2004 in music. • Page 4

1. Biffy Clyro - Infinity Land
2. Madvillain - Madvillainy
3. Regina Spektor - Soviet Kitsch

All bangers

 

This year, I'm sticking to albums that in some way or another have shifted my world's axis, so to say (with YouTube links to songs of the non-English releases - for much better sound quality, Spotify those songs).

Intro fun fact: I'm 99% sure I bought the Snoop, Ja Rule and Green Day albums on the same day, in a record store in Amsterdam Central Station, on my way home from school (or from working in the family restaurant, not sure).

Shaky top 10 for the sake of thread:

01. Usher - Confessions
02. Ja Rule - R.U.L.E.
03. Beastie Boys - To The 5 Boroughs
04. Samy Deluxe - Verdammtnochma! (German Hip Hop)
05. Kanye West - The College Dropout
06. Good Charlotte - The Chronicles of Life and Death
07. Nelly - Suit
08. Green Day - American Idiot
09. LL Cool J - The Definition
10. Masta Ace - A Long Hot Summer

Hip Hop:

Snoop Dogg - R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece
Dizzee Rascal - Boy in Da Corner
Lil' Flip - U Gotta Feel Me
Ghostface Killah - The Pretty Toney Album
Jadakiss - Kiss of Death
Talib Kweli - The Beautiful Struggle
Mase - Welcome Back
Fabolous - Real Talk
Terror Squad - True Story
Cam'ron - Purple Haze
Jay Z & Linkin Park - Collision Course
De La Soul – The Grind Date
Cassidy – Split Personality

R&B:

Ciara - Goodies
Destiny's Child - Destiny Fulfilled
John Legend - Get Lifted
Akon - Trouble
Jojo - Jojo
Mario Winans - Hurt No More
Mario - Turning Point
Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company
Brandy - Afrodisiac
Ashanti - Concrete Rose
R. Kelly - Happy People/U Saved Me

German Hip Hop:

Max Herre - Max Herre

Dutch Hip Hop:

Ali B - Ali B Vertelt Het Leven Van De Straat

Other:

New Found Glory - Catalyst

2005 ia gonna be another big year for me.

 

This type of thread is what I needed right now. I swear I was starting to make some playlist for every of my high school years, from 2004 to 2009, so this thread comes in handy.

 

1. My Chemical Romance - It's Not a Fashion Statement, It's a Fucking Deathwish
2. Say Anything - Woe
3. The Used - Sound Effects and Over Dramatics
4. McFly - Not Alone
5. Relient K - When I Go Down
6. mewithoutYou - My Exit, Unfair
7. Usher - Burn
8. Taking Back Sunday - Set Phasers to Stun
9. The Killers - Mr. Brightside
10. Keane - Everybody's Changing
11. Hanson - Penny & Me
12. Kanye West - All Falls Down
13. Stars - Your Ex-Lover is Dead
14. Jimmy Eat World - Kill
15. Regina Spektor - Us

Favourite songs of the year.

 

Well hell yeah. What about "Seeing Angels"? Just heard that one and really enjoyed it as well.

I know, I know, I should just put the damn whole album on. I just do better with shuffle while working, kinda keeps me guessing and paying attention.

 

The Northstar record is definitely decent - it hasn't jumped out at me really though. Might just be because I know a thousand bands that play in this style, and most of them I discovered AT this time in the early/mid 00s. I probably would have enjoyed this much more if I knew them in 2004.

Definitely still not mad to add it to my playlist however.

 

1. Butch Walker - Letters
2. Jimmy Eat World - Futures
3. Green Day – American Idiot

Letters was the first time I heard Butch Walker, and it changed my life. His knack for melody, his confessional songwriting style, the way he could traverse a ton of stylistic ground over the course of an album. I’ve heard it hundreds upon hundreds of times in my life, and I can still pick out new things I love about the storytelling, or the production, or the sequencing, or the way Butch sounds when he’s wailing away at the end of “Stateline.” It remains my favorite album of his, and my second favorite album of all time.

Futures was the first album I ever heard that I connected with in a fiercely personal, emotional way. That album changed my life, too, and arguably set off everything that came after it. Hearing “Kill” for the first time was about as formative a musical moment as I can think of. I listened to this album so, so many times throughout the fall of 2004, and it still sounds so vividly like the memories of that season. As a result, this is my go-to fall album, as well as my go-to Jimmy Eat World album. My third favorite album of all time.

I got American Idiot on CD for my 14th birthday and it blew my fucking mind. As a kid, Dookie had been one of the first albums I ever spent a lot of time with in full, but this record was so far beyond what I ever thought Green Day were capable of. The hits were inescapable that fall and that whole year (and deservedly so), but I always gravitated more to the deep cuts – specifically “Letterbomb” and “Whatsername,” which are, for my money, the two best Green Day songs.

Excruciating cuts

Iron & Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days: Four or five of my favorite songs of all time are on this record. “Naked As We Came,” “Love and Some Verses,” “Sodom, South Georgia,” “Passing Afternoon,” and especially “Fever Dream” are just absolutely peerless songwriting. Feels wild not to give it an official vote, but the other three are all-time top 10 albums for me.

Keane – Hopes and Fears: Written off at the time as a Coldplay wannabe, or maybe even as wussy corporate rock, this record seems to have gotten a deserved reappraisal over the years, to where “Somewhere Only We Know” and “Everybody’s Changing” are recognized as the songbook classics they are. They’re not even my favorites on the record. Some wonderful, wonderful melodic work on this record, made even better by an incredible vocal performance by frontman Tom Chaplin. “She Has No Time” will always get me.

The Killers – Hot Fuss: A clear classic. I can still remember the day I bought it. I think I’d heard four of the first five tracks in some fashion by that point, but hearing them all in a row like that was something else entirely. The best side A on an album this decade.

Also love:

U2 – How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb: I feel like this is where U2 become punching bags. Maybe because of the iPod commercial, or because of “Uno, dos, tres, catorce,” or because of “Vertigo” in general, but I remember how much excitement and buzz there was around this record at the time. And I still think it delivers, with two of their very best songs (“Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” and “City of Blinding Lights”) tying it together.

Avril Lavigne – Under My Skin: Speaking of Butch Walker, his collaborations with Avril are some of the best pop songs to hit the radio this decade. I’ll never get tired of “My Happy Ending” or “Don’t Tell Me.” Song-for-song, I don’t like this album quite as much as Let Go, but it commits really successfully to a specific vibe and sonic identity in a way an Avril album wouldn’t again until this year.

Low Millions – Ex-Girlfriends: A smart, savage, funny, heartbreaking, ridiculously catchy breakup album from a band that never made another record. Fronted by Adam Cohen (son of Leonard), Low Millions created radio-ready pop-rock that never caught on at radio – perhaps because it’s got an acidic edge that made it a little too dark. Still, hard to think of many songs from this decade that deserved to be hits more than “Eleanor,” and songs like “Statue” and “Julia” capture heartbreak in unique, vivid ways.

Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand: I recall disliking this album at the time and thinking it didn’t live up to how great “Take Me Out” was. It still doesn’t live up to how great “Take Me Out” is, but I’ve come to love the rest of it, and how fully-formed Franz Ferdinand were right out of the gate.

Norah Jones – Feels Like Home: It doesn’t have quite the gravity of Come Away With Me, but this record (a million-in-a-week seller!) is still stacked with great songs that feel like comfort food. I particularly love “The Long Way Home.”

R.E.M. – Around the Sun: Typically considered the worst R.E.M. album, it was also the one I heard first in full, so I tend to have a soft spot for it. There’s a striking, cold loneliness to this record that really captures, for me, the post-9/11 mood. “Leaving New York” is an all-timer.

Radford – Sleepwalker: Radford wanted to be a crunchy alt-rock band, but they were really just way too good at writing sweeping U2-esque ballads to languish in early 2000s modern rock radio purgatory. “Fake a Smile,” “Out of the Dark” and “Anything” are all gorgeous, big-sounding songs that never got noticed.

Ray LaMontagne – Trouble: LaMontagne is one of those artists who ended up following a law of diminishing returns for me. I enjoyed every record he’s made less than the one that came before it. I suppose that’s what happens when you make an album as good as Trouble your first time out. Some absolutely legendary songs on this one, peaking with (for me) “Jolene,” which might be the greatest out-of-left-field end credits song of all time (for 2010’s The Town).

Arcade Fire – Funeral: I don’t think this one is nearly as great as it was made out to be at the time. I, for one, don’t really like the Regine songs on this album. But when it hits…boy, it hits. “Wake Up” especially is about as good as 2000s rock music gets.

Honorables:

Kelly Clarkson – Breakaway: If this entire record were as good as the singles, it would be an all-time great. As is, the radio songs are the clear highlights…but they’re so damn good you forgive the second half for being just ok.

Kanye West – The College Dropout: Smart, bold, ambitious, and so catchy. I wish it were about 10 minutes shorter, but there’s so much about it that was great.

Modest Mouse – Good News For People Who Love Bad News: I’m basic as fuck, so I can admit that this is my favorite Modest Mouse album!

Ingram Hill – June’s Picture Show: I don’t really know what happened to these guys, but they had a knack for soaring, earnest pop-rock. They got some soundtrack syncs with “Will I Ever Make It Home,” but the highlights are their wrenching breakup ballads, “Maybe It’s Me” and “Waste It All On You.”

Lori McKenna – Bittertown: I didn’t hear this one until years later, but McKenna (one of country music’s top songwriters) was already an incredible storyteller here. “Stealing Kisses” and “One Kiss Goodnight” are my favorites.

Jamie Cullum – Twentysomething: Cullum’s classic-meets-contemporary approach to jazz music is fun and sometimes unexpected. His cover of Radiohead’s “High & Dry” is especially great.

Ashlee Simpson – Autobiography: Dusted this one off last year and was surprised at how well it held up. “Pieces of Me” is an undeniable pop banger, and “Undiscovered” is a great Avril-esque power ballad.

Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company: Probably didn’t deserve to win the Album of the Year Grammy over a field that included American Idiot and The College Dropout, but Genius Loves Company was an effectively sentimental career summation and farewell for one of American music’s greatest pillars. Would have listened to a whole duets album with Ray and Norah Jones.

Sister Hazel – Lift: I don’t love this one nearly as much as Chasing Daylight, but like I said last week, I was really into Sister Hazel at this time, and it was cool to get new albums from them in consecutive years.

Scissor Sisters – Scissor Sisters: Feel like they got forgotten, but this album had some jams.

Sugarcult – Palm Trees & Power Lines: “Memory” should have been a massive, massive hit. One of those big “what could have been?” songs from this scene.

Tyler Hilton – The Tracks Of: Hilton felt like he was the “next big thing” at the time. Things never really took off for him, but this album had some undeniable jams, particularly “When It Comes.” Glad he’s made a bit of a resurgence in recent years.

Usher – Confessions: A true hit machine, in every sense of the term. The singles from this album were so dominant at the time that it took me until last year at #MWE time to actually listen to the full album. Given all the singles, I was impressed by how well this one held up as a fully-realized, deliberately structured album.

Vanessa Carlton – Harmonium: IMO, Carlton’s best front-to-back record. “Who’s to Say” is one of my favorite young-in-love songs ever written.

Embrace – Out of Nothing: Felt like these guys had what it took to be the next Coldplay – including a Chris Martin-penned single, in “Gravity.” It never worked out for them, but “Ashes” remains one of the great U2-aping arena rock songs of this era.

 

Re-listened to Funeral and I think the songs sound pretty good but there's still something about the guys voice that I just do not like and he kinda kills the record for me.

 

It took me a long time to warm up to that album for this particular reason. Win's voice is an acquired taste.

 

win and regine’s vocals are what drew me into the band. i don’t find their music all that particularly interesting otherwise

 

funeral is phenomenal

 

I must have heard the Norah Jones and Jamie Cullum albums a million times while working at the family restaurant. I like them, but I am also traumatized.

 

Damn some great hardcore releases this year as well. Cold World Ice Grillz is a classic. The Wrong Side’s lp is great. Righteous Jams, Mental. Lockin Out was on top.


I didn’t bother looking up what came out this year when I I totally made my list. But Cold World would probably slide in at 2 or 3.

 

Torn on Funeral because I don’t like it nearly as much as I used to, but I’m pretty sure it’s a classic. They may not have been first, but they really spearheaded the big shift toward orchestral and grandiose that was huge in indie music for the next 5 years. Also I don’t think a band as weird as them gets as big as they did if the underlying quality wasn’t there.

Between burning out on that sound overall and finding the band increasingly cheesy with each subsequent record, Funeral doesn’t hit nearly as hard for me as it used to. But it was a legitimately major album for the time.

 

I'm taking a trip back to the early episodes of my favorite Podcast and the 2nd one they did was "Hot Fuss" - The Killers

2004 was such a trip!

THE KILLERS - Hot Fuss

 

Man these 2000s threads really making me remember how many albums I loved came out during these years lol. Gonna need to think about this one.

 

Yeah the early 2000s is easily my favourite time in music and it's so fun revisiting all these albums.

 

I think this is my favorite year of the 00's. Decided to do a top 30 because, why the fuck not.

01) GREEN DAY - American Idiot

A phenomenal career statement and a roaring comeback all in one. People forget how much Green Day was essentially counted out in 2004 and the fact they came back to life with a critically acclaimed commercial blockbuster that was also controversial in some red states was amazing. A pop-punk opera of the Bush years, this thing still rips front to back.

02) JIMMY EAT WORLD - Futures

The inverse of American Idiot whereas that record looked outwards, Futures was the soundtrack to the rough emotional times of teenagers/college kids during the time and the band's most well-rouded record.

03) MIDTOWN - Forget What You Know

Midtown grew up and created their most dynamic, rocking, consistent, darkest and hookiest release to date to a mostly indifferent audience. The soundtrack to a young man feeling completely lost in his early 20's

04) FRANZ FERDINAND - Franz Ferdinand

Of all the dance-rock records that made waves in 2004 this was the best.

05) BUTCH WALKER - Letters

When I originally made this list I somehow forgot this came out in 2004 but, as stated, a fantastic melodic singer/songwriter record by one of pop's best producers.

07) BAD RELIGION - The Empire Strikes First

The Process Of Belief reinvigorated this band and they doubled down on their ferocious melodic attack, no doubt due to the widespread anger of the Bush years.

07) KEANE - Hopes And Fears

Post-Coldplay bands were abundent in this time and Keane were one of the best, crafting a lovely collection of piano-led pop tunes.

08) LOSTPROPHETS - Start Something

Look, I know this is super controversial and I can't really listen to this album anymore but in 2004 this band definitely won the most improved award and really leveled up by ditching their nu metal hang-ups and embracing a powerful punk/emo-led rock attack

09) BREAKING BENJAMIN - You're Not Alone Here

I've been a defended of butt-rock in these threads and I still think Breaking Benjamin does it best, taking the foundation of grunge and focusing on melody without resorting to cheesy 80's sleeze-tropes or excessive power ballads. Bonus points for the Billy Corgan co-written tracks.

10) HEAD AUTOMATICA - Decadance

Rare dance-rock from the US, I never dug Glassjaw but I loved this Daryl Palumbo project.

11) THE KILLERS - Hot Fuss

Incredibly front-loaded but still great after all these years (even the B-sides)

12) MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE - Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge

To me, this is also insanely front-loaded as the back-half can tend to run together but it's another sign of a band significantly improving and embracing influences beyond your standard Warped Tour stuff.

13) INTERPOL - Antics

The dark boys of NYC let a little light into their sound. I still prefer this to their debut.

14) ARCADE FIRE - Funeral

I didn't get this when it first came out but years have been kind and there's no doubt this is a fantastic debut meant to be played in stadiums.

15) TAKING BACK SUNDAY - Where You Want To Be

Super-sizing the TAYF model, TBS embraces other genres like brit-pop and expands their sound a bit. I remember this being loathed upon release but I actually think, similar to Interpol's Antics, I may prefer this to the lauded debut.

16) INCUBUS - A Crow Left To The Murder

Gaining the Roots bass player allowed Incubus to get more proggy and jammy while still retaining their melodic attack. They smartly avoided any surefire ballads on this album and made their most ambitious release.

17) STRAYLIGHT RUN - Straylight Run

Beautiful piano-led emo. It's a shame this band fell apart on their second album.

18) MODEST MOUSE - Good News For People Who Love Bad News

My (and many) introudction to Modest Mouse this was a perfect accessible but still weird intro to one of American's best indie rock bands.

19) SIMPLE PLAN - Still Not Getting Any

It's a shame this came out during a cred-conscious era of scene music as this album features one slick banger after another.

20) VELVET REVOLVER - Contraband

Dirty rock and roll from LA, this super-group actually made sonic sense even if it the sleeze is a put on since this was (at least on paper) a group of sober middle-age rockers.

21) SUM 41- Chuck

The opposite of Simple Plan's approach in 2004, Sum 41 went heavier and dirtier shedding any cuddly image while still being ridiculously catchy.

22) U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

Expanding on their smash 2000 release, U2 finally stepped on the distortion pedal a bit and made their most immediate release to date.

23) CHEVELLE - This Type Of Thinking (Might Do Us In)

Tool-via-Deftones has always been this band's mode but they still do it better than most.

24) KASABIAN - Kasabian

A great UK import that never went anywhere in the state, this is some great "future" rock sounding stuff with a lot of swagger.

25) AUTOPILOT OFF - Make A Sound

Another "shoulda been bigger" pop-punk band who sounded heavy and meaty where many of their peers sounded toothless.

26) SAY ANYTHING - Is A Real Boy

I was initially hesitant to embrace this due to the smugness of Max and the overwhelming praise but, damn, this is a phenomenal debut that really encapsules 2004's attidues.

27) GOOD CHARLOTTE - The Chronicles Of Life And Death

Wildly ambitious for a band in their position, GC showcased their influences beyond standard pop-punk. There are a few misttep but it's cool to see a Warped Tour band take advantage of a larger studio budget like tihs.

28) SCISSOR SISTERS - Scissor Sisters

NYC downtown gay night life that was oddly embraced by the UK. Great collection of infectious, campy songs.

28) SUGARCULT - Palm Trees And Power Lines

The hangover from their power-pop debut, Sugarcult mines darker territories after 2 years on the road.

30) MATTHEW GOOD - White Light Rock & Roll Review

My favorite Canadian singer/songwriter deciding to plug in and rock out a bit.

 

If another band name would be on The Chronicles Of Life And Death, that record would get way more credit

 

I dunno, there are some kinda meh songs on there but as a whole, it's cool how they move through different styles. I think there was just a fair amount of Good Charlotte exhaustion as well as bitterness from other fanbases that their favorite pop-punk bands weren't getting as much attention.

 

Goddamnit, I knew I forgot something and Letters would have definitely been in my top 15.

 

That’s what I mean

 

I'll have to wait till the 2007 thread so I can obsess over how much I love "Good Morning Revival" by Good Charlotte. But that is my all time Favorite GC album.

 

I really like a good chunk of Good Morning Revival and The Young and the Hopeless but never really listened to The Chronicles of Life and Death.

 

I think you’d probably really enjoy it