3 Rock Songs From 2005 You Almost Forgot About Until Now

In 2005, Facebook was still a college networking platform. And though CDs were past their commercial peak, they continued to sell in large numbers. If you had walked up to someone and asked if they had Spotify on their iPhone, they’d have no idea what either thing was. Also in 2005, the first YouTube video went live, a 19-second clip of co-founder Jawed Karim describing the length of elephant trunks titled “Me at the zoo.” The world was changing fast as rock bands continued to release full-length albums at predictable multi-year intervals.

Needless to say, a lot has happened since then. So you may have forgotten about these three rock songs from 2005 until now.

“Be Yourself” by Audioslave

When it was announced that a supergroup had formed featuring Rage Against The Machine’s rhythm section fronted by Chris Cornell from Soundgarden, no one needed an explainer on what this was going to sound like. One listen to the blistering “Cochise” confirms what we already expected. However, by the second album, Out Of Exile, Audioslave echoed late-stage Soundgarden and relied less on Tom Morello’s non-stop heavy riffs to propel the band. In “Be Yourself”, Cornell reflects on life, tragedy, and how one navigates all of it using only the tools they already possess.

“Off The Record” by My Morning Jacket

Reverb remains a defining sound for My Morning Jacket. The Louisville band has made heavy use of the effect, blending Americana with space rock. Often, singer Jim James sounds as though he’s beaming in from another dimension. But when My Morning Jacket released Z, the reverb was still present, but comparatively subdued. Co-produced by John Leckie, whose resume includes Pink Floyd and Radiohead, the band is presented in a clearer, less hazy manner. “Off The Record” features the new direction, with a slight reggae groove as My Morning Jacket pushed the boundaries of its cosmic country sound.

“Talk” by Coldplay

From the start, Coldplay was an endearing rock band. Scruffy college dudes playing post-Britpop soft rock ballads inspired by “Fake Plastic Trees”. Yet as the band grew in popularity, its charm wore off for many. Singer Chris Martin’s aw-shucks vibe began to grate. The backlash peaked with X&Y, an album leaning heavily on the very essence of what made Coldplay Coldplay. Too Coldplay, perhaps. But it didn’t matter what the critics thought. Martin and his London group continued their determined ascent to brighten stadiums with glow sticks and joy. They weren’t the next Radiohead after all. They were the next U2.

Photo by L. Cohen/WireImage