Last month, we travelled back 10 years to see the albums we were listening to in 2015. This month, we are going back 10 years further…
It was the year that Star Wars Episode III (Revenge of the Sith) topped the box office ahead of The Chronicles of Narnia (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
2005 also saw the launch of a revolutionary online video sharing platform for content creators in the shape of YouTube, along with the world’s largest passenger plane – the Airbus A380 and a new dwarf planet discovery (Eris).
The sporting world saw Roger Federer continue his Wimbledon dominance, Ronaldinho scoop football’s Ballon D’or, Fernando Alonso became the first Spanish F1 champion, and a 17-year-old Lionel Messi scored his first senior goal for FC Barcelona. What happened to him?
In the world of music, Glastonbury was headlined by The White Stripes, Coldplay, and Basement Jaxx, while Mariah Carey topped the Billboard 100 list with “We Belong Together”. But what albums were we listening to back in 2005?
In Part 1, we take you from January to June to see which albums are celebrating 20-year anniversaries this year…
January kicked off with a party as Manchester duo The Chemical Brothers returned with “Push the Button”, their fifth studio album. It featured the mammoth hit “Galvanize” and went on to claim the Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album. LCD Soundsystem continued the party with their self-titled debut album later in the month, featuring “Daft Punk Is Playing In My House” and receiving a Grammy-nod (losing out in the same category as The Chemical Brothers!).
The electronic theme continued with French outfit M83 releasing their third studio album “Before the Dawn Heals Us”, before Athlete‘s sophomore album “Tourist” and Feeder‘s fifth offering “Pushing the Sense” landed. The latter brought with it one of the Welsh band’s biggest hits in “Feeling a Moment”.
February arrived and made a big impact with the critics, including two Mercury Prize nominations (including the eventual winner). Bloc Party‘s debut album established itself as indie royalty, picking up a Mercury nod with “Silent Alarm” which brought staple noughties indie dancefloor fillers “Helicopter” and “Banquet”. The band are touring the album for its 20th anniversary this year!
The winner of the 2005 Mercury Prize from February was from the unlikely name of Antony and the Johnsons with “I Am A Bird Now”. Another one for the future Pointless answer category! Upon receiving the prize, the album, which featured a guest appearance from Rufus Wainwright, shot up 119 places in the UK album charts.
Later in the month, we were treated to the third studio album from Manchester band Doves. “Some Cities” arrived via Heavenly Recordings and features arguably the band’s biggest hit with “Black and White Town”. Doves return this month, 20 years on, with their latest record “Constellations for the Lonely”, out February 28th 2025.
March continued the strong start for albums in 2005. Three Mercury nominated albums arrived in the same month, including MIA‘s “Arular” and Polar Bear‘s “Held on the Tips of Fingers”. Joining them on the shortlist was the debut studio album from Kaiser Chiefs. “Employment” was a huge breakthrough success for Ricky Wilson and co, featuring “Oh My God”, “I Predict A Riot”, and “Everyday I Love You Less and Less”.
Daft Punk didn’t want to be left out of the 2005 party started by LCD Soundsystem and The Chemical Brothers in January, as their third studio album and follow-up to 2001’s Discovery, “Human After All”, landed in March. New Order were also invited to the party, with the iconic Manchester group releasing their eighth studio album “Waiting for the Sirens’ Call” soon after.
We were then treated to the debut studio album from The Bravery, whose featuring single “An Honest Mistake” remains noughties indie gold. Ocean Colour Scene and Stereophonics returned, the latter bringing their fifth record to the table featuring their biggest hit to date, “Dakota”. Beck was also back on top form with his highest charting album “Guero” closing out the month.
Brighton indie band Sea Power (formerly British Sea Power) kicked off April with their acclaimed sophomore offering “Open Season”. Manchester’s I Am Kloot and American rockers Garbage followed with “Gods and Monsters” and “Bleed Like Me” respectively, before one of the albums of 2005 graced our ears in the form of The National‘s third studio album “Alligator”. This one will have heavily featured in many end-of-year album round-ups.
Dan Snaith took on the moniker “Caribou” for the first time with his third studio album “The Milk of Human Kindness” later in the month, before April was closed out courtesy of Sweden. Two Swedish artists, Caesars and Robyn, returned with their fourth albums, “Paper Tigers” and “Robyn”, a combination of Scandinavian indie and pop to end the month.
2005 was prime noughties indie era, and May brought another slice of gold in the shape of Maximo Park‘s Mercury-nominated debut album, “A Certain Trigger”. It saw the birth of even more indie dancefloor staples such as “Apply Some Pressure” and “Graffiti”, both still receiving widespread radio airplay today. Gorillaz followed suit with their incredible second album “Demon Days”, some of Damon Albarn’s finest work. Dancefloors continued to be filled with the likes of “Feel Good Inc.” and “Dare” – what a year to be living your best night life!
May also played host to a pop-punk classic with Fall Out Boy‘s breakthrough mainstream success “From Under The Cork Tree”, their second studio LP. Tracks from this record were lighting up the emo scene and gracing the alternative nightclubs with stellar hits such as “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down” and “Dance, Dance”. The record certainly stands the test of time 20 years on.
As the first half of the year drew to a close, there was still time for two albums that would find themselves in the running for the coveted Mercury Prize in June. First up was Coldplay in their Pyramid Stage headlining year, unveiling their third studio album “X and Y”, spawning “Speed of Sound” and the legendary “Fix You”. Also receiving a Mercury nod this month was the self-titled debut from The Magic Numbers.
Pop royalty also landed in June 2005, with the Black Eyed Peas at the top of their game with “Monkey Business”. You’d have done well to avoid hearing the likes of “My Humps” and “Pump It” throughout this year.
And back away from the pop scene, the Jarman brothers were back on The Cribs second record “The New Fellas”, featuring live favourites “Hey Scenesters!” and “Mirror Kissers”. It was accompanied by “In Your Honor”, the fifth studio album from the Foo Fighters, bringing to life one of the band’s most iconic hits in “Best Of You”.
So there you have our journey from January to June in 2005. Keep an eye on our socials below for Part 2 coming soon…
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