Best of 2004

Since we've been dormant here for a month, I figured nobody'd mind (or even notice) if I jump-started this place with something trite: the year-end best-of list. Here are 10 albums that came out in 2004 that struck my fancy.

10. Final Straw by Snow Patrol - Average Jimmy set me up with this one. A good listen. Favorite Song: "Run"
9. Hot Fuss by The Killers - One of a few albums I enjoyed that the "kids today" are listening to, bought on a whim. Favorite Song: "Somebody Told Me"
8. Antics by Interpol - Grew on me with each listen. Favorite Song: "Evil"
7. Drag It Up by Old 97's - The fact that a new album from my favorite band comes in at #7 illustrates my mild disappointment in the record, but it's still better than 99% of new music. Favorite Song: "The New Kid"
6. Franz Ferdinand by Franz Ferdinand - More tunes that defied the odds by getting airtime and not sucking. Favorite Song: "Take Me Out"
5. 11 by Random Idiots - The comeback album nobody was praying for. It features the new sound, described by Herb as "mid-fi," with a fixation on beach songs. Oh, and the band has approved all piracy, so anyone wanting a free copy, let me know. Favorite Song: "House of the Martha Wood"
4. 20,000 Streets Under The Sky by Marah - A surprising favorite from the Bruce-ish youngsters. Favorite Song: "East" or "Going Thru the Motions"
3. American Idiot by Green Day - Rob's already mega-touted this one, but it's that good. Favorite Song: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
2. Good News for People Who Love Bad News by Modest Mouse - Last month someone in a bar called me a rock snob and proved it by saying, "Oh, I bet you liked Modest Mouse before they were cool." Dead on. I grabbed a copy of this as soon as it was out, and loved it. The best songs are the ones on the radio, but it's solid alt-rock throughout. Favorite Song: "Float On"
1. New Roman Times by Camper van Beethoven - More evidence of snoberry, to be sure, and perhaps this album doesn't top the others in overall greatness -- it may just be that their resumption of business as usual after 15 years pleased me that much. If you always hated CVB, you still will, but if you dug them way back when, it's more of the same. Lowery's rough vocals, violins as major instruments, and even a little backwards recordings for old times' sake. Favorite Song: "Might Makes Right"

Albums that didn't make the cut included new records by the Beastie Boys (nothing revelatory), Wilco (slipping away, sadly), 7 Mary 3 (unfortunately), u2 (because I didn't get it yet), They Might Be Giants (not reviewed very positively), and Jimmy Buffett (reviewed on this site previously).

5 Great Compilations / Re-Issues

5. Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003 by Pearl Jam - A 2-disc compilation replete with great stuff -- listening to it made me realize I'd forgotten how many good songs they had.
4. Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits by John Cougar Mellencamp Ditto, Ditto, Ditto to everything about #5.
3. Doctors, Professors, Kings and Queens: The Big Ol' Box of New Orleans by Various Artists - a 4-disc set of all things Big Easy, from the earliest blues recordings to new rock outfits. Blues, jazz, brass bands, zydeco, rock, and much, much more. The jumbled-up sequence makes it just like walking around the fairgrounds at JazzFest.
2. Join the Dots: B-Sides & Rarities, 1978-2001 by The Cure - Back in the 80's, The Cure released their first compilation on one extended play cassette and included all of the B-sides on . . . the B-side. These songs were almost as good as the A-material. It took nearly 20 years, but they finally remastered and re-released these tracks, and a bunch more rarities from their career.
1. London Calling: 25th Anniversary by The Clash - Everybody has (or dammit, man, should have) London Calling, but this re-issue packaged in the lost demo tapes found by Mick Jones when he recently moved. It also has a DVD of the recording sessions; it's all very cool if you're a huge Clash fan.

3 Best Live Shows I Saw in '04:
Old 97's in January at the 9:30 Club, Ween at the same venue in June, and the Pixies in December at Constitution Hall. All fantastic, as I'd expected them to be.

I am curious what others found to be most listenable in the last year, whether it was new stuff or older works. Happy '05 to all.