I have been thinking about this post for far too long, and putting it off forever.
These are my top five favorite albums, either released or discovered, in 2004:
Snow Patrol – Final Straw: If you haven’t heard this album, drop what you’re doing right now and downlo…err, run to the store and pick it up. If you can’t do that, hear a bit of it at their media site. My favorite track is Chocolate.
The Killers – Hot Fuss: You may have heard a bunch of their stuff played out on the radio. If this is a deterrent, ignore it. Is it rock with a heavy pop influence, or pop with a heavy rock influence? You decide, and then let me know.
Scissor Sisters – Self Titled: The best pop music, by far. Elton John meets the BeeGees and they go out back and drop a hit of acid. Coming back around the corner, in their place, the Scissor Sisters.
Damien Rice – O: This album was released in 2003, but discovered by me in 2004. When you gotta get your sad bastard on, this is guy to do it with. Damien Rice is amazing lyrically and instrumentally. Accompanying him on almost every track is a woman by the name of Lisa Hannigan. Her voice begins where Damien Rice’s ends. They are quite the duo, and this is quite the album.
John Mayer – Any Given Thursday: It’s hard to believe I only started listening to this album in 2004. About a year ago, in fact. John’s a smooth smooth bastard, and if you’re gonna check him out, I’d recommend this live album first. Once you hear him live, you’ll realize that he’s not some washed up adult contemporary yuppie.