4AD's 25th anniversary year opened with a sublime single from Rachel Goswell. The Remixes EP (TAD 2501) featured gorgeous reworkings of tracks from 2004's Waves Are Universal contributed by The Earlies (working under their Names On Record production guise) and Ulrich Schnauss. The record itself - a clear vinyl 12" - was equally gorgeous.
In PREfection, Cass McCombs delivered an album which confirmed him as one of the most intriguing songwriters of his generation. The music moved from the chiming pop of "Sacred Heart" - released as a single (AD 2424) - to dreamlike elegies like "City Of Brotherly Love" and "Equinox", but always remained distant, oblique and fascinating.
50 Foot Wave followed up on 2004's eponymous mini-album with Golden Ocean, an inspiring collection of bracing, high-intensity rock and roll. The band continued to tour heavily, in the process introducing a whole new generation of fans to Kristin Hersh's visceral artistic visions.
New signing Minotaur Shock - aka Bristolian David Edwards - made his 4AD debut with Maritime (CAD 2511), a melodically inventive, playful and thoroughly engaging collection of music. Drawing inspiration from seafaring yarns and FM rock, the record was a joyfully complex celebration of electronica possibilities. It was accompanied by a brace of luxuriously-packaged 12" singles : Vigo Bay (BAD 2509) and Muesli (BAD 2515).
Magnetophone completed work on their long-awaited second album The Man Who Ate The Man (CAD 2507). Featuring collaborations with Kim and Kelley Deal, James Yorkston, King Creosote and PG Six amongst others, the album saw Matt and John expanding on their rich analogue textures by inching closer to conventional song-structure - but their ability to conjure a sense of otherworldly wonder remained undiminished. As well as the singles "Kel's Vintage Thought" (TAD 2412) and "May Your Last Words Be A Chance To Make Things Better" (AD 2505) there was a promo-only 12" featuring a 17 minute long remix of "Benny's Insobriety" by Spacemen 3 / EAR legend Sonic Boom.
4AD made a number of new signings during 2005 : Emma Pollock, formerly of The Delgados, joined the label, as did Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson. Celebration, a frenetic, atmospheric 3 piece from Baltimore were introduced to 4AD by David Sitek from TV On The Radio, and their debut album (CAD 2512) - released initially in the USA only - became a cult sensation across the Atlantic. And Wolf & Cub, from Adelaide, Australia released their debut 7" in the shape of the double A sided "Steal Their Gold" / "Thousand Cuts" (BAD 2510).
1980 Forward (TAD 2525) was a label compilation released to coincide with the label's 25th Anniversary shows in November. It included 18 tracks drawn from 4AD's quarter-century history.
Ivo Watts-Russell encountered the music of the German producer Markus Guentner and was inspired to repackage The Hope Blister's Underarms together with a companion disc produced by Markus. The collected Underarms And Sideways (CAD 2517) was a betwitching ambient excursion.