411 Music Ten Deep 11.13.09: Top Ten Albums from 2004

Posted by Andrew Moll on 11.13.2009

The look back at the decade in music continues with a look at the best albums from 2004! From Kanye's The College Dropout to Franz Ferdinand's self-titled debut to Arcade Fire's Funeral, see what albums made the list in this week's Ten Deep!


(Disclaimer: All opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of 411 Music and its staff.)


Welcome one and all to the seventeenth edition of 411 Music Ten Deep and the halfway point of our look at the ten best albums from each year this decade. It's been a lot of fun to put together and I hope you' been enjoying it. The whole Music Zone has gotten in on the act as well as we began our countdown of the Top 100 songs of the decade earlier this week, and be sure to keep checking in as we get closer to number one. Let's also check in on last week's comments about the list of the Top Ten Albums from 2003:





Ummmmm, Muse - Absolution????
Posted By: Andy (Guest) on November 06, 2009 at 12:40 AM

WTF no Absolution from Muse??? Nice calls with Death Cab and Strokes but leaving Muse of this list is criminal. They should be #1. Absolution was amazing.
Posted By: Matt (Guest) on November 06, 2009 at 08:25 AM

I like Muse, but I always like the singles more than I like the full albums. But they are a band I've been meaning to dig deeper into, so I guess another listen to Absolution may be in order.

It's safe to say Jack White lost a lot of his mystique when he beat seven shades of shit out of Jason Stollsteimer in a nightclub.

Is anyone outside London supposed to know who "Dizzee Rascal" is??
Posted By: Propagandhi (Guest) on November 06, 2009 at 09:12 AM

Well, I live outside London, so there's at least one person. And I'd argue beating up a Von Bondie only helped his mystique.



Top Ten Albums from 2004



2004 was a pretty important year for me personally as it was the year I graduated from high school, went off to college and then watched my Red Sox win the World Series. Not to be forgotten though, was the music that came out in 2004, which in my opinion is perhaps the best year for albums in the decade. The list is also plenty varied, with some veterans proving they still have it, some impressive underground rock, and three very different approaches to hip-hop. That's all to come, since we first have to get to the honorable mentions:


Some Honorable Mentions: Annie - Anniemal; Dizzee Rascal - Showtime; The Futureheads - The Futureheads; Interpol - Antics; Modest Mouse - Good News for People who Love Bad News; A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder; Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill; Wilco - A Ghost is Born


NOTE: Right before I posted the article, I realized that I completely and inexcusibly forgot American Idiot. Like, totally blanked on it until the very last possible moment. Big screw up on my part since it should be somewhere on the list and unfortunately all it gets is this little mention. My apologies to anybody that wanted it on the list, but thems the breaks I guess. I'll try and do better the next time.




10. Animal Collective - Sung Tongs


Intense experimental rock can sometimes only take you so far, and so with Sung Tongs, their third album in a little over one ear, Animal Collective scaled back a bit. Recorded by just two of the group's members, Avey Tare and Panda Bear, this is the freak-folk version of campfire songs. On the band's albums before this one, the pop melodies and moments were present but difficult to find; they required multiple listens to dig through everything else that was going on. For the first time, the band let the melodies be front and center and that's why Sung Tongs was such a welcome departure for the band. It's easy to imagine if Simon and Garfunkel had started thirty years later than they did and were interested in experimental and ambient music, that they might sound something like this. There are also plenty of Brian Wilson-esque harmonies on some of these songs, so it's easy to see where some of the group's influences come from.





None of this is to say that the band should have been dominating pop radio in 2004; "accessible" has always been a relative term for Animal Collective" but there's no doubt that Sung Tongs was their most welcoming set of songs to date. Stunningly, the band would only get better and more welcoming from there, peaking with this year's Merriweather Post Pavilion. But if you want to hear how a band goes from the experimental underground to appearing on Letterman, take a listen to this album. All the elements of pop success are there, just put through the Animal Collective filter. The album's strangeness shouldn't be put down or ignored since it's a big part of why the album works and why Animal Collective have been one of the decade's most impressive bands.





9. TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes


Winner of the Shortlist Prize in 2004, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes is an album of experimental density that sounded like no other album that I can recall. Doo-wop isn't a genre normally traversed by indie rock bands at this day and age, or any other day and age really, but TV on the Radio manage to include it along with post-punk, soul and plenty of free jazz for an amazingly unique sound. Band member and producer Dave Sitek was able to combine a number of different sounds into something coherent and surprisingly accessible, as the soulful harmonies of Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe highlight a number of songs on the album, like "The Wrong Way" and "Dreams," and they even dive head first in barbershop territory on "Ambulance." It's not done in a nostalgic or ironic way, which is partly why the song works so well.





The album winds its way through not only many different sounds, but also many different ideas and feelings; at any given moment, it can be personal, political, sexual, hopeful or brooding. That you can never fully expect what comes to the next keeps the album interesting and exciting as the band pays off that anticipation with greats performances to richly composed songs. Sitek's production can create either a wall of sound or a sparse atmosphere in which to show off Malone's beautiful falsetto and Adebimpe's soulful and evocative voice. With a stunning debut like this one it would seem tough for a band to improve, but that's what they've done in the years since. But none of their subsequent albums will have the surprise factor that this album had because of its out-of-nowhere quality and sound.





8. The Streets - A Grand Don't Come for Free


With the follow up to his breakthrough debut Original Pirate Material, Mike Skinner came up with A Grand Don't Come for Free, the least ambitious concept album ever made. Similar both sonically and lyrically to his first album, this record maximizes Skinner's best skill, the ability to spin real-life tales backed by his charmingly amateurish beats. Telling the story of a guy who loses a thousand pounds and goes about trying to get it back while dealing with girls, friends and normal stuff. Skinner is the type of guy who figures a girl must be into him because of something he saw one day watching TV. Skinner's everyman perspective is perfect for an album like this that goes through the ups and downs of life in such a precise manner, where everything be dramatized if we so choose.





Ultimately, A Grand Don't Come for Free is almost like the Seinfeld of rap albums, an exploration of all the little things that consume us, the larger pictures we miss because of that consumption, the problems are misunderstandings that inevitably arise. The main difference is that, unlike the show's characters, Skinner's protagonist is forced to deal with real consequences and emotions. From his original flirting with a girl, to the isolation one feels in a crowded room, to the heartbreaking aftermath of his girlfriend's betrayal and duping of him, we go through this journey with Skinner and end up feeling everything he feels. Proving that his debut wasn't a fluke, Skinner elevated himself to the top of the rap game with A Grand Don't Come for Free, an album that only would be able to make.





7. Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse


In Michael Azerrad's excellent book Our Band Could Be Your Life famed producer Steve Albini says of Sonic Youth that, "between EVOL and Sister, they basically defined Sonic Youth, in sonic terms, and they have stayed within those parameters ever since." Albini seems to make the statement in a negative light, but to me there's no doubt that a little restraint was good for the band at the time, and that formula led to their greatest success, Daydream Nation. In the years since, the group remained experimental while still working in those parameters, and arguably the best record created by this latter day Sonic Youth was Sonic Nurse, an album of some of their best actual songs. Kim Gordon had been somewhat absent from the band's previous two albums but she makes a welcome return here with some the record's best tracks, including the rousing opener "Pattern Recognition."





All the usual Sonic Youth trademarks are here, from the beat poetry ("We've been searching for the cream dream wax/Lathe killers make the meters crack"), to the atonal guitars, to Thurston Moore's uber-cool persona, to Gordon's breathy and aggressively sexual vocals, to their obsession with pop culture (with their ode to Mariah Carey on "Kim Gordon and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream'), to the Lee Ranaldo track ("Paper Cup Exit"). Sonic Nurse is the amalgamation of every record they've made before, and proof that even in middle age, Sonic Youth is capable of producing great alternative rock along with the best of them. It also proves that there's no need to stop doing what it is you do best, especially when you're still this good at it.





6. Morrissey - You are the Quarry


The resurgence of Morrissey's career has to rank of the great and more unexpected comebacks in rock. Sixteen years after his first solo album after the breakup of The Smiths, and seven years after the release of his last solo album, You Are the Quarry made Morrissey a star again. Musicians had spent the previous twenty years either mimicking his approach or honoring it, and it was time once again for Morrissey to show why he had become such an iconic figure in the first place. His emotive croon sounds as good as it ever has, whether showing off his disdain for current British culture on "Irish Blood, English Heart," his trademark romanticism on "The World is Full of Crashing Bores" or his equally trademark despair on "I Have Forgiven Jesus." And yes, if you're wondering, Morrissey's ego survived the seven years in between records, since it certainly take someone with guts to say they've forgiven Jesus.





The reason You Are the Quarry works so well is because goes back to what Morrissey does so well; making great pop music and letting his wonderful voice be the star of the show. It helps when he has a tremendous song to sing like "First of the Gang to Die," arguably the best pop song of his solo career. That career has seen Morrissey become an incredibly divisive figure, but one of the keys to understanding his success his work is realizing that most of what he sings shouldn't be taken completely seriously, like each word is sung with a wink and a nod. That also paves the way for legitimately funny and sweet lines like, "But then you open your eyes and you see someone you physically despise, but my heart is open to you," which he sings on "Let Me Kiss You." For any Morrissey fan, this album was a more than welcome return to both form and prominence from a performer that people are always expecting great things from.





5. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand


"Take Me Out" creates such a daunting shadow that's impossible to avoid it, but it should be known that Franz Ferdinand, the band and the album, are so much more than that one song. True, it's one of the absolute gems of the decade and centerpiece of the album, but it's also surrounded by great dance-punk songs that are almost as good as the album's hit. The album charges forward with a large amount of self-assuredness, highlighted by singer Alex Kapranos' wit and swagger. His personality alone drives some of the songs on the album, but more often than not he's aided by some great dance hooks and guitar riffs, which themselves are enhanced by some great production. From the thrilling propulsion of "Jacqueline" to the frenetic energy of "Cheating on You" to the homoeroticism of "Michael," there's nothing resembling even an average song here.





Of course, I do have to mention "Take Me Out," as perfect a rock song that has been written this decade. A threatening, dramatic track featuring two different sections that are great on their own, the song's stomp and riff are instantly noticeable and infectious. It's not always easy to find a song that can be listened to ad nauseum, but "Take Me Out" is definitely one of those songs. Thankfully, there's a lot more to the album than just that one song as Franz Ferdinand proved they are much more than a one hit wonder. In fact, the record stands as probably the best of the decade's dance punk movement, and one of the best rock albums of the decade as well.





4. Kanye West - The College Dropout


At a time when 50 Cent dominated the hip-hop scene, along came Kanye West to show that a different style of the same genre could be just as successful. West got his start as a producer, and his soul-inflected beats helped make Jay-Z's The Blueprint maybe the best hip-hop album of the decade. For his first record on his own, West didn't disappoint as he crafted a hip-hop classic that had plenty of soul and was uniquely his own. While his production skills were well known, West was still an unknown quantity as a rapper, but he proved himself as a charismatic and clever ("She got a light skinned friend look like Michael Jackson/Got a dark skinned friend look like Michael Jackson") personality. Even when rapping his jaw wired shut because of a car accident, like he did on his breakthrough single "Through the Wire," West is still appealing and poignant.





In the years since, Kanye has been beloved, hated, charming, petulant, controversial but always interesting and he showcases that personality all over The College Dropout. Much of the album sees Kanye showing off his middle class persona that pretty much single handedly created backpack hip-hop, but he also isn't afraid to put his heart on his sleeve, especially on the epic "Jesus Walks." I can't think of too many rappers that not only would have recorded a song like that and release it as a single, but also make it work in the first place. That's part of the genius of Kanye, as he wins you over exactly when you might not expect him to.





3. Brian Wilson - SMiLE


SMiLE was rock's great unfinished album, the Beach Boys' follow up to Pet Sounds that was never completed due to intra-band conflicts and Brian Wilson's descent into mental illness. Fast forward a few decades, and that great unfinished album finally saw the light of day and it was more than worth the wait. Wilson recorded the album in 2004 with his touring band and it was met with rapturous critical acclaim; all that acclaim wasn't just because the sought after album was released, but because it's just so good. If you just close your eyes and listen, you hear a timeless album that easily could have come straight from 1966. The original version of the record was supposed to be a "teenage symphony to God," that was also meant to be a trip through American and its musical history. Those elements are still apparent on the resurrected version as the album feels like a real adventure.





For years Brian Wilson had been a punch line, the man who went from America's best pop craftsman and our answer to Lennon and McCartney, to a schizophrenic who had spent years in bed and went crazy. Those years were behind Wilson by the time SMiLE came into being, but they still dominated his public image. But with the release of this album, Wilson got to remind why he had become so revered and was still able to create a majestic album. It's well known that Sgt. Pepper's was a reaction to Pet Sounds, and this was supposed to be the Beach Boys' answer to Sgt. Pepper's. Unfortunately it took so long for us to find out what Brian Wilson had in store for us and he certainly didn't disappoint. "Heroes and Villains," "Surf's Up," and "Wind Chimes" are rich with harmonies that only a genius like Brian Wilson could come up with. For all his great work in the 1960s, it is SMiLE that may very well be his masterpiece.





2. Madvillain - Madvillainy


Daniel Dumile has had plenty of incarnations, from Doom to Viktor Vaughn to King Geedorah to Metal Fingers to Quasimoto to his work with Danger Mouse and Ghostface Killah, but it was collaboration as MF DOOM with Madlib as the duo Madvillain that was his absolute best work that is the be all, end all of stoner rap. DOOM's vaocals sound typically stream-of-conscious, but then so do Madlib's beats and it's that loose feel that gives the album its edge. Taking samples from unconventional sources, everything from old radio dramas to Frank Zappa, Madlib created a hip-hop album like no other, one of short tracks that didn't bother with hooks and a lo-fi sound. He also had the perfect man to work with on these tracks, as DOOM's raps come right from a smoke-filled left field. Good luck finding another album featuring lines like "Looks like it's gonna be a great day today/To get some fresh air like a stray on a straightaway/Hey, you got a light? Nah, Bud Light/Early in the morning face crud from like a mud fight."





The album is exciting, brilliant, compelling, funny and even reflexive, as two of DOOM's alter egos make guest appearances on a couple tracks. Madvillainy is a pulp comic from the 1940s updated for the present day, but funneled through a bong as DOOM raps seemingly unaware at times of the beats behind him. The lack of hit singles or anything resembling a typical hip-hop song helps the albums since there are no ups and downs, and you can't skip from one song to the next; this is an album meant to be taken in as a complete document, warts and all. While 50 Cent was popularizing a new brand of gangsta rap and Kanye was establishing a new middle-class style, Madvillain took an entirely different path, opting to amuse and entertain themselves as opposed to worrying about anybody else. That kind of insularity doesn't work for everybody, but for Madlib and DOOM it's perfect; this is an album from and for the underground that managed to upstage the mainstream.





1. Arcade Fire - Funeral


There's something great about the idea of an album, something that's gotten lost as the decade has progressed. It encompasses everything, from the coherent sound of the album to the subject matter to the covert art, the idea of one grand document that works as a whole is something that sometimes gets ignored, but to me there's a marked difference between a great collection of songs and a great album. Funeral is a great album. From beginning to end, it's a trip though life, death, mortality, love and more to a dramatic and operatic soundtrack that, like this album's spiritual brother In the Aeroplane over the Sea, redefined what indie rock could be. It was melodramatic baroque pop that didn't waste time with irony; instead it embraced emotions and communal and cathartic power that music can have. Arcade Fire didn't waste any time trying to be cool or hip, but rather wrote and played the music they needed to make.





Three relatives of band members dies during the making of Funeral, and there's no question the sadness of those deaths permeate throughout the album, as every line and every note seems to have a deeper meaning. There's still a hopefulness that shines through the despair and it makes for a worldly perspective, with songs that are simultaneously personal and massive in scope. Tracks like "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" and "Rebellion (Lies)" are intense and emotional, the type of earnest rock music that unfortunately has become less popular over the years. Of course, the best of the bunch and the album's standout is "Wake Up," a song of such power both emotionally and sonically (fifteen musicians play on the song) that it cannot be denied; it overwhelms you in a way most music is incapable of. Funeral is a unique type of album that is likely never to duplicated in approach or sound, which is both good and bad. Obviously it is near impossible to match, but you wish more bands would take chances and go for broke like this. Thankfully, the Arcade Fire had no worries and ended up with one great album.



That'll do it for this week folks, thanks for reading. If you have any questions, comments or concerns feel free to let me know, and make sure to leave your own lists in the comments. I'll see you all next week. And if you're out on your bike tonight, do wear white.