AllMusic Loves 2004
September 25th, 2009 | 2:15 pm est |
Once again, we take a short break from covering current releases by looking back at a year from this nearly-complete decade and compiling lists of our personal favorites. Five years on from 2004, it’s easy to forget what a good year it was for almost every kind of music. Some of the decade’s biggest indie-rock acts, including TV on the Radio, the Fiery Furnaces, the Arcade Fire and Deerhoof, asserted themselves with definitive albums. Madvillain, MF Doom, Diplo and Dizzee Rascal kept rap’s cutting edge sharp. The year’s finest electronic music spanned Annie, Junior Boys, Fennesz and Mouse on Mars, while pop ranged from Kelly Clarkson to the Scissor Sisters, and country ran the gamut from Big & Rich to Loretta Lynn. Last but not least, Green Day’s American Idiot summed up the year’s political tenor. There aren’t many overlapping picks on our lists, which only goes to show how strong and eclectic the year’s music was. If you’re posting a list of your own in the comments, try limiting yourself to 20 picks for albums and singles (like we had to) for an extra challenge!
John Bush
Electrelane - The Power Out
Nellie McKay - Get Away from Me
Madvillain - Madvillainy
Green Day - American Idiot
Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt
The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
Big & Rich - Horse of a Different Color
Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters
Animal Collective - Sung Tongs
Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing in the Hands
Sondre Lerche - Two Way Monologue
Laura Veirs - Carbon Glacier
Madeleine Peyroux - Careless Love
A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder
Kanye West - The College Dropout
!!! - Louden Up Now
MF Doom - MM..Food?
Ryan Adams - Love Is Hell
Devendra Banhart - Niño Rojo
Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
Kanye West - “Jesus Walks”
Annie - “Chewing Gum”
Scissor Sisters - “Laura”
MF Doom - “Kookies”
Green Day - “Jesus of Suburbia”
Laura Veirs - “Ether Sings”
Devendra Banhart - “The Body Breaks”
Animal Collective - “Leaf House”
Madeleine Peyroux - “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go”
Nellie McKay - “Baby Watch Your Back”
Tim McGraw - “Do You Want Fries with That”
The Hives - “Two-Timing Touch and Broken Bones”
Loretta Lynn - “Van Lear Rose”
Diplo - “Diplo Rhythm”
Franz Ferdinand - “Take Me Out”
A.C. Newman - “Drink to Me, Babe, Then”
Big & Rich - “Rollin’ (The Ballad of Big & Rich)”
Susanna & the Magical Orchestra - “Jolene”
Madvillain - “Money Folder”
Ryan Adams - “Anybody Wanna Take Me Home”
Dungen - “Festival”
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Black Keys - Rubber Factory
Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
Green Day - American Idiot
Danger Mouse - The Grey Album
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Brian Wilson - SMiLE
TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse
The Libertines - The Libertines
Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters
Art Brut - “Formed a Band”
Franz Ferdinand - “Take Me Out”
Britney Spears - “Toxic”
Annie - “Chewing Gum”
Jay-Z - “99 Problems”
Black Keys - “10 AM Automatic”
Kaiser Chiefs - “I Predict a Riot”
Toby Keith - “I Love This”
BarScissor Sisters - “Take Your Mama”
Jet - “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?”
Modest Mouse - “Float On”
Prince - “Cinnamon Girl”
Greg Heaney
The Hold Steady - Almost Killed Me
Floor - Floor
Cee-Lo - Cee-Lo Green… Is the Soul Machine
Madvillain - Madvillainy
Cult Of Luna - Salvation
Grizzly Bear - Horn Of Plenty
Hot Snakes - Audit In Progress
Isis - Panopticon
Jens Lekman - When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog
The Foreign Exchange - Connected
The Von Bondies - Pawn Shoppe Heart
Saturday Looks Good to Me - Every Night
Jonathan Richman - Not So Much to Be Loved As To Love
Mastodon - Leviathan
Pas/Cal - Oh Honey, We’re Ridiculous
NOMO - NOMO
Prince - Musicology
Pinback - Summer In Abbadon
Oneida - Secret Wars
Neurosis - The Eye Of Every Storm
Andy Kellman
Annie - Anniemal
Brooks - Red Tape
Claro Intelecto - Neurofibro
James T. Cotton - The Dancing Box
DKD - Future Rage
Thomas Fehlmann - Lowflow
Fennesz - Venice
Junior Boys - Last Exit
Michael Mayer - Speicher CD2
Moodymann - Black Mahogani
Teedra Moses - Complex Simplicity
154 - Strike
Pantha du Prince - Diamond Daze
Rahsaan Patterson - After Hours
The Rotating Assembly - Natural Aspirations
T.I. - Urban Legend
Triola - Triola im Fünftonraum
Ricardo Villalobos - Thé au Harem d’Archimède
Kanye West - The College Dropout
Wiley - Treddin’ on Thin Ice
Ashanti - “Rain on Me”
Ciara - “Goodies”
Crime Mob - “Knuck if You Buck”
DJ Koze - “Brutalga Square”
Fabolous - “Breathe”
Oliver Hacke - “8:20″
I:Cube - “Vacuum Jackers (Maurice Fulton Remix)”
Anders Ilar - “Treasure Gardens”
Mathew Jonson - “911, How Can I Help You?”
Justus Köhncke - “Timecode” (YouTube)
Monica - “Knock Knock” (YouTube)
Moonstarr - “Detriot” (YouTube)
Nas - “Thief’s Theme”
Platinum Pied Pipers - “I Got You”
Sa-Ra - “Glorious”
Shawnna - “R.P.M.”
Snoop Dogg - “Drop It Like It’s Hot”
Sébastien Tellier - “La Ritournelle”
Usher - “Yeah!”
Wighnomy Bros. - “Wurz + Blosse”
Andrew Leahey
Ryan Adams - Love is Hell
Neko Case - The Tigers Have Spoken
Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers - Americano
U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
Ambulance LTD - LP
The Shore - The Shore
Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt
Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
The Concretes - The Concretes
Jimmy Eat World - Futures
Air - Talkie Walkie
Brian Wilson - SMiLE
Drive-By Truckers - The Dirty South
Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway
Jason Lymangrover
Air - Talkie Walkie
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Arial Pink - The Doldrums
Blonde Redhead - Misery is a Butterfly
Danger Mouse - The Grey Album
Deerhoof - Milk Man
Elbow - Cast of Thousands
Felix da Housecat - Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever
The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
Floor - Floor
The Futureheads - The Futureheads
The Go! Team – Thunder, Lightning, Strike
The Hold Steady - Almost Killed Me
Junior Boys - Last Exit
Madvillain - Madvillainy
MF Doom – MM..Food?
Mission of Burma - Onoffon
Oneida - Secret Wars
Ratatat - Ratatat
The Streets - A Grand Don’t Come for Free
Art Brut - “Formed a Band”
Bjork - “Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)”
Chromeo - “Needy Girl”
Dungen - “Panda”
The Knife - “Heartbeats” 
LCD Soundstystem - “Yeah”
M.I.A. - “Galang”
Murs - “Bad Man”
Pinback - “AFK”
Secret Machines - “First Wave Intact”
James Christopher Monger
The Divine Comedy - Absent Friends
Therion - Lemuria/Sirius B
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Shearwater - Winged Life
Tears For Fears - Everybody Loves A Happy Ending
Max Richter - The Blue Notebooks
Brian Wilson - SMiLE
Bohren & der Club of Gore - Black Earth
Destroyer - Your Blues
Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters
A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder
Faun Fables - Family Album
Hidden Cameras - Mississauga Goddam
Timothy Monger - Summer Cherry Ghosts
Espers - Espers
The Delgados - Universal Audio
Robyn Hitchcock - Spooked
Lansing-Dreiden - The Incomplete Triangle
Frog Eyes - The Folded Palm
Gor Mkhitarian - Godfather Tom
Brazilian Girls - “Pussy”
The Real Tuesday Weld - “Bathtime In Clerkenwell”
Secret Machines - “Nowhere Again”
Dogs Die In Hot Cars - “Godhopping”
Papercuts - “Mockingbird”
Franz Ferdinand - “Take Me Out”
David Byrne - “Tiny Apocalypse”
Band of Bees - “Chicken Payback”
The Polyphonic Spree - “Two Thousand Places”
Sufjan Stevens - “All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands”
The Delays - “Wanderlust”
Joanna Newsom - “Sprout and the Bean”
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - “There She Goes My Beautiful World”
Man Inc. - “Blue Law Sunday”
The Gourds - “Turn In My Pocket”
The Futureheads - “Robot”
Papercuts - “Mockingbird”
Brother Danielson - “Things Against Stuff”
The 90 Day Men - “Even Time Ghost Can’t Stop Wagner”
Camper Van Beethoven - “51-7”
Heather Phares
Air - Talkie Walkie
Bjork - Medúlla
Blonde Redhead - Misery Is a Butterfly
Deerhoof - Milk Man
Dizzee Rascal - Boy in da Corner
Electrelane - The Power Out
The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
The Futureheads - The Futureheads
The Hives - Tyrannosaurus Hives
Liars - They Were Wrong, So We Drowned
Mouse on Mars - Radical Connector
A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder
Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender
The Organ - Grab That Gun
Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters
Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse
The Streets - A Grand Don’t Come for Free
TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
The Walkmen - Bows + Arrows
Wolf Eyes - Burned Mind
Tim Sendra
Architecture in Helsinki - Fingers Crossed
The Brunettes – Mars Loves Venus
The Concretes – The Concretes
Jason Forrest – The Unrelenting Songs of the 1979 Post Disco Crash
The Go! Team – Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Heavy Blinkers – The Night and I Are Still So Young
Hercules – In the Alleyway
The Legends – Up Against the Legends
Jens Lekman - When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog
Madvillian – Madvillany
MF Doom – MM..Food?
Saturday Looks Good to Me – Every Night
The Trash Can Sinatras – Weightlifting
Walker Kong – Transparent Life
Walking Concert – Run to Be Born
Jason Thurston
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Arcade Fire - Funeral
American Music Club - Love Songs for Patriots
Mission of Burma - OnOffOn
Sondre Lerche - Two Way Monologue
Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
Ted Leo + the Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets
Dolorean - Violence in the Snowy Fields
Mary Chapin Carpenter - Between Here and Gone
Nas - Street’s Disciple
The Futureheads - The Futureheads
Talib Kweli - The Beautiful Struggle
Snoop Dogg - R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece
Kings of Convenience - Riot on an Empty Street
Atom and His Package - Hair: Debatable
Green Day - American Idiot
The Reputation - To Force a Fate
Earlimart - Treble & Tremble
William Shatner - Has Been
Arto Lindsay - Salt
Scissor Sisters - “Take Your Mama”
Modest Mouse - “Float On”
Eminem - “Mosh”
Trick Daddy - “Let’s Go”
Fabolous - “Breathe”
Franz Ferdinand - “Take Me Out”
The Streets - “Dry Your Eyes”
Loretta Lynn - “Portland Oregon”
Secret Machines - “Nowhere Again”
Dilated Peoples - “This Way”
Trash Can Sinatras - “Freetime”
Mos Def - “Sunshine”
The Roots - “I Don’t Care”
The Mountain Goats - “Mole”
Ludacris - “Child of the Night”
Jill Scott - “Golden”
Jimmy Eat World - “Pain”
De La Soul - “Shopping Bags (She Got from You)”
The Go! Team - “Junior Kickstart”
Interpol - “Narc”
Previously
AllMusic Loves 1968
AllMusic Loves 1974
AllMusic Loves 1977
AllMusic Loves 1980
AllMusic Loves 1984
AllMusic Loves 1987
AllMusic Loves 1988
AllMusic Loves 1993
AllMusic Loves 1999
AllMusic Loves 2000
AllMusic Loves 2001
AllMusic Loves 2002
AllMusic Loves 2003
My Favorites:
Joanna Newsom - The Milk-eyed Mender
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Arcade Fire - Funera
Brian Wilson - SMiLE (After so many years, a very nice surprise)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
The Streets - A Grand Don’t Come for Free
Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
Wilco - A Ghost Is Born
The Libertines - The Libertines
Tom Waits - Real Gone
Interpol - Antics
Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill
Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters
Björk - Medulla
PJ Harvey - Uh Huh Her
TV on the Radio
Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Good lists - noticeably missed albums…
High On Fire - Blessed Black Wings
The BellRays - Red, White & Black
Ataxia - Automatic Writing (in fact, all of that great Frusciante work of 04)
Comets On Fire - Blue Cathedral
Probot - Probot
Jello Biafra & The Melvins - Never Breathe What You Can’t See
Black Moth Super Rainbow - Start A People
Kaki King - Legs To Make Us Longer
a wilhelm scream - mute print
descendents - cool to be you
the dillinger escape plan - miss machine
the get-up kids - guilt show
the good life - album of the year
hot rod circuit - reality’s coming through
hot water music - the new what next
jimmy eat world - futures
joan of arc - joan of arc, dick cheney, mark twain
keane - hopes and fears
modest mouse - good news for people who love bad news
the one am radio - a name writ in water
the organ - grab that gun
owen - i do perceive
q and not u - power
ratatat - ratatat
relient k - mmhmm
the soviettes - lp II
starsailor - silence is easy
tegan and sara - so jealous
Nice list AMG! A few missed entries including from those already mentioned above:
Amplifier - Amplifier (Hidden gem of the decade?)
Autolux - Future Perfect
Crime in Choir - The Hoop
Squarepusher - Ultravisitor
Please. These lists are full of historical revisionism. You’re only tickling the ears of today’s music scene.
i kind of agree with petra, because i remember reading quite a few reviews on this site in 2004 that were “album of the year” material that i don’t see on this list.
Man, allmusic…you used to be cool. 2004?!? When was the last time you did one of these blogs and didn’t focus on a year from this decade? Can you even remember? Pretty lazy and uninspired.
12 Favorites in random order:
Of Montreal - Satanic Panic in the Attic (I can’t believe that this one was missed)
Wilco-A Ghost is Born
Wolf Eyes-Burned Mind
Mastodon-Leviathan
Leftover Crack-F**k World Trade
Incubus-A Crow Left of the Murder
Elliott Smith-A Basement on the Hill(Appalled that this album was missed.)
Anaal Nathrakh-Domine Non Es Dignus
Green Day-American Idiot
Underoath-They’re Only Chasing Safety
Modest Mouse-Good News For People Who Like Bad News
Andrew Jackson Jihad-Holey Man, Holy War
Dylan, read the first paragraph of AllMusic Loves 2000. Until the end of the year they are undertaking an overview of the past decade.
Some albums from the often forgotten Australian music scene include:
Dappled Cities Fly - A Smile
Gelbison - See the World
Jebediah - Braxton Hicks
John Butler Trio - Sunrise Over Sea
Little Birdy - bigbiglove
The Cops - Stomp on Tripwires
Rocket Science - Eternal Holiday
Sarah Blasko - The Overture & the Underscore
Cut Copy - Bright Lights, Neon Love
Youth Group - Skeleton Jar
Art of Fighting - Second Story
Gyroscope - Sound Shattering Sound
& to get a little more commercial
Eskimo Joe - A Song is a City
Missy Higgins - The Sound of White
I graduated high school this year. I really don’t think it was all that exciting of a year in music though, but I did like:
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Interpol - Antics
The Vines - Winning Days
Incubus - A Crow Left of the Murder
Top 10 albums:
Morrissey- You Are The Quarry
Graham Coxon- Happiness In Magazines
The Black Keys- Rubber Factory
The Libertines- The Libertines
Franz Ferdinand- Franz Ferdinand
Brian Wilson- Smile
Modest Mouse- Good News For People Who Love Bad News
The Ordinary Boys- Over The Counter Culture
The Bees- Free The Bees
Sons & Daughters- Love The Cup
The debut albums by the Arcade Fire and (especially) Ambulance Ltd. are brilliant but these weren’t released in the UK until 2005 (and I didn’t hear them until then).
Songs:
Morrissey- “First of the Gang To Die”
Morrissey- “It’s Hard to Walk Tall When You’re Small”
REM- “Leaving New York”
REM- “Boy In The Well”
Graham Coxon- “Spectacular”
Graham Coxon- “Bittersweet Bundle of Misery”
Franz Ferdinand- “Jacqueline”
Franz Ferdinand- “Take Me Out”
The Black Keys- “10AM Automatic”
The Libertines- “Can’t Stand Me Now”
Interpol- “Evil”
Modest Mouse- “Float On”
The Futureheads- “Decent Days And Nights”
The Ordinary Boys- “Robots and Monkeys”
The Bees- “These Are The Ghosts”
Petra and others are right. Give us a chance to miss 2004 before you start memorializing it, huh?
I wish Pitchfork would quit:
(a) trying to manufacture a coherent aesthetic by connecting the dots of your favorite artists over the past few years. This ain’t no disco. There is no one scene. And none of you are Lester Bangs.
(b) swooning over crap music that’s far from classic yet. I’ll donate ten cents to the charity of your choice for every copy of “Rejoicing in the Hands” that sells after the year 2020. Y’all have my email address. I’m not kidding.
The following 2004 albums are perfect:
“Isidore” by Isidore
“Strange Liberation” by Dave Douglas
All four albums released by the Church in 2004 = pure class. They outdo U2 on every level.
The following 2004 albums are almost perfect:
“Unspeakable” by Bill Frisell
“The Spine” by They Might Be Giants
“Bow River Falls” by Douglas, et al.
“Orpheus the Lowdown” by Andy Partridge and Peter Blegvad
“Live in Tokyo” Brad Mehldau
“End of the World Party” by MM&W
“Inheritance” by Adrian Legg
and
“Headgit” by Githead - for those missing their Wire fix in 2004.
I’m glad someone mentioned “Spooked.” Robyn is awesome, and Gillian & David don’t seem to be doing anything much these days.
The following was the worst, worst, worst of 2004:
“How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb” by U2.
(REM gets honorable mention)
I can’t believe how many people loved that thing. A total dog of an album.
In addition to Jamie’s post - Seastreet, Petra & Dylan why don’t you donate your own lists rather than making snide critisms about the what’s been presented. Criticsm is only good if it’s constructive.
Besides, you’re all missing the point. This isn’t a ‘Best Of’ list but a list of ‘personal favourites’ list. You could start by listing a few of your own.
Last of all, even though I acknowledge that it’s difficult to agree upon the classics, knowing that only a few years have past since these releases, you can expect allmusic to continue tackling the 2000’s - they’re gonna keep on goin’! At least you know they’re savoring the more refined years for later.
In approximate order (but not precise, so no numbers):
Finntroll - Nattfodd
Behemoth - Demigod
Borknagar - Epic
Pig Destroyer - Terrifyer
Wintersun - Wintersun
Turisas - Battle Metal
Mayhem - Chimera
Vintersorg - The Focusing Blur
Enslaved - Isa
Meshuggah - I
3 Inches Of Blood – Advance and Vanquish
Decapitated - The Negation
Dragonforce - Sonic Firestorm
Here’s a list of my 2004 Records (in chronological order)
Intelligence - Boredom & Terror
Oneida - Secret Wars
John Vanderslice - Cellar Door
Electrelane - The Power Out
Ghost - Hypnotic Underworld
Dave Douglas - Strange Liberation
Masada String Trio - 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 1
Deathspell Omega - Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice
The Mountain Goats - We All Shall Be Healed
Current 93 - Halo
Amps for Christ - The People at Large
Liars - They Were Wrong, So We Drowned
Papa M - Hole of Burning Alms
Daedelus - Of Snowdonia
Max Richter - The Blue Notebooks
Lunar Aurora - Elixir of Sorrow
Enrico Rava - Easy Living
Squarepusher - Ultravisitor
Blonde Redhead - Misery is a Butterfly
TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Deerhoof - Milk Man
Richard Youngs - River Through Howling Sky
Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
Susie Ibarra - Folkloriko
Madvillain - Madvillainy
The Standard - Wire Post to Wire
Fennesz - Venice
Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
The Hold Steady - Almost Killed Me
Fred Anderson & Hamid Drake - Back Together Again
Greg Wall - Later Prophets
Buckethead - Population Override
Milford Graves & John Zorn - 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 2
Locus Solus - 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 3
Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Of Montreal - Satanic Panic in the Attic
Friends of Dean Martinez - Random Harvest
Jens Lekman - When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog
Mono - Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined
A Wilhelm Scream - Mute Print
Craig Taborn - Junk Magic
Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing in the Hands
Jason Forrest - The Unrelenting Songs of the 1979 Post Disco Crash
Seiichi Yamamoto - Baptism
Electric Masada - 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 4
Animal Collective - Sung Tongs
Mission of Burma - On Off On
Eluvium - An Accidental Memory in the Case of Death
David Cross - It’s Not Funny
Charalambides - Joy Shapes
Tamion 12 Inch - Let’s Suffer
Secret Chiefs 3 - Book of Horizons
Mclusky - The Difference Between Me and You Is That I’m Not on Fire
Mephista - Entomological Reflections
Pedro the Lion - Achilles Heel
Patton Oswalt - Feelin’ Kinda Patton
Anthony Braxton - 23 Standards (Quartet)
Junior Boys - Last Exit
Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse
Murcof - Utopia
Bad Religion - The Empire Strikes First
The Paper Chase - God Bless Your Black Heart
Wolf Eyes - Burned Mind
!!! - Louden Up Now
A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder
Kettel - Volleyed Iron
yeah NO - Swell Henry
Pan American - Quiet City
Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt
Ministry - Houses of the Mole
Roberto Juan Rodriguez - Baila! Gitano Baila!
John Zorn - Masada Recitel
Neurosis - The Eye of Every Storm
Halo Manash - SYoMA
Venetian Snares - Huge Chrome Cylinder Box Unfolding
Rogue Wave - Out of the Shadow
The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Miss Machine
Coil - Selvaggina, Go Back into the Woods
Bark Psychosis - Codename: Dustsucker
Comets on Fire - Blue Cathedral
Paul Brody’s Sadawi - Beyond Babylon
John Zorn & Fred Frith - 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 5
Hemophiliac - 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 6
Jim Black - Habyor
Masta Ace - A Long Hot Summer
Mouse on mars - Radical Connector
The Ocean - Fluxion
Aberfeldy - Young Forever
Christopher Adler - Epilogue for a Dark Day
Bill Frisell - Unspeakable
Patrick & Eugene - Postcards from Summerisle
Leftover Crack - Fuck World Trade
Mastodon - Leviathan
Masada - 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 7
Drudkh - Autumn Aurora
The Black Keys - Rubber Factory
Mike Keneally - The Universe Will Provide
Fly Pan Am - N’ecoutez pas
The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning Strike
Devendra Banhart - Nino Rojo
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Tim Hecker - Mirages
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus
Triola - Triola im Funftonraum
k-os - Joyful Rebellion
Converge - You Fail Me
Steven Bernstein - Diaspora Hollywood
65daysofstatic - The Fall of Math
Aaron Alexander - Midrash Mish Mosh
Yuka Honda - Eucademix
Boredoms - Seadrum/House of Sun
Alice Coltrane - Translinear Light
Ricardo Villalobos - The Au Harem d’Archimede
John Zorn - Magick
Leslie Dalaba - Timelines
DJ Rupture - Special Gunpowder
Cult of Luna - Salvation
Subtle - A New White
Tom Waits - Real Gone
mewithoutYou - Catch For Us the Foxes
Scorch Trio - Luggumt
Joseph Arthur - Our Shadows Will remain
The Blood Brothers - Crimes
Pig Destroyer - Terrifyer
Enslaved - Isa
Victory at Sea - Memories Fade
Banyan - Live at Perkins’ Palace
Isis - Panopticon
Paul Brill - New Pagan Love Song
Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill
David Krakauer - Music from the Winery
Behemoth - Demigod
Sleeptime Gorilla Museum - Of Natural History
Harold Budd - Avalon Sutra
Acid Mothers Temple - Minstrel in the Galaxy
Grey Daturas - Dead in the Woods
Sightings - Arrived in Gold
Anaal Nathrakh - Domine Non Es Dignus
MF Doom - Mm..Food
Charming Hostess - Sarajevo Blues
Wadada Leo Smith, Susie Ibarra & John Zorn - 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 8
John Zorn - 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 9: The Fire Book
Kaada & Patton - Romances
Wadada Leo Smith - Lake Bawa
Nels Cline - The Giant Pin
Ted Sirota - Breeding Resistance
The Scribbed Out Man - All Different
Charlie Hunter - Friends Seen & Unseen
Califone - Heron King Blues
Jenny Scheinman - Shalagaster
Colour Haze - Colour Haze
Hair Police - Obedience Cuts
Ian Boddy & Markus Reuter - Pure
Moodymann - Black Mahogani
Marilyn Crispell - Storyteller
Dave Holland - Extended Play: Live at Birdland
Telefon Tel Aviv - Map of What is Effortless
Off Minor - Innominate
Reid Anderson - The Vastness of Space
Charles Lloyd - Which Way is East
Mount Eerie - Live in Copenhagen
Yoshio Machida - Infinite Flowers
Grachan Moncur III - Exploration
I’d like to add “What You Waiting For?” by Gwen Stefani.
Did Room on Fire from the Strokes come out that year? Definitely that one if so.
Ben Tulach wins at All Music Guide.
Way to go, Ben!
Top 10 personal favourites of 2004 in no particular order;
Destroyer-Your Blues
Kim Barlow-Lucky Burden
Animal Collective-Sung Tongs
Beekeepers-Pete Best
Divine Comedy-Absent Friends
Deerhoof-Milkman
Pink Mountaintops-S/T
Unicorns-Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?
Wilco-A Ghost Is Born
Bjork-Medulla
Top 10 personal favourites of 2004 in no particular order;
Destroyer-Your Blues
Kim Barlow-Lucky Burden
Animal Collective-Sung Tongs
Beekeepers-Pete Best
Divine Comedy-Absent Friends
Deerhoof-Milkman
Pink Mountaintops-S/T
Unicorns-Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?
Wilco-A Ghost Is Born
Bjork-Medulla
Personally, I like to keep it lean at 10 picks. There are other records that could have made it but these are the ones I return to again and again 5 years later.
Ben Tulach, way to be up on your Zorn!
Also, “New Roman Times” by Camper Van Beethoven wasn’t THAT bad, now was it? I’d rather listen to that than Scissor Sisters or Futureheads.
Albums:
* Steve Earle–The Revolution Starts…Now: Instantly dated? I don’t care. This kind of quickly recorded anger and fun (”Rich Man’s War,” “F the CC”) isn’t going to fade from my memory.
* Brian Wilson–SMiLE: This was also “bashed out” feverishly (in five days, according to AMG) but everyone knows how well thought out (years? decades?) this re-imagined version is. Wonderful to have SMiLE the way Brian wanted it at long last.
* Robyn Hitchcock–Spooked
* Janiva Magness–Bury Him At the Crossroads
* W.C. Clark–Deep In the Heart: The godfather of the Austin blues scene with another memorable effort.
* Loretta Lynn–Van Lear Rose: Almost as great as this record was Jack White’s speech at the Grammys, blasting country radio for not playing it.
* Mavis Staples–Have A Little Faith
* Patti Smith–Trampin’
* Mirah–C’mon Miracle
* Calexico–Convict Pool (EP)
Others:
* Compilation…Faces–Five Guys Walk Into a Bar…: Check out the passion of Rod singing “Maggie May” on the BBC and compare it to his last two or three decades of schlock. What an amazing rock’n'roll band!
* Album Track…Green Day–American Idiot
* Song title (the song ain’t bad, either)…The Notorious Cherry Bombs–It’s Hard to Kiss the Lips At Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long
* Any year has great music, but it’s a real stale move for AMG to invite us to continually recap music in chronological order. About as exciting as big box stores.
Re: John Garrett
I follow Zorn like a lost puppy, as well as Tzadik… Just to clarify, my music collection is music I like, I get rid of records that I don’t care for. However, I didn’t hear Camper Van Beethoven’s 2004 effort. Also, for anyone who’s interested, rateyourmusic.com has some pretty awesome charts and lists, I’ve found a lot of great music that AMG either a) underrated/overlooked or b) hasn’t even listed. Cheers!
yet again reaching waaay back five years. seriously? why don’t you at least try to make a list of something from another decade at least? they actually pay you guys for this?
What next?
AllMusic Loves 2005!?!?
Missing…
Lila Downs-Una Sangre (One Blood) http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gjfqxqqaldhe
The Standard-Wire Post to Wire http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:anfrxqlald6e
Am I the only one who still thinks ‘Hopes and Fears’ by Keane is a great album? I’ll admit, they haven’t matched it in greatness (yet), but ‘Everybody’s Changing’ is one of the songs of the decade imo.
pay us? hmmm…i should ask about that.
Modest Mouse - Good News for People who love Bad news
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Dogs Die in Hot Cars - Dogs Die in Hot Cars
Gomez - Split the Difference
Interpol - Antics
Green Day - American Idiot
Nick Cave - Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus
Soundtrack of Our Lives - Origin Vol.1
Sophia - People are like Seasons
Good list. Good year. Stop whining about having enough time passing; we’re all on fast-forward. now.
Love these that were mentioned:
Nick Cave - Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus
Mavis Staples–Have A Little Faith
Tom Waits - Real Gone
Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
Madeleine Peyroux - Careless Love
Neko Case - The Tigers Have Spoken
U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
Black Keys - Rubber Factory
Wilco - A Ghost is Born
Green Day - American Idiot
U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
And these also deserve a mention:
Bad Plus - Give
Chris Whitley - War Crime Blues
Soundtrack to movie - Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man
The Hives - Tyrannosaurus Hives
Juliana Hatfield - In Exile Deo
McCoy Tyner - Illuminations
A Perfect Circle - eMOTIVe
The Von Bondies - Pawn Shoppe Heart
Umphrey’s McGee - Anchor Drops
Pretty great year for music…..
A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder
Animal Collective - Sung Tongs
Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra - Who Is This America?
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Band Of Bees - Free The Bees
Brian Wilson - Smile
Comets on Fire - Blue Cathedral
Daedelus - Of Snowdonia
David Cross - It’s Not Funny
Deerhoof - Milkman
Destroyer - Your Blues
Dizzee Rascal - Showtime
Dungen - Ta Det Lungt
Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
Ghost - Hypnotic Underworld
The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning Strike
Grachan Moncur III - Exploration
The Hold Steady - Almost Killed Me
Isis - Panopticon
Kanye West - The College Dropout
Madvillain - Madvillainy
Mastodon - Leviathan
McCoy Tyner - Illuminations
MF Doom - MM..Food
Neko Case - The Tigers Have Spoken
Nels Cline - The Giant Pin
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus
NOMO - NOMO
Of Montreal - Satanic Panic In The Attic
Pig Destroyer - Terrifyer
Pink Mountaintops - S/T
Probot - S/T
The Sadies - Favorite Colours
Squarepusher - Ultravisitor
Steven Bernstein - Diaspora Hollywood
The Streets- A Grand Don’t Come For Free
Tears For Fears - Everybody Loves A Happy Ending
TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?
Wilco - A Ghost is Born
I’m really surprised nobody mentioned Ray Lamontagne’s Trouble. It was my favorite mainstream album of the decade. Allmusic is great though, you guys have opened my ears to so much amazing music, you are a definitive source for me and have brought an unbelievable amount of joy in my life.
wow,music is my life
you never include country music in your lists, i don’t think i’ve seen you include alison krauss, george strait, or patty loveless in your other years and their work is superior to most of your choices.