Lists and More Lists: Reactions??

[audiobill]

Two more lists for our perusal.

RR Reactions??

Q Albums Of 2004
1. The Streets – A Grand Don’t Come For Free
2. Keane – Hopes And Fears
3. Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
4. U2 – How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
5. Razorlight – Up All Night
6. The Libertines – The Libertines
7. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus
8. The Killers – Hot Fuss
9. Mylo – Destroy Rock & Roll
10. Interpol – Antics
11. Snow Patrol – Final Straw
12. Dizzee Rascal – Showtime
13. Wilco – A Ghost Is Born
14. Scissor Sisters – Scissor Sisters
15. Danger Mouse – The Grey Album
16. Kasabain – Kasabain
17. Kings Of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak
18. Prince – Musicology
19. Gwen Stefani – Love Angel Music Baby
20. The Zutons – Who Killed The Zutons
21. Green Day – American Idiot
22. Graham Coxon – Happiness In Magazines
23. Elliott Smith – From A Basement On The Hill
24. The Blue Nile – High
25. Ryan Adams – Love Is Hell
26. Mark Lanegan – Bubblegum
27. Norah Jones – Feels Like Home
28. Usher – Confessions
29. Kanye West – The Collage Dropout
30. Eminem – Encore
31. The Walkman – Bows + Arrows
32. Lost Prophets – Start Something
33. George Michael – Patience
34. Sufjan Stevens – Seven Swans
35. The Futureheads – The Futureheads
36. Secret Machines – Now Here Is Nowhere
37. !!! [Chik Chik Chik] – Louden Up Now
38. Devendra Banhart – Rejoicing In The Hands
39. Estelle – The 18th Day…
40. Joss Stone – Mind Body And Soul
41. Modest Mouse – Good News For People Who Love Bad News
42. Brian Wilson – Smile
43. Loretta Lynn – Van Lear Rose
44. Jamelia – Than You
45. The Von Bondies – Pawn Shoppe Heart
46. My Chemical Romance – Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge
47. Goldie Lookin’ Chain – Greatest Hits
48. Cee-Lo Green – Cee-Lo Green Is The Soul Machine
49. Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Live In Hyde Park
50. The Bees – Free The Bees

metacritic's.com top '04

1. SMiLE by Brian Wilson
2. Van Lear Rose by Loretta Lynn
3. Madvillainy by Madvillain
4. HoboSapiens by John Cale
5. A Grand Don't Come For Free by The Streets
6. Last Exit by Junior Boys
7. From A Basement On The Hill by Elliott Smith
8. Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
9. The Futureheads by The Futureheads
10. College Dropout by Kanye West
11. Rejoicing In The Hands by Devendra Banhart
12. The Dirty South by Drive-By Truckers
13. Crimes by The Blood Brothers
14. Seven Swans by Sufjan Stevens
15. Franz Ferdinand by Franz Ferdinand
16. Now, More Than Ever by Jim Guthrie
17. Showtime by Dizzee Rascal
18. Favourite Colours by The Sadies
19. Shake The Sheets by Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
20. Beautifully Human: Words And Sounds Vol. 2 by Jill Scott
21. Cee-Lo Green Is The Soul Machine by Cee-Lo
22. Murs 3:16 The 9th Edition by Murs
23. Our Shadows Will Remain by Joseph Arthur
24. You're A Woman, I'm A Machine by Death From Above 1979
25. These Were The Earlies by The Earlies
26. Medulla by Bjork
27. Blue Cathedral by Comets On Fire
28. Our Endless Numbered Days by Iron & Wine
29. Bubblegum by Mark Lanegan Band
30. ONoffON by Mission Of Burma

Well...........what are your petpvs and ahas from these lists??
Omissions?? Obvious choices??
audiobill

[Slosh]

Hmmm . . . where's Pinback or Fiery Furnaces or Earlimart or Rogue Wave or Clinic or Mastodon or Les Savy Fav or Jim White or McLusky or Old Canes or The Arcade Fire or Giant Sand?

Out of those two lists I only have three of those albums.

[Jim Clark]

of course the only list that really matters is mine...

I've got about 50 of these, one way or another, and mostly they blow. The Zutons? Top 20? and ahead of Green Day? Riiiiight. There are few bigger Ian Broudie fans than me but that album just falls way short of anything exciting or even remotely interesting.

One thing does seem to make sense-I need to get my paws on a copy of that Streets release before the year lets out. I think I need to contact my supplier.

jc

[Mr MidFi]

I've heard that Loretta Lynn disc a couple of times, and it's pretty interesting. She takes some chances, and they mostly pay off. It's easy to dismiss it as a "Jack White project," but she wrote virtually everything on it. "Portland, Oregon" might be my favorite song of the year. Seriously.

[Jim Clark]

I've heard that Loretta Lynn disc a couple of times, and it's pretty interesting. She takes some chances, and they mostly pay off. It's easy to dismiss it as a "Jack White project," but she wrote virtually everything on it. "Portland, Oregon" might be my favorite song of the year. Seriously.

I've been waiting on that one to arrive. I just checked the library holds page and I'm #2 on the list. I've been hoping that there's more than one copy so I'll be sure to get it this year.

jc

[DarrenH]

It's really hard for me to comment on either of these lists. I'm not familiar with most of these artists at least not enough to comment on. Anyway, from the Q mag list I have SMiLE, The Killers and Secret Machines. And from Metacritcs list I have only SMiLE.

Funny how Metacritic rated SMiLE at #1 and yet Q has it down at #42. While I can understand the historical aspects of this album, I think #1 is stretching it a bit. At least for me anyway. I enjoyed The Killers album much more than SMiLE and Metacritic didn't even bother to rate The Killers. Go figure. In fact, The Mooney Suzuki's latest rec was far more enjoyable for me than SMiLE and that did make either list. That album should've been included somewhere in those lists I think.

The Secret Machines is still a grower with me. I didn't immediately connect with this album at first listen and was a bit disappointed I guess. It's coming around though. I see Metacritic didn't think very highly of this one either.

Van Lear Rose is something I'd like to check out and I'd like to hear American Idiot as I've heard a lot of good things about this.

Not sure about Wilco's new album yet.

And I have no interest in U2. Once again I find this rather odd that it made Q's list, #4 at that, and Metacritic completely ignored it.

Q must be a British rag.

Darren

[Davey]

Yeah, I haven't heard that many of the "big" ones this year so my list will be even more indie than usual. The one posted a couple days ago at PopMatters (http://www.popmatters.com/music/features/041206-best2004lundy.shtml) is pretty good. I really want to hear that Augie March CD. I listened to the songs at the label and made a post about it over at obner not too long ago, but didn't get much feedback. Guess not many people have heard it, even though it was released a couple years ago in their native Australia. Pretty cool sound, though. Kind of like the Arcade Fire. New lists today at The Onion (http://avclub.theonion.com/feature/index.php?issue=4049) too.

Haven't quite worked out my top 10 yet but something like this although the order will probably change little...

The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
Pinback - Summer in Abaddon
The Futureheads - The Futureheads
Mark Lanegan Band - Bubblegum
Honeydogs - 10,000 Years
Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Like Bad News
Carina Round - The Disconnection
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Moonbabies - The Orange Billboard
Willard Grant Conspiracy - Regard the End

and the next 10 is something like this...
Blonde Redhead - Misery Is A Butterfly
Lali Puna - Faking The Books
Ghost - Hypnotic Underworld
The National - Cherry Tree EP
Electrelane - The Power Out
Joseph Arthur - Our Shadows Will Remain
Old Canes - Early Morning Hymns
Richmond Fontaine - Post To Wire
TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

but they might move up or down. And should Modest Mouse be up there near the top since I just don't find myself going back to it very often for some reason, even though when I play it I do really like it a lot? Not the way I love the last two, but still a lot? And where to put Devendra Banhart? Got the new Nick Cave on the way and suspect that might just wind up in the top 10 too since I'm a big fan. Oh well, guess it's still a work in progress. Comments welcome :)

[Dusty Chalk]

Why don't you just do a top 21? Or 22? Or whatever...?

[Davey]

Why don't you just do a top 21? Or 22? Or whatever...?
But the problem is that I obviously have problems even doing a top 10! Heehee, imagine if I had to put a number in front of 22 choices? I'm just not very good at rating music so better to leave it at a top 10 (with enough wiggle room to allow me to change my mind next week ;)).

Already I see big problems....

[audiobill]

[QUOTE=Davey]And should Modest Mouse be up there near the top since I just don't find myself going back to it very often for some reason, even though when I play it I do really like it a lot? Not the way I love the last two, but still a lot?QUOTE]

Hey, I'm with you brother on the Modest Mouse. Your description is very apt, since that's exactly how I feel about it, too. Whenever I do spin it, I love it; but, it's not what my hand usually reaches for when I'm looking for some newer music to spin. Weird, huh??

Perhaps, it's the slowburn classic that it will prove itself to be, over time. Only time, of course, will tell.

Cheers,
Bill

[Dusty Chalk]

But the problem is that I obviously have problems even doing a top 10! Heehee, imagine if I had to put a number in front of 22 choices? I'm just not very good at rating music so better to leave it at a top 10 (with enough wiggle room to allow me to change my mind next week ;)).

Already I see big problems....Ah, the old 'give-em-an-inch-and-they-will-take-a-mile' argument? I disagree -- I think there's a clear delineation between top tier and middle tier...even though you'll often find me partaking of both. It's like there's a localized peak in the top tier, then a small valley/lull/gap, and then the middle tier.

For example, I would be hard pressed to argue that most of what came out on Metropolis this year was above middle tier. I still have yet to relisten to most of them, but I can only recall one off-hand that really even broaches upper tier status. And they're one of my favourite labels -- I get practically everything that comes out on them.