ILM TOP ALBUMS OF 2004

Stevem - do you not have the Ada album? You should!

I guess at this point there's no hope for The Alchemist to be on the list, but I hope Cee-Lo or Infinite Livez will still turn up, otherwise I'm gonna be quite disappointed.

I hope you like it N.

"It kinda seems um noncoreRnBaudience types getting into it don't notice it's THEM not the GENRE that's getting smarter, y'know?"

What are you referring to here Andrew?

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Morrissey - You are the Quarry

The title is a little surprising, as if anyone were in danger of being hounded into extinction in recent years, it was Morrissey. After the highpoint of Vauxhall and I, things went awry. Two dismal and dismally received albums, not least by his record company, dented his legend. Worse still, being branded “deviant, truculent and unreliable� by Judge Weeks and then forced to pay a million pounds to Mike Joyce must have been intolerable.
No wonder he decamped to LA to escape his many enemies, reflect on the past and listen to his Diana Dors albums. However, the 7 year sabbatical has worked wonders. The Morrissey on You are the Quarry is no crushed gladioli, he's a flower of much tougher stock, brimming with swagger and confidence. As ever, his muse is himself, and with the past 10 years of disappointments, he has plenty to work with, but it’s no monochrome mopefest. At turns disappointed, mournful and angry but always imbued with his characteristic wit. Essentially though, all he still wants is to be loved, and when he's in such powerful voice the very least you can do is surrender. -Billy Dods

Other ILXors Say:

"It's pretty damned great to my ears" -Ned Raggett

"I'm giving it a qualified thumbs up...." -Matt Helgeson

(can't find anything better, these Moz threads are fucking impenetrable)

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The Delgados - Universal Audio

Where did all the sound go? Upon initial listens, the lack of HUGEness (i.e. strings) made the songs sound bare and empty. But on the other hand, the more stripped-down approach is appropriate for an album which lightens the mood compared to the darker, more morbid “Hate�. Besides, the anthemic choruses of "Is This All That I Came For?" and "Get Action" are titanic enough -- let's face it, those songs don’t need extra embellishments. The strings may be gone (for now), but the fantastic tunes remain, and it's yet another great Delgados album. -MindInRewind

Other ILXors Say:

"It's very, very good. Not a great departure in songwriting terms, though not as gloomy as Hate, probably closest to Peloton, but there are lots of bits that sound like tips of the hats to POP in the production, rather than Hate's nods to INDIE WANNABE GRANDEUR." -Edward O.

"i think it's super solid. nowhere near the downtrodden(?) feel of Hate, and less emphasis on strings. the female singer's songs tend to be superior and more straightahead pop. sometimes i think the male singer forces those big choruses just a bit too much. if the single (Everbody Come Down) doesn't earn them some mainstream attention, ours is a crazy, mixed-up world." -Tobo

haha so THAT'S what Homer is saying in that bowling episode...

#33.

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Bark Psychosis - ///Codename: Dustsucker

On the first Bark Psychosis record in ten years, vocalist Graham Sutton and a dozen credited instrumentalists craft a denser sound than on the vaunted Hex but convey the same sort of beautiful desolation, filled with filtered, druggy guitars and off-kilter sighs. Much of the album's success can be owed to ex-Talk Talk drummer Lee Harris, whose steady ride cymbal is thrillingly trancelike. But Sutton's knack for
manipulating a wealth of sonic colors and textures also pays off: "Miss Abuse" builds into a slow and dirty grind, as a bass synth squirms over clanging train bells. And there's a point in "The Black Meat" where I'm suddenly reminded of the stylish Los-Angeles-at-night of Michael Mann's Collateral: the crisp trumpet and splashy drums would sound fantastic coming out of the limo stereo, as you gaze out the window to admire all the glass buildings. The perfect nexus between the heady post-rock I adored in college and the sad shoegazer I've only recently been discovering. -Jaymc

Other ILXors Say:

"The thing is it's not a comeback or a reformation or an attempt to recapture past glories. It's just a guy who loves music taking his time and enjoying making it; in this respect, of course it's good, because there's no pressure or expectation, just music." -Sick Mouthy

"Dude, it completely rules. Don't understand why the girl sings so many sings. But the beginning of the second one, about standing on a beach on some strange land. . .album of the year?" -Trevor Horn

"God this is so gorgeous, I can't believe it. It's spinning in my shitty kitchen Philips CD player for the second time now and I am already overwhelmed." -alex in manhattan

Everyone I show the Teedra cover to goes 'she's so hot!' at first, then they see a close-up and go 'actually she's much older than she looks on the cover'.

I mean, I sorta think it's the kinda R&B album that only really makes sense if you've internalised R&B.

this is otm, it's not the kind of R&B which appeals to the 'look, R&B's male producers take cues from IDM, we can like it now' brigade at all. Those people tend to think that R&B as a genre was shitty pre-Timbaland, and this is kind of a throwback to that era (except not, &c).

Complex Simplicity is actually a perfect title for it.

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The Hold Steady - Almost Killed Me

I'd love to be able to listen to the Hold Steady without thinking "I'm listening to the Hold Steady." (This is the risk you run when a band's got "personality," I guess.) Anyway last night I got close, and here's how: I thought about all the surprising ways they manage, on Almost Killed Me, to get from loud to louder. Listening that way made the whole mess transcendent. -DKrissoff

Other ILXors Say:

"ommfg--the Hold Steady are GRATE." -M Matos

"fave rock album of the year EASY" -Cinnblount

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Mylo - Destroy Rock and Roll

31. Mylo - Destroy Rock n Roll

Electroclash was fun and all, but rarely either bangin' or poppy enough, so thank heavens it turned out to be a transitional thing. Destroy Rock & Roll feels transitional too: this sort of sweet'n'soft electro house lends itself wonderfully to the album format, and I hope it's only the first of many. Mylo's only beginning to sharpen his skills and his best is yet to come - compared to, say, the sweeping muscular majesty of his remix of Kylie's "I Believe In You", this album already sounds sketchy. But that's just another part of its laidback charm. Destroy Rock & Roll is immediate in its warm embrace, and flawlessly sequenced - gearing up slowly, then diving headstraight into a seemingly endless wave of hook after sunny hook, and at the end slowing down again into Royksopp-y bliss. Roll on summer of 2005! -Mind Taker

Other ILXors Say:

"Hey, this is great! Okay, the album clearly doesn't have an original bone in its body but its still one of the most purely enjoyable records I've heard in a while..." -Matt DC

"I'm currently playing it to death and enjoying it immensely, whilst knowing full well that I'll be sick of it by the end of the summer." -mike t-diva

"Marianna and I discussed this in the pub. We concluded that it is a fantastic album and you are all ponces." -Gravel Puzzleworth

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30. Wiley - Treading on Thin Ice

There's no one quite like Wiley
I know you will agree
His tracks are always icy
From a cold mysterious place
And though he says he's froze at heart
He seems to be confused
The words of everyday feeling
Are the ones that he has used

Wiley we love you
Wiley we do
Though you may not have made the best album of 2004
You made the most important one. -Jacob W.

Other ILXors Say:

"It's really good. Not as abrasive as I'd expected... very poppy in places." -The Lex

"Really pretty great, although it doesn't have the immediate take-your-head-off power that Boy In Da Corner did the first couple of times you played it." -DJ Mencap

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Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse

29. Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse

Sometimes after just a few albums, bands begin to sour on me. I don't think Stereolab's new Margerine Eclipse is a particularly bad record; I probably just overdosed on them a while back and now everything they do just seems tired. So it's a surprise to me that the new album by Sonic Youth, whom I've loved now for over ten years, is my favorite of theirs since Washing Machine. That record's final track, "The Diamond Sea," launched the template for much of their recent output: a loose, hazy, jammy style that could achieve a certain dreamy transcendence but just as often seemed tepid or bloated. Sonic Nurse does absolutely nothing new but perfects that form in a way that sounds both spirited and effortless. Songs routinely exceed the six-minute mark but never feel excessive; even during long, mazy guitar solos shot through with noise, the band for the first time in a while sounds entirely at ease. -Jaymc

Other ILXors Say:

"It's a bit underwhelming. They seem to be cruising well within their comfort zone. It's solid, but unspectacular, save for a couple of songs." -Dave Segal

"This is probably their best album 'cause it's so MOR" -Mr Snrub

"this album is SO good. Murray Street was a step in the right direction; this takes the good things about that album (namely, the builds) and really uses them to their full advantage." -Kyle

Other ILXor Stats:

Nominated by toothy philanthropist as one of the Biggest Drops in Quality Ever

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Gretchen Wilson - Here for the Party

28. Gretchen Wilson - Here for the Party

To be completely honest, the is the only country album I've heard this year. Living in Croatia means this stuff feels refreshingly exotic to me, but sadly also means that I have no place to purchase it offline. Which is a shame! "Redneck Woman" and "When It Rains" rock so much they put most "proper" rock of today to shame. But, first and foremost, I enjoy this as a great SOUL record. Every one of its ballads is completely gorgeous. "Here For the Party" does all those things R&B forgot to do and nu-soul just can't do no matter how hard it tries: it's rich, soothing, tender, romantic, bittersweet, and... I don't know, it just makes me feel all warm inside. -Mind Taker

Other ILXors Say:

"Just finally heard the whole Gretchen Wilson album yesterday, and it is indeed quite great" -Chuck

Other ILXor Stats:

Jaymc's prediction for Sasha Frere-Jones' Next Article in the New Yorker

#27.

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Scissor Sisters – Scissor Sisters

I was listening to their “Comfortably Numb� cover at my parents’ friends house once. I can only imagine what they think of me as a result. -The Good Dr. Bill

Other ILXors Say:

"Scissor Sisters live - grebt.
Scissor Sisters on record - "meh", ranging to "argh what is this shit?"" -Matt DC

"Right!!!!! I've finally listened to this album!!!!! Ang again, it's been a bit of a surprise!!!! On the strength of the "Comfortably Numb" I was expecting a mildly annoyingly innoffensive House music flavoured record, and instead got for the most part a late 70s rock/pop record with solid, if slightly workmanlike, production, and reasonably decent tunes!!!!! In fact, at times it comes across almost like a Christopher Cross album with balls!!!!!!" -Old Fart!!!

"surely gay and camp are synonomous with good logic and reason?" -Stevem

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Ted Leo - Shake the Sheets

26. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets

Leo’s previous record, “Hearts of Oak,� was so open to collaboration – sing along with the loopy falsetto, why don’t you, and while you’re at it, how about banging out that cowbell part on the steering wheel? “Shake the Sheets� offers no such invitation. It’s almost bullying: all precision and frank brutality. To my slack-conditioned ears, the exciting bits – the rhythmic tricks at the end of “Me and Mia,� say – seem manipulative. But you know, being manipulated by Ted Leo feels pretty fucking o-kay. -DKrissoff

Other ILXors Say:

"Yeah, Shake the Sheets just clicked big time for me." -Colin Beckett

"on the whole i must say i don't feel it as much as i did hearts... which i felt almost immediately. the playing is x10 better and the production is way better and there are some really nice instrumental parts. but it's lacking hooks, or something. also it seems to be far more "political", which i guess given tej's basic schtick is to be expected in this day and age." -Jess

This is not a complaint, but then I only know one song by Kingmaker.

Was I really the only person who voted for Prince? Shit. And not one vote for Destiny's Child!

Here's my list:

Birchville Cat Motel – Beautiful Speck Triumph
Xiu Xiu – Fabulous Muscles
Tim Hecker – Mirages
Ghost – Hypnotic Underworld
Michael Mayer – Touch
Kevin Drumm – Impish Tyrant
Mitch Akiyama – If Night is a Weed and Day Grows Less
Wolf Eyes – Burned Mind
Sagan – Unseen Forces
Zeena Parkins & Ikue Mori – Phantom Orchard
Max Richter – The Blue Notebooks
Arve Henriksen - Chiaroscuro
Annie – Annimal
Oren Ambarchi – Grapes From the Estate
Skygreen Leopards – One Thousand Bird Ceremony
Fiery Furnaces – Blueberry Boat
Fennesz – Venice
Junior Boys – Last Exit
Animal Collective – Sung Tongs
Phoenix – Alphabetical

Maybe because, you know, there were great songs on the album too?