hmmm...

the go! team - "ladyflash" (probably the best party song this year)
saturday looks good to me - "since you stole my heart", and "if you ask"
joanna newsom - "sadie"
mirah - "we're both so sorry"
the walkmen - "the rat"
modest mouse - "float on"
nomo - "better than that"
ted leo - "me and mia"
the blow - "hey boy" (although i'm anticipating more when i hear the rest of this)

and more!

Since I'm looking at 2004 as the comback year of the movements in rock music, three of my favorite songs thus far are:
"Your Cover's Blown" - Belle and Sebastian
"Take Me Out" - Franz Ferdinand
"Spiders: Kidsmoke" - Wilco

It's hard to narrow it down, but here are some that I think really rocked this year:

Les Savy Fav "The Sweat Descends"
Modest Mouse "Float On"
Elliott Smith "Fond Farewell"
Q and Not U "Wet Work"
Arcade Fire "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" and "Rebellion (Lies)"
The Dears "Lost in the Plot"
Tom Waits "Hoist that Rag"

but there are lots of other good ones I'm forgetting, i'm sure.

These are all off of Camper Van Beethoven's new "New Roman Times" (as in The Fall of the Roman Empire.) "That Gum You Like is Back in Style" and "New Roman Times" are two of the best songs you will ever hear with sweet vocals, violin and steel guitar. You might even think that they are twin songs, but the lyrics are polar opposites, and yes, they have completely different melodies and backing vocals too, but boy, they are great.

"The Long Plastic Highway", "Civil Disobedience" and "Hippy Chix" rank as three of CVB's greatest rockout songs (each in a different way), and the last one even echoes their cover of Status Quo's "Pictures of Matchstick Men." "Los Tigres Traficantes" is one of CVB's most-perfect instrumentals (and that's saying a lot), and it's followed by "I Hate This Part of Texas", which is one of the funniest songs I've ever heard, but maybe you have to understand Spanish to get it. "Hey Brother" is an archetypal CVB closing song, and brings back lots of memories, but it's the first one about a suicide bomber preparing to do his "duty."

Shut up, mark.

EDIT- I somehow left off "51 7" which really sounds like something a gung-ho kid would think if he had no clue what he was REALLY doing. I enjoy the first half of "White Fluffy Clouds" immensely, but I'm not sure about the prog-jams which fill up the second half.

All in all, easily one of the best albums of the year. (Now I'll have to edit again, but I'm waitin' for TSOOL and a few others first.)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mark f,

Well, I've finally heard a single track that I can honestly say I like better than all the other ones I've heard this year.

Th' Legendary Shack*Shakers - "Creek Cats"

Although, right now, most of their new album (Believe) is getting an absurd amount of attention from me, so this might change in a week. But I doubt it.

kwakerjak

Chris Stamey's "In Spanish Harlem" has finally been surplanted as the single track I'm spinning over, and over, and over again by Saturday Looks Good to Me's "When the Party Ends."

The track is dead, long live the track!

Now Playing: NPR's Morning Edition

quote:

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Originally posted by mark f:
"That Gum You Like is Back in Style" and "New Roman Times" are two of the best songs you will ever hear with sweet vocals, violin and steel guitar. You might even think that they are twin songs, but the lyrics are polar opposites, and yes, they have completely different melodies and backing vocals too, but boy, they are great.



EDIT- I somehow left off "51 7" which really sounds like something a gung-ho kid would think if he had no clue what he was REALLY doing. I enjoy the first half of "White Fluffy Clouds" immensely, but I'm not sure about the prog-jams which fill up the second half.

All in all, easily one of the best albums of the year. (Now I'll have to edit again, but I'm waitin' for TSOOL and a few others first.)

---

I'm in total concurrence with you here, mark. I've played "51/7" OVER and OVER in my office today, and "That Gum" is a close second.

I haven't figured out the narrative of the record yet (and there are some prog-gy moments that I don't dig) but overall, a DAMN FINE RECORD!!!

quote:

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Originally posted by rockbotle:
"Spiders: Kidsmoke" - Wilco

---

"Spiders (Kidsmoke)" was initially my least favorite track from A Ghost Is Born, but several radio stations I listen to have been giving it some play (no mean feat at nearly eleven minutes) and I find it has grown on me immensely. It's funny what taking a song out of its context can do for you sometimes.

On the opposite end of the time spectrum, Saturday Looks Good to Me's Every Night continues to dominate my listening. For most of the weekend, I just haven't been able to get enough of "The Girl's Distracted" in all its sub-two minute glory. From a songwriting and performance standpoint, it could just as easily be Jonathan Richman, which is a big compliment in my book.

Now Playing: CNN's American Morning

All this Wilco talk makes me lobby for my favorite contender from AGIB,


Wilco- "Theologians"

"...they don't know nothin'
about my soul..."

Of stuff I've heard recently, Ted Leo's "Me and Mia" is an amazing track (great album too). Some others:

"C'mon C'mon" - The Von Bondies
"Take Me Out" - Franz Ferdinand
"The Rat" - The Walkmen
"Float On" - Modest Mouse
"Miracle Drug" - A.C. Newman
"I Don't Believe You" - Magnetic Fields
"Dry Your Eyes" - The Streets
"Hotel Columbia" - Jesse Malin
"Can't Stand Me Now" - The Libertines
"Decent Days and Nights" - The Futureheads

quote:

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Originally posted by bonzob:
Of stuff I've heard recently, Ted Leo's "Me and Mia" is an amazing track (great album too). Some others:

"C'mon C'mon" - The Von Bondies

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I'm really groovin' on "Me and Mia" as well. I've only hipped to "C'mon, C'mon" recently, via its use as the theme song to the F/X firefighter drama Rescue Me. I don't know much more about the Von Bondies (other than the famous slugfest with Jack White)...is the rest of the record as good as "C'mon, C'mon"?

Has anyone heard the new song "Pain" by Jimmy Eat World. Its from their new album "Futures" and it's really good. It gets MY vote for best track of 04. I recommend for anyone to check it out.

quote:

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Originally posted by philosopherEric:
I've only hipped to "C'mon, C'mon" recently, via its use as the theme song to the F/X firefighter drama _Rescue Me_. I don't know much more about the Von Bondies (other than the famous slugfest with Jack White)...is the rest of the record as good as "C'mon, C'mon"?

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Pawn Shoppe Heart has never been far from my speakers the entire year. It's not currently on my Top 10, but it's longevity makes me wonder just why that is. It's worth noting, too, that it's mark's #5, which is worth a lot in my book.

Bottom line, I know the trade stack is dwindling, but I used copy is probably well worth it.

Now Playing: Purdue leading Michigan 14-13 in the 4th quarter

quote:

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Originally posted by mark f:
These are all off of Camper Van Beethoven's new "New Roman Times" (as in The Fall of the Roman Empire.) "That Gum You Like is Back in Style" and "New Roman Times" are two of the best songs you will ever hear with sweet vocals, violin and steel guitar. You might even think that they are twin songs, but the lyrics are polar opposites, and yes, they have completely different melodies and backing vocals too, but boy, they are great.

---

After playing this ALL DAY, I'm sold, mark.

"That Gum You Like" is a flat-out GREAT song. Competing with "Theologians" for my favorite of 2004...

I told two of my best friends (who are old enough to remember, from Ed Sullivan) that "That Gum You Like is Back in Style" is comparable to "Hey Jude". They had extremely-vocal doubts originally, but they're both SO silent right now.

Although I believe "That Gum You Like Is Back In Style"(Camper van Beethoven) is a song as good as "Hey Jude" (one of the best songs of all-time), I'm still leaning towards 'My Way is to You" (Paul Kelly) for Best Song of the Year. I might have to invoke a few ties for first place this year!

I'm now quite sure that my favorite song of the year is "All Over Town" by Saturday Looks Good To Me. It's far too confident to be "twee" and the drumming is hella tight. What's great is that if your stereo has a L-R balance knob, you can hear three different mixes of the songs.

-There's the normal mix with all the instruments.
-In the left speaker, the drums don't come in until the chorus, and you can't hear the electric piano.
-In the right speaker, it's just drums and electric piano.

I remember a while back we were talking about the relevance of of the term "gem" in regard to music. To me, this is a perfect example of a gem. It's an easily digestible song that is fully formed and can stand by itself.

Thanks for the tip regarding the mix of "All Over Town," Sweetie, and for the recommendation of Saturday Looks Good to Me in the first place. I believe I've commented elsewhere, the album has climbed to a lofty position on my list of 2004 faves in a very short time.

"When the Party Ends" was the track that drew me into the album. As I mentioned above, I was spinning "The Girls Distracted" pretty much non stop. Just Last night and today it's been "When You Got To New York."

Any one of those tracks are contenders for the topic of this thread. You've gotta love that kind of depth in an album.

Now Playing: "Flip, Flop & Fly" The Blasters Going Home: The Blasters Live (Shout! Factory)

Not exactly sure why, but I can't seem to get enough of that song "Fortress" from the new Pinback album.


.

I know I'm a myopic broken record, but I'll say this in my defense: I'm listening to "The Girl's Distracted" by Saturday Looks Good to Me, I'm looking forward to going with my wife to see John Cale at the local club tonight (I got free tix by answering a simple question) and I'm also looking forward to seeing "The Incredibles" again ASAP.

Back to this thread..."My Way is to You" (off this year's "Ways and Means" album) by Paul Kelly is incredible, but so are that album's "Sure Got Me", "You Broke a Beautiful Thing", "Young Lovers", "Big Fine Girl", "Gunnamatta", "The Oldest Story in the Book", "Nothing But a Dream", "Little Bit of Sugar", "Forty-Eight Angels" and "Let's Fall Again". Actually, those ARE my faves, but I don't want to have to ditch any of the unmentionables. Maybe that's why this album keeps creepin' up my list.
I sure hope it's still available for music lovers as a double disc.

Paul Kelly has been making GREAT, LOVING music for SO long!! Will anybody ever understand that he's a freakin' genius who understands everything that's in all our hearts? (It doesn't matter how old/young you are...you're human, so we all meet up eventually.)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mark f,