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top 10 albums of 2004

1. A Ghost is Born - Wilco

Sure, you might think it's easy to put the recent release of my favorite band at the top of my list, but there is nothing harder to overcome than astronomical expectations.  Yet, Jeff Tweedy and company did it.  From the four-minute meltdown to close “At Least That's What You Said,” a heart-wrenching musical version of a breakup, to the ode to great lost music everywhere in “The Late Greats,” Wilco serves up a solid masterpiece from song to song.  

The best aspect of this album is that it only improves with age as Tweedy's esoteric lyrics only begin to open up and reveal their beautiful poetry with later listens.  The highlight of the album?  It would be impossible to pick one.  The starkness of “At Least That’s What You Said,” the temptation of the city in “Hell is Chrome,” the veiled bravado and great release of the 11-minute “Spiders (Kidsmoke),” the philosophy and individualism expressed in “Theologians,” and the inane romp of “I’m A Wheel” are all high points.  For me, though, everything comes together with “Hummingbird.”  A beautiful ode to a man with nothing left to live for.  But the upbeat melody betrays the fact that maybe this man had all he ever wanted and was making one last request.  Is it a suicide note, a fond farewell, or someone living out their life to its last drop and seeing the world?  It could be all those things and serves as a fine example of why Wilco is the most vibrant and brilliant band making music today.

2. Smile - Brian Wilson

The lost album.  The one that was never completed finally became so, and with it, Brian Wilson proves his greatness all over again.  The modular song construction sounds unbelievably fresh, and while the remade “Good Vibrations” doesn’t equal the classic original, it closes out the album perfectly.  At some points, Smile sounds like a trippy throwback to a bygone era of music, and the tight harmonies and numerous instruments take you on a wonderfully ambitious adventure.

3. From a Basement on the Hill - Elliott Smith

An epitaph for a great artist who took his own life, From a Basement on the Hill was released after Elliott Smith’s death.  The trademark depressing lyrics are still there, and you can get the sense for the reasons he stabbed himself in the heart in songs like “A Fond Farewell” and “Twilight.”  The thing that sets this album apart from all his others is the fact that the lyrics are accompanied by relatively uplifting melodies.  The slickness of Figure 8 has been stripped away, and this album finds the perfect balance between that previous effort and the austerity of his earlier albums.  It’s unfortunate after an album like this to know that there won’t be any more.

4. Our Shadows Will Remain - Joseph Arthur

Sometimes it seems that an artist just can’t do anything wrong.  Joseph Arthur has reached that point.  A singer/songwriter who isn’t afraid to use interesting sounds and complex instrumentation to complement his lyrics.  Arthur’s reliance on religious imagery isn’t as strong here as on previous efforts, but he is still firmly guided by a haunting past love.  There is plenty of cathartic heartbreak and despair here – sometimes angry, sometimes remorseful, but, oddly enough, it all seems hopeful.

5. More Adventurous - Rilo Kiley

Their major label debut sounds slicker and a little more mature than their earlier albums, and it pays off nicely.  More Adventurous strips life down to two essentials – love and death – and they interweave effortlessly throughout the album in plaintive ballads and charged-up rockers.

6. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

A very promising debut featuring the most infectious single since Outkast’s “Hey Ya!”  “Take Me Out” sounds like a cross between The Cars and Talking Heads, and it’s obvious that Franz Ferdinand have relied heavily on their influences throughout the album.  But the album is full of great hooks and everything sounds unbelievably fresh.

7. Drag It Up - Old 97s

After releasing what amounted to a purely pop album with Satellite Rides, the Old 97’s tried to stretch themselves a little with Drag It Up.  The result is their most satisfying album since Too Far to Care, and, arguably, their best.  With the opening track, they leave no doubt as to the fact that this is the Old 97’s.  But they use the rest of the album to venture beyond their comfort zone and produce three of their best songs yet with “Valium Waltz, ” “Adelaide,” and the haunting “No Mother.”

8. Pressure Chief - Cake

The best thing about Cake is that you know what you’re going to get with them every time: an enjoyable album that will serve you well in any situation.  There’s a reason Cake was the “house band” at my friend Scott’s Bar in college (he and a roommate had built a bar for their apartment).  Pressure Chief is littered with horns, catchy hooks, irreverent lyrics and that trademark Cake sound.

9 American Idiot - Green Day

An audacious release from an unlikely source has produced the most ambitious project of the year.  Fortunately it’s pretty damn good, too.  Green Day surprises with mature lyrics and makes punk relevant again.

10. The Tigers Have Spoken - Neko Case

It’s hard to think of anything more pleasing than listening to Neko Case sing.  She has one of the truly great voices in music right now and this live album showcases it beautifully.  Some originals and some classic covers populate this otherwise no-frills release, but there is nothing else you would need.