best albums of 2004
Mark Horan's top 10:
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10
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Jill Sobule
Underdog Victorious
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Why Jill Sobule is not a household name is beyond me. She has continually pumped out great records over the past decade, sadly with only a novelty hit (“I Kissed A Girl”) to show for it. Sobule is sort of the Ying to E from Eels’ Yang, as both share a similar style for crafting timeless pop gems with highly irreverent themes. She should be a superstar.
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09
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Matt Sharp
Matt Sharp
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Who would have ever thought that the former Weezer bassist and Rentals frontman could sound like this? Sharp moved to rural Tennessee and recruited ambient artist Josh Hager and ex-Cake guitarist Greg Brown for his full-length debut. The result is a record so dreamy that it would make even Nick Drake himself proud.
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08
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The Blue Nile
High
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When you only release four albums in twenty years, they better be good. “High” continues The Blue Nile’s nearly flawless discography, with “Because Of Toledo” being the latest proof of Paul Buchanan’s genius.
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07
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Illumina
Nightlight
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This was the sleeper of the year for me. An unknown seven-piece musical collective from the suburbs of Philly records and releases an album all on its own, and guess what? It’s fucking awesome!! This is amazing stuff from a band whose median age is barely 21. Certainly a group to watch in the future.
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06
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Brian Wilson
Smile
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Having been a longtime “Smile geek,” I could hardly contain my enthusiasm that Wilson finally had given us THE lost album. That he re-recorded the album with The Wondermints does put a damper on the whole thing somewhat, though it’s still amazing to hear the record in its entirety, as Wilson himself planned it. Honestly though, I still listen to my “Smile” bootlegs more than this.
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05
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The Stereotypes
2
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Remember when you used to be less cynical and would fall in love with albums like you were a 12 year old with a serious crush? The one-two punch of “New Situation” and “Stars” has got to be one of the best opening track sequences ever. It took me a long time before I stopped hitting the repeat button and listened to the rest of the cd. Look for “3” to be out in the next few months.
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04
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Paul Westerberg
Folker
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This is the album Westerberg should have made after Stereo/Mono. “As Far As I Know” is like a roughed-up “September Gurls” in reverse, and one of the best tracks he’s ever written. A strong return to form from my generation’s (or any generation for that matter) best songwriter.
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03
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Aloha
Here Comes Everyone
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A huge step forward for this truly original band. The addition of T.J. Lipple is the not-so-secret ingredient here, as he contributes greatly to a more streamlined and focused Aloha. A landmark album.
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02
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Moonbabies
The Orange Billboard
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The second full-length from the Swedish duo of Ola Frick and Carina Johansson explores just about every genre under the sun, and amazingly it works. The reason? Great songwriting. I’m starting to think that Sweden has produced some of the best bands of recent memory. There must be something in the water there.
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01
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The Album Leaf
In A Safe Place
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Yes Virginia, there is such a thing as soulful, electronic-based music. Jimmy Lavalle records at his Sigur Ros pals’ studio in Iceland, and comes away with a masterpiece. I carried this cd with me for most of the year wherever I went. It became the soundtrack to my 2004. Also one of the best concerts I’ve been to in a long time.
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Joel Armato's top 10:
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10
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Pacific Drift
Nobody
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Okay, I'm cheating a bit already. The album actually came out in Sept. 03, but
I didn't find it until the beginning of the year and I'm still listening to it constantly! The smooth psych-beats are just too much for my mirror. Plus guest spots from Jimmy Tamborello, Ikey Owens, and Chris Gunst open the up doors to some vice versa pollination that could make future Postal Service / Dntel, Long Beach/Mars Volta, Beachwood Sparks albums even more interesting.
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09
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Paul Simon
Paul Simon (Remastered)
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Not really cheating here because the remastered version blows the original
away by and far. From "Mother and Child Reunion" all the way down to the
"Me and Julio.." acoustic demo, one of my all time favorite albums actually
got better. Paul's still a relatively young buck here, be it in age, experience,
or bravado and it makes for a great album through and through. The remaster
of these loose, well blended tunes further explains the necessary simplicity
in music that stands the test of time.
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08
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Garden State (Soundtrack)
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Well, I'd orginally saved a spot much lower on the list for the re-release
of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain - but after my first two choices here I would feel like I was really being devious, so I scratched that and replaced it with a really great collection as far as soundtracks go. The disc itself reminded me how much I liked certain folks and showed me the light with some others. I had completely missed out on Colin Hay and Iron & Wine until this record was bestowed upon me. What Garden State does as a release though, I think is much more important. The movie itself revolved around music, it was the topic of conversation, it was placed perfectly throughout the film, and it was the catalyst for emotional propulsion that music should and could be so much more often in cinema and even literature. If Zach Braff was setting a precedent here, I can't wait to hear the next soundtrack.
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07
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Savath Y Savalas
Apropa't
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If you have a bedroom, you should have this record. Prefuse 73 brings in some live instruments and a sultry Spanish songstress to make music that dwells simultaneously in past and future and begs for foreground action to make it perfect background accompaniment. Every song on Apropa't lays back in the pocket with a subtle body that make all of the blips and bleeps worth coming back for. Always a master at turning certain noise into an unmistakable melody, Herren puts his tinkering way in the back of these tracks in order to bring out the beauty of everything else going on. This is not a Prefuse 73 album with other sounds piled on top. This is a whole new realm of creation. Long live Guillermo Scott Herren.
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06
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Ray LaMontagne
Trouble
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Another of the more mellow, yet widely loved releases of the year, Trouble is the introduction to Ray LaMontagne, a raspy singer whose acoustic sound should be added to the long list of folks who don't reap the rewards of stellar production. Through voice and sound alone, LaMontagne would turn just as many heads as he has here with his studio debut. Great artists need no studio magic and this gent is no exception. His simple songs are wrought with emotion (mostly about love in all its dizzying array of textures and moments) and his voices soars on top like a, "Sandpaper version of Van Morrison (allmusic.com)". Ray is able to mix things up enough on Trouble to show a songwriting versatility that many crooners simply don't have these days.
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05
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Madvillain
Madvillainy
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Madlib is one of my favorite artists of this new millennium. I hadn't ever heard of him until about 2 or 3 years ago and ever since I have found some of his greatest stuff in pretty out of the way places. With Madvillainy, he joins up with MF Doom, another heavy hitter of this young century, to deliver an album full of great beats, great lyrics, and a world of possibility for future endeavors. That is, if Madlib can find time between all of the upcoming projects. Best duo since Del and Dan on the Deltron 3030 record? They've got my vote.
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04
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Brian Wilson
Smile
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While some sun soaked fans said, "Finally" in '04, I took a growing obsession and embellished upon it even further. After hearing some tracks from the Orange Crate Art album, I knew that the combination of Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks was one for the ages. They're both just weird enough for each other and while the aforementioned citrus entitled disc is just a jumping off point for the pair, Smile is the full picture. Now fully realized and assembled so that the hardcore fans don't have to continue guessing with their own arrangement, a manic critical response to the album brought an old friend back into the fold.
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03
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Modest Mouse
Good News For People Who Love Bad News
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There is a continents distance between bands that record their songs and put out an album and bands that sit down and actually record an album. Good News... is just solid from beginning to end. The layers, the lyrics, everything is in place and the creators have certainly gotten the response. For a while there, and even tonight when I saw a commercial on TV for the disc, talk of this album was everywhere. Wherever this new fascination in the media for good music is coming from, they had the sense to point out one of the best around. Being a listener who, admittedly, hasn't known the bands material for very long, I found myself scratching my head many times with this album. Not because any of the material eluded me, but because I couldn't believe that it took me this long to actually check the band out and give them a good hard listen. Topped only by my choice for album of the year, Modest Mouse is some of my favorite new listening material from the year past.
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02
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Wilco
A Ghost Is Born
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Progressively traditional is one way of describing the Wilco of the last few years. As their sound gets farther and farther away from where it began, it seems like the music and everything around it seems to gain intelligence as the songs keep coming. This is not to say that Wilco is catching up with anything or "finally getting it" it is to say that they continue to provide material that really makes the listener think and involve themselves with each song. Showing how masterfully they can manipulate the Do It Yourself mantra, rather than try to top last year's fetch, the band went into this record with a totally different mentality and approach. The results are beautiful.
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01
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Moonbabies
The Orange Billboard
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If one album took ahold of me and controlled my life in 2004, it was The Orange Billboard. A sonic masterpeice in its own right, the combination of musical range and vocal dexterity displayed here is downright magical. There are a few fireworks moments where the music reaches a state of bliss, but for the most part its the material that the Moonbabies offer as just run of the mill normalcy that is especially engaging. By this I mean to say that nothing is forced or made to be a highlight here. The songs just tick away in a richness that becomes more realized with each listening. The duo have a great grasp on their sound and did a superior job of self-producing the album. For me this decision is a no brainer. In 2004 nothing even came close to The Orange Billboard.
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Jennifer Hall's top 10:
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10
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Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand
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Pure foot-tapping energy, "Take Me Out" and "The Dark of the Matinée" had to be two of my favorite songs all year. Scottish based Franz Ferdinand is a lot like The Strokes, but better. Nothing *too* original, just great rock.
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09
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Donnie Darko Original Soundtrack and Score
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They finally came out with a "real" DD Soundtrack, though it's still an import for U.S. folks. After digging through my 80's music trying to make one of my own by piecemeal, I finally get to enjoy every track I didn't have or wasn't sure about, and from the look of all the sites listing the tracks from the movie, I'm not the only one eagerly awaiting something like this. This movie made me want to hear stuff I hadn't cared about in years, if for nothing else, just to re-experience this fascinating film whenever and wherever possible - driving, at work, etc. This release is a 2-CD set that has the soundtrack on one disc and the looming score on the
other.
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08
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Pedro the Lion
Achilles Heel
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Pedro the Lion's mastermind, David Bazan, continues to write really gripping, masterfully crafted stories, and while I do like Control and It's Hard to Find a Friend better as far as musicality goes, this is still one of the best albums I've heard all year.
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07
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Sondre Lerche
Two way Monologue
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Just great balladry, Norway's Lerche writes lovely melodies with poetic lyrics, songs really reminiscent of early Paul McCartney.
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06
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Garden State (Soundtrack)
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Okay, it does seem almost unfair to have two soundtracks on my list, but I've really enjoyed both of these compilations over the past year. I really liked this one before I saw the movie, and what's not to like? With a healthy dose of The Shins (including what may be my favorite song in the world, "New Slang"), as well as great tracks from Simon & Garfunkel, Iron & Wine, and Nick Drake. I'm sure you get the tone of this collection already, which is pretty consistent except for maybe the frou Frou track. Collections are meant to bring pieces together is such a way to convey their own story and feel, this one was successful in creating something magical. Then I saw the movie... and and that just added to it.
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05
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They Might Be Giants
The Spine
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I've followed this band from the start, and their creativity has never ceased to amaze me. They have such a unique way of expressing the direst as well as most humorous thoughts in the most un-whiny way. And their songwriting has always been extremely melodious and a style all their own - they are pretty much the only band that I can't categorize or pinpoint influences. Recently I'd unintentionally taken a little break from them and then I finally saw their documentary, "Gigantic" a few months ago. It warmed the cockles of my heart to see people like Frank Black and Sarah Vowell singing their well deserved praises. They are true innovators. And watching this, I remembered why I loved them and realized I had to get their newest. It has the same high-quality, catchy writing that TMBG always delivers, you'll hear them trying out some interesting new genres, some of which just make me laugh out loud. No fillers here, though, as usual, the highlights for me are "Museum of Idiots" and "Wearing a Raincoat."
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04
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Air
Talkie Walkie
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"Lost in Translation" turned me on to this duo, and after getting the track from the movie, "Alone in Kyoto," I found myself going back to iTunes to download another, then another, until I found myself with most of the album. There's a new wave of mainly instrumental music that a few bands really excel in - this is one of them.
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03
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Arcade Fire
Funeral
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This album as a whole hasn't gotten to me - at least not yet, but a few songs on here are so captivating and really dreamy in such an energetic way, that they alone make it worth the price of the album. My favorite track is the first - "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)."
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02
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Fiery Furnaces
Blueberry Boat
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Holy crap, I had to share this band with everyone I knew, and the comments ranged from people being obsessed with it to saying it hurt their ears. Their completely unique style totally holds me mesmorized with each listen. Catchy, but odd as all get out.
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01
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Modest Mouse
Good News For People Who Love Bad News
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Okay, this has been my favorite band for quite some time now. This was their second major release on a major label, and all I have to say is there is no integrity lost on any of the songwriting here. I'm happy the got their overdue widespread recognition, even if it risks taking some of the romance out of loving an "indie underground" band. Though it still freaks me out a little to hear "Float On" playing at gas stations, on cheesy TV shows, and on kids' records.
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After doing this list, I realized how many potentially great albums I missed out on this year, so here's a list of albums that I hope to get to check out in '05:
Album Leaf - In a Safe Place
Sufjan Stevens - Seven swans
Johann Johannson - Virthulegu Forsetar
Animal Collective - Sung Tongs
Christine Beals's top 10:
Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Modest Mouse- Good news for People Who Love Bad News
Walkmen - Bow's and Arrow's
Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
Brigham Vicious's top 10:
05 dexateens - S/T
04 ponys - laced with romance
03 reigning sound - too much guitar
02 lost sounds - future touch
01 mr. airplane man - c'mon dj
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