2004 was an exciting year for music. I left too many great albums on the cutting room floor when assembling this impressive group of albums and I'd go a step further to include the top 3 among my all time top 25. This list proves that music has not signaled its death rattle as many have feared but is still as vibrant and innovative as ever. It's simply become harder by the day to seek out since modern radio has become so saturated with bands following a sheet of instructions on how to make it big. They've stopped promoting artists and the neglect is sickening. This is your music. Stop letting corporate America define your music taste and take back your listening space.

1) Scissor Sisters' Scissor Sisters - Mark this debut as one of the quirkiest and best albums of all time. To say it's brilliant really doesn't do it justice because it's so much more complex than that. The Scissor Sisters are kitchy, 70's Elton John on crack. Driven and potent when laying down powerful grooves while careful and exacting when the tempo retracts. The Scissor Sisters are everything rock is missing and they're live show is more fun than any I've ever been to (believe me that is saying something). Rob, steal, do whatever it takes to get your ears on this album.
2) Keane's Hopes and Fears - I was in a WOM store in Germany the first time I heard their debut Hopes and Fears. My initial thought was that these guys were copping Travis' sound with a splinter of something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Hundreds of listens later I know, Travis wishes they could sound as good as Keane. Keane forgoes rocks staple guitars for pianos to construct these epic audio landscapes that suck you in. If their future steps resemble Radiohead more than Robbie Williams, I think Coldplay could have some serious competition on its hands for the crown of greatest band.
3) Rachael Yamagata's Happenstance - Rachael follows up her strong EP debut with this amazing effort that ups the production and polish without sacrificing the raw emotions emoting underneath. At times, she seems the heir apparent to fill Fiona Apple's musical vacancy while at others she puts forth a presence like no one else. She is going to be a strong female voice in music to watch closely in the years to come.
4) George Michael's Patience - Patience indeed. It's been 8 years since George released an album of original material so that is quite a build up to have to live up to. He shines as he always has with his usual scintillating songs that slide over you so smoothly. His up tempo numbers show he is still the best in the realm of dance-pop and the slower, more thoughtful songs strike every cord they were going for. I really couldn't have asked for anything more from this album. George has recently announced that his days as a pop musician are finished which is an extremely painful thought to me. All the more reason to relax and enjoy Patience.
5) Ray LaMontagne's Trouble - LaMontagne has an amazing synthesis as an artist drawing from the classic 70's influences of Van Morrison as well as tapping into folk contemporaries like Damien Rice. Somewhere in this space there was a musical niche sitting in wait for LaMontagne. His voice is amazing in it's flexibility, his compositions create defining moods and he deftly uses understated approach to make you feel at home. Mmm...so nice. Read more
6) Morrissey's You are the Quarry - After his label was bought out, the king of mope found himself on the outside looking in as he was dropped in the processing. Granted this was duly appropriate given that his last two albums were really bad. You are the Quarry is his resurrection to greatness. Quarry is a bit of a nostalgic throw back to his Vauxhall and I days. The songs are tight, full of life and purpose as he rails against America's excess and parodies the music industry that he is a cog in. This is a smart, daring album unafraid to jump out of the airplane without a parachute completely worthy of Morrissey's name tattooed on the cover.
7) Franz Ferdinand's Franz Ferdinand - Everything old is new again as the new wave invasion stokes a revival with bands like the Killers, Franz and Razorlight. Franz Ferdinand rises above this group of choice artists to deliver the hardest driving beats, lilting vocals and jumping guitars. This album has a great pulse and sense of urgency to it. The key throughout is that they don't take themselves too seriously. These guys rock!
8) Jennifer Daniels' Summer Filled Sky - The most talented unsigned artist in music today wraps up all that tremendous potential in her 4th full-length album. Summer Filled Sky finds Jennifer cultivating beautiful harmonies and searching out her limitless vocal range. Her studio efforts are finally starting to capture some of that energy and magnetic personality she radiates from the stage.
9) Tegan & Sara's So Jealous - Everyone's favorite set of Canadian lesbian twins, Tegan & Sara, are on their game with their latest release So Jealous. Light, catchy songs revolving around the trials and tribulations inflicted by relationships. There is nothing revolutionary here. It's just great harmonies, solid compositions throughout and that damn consistent quality we've grown accustomed to. What more can you ask for?
10) Ted Leo and the Pharmacists' Shake the Sheets - Any way you shake it, this is a fun disk by a tremendously talented artist. Every track has such a great kick packed into it. The volume must be cranked up when these numbers are teething through your speakers. If the future of punk lies in the verses of Ted Leo, then that is quite a promising future to want to run to. Download "Me and Mia" for free at Abercrombie Music.

Honorable Mention Candidates: Madeline Peyroux's Careless Love, Tift Merritt's Tamborine, The Arcade Fire's Funeral, Craig Armstrong's Piano Works, Muse's Absolution

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Posted by: Kelly at February 19, 2005 06:53 PM