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.