This is the time of year when, for better or worse, year-end lists get compiled. Usually this is a time when I’m forced to finally realize—not just know, but realize in that part of my brain that’s responsible for overseeing the grand narrative of me-ness—that an entire year has passed since that last New Year’s party. This year, I’m still deep in denial. Something about 2005 just didn’t want to neatly conclude when I abstracted it like some kind of coherent and analyzable mass of shared collective experiences. After some consideration, I’ve decided to manufacture some closure for myself by examining the iTunes playlists I made throughout the year, remembering which songs I listened to on repeat for days, and trying to eradicate “My Humps” from memory by any means necessary.

Near the beginning of 2005, I see the usual, a lot of krautrock. Those Can re-releases from 2004 were still in heavy rotation. MIA starts sneaking onto some of them, too. According to iTunes, I preferred Piracy Funds Terrorism to Arular. Living in Brooklyn, I soon got to a point where I wanted to never hear either again.

Judging from how many times iTunes says I listened to “How Long,” it’s reasonable to assume that I must have liked that Out Hud album, Let Us Never Speak of it Again. Yes, I think it reminded me of a much more produced ESG. This didn’t get enough attention.

But then, neither did Gang Gang Dance. I remember being excited when God’s Money was released, hopeful that maybe Brooklyn was going to be the site of a new scene where all beats were “tribal,” all instrumentation was lush, and every band was fronted by its own Kate Bush clone. “Glory in Itself (Egyptian)” is Brooklyn’s answer to “The Dreaming.”

Over the summer and into the fall, I had The Juan Maclean’s Less Than Human on repeat for the duration. “Give Me Every Little Thing” is the album’s Funkadelic tribute. I still listen to this one. My neighbors rue the day it was released.

In the past few months, the only thing I’ve been able to get into is Isolée. I bought We Are Monster because I saw a quote from Kenny Dope on the cover endorsing it. “Schrapnell” reminds me of Brian Eno’s “Deep Blue Day.” Moral of the story: if Kenny Dope says it’s good, it is.

Happy New Year.

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