That’s funny–I wouldn’t say that at all. I thought it had a lot of that slacker cool that Pavement perfected ten years ago, and some damn catchy songs. Maybe not a top five for me, but definitely a top 10.
Then why couldn’t I get a ticket to his show with Death Cab down at the Cat’s Cradle earlier this year? Seriously, I have not heard his debut–I shall seek it out.
Prowled BBs (which, incidentally, seems to be going downhill) and Gate City Noise today–no luck. You couldn’t pay me to get near Best Buy right now. I’ll be back home in Lexington, KY this week, so I can hit up CD Central–Steve and the crew have never let me down before.
I agree with a whole lot of these (Arcade Fire, Xiu Xiu, Modest Mouse, Stereolab, Bjork, Wilco are on my list). I’ll add 4 nobody has mentioned, in no particular order.
-The Concretes – The Concretes (Abba meets the Velvet Underground)
-TV on the Radio – Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
-Clinic – Winchester Cathedral
-The Bad Plus – Give
Efforts that disappointed me: Dizzee Rascal (like Showtime better than Da Boy in Da Corner), Badly Drawn Boy (the man seems to have exhausted his lyrical stores after Hour of the Bewilderbeest), Luna (they sound like Yo La Tengo, not that that is a bad thing, but I want Luna to sound like Luna), Sigur Ros (Von and Ba Ba/ Ti Ki/ Di Do are both OK but so far have not hit me like their first 2), The Streets (I like Original Pirate Material better than the new one), Rilo Kiley (“It’s a Hit” is a good song with a sad video but the rest of the album is too poppy for me).
Honestly I was not a huge fan of either artist, but I thoroughly enjoyed the concept. I like the idea of two cultures being “mashed” (as MTV put it) together. The resulting music is great. Its a very interesting mix of a rapper and a hard rock group. I hope this is not the last experiment of this type we will see. I do believe it will be the best. I highly recommend it, check it out.
The Walkmen, Bows and Arrows–Definitely some of the best tracks of the year, especially “The Rat”, but the album tends to run together. I think it needs a few more listens, if I can get Blueberry Boat out of the player (see below).
Kanye West, The College Dropout–Not the sort of hip-hop I usually get into, though I’d be hard-pressed to define what is, exactly. Anyway, I like it a lot–the lyrics are intelligent and the hooks are, well, hooky.
The Fiery Furnaces, Blueberry Boat–Now we’re talking. I’m sure I’ll be able to listen to this dozens of times and still hear new things every time. It is a little thick and ambitious on a first listen, but it is best digested with headphones, a few tracks at a time. Not for everybody, but a definite favorite of mine.
Awaiting my listen: The Killers, TV on the Radio, Devendra Barnhart, and the new solo album from Asylum Street Spankers frontman Wammo, entitled Lowriders on the Storm.
Oh, another album that I don’t think has been mentioned that was among my most-listened-to this year: the soundtrack from the movie Garden State. I’m not sure if one should count it among the year’s best musical achievements, since there isn’t anything original, but it is still one of the best CDs I came across this year.
Interpol - Antics
The Killers - Hot Fuss
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Dream Theater - Live at Budokan
Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
I would have to agree with some that it wasn’t the best of years for music this year, but having missed pretty much everything on ultrafilter’s list of metal albums this year, there might still be hope (in particular, I remember hearing Mastodon and meaning to check them out further, but somehow forgot).
Anyway, a handful of stand-outs this year that I didn’t miss:
NightwishOnce FinntrollNattfodd AyreonThe Human Condition EvergreyThe Inner Circle
D
Sam I totally agree with you. Most of the new music I hear is what is forced on to me on the radio and after reading your post, the only music I don’t have the impulse to change the dial on is music from previous years. Some of the arguably best albums this year, Franz, The Streets, Kayne West, are not as good as last year: Welcome Interstate Managers, Speakerboxx, Elephant. Even my favorite band U2’s current release of singles is making me less interested in picking up CDs (I’m terrible at buying new CDs without at least hearing half the album, a couple of times, first). However, if the rest of the Killers’ album is like Mr. Brightside, then that would easily be my favorite album of 2004.
No, it’s not just you. I thought 2004 was pretty weak myself. And that’s why I think the best thing released this year was a compilation : Five Guys Walk Into A Bar… by the Faces.
Yep, I’m old - the Faces were my favorite band when I was in college (1969-1973), and it killed me when Rod Stewart became a preening solo superstar. He wasn’t always like that, kids. Believe it or not, there was a time when there was humility in Stewart’s work - when he was singing with the Faces.
Yes, the set is pricey ($65), but I ordered it from Ian McLagen’s website, which means it came signed by Mac himself, and it was some of the best money I ever spent.
For the record, this year I also like A Grand Don’t Come For Free by The Streets, and Smile by Brian Wilson.
Speaking of 50, a much less cutting edge group of listeners from the best public radio station on the dial: WFUV-FM, Bronx, NY, just posted the results of their best albums of the year. (Listening to the Top 10 albums played commercial free in their entirety these past 2 days has been fun).
Listener Results: Best of 2004
[ol]
[li]Wilco - A Ghost is Born [/li][li]U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb [/li][li]Patty Griffin - Impossible Dreams [/li][li]Citizen Cope - The Clarence Greenwood Recordings [/li][li]Ray LaMontagne - Trouble [/li][li]Brian Wilson - Smile [/li][li]Nellie McKay - Get Away From Me [/li][li]Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose [/li][li]Elvis Costello - The Delivery Man [/li][li]TIE: Jamie Cullum - Twentysomething [/li]Norah Jones - Feels Like Home
[li]Richard Shindell - Vuelta [/li][li]Madeleine Peyroux - Careless Love [/li][li]Tom Waits - Real Gone [/li][li]Slaid Cleaves - Wishbones [/li][li]Steve Earle - The Revolution StartsŠNow [/li][li]Mark Knopfler - Shangri-La [/li][li]Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company [/li][li]TIE: Indigo Girls - All That We Let In [/li]Rufus Wainwright - Want Two
[li]R.E.M. - Around the Sun [/li][li]Jill Sobule - Underdog Victorious [/li][li]The Finn Brothers - Everyone is Here [/li][li]Tift Merritt - Tambourine [/li][li]Rachel Yamagata - Happenstance [/li][li]Buddy Miller - Universal United House of Prayer [/li][li]Keane - Hopes and Fears [/li][li]Bob Dylan - Live 1964 [/li][li]David Byrne - Grown Backwards [/li][li]Lucy Kaplansky - The Red Thread [/li][li]Joseph Arthur - Our Shadows Will Remain [/li][li]Bruce Hornsby - Halcyon Days [/li][li]Jonatha Brooke - Back in the Circus [/li][li]Toots and the Maytals - True Love [/li][li]Elliott Smith - From a Basement on a Hill [/li][li]Patti Smith - Trampin’ [/li][li]Joss Stone - Mind, Body and Soul [/li][li]k.d. lang - Hymns of the 49th Parallel [/li][li]Various Artists - Enjoy Every Sandwich: A Tribute to Warren Zevon [/li][li]Ollabelle - Ollabelle [/li][li]Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama - There is a Light [/li][li]Chuck Prophet - Age of Miracles [/li][li]The Flatlanders - Wheels of Fortune [/li][li]The Damnwells - Bastards of the Beat [/li][li]Los Lobos - The Ride [/li][li]Alison Kraus & Union Station - Lonely Runs Both Ways [/li][li]Ricky Fante - Rewind [/li][li]Diana Krall - The Girl in the Other Room [/li][li]Old 97’s - Drag it Up [/li][li]TIE: Steve Forbert - Just Like There’s Nothin’ To It [/li]Mindy Smith - One Moment More
[li]Jem - Finally Woken[/li][*]The Thrills - Let’s Bottle Bohemia[/ol]
I only heard them for the first time yesterday.
My taste runs from Electronica (eg Aphex Twin, BOC etc etc) to “indie\alt” (eg; Yo La Tengo, Sterolab, Interpol, Pixies, The Fall etc etc)
But this just blew me away. Highly recommended. If you like New Wave influenced Japanese groups playing and singing at 1000mph, with (in some tracks) a dash of punked up surf-style guitars sound the Pixies used, this is for you. However, there is more to them than this - someone reviewing it on Amazon describes it as “Japanese New Wave Electro Punk” . I love it all, but some may find some of the vocals, and bonkers keyboard sounds a bit grating – but that aside, if the above still tempts, give it a go. You might like it.
I listened to it ALL DAY yesterday. Nothing else. I have not done that with a record since I was 18 (I am now 37 – and it made me feel 18 again. Ahem).
Two tracks in particular gave me goosebumps \ shivers, namely Black Out Fall Out and Making Sense). I can’t recall the last time some new music I bought has done that to me.
Their cover of My Sharona is a blast. Starts off sounding a bit weak – but it soon goes off into delightfully bonkers mode.
NB- This is a compidilation album – I have just today listened to the same tracks off their other releases, and they dun sound as good for some reason – I suspect they have been remixed for this release.
Seriously, I have not heard his debut–I shall seek it out.
. I love it all, but some may find some of the vocals, and bonkers keyboard sounds a bit grating – but that aside, if the above still tempts, give it a go. You might like it.