best of 2004 (dedicated to list-lovers)

[cron]

although there's still  more music to come,  the albums that i liked the most are:

[Ghostboy]

I've got a fever and the only cure is a premature top ten list:

sans pics cuz I'm lazy:

1. Bjork - Medulla
2. Joanna Newsom - The Milk Eyed Mender
3. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus
4. Bjork - Medulla
5. Wilco - A Ghost Is Born
6. Brian Wilson - Smile
7. Bjork - Medulla
8. The two bootleg Fiona Apple songs
9. PJ Harvey - Uh Huh Her
10. Bjork - Medulla

And then there's the other stuff like the new Air and the new Mum that I don't feel comfortable including yet because I know I have yet to purchase likely contenders such as the new Tom Waits, Elliot Smith, the upcoming Sigur Ros album, Rufus Wainwright's Want Two, etc.

[matt35mm]

In total agreement here.    Especially with A Grand Don't Come For Free.  It's brilliant.

[Pedro]

TOO EARLY

[GoneSavage]

I hate when you do this early, we've still got the Christmas releases to muck through.  

best of 4/5 of the year:
* Eagles of Death Metal _ Peace, Love, Death Metal
* Local H _ Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?
* Modest Mouse _ Good News for blah blah
* Black Keys _ Rubber Factory
* Hot Snakes _ Audit In Progress
* Tom Waits _ Real Gone
* Jucifer _ War Bird
* The Optionals _ The Optionals


disappointments of 4/5 of the year:
* Burning Brides _ Leave No Ashes
* Mclusky - The Difference Between blah blah blah

awesome reissues of 4/5 of the year:
* The Clash _ London Calling
* Crime _ San Francisco's Still Doomed
* Rocket From The Crypt _ Circa Now
* Jawbreaker _ Dear You

best single of 4/5 of the year:
* The Walkmen "The Rat"

[meatwad]

so far

- wilco- a ghost is born
- tom waits- real gone
- devendra banhart- rejoicing in the hands
- kimya dawson- hidden vagenda

and the best reissue of the year is def

-talking heads- the name of the band is talking heads

i need to pick up the joanna newsom record. i've heard so many good things

[pete]

david garza - a strange mess of flowers
cake - pressure chef
talib kweli - the beautiful struggle

[Gamblour.]

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:




This is the shit. This album is amazing.

[ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ]

When I saw Ben Folds live in Detroit he was talking about how he helped make that Shatner CD.  

I thought he was kidding, although they've done tracks before...

I'll have to check that out.

[SHAFTR]

I Heart Huckabees Soundtrack

[modage]

1. Wilco- A Ghost is Born
2. Elliott Smith- From A Basement on a Hill
3. Franz Ferdinand- Franz Ferdinand
4. Ryan Adams- Love Is Hell
5. Sahara Hotnights- Kiss and Tell
6. The Thrills- Let's Bottle Bohemia
7. Division of Laura Lee- Das Not Compute
8. The Hives- Tyrannosaurus Hives
9.  The Arcade Fire- Funeral
10. AC Newman- The Slow Wonder

[Gamblour.]

Whatever happened to Rock and/or Roll?

[Pedro]

First Draft (i'll edit this as the month progresses...)
1. The Arcade Fire - Funeral
2. Elliott Smith - From a Basement on a Hill
3. The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
4. Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing in the Hands
5. Xiu Xiu - Fabulous Muscles
6. Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender
7. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
8. Bjork - Medulla
9. Wilco - A Ghost is Born
10. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

bah

[Ghostboy]

I think I've probably bought all the music I'll buy this year, so here's my revised list:

1. Bjork - Medulla
2. Joanna Newsom - The Milk Eyed Mender
3. Elliot Smith - From A Basement On A Hill
4. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus
5. Loretta Lynn -- Van Lear Rose
6. Wilco - A Ghost Is Born
7. Tom Waits - Real Gone
8. The Arcade Fire - Funeral
9. Brian Wilson - Smile
10. The two bootleg Fiona Apple songs

Followed closey by Want Two, Uh Huh Her and Talkie Walkie.

Actually, I'll probably end up getting that Devendra Banhart album before Christmas. That'll probably make the list, if it's as good as I've heard.

[Sleuth]

My list kind of looks like most everyone else's

[1] TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes
----- Almost all of their songs have some sort of fuzzy droning guitar and/or bass, but damnit, they make it work.  If there's been a band that sounds like them before, it's news to me.  Fresh fresh fresh.  Tunde and Kyp's voices compliment each other so great, while still maintaining their individuality.  Usually drum machines and soaring guitars(think Yeah Yeah Yeahs) play behind all of this, and sometimes behind that line are some saxes and other woodwinds, keyboards.  I saw them live and Tunde was jumping around like a crazy minister singing about birds having sex and swinging kung fu.  Kyp reminded me of an owl, and his voice had the absolute perfect strain for singing Dreams.  David Andrew Sitek was yelling a lot but he wasn't miked (but it sounds like he sings part of New Health Rock from that new EP/single).  My favourite lyric of our dead century:  "HEY desperate youth, ohhh bloodthirsty babes!  All your guns are pointed/  Your guns are pointed the wronnnnng way."  The New Health Rock EP looks to be the first disc with the a full lineup, and I hope it's representative of what's next for them (it helps me wake up).  I wish I could make sense out of about half of their lyrics, though (even with the booklet it's tough)

[2] Joanna Newsom -  Milk-Eyed Mender
----- I'm kicking myself over not making this tie for the top spot.  She first came to my attention in the summer, at a conert with Vetiver and Devendra.  I knew Vetiver was okay and Devendra was really good, but who did this demin-overalled FOOL think she was at this concert.  I fully expected not to like her because Vetiver took too long and I was ready for Devendra.  Everyone was passing the time and ignoring the heat by talking way too loudly, making it worse, but then this childish voice accompanied only by handclaps cut through it all shouting about dying, yarn, glue and blue collars (suddenly my Hawaiian shirt felt very uncomfortable).  By the end of the next song I knew I'd be buying the CD.  The CD isn't only harp, there's some piano, harpsichord and guitar every now and then, but whatever, if you aren't game for the harp then don't bother.  
Joanna Newsom is from Heaven.
Fantastic lyricist too (note:  I don't care about lyrics unless they're really good/intriguing or really bad.)  I can't think of a single line that I didn't like on here.  One of my favourite CDs ever, it'll probably outlast TVOTR in the long run.

[3] Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
----- I love Sufjan as much as he loves Jesus.  

[4] Mountain Goats - We Shall All Be Healed
----- Only his/their(not really) second studio album, and I'd be damned if he alienated anyone who was a old fan.  Besides, Home Again Garden Grove proves he can at least pretend to be recording on a cheap 4 track with a bad mic.  A lot of the songs I didn't like much until I realized how beautiful a lot of the vocal melodies are.  Definitely the worst album to start listening to him by (go back before Tallahassee) but it's still my #4.

[5] Of Montreal - Satanic Panic In the Attic

[6] Arcade Fire -  Funeral

[7] Hives - Tyrannosaurus Hives

[8] cLOUDDEAD - Ten
----- Too bad it's their last because I finally decided it was better than the s/t.

[9] Björk -  Medulla

[10] Devendra Banhart - Niño Rojo

I've been looking at other lists to see what I've missed, because these are really like almost all of the 2004 albums I heard, but the only other thing I'm interested in hearing is Smile or the new Elliot Smith

Honourable Mention:

Fiery Furnaces - The Album That Gives Me a Headache

They hurt me, but one day they'll probably make a CD I will call "great"