Best of 2004
I hope no one gets hard reading this: my motives for posting this entry are purely pragmatic. Since conversation is no accurate gauge, I wanted your written input regarding the best albums of 2004.
Having kept a tentative list since mid July, it's no trouble coming up with candidates, bearing in mind that this could change next week. I just bought the new Dizzee Rascal record; if it's as good as I think, then I might substitute it for the 2003 "Boy in Da Corner" (released in the U.S. this January).
A few summary observations: I'm struck by how many of my finalists are hip-hop albums. It's partly an acknowledgment that hip-hop now, for better or worse, IS the mainstream; and any music fan who ignores this
opens herself to charges of either racism (really), elitism (likely) or philistinism (more likely). Kanye West's "College Dropout" is as good as expensive mainstream hip-hop gets, and Kanye's conflicited in more interesting ways than the Jay Z of last year's "Black Album" (although "99 Problems" is one motherfucker of a song. What a farewell!). The same goes for the Usher single of your choice. I despised "Yeah!" the first 10,000 times and then, surrounded by sweaty, swollen, gyrating Hialeah women at Fat Tuesday's one Friday night in April, I rolled over, lubed my ass, and surrendered.
I resisted putting Prince's "Musicology" for obvious, elitist (yes) reasons: it's the comeback of the year, and on first listen way, way too easy. His Purpleness is no longer capable of a "Sign O'The Times" or "Purple Rain", so I suppose we're lucky he put down his Bible and his dick long enough to yawn these 10 unpretentnious little songs, some of which grew more impressive upon the 20th listen. Now I gotta admit I love it, and the imp deserves his comeback.
There's a gaggle of overrated albums to which I've devoted much ear time, with varying results. At worst these albums contain one or two salvageable tracks suitable for mixed tapes (sorry, still the best medium for this sort of thing) or CD's. I'm sure you'll all violently disagree; that's what this posting is for! These candidates include: Bjork's "Medulla"; Loretta Lynn's "Van Lear Rose"; and Morrissey's "You Are Not The Quarry."
So here they are, the best of 2004 thus far, in no particular order. I'm not entirely sure about the Franz Ferdinand; I'm pretty sure I'll dump it by the time I turn in my results to this year's Pazz & Jop poll:
(1) Kanye West - The College Dropout
(2) Dizzee Rascal - Boy in Da Corner
(3) Mountain Goats - We Shall Be Released
(4) Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
(5) PJ Harvey - Uh Huh Her
(6) Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free
(7) Prince - Musicology
(8) Franz Ferdinand - s/t
(9) Lou Reed - Animal Language (live)
(10)Talking Heads - Name of This Band is Talking Heads
The Best Singles of 2004 (thus far):
Jay Z - "99 Problems"
Usher - "Yeah!"
Franz Ferdinand - "Michael"
Loretta Lynn - "Portland, Oregon"
The Libertines - "Can't Stand Me Now"
Britney Spears - "Toxic"
Modest Mouse - "Float On"
Streets - "Fit But You Know It"
Morrissey - "First of The Gang To Die"
Kanye West - "Jesus Walks"
Having kept a tentative list since mid July, it's no trouble coming up with candidates, bearing in mind that this could change next week. I just bought the new Dizzee Rascal record; if it's as good as I think, then I might substitute it for the 2003 "Boy in Da Corner" (released in the U.S. this January).
A few summary observations: I'm struck by how many of my finalists are hip-hop albums. It's partly an acknowledgment that hip-hop now, for better or worse, IS the mainstream; and any music fan who ignores this
opens herself to charges of either racism (really), elitism (likely) or philistinism (more likely). Kanye West's "College Dropout" is as good as expensive mainstream hip-hop gets, and Kanye's conflicited in more interesting ways than the Jay Z of last year's "Black Album" (although "99 Problems" is one motherfucker of a song. What a farewell!). The same goes for the Usher single of your choice. I despised "Yeah!" the first 10,000 times and then, surrounded by sweaty, swollen, gyrating Hialeah women at Fat Tuesday's one Friday night in April, I rolled over, lubed my ass, and surrendered.
I resisted putting Prince's "Musicology" for obvious, elitist (yes) reasons: it's the comeback of the year, and on first listen way, way too easy. His Purpleness is no longer capable of a "Sign O'The Times" or "Purple Rain", so I suppose we're lucky he put down his Bible and his dick long enough to yawn these 10 unpretentnious little songs, some of which grew more impressive upon the 20th listen. Now I gotta admit I love it, and the imp deserves his comeback.
There's a gaggle of overrated albums to which I've devoted much ear time, with varying results. At worst these albums contain one or two salvageable tracks suitable for mixed tapes (sorry, still the best medium for this sort of thing) or CD's. I'm sure you'll all violently disagree; that's what this posting is for! These candidates include: Bjork's "Medulla"; Loretta Lynn's "Van Lear Rose"; and Morrissey's "You Are Not The Quarry."
So here they are, the best of 2004 thus far, in no particular order. I'm not entirely sure about the Franz Ferdinand; I'm pretty sure I'll dump it by the time I turn in my results to this year's Pazz & Jop poll:
(1) Kanye West - The College Dropout
(2) Dizzee Rascal - Boy in Da Corner
(3) Mountain Goats - We Shall Be Released
(4) Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
(5) PJ Harvey - Uh Huh Her
(6) Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free
(7) Prince - Musicology
(8) Franz Ferdinand - s/t
(9) Lou Reed - Animal Language (live)
(10)Talking Heads - Name of This Band is Talking Heads
The Best Singles of 2004 (thus far):
Jay Z - "99 Problems"
Usher - "Yeah!"
Franz Ferdinand - "Michael"
Loretta Lynn - "Portland, Oregon"
The Libertines - "Can't Stand Me Now"
Britney Spears - "Toxic"
Modest Mouse - "Float On"
Streets - "Fit But You Know It"
Morrissey - "First of The Gang To Die"
Kanye West - "Jesus Walks"