Stranger Than Paradise

My 40 favourite albums of 2004


Physical State: bouncy
Mental State: loopy
Music: Karate Cowgirl - s/t ep
Fashion sense: blue t-shirt, jeans

As some of you who regularly check out my internet radio show at radioindierock.com might have noticed I have my best of 2004 show up. I decided to publish some of my thoughts about the 40 releases this year that I thought were worth checking out. So here goes. Everyone's got an opinion so here are mine about some great releases in 2004.

Hot Snakes - Audit In Progress - Probably the heaviest thing that I heard this year besides The Illuminati and Isis (and actually liked). This release, comprising of a supergroup of members from Rocket From The Crypt, Drive Like Jehu and Delta 72, just kicked my ass in a large way this year. Lemmy, rock on.

The Thermals - Fuckin A - A more polished yet still punky collection of tunes like their debut More Parts Per Million, Portland, OR’s Thermals seemed to channel the spirits of The Mountain Goats, McLusky and Bush protesters everywhere. There’s still much to be done.

The Casual Dots - s/t - A shining debut from this Washington DC supergroup with members Christina Billotte from Quix*o*tic and Kathi Wilcox formerly of riot grrrl pinups Bikini Kill and The Frumpies.

Le Tigre - This Island - As we’re talking Bikini Kill it seems only natural to talk about Le Tigre (the band of ex-Bikini Kill screamer Kathleen Hanna). Le Tigre have polished their feminist-centric electro-groove to a fine sheen this year with multi-layered production and Ric Ocasek behind the board (yeah that one). Also the major label debut for a trio that have been long been riot grrrl heroines and proponents of sexual equality for all groups.

Interpol - Antics - A band that has not fallen into that typical sophomore slump. The music is more varied and less Joy Division-y this time out (I always thought they sounded more like The Chameleons though, which they do here). Slow Hands gets my nod as this year’s track to make the indie kids dance again.

Franz Ferdinand - s/t - Sure they’re hyped up as the new sharp-dressed saviours of indie rock but you can’t deny that this album from this band from Glasgow isn’t just one great party. I don’t know what it is in Glasgow’s water that creates great bands but they should bottle that and sell it on ebay. (see Delgados below).

The Futureheads - s/t - Britain was looking back to its post-punk musical heritage this year and these guys show a distinct XTC and Jam jones (good company to keep mind you). With production from Gang of Four’s Andy Gill, these guys arrived on the scene fully formed and staggeringly addictive. ’s all ace, mate.

Deerhoof - Milkman - If there is a band that deserves a rock opera they certainly showed that they can pull it off with this album. A concept release based around a fictional character who lures children into his dreamland. More of the cuddly and chaotic.

Blonde Redhead - Misery Is A Butterfly - The trio of Kazu Makino and twin brothers Amedeo and Simone Pace re-emerge from their cocoon of a dissonant Sonic Youth-like past as a stellar musical butterfly. Their tendencies for sublime string arrangements and mood, first hinted at on Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons, are now fully embraced on this masterpiece.

The Arcade Fire - Funeral - This is the Montreal sound that I’d like to hear more of (after many years of long instrumentals courtesy of the Godspeed school). There was one week I remember, shortly after this came out, that I heard it everywhere in Toronto. A tight live act who have brought a lot of attention to Canadian indie rock. One of the most talked about new talents of 2004.

PJ Harvey - Uh Huh Her - Polly Jean Harvey has been pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a woman in rock for many years and this release is a perfect mix of her earlier heavy trends and her more recent intimate demo-like qualities. I’ve never heard a song that made the act of correspondence sound so sexy and dirty at the same time as The Letter. Back in fine form in the ’04.

Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days - Florida’s Sam Beam polishes up his acoustic mastery with a proper studio recording this time around. There’s a distinct autumnal feeling to this album that I could listen to for days. This guy only gets better with every release. Definitely a kin to Sufjan Stevens this year in my mind.

Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose - Like Johnny Cash before her, Loretta has made inroads with the rock community this year and found a whole new respect from young listeners. Jack White (White Stripes) can be thanked for isolating the beauty in this classic country and western singer/songwriter. If you think you know Loretta go and rent The Coal Miner’s Daughter and then you’ll see that she not only writes the songs she also lives them.

Jolie Holland - Escondida - This second album (and proper debut) from this Texan and one-time member of Be Good Tanyas showcases one of the most timeless voices I’ve ever heard. Like Gillian Welch, Bessie Smith and Neko Case, people will be talking about Jolie for years. A charming mix of Mississippi delta blues, Americana and boozy New Orleans jazz frame this great new voice.

Tom Waits - Real Gone - Some artists are like wine, they better with age. Waits will always been one of my favourite artists of all time because of his sheer ability to create magic on record. That gravelly poet’s voice and the southern gothic guitar work of Marc Ribot add to this magic. Another great chapter in the Tales of Waits.

Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans - Sufjan, who wowed everyone with his poignant and wintery interpretation of Michigan State last year, trumps himself once again with another sad and beautiful release of trademark harmonizing and solemn brilliance. Steve Martin said you can’t play a sad song on the banjo, well this guy proves him wrong (and what an amazing sound Sufjan makes).

Mirah - C’mon Miracle - It’s amazing to watch an artist come into her own after just a few releases. Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn once again demonstrates why she is one of the most significant voices in music today. More melancholic songs about love and relationships made great by further collaboration with The Microphones’ Phil Elvrum. She’s also incorporated a charming Latin flavour on this album after spending some time in Argentina.

Julie Doiron - Goodnight Nobody - Moncton, NB’s former Eric Trip bassist and solo Broken Girl has become one of my favourite Canadian songwriters and artists over many of her wintery and self-deprecating albums. This time Julie seems to distill all the things that have made her great along the way. Teaming up this time with French indie band Herman Dune, Julie has returned to the style and sophistication that she enjoyed with The Wooden Stars (and also won a Juno for) years ago. Canada’s indie Joni.

Feist - Let It Die - Leslie Feist started out as a Calgarian rocker with Placebo (not the same as the UK band). She then moved on to membership in By Divine Right while working on her own solo songs which would later surface on the excellent debut Monarch. After a stint as a Broken Social Scene-ster and a move to France, Leslie emerged this year as one of Canada’s most talented ex-pats. Discovering her inner Dusty Springfield, Leslie’s talents have grown in leaps and bounds since Monarch.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus - Not one but two discs from the compulsively creative Mr. Cave this year. I kept imagining Nick recording this album behind a pulpit as if he was a southern revivalist preacher like Robert Duvall in The Apostle. The London Community Gospel Choir adds an immense power to the band’s sound and creates an interesting southern gothic picture. Beautiful arrangements and quite a varied release. This guy is still “it”.

Midnight Movies - s/t - L.A.’s Midnight Movies seemed to come out of nowhere and just grew very quickly to become one of my favourite new artists of the year. With a voice reminiscent of Nico and Trish Keenan from Broadcast, drummer/singer Gena Olivier’s singing floats delicately over the spacey and psychedelic treats of her bandmates. An interesting band that are going to go places in 2005.

Electrelane - The Power Out - This all-girl band from Brighton, England demonstrates that they are not just one-trick ponies with this excellent follow-up to their more instrumental and krautrock-inspired debut Rocket To The Moon. The Power Out, and particular this song, On Parade, are indications of the new focus on pop and vocals that Electrelane appeared to be embracing this year.

!!! - Louden Up Now - The Brooklyn funkmeisters are back with a great new album. Sharing members with one of my other favourite indie dance-oriented bands Out Hud, chk chk chk (how you pronounce their name) brought out one of the coolest releases this year to get the crowd moving. A distinctive anti-Bush slant to this album and a song that features the “f” word many times no doubt guaranteed them strong indie cred this year.

The Delgados - Universal Audio - After a few amazing albums so far in their career, The Delgados finally embraced the trend that they had been secretly toying with on the past two albums, becoming one of the greatest Scottish pop bands ever. Stripped down and getting back to basics, The Delgados emerged this year as the kings of the Glasgow rock scene in my mind (a prize shared with Franz Ferdinand). Everybody Come Down almost makes me want to cry (out of pure joy) every time I hear it.

Stars - Set Yourself On Fire - Montreal’s Stars have created one of the sweetest pop records so far this year that I’d heard. Their doctrine of the Soft Revolution is converting more and more people every year. This was the year as well that Stars’ sound got really big for me. Ageless Beauty, a tight little rocker, features the always incredible Amy Millan on vocals sounding almost like Emma and Miki from Lush (or Tracey Tracey from The Primitives). Another great album from these guys, would we expect anything less?

The Magnetic Fields - i - Stephin Merritt and his band return once again with another masterpiece of melancholic lovelorn pop songs that are pure poetry. One part Wilde, one part Cole Porter. This album also showcases Merritt’s baritone singing more than any of their other albums. A great return to form but with more intimacy and simplicity this time round from Merritt and crew.

Animal Collective - Sung Tongs - Avey Tare and Panda Bear turned in this winner of intricate and improvisational Post-folk. At times this album reminded of what every Sunday in Mount Royal Park in Montreal must be like with all those people playing bongos and making noise on any instrument they pick up. Sunkissed and pot-fueled, this album reminded me of spontaneous parades and leaping across grassy hills à la Teletubbies. These guys put the fun back in music when the world really needs it.

The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat - I started out detesting this album when I first listened to it (you can read my dis earlier in this blog) but it has grown on me enough to be included here. So I eat my words. A true all over the map dense rock opera a la Who that becomes unwieldy and self-indulgent at times. But you can’t deny that this brother and sister team haven’t explored every musical option possible. It deserves respect because of its sheer density and their willingness to stick their necks out there. Of course Pitchfork proclaimed it a masterpiece.

CocoRosie - La Maison De Mon Reve - Sisters Bianca and Sierra Cassidy have created here one of the freshest and most creative releases this year. Anything can be used as instruments, toy telephones, musical Christmas cards, popcorn popping and rusty jack-in-the-boxes. A truly incredible assortment of found sounds and lo-fi home-recorded brilliance.

Psapp - Tiger, My Friend - I think that the title of my favourite track About Fun speaks to what is at the central core of Psapp, fun. An amazing mix of sound collage, sampled Fisher Price toys, piano and dog squeezetoys used in a bright and imaginative way à la Herbert. The charming voice of Galia Durant and the technical skill of Carim Clasmann all come together in one smart package.

Lali Puna - Faking The Books - This band is hands down one of the bands that I would recommend to anyone from a handful of my favourites. Lali Puna is at the forefront of the German electronic pop scene. Its cool to see a band that just keep topping themselves with each release. An interesting mix of indie rock and electronic music. Valerie Trebeljahr’s icey cool voice is matched by even more stellar production and more traditional instrumentation from the band this time out.

TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes Animator and musician Tunde Adebimpe heads up this Brooklyn trio that mix inventive post-punk, electronic beats and doo wop vocal harmonizing. I can’t deny that there’s a slight similarity in Adebimpe’s voice to one Mr. Peter Gabriel but I think that’s where the similarities end. A truly creative and diverse debut which garnered them this year’s Shortlist Prize beating out Air and The Killers.

The Album Leaf - In A Safe Place - Jimmy Lavelle packed up his suitcase, headed to Iceland and teamed up with the guys from Sigur Ros, to amazing results. This is a truly beautiful and poignant album of intimate electronic pop and stunning instrumentals. A skillful pairing that yielded some incredible musical moods.

To Rococo Rot - Hotel Morgen - An instrumental electronic interest for the brothers Lippok and Kriedler member Stefan Schneider, Hotel Morgen seems like a high point of their career as a collective. They have managed to truly isolate the smooth German electronic sound that bands like Mouse on Mars have ditched unfortunately for less successful options. Like their American contemporaries Tortoise, To Rococo Rot have created more beautiful melodies framed by rich beats.

Tinkertoy - Electric Wilderness - An ornate mix of electronic minimalism and tech-house by the duo of Paul Shrimpton and Andrew Wedman. These guys, armed with two laptops and a mixer, managed to get even the most bored of Drake Lounge fashionistas grooving away at this year’s Brave New Waves 20th Anniversary party. An extraordinary debut.

Styrofoam - Nothing’s Lost - Belgian Arne Van Petegem is one of those rare electronic artists who are laptoppers that also sing. This album is very much in the vein of bands that are pushing the boundaries of indie rock and electronic music, bands like Hood and The Postal Service (whose Ben Gibbard also appears on this album).

Junior Boys - Last Exit - This album from this duo from Hamilton, Ontario blew up in a big way this year ending up on many international critics lists following a strong word of mouth for their Last Exit single. Mixing the smart production of Timbaland with a rich history of new-wave heroes like John Foxx, The Human League, New Order and Gary Numan, these guys have created an strong debut for a Canadian band.

Múm - Summer Make Good - The Icelandic wunderkinder return again this year minus one twin sister and a much darker mood this time out. Again we hear the little girl voice of Kristin-Anna Valtysdottir fronting some incredible music. But where Finally We Are No One was bright and shiny, Summer Make Good is more shadowy and at times downright nightmarish and creepy. I made a comparison in my Wavelength review this year to their sound being not unlike the Czech animator Jan Svankmajer’s interpretation of Alice in Wonderland.

Björk - Medúlla - The stand out track for me, Desired Constellation, is the only track that uses minimal electronics on an album that is made up primarily of vocals only (including the amazing beatbox talent of Dokaka). You have to give the girl props for creating the most unimaginable on record time after time. You can’t deny that this lady is in touch with all that’s experimental and unique, yet still manages ingeniously to stay a pop star.

Ulrich Schnauss - A Strangely Isolated Place - My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, OMD, Gary Numan and Boards of Canada, all these influences are in there and made beautiful by Ulrich Schnauss. Hands down my number 1 album of the year easily. An hypnotic mix of shoegazer-tronica that got the most plays on my stereo all year. A true winner.

If you got this far then kudos to you and thanks for reading. Feel free to post a response.

Bill Lumbergh or David Brent. Who would
you rather have as a boss? Discuss.



Physical State: achey
Mental State: foggy
Music: Komeda - What Makes It Go?
Fashion sense: white t-shirt, jeans

Happy New Year! It's been a long time since I posted to this blog but I thought I would again to start out the new year. I was recently rewatching a classic of office oppression movies, Office Space, directed in 1999 by the brilliant Mike Judge and it got me to thinking. If you worked in an office (which I don't anymore) who would you rather have as a boss? Bill Lumbergh (Office Space) or David Brent (The Office). I would say Brent because the chances of him making you work on a Saturday would be slimmer than Lumbergh (Brent wouldn't want to you to make him look bad by showing more initiative and stealing the spotlight). Interesting. What do you think? The comment area is there for you, so "if you could just go ahead and add your comment...that would be great, 'mkay?"

I've also found this hilarious soundboard of Bill Lumbergh samples that's hours of stupid fun. Check it out here