Sort of like the release recommendation thread with various purposes in mind (list-making, last minute discoveries, etc.).

How about compiling a list, alphabetically, of 2004 albums we consider to be good?

Here's what I've got to start with. I'll edit this list as you guys post things.
Just post stuff that I don't have on here alphabetically or randomly or something.

Adem – Homesongs
Air - Talkie Walkie
Album Leaf - In a Same Place
Ambulance Ltd - LP
American Music Club - Love Songs For Patriots
Animal Collective - Sung Tongs
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Joseph Arthur - Our Shadows Will Remain
Ash – Meltdown
Autolux - Future Perfect
Devendra Banhart - Niño Rojo
Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing in the Hands
Bobby Bare Jr. - From the End of Your Leash
Bark Psychosis - Codename: Dustsucker
The Bees – Free The Bees
The Beta Band – Heroes To Zeros
Björk - Medulla
Black Dice - Creature Comforts
The Black Keys – Rubber Factory
Blonde Redhead - Misery Is a Butterfly
The Blood Brothers - Crimes
The Blueskins – Word Of Mouth
Bravecaptain – All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace
Richard Buckner - Dents and Shells
Califone - Heron King Blues
Charalambides - Joy Shapes
Charlatans – Up At The Lake
cLOUDDEAD - Ten
Comets on Fire - Blue Cathedral
The Court and Spark - Witch Season
Graham Coxon – Happiness In Magazines
Cranes - Paticles and Waves
Dead Meadows – Shivering King And Others
Deerhoof - Milk Man
The Delays – Faded Seaside Glamour
The Delgados – Universal Audio
Destroyer - Your Blues
Dios – s/t
Drive By Truckers - The Dirty South
The Double - Palm Fronds
Eagles of Death Metal - Peace Love Death Metal
Earlimart - Treble and Tremble
Electrelane - The Power Out
Fennesz - Venice
The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
The Flaming Stars - Named And Shamed
Franz Ferdinand - s/t
The Futureheads - s/t
Gang Gang Dance - s/t
Giant Sand - Is All Over...The Map
Ghost - Hypnotic Underworld
Gomez – Split The Difference
Ed Harcourt - Strangers
PJ Harvey - Uh Huh Her
Honeydogs - 10,000 Years
Hop On Pop - As Drawn By Ethan, Age 2
Hope Of the States – The Lost Riots
Interpol – Antics
Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
Junior Boys - Last Exit
Isan - Meet Next Life
Keane - Hopes and Fears
David Kilgour - Frozen Orange
Kings of Convienence - Riot On An Empty Street
Mike Ladd - Nostalgiator
Lali Puna - Faking the Books
Ray LaMontagne - Trouble
Mark Lanegan Band - Bubblegum
The Legends - Up Against The Legends
T. Leo+Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets
Les Savy Fav - Inches
Lhasa - The Living Road
The Liars - They Were Wrong So We Drowned
The Libertines - s/t
Luna - Rendezvous
Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
The M's - s/t
Madvillain - Madvillainy
The Mae Shi - Terrorbird
Nellie McKay - Get Away From Me
Brad Mehldau - Anything Goes
Mellow - Perfect Colors
The Mendoza Line - Fortune
Midnight Movies - s/t
Mission of Burma - ONoffON
Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Jason Molina - Pyramid Electric Co.
Moonbabies - The Orange Billboard
Mouse on Mars - Radical Connector
The National - Cherry Tree
Martin Newell - The Light Programme
AC Newman - The Slow Wonder
Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender
Of Montreal - Satanic Panic in the Attic
Old Canes - Early Morning Hymns
OOIOO - Kila Kila Kila
Ordinary Boys – Over The Counter Culture
Erlend Øye – DJ Kicks
Panda Bear - Young Prayer
Phoenix – Alphabetical
Pinback - Summer in Abaddon
Polyphonic Spree - Together We're Heavy
Matt Pond PA - Emblems
Q And Not U - Power
The Radio Dept – Lesser Matters
Ratatat - s/t
Razorlight - Up All Night
Ike Reilly - Sparkle In The Finish
Richmond Fontaine - Post To Wire
Stan Ridgway - Snakebite
Carina Round - The Disconnection
Brinsley Schwarz - Cruel to Be Kind
The Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere
Seafood – As The Cry Flows
Shearwater - Winged Life
Shrimp Boat - Something Grand
Skinny Puppy - The Greater Wrong of the Right
Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill
Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse
Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Origin 1
Squarepusher - Ultravisitor
Stars - Set Yourself On Fire
Stereolab - Margerine Eclipse
Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
Tegan & Sara - So Jealous
The Thermals - Fuckin A
Kevin Tihista - Wake The Captain
TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
John Vanderslice - Cellar Door
The Veils – The Runaway Found
Vetiver - s/t
Tom Waits - Real Gone
The Walkmen - Bows & Arrows
Kanye West - College Dropout
Wilco - A Ghost is Born
Willard Grant Conspiracy - Regard the End
Brian Wilson - SMiLE
Wolf Eyes - Burned Mind
Xela – Tangled Wool
Xiu Xiu - Fabulous Muscles

TV on the Radio - Desperate Youths, Bloodthirsty Babes

Franz Ferdinand

American Music Club - Love Songs For Patriots
Giant Sand - Is All Over...The Map
T. Leo+Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets

by the way, I think we should be judicious with this list. Don't just list stuff because you heard it once and you thought it was okay...that way we won't end up with a list of 300 records

Brinsley Schwarz - Cruel to Be Kind
Shrimp Boat - Something Grand

and, of course...
Hop On Pop - As Drawn By Ethan, Age 2

2004 releases:

"good news" modest mouse
"a ghost is born" wilco
"college dropout" kanye west
"up all night" razorlight
"hopes and fears" keane
franz ferdinand
"satanic panic in the attic" of montreal
"cellar door" john vanderslice
"lp" ambulance ltd
"medulla" bjork
"absolution" muse [if you count it for 2004]

i was judicious -- i only included albums i could remember placing within my top 6 weekly albums airplay countdown.

(geek alert!)

haven't received it yet, so i don't know, but looking forward to it...

Not sure what the criteria should be, but I like all of these and don't see them on the list yet....

The Futureheads
The Flaming Stars - Named And Shamed
Joseph Arthur - Our Shadows Will Remain
The Legends - Up Against The Legends
The Libertines
Giant Sand - Is All Over The Map
The National - Cherry Tree
Mark Lanegan Band - Bubblegum
David Kilgour - Frozen Orange
The Court and Spark - Witch Season
Old Canes - Early Morning Hymns
Richmond Fontaine - Post To Wire
The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat
Carina Round - The Disconnection
Willard Grant Conspiracy - Regard the End
Honeydogs - 10,000 Years
Lali Puna - Faking The Books
Electrelane - The Power Out
Blonde Redhead - Misery Is A Butterfly
Moonbabies - The Orange Billboard

Ok, since Joseph and Wilco and MM were mentioned already:

Drive By Truckers- The Dirty South
Kevin Tihista-Wake The Captain
Ed Harcourt-Strangers

it's in the mail! any day now...

here are some more


Isan meet next life
Cranes paticles and waves
Skinny Puppy the greater wrong of the right

not yet listed, and from my top 20ish:

llhasa.the living road
luna.rendezvous
mellow.perfect colors
polyphonic spree.together we're heavy
shearwater.winged life
elliott smith.from a basement on the hill
vetiver.s/t

We should have some system for paring down the list. Kind of like they do at fakejazz, except not quite as severe. We start out with the big list like you are doing now and then whittle it down to a top 10. Things can only be considered for the top 10 if someone nominates the album from our big list and then gets a second for the nomination. And then something can be deleted from that top 10 or from the big list if at least one person vetos it and gets a second. That would be kind of fun. Maybe an album can get immunity if at least 5 people vote for it. Kind of like a musical survivor series. You have to form alliances if you want your favorite album to survive

Actually, I was thinking of doing something like this. This list is mainly a jumping off point for other things, but I do want to keep it paired down as much as possible.

I've edited in all the ones posted as of me typing this other than elephantsone's (I'll get to it in a sec), and I've taken a few out of the original bunch I posted. I'll add them back in if someone else posts them, though.

AC Newman "The Slow Wonder"
Q And Not U "Power"
Earlimart "Treble and Tremble"
The Mae Shi "Terrorbird"
Destroyer "Your Blues"
Kings of Convienence "Riot On An Empty Street"
Xiu Xiu "Fabulous Muscles"

These are all heavy Top-10 contenders for me this year, but not noted yet...

Ray Lamontagne ~ Trouble

How about:

Adem – Homesongs
Ash – Meltdown
The Bees – Free The Bees
The Beta Band – Heros To Zeros
The Black Keys – Rubber Factory
The Blueskins – Word Of Mouth
Bravecaptain – All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace
Charlatans – Up At The Lake
Dead Meadows – Shivering King And Others
The Delgados – Universal Audio
The Delays – Faded Seaside Glamour
Destroyer – Your Blues
Dios – s/t
Erlend Oye – DJ Kicks
Gomez – Split The Difference
Graham Coxon – Happiness In Magazines
Hope Of the States – The Lost Riots
Interpol – Antics
Kings Of Convenience – Riot On A Empty Street
Ordinary Boys – Over The Counter Culture
Phoenix – Alphabetical
The Radio Dept – Lesser Matters
Seafood – As The Cry Flows
The Veils – The Runaway Found
Xela – Tangled Wool
Xiu Xiu – Fabulous Muscles

Elbow – Cast Of Thousands (American 2004)

You know I would have to chime in.

Okay of ones NOT mentioned on the first list, I am really digging these:

Autolux- Future Perfect
Black Keys- Rubber Factory
Interpol- Antics
Midnight Movies- s/t
Pinback- Summer in Abaddon

My two noms:

Ike Reilly: Sparkle In The Finish This is easily my album numero uno this year

Stan Ridgway: Snakebite This one is the runner up

Martin Newell: The Light Programme This is a remarkably pleasant listening experience.

I've also dug the Ted Leo and Marah albums, but not as much as the other three standouts.

Bark Psychosis - Codename: Dustsucker

I can vouch for these two. Definately worthy of inclusion on the big list.

edit- just saw that the Black Keys are already up there. And autolux. Someday I'll learn how to read. really, I promise.

Has Seafood's As the Cry Flows been released in the US yet?

Perhaps we can start a 'Recomended List' in 2005. Anyone can nominate an album by starting a poll 'Should X album make list - yes or no' and if the album gets 15 or 20 votes it goes on the Obner Recomended List.