The game is simple. Describe your favorite records of the year, counting backwards.

Wales is a funny little pseudo-country. First of all, they have those crazy long road signs. Second, Cardiff and its environs seem to export an astonishing like number of indie rockers: The Stereophonics, Catatonia, Super Furry Animals. Heck, even Tom "What's New Pussycat?" Jones is Welsh. Finally, the Welsh are pretty proud of the native tongue responsible for those street signs.

How else can you explain the fact that Gruff Rhys, frontman of the aforementioned Super Furries, could put yet another Welsh-language album this year - Yr Atal Genhedlaeth - despite the fact that only a few hundred thousand people can comprehend the language. Now, get this, the album is actually good and you would love it.

The bottom line is that for most of 2005, this was my favorite record of the year and I didn't understand a word of it. I sometimes wonder if that wasn't a good thing. First of all, the words can't distract you this way. You're forced to accept the music as a whole piece and respond to it as a whole piece.

Second, the particular nature of Welsh makes it kinda fun to make up your own images to go along with the songs. To my ear, Welsh sounds like English. Obviously it's not the same, but the meter and the rhythm sounds "right" to me. So, instead of hearing something jarring and indecipherable, I hear something pleasant that doesn't mean anything and can project my own meaning onto the song.

For example, the refrain on my favorite track "Ni Yw Y Byd" sounds to me kinda like "You and Me." I know that's not what he's saying, but that's a pretty nice sentiment for the song. And it's a blast to try to fill in the missing pieces around it.

Bottom line, yeah it in Welsh, but it's also the funnest record of 2005.