Prefixmag Staff Picks: Part 1

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Prefix
Magazine

These are the albums that the staff felt stood above the rest in 2004. Enjoy.

	Aaron Rietz Staff Writer



		Animal Collective Sung Tongs (FatCat) June 1, 2004
		Superpitcher Here Comes Love (Kompakt) March 30, 2004
		Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand (Domino) March 9, 2004
		Destroyer Your Blues (Merge) March 9, 2004
		Madvillian Madvilliany (Stones Throw) March 23, 2004
		Arcade Fire Funeral (Merge) Sept. 14, 2004
		Bjork Medulla (Elektra) Aug. 31, 2004
		Junior Boys Last Exit (Domino) Sept. 21, 2004
		Deerhoof Milk Man (Kill Rock Stars) March 9, 2004
		The Streets A Grand Don't Come For Free (Vice/Atlantic) May 18, 2004

	Annie Wilner Staff Writer



	5	Loretta Lynn Van Lear Rose (Interscope) April 27, 2004 American music was made by people like Loretta Lynn. To clarify, American music was made by people like Loretta Lynn and their no-good cheatin' boyfriends. Also, the reputable tabloid The Globe put her on the cover because she was touring with a dangerous case of pneumonia and surely she would die! Her family members "said" that although she was on the verge of death and the American Medical Association unanimously ruled against Lynn continuing with her tour, she refused to Aunt "Wimpy" Geraldine's pleas to just stay home and rest. Why do I tell you this? You can't chain a country singer's spirit to her potentially "terminally ill" condition. Loretta Lynn lives.
	4	Frank Ferdinand S/T (Domino) March 9, 2004 Geeks ruling the world -- no, totally pale geeks ruling the world -- no, totally pale geeks with their guitars ruling the world -- rules my world.
	3	Panda Bear Young Prayer (Paw Tracks) Sept. 28, 2004
	2	PJ Harvey Uh Huh Her (Island) June 8, 2004 Uh huh. This is not her best album, but everything PJ Harvey does is genius. She is the greatest white chick alive (sorry Wayans brothers).
	1	Joanna Newsom The Milky-Eyed Mender (Drag City) March 23, 2004 Modest musicians take the cake this year. This was the year of the dork, the geek, the outcast, and whoever identified with the raccoons instead of Condaleeza Rice. Absolutely phenomenal lyrics locate Joanna Newsom aloft my five-tiered wedding cake. "The sight of bridges and balloons/ makes calm canaries irritable./ They caw and claw all afternoon/ Catenaries and Dirigeables." This neo-folk harpist crafts melodies as delicate as Victorian lace, the clouds before rain. Her precocious song structures can surprise like an O'Henry story but with more orchards and exotic birds. Growing up in Reno, Newsom would get liquored up by the railroad tracks. And she's really nice. I met her. Verdict: lovely, lovely, and lovely.

	China Bialos Staff Writer



	23	Prosaics Aghast Agape EP (Dim Mak) Oct. 12, 2004 This was the year of the '80s revival, and even so, bands like Prosaics avoided cheesiness and stood out by creating flowing synth-instrumentals a la My Bloody Valentine.
	22	Langhorne Slim Electric Love Letter EP (Narnack) March 23, 2004 He may be appropriate for the country fair, but he's got spunk.
	21	Gravenhurst Black Holes in the Sand EP (Warp) Nov. 2, 2004 The EP is actually more beautiful than the full-length released earlier this year -- wonderful acoustic guitarwork and a Husker Du cover. Does it get any better?
	20	Tom Waits Real Gone (Anti-) Oct. 5, 2004 So much Tom Waits-style quirkiness packed into one CD. I appreciate that the ballads were kept to a minimum. A personal highlight is "Shake It."
	19	The Walkmen Bows and Arrows (Record Collection) Feb. 3, 2004 Enough with the Strokes comparisons. This album is a bit more "rock" than their debut, but it manages to have a really pretty essence about it -- kind of like Christmas lights in a city.
	18	Real Tuesday Weld I, Lucifer (Six Degrees) May 11, 2004 Drama without the visuals. Another one of 2004's most overlooked.
	17	The Futureheads The Futureheads (Sire) Sept. 7, 2004 For a band that undeniably sounds like XTC, this is fantastic. Dan Carter's review is dead-on in pointing out the prominence of vocals here, and quite honestly, this is by far one of the most solid pop albums to come out this year.
	16	Holly Golightly Slowly But Surely (Damaged Goods) October 2004 She's definitely become more musically mature since Thee Headcoatees, and this features Holly going the slow country ballad route much more than her last album, Truly She Is None Other.
	15	Interpol Antics (Matador) Sept. 28, 2004 Many will argue on this one because Antics is less dark and personal than Turn on the Bright Lights, but I find it satisfying to see they have identified their own sound out this point. Additionally, Antics finds Paul Banks sounding more like himself and less like Ian Curtis.
	14	Black Keys Rubber Factory (Fat Possum) Sept. 7, 2004 Even with an album that's slightly more polished than their first two, the Black Keys continue to be smooth yet rough, and vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach continues to be the refreshing man among a sea of painfully high voices.
	13	Sonic Youth Sonic Nurse (Geffen) June 8, 2004 Another predictable choice, but that they can still make experimental albums while their sound simultaneously shows up in newer great bands like Kinski and Trail of Dead means they have consistency that most bands can't even strive for.
	12	PJ Harvey Uh Huh Her (Island) June 8, 2004 I am a huge PJ Harvey fan and was happy to see she'd started making fairly raw music again, despite her turn at maturity over the last few albums. Every album is different but she's consistently great and never goes out of style.
	11	The Libertines The Libertines (Rough Trade) Aug. 30, 2004 It's not quite as strong as their debut, but this is more solid a rock album than most to come out this year. That they've worked with Mick Jones is apparent, as they've got a fair amount of Clash energy about them.
	10	The Hives Tyrannosaurus Hives (Interscope) July 20, 2004 Before I'm told this group of spirited Swedes has become far too poppy to be considered "punk," let me first say that I agree. However, this is a near-perfect pop album; it is catchy, somewhat dynamic, never gets tiring, and contains a token ballad (the James Brown-like "Diabolic Scheme," my favorite song on the album).
	9	Badly Drawn Boy One Plus One is One (Astralwerks) July 27, 2004 The odd thing about this album is that it has fewer standout tracks than its predecessor, Have You Fed the Fish?, but overall is much more consistent and full. I also like the bonus tracks on the U.S. version.
	8	Coachwhips Bangers Versus Fuckers (Narnack) Jan. 27, 2004 New Yorkers who make distorted garage rock aren't exactly the newest thing, but what sets the Coachwhips apart is that they play five times faster than any other band, and their album is insanely consistent -- none of those surprise ballads or "meaningful songs." Oh, and it's nice and concise for those of us with short attention spans.
	7	Ratatat Ratatat (XL) April 20, 2004 I'll be damned if this isn't on everyone's list for 2004; it's amazing what two guys can do with two guitars and some beats.
	6	The Fall 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong (Beggars Banquet) June 8, 2004 Yeah, they had a new LP, and sure, it was pretty good. But that doesn't change the fact that this is one of the best greatest-hits compilations I've ever heard. One listen and I was a fan; granted, I love '70s and '80s Britpunk, but despite the bias, this is worth the time it takes to listen to both discs.
	5	Detachment Kit Of This Blood (French Kiss) May 18, 2004 It's like a mashed-up version of Les Savy Fav, but they do it oh-so-well. This was overlooked this year.
	4	Elliott Smith From a Basement on the Hill (Anti-) Oct. 19, 2004 Cliché, yes, but clichés exist for a reason. This may not be his best album, but it is incredibly beautiful, particularly compared to a number of albums that came out this year. Had he pieced this record together himself, though, I do wonder if he would have ended on the painfully pessimistic "A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity to Be Free."
	3	Devendra Banhart Nino Rojo (Young God) Sept. 13, 2004 I loved this on the first listen and found it refreshing to hear a folk singer use lo-fi while sounding optimistic! In a year where political music dominates, it's nice to hear the phrase, "Hey there, Mr. Happy Squid, you move so psychedelically."
	2	Jolie Holland Escondida (Anti-) April 27, 2004 Easily the most underrated album of the year; her voice is gorgeous -- sounds even better now that she's incorporated a few jazz elements -- and the album will never go out of style. Plus, it's nice to see a female vocalist who doesn't make her half-naked body the focus of her cover art.
	1	TV on the Radio Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (Touch and Go) March 9, 2004 I'm sure there will be many a fight over this one, but I think this album is incredible, especially when blasted to the highest of volumes so that it thrashes a la Joy Division.

	Dan Carter Staff Writer



	9	808 State Prebuild (Rephlex Records) Oct. 5, 2004 A fascinating collection of bedroom recordings from Massey and Co. when A Guy Called Gerald Simpson was still a member. Lo-fi acid house, the next big thing? Oh, wait, that was yesterday.
	8	Arthur Russell Calling Out of Context (Audika Records) Feb. 16, 2004
	7	Arthur Russell The World of Arthur Russell (Soul Jazz Records) Jan. 26, 2004 The New York City-based cellist was quietly responsible for some of disco's and house's most beloved classics, and he's finally getting his due with these two long overdue collections of his work. The haunting fragility of the cello-based songs on Context are unbelievable.
	6	Kanye West The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella) Feb. 10, 2004 One of the few hip-hop releases this year -- in fact, in any year -- with tracks that stand up to its singles. It's an album-length "Fuck You" to higher education, and it's destined to be a classic.
	5	Night Rally The Elegant Look of New (Self-Released) 2004 Beantown's best band. Lazy comparisons to Fugazi abound, and maybe the Pere Ubu ones are a little more accurate. But really, this is just some of the best songwriting and arrangements in years, not to mention a yelping mustachioed singer looking more like an Irish pugilist on loan from the late 19th century.
	4	Tomorrow's Friend Area 51 (Seven-Inch) (Self-Released) 2004 This New York City all-female four-piece unleash two songs on a homemade seven-inch and then break up. Glorious no-fi rock music: "Banging Everything in Sight" is sheer raw beauty in a five-minute song.
	3	Nirvana With the Lights Out (DGC) Nov. 23, 2004 Despite being the band that most influenced the current crop of nu-metal loser bands, Nirvana is still irreplaceable, and we've been waiting over a decade for this. As my friend feared before its release, this is pretty much sixty-one versions of "Beans." But yes, I do want to hear that.
	2	Animal Collective Sung Tongs (Paw Tracks) June 1, 2004 Wow. Avey Tare and Panda Bear prove they can boil down their experimentation to create some of the most wonderful avant pop songs ever. Exuberant beauty. The sound of the forest and hopefully the future.
	1	The Futureheads S/T (Startime) Sept. 7, 2004 The next XTC? The next Franz Ferdinand? Who knows, who cares? These kids know how to write unfathomably catchy pop songs, and they can sing their asses off.

	Dan Redding Staff Writer



	5	Chingy Powerballin' (Capitol) Nov. 16, 2004
	4	Chingy Powerballin' (Capitol) Nov. 16, 2004
	3	Chingy Powerballin' (Capitol) Nov. 16, 2004
	2	Chingy Powerballin' (Capitol) Nov. 16, 2004
	1	Chingy Powerballin' (Capitol) Nov. 16, 2004

	Dany Sloan Staff Writer



		Honorable Mentions: The Zutons: Who Killed...? (Sony) Wiley: Treadin' on Thin Ice (XL) Beans: Shock City Maverick (Warp) Jean Grae: This Week (Babygrande) Aloha: Here Comes Everyone (Polyvinyl) The Fiery Furnaces: Blueberry Boat (Sanctuary) Black Eyes: Cough (Dischord) Interpol: Antics (Matador)
	10	Measles Mumps Rubella Fear No Water (Troubleman) March 2, 2004 The only bad thing about this disc is its length. Stop teasing us with the singles and give us a whole fucking album. They pull off the whole Talking Heads/Liquid Liquid vibe and update it for the new millennium. Upcoming shows will have a section roped off for all of the shitty dance-punk bands to meet up and take notes.
	9	Nas Street's Disciple (Sony Urban Music/Columbia) Nov. 30, 2004 In a year where all hip hop could say was "Kanye, Kanye, Kanye," Nas drops in and says "Hey, don't forget about me" with an exapnsive and almost perfect double album. I listen to both of these discs and go away wanting more.
	8	Inouk No Danger (Say Hey) Aug. 24, 2004 This Brooklyn-via-Philadelphia band confounded me at first. I wasn't quite sure if they really dug classic rock, or if they were just being ironic. About a hundred spins later, it finally hit me: Inouk is one of most exciting bands to come out of New York City or anywhere else this year. And since I am still picking up on shit on No Danger, this excitement should carry on well into next year.
	7	Modest Mouse Good News for People Who Like Bad News (Sony) April 6, 2004 The fact that this album made Modest Mouse a household name is one hundred percent satisfying for longtime fans for one simple reason - it's their finest work to date. Isaac Brock and his band mates tackle the same subjects, but they look at everything from an optimistic perspective.
	6	TV on the Radio Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (Touch & Go) March 9, 2004 This really doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard. I don't want to describe it for fear of sounding like an enormous pretentious dick. I'll leave that to Dominic Umile.
	5	Q and Not U Power (Dischord) Oct. 5, 2004 The seeds for this album were planted a long time ago, and if you missed it, you were not listening. Check the groove of "We Heart Our Hive" on No Kill No Beep Beep, or the On Play Patterns single. The groove has been growing bit by bit with each release, and it's out there on full force with Power, this District trio's best album to date. Of course, there is some of what you might expect from a band inside the beltway, but it is all infused with a Morris Day/Prince sensibility.
	4	Ted Leo and The Pharmacists Shake the Sheets (Lookout!) Oct. 19, 2004 "If Ted Leo is not making music in ten years, it will be a crime against humanity." ~Travis Morrison [ex-Dismemberment Plan]
	3	Loretta Lynn Van Lear Rose (Interscope) April 27, 2004 If only all of those pesky red states could appreciate Ms. Lynn's career-redefining album rather than that fucking clown Toby Keith or whatever. I wasn't counting down the days leading up to this album's release, but after hearing it, I couldn't spin it enough. In bringing back the spark that made Lynn a household name without taking over the entire project, Jack White became about twelve times.
	2	The Streets A Grand Don't Come For Free (Vice/Atlantic) May 18, 2004 When I heard that Mike Skinner was following up the great Original Pirate Material with a concept album, I was ready for buddy to check out and start living off the dole again. Was I wrong: A Grand Don't Come For Free is bananas. There aren't many party-bangers, but Skinner still keeps the party alive while showing us the absolute depth of his lyrics. Plus, the Robbie Williams moment of "Dry Your Eyes" is to die for.
	1	Kanye West The College Dropout (Roc-a-Fella) Feb. 10, 2004 By the end of "We Don't Dare," West is frontin' on half of the ladies in the bar. Halfway through "Never Let Me Down," he and his boy Jigga are sitting in a dark corner with the two hottest ladies in the joint. And by the end of "Through the Wire," West is on his way home with both of those ladies. This album is no joke; every last second is pure fucking genius that still leaves me short of breath. If you like good hip-hop and don't own this, you are a complete fucking sucka.




	Dominic Umile Staff Writer (Honorable mentions go to many, but most importantly to the Bigger Lovers.)



	10	Dangermouse The Grey Album (Bootleg) February 2004 For as much press as this "unofficial" record has gotten, there still hasn't been enough. It's a breakthrough from the bedroom of a pop-music professional. An album that takes this much work and dedication should be recognized for the standout it is. I motion we knight this D'mouse bloke.
	9	DJ Cam Liquid Hip Hop (Inflamable) Aug. 24, 2004 Cam has always been around, dabbling in a little bit of everything. This record, however, as the title indicates, is a nod to great hip-hop beat-smiths in the States, such as Premier and Pete Rock. It's scratch-heavy trips through pimpin' instrumentals and hypnotic electro romps from a French gentleman who actually likes America. How refreshing.
	8	Wise and Foolish Builders Someone Like Smith (Self-released) 2004 Philadelphia is rich with the sound of Wise and Foolish Builders. The many folks that haven't heard this record should be seeking it out for the fireside chamber-pop wonder that it is. Piano-based glory, accented by sometimes-drunken sounding vocal harmonies and slide guitar -- what could be better?
	7	Kanye West The College Dropout (Roc-a-Fella) Feb. 10, 2004 Kanye's the brightest bulb on the Roc. His debut full-length is very worthy of the praise its gotten because of his ability to score my overwhelming disillusionment and distaste for academia. The album could do without so many skits, but the songwriting and beats are just too solid for me to complain. Sometimes I see Prefix writer Dany Sloan bumpin' this in his fat ride in town. We exchange real dirty looks when he rolls by.
	6	Diplo Florida (Big Dada) Sept. 21, 2004 This guy kills it every time he blesses the masses with Hollertronix. But Florida is a winner because it's his own thing, not just the mastery of mashing up Bonecrusher with the Cure. He brings us close enough to Florida without actually having to count votes. This is way better than Space Mountain, man.
	5	Sam Phillips A Boot And A Shoe (Nonesuch) April 27, 2004 I cannot eloquently describe this record, and I am afraid that merely remarking that it's "swell" or a "must-have" will do it an injustice worthy of a caning. There are delicately arranged beauties on here, but Phillips's harmonies and the heavenly strings cannot elevate the very dampened mood I have come to admire. Ma'am, I am quite the little fan.
	4	Madvillain Madvillainy (Stones Throw) March 23, 2004 Madlib and Doom: What an unholy and remarkable alliance.
	3	The Streets A Grand Don't Come For Free(Vice/Atlantic) May 18, 2004 Yeah, but is it better than the first one? Let's not get into that. Let's instead get your girl out of the arms of that fucking white-shirted man. Skinner's still finding ways to make the mundane all the more important, even between strong linear storytelling and stoned beats.
	2	Adem Homesongs (Domino) July 27, 2004 Every expression from Adem Ilham on his debut seems as if it should be delivered with grave reluctance, but he is instead announcing these things as if painting his innermost fragilities across an interstate billboard. Fifty years from now, when I get married, I'm gonna toast to my wife using the words to "There Will Always Be," Homesongs' closer. Actually, I'll have robots do it. There will be robots doing stuff like that by then.
	1	The Walkmen Bows and Arrows (Record Collection) Feb. 3, 2004 A sophomore release that blatantly outdoes its respectable freshman counterpart, Bows and Arrows boasts the Walkmen's great live sound and the band's nonchalant eagerness to recreate it effortlessly in the studio. Just as the opener, "What's In It For Me," sounds like ancient AM radio tubes warming to their potential, this sweet piece o' wax has warmed my heart and soul on a weekly basis this year.

	Gwendolyn Elliott Staff Writer



		Tom Waits Real Gone (Anti-) Oct. 5, 2004 By far, his best in years. Only the lugubrious Tom Waits can bring a sense of impending doom to his work and still make you feel like you're at the circus. With every boom-ack in the background meticulously recorded by Waits in his bathroom, Real Gone is a brave, industrial leap beyond Blood Money and a jumpy, drunken venture into his vision of the macabre.
		Junior Boys Last Exit (Domino) Sept. 21, 2004 These swanky synthsters really nailed their first one -- like New Order mated with Daft Punk and popped out a ready-made hipster. An ambient blend of electro blips, lush trance loops and waves of digi-boogie, nothing is too processed or over-cooked. Great music for robots who like music.
		The Black Keys Rubber Factory (Fat Possum) Sept. 7, 2004 Throw Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray and some slamming drum work into the fray and Rubber Factory will happen all over your iPod. Adding Akron, Ohio and two more white dudes to the growing hotbed of blues-rock that has absorbed the Midwest, Rubber Factory is alive with a freakish kind of other-worldly possession. They make a lot of racket for a two-piece. And at twenty-five and twenty-three, Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach have the kind of soul that makes me wonder where they got it.
		Daniel Johnston Discovered Covered (Gammon) Sept. 21, 2004 Quite possibly, one of the finest tribute recordings in years. On any account, it is a rare thing to have an artist "discovered" during his own lifetime, even more so Daniel Johnston, a Picasso in many respects to artists like M. Ward, Tom Waits, Connor Oberst and Vic Chestnut, to name a few. An incredible, heartfelt mix with an accompanying CD of original recordings.

	Jacob Nelson Staff Writer



	8	No Album By Mase or R. Kelly, on principle
	7	Beastie Boys To the Five Boroughs (Capitol) June 15, 2004
	6	Bobby Bare Jr. From the End of Your Leash (Bloodshot) June 22, 2004
	5	Ray Charles Genius Loves Company (Concord/Hear Music) Aug. 31, 2004
	4	Norah Jones Feels Like Home (Blue Note) April 20, 2004
	3	American Music Club Love Songs for Patriots (Merge) Oct. 12, 2004
	2	Wilco A Ghost is Born (Nonesuch) June 22, 2004
	1	Loretta Lynn Van Lear Rose (Interscope) April 27, 2004




	Jay Riggio Staff Writer



	5	A Day In Black And White My Heroes Have Always Killed Cowboys (Level Plane) April 13, 2004 Post-apocalyptic, trance inducing hardcore. These guys don't just play songs, they play movies. From an introduction to character development to a bloody climax, My Heroes Have Always Killed Cowboys is brilliant.
	4	Neva Dinova The Hate Yourself Change (Crank!) January 2005 Technically this album doesn't drop until January, but it was sold at the band's recent shows with the Good Life and it was supposed to drop Oct. 5. So it kind of fits into the 2004 category. Neva Dinova fucking rules. Frontman Jake Bellows could make Shaq weep like a fucking sissy during a free throw. Get this album.
	3	Modest Mouse Good New For People Who Love Bad News (Epic) April 6, 2004 Yeah, they're played on the radio now and people that you despise listen to them, but they're still fucking better than they ever were. Swallow your pride and love this album.
	2	Death From Above 1979 You're A Woman, I'm A Machine (Last Gang/Vice) Oct. 26, 2004 So good. The perfect album to hate to. If The Strokes were more talented and more pissed, they'd be begging to tour with Death From Above 1979.
	1	Man Man The Man In the Blue Tourban Without A Face (Ace Fu) Oct. 19, 2004 These four guys, who are arguably man-children like myself, are completely out of their fucking minds. Fucked up, with the help of every high-school-music-class instrument you can think of, Man Man miraculously succeeds in making more ass-shaking jams than Menudo. If Man Man isn't on your play-list right now, you're an asshole.

	Jesse Serwer Staff Writer



	10	TV on the Radio Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (Touch and Go) March 9, 2004 I'm not going to try to defend TV on the Radio to people who don't feel over-produced, Genesis-sounding prog-rock type "big rock." All I can say is, as far as Desperate Youth goes, I could get into the atmosphere of it all.
	9	Infinite Livez Bush Meat (Big Dada) June 1, 2004 Though it got almost no U.S. press, this U.K. weird-boy's debut album kills the over-hyped second Dizzee album. I wouldn't play tracks about rimjobs and a puppet who likes to screw apes at the wrong party, but this shit is seriously funny. Big Dada also deserves a big indie-label-of-the-year award for Livez, Diplo, Ty and the new TTC, out now in Europe and 2005 in the U.S.
	8	Various Artists Coolie Dance Riddim (Greensleeves) Sept. 2, 2004 If you a sound bwoy or gal and didn't get on the Coolie this year (or last), you done messed up.
	7	MF Doom/Madvillain Mm Food (Rhymesayers) Nov. 16, 2004 / Madvillainy (Stones Throw) March 23, 2004 At first I was unable to get into the flow of Madvillainy's uniformly short songs; and it isn't as good as either of Doom's 2003 concept albums (King Geedorah's Take Me To Your Leader and Viktor Vaughn's Vaudeville Villain -- the first one, yo) or Operation: Doomsday. But to say it and Mm Food aren't continuing evidence of this man's genius would be un-geniuslike.
	6	Devin The Dude To The X-Treme (Rap-a-lot) July 13, 2004 Devin's third album is his third best, but it still manages to beat out 100,000 other albums to get on this list. This dude is one Chappelle Show guest appearance from showing a lot of people where hip-hop should be.
	5	The Alchemist 1st Infantry (Koch/ALC) Sept. 21, 2004 In most any other year, this would have been by far the best hip-hop-producer album, but thanks to Kanye West and Diplo (with an asterisk -- I'm not sure I want to outright label him a hip-hop producer), my favorite Beverly Hills white boy comes in a distant third. On both ends, the dope tracks with Mobb Deep buddies Prodigy and Havoc (especially "It's a Kraze") more than make up for the travesty of Mobb's Amerikaz Nightmare.
	4	Ghostface The Pretty Toney Album (Rocafella/Def Jam) April 20, 2004 The beginning of the future for Tony Starks. Even Ghostface's seemingly half-assed attempt at production was a stroke of pure genius.
	3	Diplo Florida (Big Dada/Ninja Tune) Sept. 21, 2004 From single-handedly bringing Brazilian baile funk to American attention to getting in at just the right moment with Dizzee 2004, I mean British trendsetter M.I.A, you just couldn't fuck with Diplo this year. The vague but distinct Southern gothic vibe running through this mostly instrumental cut-and-paste product (featuring just the right guests in Vybz Kartel, P.E.A.C.E. and Marina Topley-Bird) blows your Rjd2s right out the water.
	2	Kanye West College Dropout (Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam) Feb. 10, 2004 As a listener of commercial hip-hop radio I'm sick of Kanye already, but I must agree with my February self in stating this is the most compelling, and most focused, above-ground hip-hop album from front-to-back since Doggy Style.
	1	!!! Louden Up Now (Touch and Go) June 8, 2004 The most consistently thrilling touring band of the past few years finally gets it right on record. Their new, more studio-oriented/friendly sound was a deal with the devil, though; their previously insane, energetic live show seems to have devolved into a karaoke act, at least judging by a New York City performance this summer. Louden is still hot enough that, in an ideal world, it would put every other dance-punk act into retirement.

	John MacDonald Staff Writer



		Air Talkie Walkie (Astralwerks) Feb. 17, 2004 We couldn't really be sure where this well-groomed French duo was going with 2001's gloomy 10,000 Hz Legend, but Talkie Walkie lighted the proceedings with panache. The weightless sex of "Cherry Blossom Girl" finds a home with the introspective "Alone in Kyoto" on an album that somehow makes gettin'-it-on the perfect arena for existential malaise.
		Sonic Youth Sonic Nurse (Geffen) June 8, 2004 It's no Daydream Nation, but considering the quarter-century of trailblazing Sonic Youth had to live up to, Sonic Nurse is impressive in its refusal to compromise or patronize. Jams like "Stones" and "Pattern Recognition," in part made possible by the addition of studio guru and guitarist Jim O'Rourke, prove that "maturity" needn't be a four-letter word for a rock band.
		The Walkmen Bows & Arrows (Record Collection) Feb. 3, 2004 With the release of their dynamic sophomore outing, The Walkmen went from an upright piano-using novelty act to full-fledged Big Apple phenomenon. With more sharp guitar and propulsive drumming behind him, vocalist Hamilton Leithauser reels from one battered relationship to the next with true drunken conviction making album stand-out, "The Rat," just about the best street-fighting song since, well, "Street Fighting Man."
		Fly Pan Am N'ecoutez Pas (Constellation) Sept. 7, 2004 Some of those Constellation acts north of the border may have become a bit predictably apocalyptic, but Fly Pan Am, some of whose members were culled from those same ranks, have tread a path all their own. N'ecoutez Pas is by far their most ambitious, and accessible, outing yet - nimbly treading the line between darkly-lit minimalist soundscapes and hummable pop.
		P.J. Harvey Uh, Uh Her (Island) June 8, 2004 The fifty-foot queenie returns, and this time she's pissed-off ... again. Thankfully, the British songstress has the skills to match her temper, and as she has throughout her career, whether she's going for studio gloss or the stripped-down grit of Uh, Uh Her, Harvey's tales of desperation and desire strike a universally unnerving chord.
		Iron & Wine Our Endless Numbered Days (Sub Pop) March 23, 2004 While the tape-hissed intimacy of his debut my have pulled listeners in, Sam Beam, the voice and guitar behind Iron & Wine, proved the second time around that there was more under his beard than old Robert Johnson records. Our Endless Numbered Days trades in the four-track for a real studio and a few friends without sacrificing a warm-hearted note of Beam's literate folk.
		Modest Mouse Good News For People Who Love Bad News (Epic) April 6, 2004 It may have taken a while to come together, but Isaac Brock is not a man who does things the easy way. All the more surprising, then, that his band's fifth full-length should be so stubbornly optimistic. But with tracks as impossibly catchy as "Float On" and "One Chance," it's hard to fault the guy for a little change of heart.
		Wilco A Ghost is Born (Nonesuch) June 22, 2004 Following the near-universal acclaim of 2002's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot couldn't have been easy, but despite drug abuse and escalating band tension, these alt-country legends managed to spit out a dandy of a record. Refusing to pander to expectation, these cold and brittle tunes bristle with subtle lyricism and Jeff Tweedy's maniacal axe-grinding.
		The Arcade Fire Funeral (Merge) Sept. 14, 2004 It's not a secret that great art can come from great tragedy, and the debut LP from this Montreal crew, many of whom lost family members during its recording, illustrates this point magnificently. Vocalist Win Butler's breathless calls-to-arms butt up against grand swathes of surging guitar, fist-pounding bass, swooning strings and immensely-danceable percussion that could kill a wallflower.




	Jonathan Eccles Staff Writer



		Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters (Universal) May 4, 2004 The ultimate party album of the year. Pounding beats and shit-loads of sass help to form unique, complex songs that also happen to be amazingly funky.
		Iron and Wine Our Endless Numbered Days (Sub Pop) March 23, 2004 Pretty much one of the most chill albums I've ever heard, with "Passing Afternoon" ranking as my new favorite song to fall asleep to.
		Mission of Burma ONoffON (Matador) May 4, 2004 Old dudes sound like they're young dudes again. This is a good thing, because they rocked the world the first time they were young dudes.
		Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Abbatoir Blues and Lyre of Orpheus (Anti-) Oct. 26, 2004 Great, gritty blues, gospel and experimental songs abound as Cave sounds a lot happier with his life than before. He's still one of the few artists who can successfully meld Greek myths and poop jokes.
		Modest Mouse Good News For People Who Love Bad News (Epic) April 6, 2004 Call it a sell-out, call it what you want. Just because it has the universal appeal to get 12-year-old girls singing along doesn't mean you wouldn't be rocking out to it if it weren't so popular.
		Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand (Domino) March 9, 2004 Drinking. Dancing. Listing to Franz Ferdinand. These are all pretty inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, and when they're finished, you don't feel like you've experienced something significant. But then you'd be forgetting how much fun each of these things are.
		The Arcade Fire Funeral (Merge) Sept. 14, 2004 Merge signs these dudes out of Canada. A certain reviewer gives them a near perfect rating. Now they're the hottest thing on the street. Crazy thing is that the album truly is nearly perfect.
		Old Enough 2 Know Better 15 years of Merge Records (Merge) July 13, 2004 The hell with 69 Love Songs. Here's sixty-three awesome songs for fifteen bucks.
		The Streets A Grand Don't Come For Free (Vice/Atlantic) May 18, 2004 The Ulysses of British rap. It's not that often that something so banal is transformed into something so beautiful.
		Animal Collective Sung Tongs (FatCat) June 1, 2004 If I dressed up like an animal that often I'd make pretty crazy music too. Weird as fuck and celebrating every second of it. Yes, even you could win a rabbit.
		Morrissey You Are the Quarry (Attack) May 18, 2004 Nice one from the Comeback Kid. Though some of the production gets hammy and overblown at times, the rapier wit is still evident, with gut-splitting lyrics and a voice that still sounds tip-top.
		William Shatner Has Been (Shout! Factory) Oct. 5, 2004 Sure, it's complete novelty, but it's also a cultural moment captured in full. Thanks to Shatner and Ben Folds, we have a time capsule to show our children when they ask how quirky, self-referential and utterly insane pop culture in our time was.
		The Deadly Snakes Ode to Joy (In the Red) April 15, 2004 It's like gospel getting kicked in the groin by an electric guitar.
Best of 2003 Best of 2004 Best of 2005

Prefixmag Staff Picks

Part 1

The Best Albums of 2004

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