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Last year seemed to be a pretty down year for music on a whole, but several albums I thought were worthy of destinction - primarily Green Day's "American Idiot" and Velvet Revolver's "Contraband". Green Day's album in particular was a brilliant effort, considering the political message behind it and the overall high quality of the music. Very few bands can take such a strong anti-establishment stance in their music and retain credibility. Green Day succeeds because they are a very talented group of musicians who back up their message with solid music and memorable vocals. This is an album that musicians just don't debut with, and I suspect that Green Day's credentials as a well established punk-rock band were the only reason the record company gave this album the green light (no pun intended).

U2's album to me was a huge dissapointment, considering the hype that it received and several gushing reviews that heralded the record as the band's best effort in years. Frankly, after listining to this record I'm starting to think that U2 is spent, and that their best days are long behind them. While I give credit to Bono for staying relevant through the charity work he does, I believe that U2 is hitting a point in their career where they should strongly consider hanging up the guitars. They are dangerously close to crossing into Aerosmith territory and becoming a has-been rock legend who doesn't know when the show has ended.

Your thoughts?

Musicology first time, in along time the man has had something to say other than 'woe is me ... pluse it's just plain groovey, and nice tracks to get funky with the females with!

EDIT :: School's in session y'all!

I don't listen to much music, but I really liked Harmonium from Vanessa Carlton.

Tom Waits - Real Gone

Definately american idiot as the album of the of the year, political message, memorable music and above all talent.

Another favourite of mine has been Three cheers for sweet revenge by my chemical romance. Not just your typical emo album (coming from someone who despises typical emo).

I want to put APC's emotive in there, but the album despite being well produced is weak compared to previous endeavours a good album none the less.

Isis : - Panopticon. Another Excellent album.

and finally my last fav for the year is Mad Capsule Markets album CiSTm k0nFLiqT japanese rock music with a techno twist. Good CD.

Labyrinth by Juno Reactor.

I only bought one album in 2004: American Idiot from Green Day. It was good. But, I have little to compare it too in the end...

Being ignorant of what gets played on the radio and on MTV, I thought 2004 produced better albums than what got produced in 2003.

Franz Ferdinand's self-titled album was excellent. Simply pure rock&roll which makes you want to get up and dance.

"Underachiever's Please Try Harder" by Camera Obscura another Scottish band, was very good IMO. Sweet female vocals and soothing melodies made for a very impressive album.

"Duotone" by Persil. These guys from Amsterdam produced the best happy-sounding electro-pop album of the year, and they're obscure now, but in a few year's they'll be huge.

"Milkman" by Deerhoof was probably the most creative and progressive rock album to come out last year, however, it needs to be played several times before the songs become enjoyable.

"Blondie" by Ada from Germany is the best techno album to come out last year, and is one of those albums you can play over and over.

"Leviathan" by Mastadon was the best Metal album to come out last year. I haven't heard guitar work that gave me goosbumps like that in 10 years.

"I, Lucifer" by the Real Tuesday Weld, couldn't really be considered Rock&Roll, but highly developed pop. It's a soundtrack to a book, and the elbum conveys a very emotional story.

"Funeral" by Arcade Fire, from Montreal however was by far the best album. They pretty much use an entire orchestra on the album, and the compositions are unlike anything else that's being produced by other bands. You can keep playing the album over and over and the songs never get stale, it's so intricate.

I'd also include on my list "Sur Les Traces De Black Eskimo" by Les Georges Leningrad (another montreal band), "Up Against the Legends", by the Swedish band The Legends, "Sonic Nurse" by Sonic Youth, "Medulla" by Bjork, "Laced With Romance" by Ponys, "Le Maison De Mon Reve" by the French-hotties band CocoRosie, "Fingers Crossed" by Architecture in Helsinki, "Dios" by Dios, "Basement on the Hill" by Elliot Smith, and "Love the Cup" by Sons and Daughters another Scottish Band.

Fear Factory - Archetype -superb return to form.

Scars of the Crucifix - Deicide - imo their best album yet, brutal guitars with an air of epic 80s nostalgia with the solos, the vocals and lyrics you'd expect.

The new KSE one was so-so.

The new slipknot one I thought had some damn good songs on it. Particularly Prelude 3.0, before I forget, and The Virus of Life, The Nameless was an ok song too.

I'd put in Vital Remains' Dechristianize album in, but apparently that was 2003.

Orbital had a recent release as well, I've not heard it, but I'm sure that was great too.

P.S Music threads go in A + P now.

To AMP with thee!

sorry.....my mistake.

The only new album I've bought that really rocked my socks this year was Franz Ferdinand.

They should go on to do great things.

Green Day's 'American Idiot' would have to be my pick, unless Blink-182's self-titled came out in 2004 (I can't remember)--then I'd really have to think about it, because they're both really good...

Vendetta wrote:The only new album I've bought that really rocked my socks this year was Franz Ferdinand.

They should go on to do great things.

They're going have a very difficult time producing a sophomore album which doesn't dissapoint, because their first album relied so much on guitar hooks.

Showing both my age and music preferences here, one of the few CD's I got this year was John Fogerty's Deja Vu All Over Again

I haven't listened to it all yet (and i have bought it), but American Idiot by Green Day is looking good if Boulevard of Broken Dreams is the standard.

Franz Ferdinand was good.

Continuing the self named albums i also liked Scissor Sisters.

IIRC Absolution by Muse was very late 2003, but since it's qualifying for the Brits i reckon it qualifies as 2004, and IMO has some of the best rock songs ever on it.

Tyranasaurus Hives by The Hives was a nice slice of punk rock with some good sounds.

(names shrunk to preserve some of my reputation)
Room on the Third Floor by McFly was a surprisingly good album IMO, despite having some utter crap on it, the good songs were good enough to redeem the album and the band as awhole in my eyes.

And that's it for the good albums.

IMO How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb by U2 and Up All Night by Razorlight both suffered the same fate of having one good song on them and being over hyped as some of the best albums ever.

Not that the music is new, but Neil Young released a Greatest Hits album in 2004 which is just an outstanding compilation.

Green Day's American Idiot is by far one of the best, if not the best album to come out in 2004. A few other very good ones were IMO Eminem's Encore, Hoobastank's The Reason, and Korn's Greatest Hits Vol. 1. U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was decent, but definately waaaaaay over-hyped. And my favorite new(ish) artist would be Marc Broussard's Carenco.

The Downward Spiral Deluxe Edition (Nine Inch Nails) may not count, as it it only a rerlease of some old material (digitally remastered in 5.1 surround sound, but old material nonetheless). It's orgasmic though. Purely orgasmic.

Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge (My Chemical Romance) is another great album. Just about every song on the album is a great song, and generally for different reasons.

American Idiot (Green Day) is the band's best album so far, IMO-- I dunno if it's the best album of '04, but it's pretty damn close.

Archetype (Fear Factory), as Rye said, is pretty good. I haven't sat down and listened to all of it yet, but I love what I've heard so far.

I could go on forever... I think I'm gonna leave it at this though.

The problem with "Boulivard of Broken Dreams" is that the radio stations(atleast local) have been trying to do to it what has been done with "Good Riddence", only in a much shorter time span.

I second Franz Ferdinand, the Scissor Sisters, and Tom Waits' Real Gone.

I also nominate Elliott Smith's From A Basement on the Hill. It was released almost exactly a year after his death, and to know that this album was what he had running through his head when he killed himself is kinda haunting.

The re-release of The Name of this Band is Talking Heads (by, obviously, the Talking Heads) is also a fucking awesome album. It's a two-disc set that's about 75% never-released live recordings, including new versions of several songs, like Born under Punches (extremely good) and yet another alternate version of Psycho Killer.