2004 Deep Dive: Part One

      I'm officially calling it on this 2004 Deep Dive. It was a solid year for albums and there were many great songs. However, I'm only going to rank 20 albums for this dive. Twenty is where my 4-Star albums end and there really weren't any standout 3.5's that I wanted to discuss. There are seven new listens in my Top 20, so that's exciting. There are several others that I haven't listened to since 2004, so it was nice to go back and check them out again. I didn't post any Mt. Rushmores for the 2000's, so this will be a first. Two of them probably won't be much of a surprise. Alright, let's start this thing. 

20. MF DOOM - MM...FOOD ( 4.0 Stars )

     During these deep dives, I've been trying to expose myself to more hip hop and I have discovered some stuff that's in my wheelhouse. It's mostly jazz or sci-fi influenced hip hop, but it's a start. MF DOOM is the first of two quite similar hip hop albums to make my list for 2004. What I like about MM...FOOD is the humor and the mid century audio links and samples. MF DOOM has the type of smooth, clever, non-stop flow that I really appreciate. It's hilarious that he did a concept album about food with fantastic song titles like "Beef rap", "Hoe Cakes", "Potholderz" and "Fig Leaf Bi-Carbonate". "Guinnesses" (feat. Angelika and 4ize) is my favorite track. The flow and laid back vibe are phenomenal. Obviously, this was a first listen and it was quite fun.

19. Social Distortion - Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll ( 4.0 Stars )

     This was also a first listen, even though I was familiar with the album opener, "Reach For the Sky". Social D is one of those groups that I like, in general, but I don't have anything by them in my collection. I mostly know them for "Ball and Chain" and their excellent cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire". So, not knowing the context of this album in their discography, I gave it 4 stars based on enjoying it quite a bit. During this dive, I listened to the Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers 2004 release and was disappointed it didn't sound more like his previous band, The Refreshments. At several points, this Social D record sounds more like the album I wish the Roger Clyne album had been. Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll is a downhill rocker. It keeps getting better as it goes. The standout track for me is "Winners and Losers". Mike Ness' vocals are a bit of an acquired taste, but the guitar tones on this record are great.

18. Autolux - Future Perfect ( 4.0 Stars )

     I was all about this album in 2004, but I hadn't listened to it much in the past 20 years. While it didn't hold up quite as well over the years, it's still really good and has a couple standout tracks, "Here Comes Everybody" and "Robots in the Garden". Future Perfect is shoegaze adjacent, but the vocals are a little more forward and breathy. The guitars are plenty fuzzed out and the drumming is bombastic. I will be talking about the songs in my top songs post, so I won't spoil it here. If you've never heard this album I highly recommend checking it out.

17. Green Day - American Idiot ( 4.0 Stars )

     American Idiot. The last great Green Day album. Like Dookie, I forgot how good the deep cuts are on this concept album. I still love the title track. I gave American Idiot 4 stars because I've grown to hate the two hit singles, "When September Ends" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". They are grossly overplayed and it almost kept me from considering this record for my top 20. If the deep cuts weren't so good, I probably would have. 

16. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand ( 4.0 Stars )

     2004 was the year of "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand and "Float On" by Modest Mouse. More about the latter later. 2004 was also a big year for bands with angular guitars and dance rhythms. I'm looking at you too Futureheads. While Franz Ferdinand are more my wife's thing, this is a really good debut album. despite the song "Dark of the Matinee", which I can't abide. I actually saw them around this time with my oldest daughter. They were on a bill with Good Charlotte, The Used, Jimmy Eat World and Taking Back Sunday. She wanted to see Good Charlotte. I wanted to see FF and Jimmy Eat World. It was Jimmy Eat World's cover of "Game of Pricks" that was my gateway to Guided by Voices. More about them later, as well. Peace.