You Didn't Ask For It, But...My Favorite Music of 2004


This one almost made the top ten.

If you know my taste in music and who some of my favorite artists are, you may feel that this year’s list is somewhat of a cop-out. Almost everyone who made my “top ten” is a personal favorite of mine, whose work I would probably enjoy no matter what they chose to do. But these are all albums I enjoyed greatly. I have to admit that I didn’t really discover too much “new” music this year, in terms of new artists and whatnot. I spent a fair amount of time diving into a lot of classical music, so that’s probably where all my efforts went. In fact, a 2004 “classical” list may be coming your way shortly. In the meantime…

First of all, I have to give my standard obligatory warning: I do not necessarily consider these the “best” albums of the year. I’m sure there’s a lot of great stuff out there that I never got around to hearing, and just because I like it doesn’t necessarily make it great; these are ten albums released in 2004 (along with honorary mentions and a “reissues” section) that I happened to enjoy a lot (in alphabetical order by artist, if you must know). Also, I apologize for not making links for any of these albums. That would take me forever. Okay. Let’s roll.

The Beautiful South - Golddiggaz, Head Nodders and Pholk Songs: Covers albums can often seem like the ultimate admission of writer’s block. Executing this type of project successfully, in my opinion, requires a two-pronged attack: make interesting cover choices, and avoid standard arrangements. Hull’s famous sons (and daughter) have accomplished both quite nicely with their first-ever covers album. And while their famous lyrical bite may be missed, it’s hard not to smile at a ballad version of “You’re the One That I Want” or a latin-soaked “”Don’t Fear the Reaper.” Paul Heaton’s falsetto on “Stone In Love With You” is a pretty beautiful thing, too.

Elvis Costello and the Imposters – Delivery Man: Easily the best thing Elvis has done in years. While 2002 signaled a return to rock and roll with the visceral When I Was Cruel, this time, he’s truly letting loose and having fun. A quasi-concept album recorded in the Deep South, Elvis and the Imposters (his famed Attractions backing band with Davey Faragher replacing Bruce Thomas on bass) embrace loud, distorted country rock. The witty wordplay is intact (check out the priceless “Bedlam”), but this time around he truly seems to be having a blast. It’s quite possibly the most effortlessly catchy work I’ve heard from the guy. Loud volume recommended.

Steve Earle - The Revolution Starts…Now: There are plenty of poseurs out there pretending to be country music’s “bad boys.” Steve Earle could kick their collective asses in his sleep. Long abandoned by the country music mainstream after drug addiction, countless personal battles and a refusal to pander to the lowest common denominator, Earle has emerged as an intelligent, left-leaning troubadour, whose causes are almost as bracing as his ability to sing and play his heart out. On his latest album, he mixes anti-war songs (“Home to Houston,” “Rich Man’s War”) with freedom of speech tributes (the Ramones-meets-Springsteen “F the CC”) and heartbreak (the gorgeous “I Thought You Should Know”) with lusty reggae-fused pleas (“Condi, Condi,” a hilariously catchy ode to Bush’s Secretary of State). It’s loud, distorted, infectious, makes you think, makes you dance and at just under 40 minutes, there’s not an ounce of filler.

John Wesley Harding – Adam’s Apple: There are basically two different John Wesley Harding albums. He either releases witty, funny, catchy acoustic albums (often concert recordings), or witty, funny, catchy full-band albums. Adam’s Apple is the latter, an album first intended for release in 2002 before his record label went out of business and Wes was forced to shop around the tracks until the tiny DRT label picked him up. With albums like this, you get the best of both worlds: there’s the Wes Wit, but with a great Beatlesque/Brian Wilson feel as well. As much as he admires the folk vibe, Wes is a power popster of the highest order. Tight instrumentation makes songs like “Nothing At All,” “Sleeper Awake” and “She Never Talks” shine like long-lost AM radio favorites. And “Sussex Ghost Story” is a brilliant, moving collaboration with contemporary classical composer Gavin Bryars. There’s also “Sluts,” the funky nod to hedonism, and “Protest Protest Protest,” wherein the singer lampoons his own folky persona. Not his best album, but a great place to start.

Mike Keneally – Dog: I extol the virtues of Keneally so much that I sometimes feel like I deserve a commission from his manager. But how can you not love a guy who writes brilliant music, is an absolute jaw-droppingly talented musician, and his funny as hell to boot? Sort of a more optimistic, slightly more accessible version of his mentor, Frank Zappa (in whose band Mike played in 1987 and 1988) Keneally’s been making wild, twisted, utterly uncategorizable albums for a dozen years. This one, his latest, is basically a solid rock album, backed by a crack group of stellar musicians (Bryan Beller on bass, Nick D’Virgilio on drums and Rick Musallam on guitar). The lyrics seem to make little to no sense (to me, at least), but have a whimsy to them that’s hard to resist. These lyrics are framed by a guitar-heavy sound, particularly in the faux-Metallica riffs of “Louie” and the dizzying “Choosing to Drown.” Gears are shifted for more reflective, dynamic numbers like “Splane” and “Bober” (although the latter track contains a priceless guitar meltdown finale), as well as the completely goofy “Gravity Grab” and the low-key funk of “Panda.” But let’s not forget the trippy, psychotic 15-minute “This Tastes Like a Hotel,” which sounds like the work of a musical prodigy with both multiple personality and attention deficit disorders. Not a bad collection of music.

Brad Mehldau – Live in Tokyo: Brad Mehldau is, in my humble opinion, one of the most innovative, interesting, creative and eclectic artists on the jazz scene today. He excels at standards, oddball rock song covers, as well as his own original pieces. While he works exceedingly well in the standard trio format, this live album is actually a solo piece, with Brad playing songs by Nick Drake (“Things Behind the Sun,” “River Man”), Thelonious Monk (“Monk’s Dream”), George and Ira Gershwin (“How Long Has This Been Going On?”) and Radiohead (“Paranoid Android”), among others. The sheer talent and imagination required to pull off something like this is mind-boggling. And he makes it seem so easy. Brad’s ingenuity and ability to make music completely on his own terms is sadly lacking in today’s world.

Morrissey – You Are the Quarry: Morissey fans (and I’ve been one since his Smiths days, back in the Eighties) have been waiting for the Pope of Mope to release a new album since Maladjusted was released seven years ago. Waiting that long can spell doom for most artists -- fickle fans can give up on you much quicker -- but Morrissey has clearly recharged his batteries, as evidenced by this album. Quarry is one big blast of terrific songs, with Morrissey’s voice sounding better than ever, the lyrics as witty as always, and his band tearing through the songs with gleeful abandon. Producer Jerry Finn has helped Moz craft what I feel to be his best album since Viva Hate, his classic 1988 solo debut. Songs like “I Have Forgiven Jesus,” “You Know I Couldn’t Last,” “The First of the Gang to Die” and “Come Back to Camden” are among the finest he’s ever made.

Geraint Watkins – Dial “W” For Watkins: This album came out of nowhere and totally won me over. Welsh oddball singer/songwriter/instrumentalist opened for Nick Lowe on his recent fall tour and charmed the pants off the crowd with a winning set that combined R&B, boogie-woogie, ballads, gospel and whatever else he could sic on Nick’s audience. On this album, Watkins performs most of the instruments himself, and the songs are almost all originals (except for his excellent version of the Beach Boys’ “Heroes and Villains”), but most of them sound like long-lost standards, a mixture of Jerry Lee Lewis piano and Van Morrison Celtic gospel. There’s some pretty far-out stuff in here as well, that can’t really be compared to anyone (I can’t even begin to describe “Turn That Chicken Down”).

Paul Weller – Studio 150: What is it with my favorite artists making covers albums this year? Fortunately, Weller excels at this type of thing, despite the fact that he’s a marvelous songwriter in his own right. As usual, he covers some rare songs, and adds originality to the better-known tracks. Gordon Lightfoot’s “Early Morning Rain” is given a wonderful acoustic flavor with a nice fiddle break, Neil Young’s “Birds” contains some beautiful piano and female backing vocals, Allan Toussaint’s obscure “Hercules” is a muscular funk workout, as is the cover of Gil-Scott Heron’s “The Bottle.” Weller’s cover of the Carpenter’s “Close to You” (yeah, you heard me) could have been a disaster, but Weller’s soulful voice raises the song up from the schmaltz and gives it a classic R&B flavor. This guy could sing the phone book and it would sound great. My only complaint: the world does not need another version of “All Along the Watchtower.” Still, a great album.

Wilco – A Ghost is Born: Releasing an album two years after your previous one is one thing; when the previous album is Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, you could definitely say there’s a lot on the line. Wilco’s 2002 masterpiece was hailed by critics and fans alike, a dizzying masterpiece of brilliant songs and groundbreaking production (and also suffered a minor, ridiculously unfair backlash). How do you top that? The simplest answer is, you don’t. Ghost is not better than its predecessor. But it’s still very, very good. The idiosyncratic production techniques are replaced by a more organic sound that sometimes reduces the songs to a whisper (“Muzzle of Bees”). The soft/loud dynamic is never used as a cliché; rather, it enhances the overall listening experience. The opening track, “At Least That’s What You Said,” starts with quiet, almost inaudible piano. Before long, singer/songwriter Jeff Tweedy has his amp on “11” with cathartic guitar solo recalling vintage Neil Young. “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” veers back and forth from almost catatonic repetition to a heavy guitar-and-piano monster riff. Give co-producer/unofficial band member Jim O’Rourke a good chunk of the credit for allowing this supremely talented band to continue experimenting while still keeping the songs hummable. This is an album that gets better with every listen.

Honorable Mentions:

Badly Drawn Boy – One Plus One is One: I feel horrible about the fact that I snagged a free promo copy of this a few months ago and haven’t given it much of my attention. Especially considering how much I love Damon Gough. I’m going to assume that this belongs on the list.

Beastie Boys – To the Five Boroughs: No, I am not much of a hip-hop fan. But the Beasties’ dorky white boy persona has always made me smile. This love letter to New York City has lots of great moments. Another one I need to devote more attention to.

Elvis Costello – Il Sogno: As far as rock songwriters writing classical music goes, Elvis does a pretty good job (not surprising, considering his eclectic nature). I don’t think he should quit his day job, but would you rather listen to Billy Joel’s classical music?

Jamie Cullum – Twentysomething: That sound you just heard is my “street cred” flying out the window. I like this guy. So sue me. I like his voice, he’s a great pianist, and his arrangements are interesting. It may be jazz marketed for MTV, but it still sounds good to me.

Iron & Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days: While so many bands out there fall over themselves in an attempt to be cool and “alternative,” Sam Beam (a.k.a. Iron & Wine) quietly goes on making indescribably beautiful Nick Drake-inspired music. This one missed the top ten by a hair.

Mike Keneally and Metropole Orkest - The Universe Will Provide: I’ve barely listened to this since I got it a couple of months ago. Why? Because I’m an idiot. While Costello makes some pretty nice classical music, Keneally excels at it. This is crazy, dissonant, beautiful, mad stuff. Undoubtedly, Mike’s affiliation with Frank Zappa has paid off in spades. Remind me again to listen to this more.

Reissues that made me very happy this year:

Elvis Costello -- Almost Blue/Goodbye Cruel World/Kojak Variety: Rhino’s latest batch of Costello reissues includes a much-maligned 1981 country covers album, an even more maligned keyboard-heavy 1984 album (that sounds utterly 1984), and a decent 1995 covers album. Not his best crop, but I’ll take Costello’s worst over whatever horse manure is being shoveled over on TRL. Most of this trio of albums has aged well, and Rhino’s bonus discs alone are worth the price.

Echo and the Bunnymen – Ocean Rain: If I’m not mistaken, all of the Bunnymen releases were reissued this year, with fancy o-card packaging and a bunch of bonus tracks. Ocean Rain would easily fit on my list of top 20 favorite albums of all time, so despite the fact that the bonus tracks here are only so-so, this is still a welcome reissue.

Brian Eno – Music for Airports: Eno’s another artist whose the subject of a massive reissue project. This is the only album of his that I’m intimately familiar with, and if you don’t know of it, you should. Four long instrumental tracks of pure ambient beauty.

Harry Nilsson – Nilsson Schmilsson: Nilsson, a late great singer/songwriter of the highest order (who counted the Beatles among his biggest fans) made a string of albums in the seventies, and this is the crown jewel. Picture Randy Newman rocking out a bit, and you’ve got the general idea. A classic. With some nice bonus tracks, and liner notes by Nilsson uber-fan Curtis Armstrong (also known as the guy who played Booger on “Revenge of the Nerds”).

Rockpile – Seconds of Pleasure: Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Billy Bremner and Terry Williams – the group responsible for Nick’s solo album Labour of Lust -- released this album in 1981 and basically disappeared forever. Now’s your chance to hear this long-lost classic of rockabilly fury. You need this in your collection, trust me.

Talking Heads – The Name of this Band is Talking Heads: While even the casual Heads fan will admit that Stop Making Sense is an amazing live document (both the film and the soundtrack), purists will insist that this 1982 live album is better. I agree. Their early days playing gigs that were not much more than living rooms, in addition to the early eighties when they began exploring more exotic musical forms are all represented here. It’s frantic, catchy, insane stuff. Lots and lots of bonus tracks, too.

The Wailers – Burnin’: I was a diehard Marley fan in the early nineties but began to listen less and less once frat boys began singing his praises. But you can’t go wrong with this early masterpiece, now paired with a bonus disc of live material. Those of you who think that the overplayed Legend is the ultimate Bob Marley document need to get your head screwed on right and pick this up immediately.

Weezer – the Blue Album: I’m biased, of course. Weezer, in my opinion, can simply do no wrong. That’s why this reissue of their debut album makes me so happy. The original disc is paired with a bonus disc of demos, live tracks, b-sides and lots of other crunchy goodness. And lots of liner notes for a liner notes freak like me.

Yes – Drama: Rhino also reissued Tormato and 90125 this year, but I don’t care for those two albums. Drama is an underrated work from those prog-rock demigods. Singer Jon Anderson had been replaced (temporarily) by future-legendary producer and onetime Buggles leader Trevor Horn, and while Trevor can’t hit all those high notes that Anderson was known for, he does an admirable job and the songs are quite good.