Kansas City Star - brief mention/article

[LaurieBlue]

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/entertainment/13406843.htm

A year full, an earfulThe consensus is, there is no consensus but one: 2005 was good for musicBy TIMOTHY FINNThe Kansas City StarIf you think criticism can be translated into statistics, like rainfall and batting averages, the verdict is irrefutable: The three best albums of 2005 were "Illinoise" by Sufjan Stevens, "Z" by My Morning Jacket and "We Are Monster" by Isolee.
That's according to meta critic.com, a clearinghouse for music criticism that quantifies record reviews on a scale of 1 to 100.
According to the statisticians at metacritic.com, "Illinoise" earned 90 points, one point ahead of "Z" and "Monster."
If you go by the size and speed of the critical bandwagon (and the reputations of those on it), the year's most acclaimed album was probably "Arular" by M.I.A., an electronic/dancehall/hip-hop album from Maya Arulpgagasam, a native Sri Lankan, born to a Tamal Tiger rebel, who now lives in London. ("Arular" scored an 87 at metacritic.)
After its release in March, "Arular" received heaps of thoughtful consideration in places like the Village Voice, the New Yorker and the New York Times.
So consider it odd that of those four albums mentioned above, only one — "Illinoise" — appears among the many top-10 lists put together by local music aficionados for our annual end-of-the-year bonanza.
Consider it strange, too, that the album that shows up more than any other among our lists, "I've Got My Own Hell to Pay" by the rejuvenated soul singer Bettye LaVette, doesn't appear anywhere on the metacritic.com charts.
Such is the state of music these days. The one true consensus: There is no true consensus when it comes to ordaining the next great record or band or songwriter in popular music.
The closest we have to that today is Kanye West, who drew nearly as many mentions as LaVette from our contributors and whose album "Late Registration" earned a stellar 87 at metacritic.
"Registration" isn't necessarily the year's best record; it isn't even the best Kanye West album in the last two years. It is, however, one of the few albums released this year that is as entertaining and clever as it is smart, fresh and charged with some lyrical depth. Thus, it tops my list of "Favorite Albums of 2005."
Beyond "Registration" there were plenty of albums to like, love and admire, either for amusement, arousal or escape from the anxious world we live in.
Which one is best? Despite the yeoman work by the people at metacritic, there is no empirical answer. That's for you to decide. Looking for some evidence or advice? Consider these many suggestions, which prove one thing: 2005 was a pretty good year.

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on the radio
■ Tune in to "Up to Date" on KCUR-FM (89.9) from 11 a.m. to noon Friday, when Robert Moore, host of "Sonic Spectrum," and Timothy Finn of The Star talk about their favorite music in 2005 with host Steve Kraske.