Dave's Totally Boss Musings

RANK AND FILE

PART IV: SUPERWHEAT—THE TOP 20 (COMPLETE!)

None of these picks are going to be particularly surprising. My lists have now been published three times, so this is really more of a personal take on twenty albums I’ve really cherished this year. Looking back, the year was pretty strong for new releases—though my perspective on it is fairly biased (this is the first year I even listened to enough albums to compile a top 20, let alone 50). To those who are sick of lists, feel free to skip this and come back later when I continue 2004 coverage a little less officially. I plan on covering albums I missed before compiling the list, stuff I’ve come around to liking, and (gasp!) films! Of which I have a lot to say in general, but little to say about specific releases. So hopefully all of that will be forthcoming. Onward!



20. John Vanderslice – Cellar Door (Barsuk)

I actually heard this album before anything else Vanderslice has done, except for a free download of MK Ultra’s Original Motion Picture Soundtrack I was linked to from John Darnielle’s site. I still think this is his greatest achievement to date, a masterful combination of acoustic and electronic production into singer/songwriter material that still blossoms even though it lacks an overt unifying thread. Themes of acknowledging adult responsibility, reexamining childhood and its impact on adult life, and facing long-standing crises (unwanted pregnancy and drug addiction stand out in my mind) are loosely connected, but what really ties the album together is universally superior songwriting and composition. Simply put, this is a fantastic collection of songs, and yet another benchmark in a consistently stellar career.



19. Rogue Wave – Out of the Shadow (Sub Pop)

As far as west coast indie pop goes, few in the genre delivered an album anywhere close to Out of the Shadow, which is one of the sunniest and durable releases of the year—I can listen to this thing on repeat for a week without getting tired of it. I really don’t have a lot to say (pop is tricky in that sense…what are some synonyms for “great hooks”?), but I will mention that these guys are fantastic live. I thought they upstaged A.C. Newman (sorry, Ross), and their bassist is one of the goofiest performers I saw this summer. Also, the influence reserve runs refreshingly deep, spanning 90s alt-country, lo-fi rock, and Yo La Tengo-style slow-burn jams along with the traditional Wilson-indebted fare. I’m just sorry I missed their half-cover of “Good Vibrations.”



18. David Byrne – Grown Backwards (Nonesuch)

David Byrne once again proves his genius with an album that I’ve probably listened to more than anything besides Funeral this year. For that reason alone it almost made my top ten, bur for some reason I like it hanging out closer to 20, one of those reliable sleeper albums that I keep returning to over time. “Au Fond du Temple Saint” is the brightest highlight—Byrne’s duet with Rufus Wainwright hasn’t lost an ounce of bravura or beauty after what has to be a hundred listens. But all of these songs play like standards—resigned opener “Concrete, Glass, and Stone,” indelibly catchy “Pirates,” slyly critical anti-anthem “Empire,” and string-heavy electro workout and epic closer “Lazy” are all favorites, and reinforce Byrne’s enduring importance in contemporary rock.



17. Panda Bear – Young Prayer (Paw-Tracks)

Sung Tongs is the obvious stand-out from this year's Paw-Tracks artists albums, but Animal Collective’s Panda Bear quietly released an album that, in its own way, is as memorable and more directly affecting than its acclaimed predecessor. A musical tribute and memorial to his father, the untitled tracks on Young Prayer feel freely constructed and opt for atmosphere over unpredictable hooks. Noah Lennox delicately wails over abstract acoustic guitar accompaniment, evoking a general sense of tension and dread and expressing the grief that followed the death of his father. Lennox eschews some of the artificiality inherent in Animal Collective’s songwriting and offers a more heartfelt, genuinely moving album.



16. Cee-Lo Green – Cee-Lo Green Is the Soul Machine (Arista)

Cee-Lo wants the ladies to know that he’s an artist, and a damn fine one at that. He thumps his chest triumphantly throughout this sprawling soul masterpiece, skirting simple egotism by infusing every word with an expressive spirituality that transforms his boasting into affirmation. And beyond the album’s generally bold tone, there is some amazing hip-hop single material; “The One” is my favorite, but “I’ll Be Around,” “Childz Play,” and “Living Again” are comparably unstoppable. Contrary to his arrogant introduction, he’s not particularly “bad” or “mean”—to the album’s enormous benefit, the man has a big heart—but he is the soul machine, and has machinated one of the biggest and brightest hip-hop albums of the year.



15. Modest Mouse – Good News for People Who Love Bad News (Epic)

Remember Moon and Antartica? I would have thought Modest Mouse’s previous album would cast a massive shadow over this release, but damn if everyone hasn’t plain forgotten about it as Good News… has unexpectedly become a mainstream hit. I suppose it’s better this way; everyone just now coming around to Modest Mouse devotion think that this scattershot mess of an album is representative, meaning any subsequent return to form will likely win over an exponentially larger fan base. The album is as challenging as anything the band’s done, incorporating new elements (backwoods folk and bluegrass, disco-rock, Tom Waits) into an already diverse and distinctive sound. And for the record, I couldn’t be happier for the band’s success. “Float On”’s rise to the status of “feel-good” anthem is particularly ironic; like the song itself, Good News… feels like a wonderful practical joke on American rock audiences.



14. Kanye West – The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella)

In a year that I’m just coming around to realize was full of excellent hip-hop releases (MF Doom, Ghostface, Murs, Busdriver, and Foreign Exchange were all late to the table for my year-end consideration, and I think they’re all worthy of this list after the fact), Kanye was a clear leader. He brought a previously underground production aesthetic (further) mainstream, producing several of the best singles of the year (I like the boldness of “Jesus Walks,” but “All Falls Down” and “Through the Wire” are both exceptional) and a full album to live up to his established potential. In 21 tracks, West rarely falters, falling prey to excess at times but using every failing (mostly in the form of aimless skits) as a further excuse to brazenly self-promote and add to his budding mythology. Pretty much universally acclaimed (and deservedly so) this is the hip-hop album we’ll all remember years from now.



13. Mission of Burma – OnOffOn (Matador)

How the hell did this album get swept under the rug? Even I started to second-guess it as the year-ends started piling in, but about fifteen seconds is enough to remind how powerful this album is. Of all of the comeback successes of the year (with the exception of Brian Wilson, who really shouldn’t count anyway, if only because it’s just not fair to everyone else) Mission of Burma’s was the most memorable—after a 22-year absence, they picked up exactly where they left off, creating an album that feels so genuinely retro it winds up sounding better than countless contemporary bands channeling the early 80s with every last ounce of strength. The album is completely unshakable, a virtual manifesto that flagrantly defies the conventions that suggest these guys shouldn’t sound like they’re all 20 well into in their 40’s.



12. Annie – Anniemal (679)

I felt like a missionary when I first started to spread Annie’s love to the world. One of the benefits of the new writing gig is better access to new music, meaning I fell head-over-heels in love with Annie all the way back in September. Now it’s almost January, and it doesn’t take as much effort to disseminate the glory of “Chewing Gum” and “Heartbeat” to anyone even remotely inclined toward pop music, but damn if I don’t still feel like Annie’s soldier. I will defend, distribute, and otherwise give a leg up to this album (hell, to this woman—Annie, if you need a chauffeur, I’ll email you my number) in any way, shape, or form that I possibly can until the day that I die. Amen.



11. The Go! Team – Thunder, Lightning, Strike (Memphis Industries)

Thunder Lightning Strike brings out the geekiest tendencies in its listeners—most people can’t avoid the TV theme nostalgia talk when they discuss the album, but honestly the band’s sound isn’t so straightforward or gimmicky. Yes, there are power guitars and a surplus of synth cheese all over this sloppy geek-bliss kiss of a dance album, but there are also cheerleader chants, Guaraldi-esque piano figures, old school rap choruses, step squad workouts—and the list goes on. I don’t really need to explain what makes this album so much fun to listen to, but I do hope that the album’s distribution picks up. It’d be a real shame if this album never really finds the wider audience it deserves.



To wrap this thing up, let's go straight to the notorious...




>>>>>>LIGHTNING ROUND!<<<<<<




10. Of Montreal – Satanic Panic in the Attic (Polyvinyl)

Best pop album of the year.








9. Bjork – Medulla (Elektra)

Best (only) Bjork album of the year, which truthfully was probably enough to get it into the top 20 without even listening to it.






8. Mirah – C’mon Miracle (K)

Best album of the year to listen to while lonely on New Jersey Transit.








7. !!! – Louden Up Now

Best album of the year that I’m really forcing myself to keep liking as much as I did when I first listened to it despite the fact that I don’t listen to it very much anymore. Oh, and worst cover! What the hell is that?






6. Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand (Domino)

Best album that I kick out of my top ten repeatedly until I calm down long enough to actually listen to it again.







5. Xiu Xiu – Fabulous Muscles (5RC)

Best album that I’m not sure I particularly “like” very much. This should actually be at #4.






4. Devendra Banhart – Rejoicing in the Hands (Young God)

Best album that took one listen to fall in love with for three weeks, and then promptly ignore for about six months (and then fall in love with again).






3. Animal Collective – Sung Tongs (Fat Cat)

Best album from a group I wish I knew anything at all about prior to June of this year.







2. Brian Wilson – SMiLE (Nonesuch)

Best album of the year that doesn't look like this: