[sebastian]

Okay...it was a great year for music...so, let's have it...Best albums of 2004.

My top 7 would have to be...in ascending order...

7. The Streets - A grand don't come for free My introduction to this british band which consists of only one person, as far as i can tell. Storytelling from the gutter...with some haunting undertones.

6. Tom Waits - Real Gone - Tom keeps on rockin' in the world he created. He shows absolutely no sign of slowing down...it's as if all that smoking and whiskey gives him more strength with each passing year.

6. The Cure - The Cure - The Cure puts out their most interesting album since Disintegration. A far cry from their glory days, but definitely a lot more interesting than they've been throughout the nineties. Plus, their concert this year was amazing.

4. The Arcade Fire - Funeral - Mesmerizing and driving debut from this Montreal band. At times, quite chilling. Listen to the lyrics. Very dpesque at times.

3. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Abbatoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus - Saint Nick does it again with this double album of raging poetry. Like the Cure, certainly not his best, but a mighty leap up from his last two efforts. I was beginning to lose faith.

2. Interpol - Antics - I just love these guys. Dark NY band with complex rhythms and ambiguous lyrics. A solid sophmore effort.

1. Morrissey - You Are The Quarry - You've got to love him. He's become a parody of himself in many ways, but damn if he can't belt out a tune. I think it was a writer for Pitchfork magazine which likened his voice to an instrument. He weilds it well. The best stuff Morrissey has put out since that sad day in the '80s when he parted ways with Johnny Marr and the Smiths fell into musical history...mr. shankley.

[/b]

s.

 

[jc]

i dont know if this is a reissue but its magical,back in the day neil young had a personality and used to talk to the audience,and the year my brain was born

 

[Guest]

The Streets, Arcade Fire, Interpol all belong as the year's best. ^ I'm not sure i've listened to any of these.

 

[Guest]

Sebastian, a friend of mine went to Morrisseys concert in Brighton (UK)
two or three weeks ago. My friend flew over from Holland to Britain especially for that.
He said it was AWEsome! Your post reminded me of that.

 

[maria]

I have a tiny anecdote on Interpol, which a friend of mine wished for Christmas. Well, her sister in law gave her a cd by The International Noice Conspiracy saying "this was the only Interpol cd in the store". He had no idea. My friend just said thanks. That was hilarious. I should by it (Interpol) too.

 

[sebastian]

Sebastian, a friend of mine went to Morrisseys concert in Brighton (UK)
two or three weeks ago. My friend flew over from Holland to Britain especially for that.
He said it was AWEsome! Your post reminded me of that.

Saw Morrissey in Toronto and he was great here too. No fewer than thirty people jumped up on stage, evidently overwhelmed by his mozness. I saw him on the Your Arsenal tour, and i was very unimpressed. But he certainly redeemed himself this time.

s.

 

[Guest]

Time for me to throw in my " oddball" ( to this site only) rap & urban music albums, haha

 

[JasonFar]

I didn't hear that many new albums from 2004, but most of what I heard I liked considerably... So, had I heard more from this particular year, these might not have made the list, but most of them are great listens anyway.

Modest Mouse -- Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Arcade Fire -- Funeral
The Killers -- The Killers
Nightwish -- Once
Franz Ferdinand -- Franz Ferninand
Explosions in the Sky -- Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place (late late 2003)

That's all I can really think of. Interpol's Antics, simply because it doesn't stand out in my mind, doesn't make the list. But something tells me it would if I took the time and gave it a few more listens.
[/b]

 

[lone wolf]

Tapsa ja Rautavaara - Lauluja el?m?n poluilta

Mr. Tapani Kansa's awesome voice and Mr. Tapio Rautavaara's beautiful lyrics make it. New arrangements of old Finnish tunes mainly from the 50's. Especially the song Rakovalkealla makes me shed a tear because of its atmosphere and beauty - it is a great pity if you have never been to Lapland and/or don't understand Finnish...

Eppu Normaali - Sadan vuoden p??st?kin

The long waited new studio album by the most popular Finnish rock band ever. Eppu Normaali is almost an institution here, and it was worth it to wait the album Sadan vuoden p??st?kin for eleven years' time.

Indica - Ikuinen virta

Indica is a new Finnish girl band and Ikuinen virta is their debut album. Indica girls play their instruments themselves and compose their own songs. Pretty melancholic pop rock, with mysterious lyrics.

Bj?rk - Med?lla

Well, I needn't introduce this one, I guess. Bj?rk's voice with the choirs make awesome and interesting tunes in this new album by the famous Icelandic pop singer.

You should try at least the first three albums (with Nightwish!) and feel a slice of Finnish musical culture! Well, not to say anything of Bj?rk - she is superb too. 8)

 

[sebastian]

That's all I can really think of. Interpol's Antics, simply because it doesn't stand out in my mind, doesn't make the list. But something tells me it would if I took the time and gave it a few more listens.
[/b]

It would Jason. The album gets stronger with every listen. My feelings on it were quite tepid at first as well.

Interesting list. A few of those would probably have made it on mine if it had been a normal year.

Ninnu - I would love to get into all that nordic music. Can you possibly recommend a few bands to me, giving a little bit of description as to the kind of music they play. Thanks.

s.

 

[JasonFar]

Sebastian, thanks for commenting on my superfluous html bold sign, asshole. :twisted:

You're right about Antics, though, and we've had this discussion before on how the album appears so-so at first and grows mightly on you if you give it a chance.

I will, because, hey, if you like it that much (#2 in a good year...), then it's gotta be great.

 

[sleepingbeauty]

lyrics from the bestest album of 2004.. and all time.

"Let's Take Our Time"

I wanna give every part of you the attention it deserves
I want to take it slow get you in the mood
Cuz the clocks not guna turn
We've been waiting for a couple of weeks
And i know we shouldn't rush
Theres no one here but us

I dont want this to die
Dont want to ever forget this night
To hurry you would be a crime
Lets take our time
Lets take our time

Something so right when i hold you
I dont want to ever let you go
When you whisper in my ear
All the things you want to do
This sensation starts to grow
I dreamt about it every day and night
Never thought that it'd come true
Now its just me & you

I dont want this to die
Dont want to ever forget this night
To hurry you would be a crime
Lets take our time
Lets take our time

I dont want this to die
Dont want to ever forget this night
To hurry you would be a crime
Lets take our time

I dont want this to die
Dont want to ever forget this night
To hurry you would be a crime
Lets take our time
Lets take our time

Lets take our time
Lets take our time
Lets take our time

nothing and i mean NOTHING can compare to his lyrics he nothing short of a lyrical GENIUS. my attempts to replicate his prose is feeble at best.. but here goes.

my ode to ryan cabrera... ahem..

oh ryan..
your hair is so perfectly frosted,
and your teeth has not known one day without crest whitestrips.
i dream of carressing your milky skin
so smooth like a babys a$$
and lick the honeylike layer of proactive sollution from your face.
oh ryan how i long to be ashlee simpson
just for one day
so i can suck your flawless wiener.
you are the manchild with amazing hair
i bet you frost your pubes you animal.
ryan cabrera you are a GOD!!!!

 

[sebastian]

he's so dreamy...

 

[Guest]

Who the fuck is Ryan Cabrera? I love how mental problems have given us an ear for such great music...isolation maybe? If any of you are still listening to top 40 radio crap, then I doubt the legitimacy of your dpdr.

Soulbrotha, I'm used to being the exception...but for some reason us whacked out individuals gravitate to the same type of music and its hard nowadays to find people out age that aren't listening to 'Lean Back' or the newest John Mayer crap.

 

[sleepingbeauty]

ryan cabrera is the latest upchuck of the 'industry'. he is the wannabe john mayer. which is about as bad as it gets.

i think hes trying to show off his good side. :roll:

btw.. i was being sarcastic. :wink:

 

[Guest]

My favorites of 2004:

Animal Collective - Sung Tongs
Of Montreal - Satanic Panic in the Attic
The Walkmen - Bows and Arrows
Squarepusher - Ultravisitor
Sondre Lerche - Two Way Monologue
Joanna Newsom - The Milk-eyed Mender
The Futureheads - The Futureheads
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Destroyer - Your Blues
Brian Wilson - Smile
Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill
Wilco - A Ghost is Born
Morrissey - You are the Quarry

 

[Guest]

I think its about time i've made my own list here. I'm stealing some of your choices pigasus

Squarepusher - Ultravisitor
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill
Interpol - Antics
Max Richter - The Blue Notebooks
Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
Les Savy Fav - Inches
Modest Mouse - Good News for People who Love Bad News
Air - Talkie Walkie
The Streets - A Grand Don't Come for Free

 

[Guest]

You know what's really weird is I could not tell you what my fav's are from 2004, I honestly just browse certain categories, listen to samples then buy the cds. No idea what year any of them are.

 

[Guest]

How the hell did I forget Les Savy Fav Inches? Soooo good.

 

[GavinD]

Bastards, the pair of you stealing some of my choices. Agreed with Air-Talkie Walkie, though wasnt sure if that was just at the end of 2003??

Favourite HAS to be Smile...though, shouldn't that count as 1967?? That was one of the only albums I actually purchased legally in 04, hehe.

Also agree with the Morrisey album (Wendy, dont rub it in...I was meant to be going to that gig but my work's christams do was on the same night...d'oh!), liked Interpol's antics and Squarepusher's Ultravisitor..(saw him play with the London Sinfonia orchestra last year as well, made my eardrums bleed). I think I'd put up Graham Coxon's Happiness in Magazines as one of my favourite albums of the year, cause though it was nothing groundbreaking, it was quite refreshingly punky in a lo-fi way.

Also digged Nick Cave's Abbatoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus

However, all in all I thought it was a pretty depressing year for music. I know people are always moaning about the amount of manufactured pop pap there is but i really think alternative music is offering no hope of a saviour right now...there's too many retro indie poser bands where it's all just style over substance....well, I've just finished my album which has been years in the making so hopefully I can do something about it in 2005. haha!!

g