Favorites From What Do I Know
Favorite Albums of 2004. Annual 'Best Of' lists are such a guilty pleasure. I've made a habit out of creating one every year, whether in the form of a cassette tape, a CD-R, a radio program, or newspaper bit, and have always enjoyed putting one together.
For me, every year is the same -- there are albums I fully expected to be a year-end favorite but didn't last or catch on, and others that came out of left field and were rotated ad nauseam. Sometimes an album was released that year, other times years before and only recently discovered. But one part remains constant -- my taste tends to be all over the place. So with that, a look back at 2004.
 Sondre Lerche - Two Way Monologue
With Two Way Monologue, Sondre Lerche not only proved that his American debut, Faces Down, wasn't a fluke first effort, but that he had even better songs waiting to be realized. Lerche writes modern, simple, emotive pop/rock songs packed with the highly melodic song-craft of The Beatles and Brian Wilson. His songs are unabashedly catchy, with sunny chord progressions and intricate arrangements, and if it wasn't for the funny name or lack of major label status, he'd surely be much better known by now. All in due time.
 Ulrich Schnauss - A Strangely Isolated Place
While a lot of electronic stuff these days feels produced for the confines of a bedroom or nightclub, German producer Ulrich Schnauss composes trance/techno anthems fit for a stadium. His songs are lush, sweeping, cinematic spectacles rich in melody -- at times sounding like an ambient U2 -- without being too slick, commercial, or corny. It's a rare find -- instrumental, electronic songs that are memorable and never tire.
 Blue States - The Soundings
Why this album isn't released in the United States (last time I checked, though you can download it through iTMS) is beyond me. The UK-based Blue States, known for a couple of Air / Zero-7 style albums a few years ago, completely changed direction this year with the luminous, cinematic The Soundings. More Talk Talk inspired pop/rock than electronic bliss, The Soundings is a remarkable and very welcome transformation.
 Brian Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets (Reissue)
When most people think of Brian Eno, they either recall his numerous ambient albums, his work as a producer, or his short stint in the birth of Roxy Music. But for a short spell in the early 70s Eno released a handful of albums that were anything but downtempo, and this year Astralwerks reissued a number of them with Here Come the Warm Jets a personal favorite. It captures the style of early 70s glam rock, but with arrangements and vocals so odd, captivating, and at times quite funny, every song is unforgettable.
 Various Artists - Garden State Soundtrack
Reviewing compilations is a tricky thing, for they aren't necessarily "albums," but collections of songs from other albums joined together to sell a concept or product. And in the case of Garden State, that would be an independent film (and one of my favorites this year) from writer and director Zach Braff. Garden State pulls off not just a great compilation, but (potentially) a defining record for a generation. From The Shins to Iron and Wine, the standout "Let Go" from Frou Frou, and even a couple of decades old tracks from Nick Drake and Simon & Garfunkel, Garden State is an unbelievably cohesive grouping of songs from beginning to end. Even better when heard in the context of the movie.
 Kings of Convenience - Riot on an Empty Street
The Norwegian, hipster Simon and Garfunkel. Restrained acoustic guitars, soft beats, huggable melodies, and a pair of vocals that harmonize so incredibly well you'd swear they're related.
 Erlend Øye - DJ Kicks
Oddly, I had no idea that Erlend Øye, the DJ behind one of my favorite mix CDs of the year, was one half of the indie-folk-pop duo Kings of Convenience. I picked this up on a whim, mainly because DJ Kicks compilations are almost always top notch, and was surprised to find the best compilation in the series since Kruder & Dorfmeister and Thievery Corporation. I probably should have recognized Øye's voice, for...and rather oddly...he sings a cappella over a number of the songs he mixes together -- sometimes the original lyrics, other times not. Sometimes the 'not' includes melodies from other songs he mentally channels in, as he does on a dub mix of Röyksopp's "Poor Leno," sung with both the original lyrics and bits from The Smiths' "There is a Light That Never Goes Out." In all, Øye's DJ persona is a pretty successful one.
 Arthur Russell - Calling Out of Context
How to describe Arthur Russell...well, it's important to note that Russell likely has more fans now than when he was alive, and only now are his ideas starting to be fully understood. Hence the release of Calling Out of Context, a new album of unreleased from the (purportedly) thousands of hours of unreleased material he left behind. Playing cello and singing, and adorned with disco-era electronic beats and live percussion, Russell's songs are wandering, oblique, and only truly unfold after repeated listens. Case in point, "Arm Around You," which never shifts meter, and has (what now sound like) pretty uninspired beat programming. But there's something in Russell's gentle voice -- seemingly trying to find a plateau that's just out of reach -- that's undeniably wonderful. And by the time he repeats "I touch the other side of your face," you feel as though he found what he was looking for. The album is full of magical moments like this, and while Calling Out of Context clearly isn't everyone's cup of tea, it's necessary listening for anyone who's taste lean towards the avant-garde.
 Bexar Bexar - Haralambos
A dreamy, atmospheric debut on Western Vinyl that washes over you with soft electronic tones, slow guitars, and languid beats. All instrumental, ambient bliss. Lots of ActionScript was typed listening to this one. Worth checking out for fans of Tortoise and Boards of Canada.
 M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts
If My Bloody Valentine and composer Steve Reich were French and loved synth, they'd probably sound like M83. Released in Europe in 2003 and issued stateside in 2004, Dead Cities... is a colossal album that smacks you head on and doesn't let go. Crashing waves of drums, guitar, and (most-notably) synthesizer, ebb and flow in layers of minimalist beauty; propelling the listener into a utopian, dreamlike wonderland of sound.
 Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt
Acid Rock lives. Dungen is Swedish multi-instrumentalist Gustav Ejstes, and though most people reading this won't understand a word, the musicianship of Ejstes is undeniable. Ta Det Lugnt sounds like a lost album from the turn of the 1970s with fuzzy Hammond organs, arena-sized guitar riffs, layered effects galore, and thunderous drums. Dungen's voice -- also processed heavily -- isn't bad either. Like a lot of acid/prog-rock stuff from that era, Ta Det Lugnt veers all over the place, from stoner psychedelic rock to jazz and even hints of classical, but Ejstes' compositions remain focused and deliberate without becoming too masturbatory (which has always been my problem with the genre in general). (Special thanks to Pitchfork Media for finding this)
 Morrissey - You Are the Quarry
Comeback of the year. May be a generational thing, but seeing Morrissey return in 2004 was both a giddy flashback to yesteryear and a breath of fresh air. Seven long years had passed since his last album, and while Quarry isn't completely consistent, it contains a number of fantastically bawdy cuts that only Morrissey could pull off. Love him or hate him, Morrissey hasn't sounded this good or confident in quite a long time.
 Nellie McKay - Get Away From Me
Nellie McKay is what you'd get if you mixed the smart, brash bravado of Exile-era Liz Phair with the traditional song-craft of Rufus Wainwright and layered on top the vocal swing and attitude of Doris Day and Judy Garland. Witty, precocious, goofy, and at times annoying, McKay's debut album (a double one at that) is a wild cabaret of songs pulling from a multigenerational pastiche of influences; soaked in the confidence only a nineteen-year-old talented beyond her years could pull off.
 Pink Martini - Hang on Little Tomato
Seven long years after releasing Sympathique, the Portland, Oregon based group Pink Martini finally got around to recording a new album, and thankfully nothing has changed. On the surface they could easily be labeled as kitsch revivalists, but Pink Martini's sound is all heart -- from Cuban to Classical, hot jazz to Brazilian, and even Japanese. They may be a little too rich (or fey) for most, and the arrangements do go a little over the top at times, but the musicianship is excellent, and the sound is timeless.
 Neko Case - The Tigers Have Spoken
Neko Case has a voice unlike any other. Clear, majestic, and enormous, Case's voice has graced a number of solo albums that range from rock to honky-tonk and indie-country ballads to her work as a backup-vocalist (if you can really call it backup) with The New Pornographers. Case's voice leaps from your speakers with a tone and attitude that's riveting, unforgettable, and quite possibly what Patsy Cline would had sounded like had she been born in the late twentieth-century. The TIgers Have Spoken captures Case at her best -- performing live -- providing the perfect venue to capture the sheer volume of her vocals, and a better context for her top-notch backing band.
[What Do I Know]
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The Futurist. A fab 
