With the book closing on 2005, 13 liveDaily staffers and contributors recently compiled lists of their favorite albums of the year.

Though opinions proved wildly disparate, they resulted in the rough consensus of our overall Top 10 list.

Each writer's Top 10 list--along with his or her thoughts about the year--follows.

Rob Evans, liveDaily Editor in Chief

1. My Morning Jacket [ tickets ], "Z" (ATO)
2. Art Brut, "Bang Bang Rock & Roll" (Fierce Panda)
3. Kanye West [ tickets ], "Late Registration" (Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam)
4. Danger Doom, "The Mouse and the Mask" (Epitaph)
5. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, "Howl" (RCA)
6. Stephen Malkmus, "Face the Truth (Matador)
7. Robbers on High Street, "Tree City" (New Line/Scratchie)
8. Shelby Lynne, "Suit Yourself" (Capitol)
9. Vic Chesnutt, "Ghetto Bells" (New West)
10. Beck [ tickets ], "Guero" (Geffen)

Established acts My Morning Jacket and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club proved that rock bands can, in fact, get better with age, each releasing 2005 sets that were huge leaps beyond their previous output. On the hip-hop front, Kanye West continued to back up his big mouth with another outstanding release, and Danger Doom--a brilliant alliance of Danger Mouse and MF Doom--was smart, funny and eminently listenable. British punkers Art Brut opened with the lyric "Look at us/We formed a band," and it proved impossible to look away. Robbers on High Street managed to compile several of the year's catchiest tracks on a single disc. Meanwhile, quality new albums augmented the catalogs of reliable standbys like Stephen Malkmus, Shelby Lynne, Vic Chesnutt and Beck.

Richard Tafoya, liveDaily Contributing Editor

1. The White Stripes [ tickets ], "Get Behind Me Satan" (V2)
2. Coldplay [ tickets ], "X&Y" (Capitol)
3. Page France, "Hello Dear Wind" (The Orchard)
4. The Magic Numbers, "Magic Numbers" (Capitol)
5. My Morning Jacket, "Z" (ATO)
6. Gretchen Wilson, "All Jacked Up" (Sony)
7. Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane, "At Carnegie Hall, 1957" (Blue Note)
8. Black Eyed Peas, "Monkey Business" (Interscope)
9. Shelby Lynne, "Suit Yourself" (Capitol)
10. Bruce Springsteen, "Devils & Dust" (Columbia)

When in doubt, reach for the dependable familiars, and about half of this list fits comfortably into that category, from The White Stripes channeling influences from rock's pantheon to Black Eyed Peas doing nothing surprising, but keeping a great groove going. Happy discovery of the year would be Page France, who's "Hello Dear Wind" is a neatly-packaged melody-fest. On the country side of things, Gretchen Wilson cranked out a very solid sophomore effort that is about an inch deep but fun for miles, and Shelby Lynne (who, sadly, doesn't get played on country radio) turned in her most fully-realized album yet. Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane remained deceased, but a long-lost recording of their 1957 live collaboration--when both were arguably at the top of their respective games--holds court as a top release nearly 50 years later.

Jon Zahlaway, liveDaily Senior Writer

1. Danko Jones, "We Sweat Blood" (Razor & Tie)
2. Nine Inch Nails, "With Teeth" (Interscope)
3. Coldplay, "X&Y" (Capitol)
4. Korn, "See You On the Other Side" (Virgin)
5. The White Stripes, "Get Behind Me Satan" (V2)
6. Jamiroquai, "Dynamite" (Epic)
7. Audioslave, "Out of Exile" (Interscope)
8. Depeche Mode, "Playing the Angel" (Reprise)
9. Nonpoint, "To the Pain" (Beiler Bros.)
10. Sevendust, "Next" (Winedark)

Canadian trio Danko Jones is the best thing that's happened to rock and roll this millennium, even if you don't know it yet. Nine Inch Nails' first new studio set in almost six years was worth the wait, as evidenced by lead-off single "The Hand That Feeds," an industrial-rock masterpiece. Coldplay strengthened its position as U2's heir apparent. Korn responded to founding guitarist Brian "Head" Welch's Christ-inspired exit by dishing out one of its strongest albums yet. The White Stripes again proved that no one does stripped-down rock as well as them. Jamiroquai ended a four-year drought by bringing a ridiculously infectious batch of funk. Former Rage Against the Machine power trio and former Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell offered up a sophomore set that further established Audioslave as its own unique entity. Depeche Mode scored by continuing to sound just like Depeche Mode. Nonpoint and Sevendust delivered a one-two metal punch that will keep my ass in motion at the gym well into 2006.

Donnell Alexander, liveDaily Contributing Writer

1. Kanye West, "Late Registration" (Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam)
2. Various Artists, "Hustle & Flow" (Grand Hustle/Atlantic)
3. Ras Kass, Institutionalized (Re-Up)
4. Satoshi Tomiie, "ES" (Saw Recordings)
5. Gang of Four, "Return the Gift" (V2)
6. The Game, "The Documentary" (Aftermath/Interscope)
7. Moby, "Hotel" (V2)
8. Common, "Be" (Geffen)
9. Breakestra, "Hit the Floor" (Ubiquity)
10. R. Kelly, "Trapped in the Closet" (E.P.) (Jive)

1) The odd collection of great songs that nearly justifies album form. 2) One strong song after another, in the gamut of southern styles. 3) The Carson kid proves a much better rapper than a decade ago, and dude was pretty awesome then. 4) Working the house idiom's geeky side, this DJ keeps the beat movin', never letting you feel stupid for groovin'. 5) "Anthrax" rules, now more than ever. Second most artful collection I heard. 6) The Game claimed 2005's most glitzy realism. 7) Now that U2 are officially old and artistically suspect, who's the greatest mainstream Christian pop star? After R. Kelly, of course. 8) It be about that nasal voice inserting itself in harm's way--confronting the beast, microphone and otherwise. Plus, it be full of 1A Kanye beats. 9) Miles Tackett has taken his progressive jazz-funk band idea way farther than L.A. thought it would fly.10) The most striking--then almost instantly hackneyed--pop gambit since the "Use Your Illusion" records.

John Dugan, liveDaily Contributing Writer

1. M.I.A., "Arular" (XL)
2. Jamie Lidell, "Multiply" (Warp)
3. Amadou & Miriam, "Dimanche a Bamako" (Nonesuch)
4. M83, "Before the Dawn Heals Us" (Mute)
5. Dungen, "Ta Det Lugnt" (Kemado)
6. Matthew Sweeney & Bonnie "Prince" Billy, "Superwolf," (Drag City)
7. Maximo Park, "A Certain Trigger" (Warp)
8. Quantic Soul Orchestra, "Pushin' On" (Ubiquity)
9. Hot Chip, "Coming On Strong" (Astralwerks)
10. Spoon, "Gimme Fiction" (Merge Records)

Hip-hop ran the charts, but it would be hard to name an album that delivered on the promise of singles like Missy Elliott's "Lose Control" or Kanye West's "Gold Digger." Instead, electronic-based leftfield vocalists like M.I.A. and Jamie Lidell punched through the hipster consciousness with unforgettable albums that were not only coherent, but brimming with DJ-friendly singles. But psych-rock--from Sweden, no less--dazzled us, too, as Dungen's masterpiece finally saw the light of day in the States. Maximo Park's Brit-punk slayed even the mighty Franz Ferdinand, and Texas' Spoon made the American indie record that should have gotten the acclaim lavished on its labelmates The Arcade Fire. Considering the global marketplace of sounds, it's less surprising that Afro-pop from a blind couple and shoegazer rock from France figured in.

Christina Fuoco, liveDaily Contributing Writer

1. Nickelback, "All the Right Reasons" (Roadrunner)
2. Green Day, "Bullet in a Bible" (Reprise)
3. Eminem, "Curtain Call" (Shady)
4. Depeche Mode, "Playing the Angel" (Reprise)
5. Fall Out Boy, "From Under the Cork Tree" (Island/Def Jam)
6. Brad Paisley, "Time Well Wasted" (Arista)
7. Anna Nalick, "Wreck of the Day" (Sony)
8. Gorillaz, "Demon Days" (Virgin)
9. The White Stripes, "Get Behind Me Satan" (V2)
10. Black Eyed Peas, "Monkey Business" (Interscope)

The year 2005 proved to be one in which English cartoon characters ruled the radio, a country star showed the potential to cross over, diminutive Chicago punk-poppers broke out of the Warped Tour, and a flaxen-haired rapper seemingly said goodbye. England's Gorillaz, fronted by Blur singer Damon Albarn as cartoon character 2-D, released one of the most creative records of the year. Brad Paisley scored plenty of mainstream magazine covers when he released "Time Well Wasted," an album that lives up to its name. Chicago's Fall Out Boy led the charge on the Warped Tour with My Chemical Romance and proved they can play with the big boys. Up next for the band: An arena tour. Eminem, however, made the biggest splash, calling off his European tour to tend to a sleeping-pill addiction. Apparently, through his greatest-hits album and single "When I'm Gone," he is saying goodbye to the Slim Shady and Eminem personas.

Eric Grossman, liveDaily Contributing Writer

1. My Morning Jacket, "Z" (ATO)
2. Kings of Leon, "Aha Shake Heartbreak" (RCA)
3. Sigur Ros, "Takk" (Geffen)
4. M.I.A., "Arular" (XL/Interscope)
5. The Frames, "Burn the Maps" (Anti)
6. Coldplay, "X&Y" (Capitol)
7. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, "Cold Roses" (Lost Highway)
8. Bright Eyes, "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" (Saddle Creek)
9. Kathleen Edwards, "Back to Me" (Zoe)
10. The National, "Alligator" (Beggars Banquet)

Can't say 2005 will go down as the most memorable year in music, as watered-down (c)rap and compilation CDs (as well as a bloated Mariah Carey) ruled the charts. Still, some genuinely notable releases kept me company through what has been a most dour year, musically-speaking. In "Z," the wonderfully eclectic Louisville band My Morning Jacket have made their most focused album to date. Jim James' Beefheart-esque wigouts and Philly-soul croonings point the band in a new direction, while the thunderous "Don Dante" musters more atmosphere and emotion in one track than what you'll find on most albums. At the total other end of the spectrum resides Coldplay's "X&Y," a slickly polished, uneven set of anthems-in-waiting that makes no bones about Chris Martin and Co.'s goal of being the next U2. But perhaps the most rewarding CDs of the year are the two that provided the most out-and-out fun: Kings of Leon's gritty sophomore effort and Maya Arulpragasam's smashing, head-bobbing debut.

Tara Hall, liveDaily Contributing Writer

1. Beck, "Guero" (DGC)
2. Bright Eyes, "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" (Saddle Creek)
3. Ryan Adams, "Cold Roses" (Lost Highway)
4. Aqualung, "Strange and Beautiful" (Red Ink/Columbia)
5. My Morning Jacket, "Z" (ATO)
6. Spoon, "Gimme Fiction" (Merge)
7. Pernice Brothers, "Discover a Lovelier You" (Ashmont)
8. Coldplay, "X&Y" (Capitol)
9. Queens of the Stone Age, "Lullabies to Paralyze" (Interscope)
10. Van Morrison, "Magic Time" (Geffen)

Picking the best albums of 2005 was like taking a personal inventory of the last 365 days--choosing the discs that most affected me this year unveiled a web of emotionally-charged music. Beck kept me moving with the body-rocking "Guero," proving he still has the eclectic style that earned him his 1997 Grammy. London-based Aqualung, although hauntingly similar vocally to fellow Top-10-lister Coldplay, became the new band to watch with the smooth sing-along single "Brighter than Sunshine." Multiple worthwhile albums from Ryan Adams, Bright Eyes and Queens of the Stone Age kept all three on the new-release shelf year-round, while Spoon took one step closer to mainstream recognition with the powerful (and long-awaited) release "Gimme Fiction." My Morning Jacket and The Pernice Brothers produced albums that captured the best aspects of their occasionally spacey-sounding indie rock, while Van Morrison reminded music fans that true talent spans decades.

Jim Harrington, liveDaily Contributing Writer

1. Bruce Springsteen, "Devils & Dust" (Columbia)
2. Smog, "A River Ain't Too Much to Love" (Drag City)
3. Otis Taylor, "Below the Fold" (Telarc)
4. George Jones, "Hits I Missed . . . and One I Didn't" (Bandit)
5. The Decemberists, "Picaresque" (Kill Rock Stars)
6. Shelby Lynne, "Suit Yourself" (Capitol)
7. Jack Johnson, "In Between Dreams" (Brush Fire)
8. The White Stripes, "Get Behind Me Satan" (V2)
9. Dave Matthews Band, "Stand Up" (RCA)
10. The Dandy Warhols, "Odditorium or Warlords of Mars" (Capitol)

Remember CDs? That's the question we might all be asking in just a few years, as digital downloading and iPod-like devices continue to rule the world. Yet, as music continued to get more complicated (for our convenience, mind you), I found myself increasingly drawn to stripped-down tunes. That brings us to the top three selections on my list, Bruce Springsteen's "Devils & Dust," Smog's "A River Ain't Too Much to Love" and Otis Taylor's "Below the Fold," which were all devoid of over-the-top production tricks and full of small wonders. If you don't know Taylor, perhaps the most intriguing bluesman in the business, I recommend that you correct that situation immediately. It's interesting to note that, of all the aforementioned acts, only The Decemberists also made my list of Top 10 concerts of 2005. But what do I know? Out of the roughly 200 concerts I saw last year, I said that Jimmy Buffett at the Fillmore in San Francisco was the best. Combine that with the fact that both Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews made my CD list, and I'm surely not impressing many hipsters.

Tjames Madison, liveDaily Contributing Writer

1. Deerhoof, "The Runners Four" (Kill Rock Stars)
2. The Fall, "Fall Heads Roll" (Narnack)
3. Sleater-Kinney, "The Woods" (Sub Pop)
4. Animal Collective, "Feels" (Fat Cat/Caroline)
5. Sufjan Stevens, "Illinois" (Asthmatic Kitty)
6. Wolf Parade, "Apologies to the Queen Mary" (Sub Pop)
7. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, "s/t" (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah)
8. Art Brut, "Bang Bang Rock & Roll" (Fierce Panda)
9. Caribou, "The Milk of Human Kindness" (Leaf/Domino)
10. Stephen Malkmus, "Face the Truth" (Matador)

Wherein: Deerhoof completes its transition from art-house weirdos to superhero popstars; fame, riches and an embarrassing fall from grace await. Mark E. Smith coaxes approximately the 117th album out of a band named The Fall, and it rocks like socks in a box. Sleater-Kinney trade in their indie cards for memberships in the Led Zeppelin School of Bombast, and it sounds like they're in the place they've always belonged. Honorable mentions: Kanye West, "Late Registration"; Boards of Canada, "The Campfire Headphase"; The White Stripes, "Get Behind Me Satan"; Broadcast, "Tender Buttons."

Kevin Forest Moreau, liveDaily Contributing Writer

1. My Morning Jacket, "Z" (ATO)
2. Idlewild, "Warnings/Promises" (Capitol)
3. Queens of the Stone Age, "Lullabies to Paralyze" (Interscope)
4. Martha Wainwright, "Martha Wainwright" (Zoe)
5. Fiona Apple, "Extraordinary Machine" (Sony)
6. ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, "Worlds Apart" (Interscope)
7. Kanye West, "Late Registration" (Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam)
8. Fall Out Boy, "From Under the Cork Tree" (Island)
9. Spoon, "Gimme Fiction" (Merge)
10. Neil Diamond, "12 Songs" (Columbia)

2005 wasn't a year of jaw-dropping standouts that exceeded our expectations, but it was a year in which many artists--famous and unknown alike--came into their own. Some fairly established artists, like Kanye West, Fiona Apple and Queens of the Stone Age, finally made the records we always knew they were capable of, supple works arguably superior to anything else in their catalogs. Others, like My Morning Jacket and, oddly enough, Neil Diamond, took creative left turns to produce albums that differed mightily from their previous releases, and yet somehow codified and exemplified their strongest qualities. And some, like critically adored indie-rockers Spoon and emo-pop heartthrobs Fall Out Boy, simply recorded albums that realized their long-held potential. Then there's relative newcomer Martha Wainwright, who met the bar set by her famous surname with a haunting and harrowing work that set some pretty high expectations of its own.

GF Sheffer, liveDaily Contributing Writer

1. Sage Francis, "A Healthy Distrust" (Epitaph)
2. The Constantines, "Tournament of Hearts" (Sub Pop)
3. Kanye West, "Late Registration" (Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam)
4. Bright Eyes, "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" (Saddle Creek)
5. Erin McKeown, "We Will Become Like Birds" (Nettwerk)
6. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, "Howl" (RCA)
7. My Morning Jacket, "Z" (ATO)
8. Coldplay, "X&Y" (Capitol)
9. Beck, "Guero" (Geffen)
10. Fruit Bats, "Spelled in Bones" (Sub Pop)

I discovered Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine--not, like, the first one ever, but the first one among my friends. You know, "Hey Eric, check this out! It rocks!" ... Now I'm going to let you in on two of the year's best unknown releases: "A Healthy Distrust," by Sage Francis, and "Tournament of Hearts," from The Constantines. On "A Healthy Distrust," spoken-word champ Francis verbally bitch-slaps politicians, hip-hop culture and conformity with zesty aplomb: "If they could sell sanity in a bottle/They'd be charging for healthcare/And demonizing welfare/Middle class eliminated/Rich get richer till the poor get educated." Amen. On the rock side, there's the vastly underappreciated "Tournament of Hearts" from The Constantines--a band that recalls The Clash, The Replacements and early Springsteen. Yeah, they're that good. "Tournament of Hearts" addresses themes like love, mortality and the epic will of man--sometimes all in one line: "I believe this life is blessed/when against your hand/my pulse can rise and rest." In 12 perfect tracks, the five-piece delivers fat slabs of guitar and post-modern spirituality that should make Jack White jealous. These tremendous artists deserve more attention. Then again, it's still kind of easy to get a ticket to see both The Cons and Sage. Shhh ...

Don Zulaica, liveDaily Contributing Writer

1. System of a Down, "Mezmerize/Hypnotize" (American)
2. Porcupine Tree, "Deadwing" (Lava)
3. Weezer, "Make Believe" (Geffen)
4. Beck, "Guero" (Geffen)
5. Jamie Cullum, "Catching Tales" (Verve)
6. CKY, "An Answer Can Be Found" (Island)
7. Saul Zonana, "42 Days" (20/20)
8. Soulive, "Breakout" (Concord)
9. "Family Guy 'Live in Vegas'" (Geffen)
10. Queens of the Stone Age, "Lullabies to Paralyze" (Interscope)

If Green Day was the top snotty/political malcontent last year, System of a Down is the weirder (all apologies to Tre Cool), smarter, and angrier classmate--simply put, a brilliant pair of releases. They seem to raise the bar with each one, so we'll all probably quit our jobs with their next effort. Between them and Porcupine Tree, I'm happy to believe that forward-thinking groups can still make it through the meat grinder. Props to Weezer, Beck, and QOTSA for making powerful returns to the collective consciousness, and while CKY and Soulive probably weren't in as many collective minds before their latest albums surfaced--they sure did the faithful proud. "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane gets big-time thumbs up for his use of a full orchestra on the show, and dang if Jamie Cullum and Saul Zonana aren't two talented dudes. The latter should be featured on VH1's "Storytellers"; the songwriting is that good.