finally did this...

1. Animal Collective - Sung Tongs
2. Madvillain - Madvillainy
3. Brian Wilson - SMiLE
4. Vetiver - s/t
5. M.I.A./Diplo - Piracy Funds Terrorism Vol. 1
6. Joanna Newsom - The Milk-Eyed Mender
7. Of Montreal - Satanic Panic in the Attic
8. The Double - Palm Fronds
9. Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing in the Hands
10. Ghost - Hypnotic Underworld
11. Arcade Fire - Funeral
12. Black Dice - Creature Comforts
13. Mike Ladd - Nostalgialator
14. cLOUDDEAD - Ten
15. Bark Psychosis - Codename: Dustsucker
16. Mastodon - Leviathan
17. Gang Gang Dance - s/t
18. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
19. Fennesz - Venice
20. Comets on Fire - Blue Cathedral

others I liked, but didn't make it:

21. Les Savy Fav - Inches
22. The Walkmen - Bows & Arrows
23. Califone - Heron King Blues
24. Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt
25. Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
26. The Dead Texan - The Dead Texan
27. Devendra Banhart - Niño Rojo
28. Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
29. Wolf Eyes - Burned Mind
30. Panda Bear - Young Prayer
31. Mouse on Mars - Radical Connector
32. Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse
33. Björk - Medulla
34. Man Man - The Man in the Turban With a Face
35. Squarepusher - Ultravisitor
36. Jason Molina - Pyramid Electric Co.
37. The Blood Brothers - Crimes
38. Stereolab - Margerine Eclipse
39. Deerhoof - Milk Man
40. Charalambides - Joy Shapes : 7.5

haha, although our lists are drastically different, we're pretty close at the top.

Yeah, I really like your lists though Drinky.

1. Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
2. Black Keys, The - Rubber Factory
3. Interpol - Antics
4. Case, Neko - The Tigers Have Spoken
5. Cee-Lo - Cee-Lo Green Is the Soul Machine
6. Hives, The - Tyrannosaurus Hives
7. Drive-By Truckers - The Dirty South
8. Newman, A.C. - The Slow Wonder
9. Leo, Ted & The Pharmacists - Shake The Sheets
10. Arcade Fire, The - Funeral
11. RJD2 - Since We Last Spoke
12. Delgados, The - Universal Audio
13. Pinback - Summer In Abaddon
14. Lynn, Loretta - Van Lear Rose
15. Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
16. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
17. Flogging Molly - Within A Mile From Home
18. Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere
19. Wilco - A Ghost Is Born
20. Polyphonic Spree, The - Together We're Heavy
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would like to have heard these, but I ran out of time:
Mark Lanegan
Gift of Gab
De La Soul
Death From Above 1979
Hayden
Eagles of Death Metal
Annie

1. Bloc Party - Bloc Party EP
2. McLusky - Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not on Fire
3. Streets, The - A Grand Don't Come For Free
4. Death From Above 1979 - You're a Woman, I'm a Machine
5. Libertines, The - The Libertines
6. Ratatat - Ratatat
7. Legends, The - Up Against The Legends
8. TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
9. Ikara Colt - Modern Apprentice
10. Newman, A.C. - The Slow Wonder
11. Twilight Singers, The - She Loves You
12. On!Air!Library! - On!Air!Library!
13. Good Life, The - Album Of The Year
14. Hot Snakes - Audit in Progress
15. Madvillain - Madvillainy
16. Bark Psychosis - Codename: Dustsucker
17. Clinic - Winchester Cathedral
18. Hope Of the States - The Lost Riots
19. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
20. Massive Attack - Danny The Dog

(just missed)
21. Air - Talkie Walkie
22. Asobi Seksu - Asobi Seksu
23. The Ponys - Laced With Romance
24. RJD2 - Since We Last Spoke
25. Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere

I like them more than a lot of people do, but don't think I can make myself rank a band that steals everything from the Pogues, at least not above 20.

But other than the fact that their sound is a carbon copy, I really like them. Sometimes the template is so good, the imitators are good, too.

If I took the time to do a larger list, this would be on it (so would Secret Machines, Polyphonic Spree, Loretta Lynn, Delgados, Pinback, Arcade Fire, AC Newman, Ted Leo, Arcade Fire, Neko Case, Interpol, Black Keys & Modest Mouse from your list )

Still don't have Animal Collective or Bark Psychosis.

Those two had better make the final shmoo poll...

...OR ELSE...

...they won't.

There were some things on your list I would really like to have heard, like Battles and Camera Obscura. I liked that Saturday Looks Good to Me album, too, but I didn't really get to listen to it enough.

Never could really bring myself to enjoy Blueberry Boat although it stopped annoying me after the first few listens.

1. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus
2. Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
3. Eagles of Death Metal - Peace Love Death Metal
4. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets
5. The Streets - A Grand Don't Come for Free
6. The Arcade Fire - Funeral
7. Elvis Costello & the Imposters - The Delivery Man
8. Mark Lanegan Band - Bubblegum
9. A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder
10. Kanye West - The College Dropout
11. The Delgados - Universal Audio
12. Ben Kweller - On My Way
13. The Black Keys - Rubber Factory
14. Green Day - American Idiot
15. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
16. John Vanderslice - Cellar Door
17. Secret Machines - Now Here is Nowhere
18. The Hives - Tyrannosaurus Hives
19. Beastie Boys - To the 5 Boroughs
20. The Von Bondies - Pawn Shoppe Heart

And, just for fun...

21. The Features - Exhibit A
22. Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
23. The Futureheads - The Futureheads
24. Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
25. Mclusky - The Difference Between Me and You is That I'm Not on Fire
26. Brian Wilson - Smile
27. Drive-By Truckers - The Dirty South
28. TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
29. Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
30. Pedro the Lion - Achilles Heel
31. Rogue Wave - Out of the Shadow
32. Dogs Die in Hot Cars - Please Describe Yourself
33. Madvillain - Madvillainy
34. Wilco - A Ghost is Born
35. Mission of Burma - OnOffOn
36. Interpol - Antics
37. The Veils - The Runaway Found
38. The Libertines - The Libertines
39. De La Soul - The Grind Date
40. Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat


See y'all next year!!!

good choice for #1, my friend. good choice indeed. i couldnt help but agree with you.

4 points:

Arcade Fire, The - Funeral
Fiery Furnaces, The - Blueberry Boat
Seafood - As The Cry Flows
Earlies, The - These We're The Earlies
Dios – Dios

3 points:

Radio Dept, The - Lesser Matters
Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Razorlight - Up All Night
Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt

2 points:

Legends, The - Up Against The Legends
Comets On Fire - Blue Cathedral
Adem - Homesongs
Vanderslice, John - Cellar Door
Kings Of Convenience - Riot On An Empty Street

1 point:

Autolux - Future Perfect
Xiu Xiu - Fabulous Muscles
Delgados, The - Universal Audio
Banhart, Devendra - Rejoicing In The Hands
Junior Boys - Last Exit

Only made a couple of changes to my unofficial list of last week. Dungen made a big push here in the last few days, I’m speechless for now. Autolux finally hit me after all this time and maybe even forced myself to play it over and over again. Yeah it’s good and surprised on how many number ones it actually got, though I still like Radio Dept more but they are really different.

What no ranking? What do I think I am Rolling Stone or something? Well, I have a major project going and will get it done by the end of the weekend, even if I have to do speed to finish.

Didn't really want to do this. Most of the music I discovered this year was older stuff, but I figured, you can't have 900 posts and not do the poll.

Can be divided into Top 10:
1. Lynn, Loretta - Van Lear Rose
2. Drive-By Truckers - The Dirty South
3. Walkmen, The - Bows + Arrows
4. Bare Jr., Bobby - From the End of Your Leash
5. Reilly, Ike - Sparkle In The Finish
6. Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere
7. West, Kayne - The College Dropout
8. Razorlight - Up All Night
9. Arcade Fire, The - Funeral
10. The Rolling Stones - Live Licks

And Ten more albums I enjoyed this year:

11. Libertines, The - The Libertines
12. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
13. Killers, The - Hot Fuss
14. Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
15. Leo, Ted & The Pharmacists - Shake The Sheets
16. Veils, The - The Runaway Found
17. Polyphonic Spree, The - Together We're Heavy
18. Interpol - Antics
19. T.I. - Urban Legend
20. Lil Jon - Crunk Juice

Spent the last couple days re-listening to '04 discs - subsequently TV On The Radio jumped up a few spots and Modest Mouse managed to nudge itself firmly back onto the list. There's still way too many albums I haven't listened to yet - Honeydogs and Dungen topping the list of artists who I expect to deserve to be top 20 - but, of everything I've heard, these are my faves:

1. Ike Reilly Sparkle In The Finish
2. Jim White Drill A Hole In That Substrate And Tell Me What You See
3. Marah 20,000 Streets Under The Sky
4. Ted Leo + the Pharmacists Shake The Sheets
5. Drive-by Truckers The Dirty South
6. The Libertines The Libertines
7. TV On The Radio Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
8. Blues Explosion Damage
9. Mark Lanegan Bubblegum
10. Gingersol Eastern
11. I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House Menace
12. Tom Waits Real Gone
13. Jolie Holland Escondida
14. Modest Mouse Good News For People Who Love Bad News
15. The New York Dolls Morrissey Presents... Meltdown Festival 2004
16. Chuck Prophet The Age Of Miracles
17. Thelonious Monster California Clam Chowder
18. Patti Scialfa 23rd Street Lullabye
19. The Paybacks Harder And Harder
20. Reigning Sound Too Much Guitar

I realized that my first and second lists just didn't cut it. This is more accurrate list although there are still many others i have yet to hear...

1. Arcade Fire, The - Funeral
2. Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
3. Ambulance Ltd. - LP
4. Morrissey - You Are The Quarry
5. Wilco - A Ghost Is Born
6. Elf Power - Walking With The Beggar Boys
7. Animal Collective - Sung Tongs
8. Rogue Wave - Out Of The Shadow
9. Razorlight - Up All Night
10. CLOUDDEAD - Ten
11. Fiery Furnaces, The - Blueberry Boat
12. Walkmen, The - Bows + Arrows
13. Snow Patrol - Final Straw
14. West, Kayne - The College Dropout
15. Futureheads, The - Futureheads, The
16. U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
17. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
18. Libertines, The - The Libertines
19. Leo, Ted & The Pharmacists - Shake The Sheets
20. Newman, A.C. - The Slow Wonder

Yeah, redid mine after some thinking (and one more purchase -- Polyphonic Spree):

1. Drive-By Truckers - The Dirty South
2. Arcade Fire, The - Funeral
3. Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
4. Wilson, Brian - Smile
5. Bare Jr., Bobby - From the End of Your Leash
6. Razorlight - Up All Night
7. Lynn, Loretta - Van Lear Rose
8. Newman, A.C. - The Slow Wonder
9. Reilly, Ike - Sparkle In The Finish
10. Libertines, The - The Libertines
11. Interpol - Antics
12. Wilco - A Ghost Is Born
13. Phish - Undermind
14. Case, Neko - The Tigers Have Spoken
15. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
16. Black Keys, The - Rubber Factory
17. Pinback - Summer In Abaddon
18. Polyphonic Spree, The - Together We're Heavy
19. Ambulance Ltd. - LP
20. Leo, Ted & The Pharmacists - Shake The Sheets

There are several new releases I've yet to fully absorb, while others are still in shrinkwrap or on the way. The following are records I've given my undivided attention to in 2004.


dungen - te det lugnt
marah - 20,000 streets under the sky
wilco - a ghost is born
animal collective - sung tongs
richard buckner - dents & shells
sadies - favorite colours
iron & wine - our endless summer days
jim white - drill a hole in that substrate and tell me what you see
rogue wave - out of the shadow
hayden - elk-lake serenade

pinback - summer in abaddon
pj harvey - uh huh her
jolie holland - escondida
daniel wylie - ramshackle beauty
arcade fire - funeral
bobby bare jr - the end of your leash
rufus wainwright - want two
volebeats - country favorites
autumn defense - circles
kingsbury manx - aztec discipline


-MCaputo

It's getting down to the wire. Finally did mine in groups, the rankings within group are rather prone to change (well, all rankings are rather prone to change, I'm fickle):

Cave, Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus
Ghost, Hypnotic Underworld
Dresden Dolls
Neurosis, Eye of Every Storm
Einsturzende Neubauten, Perpetuum Mobile

Auf der Maur
Friends of Dean Martinez, Random Harvest
Mum, Summer Make Good
Ayreon, Human Equation
Dykehouse, Midrange

Lali Puna, Faking the Books
Miss Kittin, I Com
Flesh Field, Strain
Telefon Tel Aviv, Map of What is Effortless
Kylie Minogue, Body Language

Franz Ferdinand
Bjork, Medulla
Pan Sonic, Quiet City
Waits, Real Gone
Peccatum, Lost in Reverie

Honorable mentions:

Real Tuesday Weld, I, Lucifer
Two Lone Swordsmen, From the double gone chapel
Bark Psychosis, ///Codename: Dustsucker
Diary of Dreams, Nigredo -- haven't even heard this yet, and I have no doubts
Chris Connelly, Night of Your Life
Lhasa, The Living Road
Shalabi Effect -- can't find my copy!

How many people do you know have both Kylie Minogue and Neurosis in their list?

Wow, they are still around? I remember them from the 80’s doing Industrial type of music. Oh and none, to answer that question.

I was hoping you would post a top 20. Was wondering if you were going to do it or not because you are fairly new. You have a wicked sense of humor and know quite a bit about music. Glad you found us!

1. Arcade Fire---Funeral
2. Walkmen---Bows + Arrows
3. Fiery Furnaces---Blueberry Boat
4. TV on the Radio---Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
5. Modest Mouse---Good News For People Who Love Bad News
6. Ted Leo---Shake the Sheets
7. McLusky---The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not On Fire
8. Sufjan Stevens---Seven Swans
9. Delgados---Universal Audio
10. Ambulance LTD---LP
11. Destroyer---Your Blues
12. Gingersol---Eastern
13. John Vanderslice---Cellar Door
14. Autolux---Future Perfect
15. Elliott Smith---From A Basement on a Hill
16. Rogue Wave---Out of the Shadow
17. Interpol---Antics
18. Wilco---A Ghost Is Born
19. Secret Machines---Now Here Is Nowhere
20. Death From Above 1979---You're A Woman, I'm A Machine

whoa, this is a surprise. i thought you weren't a fan?

i wasn't a big fan of ted leo's "hearts of oak", but i'm lovin' this new disc.

I too almost listed it, but decided to give Shat the honorary 21st position.

4Pts
TV On The Radio- Desperate Youths, Bloodthirsty Babes
Mark Lanegan Band- Bubblegum
Blonde Redhead- Misery Is a Butterfly
Animal Collective- Sung Tongs
Bjork- Medulla

3Pts
The Earlies- These Were The Earlies
Iron & Wine- Our Endless Numbered Days
Razorlight- Up All Night
The Walkmen- Bows + Arrows
Autolux- Future Perfect

2Pts
Mastadon- Leviathan
The Black Keys- Rubber Factory
PJ Harvey- Uh Huh Her
Califone- Heron King Blues
Sonic Youth- Nurse

1Pt
Arto Lindsay- Salt
The Secret Machines- Now Here Is Nowhere
Isis- Panopticon
Modest Mouse- Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Stars- Set Yourself on Fire

Close, but no dice...
Stereolab- Margerine Eclipse
!!!- Louden Up Now
The Arcade Fire- Funeral
Air- Talkie Walkie
The Go! Team- Thunder, Lightning, Strike!

Man. I love this list. It gives me such a great resource to find new stuff.

*bows down to you music geeks*

yeah, people's year-end lists clued me in on ted leo & french kicks. i also liked iron&wine's "our endless..." better than "creek..."