We live in an iTunes nation. It's easy to pull a track down to your pod for under a buck. Bostonist still longs for cover art, liner notes, and that masterwork that is a multi-track collection of songs we call an album. Listed here is our much discussed, unbiased by payola, top 25 albums of 2005. After the jump you'll find where some of us stand individually on the subject of the years best. (Apparently not everyone likes Sufjan.)

1. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah "Clap Your Hands Say Yeah"
Upon this tidal wave of hype, potential, and comparison, CYHSY have reacted deftly by letting the album speak for itself. The Clap is a true indie hit. They've got no PR machine nor a label. The Brooklyn based group has become a massive sucess just based on the helpful hype of the Internet. We're fond of the Pitchfork analogy to a 'vintage Lohan nip slip.' (We're clapping just for our use of Lohan and nip slip in this post, undoubtedly we'll be getting more traffic.)
Buy | Official Site | Listen: "Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood", "Over and Over Again (Lost & Found)", "In This Home on Ice"

2. Boards of Canada "Campfire Headphase"
These bastards can be lazy. By lazy we mean they make us wait so long between each album. Perhaps it’s for the better as this awesome ambient album hits the nail on the head. We don’t want to rush them into anything they’re not ready for…but we wouldn’t mind if they wanted to take a stab at the number one spot in 2006.
Buy | Official Site | Listen: Album

3. Sufjan Stevens "Illinoios"
What can be said about that man Sufjan? He sold out the Somerville Theatre when he played there this fall. A punctual and packed house at $16 a head. We decided that the music was good enough to make the gimmick work for his “50 States Project.” Bostonist awaits the release of “Massachusetts,” no doubt it shall be revolutionary. We also expect a free concert at, ergg, City Hall Plaza.
Buy | Official Site | “The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts” | “Casimir Pulaski Day”

4. The New Pornographers "Twin Cinema"
It was a fight to get this indie hit into the top five. Bostonist, against some better judgment, put this popishly popular release on a pedestal. Hard to follow a release like Mass Romantic but Twin Cinema speaks to something inside us and keeps us coming back for more.
Buy | Official Site | Listen: "Twin Cinema", "Use It"

5. Of Montreal "The Sunlandic Twins"
Rounding out the top five of our top 25 is another group with a hint-o-Canada in their name. Approximating other-worldly euphoria using the inspired human spirit as source material in a way only an Elephant 6 survivor could accomplish, this is the psychedelic glam-pop album we anticipated from Brian Eno this year. Arriving from outer space and taking up residence in our head, if you haven’t heard The Sunlandic Twins yet, someone you know is trying to change that. The trump card: we can dance to it.
Buy | Official Site | Listen: "Requiem For O.M.M. 2", "Wraith Pinned To The Mist (and other games)"

6. The Go! Team "Thunder Lightning Strike"
Bostonist loved the party that was their incredible show at Paradise last month. We know Londonist fell in love with this release over a year ago when it was released in the UK. In 2005 the US saw the release of this amazingly smart album. A year after our friends abroad heard the official version it still rings fresh. The team mixes and mashes everything from girl group r&b, northern soul, '70s funk and TV action show themes, My Bloody Valentine-like noise, lush and cheesy '60s pop, a wee bit of twee, lest we forget the healthy dose of old school hip hop, playground rhymes and cheerleading drills.
Buy | Official Site | Listen and See

7. The Decemberists "Picaresque"
Decembrist: (n.) A participant in the unsuccessful conspiracy to overthrow Czar Nicholas I of Russia in December 1825.
The Decemberists: (n.) a participant in the successful conspiracy to sell good music to the masses. This band that keeps getting better, "Picaresque" the best so far - a little less of the maudlin maritime feel of the earlier works, and a somewhat more refined lyrical sense - but the overall feel keeps up the sound that made us fall in love the first time.
Buy | Official Site | Listen: "The Engine Driver" | See: "16 Military Wives", "The Soldiering Life"

8. Wolf Parade "Apologies to the Queen Mary"
Embodying our rock and roll dreams on record and in performance: sublime power on the brink of collapse, this record showcases gorgeous songs from two different madcap sources in Krug and Boeckner.
Buy | Official Site | Listen: “Shine A Light”

9. DangerDOOM "The Mouse and the Mask"
Take Danger Mouse's impeccable beats and sublime sampling, add MF Doom's crazy-ass raps and smooth flow, throw in the cast of characters from the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and you get one lip smacking treat. Like a big bowl of Lucky Charms, its magically delicious. Guest appearances by Talib Kweli, Cee-Lo, Ghostface Killah and Money Mark (on keys) just sprinkle on more sugar. Ummm, sugar. Plus its funnier than Automator and Prince Paul's Handsome Boy Modeling School projects (just check Master Shake's voice mail messages that run through the album -- "call me back doggie").
Buy | Official Site | Listen: "Mincemeat" , "Sofa King"

10. Kasabian "Kasabian"
Techno Indie? Yes it is. Sort-of rock, sort-of electronica, sort-of ambient, pretty great. There's a spyware enhanced CD that Bostonist reccomends strongly that you stay away from. Spyware does not make the Top 25.
Buy | Official Site | See: “Cutt Off”, “LSF”

11. Common "Be"
Perhaps not as groundbreaking or "important" a release as his mid '90s work, this is still a fantastic album. Common, along with the Roots, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli, kept socially conscious, jazz infected hip hop alive after the rise of gangsta rap and decline of "golden age" giants like Tribe, De La, and Digable Planets. Be includes guest appearances by Kanye (who also produced the joint), John Legend, John Mayer and the legendary Last Poets.
Buy | Official Site | Listen

12. Animal Collective "Feels"
A touchstone album. New fans will be intrigued to work backwards, and new bands and scenes may historically sprawl forward. If you dig ‘em you have two choices: regret not seeing them live last time around (because they tour on material they’re about to record) or prioritize them now before you get too far behind.
Buy | Official Site | Listen: "Did you see the words"

13. Tie: Four Tet "Everything Ecstatic" / Kanye West "Late Registration"
Kieran Hebden moves away from the organic, dreamy "folktronica," he's known for with this darker, denser, more rhythmically complex and compelling work. Not that there aren't bright, sunny moments. "Smile Around the Face" sounds like the Avalanches in a particularly ecstatic mood.
Is there much we need to say about Kanye. If you haven't been caught humming Gold Digger at least once in the past few months you're not like us. A sophomore release from this college dropout is an invasive crossover hit. He's schooled us in the politics of Dubya. The question remains does Kanye lose cred' from having a mainstream top ten hit, being Punk'd by Ashton, or having Jaime Foxx say "My man Kanye and I just did one track..."? Maybe none. The hits are rolling and the man is on fire.
Buy Everything Ecstatic | Four Tet Official Site | Listen: “A joy”, “Smile around the face”, “Sun drums and soil”
Buy Late Registration | Kanye West Official Site | See: "Gold Digger"

14. Okkervil River "Black Sheep Boy"
Okkervil frontman, Singer/Songwriter Will Sheff is not a black sheep, he’s got swooning fans. This complex yet accessible release has been endearing critics and musicians alike. One characteristic that repeatedly slaps you in the face throughout the album: damn good songs.
Buy | Official Site | Listen: “For Real”, “Black”

15. Broadcast "Tender Buttons"
Sometimes compared to the Dresden Dolls, Broadcast is distinctly different, but still tickles our inner ear in that same comfortable way. After dropping down to two of the original cast the sound has tightened up and is recorded with all the comforts of home, in the living room. We’ll say this about Tender Buttons: it is soft and needs to be held. There are no shocker tracks, keep it as an album and spin it with care.
Buy | Official Site | Listen

16. M.I.A. "Arular"
UK garage and grime, baile funk, reggaeton, dancehall, crunk. It's all bumped up on this high energy follow-up to the awesome Piracy Funds Terrorism mixtape Maya and Diplo put together. Ain't nothin' but a party baby. Well actually it is more. Underlying it all are Maya's radical politics and connection -- through her father -- to the Tamil revolutionary movement. If you can't dance to this you're dead.
Buy | Official Site | Listen: "Hombre"

17. Tie: Bright Eyes "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" / Bright Eyes "I'm
Wide Awake It's Morning"
While most critics thought Conor's I'm Wide Awake Its Morning, released by Saddle Creek the same day, was the stronger of the pair, the gentle electronica, laid down with some help from the Postal Service's Jimmy Tamborello, and the harder rock (the Yeah Yeah Yeah's Nick Zinner adds a few cameos) of Digital Ash had Bostonist playing this album over and over.
Buy "Digital Ash" | Buy "I'm Wide Awake" | Official Site | Listen: Digital Ash-"Take It Easy (Love Nothing)", "Gold Mine Gutted" | Listen: I'm Wide Awake-“We Are Nowhere And It’s Now”, “Lua”

18. Franz Ferdinand "You Could Have it So Much Better"
Bostonist is still in love with the Franz. Good music, britpop beat-a-licious. If you've been paying attention at all in the last year, picked up a Rolling Stone or visited Pitchfork even once we're sure you already knew all about it. Bonus Prize for deco cover art.
Buy | Official site | Listen and See

19. Spoon "Gimme Fiction"
In May Bostonist creamed ourselves when we tore back the cellophane on the new Spoon release. It was fantastic. Not as good as it was, were, or might have been: that is to say not “perfect” but we’ll take the concession and keep on rocking the Hatch.
Buy | Official Site | Listen: "I Turn My Camera On"

20. Broken Social Scene "Broken Social Scene"
This Canadian collective is just getting bigger. We mean bigger, but also hotter. They’re popularity has brought to them more fans--on this release the collective has augmented the member rolls too. Is it Emo? Is it Jam Band? Is it Classical? Yes, it is good.
Buy | Official Site | Listen

21. Sigur Ros "Takk..."
Takk is much like Iceland. Cold and covered in ice. Geothermal spas dot the landscape. A tourist destination that doesn’t come to mind first. Bostonist likes this album for that reason: it’s Icelandic. As an album it speaks volumes (even if we can’t understand the lyrics). We could go to sleep, wake up, have sex, or eat an entire box of Mac and Cheese to this album.
Buy | Official Site | Listen:Concert in North Bethesda | See: " Glósóli", Concert in Reykjavík

22. dios (malos) "dios (malos)"
The humorous, laid-back aesthetic of this SoCal group serves to further your sense of awe at their seemingly effortless pop gems and Joel Morales’ flawless singing voice on their (second) self-titled release. Channeling Elliott Smith, Brian Wilson, and Dr. Dre for their own smoky gold soundz blend, you can either laugh or cry (or both) at all the songs on this album.
Buy | Official Site | Listen: "Feels Good Being Somebody"

23. Devendra Banhart "Cripple Crow"
We put this on at the last dinner party we hosted. It is not background music. Conversation stopped. Feet tapped. People listened. Call it quality freak folk now with 10% more Whaaaa. Timeless, Beautiful. Not necessarily in that order.
Buy | Official Site | Listen: "Quedate Luna"

24. Dungen "Ta Det Lugnt"
Someone took the Wayback Machine to the late 60’s and imported an album from Sweden. With sounds so vintage and delicious it’s almost like a Beatles disc playing backwards-without the subliminal messages. A favorite tune on the disc, the 8-minute opus "Du e för fin för mig," somehow loses us after five an a half minutes, if that means anything.
Buy | Official Site | Listen: "Panda", "Festival", "Ta det lugnt", "Om du vore en vakthund"

25. Bloc Party "Silent Alarm"
One of the best of the batch of post punk and punk funk revival bands from the past few years. Lots of Gang of Four influences, but much less derivative, angular and political than Radio 4. Broad array of post punk and early 80's new pop influences and reference points. Take note of the Remix album, it is better than most such projects (and in this case perhaps even the original).
Buy | Official Site | Listen: "She's Hearing From Voices" (live), "Banquet" "Banquet" (remix)

Our Top 25 was indeed 27 great albums from 2005 or at least their 2005 US release. A couple dropped abroad a tad bit earlier than made it stateside. Consider the two extra a bonus prize, just for you.

Individual Lists
Twelve best because twelve is two better than ten.

Alexandra Lee
1. Imogen Heap - Speak for Yourself
2. Seu Jorge - The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions
3. Kanye West - Late Registration
4. Amos Lee - Self Titled
5. Annie - Anniemal
6. Jamie Lidell - Multiply
7. Royksopp - The Understanding
8. Various Artists - "Elizabethtown" Soundtrack
9. Dwele - Some Kinda
10. M.I.A. - Arular
11. Four Tet - Everything Ecstatic
12. Jamiroquai - Dynamite

Michael Walker
1. Of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins
2. Wolf Parade - Apologies to Queen Mary
3. Animal Collective - Feels
4. Bright Eyes - I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning
5. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
6. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
7. Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
8. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
9. dios (malos) - dios (malos)
10. M. Ward - Transistor Radio
11. Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow
12. The Ponys - Celebration Castle

Charley Bandes
1. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
2. The Decembrists - Picaresque
3. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
4. Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase
5. Broadcast - Tender Buttons
6. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
7. Spoon - Gimme Fiction
8. Sigur Ros - Takk
9. Kasabian - Kasabian
10. Dunge - Ta Det Lugnt
11. The Dandy Warhols - Odditorium or Warlords of Mars
12. Sleater Kinney: The Woods
Why no Sufjan? Because everyone else on the planet will tell you to
buy his album anyway, and because (gasp) I don't like it.

Matt Durutti (His list with comments can be found here)
1. The Go! Team - Thunder Lightening Strike
2. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
3. DangerDOOM - The Mouse and the Mask
4. Boards of Canada - Campfire Headphase
5. Common - Be
6. Four Tet - Everything Ecstatic
7. M.I.A. - Arular
8. Bright Eyes - Digital Ash in a Digital Urn
9. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
10. Kanye West - Late Registration
11. Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah.
12. Beck - Guero.
Just missed the cut: Gorillaz: Demon Days; LCD Soundsystem: LCD Soundsystem; The Rakes; The Kills: No Wow; The White Stripes: Get Behind Me Satan; Architecture in Helsinki: In Case We Die
Need to spend more time with: Kassabian: Kassabian; Elbow: Leaders of the Free World; Sigur Ros: Takk.
Favorite mash-up: 1). The Legendary K.O.: "George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People." Well, not really a mash-up, but K.O.'s use of Kanye's "Gold Digger," (and infamous quote) to make a statement about the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina was was perfect. 2). DJ Rico and Lenlow (Boston's own) "P-Funk is Playing at My House". Part mash-up, part remix, part cover of LCD Soundsytem's "Daft Punk is Playing at My House." More Cowbell!! 3). dj BC (Boston's own) "The Coltrane Influence." Ok, saving this "category," finally a pure mash-up. Jurrasic Five and Coltrane. damn straight.
Favorite Guilty Pleasure: tie: Annie: Anniemal / Shakira: Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1