Robert Christgau: Dean of American Rock Critics

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The 2005 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll

Albums

1. Kanye West: Late Registration (Roc-A-Fella) 2525 (227)
2. M.I.A.: Arular (XL) 2418 (218)
3. Sufjan Stevens: Illinois (Asthmatic Kitty) 1747 (159)
4. Sleater-Kinney: The Woods (Sub Pop) 1212 (116)
5. Fiona Apple: Extraordinary Machine (Epic/Clean Slate) 1117 (106)
6. The White Stripes: Get Behind Me Satan (V2) 1013 (100)
7. Antony and the Johnsons: I Am a Bird Now (Secretly Canadian) 1006 (94)
8. The Hold Steady: Separation Sunday (Frenchkiss) 980 (80)
9. The New Pornographers: Twin Cinema (Matador) 954 (91)
10. My Morning Jacket: Z (ATO/RCA) 942 (90)
11. LCD Soundsystem: LCD Soundsystem (DFA/Capitol) 795 (79)
12. Thelonious Monk Quartet With John Coltrane: Thelonious Monk Quartet With John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall (Blue Note) 791 (69)
13. Amadou & Mariam: Dimanche à Bamako (Nonesuch) 738 (71)
14. Spoon Gimme: Fiction (Merge) 668 (63)
15. Common: Be (Geffen) 667 (58)
16. Bright Eyes: I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (Saddle Creek) 662 (61)
17. Beck: Guero (Interscope) 602 (63)
18. Bloc Party: Silent Alarm (Vice) 593 (61)
19. The Go! Team: Thunder, Lightning, Strike (Memphis Industries/Columbia) 577 (54)
20. Bettye LaVette: I've Got My Own Hell to Raise (Anti-) 573 (57)
21. Gorillaz: Demon Days (Virgin) 546 (53)
22. Animal Collective: Feels (Fat Cat) 543 (52)
23. Art Brut: Bang Bang Rock & Roll (Banana Recordings/Fierce Panda) 518 (47)
24. Konono No. 1: Congotronics (Crammed Discs) 514 (54)
25. Kate Bush: Aerial (Columbia) 487 (44)
26. Franz Ferdinand: You Could Have It So Much Better (Domino) 456 (52)
27. John Legend: Get Lifted (Columbia) 447 (46)
28. Wolf Parade: Apologies to the Queen Mary (Sub Pop) 442 (46)
29. The Mountain Goats: The Sunset Tree (4AD) 428 (41)
30. System of a Down: Mezmerize (American/Columbia) 409 (37)
31. Dungen: Ta Det Lungt (Subliminal Sounds) 387 (38)
32. Coldplay: X&Y (Capitol) 376 (32)
33. The Decemberists: Picaresque (Kill Rock Stars) 372 (36)
34. Danger Doom: The Mouse and the Mask (Epitaph) 358 (40)
35. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (clapyourhandssayyeah.com) 347 (36)
36. Deerhoof: The Runners Four (Kill Rock Stars) 329 (30)
37. Stars: Set Yourself on Fire (Arts and Crafts) 327 (31)
38. The National: Alligator (Beggars Banquet) 321 (25)
39. Young Jeezy: Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 (Def Jam Southern) 308 (32)
40. Bruce Springsteen: Devils and Dust (Columbia) 302 (32)

The poll combines ballots from 795 critics, who divided 100 points among 10 2005 albums. (Every individual ballot is available online.) Maximum per album: 30. Minimum: 5. Points determined placement, with total mentions (included in parentheses) used for tiebreaking.

Singles

1. Franz Ferdinand: "Take Me Out" (Domino) 145
2. Jay-Z: "99 Problems" (Roc-A-Fella) 135
1. Kanye West Featuring Jamie Foxx: "Gold Digger" (Roc-A-Fella) 145
2. Amerie: "1 Thing" (Sony Urban Music/Columbia) 133
3. Kelly Clarkson: "Since U Been Gone" (RCA) 131
4. Gorillaz/De La Soul: "Feel Good Inc" (Parlophone/Virgin) 91
5. Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley: "Welcome to Jamrock" (Tuff Gong/Universal) 69
Gwen Stefani: "Hollaback Girl" (Interscope) 69
7. Franz Ferdinand: "Do You Want To" (Domino) 67
Madonna: "Hung Up" (Maverick) 67
9. The White Stripes: "My Doorbell" (V2) 63
10. Three 6 Mafia Featuring Young Buck & Eightball & MJG: "Stay Fly" (Columbia) 61
11. The Game Featuring 50 Cent: "Hate It or Love It" (Aftermath/G-Unit/Interscope) 55
12. LCD Soundsystem: "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" (DFA/Capitol) 51
13. Mike Jones Featuring Slim Thug & Paul Wall: "Still Tippin'" (Swishahouse/Asylum/Warner Bros.) 50
14. The Killers: "Mr. Brightside" (Island/IDJMG) 42
15. Missy Elliott Featuring Ciara & Fat Man: "Scoop Lose Control" (Atlantic) 40
16. The Legendary K.O.: "George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People" (MP3) 39
17. Kaiser Chiefs: "I Predict a Riot" (Universal) 38
18. Ying Yang Twins: "Wait (The Whisper Song)" (Collipark/TVT) 37
19. Mariah Carey: "We Belong Together" (Island) 33
20. Common Featuring the Last Poets: "The Corner" (Geffen) 29
Lady Sovereign: "Random" (Chocolate Industries) 29
Brad Paisley: "Alcohol" (Arista) 29
23. Bloc Party: "Banquet" (Vice) 28
24. R. Kelly: "Trapped in the Closet Chapter 1" (Jive) 27
Antony and the Johnsons: "Hope There's Someone" (Secretly Canadian) 27
26. Spoon: "Turn My Camera On" (Merge) 25
27. Miranda Lambert: "Kerosene" (Sony Nashville) 24
Rihanna: "Pon De Replay" (Def Jam) 24
29. M.I.A.: "Galang" (XL) 22
30. Fall Out Boy: "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" (Island) 20
System of a Down: "B.Y.O.B." (American/Columbia) 20
M.I.A.: "Bucky Done Gun" (XL) 20
LCD Soundsystem: "Tribulations" (DFA/Capitol) 20
34. Beck: "Girl" (Interscope) 19
Bright Eyes: "When the President Talks to God" (Saddle Creek) 19
Ciara Featuring Ludacris: "Oh" (Sho'Nuff/Musicline/Laface/Zomba) 19
My Chemical Romance: "Helena (So Long & Goodnight)" (Reprise) 19
Kanye West: "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" (Roc-A-Fella) 19
39. Death Cab for Cutie: "Soul Meets Body" (Atlantic) 18
Green Day: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (Reprise) 18

Village Voice, Feb. 7, 2006


2004 Essay | Dean's List 2006