Best Of 2004

Hello !

 

So sorry, it's a bit late for Christmas pressies now, but here we go again:  another year, another batch of great records, some difficult and painful choices to make. After much frantic last minute listen, some CDs just got out of the list, some just crawled in, and it all seemed a bit unfair. I was very tempted to just include some to piss people off, but in the end I had to settle for the ones that made some sense during this year, even when they were far from perfect. That’s why some very good LPs have been criminally overlooked (the Von Bondies really rocked), but hey, you can’t keep everyone happy all the time. And I'm not counting the few LPs from this year that I will only get to listen next year...or never !

 

At the same time, I’ve really been struggling to select just one track for each entry this year. I could also tip you to so many great tracks of the year that are not even featured on the albums below, but I haven’t had the time to write all these down yet. So instead, I’ll point you to some things to look forward to in 2005 : debut albums from Bloc Party., The Others, The Duke Spirit (wasn’t it supposed to be out this year initially ?), The Magic Numbers maybe and the eagerly awaited returns of The Kills and Queens of the Stone Age. And that’s just to mention a few of the expected highlights. 2005 could well be rocking.

 

P.S. the quizzes will follow in a few minutes/hours, but it's easier to send them separately after all : I still had to forsake going out in favour of this yesterday and I still have some work to do here !

 

20) (tied) Nick Cave&The Bad Seeds : Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus. Oh yeah, OK, I begin by cheating. Since this is a double album, it could indeed even take two places. And if I were very honest, this would be much higher in the list, but then there would have to be a number 21. Who cares anyway ? While not especially easy to relate to or remember indeed, this double-whammy of an album just provided too many quality tracks not to make it onto the list.

Standout track : There she goes, my beautiful world. Nick Cave with the full Gospel treatment.

 

20) (tied) The Delgados : Universal Audio. Well, to be honest, if this had been released earlier in the year, there’s little chance it would have made it to the list. But being guilty on the counts of a) being the last gig I will have seen in 2004, b) being the nicest bunch of people I’ve seen on stage this year, and c) providing melodic comfort in the middle of winter, they creep in! Hooray for the Peloton heroes !

Standout track : Is this all that I came for ? Two tracks in, and you can already hear the snow falling softly to the ground.

 

19) The Stills : Logic will break your heart. While still only half-good (half of it really IS dispensable), this melodic guitar album had (just) enough genuinely great tunes to make it onto this list. Maybe the album title just tilted things in its favour.

Standout track : Changes are no good. That’s why I’m sticking to the rules, but I wouldn’t mind recommending a couple of other tracks from this one.

 

18) My Chemical Romance: Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. May be a late inclusion to make the list a trifle more rocking, but nobody indeed rocked harder AND blacker than them this year.

Standout track : I’m not okay (I promise). Well, we believe you, mate !

 

17) Dogs Die in Hot Cars : Please describe yourself. Well, this one strangely just fashioned its way onto this list very gradually. First I was irritated, and then I figured out that by selecting a few tracks scattered on the album (unlike many others that have all their best tunes in one place), I was actually listening to half a great album. And then finally I managed to listen to it in one go without skipping a track, and found it rather good. Yep, it takes a while to get used to the voice, but once you’ve done that, there’s a few pop gems in there.

Standout track : Celebrity Sanctum. Some songs on this album you really don’t want to like, but then they just stick in your mind, you live with them and learn to enjoy them. This is a prime example.

 

16) The Hives : Tyrannosaurus Hives. Champions of the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ rule, they invented absolutely nothing at all this year, but proved you could still enjoy the old recipe all the same. On this short album, they kept it rocking no frills-style and still made us feel good for a few days.

Standout track : Walk idiot walk. Their second hit single about idiots…

 

15) The Servant : The Servant. Don’t know why the date says 2003 at the back, because this was definitely released in 2004, not even that early. Although funnily enough, unlike their first two mini-LPs, this one went out with hardly a mention in the UK. I just found it on the shelves here, and because I liked some of their early stuff, I gave it a go. And I wasn’t disappointed : a very good pop record, that keeps guitars and melodies simple, nice and even funky at times. Strangely, they seem to be popular in France, I don’t know who promoted them.

Standout track : Body. More surrealistic lyrics and a very liquid melody.

 

14) The Cure : The Cure. It wasn’t easy to get into this…uneasy album. But once it’d made it into your subconscious, it wouldn’t leave for a while. Alternating pop ditties and darker torments, The Cure amazingly proved they were not finished after all.

Standout track: alt.end. Vintage Cure pop.

 

13) Radio 4 : Stealing of a Nation. Another politicised statement: it takes a stand, while making you dance at the same time. It’s far from flawless, but what more do you want ? 

Standout track : State of Alert. The bongos, the bouncy bassline, the incendiary riffs: Radio 4 at their best.

 

12) The Concretes : The Concretes. Swedish pop of the highest order. Infinitely charming, cute and I defy you not to crack a smile after hearing this one. Undoubtedly the most perfect pop album this year.

Standout track : Seems fine. Starts with horns : the most immediate treat here.

 

11) Razorlight : Up all night. The biggest mouth in rock’n’roll right now came up trumps this year with this peach of a debut album. Packed with classics already. But hurry up, because Johnny will probably tell you that the next one pisses all over it very soon. And he might be right.

Standout track : Vice. well, most people seem to be going for the softer Golden Touch, but I’m plumping for this rockier number.

 

10) Interpol : Antics. Moving on from their debut, Interpol have built a great album that’s both dark and looking up. Intense.

Standout track : Slow Hands. Probably playing at your local indie disco right now.

 

9) The Killers : Hot Fuss. Another ‘back to the 80s’ record that didn’t fail to satisfy: great pop hooks, (unfortunate) cheap Casio sounds at times, and plenty indie anthems to dance to. British music made in Vegas? Seemingly the right idea for this year.

Standout track: Somebody told me. Another brilliant anthem for the indie disco.

 

8) Morrissey : You are the Quarry. As bilious as ever, the man once famously described as ‘truculent and devious’ by the judge of the Morrissey&Marr vs. Rourke&Joyce case is back indeed, with a record that still stands out of these year’s other releases, despite a few very flawed moments. Only half a good album and yet in eighth ? But that’s an excellenthalf, sir.

Standout track : First of the gang to die. You’ll be singing the trade-mark yodels at the end too.

 

7) Scissor Sisters : Scissor Sisters. Here is a record that defied all classification. Very camp, indebted to some of the most irritating music from the 70s and 80s, and yet simply irresistible. Decadence suddenly seemed a very good idea.

Standout track : It can’t come quickly enough. The most accomplished vocal and musical performance here. Swoonsome.

 

6) The Radio Dept. : Lesser Matters. The unheralded geniuses of the year. From Sweden again, but sounding timeless. No light pop or heavy metal here. If there’s one record in the top 10 here that’s destined to stay forever underground,then this is the one. Keep it close to your hi-fi and play it again and again, it’s quiet, but wonderful.

Standout track : Against the tide. Easily as good as anything on MBV’s Loveless.

 

5) Keane : Hopes and Fears. This year, Keane proved that you didn’t need guitars to (gently) rock. Soaring melodies, tuneful piano riffs and crystalline voice were the ingredients, and Keane mixed them better than anyone else.

Standout track : Can’t Stop Now. Nothing could touch them this year, but we’ll soon see if this was a premature title.

 

4) Ash: Meltdown. Everyone hailed it when it was released, and then forgot it at the end of the year. Trust me, if the year ended with a scorching summer rather than a cold winter, this LP would be up in everyone’s list. Ash kept the melodies and just cranked all the controls up to 11. Play it loud and try not to crash your car.

Standout track : Evil Eye. Just the first one that stood out, but most of the other revealed themselves equally good.

 

3) Franz Ferdinand : Franz Ferdinand. 2004 really belonged to the Franz. They were the first to leave the starting blocks in January and were still up there at the end of December. To the point that I possibly didn’t put this one on even once in the last 6 months and still managed to hear it many times. And every time it just sounded fantastic. They made art-rock cool again and reconciled the guitars with the dancefloor.

Standout track : Take Me Out. An easy choice, but it certainly kick-started the year in style !

 

2) The Libertines : The Libertines. Has anything not been said yet about the Libs ? The drugs, Peter’s aborted spells in rehab, the falling out again, and finally the hanging of dirty laundry in public that provides most of the lyrics here. And the music. Second and most probably last album from them, but the songwriting didn’t suffer from the strain : au contraire ! What a record ! And if you can, get yourself the version with the bonus DVD, it’s well worth a look.

Standout track:  The man who would be king. Again just the first instant favourite, but frankly, the songs here are nearly all fantastic.

 

1) Hope Of The States : The Lost Riots. Put aside the suicide/victory in the face of adversity perspective, this was all recorded before the trauma happened. And in a year that didn’t prove much hope For the States, thank God for Hope Of The States. Rocking, moving, they were here to kick you up the arse when you required, or to reinforce your convictions when they were faltering, just through the power of music. If you need a soundtrack to your struggles, let HOTS show you the way. Unusually, I didn’t associate it to anything in particular really, but it still stood out. I mean, even the ‘hidden’ track makes me want to turn it up.

Standout track : well, sometimes it really would be easier to point out the track that’s slightly less excellent, the top albums here this year just have too many fantastic tracks. But if I really have to choose one today : Enemies/Friends. Come on people, keep your friends, cos your enemies won't matter in the end.