In no particular order:

1.
Hammock - Kenotic (Hammock Music)
Spacy guitar-driven ambient in the vein of
Windy & Carl; a command of quiet similar to
Sigur Rós.

2.
Dalek - Absence (Ipecac)
Yes, this is hip-hop. See my journal entry for a substantial description.

3.
Cyne - Evolution Fight (City Centre Offices)
Awakening lyrics, engaging rhymes, incredible production.

4.
Emiliana Torrini - Fisherman's Woman (Rough Trade)
A woman and her guitar: beautiful voice, beautiful guitar.

5.
Red Sparowes - At The Soundless Dawn (Neurot Recordings)
Sprawling guitars that bring to my mind southern bucolic scenery. Call it post-rock if you must.

6.
Bibio - Fi (Mush)
Boards of Canada's use of acoustic guitar on their 2005 release,
The Campfire Headphase, was, in my opinion, greatly influenced by the sound Bibio develops in what I would argue is the better of the two albums. The students are teaching the teachers.

7.
Silver Screen - The Greatest Story Never Told (Clairecords)
Robin Guthrie-esque guitar washes gleening over some of the best pop songs I've heard in a long while. This one stuck with me all year.

8.
Harold Budd & Robin Guthrie - Mysterious Skin: Music from the Film (Rykodisc)
Ambient master and guitarist extraordinaire collaborate on this tremendously moving movie soundtrack. It's much better than their previous cooperative effort on the
Cocteau Twins'
Moon and The Melodies.

9.
The Clientele - Strange Geometry (Merge)
Anachronistic psych-popsters who would better fit in the 1960s.

10.
Animal Collective - Feels (Fat Cat)
This meandering, fresh album finds them continuing to navigate the outskirts of folk without straying too far from something communal.

11.
Animal Collective & Vashti Bunyan - Prospect Hummer EP (Fat Cat)
New folksters work with a bonified folkstress. Magnificient.

12.
Antony and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now (Secretly Canadian)
The operatic, vibratto-laden voice of lead man Antony is as unsettling as it is reassuring.

13.
Bill Ricchini - Tonight I Burn Brightly (Transdreamer)
The second album from a marvelous singer-songwriter. His inviting but non-descript voice is sometimes accompanied by nothing more than his guitar, at other times by what sounds like a backing orchestra.

14.
Brian McBride - When The Detail Lost Its Freedom (Kranky)
One-half of
Stars of the Lid, the magic of this album is, as the title hints, hidden in the carefully imbued sonic details.

15.
Colleen - The Golden Morning Breaks (Leaf)
More than just electronically looped or otherwise processed instruments. Much more.

16.
Goldmund - Corduroy Road (Type)
Is it just me or are there really a hoard of records that have come out in the past two years which have prominetly featured solo piano? The production on this album is spectacular, as you can hear almost every detail of interaction between Keith Kenniff and his piano: when his fingers depress a key, when his hand slides across the ivories, when his foot torments the timbre of his lovingly-cadenced creations.

17.
Montag - Alone, Not Alone (Carpark)
Electro-pop like that of
Lali Puna or
Broadcast. In fact, Broadcast's James Cargill was involved in the production of this album. Also, Montag's string arrangements are sublime.

18.
Marsen Jules - Herbstlaub (City Centre Offices)
Layer upon layer of perfectly combined hushed instruments and electronics. Chalk up another classic for CCO.

19.
Shining - In the Kingdom of Kitsch You Will Be a Monster (Rune Grammofon)
Rune Grammofon is incredible. This album is brought to you from the kindly folks of
Jaga Jazzist and
Supersilent. Part jazz, part what-the-hell-is-going-on, all of it great. At times, their sound also yells
Tomahawk and other Patton projects to me.

20.
So so many white white tigers - S/T 12'' (Weird Forest)
Noise-punk reminiscent of the
Dead Boys, and
Rocket from the Crypt or
The Stooges, minus Iggy, plus the hottest frontwoman I've ever seen with the sexiest caterwaul I've ever heard.

21.
The Vera Violets - Sunshine Dust (Daydream Delay)
This is music to take drugs to make music to take drugs to. The Vera Violets are channeling the spirit of Jason Spacemen and the
Spacemen 3 and...hrm, a little of
The Verve as well.

22.
Vitalic - OK Cowboy (Different)
No album made me move as much this year as OK Cowboy. Propulsive and powerful synths, robot voices, samples galore, "blissful space-disco" 'tis.

23.
José González - Veneer (Peacefrog)
Though I first heard this album in 2003, I'm using it's 2005 US release as an excuse to praise this album again. If there is one singer-songwriter from this year who should be compared to Nick Drake, it's José González.

24.
A Frames - Black Forest (Sub Pop)
From experimental noise to drone to garage, this record is an aural grab-bag.

25.
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & Matt Sweeney - Superwolf (Drag City)
Gloomy folker meets a crafty guitarist. The results are nothing you'd expect from such a bland description.

26.
David Thomas Broughton - The Complete Guide to Insufficiency (Plug Research)
The vocally off-beat Broughton has created a chimera of a record, combining and juxtaposing a variety of genres. Also, loops. Lots of loops.

27.
Es - Sateenkaarisuudelma (Kraak)
Psychedelic? Sure. Folky? Sure. Electronics? Yep. Piano? Guitar? Saxophone? Mmhmm. How I love Scandanavian music.

28.
Manual - Azure Vista (Darla)
UK label 4AD and Ulrich Schnauss influences weigh in heavily on this release and oh my word the results.

29.
Eluvium - Talk Amongst the Trees (Temporary Residence)
Mostly nebulous instrumentation; a lot of electronic finnegaling. Let this record take you.

30.
The Lucksmiths - Warmer Corners (Matinée/Candle)
My favourite pop album of the year. There isn't a bad song on the entire album, their seventh. Yes, seventh! If they're writing songs this good, this far into their music career, they should stick around for a good while longer.

31.
Akron/Family - Akron/Family (Young God)
An album of bumbles and mistakes and mess-ups and retakes and hindsight.

32.
Mia Doi Todd - Manzanita (Plug Research)
Her songs range from dirge-like pieces to flighty reggae. I saw her live and she is precious. She talks like she sings.

33.
Kelley Polar - Love Songs of the Hanging Gardens (Environ)
I've danced many a dance to Kelley Polar's jangled-up violin. House, disco and bedroom pop are all here.

34.
Cast King - Saw Mill Man (Locust)
The debut album from a 79-year old hermetic country man. Songs about cheatin' women and drinkin' whiskey.

35.
Vashti Bunyan - Lookaftering (Fat Cat)
Everything you thought a collaboration between Vashti Bunyan and
Max Richter could be. Less pastoral than her 35-year old debut (and only other album), but no less outstanding.