Top 25 of 2004, A First Draft: #25-11 + Honorable Mentions
I’d like to get the Nagging Annual Best-Of List Monkey off my back before I head back to Peoria for the holidays on Tuesday, so here goes with part one of a hopelessly flawed, unthoroughly researched, and tragically incomplete list, but, alas, it is the best I can do for the time being. I certainly could not outdo the noiseboy in this department—my main man has put together the most beautiful, well-written list you will see this season—it is certainly the Best of the Best-Of 2004 Lists, bar none.
Each list comes with its own caveats. Most of mine can be summed up, ironically enough, in a spontaneous poem by my least favorite defense secretary. From The Poetry of D.H. Rumsfeld:
As we know,
There are known knowns.
There are things we know we know.
We also know
There are known unknowns.
That is to say
We know there are some things
We do not know.
But there are also unknown unknowns,
The ones we don't know
We don't know.
—Feb. 12, 2002, Department of Defense news briefing
It would seem, then, that the incompetent running of a war is a lot like listening to music. What follows is a non-Rummy-approved list of known knowns. These are albums I know I know, albums I have enjoyed immensely over the last year, albums I have listened to enough times to evaluate their relative merits against those of others.
Alas, there are known unknowns as well. These are albums to which I have not yet been privy, mostly for lack of unlimited cash flow. These include the latest from Interpol, the Libertines, U2, PJ Harvey, Eminem, the Drive-by Truckers, the Go Find, Eagles of Death Metal, Ghost, Stars, Iris Dement, Circle, Nick Cave, Morrissey, and Sonic Youth, and plenty more. Someday I will hear each of these records and factor them into the equation, but for now, they lie with the ranks of the known unknowns, that is, unknowable.
Finally, of course, there are the unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know we don’t know, and the most exciting category of all. There is no greater feeling to a record collector than the discovery of an unknown unknown, but there is nothing more that can be said here about them here.
There is another list, too, of known knowns—these are they who didn’t quite make the cut.
Just missed, coming in at #26:
ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI – Fingers Crossed
Right on the heels of Helsinki (but not necessarily in order):
JENS LEKMAN When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog (+ numerous EPs)
MOONBABIES The Orange Billboard
GHOST BUFFALO s/t EP
BETA BAND Heroes to Zeros
BUDDY MILLER Universal United House of Prayer
XIU XIU – Fabulous Muscles
JESSE MALIN – The Heat
MODEST MOUSE – Good News for People Who Love Bad News
BJORK – Medullah
BLACKOUTS – Living in Blue
MASTODON - Leviathan
There are those I have not heard enough yet to judge (the Castanets), and those I just don’t really feel yet (Joanna Newsom, Mirah, White Magic). There were some disappointments (Steve Earle, TV on the Radio), but a heckuva lot more that I liked, but not enough to make the cut, including the latest from: Clinic, the Thermals, the Mendoza Line, Division of Laura Lee, Loretta Lynn, Kasey Chambers, Decemberists, Hip Whips, Bigger Lovers, Memphis, Sufjan Stevens, Lali Puna, Graham Parker, Marah, Tarentel, Polyphonic Spree, and Unbunny.
With that said, I offer you a partial list of numbers 25 through 11; the top ten will receive a bit more attention later this week. Perhaps I will say something else about each of these outstanding records, but, for now, it remains but a list.
25. IRON & WINE – Our Endless Numbered Days
24. !!! – Louden Up Now
23. AIR – Talkie Walkie
22. THE CONCRETES – s/t
21. PINBACK – Summer in Abaddon
20. WILCO – A Ghost is Born
19. SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE – Dark Noontide
18. WOVENHAND – Consider the Birds
17. DESTROYER – Your Blues
16. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE – Sung Tongs
15. THE GRIS GRIS – s/t
14. WALKMEN – Bows & Arrows
13. FROG EYES – The Folded Palm
12. PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS – Up in Them Guts
11. ROBYN HITCHCOCK – Spooked
****************************
Finally, a snippet from today’s playlist, b/c there's no such thing as too many lists!
The Notwist – Neon Golden
Zerfas – s/t
v/a The History of Northwest Rock Volume I
The Fallen Angels - It's a Long Way Down
Third Ear Band – Raga Live
v/a Nuggets LPs volumes 3-5
Arzachel – s/t
Queen II
Wovenhand – Consider the Birds
Brian Wilson - Smile
Vashti Bunyan - Just Another Diamond Day
Each list comes with its own caveats. Most of mine can be summed up, ironically enough, in a spontaneous poem by my least favorite defense secretary. From The Poetry of D.H. Rumsfeld:
As we know,
There are known knowns.
There are things we know we know.
We also know
There are known unknowns.
That is to say
We know there are some things
We do not know.
But there are also unknown unknowns,
The ones we don't know
We don't know.
—Feb. 12, 2002, Department of Defense news briefing
It would seem, then, that the incompetent running of a war is a lot like listening to music. What follows is a non-Rummy-approved list of known knowns. These are albums I know I know, albums I have enjoyed immensely over the last year, albums I have listened to enough times to evaluate their relative merits against those of others.
Alas, there are known unknowns as well. These are albums to which I have not yet been privy, mostly for lack of unlimited cash flow. These include the latest from Interpol, the Libertines, U2, PJ Harvey, Eminem, the Drive-by Truckers, the Go Find, Eagles of Death Metal, Ghost, Stars, Iris Dement, Circle, Nick Cave, Morrissey, and Sonic Youth, and plenty more. Someday I will hear each of these records and factor them into the equation, but for now, they lie with the ranks of the known unknowns, that is, unknowable.
Finally, of course, there are the unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know we don’t know, and the most exciting category of all. There is no greater feeling to a record collector than the discovery of an unknown unknown, but there is nothing more that can be said here about them here.
There is another list, too, of known knowns—these are they who didn’t quite make the cut.
Just missed, coming in at #26:
ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI – Fingers Crossed
Right on the heels of Helsinki (but not necessarily in order):
JENS LEKMAN When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog (+ numerous EPs)
MOONBABIES The Orange Billboard
GHOST BUFFALO s/t EP
BETA BAND Heroes to Zeros
BUDDY MILLER Universal United House of Prayer
XIU XIU – Fabulous Muscles
JESSE MALIN – The Heat
MODEST MOUSE – Good News for People Who Love Bad News
BJORK – Medullah
BLACKOUTS – Living in Blue
MASTODON - Leviathan
There are those I have not heard enough yet to judge (the Castanets), and those I just don’t really feel yet (Joanna Newsom, Mirah, White Magic). There were some disappointments (Steve Earle, TV on the Radio), but a heckuva lot more that I liked, but not enough to make the cut, including the latest from: Clinic, the Thermals, the Mendoza Line, Division of Laura Lee, Loretta Lynn, Kasey Chambers, Decemberists, Hip Whips, Bigger Lovers, Memphis, Sufjan Stevens, Lali Puna, Graham Parker, Marah, Tarentel, Polyphonic Spree, and Unbunny.
With that said, I offer you a partial list of numbers 25 through 11; the top ten will receive a bit more attention later this week. Perhaps I will say something else about each of these outstanding records, but, for now, it remains but a list.
25. IRON & WINE – Our Endless Numbered Days
24. !!! – Louden Up Now
23. AIR – Talkie Walkie
22. THE CONCRETES – s/t
21. PINBACK – Summer in Abaddon
20. WILCO – A Ghost is Born
19. SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE – Dark Noontide
18. WOVENHAND – Consider the Birds
17. DESTROYER – Your Blues
16. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE – Sung Tongs
15. THE GRIS GRIS – s/t
14. WALKMEN – Bows & Arrows
13. FROG EYES – The Folded Palm
12. PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS – Up in Them Guts
11. ROBYN HITCHCOCK – Spooked
****************************
Finally, a snippet from today’s playlist, b/c there's no such thing as too many lists!
The Notwist – Neon Golden
Zerfas – s/t
v/a The History of Northwest Rock Volume I
The Fallen Angels - It's a Long Way Down
Third Ear Band – Raga Live
v/a Nuggets LPs volumes 3-5
Arzachel – s/t
Queen II
Wovenhand – Consider the Birds
Brian Wilson - Smile
Vashti Bunyan - Just Another Diamond Day
posted by Jonathan Wright at 11:32 PM EMAIL POST
