ears and made me listen whenever I had the chance to. Funky guitar pop with clever songwriting that covers a wide range of styles. 5. World's End Girlfriend - The Lie Lay Land Blowing his previous album Farewell Kingdom out of the water, the mysterious World's End Girlfriend delivers a sonic masterpiece that is at once soothing and terrifying. Combining glitchy breakbeats with strings, brass sections and children's voices, this was one of the most unique releases of 2005. Graham 1. fujifabric - Fab Fox Fujifabric's album Fab Fox is definately a "pop" album, but it is also so much more. Complex melodies, syncopated rhytms, and multi-part interplay are dolloped all over this release, giving it the replay value that so many pop albums lack. 2. Boris - Pink Starting with the atmospheric reverb and titanic breakdown of "Ketsubetsu" then descending into a sea of distorted guitars and noise, this album by Boris has enough energy for 10 albums. 3. bonobos - electlyric Good vibes beamed straight "from Osaka to the outer space." As hard as it was to pick this album in the middle of the freezing, snowy winter, electlyric has an undeniable good feel that will make you smile on even the darkest of days. 4. 9mm Parabellum Bullet - Gjallarhorn Newcomers to the music scene 9mm Parabellum Bullet release a rock album full of instrumental virtuosity. If this album was more than 20 minutes long it would have been in the number one spot, but listening all the way through never leaves me satisfied due to its short length. 5. bloodthirsty butchers - banging the drum bloodthirsty butchers turn out a typically strong performance. Adding Tabuchi Hisako on the guitar adds new energy as well. Bob Vielma 1. 銀杏BOYZ - DOOR Door is loud, obnoxious, and gross. It is also honest, passionate and inspirational. Mineta Kazunobu says that mankind lives only to eat and have sex, yet he compares us to God. Door combines the base and magnificent unlike any other album. Not only is this my favorite album of 2005, but also a rock and roll classic. 2. 銀杏BOYZ - 君と僕の第三次世界大戦的恋愛革命 I pity the other Japanese bands who had to compete against the Ging Nang Boyz for a spot on this Top 5 list. How many bands can release two albums at the same time and have both of them turn out so amazing? "Kakenukete Seishun," complimented by Yuki's incredible guest vocals, is the perfect punk rock love song. 3. サンボマスター - サンボマスターは君に語りかける Sambomaster's second full-length is a 21st century soul record, even though it may come across as punk rock for dorks. "Utsukushiki Ningen no Hibi" still gives me goosebumps every time that I listen to it. Released just four days after the two Ging Nang Boyz albums, were this album released any other year it would have been number one. 4. toddle - I dedicate D chord Toddle's debut arrived without much fanfare but was quietly one of the year's best albums. This is a modestly complex album, a happy middle ground between the tuneless experimentation and mindless flair of most indie bands today. 5. BREAKfAST - 3rd & Army Most hardcore bands these days try to spice up their bland songwriting with tired metal riffs and waves of heavy droning. BREAKfAST outshines them all by subtly mixing in bits of funk, along with the sensibilities of oldies, with the type of hardcore punk that stopped being cool 10 or 15 years ago. BREAKfAST's singer Morimoto carries a skateboard onstage while performing, and, with song titles like "Ollie" and "Stalefish," it's easy to tell that these guys are all about skateboarding. James Route The Back Horn - Headphone Children The naysayers are right: The Back Horn has sanded down that edge from their earlier days. But in turn they've become much stronger at writing melodies, and Headphone Children is the first full glimpse of what the band has to offer with these freshly developed skills. Advantage Lucy - Echo Park Advantage Lucy needed four years to get Echo Park out the door, but that may have actually been a good thing. Echo Park sounds like four years of careful preparation went in to produce what is the best indie pop recording of the year from the land of the rising sun. the band apart - quake and brook I firmly believed that K. And His Bike was an impossible album to beat, and I now firmly believe I was right in that assessment. However, that doesn't keep quake and brook from excelling, as the band expands in a jazzier and slightly lower-key direction. Acidman - and world Perhaps I'm a crazy man biased heavily in favor of Acidman. Regardless, the band's pulled out a fourth excellent album release in a row (making them four for four!), this time mercifully minimizing their go-to hard rock to refocus on a more relaxed style. Bugy Craxone - Bugy Craxone Bugy Craxone posted a suprising release this year, not only putting out their best record to-date but one of the best of the year. There isn't much more I can say that I haven't already said in my review, but suffice to say it's got the band's old melodic rock and newer garage style out in full force, plus a few other suprises thrown in for good measure. Taylor Morris 1. 銀杏BOYZ - 君と僕の第三次世界大戦的恋愛革命 It's a huge surprise that an album released in the year's first month could still be tops at the end. But then again it's not so surprising when you consider just how many memorable songs, new and old, were packed into this CD. Surely it wasn't perfect or even as consistent as some CD's which didn't make the cut but the sheer enjoyability of most of the tracks left me with such little choice for writing up this list (I know I'm not alone on this one). The rough style and no frills production on both albums proved a breath of fresh air that was greatly needed in 2005, even if it came in the beginning. 2. Hawaiian6 - Beginnings The triumphant return of Hawaiian6 was a great mid-year moment for me. Definitely one of the albums I had anticipated most this year, Japanese or otherwise. The consistency they've retained and improvement they've gained turned Beginnings from what could've been a mediocre sophomore album into a memorable and extremely listenable release. I haven't seen that many great simple punk albums released in the last few years and its even rarer to see a band show that they didn't need to change their style to release a compelling product. Beginnings made due on all of its promises and I can't thank them enough for it. 3. toddle - I dedicate D chord Another one of my most anticipated albums of the year and boy was I dissapointed the first time I heard it! Over time though, the album just kept calling me back with its simplicity, charms, and superbly indie sounds. Over yet more time, it grew and grew till I was hopelessly under its spell. Unassuming and completely enjoyable, I Dedicate D Chord is not to be missed despite how easy it might be to do just that. 4. 銀杏BOYZ - DOOR I fell so hard and so fast for this album's partner, Kimi To Boku, that I pushed aside DOOR for most of the year. Kimi To Boku was obviously more radio and fan friendly (just look at the sales for each), but I think DOOR also failed to provide a compelling consistency. Regardless, DOOR has more fantastic moments than a number of groups' best albums. While both this and its partner had a number of mis-steps and mis-fires, I don't think the old adage of taking a double album and removing the inconsistencies from each to form one great album applies here. Both CD's have their own strong character and it's impossible to imagine them outside of the album format. It's the idea of a CD being more than just a collection of songs (or sum of its parts) that prove DOOR's greatest strength and the one that keeps it in so many of our top 5's. 5. Mac Donald Duck Éclair - The Genesis Songbook It might be a little strange to see me putting up an album which I didn't give a great review to over some others that did recieve those favorable reviews but the fact is that while The Genesis Songbook may not be up to the group's own standards, it is certainly very enjoyable and stands up wonderfully to repeat listens. It's a funny concept to enjoy an album knowing it doesn't compare to something obviously better constructed but the list is taken from both what I've listened to the most this year and what I think I'll be remembering and listening to in the future. The very fact of the matter is that I expected more but I love the group's style so much I'm willing to forgive these infractions and keep listening after I've forgotten about Anatakikou's first two albums or The Back Horn's magnum opus. Honorable Mention Zazen Boys - Himitsu Girl's Top Secret It's just an EP so I couldn't put it on the list. Otherwise it might have taken top prize (or at least second). Expect Zazen Boys III to take a lot of awards next year. Denise Smith Kamaboiler - Kamaboiler First Kamaboiler's freshman effort takes my number one spot with strong vocals and feel-good songs. Nothing same-old here. Anatakikou - sweet montage A The band's major label debut and my most anticipated album of 2005, continues to delight with repeated plays. Reminding me that pop music can indeed be beautiful. The Band Apart - quake and brook One of my less anticipated albums of 2005, how can it possibly be better than K. and His Bike. What I should have anticipated was not better, but able to stand on its own. Fujifabric - Fab Fox Fujifabric hit the mark with what they do best, intricate instrumentation and a unique take on genres. This album should have been their debut. Anatakikou - Gradation'12 Two albums from Anatakikou? The band was particularly prolific this year releasing both their debut and this virtual 'best of indie' albums. Ordered at number five, simply because it is a compilation containing every song from their indie days, it has been regulated to my car cd player or I'd be in Anatakikou overload. Honorable mention Empty Black Box - Foolish [Maxi Single] Arguably the most jazz groove fun that can be had in just over ten minutes. Chris McDougall No order. I don't think any order for this is necessary since any one of these albums should be a good listen. It's hard playing favorites since a lot of what I listen to depends on my mood. マスラヲコミッショナー - 輩x輩x輩 Though the band has softened up a bit since Bee Rock!!, the MSRW Crew still knows how to pound out the songs without leaving fans of their older work alienated. The day this band is through is the day Endou Masashi can't let out a scream anymore, and that doesn't look like it'll happen anytime soon. bloodthirsty butchers - banging the drum The band may never pull off another masterpiece like Kocorono or Mikansei, but despite their near 15 year run they've proven time and again that they can make a solid album the way that they want to make it. It's easily the best album they've made on Colombia, trimming down the fatty parts that they've been known for, and bringing back some of the grit that they've lost over time. Veltpunch - a huge mistake Filling in a sorely underrepresented area of Japanese rock, this power pop trio really knows how to layer their instruments as well as vocals providing both polyphonic and melodic bliss. Hawaiian6 - Beginnings Though I still wish that they would stop with the happy-go-lucky songs like "Rainbow Rainbow" and stick to being angry and focused, there's no doubt that the band plays melodic hardcore how it should be played: loud, fast, catchy and furious. the band apart - quake and brook Continuing the use of jazz and bossanova in their rock sound, the band apart has always been in a class all their own. quake and brook delves further into that territory while at the same time boasting terrific precision and teamwork. Honorable Mention Zazen Boys - At Osaka, Shinsaibashi Club Quattro, 5-10-2005 This is the best live album released this year, but two things prevented me from actually listing it. Point 1: it wasn't pressed to disc, and point 2: it was never on sale. However, this live recording does count as official, and there's an album worth of material. The best part is that it's free. You can download it straight from the Mukai Shutoku's own homepage. Richard Doherty Bugy Craxone - Bugy Craxone A strong release from Bugy Craxone. I was expecting one of their best releases but was pleasantly surprised. Intelligent guitar playing and solid songs make this for me. The sometimes strange English lyrics can be forgiven. Advantage Lucy - Echo Park Advantage Lucy continue to impress with their well thought out catchy pop songs. Aiko's voice is as captivating as ever. toddle - I dedicate D chord Somewhat difficult to listen to at first but soon became a favourite for me this year. The positive energy passed over as I listened to this album made it that much more special. 銀杏BOYZ - DOOR A loud and passionate release from Ging Nang Boyz guaranteed them space on my playlists. Surprisingly good considering they released two albums this year. Hawaiian6 - Beginnings When I heard about Beginnings being released I was hoping for more of their solid, catchy sound and they delivered superbly. There are few moments where they go wrong on this release. Shawn Grover 1. All Tomorrow's Party - Yoo Doo Right, Yoo Doo Slide I was immediately interested in ATP, after finding out that Tetsuo Kitame and Taro Ishikawa of Love Love Straw were the founders of this melodic rock trio. Heavily influenced by music from the 1960s and '70s, Yoo Doo Right, Yoo Doo Slide has a very diverse sound, ranging from captivating pop rock to intense instrumental jamming to psychedelic space rock. Plans of a new album and a U.S. tour are in the works, so keep your eyes peeled. 2. Sparta Locals - Dreamer With Dreamer, Sparta Locals continue to go away from their raw sound that I loved in Second Fanfare, but they retain their catchiness and still have some surprises thrown in to keep things interesting. The way that they mix and blend their instruments together to create songs never ceases to amaze me. This is still in my CD player, even after dozens of repeated listens. 3. toddle - I dedicate D chord I dedicate D chord came out of left field for me. Toddle's first full-length is surprisingly catchy, slightly messy, a little noisy, and very good. 4. Quruli - Nikki Though a step down from Quruli's previous album, Antenna, Nikki still has catchy melodies and a variety of styles to keep me interested throughout the whole disc. Quruli continue to experiment with electronics, but this time the album as a whole feels more poppy and accessible than any of their previous work. Highlights include "(It's Only) R'n R Workshop!" and "Tonight is the Night." 5. Rock'A'Trench - South Wind & Runners High Having released only four brilliant feel good songs on 2 singles, Ska Ska Club side-project Rock'A'Trench has me constantly coming back to their laidback songs for another listen. This is terrific sunny pop rock with reggae and ska undertones that's hard not to like. Their next release in 2006 is one of my most anticipated albums, up there with Zazen Boys III. Simon 1. Losalios - Yuurei Senchou Ga Hanashite Kureta Koto Instrumental perfection, the sound of a band at the top of their game. Who needs words anyway, when the basslines are this groovy? 2. Maximum The Hormone - Rockimpo Goroshi Aggression and passion but with a refined edge, this album puts them head and shoulders above their punk/hardcore peers. 3. Karukaya Makoto - System Of Jah Quite simply the nicest reggae/dub record to come out this year, at only 6 tracks that is certainly saying something. Nice husky vocals and really catchy, laid back songs. 4. Jude - Electric Rainbow The sound of Jude maturing and expanding their sound to great effect. More experimental than previous releases incorporating all sorts of influences yet still being recognisable as a Kenichi record. 5. Bagdad Cafe The Trench Town - Movin' On Coming a close second behind Karukaya Makoto, the second best reggae record of the year. Very melodic, very laid back and powerful vocals especially on tracks like Everything and Mr.ライト ------------- In case anyone was curious, here's a point breakdown of the top 10 of our favorite albums. Five points for first place, etc. 1. 銀杏BOYZ - Kimi to Boku 13 2. 銀杏BOYZ - Door 12 3. toddle - I dedicate D chord 11 4. The Back Horn - Headphone Children 10 5. Advantage Lucy - Echo Park 8 6. Hawaiian6 - Beginnings 7 6. fujifabric - Fab Fox 7 6. the band apart - quake and brook 7 9. Bugy Craxone - Bugy Craxone 6 9. Sparta Locals - Dreamer 6 Cool! Check those CD's out!! - Thanks go to everyone for writing and thinking and doing their best over the last year. Thanks go to Boboso for doing that brilliant list without any provocation. Thanks go to Richard Doherty for all of our wonderfully pink design. Thanks go to James Route for yelling at everyone and making sure we got all of our grammar perfect. Thanks go to me (oh really, you shouldn't have..), Taylor Morris, for compiling this list and being everyone's guiding newsletter/update light.
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