Best of 2004

It's an interesting phenomenon: looking back at the year and reliving it in condensed form just before a new year starts. So I guess it's that time of year to post the obligatory "best of..." list for 2004. Here are my favorite CDs from the past 12 months. (I know this is sort of a cop out, but my mind is lacking for creative copy at the moment, so this opinion will have to do.) Twenty-five seems to be an interesting, arbitrary number to select as the limit.

1. "More Adventurous" Rilo Kiley
2. "Garden State Soundtrack" various artists
3. "Singles" Travis *
4. "Universal Audio" the Delgados *
5. "Vehicles and Animals" Athlete *
6. "Everyone Is Here" Finn Brothers *
7. "Homesongs" Adem *
8. "Our Endless Numbered Days" Iron & WIne
9. "We Shall All Be Healed" the Mountain Goats
10. "Eveningland" Hem
11. "Let's Bottle Bohemia" the Thrills *
12. "Monsoon" Preston School of Industry
13. "Sitting Around Keeping Score" Spymob
14. "Long Gone Before Daylight" the Cardigans *
15. "Riot on an Empty Street" Kings of Convenience *
16. "Flutterby" Butterfly Boucher *
17. "The River Bends...and Flows into the Sea" Denison Witmer & the River Bends
18. "Has Been" William Shatner
19. "Violence in the Snowy Fields" Dolorean
20. "Magic and Medicine " the Coral *
21. "Treble and Tremble" Earlimart
22. "Franz Ferdinand" Franz Ferdinand *
23. "Hot Fuss" by the Killers
24. "The Futureheads" the Futureheads *
25. "Please Describe Yourself" Dogs Die in Hot Cars *

So, there they are, 25 of my favorites for the year... Three honorable mentions: "Wild Dogs with X-Ray Eyes" by Helicopter Helicopter and "Heart" by Stars--both of which were released in 2003, but which I didn't learn of until spring of 2004. And "Chutes Too Narrow" by the Shins, which was released in Oct. 2003, but which I listened to all year through (and I'm still listening to it!). If it could be listed, it would be at my #1 position. Every song on "Chutes Too Narrow" is a gem.

The asterisks denote bands that are from other countries.
* = England
* = Scotland (I know, technically part of the UK)
* = Ireland
* = New Zealand
* = Canada
* = Norway
* = Sweden

Of course, these are the more noncommercial releases. I have to say I liked "American Idiot" by Green Day and "Say You Will" by Fleetwood Mac. Also, I was really disappointed by R.E.M.'s "Around the Sun" - maybe I just need to listen to it twenty more times. U2's "Vertigo" single RAWKS, but the rest of the album is ho-hum.