another damn list

ok. this is my third posting of the day and i realise it's getting a bit ridiculous but i wanted to share something with all of you.
i want to share another damn "best of" list.
this list is my top ten favourite albums of 2004 in no particular order.

TV On the Radio: Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (Touch and Go, 2004) Totally unlike anything i have ever heard before and for all those bands out there who claim to defy catagorization...well, TV on the Radio may be the only band who actually does.

Elliot Smith: From a Basement on a Hill (Anti- 2004): Ok, Mr. Smith is dead. This is a postumous release. Even from the grave Elliot Smith has more to say than most musicians who are still alive.

Dead Kennedys: Live From the Deaf Club (Decay 2004): This show was not recorded in 2004 but the album was released in 2004 so it counts. All the best DK songs + all the best Jello Biafra stage banter = one amazing record.

Bright Eyes: Lua and Take it Easy(Love Nothing) Saddle Creek 2004
These two albums are singles for upcoming releases. Already, at only 9 songs total, the two greatest albums of the year. One can even forgive the hubris of Mr. Oberst releasing two albums at once-he's allowed, he's that good.

Modest Mouse: Good News for People Who Love Bad News (Epic 2004)
So what if they went to a major and Isaac Brock is the hugest fucking rockstar ever, this band is amazing. All the rest is just...well nothing.

Anti-Flag: The Terror State (Fat Wreck Chords, 2004) and Death of a Nation DVD (AF 2004): Anti-Flag is one of the best live bands on the planet right now. They reminded me of why I fell in love with music in the first place. A great album, full of all the raised fists and fuck-yous you'd expect and a bunch of great fucking songs too...Oh, and the DVD is great too.

Iron and Wine: Our Endless Numbered Days (SubPop 2004): So I know I said TV on the Radio was unlike anything i'd ever heard before but Iron and Wine is also unlike anything I have ever heard before, in a totally different way. Simply put: stunning!

The (International) Noise Conspiracy: Armed Love (Burning Heart, 2004)
The cure that all of us annoyed by Franz Ferdinand have been looking for. Dance punk yes, annoying absolutely not. Even the reading lists provided by the band are great. This album is fun and smart and you'll like it. I promise. It's better than Franz...

Green Day: American Idiot (Reprise 2004)
Yep, it's good. Really. American Idiot is the worst song so it must be good because that song's pretty great, eh?

Joanna Newsom: Milk-Eyed Mender (Drag City 2004)
Ms. Newsom plays the harp and sounds like Lisa Simpson and you'll love every moment. The songs break with honesty and if you push to hard you could break them. Not to worry though, because you'll want to hold on to them forever, gently but forever. She'll get inside your head and you'll want to keep her there. Trust me.

happy listening
xo alice