Top 10 Music By Costa Caloudas
Although 2004 was somewhat disappointing, it was the year of the concept record: "Smile," "Blueberry Boat," "Madvillainy," and "A Grand Don't Come For Free." '05 shows more promise with new releases from Spoon, ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Sleater-Kinney, Low, the Decemberists, New Order and Primal Scream.
1. FIERY FURNACES "Blueberry Boat" (Rough Trade)
The Fiery Furnaces combined Brian Eno's electro-innovation with Patti Smith's punk-poet-laureate sensibilities. The linear narrative gives "Boat" endless replay value. What does it all mean? That's subjective to the listener.
2. COMETS ON FIRE "Blue Cathedral" (Subpop)
This is the soundtrack to driving recklessly, committing crimes, throwing bottles and setting things on fire.
3. BRIAN WILSON "Smile" (Nonesuch)
Maybe this record shouldn't count. Is it technically a reissue? Yes and no.
4. DEVIN THE DUDE "To tha X-treme" (Rap-a-lot)
Devin is "just tryin' ta live," and rapping about scraping by with conversationalist flow is what makes "To tha X-treme" the best hip-hop record of '04. There's a reason why Devin the Dude is every rapper's favorite rapper. He's emotionally vulnerable, and his ability to craft dark, self-deprecating rhymes is uncanny.
5. ARIEL PINK "Haunted Graffiti 2: the Doldrums" (Paw Tracks)
In James Elroy's "Destination: MORGUE!" he writes, "L.A.'s weird shit is the best weird shit on earth and I grew up where it flourished prosaic." Ariel Pink is "L.A.'s weird shit."
6. THE STREETS "A Grand Don't Come For Free" (Vice)
In this concept album about a day in the life of Mike Skinner, only Skinner can make the mundane sound fascinating. "My rage is blowing gauges, how long does it take to validate your wages? At last my turn comes, press the 50 quid button ... insufficient funds."
7. AUTOLUX "Future Perfect" (DMZ)
This band has gained notoriety for upstaging the bands they open for - namely Clinic and Blonde Redhead. And they really like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine. Autolux turn their amps to 11. Loud is back.
8. THE BETA BAND "Heroes to Zeros" (Astral Werks)
The Beta Band has always felt insurmountable pressure to be the next Radiohead. After the "Three EPs" came out, they got a major-label deal and unlimited studio time - and they ran up millions of dollars in debt. They finally made their swan song, "Heroes to Zeros." Then they broke up.
9. MADVILLAIN "Madvillainy" (Stones Throw)
Metal-fingered Doom teams up with Madlib to create "Madvillain," "the best emcee with no chain ya ever heard."
10. THE LIBERTINES "The Libertines" (Rough Trade)
When they recorded their follow-up to "Up the Bracket," bodyguards had to be present to keep Pete and Carl from beating the crap out of each other. This record captures that tension.
Best albums of the year -- a second opinion By Jen Turner
Rather than writing some trite analysis of these fine albums, I've decided to describe the physical settings that each record invokes.
1. Joanna Newsom "The Milk-Eyed Mender" (Drag City)
Holed up in a small coffee shop or basically anywhere with an overstuffed sofa and an afghan. This was my spring 2004 finals soundtrack, and I got a 4.0. Choice tracks: "Sadie," "Bridges and Balloons."
2. TV on the Radio "Desperate Youth Bloodthirsty Babes" (Touch & Go)
In a pew in the revolutionary church of heated emotion, in rapt attention while ghosts are being beckoned down from the rafters. Choice tracks: "Ambulance," "Dreams."
3. Devendra Banhart "Rejoicing in the Hands" (YoungGod)
In the woods somewhere, preferably barefoot, collecting berries to take back to the commune. Choice tracks: "This is the Way," "Todo Los Dolores."
4. Mirah "C'mon Miracle" (K Records)
This is going to be a little too specific: in my '91 Plymouth Acclaim, driving down Sixth Avenue in Portland, on my way to the Meow Meow Club to catch Mirah's secret $5 show. Choice tracks: "Promise to Me," "We're Both So Sorry."
5. Animal Collective "Sung Tongs" (Fat Cat)
A sad house, where all the kitties are going "meow." Choice tracks: "Leaf House," "Who Could Win a Rabbit."
6. Mountain Goats "We Shall All Be Healed" (4AD)
Wherever it is, John Darnielle is serenading me and he has divorced his livejournal-keeping wife. Choice tracks: "Slow West Vultures," "Your Belgian Things."
7. Madvillian "Madvilliany" (Stones Throw)
The opening credits to the old (awesome) show "Ghostwriter," specifically the part where Sheldon Turnipseed is getting fresh on the Brooklyn Bridge. Choice tracks: "Meat Grinder," "Money Folder."
8. The Decemberists "Tain EP" (Acuarela)
Standing in on a bleak gravel road, which runs through an equally dreary, beige field of weeds. Choice tracks: Well, it's an EP so this is technically cheating but all five are good.
9. Rilo Kiley "More Adventurous" (Brute/Beaute/Warner)
Actually, I'm just going to cut to the chase and say that the main reason this album made the cut is but one track that I've lovingly dubbed "my jam": "A Man/Me/Then Jim."
10. The Fiery Furnaces "Blueberry Boat" (Rough Trade)
At some crazy, whimsical circus, and there's a dog in a rainbow sweater balancing a hot dog on its nose, and people dressed in Rainbow Brite sheets as togas, spinning around in office chairs. Choice tracks: "Paw Paw Tree," "I Lost My Dog."
And a third... By Lindsay Bernier
1. The Arcade Fire "Funeral" (Merge)
The sounds of pure longing and desperation, distilled and overpowered by hope, ending up as 48 minutes of heart-stopping perfection. For once, the indie rock hype machine succeeds. ÿ 2. Mirah "C'mon Miracle" (K)
Her disarmingly honest voice always the focal point, Mirah offsets contemplative ballads with crunchy, mid-tempo almost-rockers, always sparkling with urgency. Incredibly easy to listen to for hours on end. ÿ 3. A.C. Newman "Slow Wonder" (Matador)
Carl Newman is an unstoppable machine, whose bands each year create a new batch of infectious, original, danceable, sing-along worthy, smile-inducing, amazing pop songs. His solo debut upholds the tradition. ÿ 4. The Castanets "Cathedral" (Asthmatic Kitty)
An album not suited for falling asleep, but for lying awake in the dark and thinking of absolutely nothing but the recording's intricacies. Often quiet, always thrilling, and never satiating after just one 29-minute spin. ÿ 5. Kanye West "College Dropout" (Rocafella)
Fact: mediocre albums do not spawn five ubiquitous singles. One or two, surely, but five? The rare hip-hop album is both inventive and intelligent in both words and music, replete with repetition-friendly hooks. ÿ 6. Pinback "Summer In Abaddon" (Touch & Go)
Blissfully cohesive, with cryptic lyrics enveloped in a comforting, distinctive sound. Contains absolutely no filler and a definite number of the best songs Pinback has produced. ÿ 7. K-Os "Joyful Rebellion" (Astralwerks)
A Canadian emcee and singer who feels no need to stick to one genre, expanding past traditional hip-hop beats to include healthy doses of soul, jazz, reggae, etc. Always keeping his pop sensibilities intact allows K-Os to meld everything seamlessly. ÿ 8. John Vanderslice "Cellar Door" (Barsuk)
A songwriter and producer with a consummate attention to detail, Vanderslice here bests all his previous albums, weaving pensive stories with intricate yet supremely listenable instrumentation. ÿ 9. Rogue Wave "Out of the Shadow" (Sub Pop)
Half ballads and half more upbeat, Rogue Wave's incredible debut uphold a pleasing, never jarring diversity. Zero songs dip below "good" in quality, and many surpass "great." One to actually buy: the packaging is awesome. ÿ 10. The Plastic Constellations "Mazatlan" (2024)
The album for all of us that spent our high school years embroiled in post-post-punk/e-word phases, and haven't fallen so far we're afraid of anything more "rock" than "pretty." ÿ Essential Party Record of the Year: The Go! Team - "Thunder, Lightning, Strike" (Memphis Industries) Live instrumentation and a healthy dose of sampling in a perfect ratio for a fantastically unclassifiable album, an apt soundtrack for both spy movies and adventurous listeners' daily lives.
Scene Stealers: Music By Costa Caloudas and Dan Longino
BEST DVD 'Live Forever'
This is the story of how Brit-Pop blossomed, from the Stone Roses to Pulp to the death of the genre (Robbie Williams). It even gets political and shows how Tony Blair and New Labour used Oasis and Blur to win the '94 election.
THE 'LOOKING ADVERSITY IN THE FACE AND MAKING THE BEST WORK OF HIS CAREER' AWARD R. Kelly
In the midst of tons of legal woes, R. Kelly busts out another epic inspirational jam ("U Saved Me") and makes us all step in the name of love. If loving R Kelly is wrong, then we don't want to be right. Ask yourself, what's the R&B without the 'R'?
MOST OVERRATED BAND The Arcade Fire
Don't believe the hype. Their record "Funeral" is far from perfect. What a bummer. A band that attracts David Bowie and David Byrne at gigs has to be great, right? Not exactly. Bowie's track record isn't perfect ("Tonight" was awful) and neither is Byrne ("The Forest"? What was he thinking?) This band is for people who've never heard of Neutral Milk Hotel.
BEST SOUNDTRACK 'Team America: World Police'
The best part of Trey Parker and Matt Stone's all-marionette Bruckheimer spoof is clearly the music. With totally rockin' hot tracks like "Everyone Has AIDS," "Freedom Isn't Free," "Montage," "America, Fuck Yeah!" and "America, Fuck Yeah! (Bummer Remix)" the "Team America" soundtrack never gets old.
BEST VIDEO Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Y Control"
This Spike Jonze directed gem is straight-up twisted. Little kids chopping each other's hands up, a dog corpse and Jonze's trademark quirk makes for the best music video of the year.
BEST POLITICAL TOUR THAT DIDN'T WORK Vote for Change
Where else can you see R.E.M. perform "Man on the Moon" with Bruce Springsteen on vocals, or Eddie Vedder and the E Street Band play "Better Man"?
WORST LIVE PERFORMANCE Hoobastank, 'The Reason'
The worst moment of the worst MTV Video Music Awards in years (and that's saying a lot) came with the Âber-crappy Hoobastank performing this year's rock ballad hit "The Reason." Why did the show suck? "And the reason is you."
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS Interpol's 'Antics' Elliott Smith's 'From a Basement on a Hill'
After Interpol re-released their demos from "Bright Lights" about 3,000 times, they finally came out with a new album. Great news, right? Wrong. It's unbearably boring and uninspired. "Antics" has the worst lyrics in the history of music.
The much-anticipated Elliott Smith album fell victim to his family's censorship. Songs like "Suicide Machine" and "Abused" got the axe, while songs he never wanted made the final cut. Not to mention the fact that Rob Schnapf was brought in to finish it (Smith had a falling out Schnapf and didn't want him to touch the record). "Basement" is uneven, incohesive and frustrating to listen to. Not a "fond farewell" from Texas' best songwriter since Willie Nelson.
NEXT BIG THING Bloc Party
Clever, catchy, punky and sometimes funky from South London's finest. If these guys aren't selling out the 9:30 club by this time next year, something is wrong. Way better than Franz Ferdinand, the Futureheads, and the Killers.
