Best/Favorite Albums of 2004

[Semjaza]

I did one of these last year and it got very few posts... at least from what I remember. Really everyone listens to music and if you have some CD that came out last year that you really loved, then mention it. You don't need some big, specific list or anything. It's always nice to be told about new musicians or albums one might have overlooked or why people like bands you otherwise hate. At least in my opinion.

I'm only including worldwide release dates. Muse's Absolution came out in the US in 2004, but it's original release date in Europe was 2003. I'm not including it because of that, but other people can do as they please. Here's some of my choices (not all of them because otherwise my Best of 2004 thing on my site will be useless lol):

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[B]Album:[/B] Leviathon

[B]Artist:[/B] Mastodon

[B]Reason:[/B] While they've not been around too long, Mastodon's key EP release, Lifeblood, was really damn impressive. Certainly not something you'd call mindblowing, but it was definitely a sign of great things to come. Their LP that followed, Remission, was everything I think people were hoping Mastodon would prove to be, that the EP wasn't just a fluke like so many other releases.

So now we're on to Leviathon, their second LP and in my opinion, one of the best albums to hit last year. Leviathon is more polished than Remission, which might bother some people... but it's something that serves the album more than hurts it. Leviathon manages to go into new territory, much as their last album, merging together metal, hardcore and other rock styles into something that few other bands have really pulled off (let alone well).
Add to this several tracks that are based on Moby Dick and you have a really interesting, well planned album. I don't think anything other than a metal band could pull something like this off.

[B]Track to Try:[/B] Megalodon

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[B]Album:[/B] ...Is a Real Boy

[B]Artist:[/B] Say Anything

[B]Reason:[/B] This one came out of nowhere for me. They've had previous material, but I had never heard it. This was the main release and it was suggested to me by someone who typically recommends crappy music I never enjoy. He didn't seem to particularly love this band, however, but just suggested it because he thought it was something I would like based on one song he heard on a sampler. I can't thank him enough for it.

I don't know how popular this band is (or rather the main guy behind it, Max, because he does pretty much everything), but they should be freaking massive. To me, this is rock music that should appeal to anyone on this planet if they give it a real chance. Some of the best rock songs I've heard in years are on this one album.

Despite being on what is largely an "emo" label, they are not an emo band in either the traditional hardcore influenced or new "anything-that's-whiny" way. I'd say they'd fit more into what people expect from a lo-fi rock group, except with a surprising amount of reliance on keyboards. I absolutely love the vocals, the playing is pretty much flawless and the writing is some of the best there is out of a modern rock band. Say Anything manages to write songs that are self-defeating without being angsty, downtrodden while still somewhat uplifting, heavy when it should be and soft when it shouldn't. These seem like easy things to do when thought of, but in practice seem to be very rare in music as of late.

Just excellent.

[B]Track to Try:[/B] Anything, really... Maybe "Woe" and "Writhing South"

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[B]Album:[/B] The Empire Strikes First

[B]Artist:[/B] Bad Religion

[B]Reason:[/B] I'm a big Bad Religion fan and own pretty much all of their material up until this point. It was a given that I'd buy this album, but it wasn't a given that I'd really love it. Their last album, Supersonic, never really won me over despite being decent. Before that, New America, which has a lot of great standalone songs really failed to be a great, coherant album. It just felt like some collection.

The Empire Strikes First fixes these issues. Perhaps it is because there is actually something for them to go against, what with the war and everything. Perhaps they're just getting back into the groove they once were in. Whatever it is, we wind up with a really excellent punk album both in sound and ideal.

I think what sets Bad Religion apart in general is at its strongest on this album. Political bands often shoot themselves in the foot by relying so strongly on the message that the song either is not that interesting, feels pretentious or doesn't stand the test of time because it refers to very specific events that are quickly forgotten. On The Empire Strikes First, Bad Religion mangages to write very strong songs that both have a strong political/organizational message underneath, but also succeed as interesting, well written stories that are testaments to those who have dealt with the very problems the songs speak of. Because of this, I don't really think any songs on this will ever really be out of standard or not applicable. They always apply to something.

Great album. Seems a little too much like Supersonic at first, when in reality it's really just what Supersonic [I]should [/I] have been in the first place.

[B]Track to Try:[/B] Boot Stamping on a Human Face Forever, To Another Abyss, The Empire Strikes First

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Anyway, these aren't what I think are the three absolute best, but simply three that I think were among the best and the easiest to write about from memory at school. I'd write more but I don't have the time or interest lol...

But here's a bunch of albums I think rock and will talk about elsewhere at some point. They should all be tried at least. I broke them up so they can be seen a bit more easily.

David McCormack - The Truth About Love, McLusky - The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not on Fire, Dogs Die in Hot Cars - Please Describe Yourself, Scarling - Sweet Heart Dealer, Error - Error EP, Bjork - Medulla, Damnwells - Bastard of the Beat, Hot Snakes - Audit in Progress, tweaker - 2 AM Wake-Up Call, Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat, Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous, Modest Mouse - Good News...

Presidents of the USA - Love Everybody, TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth Blood Thirsty Babes, William Shatner - Has Been, Blood Brothers - Crimes, Air - Talkie Walkie, Green Day - American Idiot, Beta Band - Heroes to Zeroes, Vandals - Hollywood Potato Chip, Brian Wilson - Smile, Isis - Panopticon, John 5 - Vertigo, Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand, Visqueen - Sunset On Dateland, Morissey - You Are the Quarry, Arcade Fire - Funeral, Marah - 20,000 Streets Under the Sky

Zero 7 - When It Falls, Hope of the States - These Are the Lost Riots, The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free, Ambulence LTD - LP, Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days, Drive-By Truckers - Dirty South, Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower - If You Cut Us, We'll Bleed, Magnetic Fields - I, Interpol - Antics

The Walkmen - Bows and Arrows, Monster Magnet - Monolithic Baby!, Minus the Bear - They Make Beer Commercials Like This, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues / Lyre of Orpheus, Ataxia - Automatic Writing, Xiu Xiu - Fabulous Muscles, Snow Patrol - Final Straw, Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse

Anyway, who else?

[Shinmaru]

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[b]Album:[/b] Sonic Nurse

[b]Artist:[/b] Sonic Youth

[b]Reason:[/b] When I heard that my favorite band was releasing a new album this year, I got pretty excited. I had some high expectations for Sonic Nurse, which were inflated a bit based on positive reviews from many people. I didn't get to hear the album for a while (because I'm cheap), but when I got it, I was not disappointed. It's not genius like Daydream Nation or Washing Machine, but it [i]is[/i] a damn solid album, and any band would be proud to have an album like this in their collection.

Also, I think that it's a testament to how great Sonic Youth is that after over twenty years of releasing albums, they're still capable of releasing quality work. That says a lot about how talented Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, and Steve Shelley really are. I can't say enough about these guys, honestly.

Anyway, I've never been good at describing Sonic Youth's sound, it's something that people have to hear for themselves. They take a lot of discordant guitar melodies, and shape them into really beautiful sounding songs. There haven't been many bands like them before and since they appeared on the music scene, I can tell you that much.

[b]Track To Try:[/b] I love all of the songs on the album, but "Paper Cup Exit" is the standout song, for me.

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[b]Album:[/b] Sweet Heart Dealer

[b]Artist:[/b] Scarling

[b]Reason:[/b] When Tony put Sweet Heart Dealer up on his radio.blog, I was really impressed. Up until that moment, I had no familiarity with Jack Off Jill whatsoever, so this was my very first time hearing Jessicka's voice (Jessicka being the former lead singer of Jack Off Jill, and the lead singer of Scarling). And I was just wowed. Jessicka has one of the better voices I've heard in music, and it fits the motif of Scarling's music so damn well.

What I like about this album is the great combination of really morbid lyrical content, Jessicka's sweet singing voice, and the fantastically paced music on each song. The album starts out at a blistering pace, and slows down near the end, but it doesn't feel unnatural in the least. It feels [i]right[/i].

The only real problem I have with the album is how relatively short it is. It's about forty minutes long, I think, but there are only seven songs on the album. The album is so great that it feels like a lot less lol.

Oh, and since then, I've heard Jack Off Jill's best, Clear Hearts, Grey Flowers...honestly, I prefer this Scarling album to that. Song for song, it's just [i]better[/i], not a weak song on the album. Should say a lot about the quality of this album, because Clear Hearts, Grey Flowers garnered a lot of praise for Jack Off Jill.

[b]Track To Try:[/b] The songs are all quality, but my favorite is "Crispin Glover".

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Just two for now, I'm sick lol.

[Heaven's Cloud]

There are a ton of albums I could talk about but, some I liked more than these, others I didn?t. However, these are a few that just popped into my mind

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[B]Album[/b]- Franz Ferdinand

[b]Artisit[/b]- Franz Ferdinand

[b]Reason[/b]- I actually first heard about this album on MTV2 right before its release date. The announcer was flapping his gums about how awesome the album was and how much potential these guys from Glasgow have. So obviously I thought that they must suck, after all, most bands that receive a nod from MTV suck. A few weeks later I was proven wrong when I listened to some tracks from the album at a local record store.

You could compare Franz Ferdinand to bands like Interpol, the Strokes, and Pulp, but their overall sound doesn?t really seem to fall into that same grouping. Their music doesn?t have that retro feel that the other bands I mentioned have. Instead there music is a bit more poppy and fresh. Franz Ferdinand is an excellent album to listen to before going out on the weekends or when you are in a upbeat mood.

[b]Track(s) to Try[/b]- Auf Acshe, This Fire, Darts of Pleasure

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[B]Album[/b]- Musicology

[b]Artisit[/b]- Prince

[b]Reason[/b]- Musicology isn?t close to the being the greatest Prince album ever. However, it is still a really solid album. The funky R&B rhythm continues to blend incredibly well with Prince?s soulful (and sometimes screechy) slightly effeminate voice.

I think the real reason that Musicology stands out from so many R&B albums is Prince?s continual use of various instruments (especially horns). I really think that the current trend of R&B artists using electronic beats and synth music is really overdone, so I think the band adds a nice touch to the music.

[b]Track(s) to Try[/b]- Cinnamon Girl, Musicology, A Million Days

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[B]Album[/b]- Me and Mr. Johnson

[b]Artisit[/b]- Eric Clapton

[b]Reason[/b]- I usually don?t like tribute albums, especially when it is a tribute album of Robert Johnson?s work. His stuff has been covered thousands of times by hundreds of musicians, and none of the covers really do the originals justice (except for the Stones cover of ?Love in Vain?, that was pretty kick ***). So I was a bit skeptical as to whether Me and Mr. Johnson would be a worthwhile purchase. It turned out that it was.

On Me and Mr. Johnson, Eric Clapton doesn?t try to imitate the gritty Chicago Blues that Johnson had perfected. Instead he plays Johnson?s songs in his own fashion, revealing the influence that Johnson?s music had on him. The whole album is just gorgeous, and I would strongly recommend it to any Clapton fan or any fan of blues music in general.

[b]Track(s) to Try[/b]- Me and the Devil Blues, Kind Hearted Woman Blues, 32-20 Blues

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[B]Album[/b]- Honkin? On Bobo

[b]Artisit[/b]- Aerosmith

[b]Reason[/b]- I heard ?Baby Please Don?t Go? on the radio and wasn?t horribly impressed. However, I got the album as a gift and ended up enjoying it quite a bit. Not because the songs are all that special (just catchy blues and honkey tonk numbers) but because the band seems to enjoy playing them so much.

The band?s joy seems to mingle with the music and it becomes so infectious that I cannot help but smile while I listen to the album. Though not for everyone, if you enjoy old fashion blues fueled rock music you?ll probably get a kick out of this album.

[b]Track(s) to Try[/b]- Never Loved a Girl, You Gotta Move

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[B]Album[/b]- Autobiography

[b]Artisit[/b]- Ashlee Simpson (chuckles at calling her an ?artist?)

[b]Reason[/b]-Because I so badly want to be a sarcastic jerk.

[b]Track(s) to Try[/b]- The whole album is equally horrible.

[Amorphous]

There is a few that really caught my attention this year that I'd like to talk about.

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[b]Album[/b] - Genevieve

[b]Artist[/b] - Velvet Cacoon

[b]Reason[/b]: This album as a whole is inspired by the waves of the oceans; it has washes of ambience turning into minimalist black metal. The whole CD contains a single idea, to create the feelings of many types of waves, from a white crushing wave to a slow lulling wave just washing up against the beach. It starts of as a storm with six tracks and slowly seems to dull into a drowning ambience track of epic proportions, that of seventeen minutes. It contains calm and odd sound effects that slide over your body and that seep into your mind creating a very deep lethargic feeling. I can?t stress enough this album, even if you don?t like heavy music this is still an amazing piece of work worth checking out for its qualities if nothing else.

This band has released many previous works, but sadly none are available to the public and it?s is doubted that none ever will be again. This is the only album they plan on releasing and even though it is, it is masterpiece and can?t stress enough of how much it?s worth getting. But it?s really only available through the Internet, like on Amazon. That?s if you are interested in it.

[b]Tracks[/b] - Bete Noir, Avalon Polo, Genevieve

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[b]Album[/b] - The Cure

[b]Artist[/b] - The Cure

[b]Reason[/b]: The Cure, after almost seven years, from 1996 they have released a new album. Even after Robert Smith swore that The Cure was finally ended with their final releases Bloodflowers (which had many mixed emotions.) Well here we are, back again with a new album and amazing material. Well of course for some it?s considered their worst and for others one of their best, because of the dark undertone that many of the songs contain. It?s a nod to one of their infamous albums ?Pornography? which once again we had Robert Smith swear he?d never do anything as dark as that album again. Seems like he?s been breaking a lot of promises lately. But they aren?t in vain and this new album is nothing short of amazing.

The tracks really have an odd emotion that we?d never really seen in Robert Smith?s music and that?s anger. I?ve seen everything else, but never something quite like anger and for a metal head such as me that can be very appealing even though it isn?t metal.

[b]Tracks[/b] ? The End of the World, Us or Them, Before Three, The Promise

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[b]Album[/b] - Nocturnal Visions

[b]Artist[/b] - Ildjarn

[b]Reason[/b]: Warning, this music is absolutely not for everybody, in fact it's very hard to find people who like this music as it's so raw and so grim and minamalistic that it makes you want to tear your ears off. Most people wouldn't be able to understand this music and take it's punishment at all; as it can sound like pure noise, but it's not noise at all. This man does know what he is doing when it comes to music it's just very hard to comprehend and most wouldn't be able to accept it as being music. Anyways this man is very underrated in this genre of music. I don't actually suggest this to anyone on this board because I highly doubt that anyone would be able to enjoy it on any one level.

[b]Track[/b] - Tracks 1 through 7 are all very good.

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[b]Album[/b] - Dawn of Iron Blades

[b]Artist[/b] - Graveland

[b]Reason[/b] - Graveland is amazing and epic, from the orchestral passages to the pure black metal riffs that enter your mind. From the bursting pride to the raging war it's all there in this music. It wants you to create war, destruction and destroy anything that gets in your way, this is epitome of black metal and it can't get any better. I don't even think I can name more then two other bands on par with this one-man project. It has beautiful aesthetics and amazing use of instruments, there just doesn?t get much better then this. Every song here is an epic as well, ranging from 6 minutes to 11 minute songs.

[b]Tracks[/b] ? Immortal Bloodline, While I Ride With The Valkyries, Iron in the Fog

Anyways I don?t have enough time to list any other albums in detail so I will just go through a quick list of other ones that caught my attention this year.

[b]Twilightning[/b] ? Plague-House Puppet Show
[b]Enslaved[/b] ? Isa
[b]My Dying Bride[/b] ? Songs of Darkness, Words of Light

That?s all I can think of off the top of my head.

[Manic Webb]

HC already covered Musicology, so everyone can thank him for making my list one CD shorter.


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[b]Album[/b] - La Dona

[b]Artist[/b] - Teena Marie

[b]Reason[/b] - Teena Marie is back, and she's signed with the Cash Money rap label. Yeah, I know, but before you pass this album up, I think you should give it a good listen. The album starts off with Teena coming out of retirement as a mob Dona. The next few tracks consist of Teena trying desperately to reach out today's youth with such songs as "Off the Chain," "Makavelli Never Lied," and "The Mackin' Game."

After that, however, Teena reachs out to her old fans and young people alike with spoken-word poetry with Common, classic R&B stylings, the Blues, and a song with the late Rick James. It's these songs that highlight the CD and make it so great to listen to. It also proves that, if need be, Cash Money's producers can handle strict R&B melodies.

[b]Tracks to Try[/b] - Hit Me Where I Live, Baby I'm Your Fiend, I'm Still in Love.

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[b]Album[/b] - Stone Love

[b]Artist[/b] - Angie Stone

[b]Reason[/b] - As a young Neo-Soul artist, Angie Stone isn't afraid to tell it like it is, have some fun, and try to reach everybody in her music. Her vocal skills are incredible, and she doesn't try to engulf the ends of her songs with unnecessarily loud ad-libs-- even though she clearly can. Angie also isn't afraid to blend typical synch-music with real instruments.

While you'd probably expect her album to wallow in heart-ache, it actually has a strong feeling of gratitude. There are also songs of tribute, contentment, fond memories, and just plain getting over 'it.' It's also spiced with a few spoken interludes where Angie describes her style, foreshadows coming songs, and just gives you half a minute of something to relax to.

[b]Tracks to Try[/b] - I Wanna Thank Ya (w/ or w/o Snoop Dogg's rap. There are 2 versions), Stay For a While (w/ Anthony Hamilton), Remy Red, U-Haul.

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[b]Album[/b] - ...as Ray Ray

[b]Artist[/b] - Raphael Saadiq

[b]Reason[/b] - You might remember Raphael Saadiq as the lead singer of Tony Toni Tone, or the male singer in Lucy Pearl. Well he's back-- but this time, it's personal. A tribute to 70's R&B and black exploitation films, 'as Ray Ray' is also filled with elements of today's R&B. The first track, "Blaxploitation," begins with a humorous opening that sounds like it came straight out of a movie trailer...

"He couldn't leave well enough alone-- but damn, who could? Ray Ray had it all; fast cars, find vons; but it wasn't enough. So he's back..."

From there, we're also treated with Ray Ray's theme song, and songs that use Raphael's patented non-formatted song arrangements. "I Know Shuggie Otis," while a good song, is a long, single, chorus-less verse that never mentions Shuggie Otis. The CD goes on to use lyrics about love and infatuation, but with his own humorous slant. His first single, "Rifle Love," explains how being in love is like being shot in the side by a rifle or automatic weapon.

[b]Tracks to Try[/b] - Rifle Love (w/ Lucy Pearl and Tony Toni Tone), Live Without You, I Know Shuggie Otis, Chic.

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[b]Album[/b] - Get Lifted

[b]Artist[/b] - John Legend

[b]Reason[/b] - I've never heard old school and today's R&B blended together this well before. John Legend delivers music with strong piano elements, classic melodies, and modern drums. Sometimes, however, it'll just be him on his piano. Even in songs that feature rappers like Snoop Dogg and Kanye West, you can listen to the music and hear that he was clearly influenced by an earlier decade.

Possibly the only thing keeping this album from being displaced in time is his lyrical content. John Legend is an honest man who not only confesses to cheating on his girlfriend in a song, but has the audacity to beg her to stay because of the lengths he went through to keep her from finding out. In fact, the CD seems to tell a story as it goes on. It starts with him urging a woman to cheat, cheating, getting caught, and promising to change.

The album finishes up with a tribute to his family, and a general feeling of ease. There are also a few kick-back tracks, like "Live It Up" and "Let's Get Lifted."

[b]Tracks to Try[/b] - Let's Get Lifted, Number One, So High, It Don't Have to Change, Live It Up.

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[b]Album[/b] - Encore

[b]Artist[/b] - Eminem

[b]Reason[/b] - While his first couple of albums were only controversial as a side-effect of Eminem having too much fun writing his songs, this album was specifically written to push everyone's buttons. Everything that made him fun to listen to 5 years ago is gone.

Also, I wanted to copy HC's idea.

[b]Tracks to Try[/b] - Oh, it's all bad.

[future girl]

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[b]Album:[/b] You Are The Quarry
[b]Artist:[/b] Morrissey

[b]Reason:[/b] I suppose you can say I have a weakness when it comes to Morrissey, but it's Morrissey so what do you expect. I had very low expectations for this CD because it's a come back and most come backs aren't as good as one wants them to be. It took me a while to get into it, but when I did, I really got into it. Morrissey?s voice hasn?t aged at all, it?s still as smooth and sultry as ever and his lyrics are just as sharp. I?ll love him, forever and always, no matter what.

[img]http://mars.walagata.com/w/kajet/InterpolAntics.jpg[/img]
[b]Album:[/b] Antics
[b]Artist:[/b] Interpol

[b]Reason:[/b] I can?t really explain why I liked this CD so much. It?s brooding and hypnotic with some great dance beats, if that makes any sense at all. Whatever the case, Paul Banks? voice is cool. There?s something about the way he sings, he sounds mechanical and dismal yet soulfoul. They?re lyrics are also depressingly romantic, like I like it.

[img]http://mars.walagata.com/w/kajet/TheKillers.jpg[/img]
[b]Album:[/b] Hot Fuss
[b]Artist:[/b] The Killers

[b]Reason:[/b] I love their faux-British accents and again, awesome to dance to. I hate half of this CD though, especially ?Andy You?re a Star.? What I do love though, I love so much it completely overshadows the songs I hate. My favorite track has to be Smile Like You Mean It, but Mr.Brightside follows as a close second. Brandon Flowers is pretty looking... Everyone else in the band looks like a transvestite though, especially the blonde guy O_o;

I could go on some more, but I?ve gotten lazy. I would have included The Cure?s CD in here too, but I?d only be doing it because I want to have Robert Smith?s love-child and not so much because the album blew my socks off...[/size]

[PWNED]

My favourite album of 2004 was easily

[IMG]http://www.rockdetector.com/assets/img/covers/184507.jpg[/IMG]
Album Name: Getting Away With Murder
Artist: Papa Roach
Why I say Papa Roach: Papa Roach is one of my favourite Rock bands of all time so when I find out a new album comes out by them I have to get. Now, when most people begin an explanation like this you will expect the mto say that It is bad. This is not the case for Hard Rock fans and now that the band has removed the Rap-Rock angle from "Infest"(2000) they are now even cooler than ever.

Tracks to try: getting Away With murder although wrestling fans would have heard this by now.
Blood is also an awesome track.

[Heaven's Cloud]

[QUOTE=Manic Webb]

[b]Album[/b] - Get Lifted

[b]Artist[/b] - John Legend

[b]Reason[/b] - I've never heard old school and today's R&B blended together this well before. John Legend delivers music with strong piano elements, classic melodies, and modern drums. Sometimes, however, it'll just be him on his piano. Even in songs that feature rappers like Snoop Dogg and Kanye West, you can listen to the music and hear that he was clearly influenced by an earlier decade.

Possibly the only thing keeping this album from being displaced in time is his lyrical content. John Legend is an honest man who not only confesses to cheating on his girlfriend in a song, but has the audacity to beg her to stay because of the lengths he went through to keep her from finding out. In fact, the CD seems to tell a story as it goes on. It starts with him urging a woman to cheat, cheating, getting caught, and promising to change.

The album finishes up with a tribute to his family, and a general feeling of ease. There are also a few kick-back tracks, like "Live It Up" and "Let's Get Lifted."

[b]Tracks to Try[/b] - Let's Get Lifted, Number One, So High, It Don't Have to Change, Live It Up.

[/QUOTE]

[color=indigo] I was intrigued by this entry yesterday, and I was about to pull up some of his songs off the net when I flipped on VH1 purely by coincidence. Lo and behold, the video for "Ordinary People" was on.

Your entry and the video definitely piqued my intrest and I think I'll probably pick up the album later today. Anyway, thanks for the recomendation.[/color]

[Semjaza]

[QUOTE=Heaven's Cloud][color=indigo] I was intrigued by this entry yesterday, and I was about to pull up some of his songs off the net when I flipped on VH1 purely by coincidence. Lo and behold, the video for "Ordinary People" was on.

Your entry and the video definitely piqued my intrest and I think I'll probably pick up the album later today. Anyway, thanks for the recomendation.[/color][/QUOTE]

I almost picked it up last night for my self. It's only $7.99 at Best Buy and Manic's description was pretty interesting.

[C.Azul]

Album: Straight outta Ca$hville

Artist: Young Buck of G-Unit

Man, this album's tight. The beats are awesome and the lyrics are hardcore. His cd was produced by 50 cent and no wonder his album has one of the crunkest song around. This is one of my most favorite albums of the year.

Tracks that you must definitely hear:
*I'm a soldier ft. 50 Cent
*Let me in
*Welcome to the south ft. Lil Flip & David Banner
*Prices on my head ft. Lloyd Banks & D-tay
*Shorty wanna ride
*Stomp ft. The Game & Ludacris

I'm sorry but listening to rock is not my style. Its all about G-G-G-G-Unit!

[Gravy Train]

I don't know if this hasn't already been said because of all the hype, but my favorite album of the year is...
[IMG]http://ubbt.moby.com/userfiles/2606989-american_idiot.gif[/IMG]


And no, I'm not going to say that Boulevard of Broken Dreams is the best, mostly because I've listened to it so many times that I'm sick of it. Jesus of Suburbia, Holiday, and St. Jimmy are better.

[Manic Webb]

[QUOTE=Heaven's Cloud][color=indigo] I was intrigued by this entry yesterday, and I was about to pull up some of his songs off the net when I flipped on VH1 purely by coincidence. Lo and behold, the video for "Ordinary People" was on.

Your entry and the video definitely piqued my intrest and I think I'll probably pick up the album later today. Anyway, thanks for the recomendation.[/color][/QUOTE][quote name='Semjaza Azazel']I almost picked it up last night for my self. It's only $7.99 at Best Buy and Manic's description was pretty interesting.[/quote]

Haha! Then my mission to spread [strike]evil[/strike] R&B music is working.

Looking back, HC's description of Aeorsmith's album sounds pretty good. I also downloaded one of the songs, and it was most enjoyable. I was raised on the blues, so it's always nice to toss a little bit of it into my playlist every once in a while. I might swing by Best Buy and get it.

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[QUOTE=Heaven's Cloud]
[center][img] http://www.skysetafire.com/randomimages/ashlee.jpg[/img][/center]

[B]Album[/b]- Autobiography

[b]Artisit[/b]- Ashlee Simpson (chuckles at calling her an ?artist?)

[b]Reason[/b]-Because I so badly want to be a sarcastic jerk.

[b]Track(s) to Try[/b]- The whole album is equally horrible.[/QUOTE]

[color=darkviolet]What really pissed me off about her is that Cosmo magazine nominated her as the fun fearless woman of the year. What a load of BS! I think that they just needed someone to look good in the dress they got from a designer.

El forgive me, but I can't think of the woman's name that should have been nominated, but she was the one that had been working with that aide group in Iraq for about 13 years and was kidnapped and murdered by insurgents. Now [i]that's[/i] fun and fearless. Not some annorexic lipsynching dipstick.

Ok, now for the topic. I can't find where the album's covers would be but I may scan them in later.

[b]Album: [/b] Terri Clark Greatest Hits [i]1994-2004[/i]

[b]Artist: [/b] Terri Clark

[b]Reason: [/b] Terri Clark is an exceptional country singer and she has some really great music. Plus, I'm a fan of country music

[b]Tracks to try: [/b]
1.) Better Things to do,
4.) Poor Poor pitiful me,
9.) A little gasoline,
10.) I just wanna be mad,
11.) I wanna do it all
12.) Girls Lie too
13.) One of the guys
14.) No Fear (live version)

[b]Album[/b] LeeAnn Womack Greatest hits

[b] Artist[/b] LeeAnn Womack

[b]Reason[/b] I don't know how to elaborate except that I liked her music a lot. So a greatest hits album sounded reasonable.

[b] Tracks to try[/b] All of them. You can probably skip 1 and I think the last one but everything else is really good. especially Mendicino county Line with Willie Nelson and I hope you Dance.

I plan on writing down a few of the bands and albums mentioned here and trying to find them. May as well try some new stuff, right?[/color]

[Dielover]

Best Album? Vulgar :catgirl: I will never listen to english music. Dir en grey owns all the bands in the u.s.a

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]
[b]Album[/b]: Tyrannosaurus Hives

[b]Artist[/b]: The Hives

A fun thrash rock album. If you've heard the Hives, then you should like this. They're something not everyone can get into, but I reckon if you like the style, you'll [b]love[/b] the band.

[b]Fav tracks[/b]: Love In Plaster, Dead Quote Olympics

----------

[b]Album[/b]: Contraband

[b]Artist[/b]: Velvet Revolver

I only have four songs from this album...but I listen to them so often, it deserves a mention.

----------

Sadly, that is all I have to mention. I have so many bands I'd recommend, but I don't buy many albums...and I commonly only have four or five songs from each band.[/size]

[Rhym]

[FONT=Times New Roman][b]Artist:[/b] Nightwish

[b]Album:[/b] Once

Now I know symphonic metal isn't everyone's cup of tea, but frankly, I can't live without it. I've been a huge fan of Nightwish ever since my metalhead friend introduced me to them about a year back. For this album I think they finally got a \m/ full pit orchestra \m/, which they have deserved from day one.

[b]Songs of Note:[/b] "Ghost Love Score". The thing is 10:04 long, and it is THE MOST EPIC SONG I HAVE EVER HEARD. I dare ANY band to top this song in epicness.

--------

[b]Artist:[/b] Flogging Molly

[b]Album:[/b] Within a Mile of Home

Flogging Molly is one of my favorite bands. Who else can rock so hard with an accordian, a flute, and a fiddle? I've heard them described as Celt-punk, but really, they aren't punk. I would describe them as more rockish than punky. Anyways, this band rocks hard and Irish. Go out and try it.

[b]Songs of Note:[/b] "Queen Anne's Revenge". Awesome drumbeat, swinging bassline, and it's about pirates to boot.

Well, those were my favorites of 2004.[/FONT]

[Omar Harris]

My favorite albums of 2004 are

Outkast's "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below"- Innovative, with fresh music that transcends genres and exposes the true talents of both members of the group. Undoubtably my favorite song on the album(s) is Andre 3000's "Hey Ya" with "Roses" coming in a close second. Also, I love the Andre 3000/Fonzworth Bentley interlude.

Kanye West's "The College Dropout"-Proves that a great producer can also be a great artist. Of course, the obvious choice for top song is "Jesus Walks".

[Semjaza]

[quote name='Dielover]Best Album? Vulgar :catgirl: [B']I will never listen to english music. Dir en grey owns all the bands in the u.s.a[/B][/quote]

I tried forumlating a decent, well thought out response to this. Nothing was coming to mind that could truly capture what needs to be said, although this does it well:
[CENTER]
[IMG]http://img63.exs.cx/img63/9831/megarolleyes9gg.gif[/IMG][/CENTER]

Liking a Japanese band more is fine by me, but your obvious bias is very unfounded... besides, many of the best albums each year aren't even US in origin.

[QUOTE=Omar Harris]My favorite albums of 2004 are

Outkast's "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below"- Innovative, with fresh music that transcends genres and exposes the true talents of both members of the group. Undoubtably my favorite song on the album(s) is Andre 3000's "Hey Ya" with "Roses" coming in a close second. Also, I love the Andre 3000/Fonzworth Bentley interlude.
[/QUOTE]

That's from 2003, although I won't argue that it's great. Kanye West definitely deserves a mention, though.

[Omar Harris]

[quote name='Generic NPC #3']That's from 2003, although I won't argue that it's great. Kanye West definitely deserves a mention, though.[/quote]

Oh, I thought it was '04. I lost a lot of interest in today's music, so I couldn't come up with a good album. Eminem's "Encore" is pretty cool though, but I fear Slim is repeating himself with that album (probably why Encore is such an appropriate title). D12's "D12 World" (Was that 04) wasn't bad, much better than that awful "Devil's Night".

And can't forget Nelly's "Suit" and "Sweat" (I'd never thought I'd see Nelly team with Tim McGraw and now I can't get that song out of my head, it's just that cool), Ray Charles' "Genius Loves Company" Gretchen Wilson's album, and Big and Rich. Big and Rich and Gretchen Wilson have sealed the deal for me and gotten me into Country music, can you believe that?