Last year, I was intending to write a top 10 list of albums for the year. I failed miserably, after realizing that there really weren’t ten albums I could firmly say I liked.
But 2004 seems to be a different ball game:
The Streets released a follow up album to Original Pirate Material that actually gave scientific proof that UK hip-hop is not a joke.
Then Dizzee Rascal did him one better.
The Prodigy released their long awaited fourth album and shockingly, it wasn’t an album full of tripe like Fat Of The Land was.
Green Day have a new album coming out, and from what I’ve heard, it may be their best album to date. Saying that about Green Day will probably draw “That’s not saying much” comments, but it’s honestly a solid album.
Phoenix released their debut album, and it’s a nearly flawless mix of soft alt-rock and electronic.
Bjork put out Medulla, which turned out to be much more than just a gimmick album.
m-flo not only released their best album to date, Astromantic, but also a remix album thereof, Astromantic Charm School.
DJ Shadow released a mix DVD/CD of his own work. It’s like a greatest hits album, only better.
Orbital released their final album, which was much better than I could have anticipated after their last two.
Diverse Systems, the #1 name in Bemani remixes, released D7, a three-CD megacollection of new remixes. They are almost all truly a fantastic.
MC Chris, Richard Cheese, and David Cross all had new albums drop. There’s nothing wrong with any of them, outside the obvious insanely-funny thing.
Utada Hikaru, who has seemingly lost her lost name while coming across the Pacific, is getting a US push and album release. She deserves it.
Fantastic Plastic Machine has churned out four excellent mix albums this year alone.
They Might Be Giants tossed out a marvelous album in The Spine, easily my favorite of their albums.
And perhaps most importantly, The Kleptones have demanded my attention and received it, with two excellent mashup albums; Yoshimi Battles The Hip Hop Robots (Flaming Lips based) and the just released A Night At The Hip Hopera (Queen based, from what I’ve listened to thus far). Fuck “The Grey Album”, this is what mashing up is all about.
The year’s still got three months left. How cool is that?
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