top ten albums of 2004
this year i listened to a ton of new music and even though i still probably didn't hear a ton of great albums i did hear some. and here they are...


1. the arcade fire's "funeral"

this band really just rocks my socks off. they came out of nowhere and just made a great album.

2. wilco's "a ghost is born"

i saw wilco live for the first time this year. amazing. this album took some time to settle in but once it did it blew my mind.

3. sufjan stevens' "seven swans"

one of the most beautiful records i have ever heard. the banjo plucks and strums and the boy girl harmony, great stuff.

4. devendra banhart's "rejoicing in the hands"

i bought this cd at a record store in frisco thinking that it might be good, boy was i in for a treat.

5. elliott smith's "from a basement on the hill"

this is a bit different for him but it works. i wasn't exactly what i wanted for his last album but that made me want to listen to it more and figure out everything that is in it. a beautiful mess.

6. the walkmen's "bows + arrows"

"the rat" is the cathiest song this year. great drunken vocals over messy rock n' roll soundscapes.

7. pedro the lion's "achilles heel"

the opening track "bands with managers" speaks so much truth. and "the poison" makes me want to die. not his strongest album as a whole but a few really great songs.

8. guided by voices' "half smiles of the decomposed"

a great swan song.

9. animal collective's "sung tongs"

when i saw this band with mum i thought they were a joke and then i heard this album and it changed my mind. they make the music you wish you could but are afraid to.

10. bjork's "medulla"

another real big shift from earlier work but a good one. some of the weirdest coolest structure changes i have ever heard.