NME Best of 2005 Controversy!

NME‘s Best of 2005 issue just hit newsagents (I love talking British) and is already causing controversy. Londonist claims claims that the published list of Best Albums has been doctored by NME higher-ups (EIC Conor McNicholas is implied but not named), and that it differs wildly from "real" list they had gotten their hands on previously. Specifically, they say real winners The Arcade Fire have been replaced by Bloc Party. Whether or not this is true, this kind of fiddling with lists happens all the time — right up to print deadline — at magazines, be it People’s "50 Most Beautiful People" or EW’s "It List." "What’s that? Your label wants to buy a two-page ad for The Blandy Blokes? Oh you’re right, they ARE on our Best Of list."

That said, NME has gone steadily downhill since Conor McNicholas took over as Editor in Chief in the early ’00s and turned it into a much more generic rock mag. Someone claiming to be McNicholas in the Londist post’s comments responds to the article. There are a few of them, but here’s my fave:

I’m afraid this blog is not held in such high esteem. Clearly, in this
situation the on us is on you to prove you are not manufacturing this
list, working for your own anti-NME agenda, and cowardly hiding behind
an established code of journalistic conduct — which, as highly
subjective bloggers, you have no real claim to in the first place.

Oh boy. Whether or not this is the real list, NME‘s picks for Albums of the Year are pretty obvious, especially the Top Ten. While I haven’t seen the list of singles, Single of the Year is given to Futureheads’ cover of Kate Bush’s "Hounds of Love" which will be in my Top Ten when I get around to publishing it.

Here’s NME’s Top 50 Albums of 2005 as published in the mag:

1. Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
2. Arcade Fire – Funeral
3. Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have it So Much Better
4. Antony & The Johnsons – I Am a Bird Now
5. Kaiser Chiefs – S/T
6. The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan 
7. Sufjan Stevens – Illinoise
8. Kanye West – Late Registration
9. Babyshambles – Down in Albion
10. Gorrilaz – Demon Days
11. The Cribs – The New Fellas
12. Devandra Banhart – Cripple Crow
13. The Rakes – Capture/Release
14. Dungen – Ta Det Lungt
15. Maximo Park – A Certain Trigger
16. British Sea Power – Open Season
17. The Magic Numbers – S/T
18. Art Brut – Bang Bang Rock and Roll
19. Coldplay – XY
20. Editors – The Back Room
21. LCD Soundsystem – S/T
22. Raevonettes – Pretty in Black
23. Hard-Fi – Stars of CCTV
24. Oasis – Don’t Believe the Truth
25. MIA – Arular
26. Super Furry Animals – Love Kraft
27. Kate Bush – Aerial
28. Absentee – Donkey Stock
29. Madonna – Confessions on a Dancefloor
30. Doves – Some Cities
31. Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning
32. Queens of the Stone Age – Lullabyes to Paralyze
33. We Are Scientists – With Love and Squalor
34. Rufus Wainright – Want Two
35. Elbow – Leaders of the Free World
36. The Bravery – S/T
37. Circulus – Lick on the Tip of an Envelope
38. Autolux – Future Perfect
39. Vitalic – OK Cowboy
40. Brakes – Give Blood
41. Nine Black Alps – Everything Is
42. Sigur Ros – Takk
43. Engineers – S/T
44. Field Music – S/T
45. Shout Out Louds – Howl Howl Gaff Gaff
46. The Duke Spirit – Cuts Across the Land
47. Sleater-Kinney – The Woods
48. Ladytron – Witching Hour
49. Dead Meadow – Feathers
50. Test Icicles – For Screening Purposes Only

EDIT: I just realized that this issue is about a month earlier than it used to come out. I remember racing to Rebel Rebel on Bleeker the week between Christmas and New Years to pick up one of the copies of this before it sold out. Obviously the need to be first has superceeded all else these days. Times have changed.