Two thousand and five has been a good year for music, certainly for me anyway - there's been some great new albums out that I've really liked, and also lots of albums that came out in 2004 which I'm still loving a year later - which must mean they're *really* good and I *really* like them! I was going to write 'reviews' of each album, but when I tried I ended up sounding like some kind of NME journalist, so I've decided to give that a miss - instead I will list a couple of my favourite tracks that I'd recommend you download to see if you're likely to enjoy the band/album and a brief description. As with all lists there will no doubt be someone crucial left off - but I can't help that my memory sucks! So without further ado...The albums that made my 2005 are: Foo Fighters - In Your Honour (2CD) 2 disc album which showcases what the Foos do best both on the rock front and the acoustic front. Not quite their strongest album overall - but definitely their most versatile! Tracks to download: 'No Way Back', 'Best Of You' and 'DOA' (from the rock disc). Miracle', 'What If I Do' and 'Cold Day In The Sun' (from the acoustic disc). ------------------- Idlewild - Warnings/Promises Idlewild's strongest album yet (and my fave) - despite a brave change in direction. Tracks to download: 'El Capitan', 'Love Steals Us From Loneliness' and 'The Space Between All Things'. ------------------- Arcade Funeral - Funeral Possibly one of the few 'original' sounding bands around. Can't wait to see what they do next! Hearing 'Wake Up' blasting over the Stadium P.A. as U2's intro song this summer made me realise how much I love Arcade Fire! Tracks to download: 'Wake Up' and 'Rebellion (Lies)'. ------------------- Green Day - American Idiot Green Day's best album to date has secured their place as one of the biggest bands in the world, and rightly so. Not sure they'll ever top this! Tracks to download: 'American Idiot', 'Boulevard Of Broken Dreams' and 'Jesus Of Suburbia'. ------------------- And finally, my 'old school discovery' of 2005 - an artist that has been around for years that I've only recently fully discovered the genius of: Neil Young - Greatest Hits So many great bands that I like have been influenced by Neil Young, I thought it was about time I got this album and learnt the ways of 'Uncle Neil' as Pearl Jam call him! Also check out the albums 'On The Beach' and 'After The Gold Rush' - he has so many albums it's going to take a while to get them all! Tracks to download: 'After The Goldrush', 'Harvest Moon' and 'Rockin' In The Free World'. 2005 has definitely rocked, here's to 2006 rocking even more! I want to know who you're tipping for greatness in 2006, so post in the comments ;-)