You don't hear too much about it, but the new one from the band Richmond Fontaine was one of the best albums in 2004, regardless of genre. It's called
Post To Wire and is very good. I think Uncut magazine gave it 5 stars and so did the
http://www.americana-uk.com/html/april_2004.html site in their April review section (I'll post the review below). Both also named it top 5 of the year. Classic alt-country of the highest caliber. Been enjoying it a lot the last few months and listened to it again this morning before work for the I don't know how many times but I do know it's a lot. If you like this latter day Uncle Tupelo mixed with Whiskeytown kind of stuff, don't miss it. Here's the americana.uk review below (not the best written review but it does coincidentally reference one of my favorites: Silver Jews
American Water 
).....
Dear Fact Fans......... Post to Wire is a Gamblers term used to describe a horse that leads a race from start finish. Secondly, 'Richmond Fontaine' is the name of a band, not a person ( file under R not F... didn't you learn from Pink Floyd, Lou Ford and Ben Folds!!). The real Fontaine was a down and out that bass player Dave Harding met while hitch- hiking through Mexico. So, those are the facts you can live without. But can you live without this record….. It is a kind of Americana concept album (hold it, don't log off just yet). The concept is loose, held together by small spoken word vignettes called Postcards, but it is there just the same. Walt is travelling round the vast American mid west having ripped off his best friend Pete of his money and his parents wedding rings. Post to Wire chronicles the characters Walt meets on his travels.. most of them no good, or up to no good, but all interesting none the less. The small interludes tracking Walt's own less than impressive progress in repaying his fiscal and emotional debts back home. I am not the first, nor will I be the last reviewer to draw the literary comparisons with song writer Willy Vlautin's work. If Ed Hammill is roots music's answer to Paul Auster, then Vlautin is our Denis Johnson, Richard Yates or Dan Fante. The depth of character within each song and his sense of place really is quite astounding…. And these are three minute pop songs remember, a much more limiting format than a whole novel. Having created the salubrious cast to this piece, 'Richmond Fontaine' then score their own movie with all the touchstones we hold dear to Americana; It can be full on Cow- punk, as in Montgomery Park, 'Two Broken Hearts' sounds like it was left off Strangers Almanac and 'Barely Losing' could be Silver Jews. The whole production has that organic, demo feel that really puts you in the room with them. If this is a novel, it was written on a type- writer, not one of them new fangled word processors. Post to Wire truly benefits from listening to in one sitting, with minimum distractions. If it has taken them ten years to deliver this record then it was worth the wait. They are booked to open up for Caitlin Cary at the Borderline on 5th May... See you there if you know what is good for you. The best piece of music I have heard this year, so far. -- Peter Gow
Non-Prophets - Hope
Sage Francis - Personal Journals
Hope Of The States - The Lost Riots
Massive Attack - Danny The Dog
