December 2004

Godzilla's Top 12 Albums of 2004

In approximate order, these are the albums released in 2004 that I thought were most noteworthy.

12. Iron & Wine: Our Endless Numbered Days
There is nothing so pleasant to listen to sitting on a front porch drinking iced tea while watching the sun set some hot summer day. And that's a fact.

11. Sondre Lerche: Two Way Monologues
A bit more mellow than his previous album. I'm not sure if like it more or less, to be honest. It's a terribly sweet, mostly acoustic album. Very pleasant to listen to. Amazingly, Lerche's heavy Beatles influence never becomes annoying.

10. Antibalas: Who Is The America?
Afrobeat makes me want to overthrow the government. Any government. This album, in particular, makes me want to march straight down 16th St. to the White House and just start yelling at it. In terms of angry, impassioned missives against the man, afrobeat tends to make even good quality punk rock sound light in comparison. Oh, poor white boys.

9. Interpol: Antics
Clearly not as good as their first outing. But also clearly still very rocking.

8. Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand
An awesome first album! There is nothing like dudes who rock who want you to dance. If you haven't heard at least some of this, it would be fair to assume you've been living under the ocean for the last year. Though even SeaQuest DSV had a radio.

7. Ursula 1000: Ursudelica
Ursula 1000 is one of my favorite DJs. Because he's not spinning boring house music. He is the king of quirky break beats. This may be his best mixed CD to date. Perfect for your next 1964 beach party from the future. Give it a listen, you'll see what I mean. Ursula 1000 is like Esquivel with a time machine.

6. Chris Joss: You've Been Spiked
Wow, this is impressive. It's straight out of the mid 70's, but in a Shaft sense. Rife with funky baselines, awesome break beats, and the most beautiful sounding instrument of all- the Fender Rhodes. Sometimes veers towards a more 60's mod sound that I might expect from Ursula 1000. Still, the whole thing sounds like it could have been recorded 30 years ago. Incredibly groovy and funky. Oh, and the cover is an obvious nod to the covers of the "James Brown's Funky People" albums, which told me that this guy isn't fucking around. And he isn't.

5. Thievery Corporation: The Outernational Sound
Who doesn't like Thievery Corporation? C'mon, they're great. And their studio is in the next neighborhood over, so you gotta like that. Thievery Corporation is one of my favorite recording acts of the last 10 years. And I think what impresses me most is that they rarely sound dated. They tend to adapt with the times, or even be a little in front of the curve. This disc is no exception. It's been a while since they put out their last mixed CD, and the sound they explore here is completely different. Obviously, their obsession with music from all over the world hasn't gone away, and I think that's a good thing. But on this CD they play with more organic sounds than I'm used to hearing from them. They've selected far fewer songs that are obviously electronic for this mix and gone with more drum-bass-organ sounds, like that of the Bobby Hughes Experience. By the way, I was happy to hear one of their songs on this disc. It fit in perfectly. Funky and timeless. This, as one might expect, a pretty decent disc to throw on at a party. It's funky and interesting, though not terribly obtrusive.

4. Tortoise: It's All Around You
Tortoise is outstanding. If you don't know them, they sound a bit like Stereolab meets Pink Floyd. I think it's fairly impossible for Tortoise to avoid the label of Prog Rock (though there's nothing wrong with that). This album has a fairly expansive an sweeping sound, while still remaining unbelievably tight. I found that it's excellent music to listen to on a flight. And yes, I still insist on having a window seat..

3. Modest Mouse: Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Modest Mouse is super kick-ass. And no, they aren't a new bad, all you stupid idiots. They've one of the most consistently rocking bands of the last 10 years or so. This album I think may contain some of their most radio-friendly work to date, which is probably why it's gotten so much attention. Maybe not as good as their previous album, The Moon and Antarctica, but it's still totally rocking. I have to say that I'm very pleased to hear "Float On" all over the place. It's a great song. Also, one of the better album names I've come across in a while.

2. The Walkmen: Bows + Arrows
An amazing sophomore outing. Here The Walkmen have clicked together well and produced an album by far superior to their first album. Super rocking and the probable cause of thousands of speeding tickets. You will drive fast if you have this on in your car.

1. The Arcade Fire: Funeral
Until about a month ago, I thought that The Walkmen would win this little competition. But then The Arcade Fire came along. I heard it over at Duckfat's house, took it home, and listened to it 10 times the next day. In fact, it's hard to listen to just one song on this album- I just put it on to look for one song and have now just about listened to the whole thing. As an incessantly impatient music listener, any album that I don't flip through constantly is basically a miracle. With such obvious influences as David Bowie, The Talking Heads, The Pixies, and so many other great bands, while still sounding very original. The Arcade Fire reminds me a little bit of Broken Social Scene, which I though even before I knew this was another Canadian band. Must be something bout how they play their instruments up there. Or the cold. But I think it's fair to say that Canadian rock bands don't suck as a rule anymore (see Rush, The Bare Naked Ladies, etc.).