Metacritic: Best Albums of 2005

All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best of 2009
Best of 2008
Best of 2007
Best of 2006
Best of 2005
Best of 2004
Best of 2003
Best of 2002
Best of 2001
Best of 2000
Best of the Decade

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75 2562
54 30 Seconds to Mars
62 50 Cent
71 AC/DC
70 The Album Leaf
52 Kris Allen
68 Tori Amos
66 Animal Collective
84 Animal Collective
77 Annie
57 Apse
63 Asobi Seksu
59 Bad Lieutenant
83 Julianna Barwick
82 Beach House
72 Beak>
72 Bibio
65 Justin Bieber
76 Biffy Clyro
74 Blakroc
75 Mary J. Blige
78 Blockhead
52 Bon Jovi
54 Susan Boyle
57 The Bravery
39 Chris Brown
64 V.V. Brown
70 Basia Bulat
79 Chew Lips
74 Citay
65 Clipse
66 Cold War Kids
75 The Cribs
58 Dashboard Confessional
81 Dave Rawlings Machine
70 Delphic
78 The Doors
58 Echo & The Bunnymen
73 Edan
59 Editors
69 Eels
80 Felt
74 First Aid Kit
69 Flyleaf
83 Four Tet
82 Ben Frost
82 Fucked Up
83 Charlotte Gainsbourg
63 The Gilded Palace Of Sin
68 Githead
65 Joe Goddard
58 Good Shoes
72 Gucci Mane
75 Holopaw
82 Jesca Hoop
79 Hot Chip
72 The Hot Rats
88 Ray Wylie Hubbard
54 Hurricane Chris
66 Allison Iraheta
59 Jay Sean
82 Freedy Johnston
57 Nick Jonas And The Administration
73 Norah Jones
49 Juvenile
58 Ke$ha
62 R. Kelly
66 Alicia Keys
68 Kid Sister
81 King Midas Sound
63 Lady Antebellum
76 Lady GaGa
71 Adam Lambert
78 Lawrence Arabia
61 Leona Lewis
74 Lightspeed Champion
36 Lil Wayne
82 Lindstrom & Christabelle
77 Lissie
78 Los Campesinos!
70 Lostprophets
73 Magnetic Fields
72 Massive Attack
64 John Mayer
71 Paul McCartney
58 Katherine McPhee
86 Memory Tapes
72 Midlake
88 Motion City Soundtrack
63 Mr. Hudson
53 Mudvayne
75 Oh No Ono
70 OK Go
72 Ola Podrida
61 OneRepublic
80 Owen Pallett
80 Pantha du Prince
90 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
80 Phantogram
60 Pit Er Pat
63 Priestess
70 Radian
79 Corinne Bailey Rae
54 Rakim
79 Real Estate
77 Retribution Gospel Choir
76 Rihanna
64 Rjd2
65 Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
77 Sade
77 Gil Scott-Heron
72 Shakira
82 Shining
61 Snoop Dogg
62 Snow Patrol
71 The Soft Pack
80 Spoon
64 Ringo Starr
59 Stereophonics
76 Angie Stone
79 Surfer Blood
74 Switchfoot
75 Them Crooked Vultures
74 Robin Thicke
50 Timbaland
79 tUnE-YaRDs
80 Vampire Weekend
79 Laura Veirs
79 Tom Waits
78 Wale
65 The Watson Twins
66 Kanye West
76 The Whitefield Brothers
64 Robbie Williams
80 Yeasayer
62 Young Money
75 Neil Young
61 Rob Zombie

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

The following table displays the highest-scoring albums for the year in Metacritic's database. Also listed at the bottom of the page are year-end critic top ten lists culled from various music publications, as well as year-end picks from Metacritic users.

Albums must have at least 7 reviews to qualify for high score lists. Reissues, "best-of" compilations and box sets are not eligible for inclusion. Year of release reflects U.S. release date unless title has not yet been released in the U.S.

You may also view an index of all albums in our database alphabetically by artist.
In addition, you may view the top-rated albums by year: All | 2008 | '07 | '06 | '05 | '04 | '03 | '02 | '01 | '00

The 30 Best-Reviewed Albums of the Year
1	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens	2005	90
2	Z by My Morning Jacket	2005	90
3	Wearemonster by Isolée	2005	89
4	Hypermagic Mountain by Lightning Bolt	2005	88
5	The Woods by Sleater-Kinney	2005	88
6	I Am A Bird Now by Antony And The Johnsons	2005	88
7	Arular by M.I.A.	2005	88
8	Congotronics by Konono No. 1	2005	87
9	Separation Sunday by The Hold Steady	2005	86
10	Minimum-Maximum [Live] by Kraftwerk	2005	86
11	Thunder, Lightning, Strike by The Go! Team	2005	86
12	LCD Soundsystem by LCD Soundsystem	2005	86
13	Black Sheep Boy by Okkervil River	2005	86
14	Chavez Ravine by Ry Cooder	2005	86
15	The Mysterious Production Of Eggs by Andrew Bird	2005	85
16	I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning by Bright Eyes	2005	85
17	Mezmerize by System Of A Down	2005	85
18	Beauty And The Beat by Edan	2005	85
19	Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers	2005	85
20	Oceans Apart by The Go-Betweens	2005	85
21	Kicking Television: Live In Chicago by Wilco	2005	85
22	Blinking Lights And Other Revelations by Eels	2005	85
23	Late Registration by Kanye West	2005	85
24	This Right Here Is Buck 65 by Buck 65	2005	85
25	Cole's Corner by Richard Hawley	2005	85
26	Lookaftering by Vashti Bunyan	2005	85
27	Lost And Safe by The Books	2005	84
28	Gimme Fiction by Spoon	2005	84
29	Feels by Animal Collective	2005	84
30	Takk... by Sigur Rós	2005	84

Music Critics' Year-End Top Ten Lists

Village Voice 2005 Pazz & Jop Poll (a survey of 795 critics)
1.	Late Registration by Kanye West
2.	Arular by M.I.A.
3.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
4.	The Woods by Sleater-Kinney
5.	Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple
6.	Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes
7.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons
8.	Separation Sunday by The Hold Steady
9.	Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
10.	Z by My Morning Jacket
Read The Full Results

Almost Cool
1.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
2.	Lost And Safe by The Books
3.	Feels by Animal Collective
4.	Apologies To The Queen Mary by Wolf Parade
5.	Rossz Csillag Alatt Született by Venetian Snares
6.	The Milk Of Human Kindness by Caribou
7.	The Mysterious Production Of Eggs by Andrew Bird
8.	Broken Social Scene by Broken Social Scene
9.	Maria T by Balanescu Quartet
10.	Chaos Theory by Amon Tobin

Amazon.com Editors' Picks
1.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
2.	Arular by M.I.A.
3.	Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
4.	Z by My Morning Jacket
5.	Dimanche a Bamako by Amadou & Mariam
6.	Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall [Live]
7.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons
8.	No Direction Home: The Soundtrack by Bob Dylan
9.	Guero by Beck
10.	Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple

Billboard
1.	Z by My Morning Jacket
2.	(tie) A Bigger Bang by The Rolling Stones (tie) Arular by M.I.A.
3.	Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
4.	Be by Common
5.	The Woods by Sleater-Kinney
6.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
7.	(tie) At Carnegie Hall by Thelonious Monk Quartet With John Coltrane (tie) Lullabies To Paralyze by Queens Of The Stone Age
8.	Gimme Fiction by Spoon
9.	(tie) In Between Dreams by Jack Johnson (tie) The Emancipation Of Mimi by Mariah Carey
10.	Get Lifted by John Legend

Blender
1.	Arular by M.I.A.
2.	Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple
3.	Late Registration by Kanye West
4.	I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning by Bright Eyes
5.	Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes
6.	You Could Have It So Much Better by Franz Ferdinand
7.	Bang Bang Rock & Roll by Art Brut
8.	X&Y by Coldplay
9.	Frances The Mute by The Mars Volta
10.	Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 by Young Jeezy

Cokemachineglow
1.	Apologies To The Queen Mary by Wolf Parade
2.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
3.	The Woods by Sleater-Kinney
4.	Beauty And The Beat by Edan
5.	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
6.	The Mysterious Production Of Eggs by Andrew Bird
7.	Gimme Fiction by Spoon
8.	Grandmasters by DJ Muggs vs. GZA
9.	Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
10.	Akron/Family by Akron/Family

Drowned In Sound
1.	Funeral by Arcade Fire
2.	I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning by Bright Eyes
3.	Saul Williams by Saul Williams
4.	Silent Alarm by Bloc Party
5.	Z by My Morning Jacket
6.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
7.	Picaresque by The Decemberists
8.	Worlds Apart by ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
9.	Harmony No Harmony by Million Dead
10.	Bang Bang Rock & Roll by Art Brut

Dusted (Otis Hart)
1.	Stay Close by Death Vessel
2.	Veneer by Jose Gonzalez
3.	Kensington Blues by Jack Rose
4.	It's A Game by Edith Frost
5.	The Wedding by Oneida
6.	Hypermagic Mountain by Lightning Bolt
7.	Congotronics by Konono No. 1
8.	Arular by M.I.A.
9.	Musique Pour 3 Femmes Enceintes by Marc Leclair
10.	Kosmischer Pitch by Jan Jelinek

E!
1.	Plans by Death Cab For Cutie
2.	Arular by M.I.A.
3.	Guero by Beck
4.	12 Songs by Neil Diamond
5.	Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes
6.	Late Registration by Kanye West
7.	Z by My Morning Jacket
8.	Demon Days by Gorillaz
9.	Year Of Meteors by Laura Veirs
10.	X&Y by Coldplay

Entertainment Weekly (David Browne)
1.	Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple
2.	Guero by Beck
3.	Late Registration by Kanye West
4.	Back To Me by Kathleen Edwards
5.	Paper Tigers by Caesars
6.	12 Songs by Neil Diamond
7.	The Woods by Sleater-Kinney
8.	Arular by M.I.A.
9.	Worlds Apart by ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
10.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons

Entertainment Weekly (Chris Willman)
1.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
2.	Georgia Hard by Robbie Fulks
3.	Devils & Dust by Bruce Springsteen
4.	I've Got My Own Hell To Raise by Bettye LaVette
5.	Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple
6.	The Outsider by Rodney Crowell
7.	Late Registration by Kanye West
8.	(tie) There's More Where That Came From by Lee Ann Womack (tie) Timeless by Martina McBride
9.	Playing The Angel by Depeche Mode
10.	LCD Soundsystem by LCD Soundsystem

Filter
1.	Takk... by Sigur Ros
2.	Z by My Morning Jacket
3.	Howl by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
4.	Employment by Kaiser Chiefs
5.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
6.	The Mouse And The Mask by DangerDoom
7.	Worlds Apart by ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
8.	Howl Howl Gaff Gaff by Shout Out Louds
9.	I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning by Bright Eyes
10.	Lullabies To Paralyze by Queens Of The Stone Age

Junkmedia
1.	Gimme Fiction by Spoon
2.	Alligator by The National
3.	The Mysterious Production Of Eggs by Andrew Bird
4.	Suckfish by Audion
5.	Apologies To The Queen Mary by Wolf Parade
6.	Face The Truth by Stephen Malkmus
7.	The Carlton Chronicles by South San Gabriel
8.	The Golden Morning Breaks by Colleen
9.	Tender Buttons by Broadcast
10.	A River Ain't Too Much To Love by Smog

Los Angeles Times (Kevin Bronson)
1.	Alligator by The National
2.	Gimme Fiction by Spoon
3.	Late Registration by Kanye West
4.	LCD Soundsystem by LCD Soundsystem
5.	Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes
6.	Ahead Of The Lions by The Living Things
7.	Silent Alarm by Bloc Party
8.	The Weight Is A Gift by Nada Surf
9.	Apologies To The Queen Mary by Wolf Parade
10.	Ozona by Goldrush

Los Angeles Times (Richard Cromelin)
1.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
2.	I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning by Bright Eyes
3.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons
4.	You Could Have It So Much Better by Franz Ferdinand
5.	Mezmerize by System Of A Down
6.	Blinking Lights And Other Revelations by Eels
7.	Late Registration by Kanye West
8.	Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple
9.	Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes
10.	Demon Days by Gorillaz

Los Angeles Times (Robert Hilburn)
1.	Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes
2.	Late Registration by Kanye West
3.	I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning by Bright Eyes
4.	No Wow by The Kills
5.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons
6.	Devils & Dust by Bruce Springsteen
7.	You Could Have It So Much Better by Franz Ferdinand
8.	Arular by M.I.A.
9.	LCD Soundsystem by LCD Soundsystem
10.	All Jacked Up by Gretchen Wilson

Los Angeles Times (Steve Hochman)
1.	Aerial by Kate Bush
2.	Manzanita by Mia Doi Todd
3.	The Woods by Sleater-Kinney
4.	Arular by M.I.A.
5.	Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes
6.	Frances The Mute by The Mars Volta
7.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
8.	Late Registration by Kanye West
9.	You Could Have It So Much Better by Franz Ferdinand
10.	Strange Fruit by Irvin Mayfield

Lost At Sea
1.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
2.	Apologies To The Queen Mary by Wolf Parade
3.	Silent Alarm by Bloc Party
4.	Feels by Animal Collective
5.	Gimme Fiction by Spoon
6.	Broken Social Scene by Broken Social Scene
7.	Takk... by Sigur Ros
8.	Alligator by The National
9.	Arular by M.I.A.
10.	The Mysterious Production Of Eggs by Andrew Bird

Magnet
1.	The Woods by Sleater-Kinney
2.	Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
3.	Worlds Apart by ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
4.	Set Yourself On Fire by Stars
5.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
6.	I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning by Bright Eyes
7.	Howl by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
8.	Transistor Radio by M. Ward
9.	Lullabies To Paralyze by Queens Of The Stone Age
10.	Alligator by The National

Metacritic.com Music Editor
1.	Alligator by The National
2.	Broken Social Scene by Broken Social Scene
3.	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
4.	Demon Days by Gorillaz
5.	Gimme Fiction by Spoon
6.	The Runners Four by Deerhoof
7.	Silent Alarm by Bloc Party
8.	Let Us Never Speak Of It Again by Out Hud
9.	Strange Geometry by The Clientele
10.	A Certain Trigger by Maximo Park

Mojo
1.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons
2.	Funeral by Arcade Fire
3.	Aerial by Kate Bush
4.	Devils & Dust by Bruce Springsteen
5.	Z by My Morning Jacket
6.	Chavez Ravine by Ry Cooder
7.	The Magic Numbers by The Magic Numbers
8.	Into The Woods by Malcolm Middleton
9.	Dimanche a Bamako by Amadou & Mariam
10.	Cole's Corner by Richard Hawley

The New York Times (Jon Pareles)
1.	Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple
2.	Arular by M.I.A.
3.	Fijacion Oral Vol. 1 by Shakira
4.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
5.	Burn The Maps by The Frames
6.	Digital Ash In A Digital Urn by Bright Eyes
7.	I've Got My Own Hell To Raise by Bettye LaVette
8.	Face The Truth by Stephen Malkmus
9.	Congotronics by Konono No. 1
10.	The Woods by Sleater-Kinney

NME
1.	Silent Alarm by Bloc Party
2.	Funeral by Arcade Fire
3.	You Could Have It So Much Better by Franz Ferdinand
4.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons
5.	Employment by Kaiser Chiefs
6.	Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes
7.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
8.	Late Registration by Kanye West
9.	Down In Albion by Babyshambles
10.	Demon Days by Gorillaz

No Ripcord
1.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
2.	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
3.	Feels by Animal Collective
4.	I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning by Bright Eyes
5.	Before The Dawn Heals Us by M83
6.	Arular by M.I.A.
7.	LCD Soundsystem by LCD Soundsystem
8.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons
9.	Takk... by Sigur Ros
10.	The Milk Of Human Kindness by Caribou

The Onion A.V. Club (Christopher Bahn)
1.	Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
2.	In The Reins by Iron & Wine + Calexico
3.	The Great Destroyer by Low
4.	Separation Sunday by The Hold Steady
5.	You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having by Atmosphere
6.	Exploration by Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion
7.	No Direction Home: The Soundtrack by Bob Dylan
8.	Congotronics by Konono No. 1
9.	The Mysterious Production Of Eggs by Andrew Bird
10.	Everything Ecstatic by Four Tet

The Onion A.V. Club (Andy Battaglia)
1.	Feels by Animal Collective
2.	Let Us Never Speak Of It Again by Out Hud
3.	Kreucht & Fleucht by Dominik Eulberg
4.	Are You Really Lost by Matias Aguayo
5.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
6.	Multiply by Jamie Lidell
7.	LCD Soundsystem by LCD Soundsystem
8.	Always Never Again by Supersystem
9.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons
10.	Love. Angel. Music. Baby. by Gwen Stefani

The Onion A.V. Club (Marc Hawthorne)
1.	Thunder, Lightning, Strike by The Go! Team
2.	Descended Like Vultures by Rogue Wave
3.	X&Y by Coldplay
4.	11:11 by Maria Taylor
5.	Broken Social Scene by Broken Social Scene
6.	Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
7.	Takk... by Sigur Ros
8.	Blinking Lights And Other Revelations by Eels
9.	Tiny Cities by Sun Kil Moon
10.	Silent Alarm by Bloc Party

The Onion A.V. Club (Josh Modell)
1.	Alligator by The National
2.	Dignity And Shame by Crooked FIngers
3.	Infiniheart by Chad VanGaalen
4.	Plans by Death Cab For Cutie
5.	Takk... by Sigur Ros
6.	A Certain Trigger by Maximo Park
7.	The Great Destroyer by Low
8.	Silent Alarm by Bloc Party
9.	End Of Love by Clem Snide
10.	Making Beds In A Burning House by Troubled Hubble

The Onion A.V. Club (Noel Murray)
1.	Z by My Morning Jacket
2.	End Of Love by Clem Snide
3.	Dignity And Shame by Crooked FIngers
4.	Aha Shake Heartbreak by Kings Of Leon
5.	Picaresque by The Decemberists
6.	Tournament Of Hearts by Constantines
7.	Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
8.	Separation Sunday by The Hold Steady
9.	I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning by Bright Eyes
10.	Porcella by The Deadly Snakes

The Onion A.V. Club (Keith Phipps)
1.	Thunder, Lightning, Strike by The Go! Team
2.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons
3.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
4.	The Woods by Sleater-Kinney
5.	Z by My Morning Jacket
6.	Tiny Cities by Sun Kil Moon
7.	Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes
8.	Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple
9.	Be by Common
10.	Cold Roses by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

The Onion A.V. Club (Nathan Rabin)
1.	Beauty And The Beat by Edan
2.	Be by Common
3.	The Minstrel Show by Little Brother
4.	Sleepers by Big Pooh
5.	The Further Adventures Of Lord Quas by Quasimoto
6.	The Mouse And The Mask by DangerDoom
7.	Late Registration by Kanye West
8.	True & Livin' by Zion I
9.	The Perceptionists by The Perceptionists
10.	Reprogram by Boom Bap Project

The Onion A.V. Club (Kyle Ryan)
1.	The Woods by Sleater-Kinney
2.	Body Of Song by Bob Mould
3.	When We Break by Criteria
4.	Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
5.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
6.	Plans by Death Cab For Cutie
7.	In Your Honor by Foo Fighters
8.	12 Songs by Neil Diamond
9.	Late Registration by Kanye West
10.	No Matter Where We Go…! by Latterman

Paste Magazine
1.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
2.	I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning by Bright Eyes
3.	Z by My Morning Jacket
4.	Late Registration by Kanye West
5.	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
6.	Mugimama! Is This Monkey Music by Mugison
7.	The Mysterious Production Of Eggs by Andrew Bird
8.	Takk... by Sigur Ros
9.	Room Noises by Eisley
10.	Guero by Beck

Pitchfork
1.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
2.	Late Registration by Kanye West
3.	Bang Bang Rock & Roll by Art Brut
4.	Arular by M.I.A.
5.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons
6.	The Runners Four by Deerhoof
7.	Feels by Animal Collective
8.	LCD Soundsystem by LCD Soundsystem
9.	Purple Haze by Cam'ron
10.	Apologies To The Queen Mary by Wolf Parade

Playlouder
1.	Funeral by Arcade Fire
2.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons
3.	Bang Bang Rock & Roll by Art Brut
4.	Wind In The Wires by Patrick Wolf
5.	You Could Have It So Much Better by Franz Ferdinand
6.	Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes
7.	Arular by M.I.A.
8.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
9.	Demon Days by Gorillaz
10.	A Lick On The Tip Of An Envelope Yet To Be Sent by Circulus

Pop Matters
1.	Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
2.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
3.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons
4.	Arular by M.I.A.
5.	Gimme Fiction by Spoon
6.	The Mysterious Production Of Eggs by Andrew Bird
7.	Separation Sunday by The Hold Steady
8.	The Woods by Sleater-Kinney
9.	Black Sheep Boy by Okkervil River
10.	Picaresque by The Decemberists

Prefix
1.	The Mysterious Production Of Eggs by Andrew Bird
2.	Grandmasters by DJ Muggs vs. GZA
3.	Black Sheep Boy by Okkervil River
4.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
5.	The B.Coming by Beanie Sigel
6.	Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
7.	Feels by Animal Collective
8.	Apologies To The Queen Mary by Wolf Parade
9.	The Runners Four by Deerhoof
10.	Lost And Safe by The Books

Q
1.	X&Y by Coldplay
2.	Demon Days by Gorillaz
3.	Employment by Kaiser Chiefs
4.	Don't Believe The Truth by Oasis
5.	I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning by Bright Eyes
6.	Back To Bedlam by James Blunt
7.	You Could Have It So Much Better by Franz Ferdinand
8.	Funeral by Arcade Fire
9.	Eye To The Telescope by KT Tunstall
10.	Stars Of CCTV by Hard-Fi

Rolling Stone
1.	Late Registration by Kanye West
2.	A Bigger Bang by The Rolling Stones
3.	Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes
4.	Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple
5.	Devils & Dust by Bruce Springsteen
6.	Z by My Morning Jacket
7.	Guero by Beck
8.	I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning by Bright Eyes
9.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
10.	The Massacre by 50 Cent

Shaking Through (Kevin Forest Moreau)
1.	Z by My Morning Jacket
2.	Warnings/Promises by Idlewild
3.	Lullabies To Paralyze by Queens Of The Stone Age
4.	Martha Wainwright by Martha Wainwright
5.	Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple
6.	Worlds Apart by ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
7.	Late Registration by Kanye West
8.	From Under the Cork Tree by Fall Out Boy
9.	Gimme Fiction by Spoon
10.	12 Songs by Neil Diamond

Shaking Through ( Laurence Station)
1.	The Woods by Sleater-Kinney
2.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
3.	Blinking Lights And Other Revelations by Eels
4.	Gimme Fiction by Spoon
5.	Picaresque by The Decemberists
6.	The Sunset Tree by Mountain Goats
7.	Z by My Morning Jacket
8.	Broken Social Scene by Broken Social Scene
9.	Hypermagic Mountain by Lightning Bolt
10.	Lost And Safe by The Books

Slant
1.	Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple
2.	Wind In The Wires by Patrick Wolf
3.	Confessions On A Dance Floor by Madonna
4.	Arular by M.I.A.
5.	Anniemal by Annie
6.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons
7.	Takk... by Sigur Ros
8.	Worlds Apart by ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
9.	The Emancipation Of Mimi by Mariah Carey
10.	The Cookbook by Missy Elliott

Spin
1.	Late Registration by Kanye West
2.	Arular by M.I.A.
3.	You Could Have It So Much Better by Franz Ferdinand
4.	Demon Days by Gorillaz
5.	LCD Soundsystem by LCD Soundsystem
6.	Silent Alarm by Bloc Party
7.	Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
8.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
9.	Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple
10.	Separation Sunday by The Hold Steady

Stylus
1.	Arular by M.I.A.
2.	Silent Alarm by Bloc Party
3.	The Sunset Tree by Mountain Goats
4.	Robyn by Robyn
5.	Separation Sunday by The Hold Steady
6.	Late Registration by Kanye West
7.	Feels by Animal Collective
8.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons
9.	Multiply by Jamie Lidell
10.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens

Tiny Mix Tapes
1.	Feels by Animal Collective
2.	The Runners Four by Deerhoof
3.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons
4.	God's Money by Gang Gang Dance
5.	Akron/Family by Akron/Family
6.	Hypermagic Mountain by Lightning Bolt
7.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
8.	La Foret by Xiu Xiu
9.	The Woods by Sleater-Kinney
10.	Apologies To The Queen Mary by Wolf Parade

Uncut
1.	Funeral by Arcade Fire
2.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
3.	No Direction Home: The Soundtrack by Bob Dylan
4.	Black Mountain by Black Mountain
5.	Alligator by The National
6.	A Bigger Bang by The Rolling Stones
7.	LCD Soundsystem by LCD Soundsystem
8.	Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes
9.	You Could Have It So Much Better by Franz Ferdinand
10.	Want Two by Rufus Wainwright

Under The Radar
1.	Broken Social Scene by Broken Social Scene
2.	Some Cities by Doves
3.	Love Kraft by Super Furry Animals
4.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
5.	Descended Like Vultures by Rogue Wave
6.	Demon Days by Gorillaz
7.	Cole's Corner by Richard Hawley
8.	Live It Out by Metric
9.	Arular by M.I.A.
10.	Plans by Death Cab For Cutie

Urb [listed alphabetically]
	You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having by Atmosphere
	Silent Alarm by Bloc Party
	This Right Here Is Buck 65 by Buck 65
	Hell's Winter by Cage
	Be by Common
	The Mouse And The Mask by DangerDoom
	Gypsy Punks by Gogol Bordello
	Demon Days by Gorillaz
	Late Registration by Kanye West
	Arular by M.I.A.

Wire
1.	Lost And Safe by The Books
2.	Arular by M.I.A.
3.	Feels by Animal Collective
4.	The Naive Shaman by Richard Youngs
5.	Before The Libretto by The Lappetites
6.	Hey Let Loose Your Love by The Focus Group
7.	LCD Soundsystem by LCD Soundsystem
8.	Route 13 To The Gates Of Hell: Live In Tokyo by Tetuzi Akiyama
9.	Noah's Ark by CocoRosie
10.	The Campfire Headphase by Boards Of Canada

Artists Appearing on Multiple Top Ten Lists Above (with rankings)
Sufjan Stevens
M.I.A.
Kanye West
Antony & The Johnsons
My Morning Jacket
Fiona Apple
Bright Eyes
The New Pornographers
Sleater-Kinney
White Stripes
Animal Collective
Bloc Party
Franz Ferdinand
LCD Soundsystem
Spoon
Andrew Bird
Gorillaz
Wolf Parade
The National
Sigur Ros
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
Arcade Fire
Broken Social Scene
Beck
The Hold Steady
Art Brut
The Books
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Coldplay
Death Cab For Cutie
The Decemberists
Deerhoof
Neil Diamond
Queens Of The Stone Age
Bruce Springsteen
Common
Bob Dylan
Eels
Kaiser Chiefs
Konono No. 1
Lightning Bolt
The Rolling Stones
Akron/Family
Amadou & Mariam
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Kate Bush
Mariah Carey
Caribou
Clem Snide
Crooked FIngers
DangerDoom
Edan
The Go! Team
Richard Hawley
Bettye LaVette
Jamie Lidell
Low
Stephen Malkmus
The Mars Volta
Maximo Park
The Mountain Goats
Okkervil River
Out Hud
Rogue Wave
Sun Kil Moon
Patrick Wolf

NOTES: The Arcade Fire's 'Funeral' was released in 2005 in the UK but in 2004 in the US. The Go! Team's 'Thunder, Lightning, Strike' was released in 2005 in the US but in 2004 in the UK.

Metacritic Users' Year-End Lists

Metacritic.com Users Consensus
1.	Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
2.	Apologies To The Queen Mary by Wolf Parade
3.	Z by My Morning Jacket
4.	The Woods by Sleater-Kinney
5.	Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
6.	Gimme Fiction by Spoon
7.	Black Sheep Boy by Okkervil River
8.	Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes
9.	I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning by Bright Eyes
10.	Broken Social Scene by Broken Social Scene
11.	Clap Your Hands Say Yeah by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
12.	Picaresque by The Decemberists
13.	I Am A Bird Now by Antony & The Johnsons
14.	The Mysterious Production Of Eggs by Andrew Bird
15.	Arular by M.I.A.
16.	Silent Alarm by Bloc Party
17.	The Sunset Tree by Mountain Goats
18.	In Case We Die by Architecture In Helsinki
19.	Feels by Animal Collective
20.	Alligator by The National

Rankings above reflect the combined Top-20 lists of Metacritic.com users submitted in Metacritic's Discussion Forums. View users' individual lists...

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Music

The 30 Best-Reviewed Albums of the Year

Music Critics' Year-End Top Ten Lists

Metacritic Users' Year-End Lists