Album of the Year: Brian Wilson - SMiLE

The Best of the Rest (in alphabetical order):
Ayslum Street Spankers - Mercurial
Elvis Costello & the Imposters - The Delivery Man
De La Soul - The Grind Date
DJ Danger Mouse - The Grey Album
Green Day - American Idiot
John Wesley Harding - Adam's Apple
Jem - Finally Woken
The Killers - Hot Fuss
Nellie McKay - Get Away From Me
Murs - Murs 3:16 - The 9th Edition
Sam Phillips - A Boot and a Shoe
The Roots - The Tipping Point
Snow Patrol - Final Straw
Kanye West - The College Dropout

1. Green Day- American Idiot
2. Incubus- A Crow Left of the Murder
3. Modest Mouse- Good News for People Who Love Bad News
4. U2- How to Dismantel an Atomic Bomb
5. Velvet Revolver- Contraband

Overall, I thought it was a pretty good year for music. Here are my top 20. I can't be bothered with trying to do 'best', so these are just 'favorites'.

1. The Arcade Fire – Funeral
2. Muse – Absolution
3. Trashcan Sinatras – Weightlifting
4. Keane – Hopes and Fears
5. The Frames – Set List
6. The Shore – The Shore
7. Son, Ambulance – Key
8. Jimmy Eat World – Futures
9. U2 – Vertigo
10. Hope of the States – The Lost Riots
11. West Indian Girl – West Indian Girl
12. Elbow – A Cast of Thousands
13. The Killers – Hot Fuss
14. Reuben’s Accomplice – The Bull, The Balloon and The Family
15. The Veils – The Runaway Found
16. Jump (,Little Children) – Between the Dim and the Dark
17. Snow Patrol – Final Straw
18. Mark Mallman – Mr. Serious
19. UNKLE – Never, Never, Land
20. My Morning Jacket – chapter 2: learning

1.The Killers - Hot Fuss
2. Keane - Hopes and Fears
3.Kanye West - College Dropout
4.JayZ - The Black Album
5. Sparta - Porcelain
6. Incubus - A Crow Left of Murder
7. Franz Ferdinand

Honorable Mention (bought this year but were released in 2003):
Billy Talent, Thrice - The Artist in the Ambulance, Year of the Rabbit,Smile Empty Soul, Jet- Get Born

hands down.

In alphabetical order...

Ash - Meltdown (official American release)
DJ Dangermouse - The Grey Album
The Faint - Wet From Birth
Felix Da Housecat - Devin Dazzle and the Neon Fever
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Green Day - American Idiot
Head Automatica - Decadence
Jon Brion - I Heart Huckabees (original soundtrack)
The Killers - Hot Fuss
Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
N*E*R*D - Fly or Die
Original London Cast Recording of We Will Rock You (official American release)
The Polyphonic Spree - Together We're Heavy
Spymob - Sitting Around Keeping Score (official American release)
Sugarcult - Palm Trees And Power Lines

Thumbs up!

My fav:

Incubus - A Crow Left of the Murder

1. The Arcade Fire - Funeral
2. The Fiery Furances - Blueberry Boat
3. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
4. TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth....
5. Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse
6. Interpol - Antics
7. Modes Mouse - Good News...
8. The Thermals - F...'n A
9. Engine Down - S/T
10. Wilco - A Ghost is Born

Tom Waits - Real Gone

In no particular order:

The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Kanye West - The College Dropout
RJD2 - Since We Last Spoke
Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
and I almost forgot... The Plastic Constellations - Mazatlan

1) Iced Earth : The Glorious Burdon
2) Shadows Fall : The War Within
3) Exodus : Tempo Of The Damned
4) Dio : Master Of The Moon
5) Damage Plan : New Found Power (miss You Dime)
6) Black Label Society : Vol VI
7) Tesla : Into The Now
8) Megadeth : The System Has Failed
9) Beyond The Embrace : Incect Song
10) Children Of Bodam : Hatecrew Deathroll

Album of the Year:



Other notables:
Jem - Finally Woken
Badly Drawn Boy - One Plus One Is One
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Live in Hyde Park [IMPORT]
Incubus - A Crow Left of the Murder
Coheed & Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Velvet Revolver - Contraband
The Used - In Love and Death
I also like the Bon Jovi box set.

About 40 posts and nobody has said it: Lamb of God "Ashes of the Wake".

Favorites of the year (no order):
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Camper Van Beethoven - New Roman Times
Centro-Matic - Love You Just the Same
The Crimea - Lottery Winners on Acid EP
Drive-By Truckers - The Dirty South
Elf Power - Walking With the Beggar Boys
The Gourds - Blood of the Ram
Ted Leo/Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets*
Nellie McKay - Get Away from Me
Medeski Martin & Wood - End of the World Party (just in case)
North Mississippi Allstars - Hill Country Revue
Okkervil River - Sleep and Wake Up Songs EP
Phish - Undermind
Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere
Shearwater - Winged Life
The Slip - Aliveelectric
Tegan & Sara - So Jealous
Two Gallants - The Throes*
Jim White - Drill a Hole in That Substrate and Tell Me What You See

*- My two favorites

Disappointments:
Phish's breakup
Beulah's breakup
Wilco - A Ghost Is Born
Chuck Prophet - Age of Miracles
The Futureheads
Los Lobos - The Ride
Old 97's - Drag It Up
Super Furry Animals - Phantom Phorce

Kate Rusby - Underneath the Stars
E.S.T. - Seven Days of Falling
Bad Plus - Give
Choying Drolma/Steve Tibbets - Selwa
Lunasa - The Kinnity Sessions

I can't believe no one has said this one yet. Without a doubt, the best release of 2004 is:

I didn't listen to that much but I will throw some out there..

1. Tom Waits - Real Gone
2. Brian Wilson - Smile
3. Nick Cave - Abbatoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus
4. Madvillain - Madvillainy
5. Xiu Xiu - Fabulous Muscles

Special mention for Qwel and Maker - The Harvest

(In order, although U2 may move up once I hear is some more...)

Drive-By Truckers - Dirty South
Green Day - American Idiot
Steve Earle - The Revolution Starts....Now!
Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere
Sonia Dada - Test Pattern
Aerosmith - Honkin' On Bobo
The Living End - Modern Artillery
U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

In no particular order...

U2 - HTDAAB
Wilco - A Ghost Is Born
They Might Be Giants - The Spine / The Spine Surfs Alone / Indestructible Object (that's one combined vote, not 3 separate ones)
Franz Ferdinand - s/t

Others that might've made the list if I'd just listened to them more (borrowed copies, etc.)

Hem - Eveningland
Allison Moorer - The Duel
Drive-By Truckers - Dirty South
Killers - Hot Fuss
Bebel Gilberto - s/t

Others that might've made the list if I'd heard them at all (the first two are on order)

Brian Wilson - SMiLE
Tift Merritt - Tambourine
Marah - 20,000 Streets Under The Sky

A lot of the best stuff I listened to 2004 was from 2003 and earlier -- for example, I didn't actually hear the Shins' Chutes Too Narrow until early 2004, and I love that album. Ditto for the 2003 albums from Calexico, My Morning Jacket, Dan Zanes, and the Thrills.

The 2004 albums were solid, but nothing stood out entirely. The best musical experience of my 2004 was seeing the Pixies in concert. As one who never really got into them the first time around, the concert was revelatory to me and made me wonder what the heck I was (or wasn't) thinking 15 years ago...

sahara hotnights - kiss and tell
shame that the donnas have any exposure when sahara hotnights are clearly more talented in every way. drove 11 hours from Dallas to Nashville to see them play a 45 minute set.
electrelane - power out
a lot of people say this isn't too original, and that electrelane are ripping off countless other bands but this is a great, varied, original record. "the valleys" and "only one thing is needed" are great in every way. check them out.
the futureheads
ALMS, First Day, and the incredible cover of Hounds of Love. I can't decide which song I think is song of the year.

the arcade fire - funeral
the blood brothers- crimes
pj harvey - uh huh her
marit bergman
interpol - antics

De La Soul - The Grind Date
Nas - Street's Disciple
Brother Ali - Shadows of the Sun
K-Os - Joyfull Rebellion
John Legend - Get Lifted
Cormega - Legal Hustle
Masta Ace - A Long Hot Summer
MF Doom - MM Food
Lil Wayne - The Carter
Alchemist - 1st Industry
Ghostface - The Pretty Toney Album
Handsome Boy Modelling School - White People
Foreign Exchange - Connected

Not Encore

Danzig - Circle Of Snakes
Tiger Army III: Ghost Tigers Rise