Third, although it's a little bloated and may include a few albums from 2003, here's the Grammy Nominations.
I'm not usually one to ask about best new albums, since I tend to find myself buying stuff at least five to ten years old, if not more. But I've heard more new music than usual this year. Here's what I think about some of them:
Heard and Loved:
Los Lonely Boys: Los Lonely Boys
Modest Mouse: Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Bebel Gilberto: Bebel Gilberto
BT: Monster
DJ Shadow: Live! In Tune and On Time
Heard and Liked:
Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand
Brian Wilson: Smile
U2: How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Larry Carlton: Sappphire Blue
Armin Van Buuren: A State of Trance 2004
Heard, Didn't Think Lived Up To Hype:
Maroon 5: Songs About Jane
Prince: Musicology
David Byrne: Grown Backwards
Fourplay: Journey
Would Like to Hear:
Wilco: A Ghost Is Born
Loretta Lynn: Van Lear Rose
Camper Van Beethoven: New Roman Times
John Adams: On the Transmigration of Souls
Zero 7: When It Falls
William Shatner: Has Been (produced by Ben Folds)
Anyone hipper than me have any contrary opinions? Any insight on things I haven't heard?
Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
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Nellie MacKay's "Get Away From Me" was frankly wonderful. I also enjoyed the recent Perfect Circle, Modest Mouse, and Secret Machine releases, and found two or three tracks to like on Jason Mraz's "Waiting for My Rocket to Come."
I was disappointed in the U2 and Velvet Revolver albums, both of which never lived up to the promise of their singles.
I found "Smile" to be the single most overrated album of the year. Critics fell over their own feet to praise it, but I think it's horribly overproduced and generally underwhelming. Contrast that with "Van Lear Rose," Loretta Lynn's collaboration with Jack White -- which is an example where underproduction almost amounts to over-production unless it's done really well (which, in this case, it is.) You can make the same criticism of Tom Waits' "Real Gone" and Elvis Costello's "The Delivery Man;" they're albums with some very strong songs and images that have been underproduced to within an inch of their lives.
posted
William Shatner's Has Been is actually pretty decent. It has some touching moments, but it's mostly just funny. When he tries to be dramatic, it usually comes off as melodrama, but otherwise it's good stuff.
I think Elliot Smith's From a Basement on the Hill is one of the best albums of 2004. Unfortunately he comitted suicide, and this is the album which he mostly finished before his death.
My personal favorite of 2004 is Hayden's Elk-Lake Serenade. He's a Canadian artist who, earlier in his career, was mostly known for his depressing ballads. With each new album he seems to be happier, but in any case the music is consistently excellent. I saw him live earlier this year, and it was one of the best concerts I've ever attended.
Posts: 1855 | Registered: Mar 2003
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-Air: Walkie-Talkie -Mos Def:New Danger -RJD2: Since We Last Spoke -Modest Mouse: Good News For People Who Love Bad News -Elliot Smith: From A Basement On A Hill
Hugest letdown is:
-Zero 7: When It Falls Posts: 1015 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Elliott Smith - From a basement on the hill = best record of the year
Brian Wilson - SMILE = amazingly wonderful
Beastie Boys - To the 5 Boroughs = biggest letdown.
Hope for agoldensummer - hearts in jars = best discovery of the year
Franz Ferdinand and The Killers are both worth honorable mention...as are Rilo Kiley and Now It's Overhead, and Morrisey, and damn there was some good stuff this year.
[ December 08, 2004, 09:52 PM: Message edited by: Ben ]
Posts: 1572 | Registered: Jan 2004
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2004 albums I bought and thought were quite good:
Thirteen Step - A Perfect Circle (what's good is great, what isn't is meh) 2 AM Wakeup Call - Tweaker (ditto, but great to listen to all the way through) Welcome to the North - The Music (these guys are pretty underrated) Show & Tell - Silvertide (what the Velvet Revolver album should have been)
I haven't heard all of American Idiot, but what I've heard of it is way better than Green Day have any right to be sounding. I really like Boulevard of Broken Dreams.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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in all fairness, Green Day's Kerplunk and Dookie were both two extremely solid offerings. I think American Idiot was a great album.
Posts: 1572 | Registered: Jan 2004
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Nellie McKay was great as was Modest Mouse. Jason Mraz was good, but even his live album didn't do his live shows any justice (not that they were bad, his live shows are just that good). Green Day I'm really enjoying. Rachael Yamagata's Happenstance was pretty good, although I only like maybe half of it so far. I can't get over how much I love Muse's Absolution. The new Good Charlotte was ok and Lola Ray was pretty decent. That's all I can remember now.
Posts: 298 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Oh, I forgot to mention American Idiot! A few of the tracks are self-indulgent rambling, but there are some excellent songs on there; as a previous poster noted, it's a better album than Green Day has any right to make. Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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From a Basement on the Hill is probably my favorite album of the year, but it was also the most depressing. That was due mainly to what the album represents than what the album contains.
Good New for People Who Love Bad News was also really good, but, in all honesty, "Float On" was the first time I had ever heard of Modest Mouse. But this album really got me hooked on them, which made me get The Moon and Antarctica, which I liked even more.
To The 5 Boroughs by Beastie Boys, Encore by Eminem, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb by U2, and Pressure Chief by Cake were all pretty disappointing.
Elephunk by Black Eyed Peas (I think that was 2004, could be '03) was entertaining at first, but the songs were quickly overplayed.
As for new artists, Franz Ferdinand was where it's at this year. I haven't purchased that CD yet, but I plan to in the very near future.
At first, I was turned off by American Idiot. I mean, in my opinion, the first single sucked, and a psuedopunk bad doing a concept album? WHAT?! But it was good. Very good, actually. I love it.
And I like what I've heard so far of Futures by Jimmy Eat World, but I haven't heard enough of it to judge the album. But they're Arizonans, so it has to be good.
Also, I like Jem and her album, and I usually don't like anything techno.
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Wait a dog-gone minute. Elliot Smith commited suicide?! How on earth did I miss this? Woah!
OK, moving on...
The Amazon list seemed much more informed than The Onion. Props for listing Nick Cave's new double album, Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus, so high (#12). I think it's easily my favorite album of the year (yes, even above my precious U2 -- which didn't make their list at all?! I mean, on first listen it didn't grab me by the balls, but even a bad U2 album is better than most of the stuff on any of these lists). I know Cave isn't everyone's cop 'o tea, but this one is absolutely amazing. I can't recommend it enough.
Mark had this for a long time before I really started listening to it. Now I can't put it down. I think I've gone through the entire thing eight times in three days, it's perfect music to work to.
Initially, I think, I had dismissed it as just another one of Mark's classical Indian music CDs. Sarangi, tabla, yep, I got it, moving along.... so stupid of me! Now, I go through the tracks, and each one is just an amazing melding of musical styles, from indian to r&b to latin to western pop to acoustic to electronic...
I wish I hadn't been so eager to give it a label and refuse to really listen to it, because it's a beautiful and moving piece of work. Good thing I finally gave it a chance. Posts: 1681 | Registered: Jun 2004
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Field 4: Rock: Ryan Adams is up for "Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance" but I still like Oasis' version better. Hmph. I'd give this award to Melissa Etheridge, because she rocks.
"Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal" should go to Green Day.
"Best Hard Rock Performance" Hmm, probably Duality.
"Best Metal Performance" man, they're all good. But The Rise of Brutality is just too good, so this one's gotta go to Hatebreed.
i saw an Allman Brothers Band nomination. I don't care what it is. They should win it. Am I the only one that loves them?
"best rock song".. hmm, that's a tough one. it's a toss up between fall to peaces, somebody told me, american idiot, .. i'd go for fall to pieces.
american idiot definately deserves best rock album. have you guys heard that thing? Ahhh, greatness.
I have a feeling Green Day is going to be dominating. Just a hunch.
Posts: 925 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I only listened to two new albums all the way through this year.
U2's new album was brutal. They have much more talent and ability then Atomic Bomb demonstrated
R.E.M's new album, Around the Sun, I really enjoy. A lot. I think its their best effort since Automatic for the People.
Posts: 4112 | Registered: May 2001
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Hey Zeugma, thanks for the Nitin Sawhney recommendation. I'm listening to it now and I'm loving it.
Posts: 298 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I don't know if my judgement is clouded by years of idolizing Billie-Joe but I think that American Idiot was the best album Green Day has produced so far and could trump almost anything you guys can throw at it. Mind you I'm falling away from the music crowd but the political statements alone made by American Idiot prove that it's not just some pumped out as quickly as possible future coaster for the rooms or rock fans everywhere. and off topic the music video helped emphasise the statement they are making and it broke my heart when VH1 called an Eminem track a better political statement than American idiot. Back on topic, I defy you to name a track on that album that was substandard or less than awesome
Posts: 73 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Dispite buying something like 50 new cds this past year, only a handful of albums came out in 2004 that I felt were worth getting (ie, I mostly bought older stuff). 2003 was really a much better year IMHO.
These are the only ones that come to mind:
The Tangent - The World That We Drive Through Karmakanic - The Wheel of Life U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
Honorable Mentions go to:
Rush - Feedback (EP) - Cover songs, so this can't really count, but I'm putting it here cause I'm a Rush fanboy The Flower Kings - Adam & Eve - Not quite up to par with the band's usually amazing output. Not enough Roine Stolt singing on this one, and 2002's Unfold The Future is a hard act to follow. Still though, a very solid effort and worth having.
Posts: 3 | Registered: Dec 2004
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Wow. Just received Graham Parker's new album, and it is very, very good. He hasn't been in the mix much these days, but was always a fave of mine.
Oh, Speed, thank you again, by the way.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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Am I the only one who was severely disappointed by 'American Idiot'? (the song, not the entire album!)
Posts: 3636 | Registered: Oct 2001
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Probably. Most people I've talked to think it's a near perfect pop-punk single. And since Green Day's a pop-punk band, that's probably for the best. Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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I have no quarrel with the song, though I wouldn't say I love it. What I do love are the following four tracks. Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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Since my first post, I picked up the Wilco and the Zero 7. When I first heard the Zero 7, I thought it was pretty good. But the more I hear it the less I like it. It's better then Another Late Night, but I'm starting to lose hope that they'll ever live up to the promise they showed with their first album.
As for the Wilco, I'm having a hard time getting into that as much as I was into Being There, the other album by them that I own. A Ghost Is Born is a very dense album, and I haven't put a lot of time into it, so I'll freely admit that I may like it more once I "get" it. Of course, I may also eventually decide that it's an overrated pretentious piece of crap. I'm optimistic, but not ready to commit myself just yet.
So, to sum up, I guess my list of best albums from the first post hasn't changed yet. Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
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