Call 2004 the year of the comeback: Morrissey released his first album in seven years; Mission from Burma just released their second full length CD in over two decades (making theirs the widest gap between releases in recent memory); The Cure released their first new album in four years, the Pixies are temporarily back together touring the nation; The Magnetic Fields released their first album in five years; P.J Harvey, Sonic Youth, The Beastie Boys and even Prince have also released critically successful albums. All of this nostalgia begs the question of relevancy; why are Morrissey and other musicians still important figures in rock despite the fact it takes them years to release new material? Why do people still care? One answer: these bands and artists have left such an indelible mark on music history that no matter what they release it will be wildly accepted. Another answer: their work is still pretty damn good. Does anticipation and hype work for bands with long-awaited releases? For some of the aforementioned bands and artists, especially Prince and The Beastie Boys, it obviously seems to help sales as both of them currently have albums in the Billboard Top Ten.
Indie Goes Mainstream
With Modest Mouse finally crossing over to the mainstream via a hit video on cautiously-indie MTV2, the doors have finally been swung wide open for the return of good alternative music. Gone are more and mediocre masses-panderers like Korn and Limp Bizkit, and in are quality songwriters like Franz Ferdinand, The Shins, TV on the Radio and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. For these bands the bottom line is creating excellent usic, not the novelty of being a rock star. Modest Mouse has had more than a whirlwind year with Good News for People Who Like Bad News, their sixth full length release and their first album to actually climb into the Top 40 on the Billboard charts�that thanks to help from their radio hit, �Float On.� Finally aboveground, Modest Mouse can now reach audiences that had previously been fed sub-par FM fodder. Perhaps these bands owe a bit of debt to early breakthrough successes like the Strokes or White Stripes, whose sudden popularity led to a revival of interest in areas other than nu-metal. Whatever the reason, let�s hope the trend will continue and that these bands won�t become too big for their britches.
Disappointments
The biggest disappointment this year would be the demise of the revamped Lollapalooza tour. Maybe the event was slightly overpriced, but it would�ve been worth it; it had one of the best lineups in years.
For every unexpected success of a follow-up, there�s a gross disappointment of a sophomore effort. The second Liars album, They Were Wrong, So We Drowned, created its own controversy because it was the complete opposite of what rabid fans had come to expect. Were they just fucking around? Or did they just accidentally suck? It will be interesting to see what their next album will be like, if there even will be one. The newest release from Mum, Summer Make Good, showed their weak side as it was not as remarkable as their previous release, 2002�s Finally We Are No One. Brit rock can be hit or miss, as seen with some over-hyped bands that arrived this year: Keane, The Cooper Temple Clause, Seachange and even the British sounding Killers. Expectations, they are a bitch.
Without further ado, here are some compiled lists.
I don�t think I could write up a list of my best album picks considering I haven�t quite heard everything that has come out this year and because I would have to lock myself in a room for weeks to come up with the perfect list. So, here are some albums and bands that I have heard and taken a little liking to (in no particular order):
Secret Machines: Now Here is Nowhere
Energetic and ebullient rock songs that take cues from several different genres, including Brit rock, Kraut rock and the psychedelic space rock of Pink Floyd�their sound is always multifaceted, placing them in a space-rock league of their own.
Mirah: C�mon Miracle
Mirah has such a sweet and inviting voice that she could sing the phone book and it�d sound good. All of her songs are vibrant and substantial pieces of poetic beauty with more than a few hooks here and there.
Morrissey: You are the Quarry
The Granddad of indie pop music is back, and more relevant than ever. His first album in seven years shows he�s not only kept his knack for the wry and ironical tune, but he can still sing pretty damn well, too.
The Walkmen: Bows and Arrows
The entire album is a visceral and pulsating experience of ringing and reverbing guitars. Lead singer Hamilton Leithauser adds to the milieu with his grasp of personal lyrics and measured songwriting pacing.
Modest Mouse: Good News for People Who Love Bad News
First off, probably the best album title this year. Finally this diverse band receives the recognition they deserve with an album that juxtaposes bouncy rhythms and infectious hooks with�well, thoughts of death.
A.C. Newman: Slow Wonder
Can Carl Newman do anything wrong? His solo pop work is just as good as his contributions to the New Pornographers and Zumpano, as all of his poppy, joyful tunes embed themselves in your brain.
Wilco: A Ghost is Born
The tone of 2002�sYankee Hotel Foxtrot but equally as impressive with its experimental, inspired style. It could be their most heartbreaking and fascinating work to date despite the fact Jeff Tweedy is the only original member left.
Magnetic Fields: i
A happy comeback for another veteran of morose pop music. Stephin Merritt could be one of the best lyricists in music today with his observations from his own personal life, and from witty, fictional accounts. The album itself sounds like a continuation of his masterpiece, 69 Love Songs.
Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand
With one of the best debuts this year, Franz were expected to be the next big thing in music, and they didn�t disappoint. Dubbed the Scottish version of the Strokes, they are even better than their predecessors with their fun-get-up-and-dance-Post-Punk Disco Rock.
Sonic Youth: Sonic Nurse
To be honest I�ve never listened to many Sonic Youth records, which is probably blasphemous, but I realize what I�ve been missing with their style of creating music out of white noise, distorted out of tune guitars and atypical soundscapes that produce a strong emotional response from the listener.
Superlatives:
Guilty Pleasure of the Year, So Far: The Killers: Hot Fuss
The Killers are the kind of band one loves to hate because of their ’80s inspired keyboard music and loud guitar riff anthems. But there is nothing wrong with occasional cheesiness as is the case in what could become this year�s The Darkness�except the Killers actually take themselves seriously�.wait�they�re from Las Vegas? Not England?
Best songs of the year thus far:
1. The Walkmen: �The Rat� and �Thinking of a dream I Had� (From Bows and Arrows)
Both are intense and riveting songs. Check out the awesome use of the organ in the latter.
2. Preston School of Industry: “Caught in the Rain” (From Monsoon)
The guitar chords in the song remind me of one of my favorite Luna songs, with a little country thrown in.
3. Volcano, I�m Still Excited: “2nd Gun” (From Volcano, I’m Still Excited)
What makes this song great is the unexpected buildup to some dazzling keyboard action. Too bad the rest of the album stalls with middling songs, quite unlike this one.
4. Franz Ferdinand: �Take me Out,� �Jacqueline� and �Dark of Matinee� (From Franz Ferdinand)
Gang of Four inspired musicians that take these songs to a surprising and unpredictable plateau. �Take Me Out� starts out slow then swerves into a vivacious hook.
5. Mirah: “Nobody Has to Stay” (From C�mon Miracle)
It�s a pensive and beautiful ballad with a nice touch of the acoustic guitar. Mirah�s angelic voice gives the song an intensely rich sound.
6. Secret Machines: �Road Leads Where It�s Led� (From Now Here is Nowhere)
The pounding drumbeats, bass and guitar make it a catchy and bouncy song that evokes New Order�s decent Get Ready.
7. Snow Patrol: “Spitting Games” (From Final Straw)
This usually wouldn�t be the type of band I�d listen to since they come off to be a MTV manufactured-movie trailer type band, but this song starts out upbeat and ordinary, and climaxes to a hooky chorus, then changes again at the end with a slower echoing effect. Overall it�s just a good pop song.
8. Magnetic Fields: “I Don’t Believe You” (From i)
The amalgamation of instruments used, from the banjo to violin to harpsichord, turns this into a harmonious and pretty tune.
9. Modest Mouse: “Float On” (From Good News for People Who Like Bad News)
Not only one of the better songs from their new album, but also the song that has been finally putting them on the map outside of indie circles.
11. Longwave: �Here It Comes� (From Life of the Party)
It starts out like a typical song but segues into something deeper and more emotional with a willowing and passionate chorus.
12. Morrissey: �America is Not the World� (From You are the Quarry)
Such a witty and honest song about how a Brit like Morrissey views America with some of this year�s best lyrics: �America, your head is too big�Where the president is never black, female nor gay/and until that day, you�ve got nothing to say to me to help me believe.� He also mentions that Americans love hamburgers and calls them big, fat pigs. Enough said.
13. Sonic Youth: “New Hampshire” (From Sonic Nurse)
A brooding and intense No Wave song with some really intricate guitar instrumentals. A beautiful song full of beautiful interactive work, like on the entire album.
What to look forward to:
The biggest thing I�m looking forward to is the greatly anticipated new Interpol album, Antics (due to be released in late September), the follow-up to the 2002�s excellent Turn on the Bright Lights. Here�s hoping the sophomore slump won�t curse one of the best bands in years. Speaking of Interpol, they will be playing at what will be the only decent music festival this year, Curiosa. The Cure will be headlining along with Interpol�unless of course this goes the way of Lollapalooza.
