Music in 2005 reached a new nadir with the devastation of the Crescent City music scene and the astonishingly dumb decision by Sony BMG to implant its XCP antipiracy software on consumers' computers. But despite the techno hype--the chatter about spyware, the potential for ring tones to eclipse "real" music, the thrill of telephones that play music and iPods that play video--2005 was in many ways a year of familiar old faces. As music videos started to move through the iTunes store, many top sellers were friendly classics. Madonna and Mariah Carey made near-miraculous returns to form, both blazing back onto the dance floor and avoiding the soft sound that had made them strictly chick music for the past few years. Gwen Stefani--fast becoming a latter-day Madonna, able to jump between genres and engage men and women alike--provided a playground chant for us all, creating a pleasingly nostalgic feeling of togetherness ("B-A-N-A-N-A-S!") even as the music market continued to splinter into millions of autonomous earbud-wearing podcasters of one. Foo Fighters. Coldplay, the White Stripes, the Rolling Stones. Franz Ferdinand and Beck all released new albums, all pretty good. That was a relief, given the way these follow-ups dominated the year in rock. EMI shareholders could breathe a sigh of relief too, since in addition to Coldplay's successful return, Gorillaz also managed a spectacular sophomore album, offering a multicultural mélange of electronics, hip-hop and indie rock able to bring wary listeners to electronica by transforming it into eclectica. In hip-hop, things weren't much different, with Kanye West's second album standing like a colossus over all else. Fear not, early adopters: some new trends had turntables spinning. Biggest of all was the emergence of Houston as a hip-hop hot spot, its slow beats turning the tide against frenetic crunk. There were signs of a revival in Nashville. And the readers' poll favorite in the best breakout artist category. My Chemical Romance, proves that new rock remains a vital part of the musical spectrum.
