list season: top three defunct bands i discovered in 2005.

i'm not sure that all of you know my past life. before about september of 2003, i had been listening exclusively to rap music since 1997. before that, i was known as "the black kid who listened to alt-rock", and i foolishly wanted to validate my "blackness" to everyone else in the world. so, while all of you caught the strokes at the beginning of their insurmountable hype, i was bumping my brand new copy of the redman/method man album. i'm a lot more well-rounded, now, and i've been playing catch-up like a motherfucker. in 2004, i witnessed the greatness of my second favorite band of all-time [neutral milk hotel], and DESPERATELY wished i was around the first time. here are my three favorite bands that aren't around anymore that i just found out about this year. i hope this doesn't hurt my "indie-cred".

3. husker du:
the prototype for bands like green day, with guitars that could cut through glass and melodies that are usually reserved for those intimate moments in the shower. black francis, of a band i discovered in 2004, had this to say about the band: "when i started the pixies, i only owned five records, and three of them were from husker du."

my favorite: "she floated away"

2. pavement:
once touted as a "fall rip-off", steven malkmus became the most important songwriter of the 90's with his intensely witty view of life. also spearheaded one of the greatest beefs of the same decade when he called out stone temple pilots and [more famously] smashing pumpkins in "range life" from seminal album crooked rain, crooked rain. go through pavement's discography, and you'll find one of the most versatile musical collections in music.

my favorites: "major leagues", the vocal take of "5-4= unity"

1. the smiths:
there's not enough that can be said about morrissey, whom i place as the world's greatest living songwriter. coupled with one of my favorite guitar players of all-time, johnny marr, he could do no harm. he's singlehandedly the reason why i started reading oscar wilde, and i cite him as a lyrical influence on my own work.

my favorites: "ask", "frankly, mr. shankly"