Best Album of 2004

[rockysigman]

The Arcade Fire...Somewhere between the Talking Heads (mostly in the vocals) and Interpol, but with better lyrics, and lots of strings. And the occassional accordian. Not sure if that's very helpful, but its really a beautiful album, and they're a great live band as well.

Just bought the new Neko Case live album. I think its going to sneak into that top 10 somewhere. Apologies to PJ Harvey, 'cause she's off the list.

[ScottsyII]

Already revising my top ten I posted a couple of days ago...

I forgot the Finn Brother's beautiful Everyone is Here and the epic, mind blowing Panapticon by Isis.

[rockysigman]

Just completed my 2004 year-end mix cd:

1) U2 - "City of Blinding Lights"
2) The Killers - "Somebody Told Me"
3) Interpol - "Evil"
4) The Arcade Fire - "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)"
5) Blanche - "So Long Cruel World"
6) Sonic Youth - "Dude Ranch Nurse"
7) The Pixies - "Bam Thwok"
8) Guided by Voices - "Girls of Wild Strawberries"
9) Wilco - "Hummingbird"
10) Velvet Revolver - "Fall to Pieces"
11) Social Distortion - "Reach for the Sky"
12) Green Day - "Holiday"
13) The Libertines - "Music When the Lights Go Out"
14) Neko Case - "The Tigers Have Spoken"
15) Loretta Lynn - "Van Lear Rose"
16) Luna - "Cindy Tastes of Barbecue"
17) The Go - "Hey Ya!"
18) The Gris Gris - "Mary"
19) Elliott Smith - "A Fond Farewell"

[pattentank24]

Top 30 Non Single list


30.The Twilight Singers-Hyperballand
A beautiful reworking of a bjork classic that makes you slowdance

29.Air-Run
Reminds me of waking up somewhere strange in bed and leaving the scene of the crime

28.The Music-Into The Night
The Music add a Sigur Ros guitar chord and muse about keeping your shit together

27.Broken Social Scene-da da da(Almost Crimes Remix)
It's weird it has a 4 min build but I can't stop playing the last two minutes every day just feels like the sun rising

26.The Libertines-What Became of the Likely Lads
Just sounds like the end of a rocky friendship

25.Tv On Radio-Dreams
I heard this song on a loop in one of my dreams earlier this year and it freaked me out

24.Mission of Burma-Falling
A guitar anthem for the quiet introspective rocker

23.The Start-Inititiation
"WE WILL RISE!!"

22.The Cure-Lost
OHHH THE pain and anguish close the drapes

21.Prince-Cinammon Girl
Remember when Prince use to write catchy pop songs with great guitar solos? Yeah me too here's proof he can still do it

20.Modest Mouse-Bury Me With It
Is that Issac or is he channeling Black Francis?

19.The Hives-Diabolical Crime
The coolest song from the Hives yet straight from a 30"s pulp comic

18.Bjork-Triumph of the Heart
Bjork and Rahzel make sweet beat box love on a frozen pond

17.Jimmy Eat World-Kill
The cleanest rock of the year with a message to the shy guys

16.Junior Boys-Teach Me How To Fight
Dance music for robots who wonder what love really is

15.Franz Ferdinand-Love and Destroy
As dance friendly as the debut album is this b-side is the true statement of who FF Is and what they do

14.Secret Machines-Sad/Lonely
Runner up to "the Rat" for best X-girlfriend kissoff song of 2004 award

13.GreenDay-Homecoming
And now our story has to end children.. in tragedy and hope for a new dawn

12.The Zutons-Remember Me
Try not to think of your childhood friends lsitening to this song I double dog dare you

11.Elliott Smith-King's Crossing
The end of the line you can hear him dying as the he drowns under the bridge absolutely chilling

10.Jeff Buckley-Forget Her
The last treasure from the vault

9.The Killers-Beliieve Me Natlie
"They are from Vegas"/***HORNS KICK IN***

8.The Streets-Empty Cans
Most Uplifting message of 2004 "It's the end of something I did not want to end and this is the begining of what was

7.Magnetic Fields-I wish I had an Evil Twin
Who Doesn't want a clone to do the dirty work

6.Interpol-Not Even Jail
Interpol re-invent their sound and girl you shake it right

5.U2-Mercy
This is what U2 is and has always been... the prophets of rock music glorious

4.French Kicks-Trial of The Century
The sound of life in 2004 for me stop/go/party/sleep/reflect

3.Arcade Fire-Rebellion(Lies)
Anytime I first hear a song like this and listen to nothing but this song for a whole night it's going to be on this list I feel this defines all of the poltical and presidental events of 04

2.M83-Gone
This joins "God Moving over the Face of the Water"(Moby) Crime Scene Pt2(Afghan Whigs) on the playlist at my funeral one day.... MBV is so jealous

1.SeaRay-Stray Dog's got it Made
Besides losing my friend Sherman(my dog) and countless friends due to travel or seeing relationships fall apart during 2004 it was a fascinating year exciting thrilling,and I learned more than I have ever known.
This band opened for the Stills back in Feb. and this particular song spoke to me about being the loner who watches everything as it happens while grinning about how amazing their life really can be and is. and when I listened to it a week ago at the bridge my entire year started flashing before my eyes like a montague and after wipeing my eyes of tears all I could do was smile

THE 10 Best Live SHOWS OF 04 NEXT...

Top 50 Albums of 2004

[AIQ]

Good list Patten

[Thorngrub]

hey patten -- I saw SeaRay open for the Church a few months back, they were really cool.

[riley]

Okay, I think I'm ready to give my final 2004 top ten lists, but still reserve the right over the next 2-3 weeks to tamper if I get cold feet.

Faves

10. The Killers - Hot Fuss
9. Mike O'Neil - The Owl
8. Kanye West - College Dropout
7. AC Newman - The Slow Wonder
6. Trash Can Sinatras - Weightlifting
5. Grant Lee Phillips - Virginia Creeper
4. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
3. Tv On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
2. Interpol - Antics
1. The Arcade Fire - Funeral

Faves released in late 2003 which really broke in 2004

10. Pilate - Caught By The Window
9. The Unintended - The Unintended
8. Hawksley Workman - Lover/Fighter
7. Metric - Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
6. The Pleased - Don't Make Things
5. Lloyd Cole - Music In A Foreign Language
4. Wintersleep - Wintersleep
3. Matthew Sweet - Kimi Ga Suki
2. Muse - Absolution
1. The Wrens - Meadowlands

2004 disappointments, slight or otherwise

10. Velvet Revolver - Velvet Revolver
9. PJ Harvey - Uh Huh Her
8. Badly Drawn Boy - One Plus One Is One
7. The Beta Band - Heroes To Zeroes
6. The Libertines - The LIbertines
5. Wilco - A Ghost Is Born
4. By Divine Right - Sweet Confusion
3. Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
2. U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
1. Tangiers - Never Bring You Pleasure

2004 releases with more work required by The Dog, before reaching a true verdict

10. Matthew Sweet - Living Things
9. Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere
8. The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
7. Clinic - Winchester Cathedral
6. The Delgados - Universal Audio
5. Apostle Of Hustle - Folkloric Feel
4. Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
3. The Faint - Wet From Birth
2. K-os - Joyfull Rebellion
1. The Roots - The Tipping Point

2004 pleasantries. Good, but soon or eventually to be forgotten

10. Ambulance Ltd. - Lp
9. Matthew Good - White Light Rock & Roll Review
8. The Organ - Grab That Gun
7. Sarah Harmer - All Of Our Names
6. Keane - Hopes & Fears
5. Boy - Every Page You Turn
4. Death From Above 1979 - You're A Woman, I'm A Machine
3. Morrissey - You Are The Quarry
2. Razorlight - Up All Night
1. Snow Patrol - Final Straw

[skvorisdeadsorta]

I think I am the only one who thinks TV on the Radio is pure SHIT!. Another horribly overrated band from New York.......or excuse me, hipster capitol of the world "Williamsburg". I really wish that them, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Rapture, and Radio 4 would do us all a big favor and BREAK-UP. They are personally the new one hit Winger-Warrant-Skid Row-RATT-Bulletboys of the retro generation. Bollocks. Horrible bands with good record collections and they wear it on their sleeve way too much.

[Dr. Drum]

Nice to see your lists, Riley. Still working mine out, which means I get to comment on yours instead of having to put up one of my own!

- Definitely concur with you on Funeral as album of the year.

- Nice "really broke in 2004" list. I really should give Pilate (and The Dears for that matter) a second look.

- Yeah, Wilco’s and (to a lesser extent) The Beta Band’s records were disappointments.

- I think we agree on Sweet Confusion’s flaws but oddly they don’t add up to 'disappointment' for me. Perhaps because I’m new to ‘em. Though, yeah, I do tend to cherry-pick from the disc… so maybe it is a disappointment. ;D (Did I mention, BTW, that I picked up All Hail Discordia on the weekend?)

- Really impressed with that Secret Machines disc right about now.

- Don’t know that I’d place Death From Above in the pleasantries pile but I would put Snow Patrol, Razorlight, Morrissey, Keane and (with slight regret) Sarah Harmer there.

[riley]

I was luke warm on TVOTR initially, but I think there's a lot more than hype to sink your teeth into there if you ask me. As for The Rapture and YYY's, pretty tough to argue with the overated tag.

[skvorisdeadsorta]

My Don't Believe the Hype Worst Records of 2004:
1. Wilco-A Ghost is Born
2. Interpol-Antics
3. Bjork-Medulla
4. U2-How......(worst title of an album ever)
5. Elliott Smith-From the Basement.....(sorry, just cause he's dead doesn't mean I'm going to hold up a mediocre piece of shit)
6. The Streets-A Grand Don't Come For Free
7. !!!-Louden Up Now (I'm sorry but this record is just super cheesy politicos ranting behind a very bland Certain Ratio backdrop)
8. The Killers-Yikes......most of Duran Duran sucked the first time.
9. The Secret Machines ARE TERRIBLE
10. The Beastie Boys......please just stop and retire.

[riley]

Haven't heard a note from the new Elliott Smith, but I'm always skeptical of albums released after an artist's death without a proper stamp of approval so to speak.

Doc, the Harmer thing is with reasonable rgret at this end as well.

How do you like All Hail Dischordia? I still think it's their benchmark, and with Brendan Maguire's production, could almost fit in with the Halifax albums of the same era. Great chops all the way through.

[Dr. Drum]

Worst Record of 2004 is Courtney Love’s disc. Wilco’s would fall under Worst Record of 2004 You Maybe Thought Would Be Good But Actually Turned Out to Suck.

Riley, I’m still kinda taking the measure of All Hail Dischordia, which is why I didn’t mention it up till now, but I do like what I’m hearing. I may very well agree with you before long on that benchmark thing.

[riley]

I keep going back to the Wilco disc with a "okay it can't really suck can it?" type attitude, but today's post was the first time I had actually vocalized the notion (so to speak), which is a logical step towards recognition.

[Dr. Drum]

Hang in there, bro.

_{Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance…}