MY BEST (POP) MUSIC OF 2004
...and the award goes to...
Seriously, this was a somewhat disappointing year for new music, as far as I'm concerned. Not a lot of great stuff out there - certainly inferior to last year's bumper crop of new albums. But here are some things I've enjoyed listening to, with a rambling, incoherent note on each:
- Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus - I blogged about this one at length recently, but listening to it again only reinforces my opinion that this is the best thing I've heard this year. The first disc is power blues with a gospel choir, featuring Nick's "preacher shout"; the second is softer, more acoustic - more of a bedroom whisper. Great stuff from start to finish and so nice to see the return of the true "double album".
- Bjork: Medúlla - Perhaps not quite as not quite as good as her previous effort, Vespertine, but still very interesting. The album sounds like nothing else, as she decided to abandon most of the instrumentation in favor of voices. Very mysterious, intriguing.
- Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand - Smart, sharp, guitar-driven pop from Glasgow. Each song is a little two to three minute masterpiece. Nothing fancy here - just a lot of fun.
- Tom Waits: Real Gone - Down and dirty stuff from the master. Clanging pipes, scratching, grinding guitars, mud, blood and rain. Makes you want to go take a shower. Not quite as interesting as Alice and Blood Money, the two albums he released prior to this, but still compelling.
- The Futureheads: The Futureheads - Spiky, hyperactive, pogoing pop from Sunderland, England, of all places. Reminds me of an early XTC album, such as White Music. Why can't more music be like this and Franz Ferdinand?
- Elvis Costello & the Imposters: The Delivery Man - OK, I admit it. I like almost everything the man has ever done, but this is probably his most satisfying "straight-ahead" album in a long time. Though I haven't exactly been wearing it out as I did with many of EC's other albums when they first came out, I think it's just a mood thing. Several of the tunes rank up there with his very best - "Country Darkness" is my fave and reminds me a little bit of "Motel Matches", one of my favorite cuts on his 1980 masterpiece Get Happy!!.
- Ted Leo & the Pharmacists: Shake the Sheets - This guy has to be the most underrated songwriter out there today. His previous album, Hearts of Oak, was full of intelligent, committed guitar pop and this new album offers more of the same, but even better. Heady, thoughtful lyrics and memorable hooks. Fabulous.
- Tom McRae: Just Like Blood - A British songwriter, a bit in the mold of Ed Harcourt. Gorgeous melodies, somber lyrics. The perfect record for a rainy day.
That's about it. Yes, there is good music to be found is you ignore all of the garbage polluting the airwaves. Looking forward to see what's out there next year.
I'll have some notes on 2004 jazz releases I have enjoyed next week.
9:16:05 AM 
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