Favorite Albums of 2004

1

The Futureheads
The Futureheads
Sire

The Futureheads has been the only non-Roc-A-Fella release that I was excited enough to go and buy on its release date in fucking for-ev-er. I first heard these Brits on the amazing Rough Trade Shops' Post Punk Volume 1 compilation. Although their contribution, a 7" version of the punchy Jam-sendup "Robot," became a personal mixtape staple, I was slow to research 'em and just assumed they were another in the long line of obscure 70's post-punk castoffs. Not so.

This, their debut LP, pulses with manic energy; guitars skitter and tempos shift without a concern for staid verse-chorus-verse structure. Hardly without touchstones (Gang of Four, Wire, The Jam, etc), The Futureheads establish their sound with a refreshing focus on melody. Vocal harmonies abound here and it makes for one of the most propulsive and dynamic rock
albums in recent memory.

An impressive, exciting debut.

Hounds of Love

2

Madvillain
Madvillainy
Stones Throw

There were massive expectations in the benz n' a backpack set for this one. Both Doomer and Madlib had been teetering a little too close to Ryan Adams on the prolific-ness scale leading up to this release, but lo and behold Madvillainy was a blunted-out masterpiece just like the kids banked on. Metal Face shows off a new stunted flow (altogether different from the manic Doom heard on leaked versions of the album) that just makes digesting crazy shit like "written in cold blood with a toothpick" that much easier.

"Best MC with no chain you eva heard" indeed.

Figaro


3

Devendra Banhart
Rejoicing in the Hands
Young God

The pre-'04 Devendra was all Tiny Tim ramshackle and the shit was just uncomfortable to listen to. Apparently, most of his material before Rejoicing had only been released because of consistent urging from his hippie friends and those at Young God. It's not altogether a surprise, then, that his two albums this year sound light years more focused. Turning the quiver knob considerably down, Devendra thankfully ditches kitschy melodrama and puts together a consistent album of stripped-down, fragile, finger-pickin' beauty.

This is the Way

4

Ghostface Killah
The Pretty Toney Album
Def Jam

"It's so motherfuckin' soulful man."

Holla

5

Joanna Newsom
The Milk-Eyed Mender
Drag City

The power to turn J. Beaumont's tide of hate ain't nothin' to scoff at. A divisive character in indie-geek circles (refreshingly unique angel or pouty, grating elf?), Newsom sinks or swims depending on how ya feel about her wildly fey vocals. I tend to embrace a considerably broad spectrum of vocal styles and don't place much stock in relative on-keyness, making the histrionics of The Milk-Eyed Mender seem more like enthusiastic sincerity than talentless pretension.

Whether the vocals make or break your enjoyment of the album, the harp playing (mostly unaccompanied) is prickly and gorgeous and should be heard by every boy and girl in the neighborhood. See for yourself.

Swansea

6

Kanye West
The College Dropout (Advance Version)
Bootleg/Roc-A-Fella

Not to sound too much like a snide "told ya so" internet rap nerd, but the leaked version of The College Dropout is considerably better than the official Roc-A-Fella release. Why?

• Original, sample-clearance-be-damned version of "All Falls Down." Crisper drums, less clutter and Lauryn Hill for christsakes.
• Intro and interlude-less version of "Slow Jamz" that doesn't fucking kill the mood. That "Smooooookey Roooooobinson" nonsense that last 1:30 makes the wait for Twista's verse almost unbearable.
• NO SKITS.
• Solid songs from the leaked version that didn't reappear:
  
• "The Good, the Bad & the Ugly" (GLC kicks off the song with "good morning America/ good morning to Erica/ who gave me good head while watching 'Good Morning America.'" Wow.)
• "Keep the Receipt" (featuring ODB (RIP). Kanye goes crazy on this one: "Now ya'll gon stop talkin' that shit that you talkin'/ your broke ass mom couldn't afford that abortion/ so tell me how the hell she gonna afford that coffin." Yup he went there.)
• "Home" (less cheesy "Family Business." See The Pretty Toney Album.)
• Reminds you of a time when Kanye was just a self-involved asshole with a God complex, not a ubiquitous self-involved asshole with a God complex.

Keep the Receipt (feat. ODB)

7

Cam'ron
Purple Haze
Roc-A-Fella

I've dropped so much proverbial ink on Cam and the Dips, it kinda makes me tired thinking about summarizing why I love this album. Internal rhymes, homo-gutter beats, crazy over-the-top posturing, etc. This shit is just entertaining. Here's what I said when Purple Haze dropped.

Down and Out (feat. Kanye West & Syleena Johnson)

8

Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand
Domino

Fickle hipster flavor of the month? Derivative flash in the pan? This year's Interpol?

Backlash not withstanding, this album's full of great tunes. Like The Futureheads, FF don't mask their Anglo accents or influences, they just stomp through an album full of dancefloor rockers with charm and vigor. These sharp-dressed fellows never met a high-hat they won't ride right to the disco and goddamn it I'm following 'em there.

Jacqueline

9

M.I.A./Diplo
Piracy Funds Terrorism Volume 1
Hollertronix

Like Cam, my M.I.A. obsession is well-docmented on this here Slang. Mash-ups are, like, sooooooo 2002.

Bingo (Diplo mix)

10

Various Artists
Golden Apples of the Sun
Bastet

Thank god for Soulseek, otherwise it woulda been impossible to track this one down. Devendra Banhart curated this collection of like-minded freakfolkies with a run of about 1000 copies. Succeeding where most mulit-artist compliations (label samplers, scene retrospectives, etc.) flop, Golden Apples molds a primarily singular aesthetic (acoustic pickery, warbling vocals, rattling, lo-fi percussion) into a definitively cohesive album. It sounds like a band of wild-eyed, road-weary gypsies pluckin' and singin' at dawn, whispering tales of who-knows-what-kinda-life. Consistently haunting and beautiful.

Hunt this down however you can (Soulseek for PC kids, eBay for you other poor souls?)

Jana Hunter - Farm, CA

11-20:

11 Pinback Summer in Abaddon Touch & Go
12 Dizzee Rascal Showtime XL
13 Lali Puna Faking the Books Morr Music
14 MF Doom Mm..food Rhymesayers
15 Ted Leo Shake the Sheets Lookout!
16 Wiley Treadin' on Thin Ice XL
17 Jason Forrest The Unrelenting Songs of the 1979 Post Disco Crash Sonig
18 The Legends Up Against the Legends Lakeshore
19 Animal Collective Sung Tongs Fat Cat
20 Phoenix Alphabetical Astralwerks