GREAT JAZZ
Dixie Chicks
2005 was a triumphant year for The White Stripes, Jack White was accused of assaulting the lead singer of Detroit band The Von Bondies, who had spent 2003 making disparaging comments about the Stripes. Pete Townshend and Massive Attack's Robert '3D' del Naja were swept up in the UK's child porn investigations, but cleared. It was tempting to connect 3D's arrest with his outspoken views on the Iraq conflict, but it left his commitment undimmed. Blur's Damon Albarn also took a principled stand, as did the Dixie Chicks whose criticisms of George W. Bush caused a furor in the US. Radiohead's Hail To The Thief was the most obvious musical response to the war, but Super Furry Animals's Phantom Power also decried the hubris of The Man. In a year where pop's glitz and sparkle shone especially bright, it was heartening to see a few were not blinded to real events.
Photos
from L to R: #1.Soweto Kinch. #2. Gillian Welch. #2.Daman Albarn was
triumphant, last year.
POP TOP TEN
#1 The White Stripes Elephant (XL). #2 Dizzee Rascal Boy In Da Corner (XL). #3 Rufus Wainwright Want One (Dreamworks). #4 My Morning Jacket It Still Moves (RCA). #5 Super Furry Animals Phantom Power (Sony). #6 OutKast Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (Arista). # 7 The Distillers Coral Fang (Warners). #8 Jay-Z The Black Album (Def Jam). #9 The Rapture Echoes (Vertigo). #10 Gillian Welch Soul Journey (Acony/WEA). Turkey of the year: Blur Think Tank (Food).