Albums 25 – 16
25. Phish Undermind (Elektra)
For many, 2004 won�t be remembered as the year that fey Scottish pop stars scored a track on Now That�s What I Call Music! #17, but rather as when Phish up and called it quits. Although I don�t think I�ll miss them nearly as much as the legions of hairy folk who�ll now be forced to get real jobs (or go on tour with String Cheese Incident), Undermind was a strong swan song, and a pleasant reminder of why this band so rocked my world ten years ago.
24. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists Shake the Sheets (Lookout!)
I won�t argue that it pales in comparison with the man�s past two records, but Leo�s enthusiasm, both onstage and on disc, is still unparalleled. Though the organ tones and female vocal counterpoints evident on Hearts of Oak are missed, paring down to a power trio has made the Pharmacists even tighter, and completely propulsive cuts like �The One Who Got Us Out� and �Little Dawn� will still make the listener want to jump out of his shoes. The majority of Shake the Sheets is never less than inspired, and �Me and Mia� arguably serves up the best opening salvo of any record on this list.
23. Delays Faded Seaside Glamour (Rough Trade)
Our EIC likes to call these guys the Fleetwood Mac of Britpop, and this is a statement with which I can�t disagree; as much for Greg Gilbert�s vocal similarities to Stevie Nicks (you heard right), as their reliance on glossy, shimmering production values. Provided the listener has a reasonably high tolerance for sap, Faded Seaside Glamour features a number of shining examples of shoegazer influenced Britpop; with songs like �Wanderlust� and �Long Time Coming� being both extremely catchy and undeniably lush (not to mention Lush). It wears a bit thin towards the end, but there�s enough quality cuts within to allow me to look past the fact that �Long Time Coming� was recently used in one of those gag inducing �A Diamond is Forever!� television spots (and �Nearer Than Heaven� was my jam for the month of August).
22. The Charlatans Up at the Lake (Universal International)
What was once a baggy-era curiosity has since morphed into the Old Faithful of Britpop bands. Like a good friend who�ll never asked to be picked up at the airport, The Charlatans are eminently warm and reliable. Shamefully still unavailable in the U.S. other than as an import, I got tired of Up At The Lake a little faster than I would have originally anticipated, but it�s still a must own for anybody who ever liked this band. Leaning heavily on the country-rock stylings of 1997�s Telling Stories , the worst thing you can say about Up At the Lake is that it sounds exactly like a Charlatans album. They�ll never be praised for their originality, but it�s refreshing to see a band so willing to play to their strengths.
21. Ash Meltdown (Record Collection)
Ash make fantastic summertime power pop, and while I certainly haven�t spun this album as much of late as I did when it was warm outside, �Orpheus� is easily one of the best power pop songs I�ve heard all year. It�s not as much of a starry-eyed wonder as Free All Angels was, but Meltdown is still full of the typically great choruses and excellent production that Ash have made their name on (and it�s finally going to get a U.S. release this March). Extra points for frequent use of the title track and �Orpheus� throughout �Shaun of the Dead,� unquestionably the best movie I saw this year.
20. Manic Street Preachers Lifeblood (Sony International)
It�s a miracle that this made the Top 20 at all considering how much I hated their last record. The Manics will never return to the both dizzying and ghastly heights of The Holy Bible, but Lifeblood is a surprisingly excellent record provided you can forgive the band for more or less turning their back on the rock histrionics that made them famous. Proof that a heavy production job need not sound inhuman, Lifeblood is a collection of soothing and highly enjoyable pop that also contains some of the Manics� best songs in years (�1985� and �To Repel Ghosts� in particular).
19. U2 How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (Interscope)
There�s a song on the new U2 record called �Crumbs From Your Table.� It features a ringing Edge introduction complete with bells, a furiously strident riff, lyrics about third world hunger and/or the AIDS crisis, Bono intoning that �where you live should not decide/whether you live or whether you die,� and a positively stirring climax. It sounds like background music for a charity advertisement featuring emaciated, third world youths. It�s also probably the most U2-sounding song U2 have ever written. The same can be said about this entire record. Loaded with hooks and significantly fewer cringe-worthy tracks when compared to their last few albums, U2 haven�t sounded this much like U2 in a decade, and admit it-you fucking love it.
18. Fiery Furnaces Blueberry Boat (Rough Trade)
Were I forced to make this list back in August, Blueberry Boat would have made my Top 10 easily. But I can�t help but think that I�ve fallen out of love with it. There�s moments of this sprawling disc that I won�t be able to erase from my gray matter for the rest of my life, but there�s also parts in the latter portions that I don�t think I�ve ever actually listened to, despite having owned the record for over six months now. Maybe I�m just not as patient as I used to be, but I just can�t shake the feeling that there�s at least twenty minutes on Blueberry Boat where nothing happens. The majority of �Chris Michaels� is completely brilliant, it�s impossible for me to listen to �Straight Street� without tapping my right foot, and Matt Friedberger�s wacky blues soloing two minutes into �Mason City� still sends me into convulsions. But whether it�s on account of my increasingly short attention span or the fact that I appreciate a little quality control, I just don�t get Blueberry Boat nearly as much as I wish I did.
17. Blood Brothers Crimes (V2)
They�ve got a killer rhythm section and explosive guitars, but the only thing you really need to know about The Blood Brothers is that co-�vocalists� Jordan Billie and Johnny Whitney are inhuman. A good hardcore band will take pride in ripping off your face. But only the Blood Brothers will defecate onto said face and drive over it with a steamroller after it�s been ripped off.
16. Medeski, Martin and Wood End of the World Party (Just in Case) (Blue Note)
Dancepunk be damned; this is really what we should use to get the indie kids dancing again. A rare holdout band from my innocent high school days, End of The World Party is a John King produced cornucopia of sound; constantly moving forward on the strength of the organ trio�s unbelievable chops. Possibly their best album in over a decade, only a soulless bastard would find it difficult to shake his ass to less than half of these tracks. John Medeski�s seven-hundred keyboard noises will not be denied. Hipsters take note-if you�re going to heart the DFA and attend Out Hud gigs, you�d be completely hypocritical not to listen to this record as well.
