If 2005 hasn't yet produced a true classic album (in my opinion), there has been quite a number of great releases. I've tried to pick my five personal favorites, but there's plenty more I've neglected to listen to or appreciate. My picks just happen to be the ones that connected with me more than others. Here they are, in alphabetical order:

Art Brut - Bang, Bang, Rock & Roll. Art Brut dare not to care. They don't study and still ace the exam. They don't practice and still make the starting lineup. Art Brut is your bratty little brother's punk rock band. When you're trying to sleep or enjoy your Decemberist records, your little brother is screaming about forming a band or rocking out to Modern Art. You want to smack him around and tell him to get serious. No one disses the Velvet Underground. Who's this Emily Kane? You try to ignore him. You try to hate him. But the kid is just having too much fun. And you're not. Try "Emily Kane" (MP3).

Andrew Bird - Andrew Bird & The Mysterious Production of Eggs. Bird's previous album, Weather Systems is one of my favorite albums from the first half of this decade. My love for it was almost instant; songs with such sincere melancholy and longing usually do that to me. This will probably sound very melodramatic, but there are some albums, some songs that connect with me in an organic way. It's almost as if they were written in my own DNA. That's how I felt after listening to Weather Systems for the first time.

It's with these high expectations that I listened to Andrew's new album, The Mysterious Production of Eggs. Would it produce the same response from me? While it doesn't match the synergies I have with Weather Systems, Mysterious Productions evokes a different, but equally positive reaction. There's more joy and whimsy in this album. Hope replaces futility; mystery and opportunity replace inevitability and decay. Bird's strength is his emotional sincerity. The playfulness of this album never becomes meaningless frivolity and the seriousness never becomes overwrought angst. Try "Nervous Tick Motion of the Head to the Left" (MP3).

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm. 2005 has been a great year for debut albums. Where sure-things (Coldplay) and vaunted veterans (New Order) failed to match my expectations, a handful of young challengers have delivered exciting and passionate first records. Of course, today's newcomers with nothing to lose are tomorrow's established artists with every reason to maintain the base and play it safe.

What does the future hold for Bloc Party? Silent Alarm is such a confident first step for this London quartet that betting on a sophomore letdown is a near lock. Will they expand their approach beyond the confines of choppy and angular art rock? The Bloc Party™ formula works so successfully on Silent Alarm that you can ignore its limitations. Will their fans forgive them if their next move is merely to tweak the blueprint? For now, none of that matters. Silent Alarm stands on its own as the high water mark for jumpy indie rock in 2005. Try "So Here We Are (Four Tet Remix)" (MP3).

The Cars Are The Stars - Fragments. I hate the term "indietronic". It's too corny for me. But it's the genre that best fits The Cars Are The Stars. Fragments, the band's second album, is the sound of the warm thud of live drumming and the morose twang of plucked guitar strings. And yes, it's also the sound of electronic pulses and looped voices coursing through human veins. Call it blood, sweat and gears. What makes this album really work is TCATS' masterly blending of its elements. The electronics never dominate or distract while the traditional never feels tired. They are woven together to near perfection.

This album is not a happy one. There are no pop tunes or catchy hooks to accompany a T.V. drama. The sound is often warm and present, but also forlorn and distant. Like an estranged lover lying next to you, Fragments brings you close to the source, but you still feel like a stranger. The ache you feel when it's over is the desire to try again, hoping this time you'll solve the riddle. Try "True" (MP3)

Marsen Jules - Herbstlaub. Combining live instruments, samples of strings and harps and symphonies to create an ambient classic, this album is the soundtrack for dreaming. Herbstlaub, the third project released by Martin Juhls under the Marsen Jules moniker is almost as beautiful and breathtaking as music can possibly be. Try "Fans D'Automne" (MP3)

Other Noteworthy Releases: Caribou - The Milk of Human Kindness; Stephen Malkmus - Face the Truth; Fiery Furnaces - EP; Efterklang - Springer EP; Four Tet - Everything is Ecstatic; M.I.A. - Arular; LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem; Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - Naturally