2004: Good? Bad? Ugly?

[Josh]

I, of course, think that, when it comes to great new releases, 2004 has been one of the best musical yesrs ever. I've been surprised, though, at the number of pholks who disagree with that, so I thought I'd take an official poll.

I obviously went with the first option.

[Wildcatblue7]

TOTAL CRAP.

This is from the perspective of a hard music fan, though.  I've been really unimpressed with a lot of bands' output this year.  Underoath's new one is basically a slightly better version of the Used (boring), and all of other bands I expected to put out something fresh put out the same ol' crap.  Emo took over, and I hate that whiny excuse for music.  Rap and crunk gained in popularity, and I hate both of those.  Usher's Yeah is enough to make me hate 2004, actually.  (darn you Lil' Jon!)  

Project 86, blindside, Still Remains, Dead Poetic (though I'm hearing rumors that they might break up), KMax and Mute Math have been the lone bright spots.  I've mostly bought CDs from previous years this year.  

IMO.

[Aaron]

undecided as I've only purchased 4 or 5 new cds.  Don't really have the resources to get alot of new cds this year.

[worldofcm]

From an AC fanboy perspective:  CRAP.

Sara Groves, Caedmon's Call, Shane & Shane, Ginny Owens, Charity Von, Rachael Lampa, Bethany Dillon, and Shawn McDonald were definite highlights.

[bloop]

"He who has ears, let him hear."

If you've been listening with your ear close enough to the ground, it's been an excellent year.

[murlough23]

I say it's been about an average year. Most of the great records I discovered this year were actually from 2003. We're most of the way through the year, and I don't think the bottom few entries in my Top 10 for so far would be desrving of that status in a normal year. As far as this decade goes, 2000 and 2003 have been the truly great years.

[Josh]

I say it's been about an average year. Most of the great records I discovered this year were actually from 2003. We're most of the way through the year, and I don't think the bottom few entries in my Top 10 for so far would be desrving of that status in a normal year. As far as this decade goes, 2000 and 2003 have been the truly great years.

I'd say that EVERY year this decade has been extremely good, with the exception of 2002.

2000
U2-- ATYCLB
Radiohead-- Kid A
PJ Harvey-- Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
Iona-- Open Sky

2001
Bob Dylan-- Love and Theft
REM-- Reveal
Sam Phillips-- Fan Dance
Over the Rhine-- Films for Radio
Radiohead-- Amnesiac
Joe Henry-- Scar

2002
Joseph Arthur-- Redemption's Son
Wilco-- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
David Bowie-- Heathen

2003
Joe Henry-- Tiny Voices
Over the Rhine-- Ohio
Daniel Lanois-- Shine
Emmylou Harris-- Stumble into Grace
The Innocence Mission-- Befriended
Radiohead-- Hail to the Thief
Sufjan Stevens-- Michigan

And this year, of course, is the best one yet!

And those are just some highlights... there have been plenty of other great recordings in the past five years. The 00s have been very, very good to audiophiles like us.

[Wildcatblue7]

Okay, because I'm a dork, change my vote to average...because a few new bands just brought up the score.  Whoa.

[murlough23]

[Josh]

I tend to judge which years are better by the lowest grade of the lowest item in my Top 10. If I had to think really hard to come up with 10 albums that were worthy of being on that lsit (i.e. #9 and #10 got a B- grade or lower), then it's not as good of a year. If there were so many candidates that I couldn't go without mentioning like 10 HM's, then it was a really good year.

That's one way of looking at it. Generally I do sort of the same thing, but if a year gives me 3 or 4 A+ albums then I'm willing to overlook a few weaker links toward the bottom of the list.

Hmmm... looks like 2002 is a contender after all. I think it was just a slow year to get off the ground, and I remember Josh complaining about how disappointing of a year it was for him.

There were a number of 2002 albums that were technically great-- Wilco, Beck, Elvis Costello, David Bowie, Tom Waits, etc.-- but the only one that I would consider to be a personal favorite was Joseph Arthur's album, and even that one is borderline. So it wasn't an awful year by any means, but, for me, it was a little frustrating.

[murlough23]

That's one way of looking at it. Generally I do sort of the same thing, but if a year gives me 3 or 4 A+ albums then I'm willing to overlook a few weaker links toward the bottom of the list.

Sure. If there are several exceptional entries at the top, then that's probably a standout year unless there's a really sharp dropoff in quality beyond that. Even then, it'll probably be a standout year just for those albums alone.

There were a number of 2002 albums that were technically great-- Wilco, Beck, Elvis Costello, David Bowie, Tom Waits, etc.-- but the only one that I would consider to be a personal favorite was Joseph Arthur's album, and even that one is borderline. So it wasn't an awful year by any means, but, for me, it was a little frustrating.

Yeah, and you even discovered that Joseph Arthur album after the fact. When you first did your best of 2K2 list, you weren't very thrilled about it, if I recall correctly. Just goes to show that technical excellence isn't the only factor that mattered - there are tons of technically excellent albums, I'm sure, that you or I might not enjoy.

NP: "Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)", Chevelle

[Josh]

Even then, it'll probably be a standout year just for those albums alone.

Definitely. I mean, if a new album comes out that becomes one of my Top 10 of all time, for example, that pretty much solidifies it as a good year no matter what the rest of the albums are like.

[bloop]

A to A+ Albums by Year

2000
Kid A (B+...pfft.  It's called Kid "A" for a reason)
Agaetis Byrjun (if you count it in this year)

2001
The Glow, Pt. 2
Vespertine
Lateralis
Love and Theft
Morning View

2002
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Yoshimi
Sea Change
Murray Street
You Forgot It In People

2003
Ohio
The Meadowlands
Chutes Too Narrow
Hail to the Thief
Michigan
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Me Died Blue
Turn On the Bright Lights

2004
SMiLE
Blueberry Boat
Fabulous Muscles
Funeral
Our Endless Numbered Days
Sonic Nurse
Real Gone
Medulla
Van Lear Rose
A Boot and a Shoe
Seven Swans
A Ghost is Born
Madvillainy
The Slow Wonder
and, likely, the Buddy Miller album

2004 is looking pretty darn good to me, or I'm getting easier.  Either way, technical merit is of utmost importance to me personally, so it's been outstanding from that vantage point.  All that and U2 is still on its way.

[danny316]

I was joking in another thread: The rest of time so far ] just 2004.

Anyway, I've been bad about actually putting down the cash to check albums out, so i really can't do a fair comparison here. I think 2003 is the only year that i've actually heard a fair amount of contenders from.

Am i the only one who finds it odd that most of us have a few bands we always put on the top? It seems like U2, Bjork, Jars, Radiohead, and a few others tend to pop up a bit every time they release something. It's hard to tell if they're actually far better than all the other bands, or if they're just favorites among the phorumers.

Anyway, 2004 brought the latest Cool Hand Luke disc, which is my album-of-the-year so far. When i get around to listening to the latest Starflyer 59, that might change that. I'd also have Sanctus Real on my top ten list, but not because it's amazing - mainly because i've actually heard the whole thing. My one other contender is FIF, but i'd disqualify them since it was technically a live disc and last year's album. Ah - i just remembered i've been forgetting Blindside's latest. That was a fairly solid album, although more well-listened people probably wouldn't consider that one either.

I'd love 2004 if i actually got around to checking out some of the other albums. I figure Seven Swans, Medulla, and SMiLE would probably be on my top-10 list if i had heard 'em, and Changes Come might even get an honorable mention (i still can't bring myself to count live albums like i would count studio albums)

2003 was a good year for me. Steven Delopoulos, Jars of Clay, Switchfoot, and downhere all put out albums that were pretty good. Then again, i haven't checked out the Emmylou Harris or Radiohead albums yet, and i'd probably love them too.

Anyway, rather than narrate, here's a year-best-of list i had put together when i was putting off some school assignment:

2000
Lifehouse - No Name Face
Switchfoot - Learning to Breathe
LA Symphony - Call It What You Want
Living Sacrifice - The Hammering Process
downhere - s/t
Jennifer Knapp - Lay it Down

2001
Jennifer Knapp - The Way I Am
Kevin Max - Stereotype Be
Five Iron Frenzy - Electric Boogaloo 2
Relient K - The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek
POD - Satellite
tobyMac - Momentum

2002
Sixpence None the Richer - Divine Discontent
Lifehouse - Stanley Climbfall
Newsboys - Thrive
Jars of Clay - The Eleventh Hour
Matchbox 20 - More Than You Think You Are
*Nickel Creek - This Side

2003
Switchfoot - The Beautiful Letdown
Steven Delopoulos - Me Died Blue
Cool Hand Luke - Wake Up O Sleeper
Jars of Clay - Who We Are Instead
downhere - So Much For Substitutes
Relient K - Two Lefts Don't Make A Right But Three Do
LA Symphony - The End is Now
Paul Wright - Fly Away
Stacie Orrico - s/t
Audio Adrenaline - Worldwide

2004
Cool Hand Luke - The Fires Of Life
Sanctus Real - Fight the Tide
Five Iron Frenzy - The End is Near/Here
Blindside - About A Burning Fire

I think i left them in order, but now that i skim it again, they're not really in a fair order. The asterisks represent albums not yet in my possession that i've heard somewhere else, and the plusses are albums that are technically my parents'. I figure i'm probably missing quite a few that i've heard, too. O.o like ATYCLB....i guess i could leave it behind.

[DvChWi]

Am i the only one who finds it odd that most of us have a few bands we always put on the top? It seems like U2, Bjork, Jars, Radiohead, and a few others tend to pop up a bit every time they release something. It's hard to tell if they're actually far better than all the other bands, or if they're just favorites among the phorumers.
 

I think everyone notices these tendencies.  I think its just a matter of them being shared favorites among the more active phorum members.  I don't really think we talk about Bjork that much, either.  

[Aaron]

i think everyone here knows that you must put U2 near the top of your list or Josh will have a nervous breakdown!!    

[Josh]

i think everyone here knows that you must put U2 near the top of your list or Josh will have a nervous breakdown!!  

Actually, while I predict that U2 will make my Top 3 this year with relative ease, I'm not expecting them to make #1. I will be very (pleasantly) surprised indeed if Atomic Bomb is good enough to beat out Changes Come and A Boot and a Shoe.

 

[bloop]

Am i the only one who finds it odd that most of us have a few bands we always put on the top? It seems like U2, Bjork, Jars, Radiohead, and a few others tend to pop up a bit every time they release something. It's hard to tell if they're actually far better than all the other bands, or if they're just favorites among the phorumers.

I don't find it odd as all of those are very good.  Personally, I make no predictions.  I just let the chips fall where they may.

[murlough23]

I think everyone notices these tendencies.  I think its just a matter of them being shared favorites among the more active phorum members.  I don't really think we talk about Bjork that much, either.

Bjork is a curiosity for me, but I've never really sat down and listened to her outside of a song or two.

[Wildcatblue7]