Best of 2004

Year end lists. Everybody loves them. Not really sure why, but I'll be honest, I get hooked too. But by next March nobody cares, people have stopped listening to 80% of the bands that were on the list. So before putting up my own year end list for '06, I've decided to look back a few years first. Suprisingly enough (or not so suprising I guess), I find these too be much more concrete and to hold much more meaning. These babies held the test of time. Well, more time than the average indie band (over/under: 3.5 months). Are these the best CDs of '04 in terms of critical acclaim? No. But these are the top albums of '04 that I found myself coming back to (or even a few I found for the first time) in '06:

(20) John Legend – Get Lifted
(19) Lola Ray – I Don't Know You
(18) N.E.R.D. – Fly Or Die
(17) The Secret Machines – Now Here Is Nowhere
(16) Franz Fredinand – Franz Ferdinand
(15) Talib Kweli – The Beautiful Struggle
(14) Pinback – Summer In Abbadon
(13) Say Anything - ...Is A Real Boy
(12) P.O.S. – Ipecac Neat
(11) Snow Patrol – Final Straw
(10) Handsome Boy Modeling School – White People
(9) Stars – Set Yourself On Fire
(8) Junior Boys – Last Exit
(7) Death From Above 1979 – You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine
(6) Hot Chip – Coming On Strong
(5) Kanye West – College Dropout
(4) Interpol – Antics
(3) TV On The Radio – Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes
(2) The Arcade Fire – Funeral
(1) Modest Mouse – Good News For People Who Love Bad News