I Remember

You can't go anywhere on the internet without finding somebody's Top Albums of 2004 list, so I thought I'd post my list here. Now, I'm not a music critic or anything which means that I haven't heard everything that was released this year, so the following list is perhaps more a list of what I was listening to--for the first time--in 2004. These are in no particular order:

1. Low: A Lifetime of Temporary Relief. I know I just said that this list in no particular order, but as I think back over the year, this is probably my favorite purchase. This is a box set of Low's b-sides and rare tracks from a span of about 10 years. Most of the 50 or so songs were things that I'd never heard before, so it was kind of like getting three new Low albums all at once--overload to be sure. In fact, just yesterday, I discovered about half a dozen songs from this collection that I had passed over when I first listened to this collection about 5 months ago. Perhaps the best item in this collection is the double-sided DVD. One one side, are all of Low's music videos so far. On the other side there are three documentary films, the longest being about an hour long. It's just an extraordinary collection.

2. Joanna Newsom: The Milk-Eyed Mender. I wrote about this album a few weeks ago in this blog. Scroll down and you'll find it. She really is one of those singers that is an acquired taste, and a lot of people, I'm sure, will never acquire it. But if you can get past her awful singing, her beautiful lyrics and music will carry you to sonic bliss.

3. Guided By Voices. No particular album here. Apparently this legendary lo-fi band is no more. I like them; they're not going to ever be my most favorite band of all time, but I like them. Most of their songs have a 70s classic rock sound, something that I've always had a weakness for.

4. Morrissey: You Are the Quarry. It's been 7 years since Morrissey's last album, and I was starting to think he wasn't every going to release another. He's had trouble convincing a record company to pick him up and give him a deal that he can live with. This album, though, is arguably one of the best of his solo career. Much of it harkens back to his days with the Smiths while one also hears some electronic-influenced sound as well. He had about 7 years to work on these songs, and it shows in their quality.

5. Yo La Tengo. No particular album here, either. I'm a big fan of Stereolab, and I've often heard this band mentioned in conjunction with Stereolab, but this year, I gave them a try and liked what I heard. The problem I have with them is that about half of the songs on any given album of theirs are cover songs. Call me prejudiced, but I have a lot more respect for bands that write their own material. Anybody can record a version of someone else's song.

6. Stereolab: Margerine Eclipse. Is this a 2004 entry? I think so. The band's second/back-up singer, Mary Hansen died in a traffic accident a couple years ago, and many of the songs on this album deal with that directly and indirectly. The album is strong, but it sounds strange listening to Laetitia Sadier sing all of the tracks without Mary's voice backing her up.

7. A.C. Newman: Slow Wonder. Newman is the creative force behind the power pop band The New Pornographers. Here, he goes solo but his amazing pop sensibilities remain intact. The song "On The Table" might just be the catchiest song of the year--it's pure pop. While Newman proves he can support an album all by himself, the absence of his fellow Pornographers Neko Case and Dan Bejar are missed here.

8. Tanya Donelly: Tango Whiskey Ghosts. I was disappointed by this one. I'm a HUGE fan of Donelly and love just about everything she sings, but these toned-down country-fied songs all pretty much sound alike. Ever since she got married to bassist Dean Fisher and had a daughter with him, she seems to have lost her edge. Now, she sounds too much like somebody's mom instead of a rock'n'roll guitarist.

Hmm, well, I guess that's it for 2004. 2005 looks like it's going to be a good year. The only confirmed release on the horizon is Low's new album The Great Destroyer, which, it seems, everyone in the world has already heard except for me. Also rumored for release in 2005 is a box set retrospective of Mazzy Star (though I'd rather have a new album from Hope Sandoval), another New Pornographers disc (fingers crossed!) and, apparently, after 12 years of silence, Kate Bush is rumored to have a new album on the way. It's about time!