A dozen? That's it?
And looking at them, there isn't one real album that totally blew me away this year. So I guess this year was kind of disappointing, music-wise.
But not really. Even though I bought them in late '03, Underachievers Please Try Harder by Camera Obscura and Give Up by the Postal Service were still the most-played albums by me this year. I think Give Up is just about the best thing to come down the pike since I can remember.
But here's the rest of the best, the "official" favorites of 2004, according to me:
12. Morrissey - You Are the Quarry
This is the first actual Morrissey album I ever bought. I always had roommates that were fairly obsessed with Moz, so I never had to pick anything up for myself. It's kind of boring and I don't listen to it a whole lot. And I'm still trying to figure out why he has such a huge Latino fanbase.
11. The Finn Brothers - Everyone is Here
Another album I bought and just don't listen to a whole lot. I'd rather play Neil's live album from a couple of years back.
10. The Beta Band - Heroes to Zeroes
Still not as good as The Three EPs, but a darn good album just the same.
9. Badly Drawn Boy - One Plus One Is One
I don't think Damon Gough will ever top the About a Boy soundtrack, but One is a big step up from Have You Fed the Fish, which was too big and too thick with synth/orchestra overload. This one is a bit more stripped down, although I still can't get into the rock flute.
8. Air - Talkie Walkie
Good background atmospherics from the French lads. I'll always think of the bartenders at the Roisin Dubh playing this over and over while I was in Galway.
7. U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Too overhyped and overplayed. Aside from "Love and Peace or Else", "City of Blinding Lights" and "Yahweh", this album is as forgettable as "Walk On" was for me on their last album.
6. Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
A group I never expected to be as popular as they became this year. It's a pretty good album, but it's a shame they didn't hit it big with The Moon and Antarctica.
5. Neko Case - The Tigers Have Spoken
A fantastic live album from Ms. Case, showcasing her pipes, excellent taste in covers, and a few lovely new tracks as well. If you like country, you should start listening to Neko and give up everything else.
4. Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
Jack White is good. Jack White is great. Jack made Loretta sound so fucking great on this album.
3. Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
A difficult choice for #3. A top 5 stop implies greatness, and something that will stand up to time and the critics. It starts off with a bang, and has signs of brilliance, but Rilo Kiley is a tough band for me to figure out. I think they could be great, but I just don't know for certain yet.
2. Ben Kweller - On My Way
There is no doubt about it; Ben is the real deal. If he can write songs like "My Apartment" and "Need You Back" at the age of 21, who knows what he's capable of.
1. Wilco - A Ghost is Born
I feel a little guilty putting these guys at #1. It's kind of like proclaiming that your girlfriend is the most beautiful girl in the world. I've been fans of them since almost the beginning, I've seen them over a dozen times, and I pretty much think they're the best band in the world. Ghost is a great album, but I don't know if it's their best, and it took me a long time to crack into it and figure it out. But that's what makes them great; each album is a brand-new experience and if you walk in expecting a sequel to their last album (a la U2) then you will be disappointed.
Best single of the year: "It's a Hit" by Rilo Kiley. If only the rest of the album was as good as this song...
Best concert of the year: (tie) Camera Obscura in Arlington, VA on a muggy August night, and Wilco at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago.
Favorite new band of the year: Death Cab for Cutie. Or Death Cab, for those in the know. Right, ETF?
Song I played and played and played and never got tired of: "Girls" by Death in Vegas.
So what were your favorites?
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