It may not have dominated my playlist, but Blueberry Boat takes top honors for outright impact. Is this good? If so, why? Is it genius? Or is it madness? Is there any difference? Is that Inuit? Once it finally arrived, the discussion ensued. Friends and colleagues were all abuzz over this record even before its release. No other album inspired as much conversation as Blueberry Boat either. Even when I didn't enjoy it, it still demanded my attention.
But I listened to Blueberry Boat even when I didn’t want to. I could and often would listen to any of the other records on this list randomly and repeatedly with great enjoyment. While I may not have listened to it as much as other records this year, no other record insisted upon repeated listens like this one. It is by this standard that The Fiery Furnaces take the Five Spot with Blueberry Boat. The gravity of this decision demands greater consideration than mere preference. One through Four are just the hierarchy of Heaven, but Number Five is Judgement Day itself. As this is the last spot on a Top Five, it becomes the point at which it must be decided who will be chosen and who will be left behind. But choosing a fifth is so much more difficult. The first four are just so obvious that it’s easy. It’s not the Number One that’s so hard to pick it’s the Number Five. These guys are just shy of a masterpiece. What is this enigma that is The Mountain Goats? Just good music from good people for bad times. And yet it still manages to be neither The Hold Steady, Wilco, or Guided By Voices. Quite simply the greatest lyrics, from the most relevant American artist, on a record I just could not have made it through the year without. We Shall All Be Healed by The Mountain Goats I don’t know how I would have made it through 2004 without this record.Ĥ. And that’s something I’ve had to do far too often this year. Half Smiles of The Decomposed is the ultimate anthem to saying goodbye to things you’re not ready to let go of. They will be sorely missed, but they did leave quite a swan song. The legacy of Guided By Voices has come to it’s electrifying conclusion. Half Smiles of The Decomposed by Guided By Voices
Once Guided By Voices expires at year’s end, they take the top spot on my list of America’s greatest contemporary bands.ģ. Wilco is one of the most relevant American artists out there doing our great rock and roll heritage proud. Somewhere between “Hell is Chrome” and “Handshake Drugs” is the sound of an anxiety disorder and the haze of medication it demands. While The Hold Steady told tales of pill-popping and chemical come-downs, Wilco showed us just what that sounds like. Rarely does a record so perfectly capture the circumstances surrounding its creation. If you missed it, you missed out.Īll hail The Hold Steady and the realm of rock over which they reign. It doesn’t matter because they brought a fucking wrecking crew to clear a space all their own. Is Craig Finn the greatest rock lyricist since David Berman? Or the dopest MC since Ghostface?
But that’s partially because this record personifies and transcends rock altogether. Simply the best lyrics of any rock album this year. Two thousand kids, they still feel pretty sweet tonight.” Enough said. Two thousand kids won’t get too much sleep tonight. A thousand other kids will end up gushing blood tonight. A thousand kids will fall in love in all these clubs tonight. From the packie to the taxi to the cabbie to the club. “Working backwards from the doctor to the drugs. Top Five Favorite Records Released in 2004