Best Bands, 2004

Yeah, I know I'm late. And lazy. But here are ten bands (and/or albums), in no particular order, I really dug last year. Although not all were released in 2004, in many instances it was my first exposure to the band/album, so there. Back at ya.

1. Wilco: A Ghost Was Born. Many critics didn't like this album, particulary in the wake of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Contrary to it being meandering and uniform, as was the critic's lament, I found it more cohesive. Plus, I was sick of listening to Yankee.

2. Boards of Canada: Music Has the Right to Children. I am an ambient/downtempo wannabe. Most times I dig the idea of electronic music but get bogged down by its repetition and ennui. I was never bored by this album, which was reissued last year. It often sounds like the soundtrack to a public service announcement, but it's never boring.

3. Zero 7: When It Falls. Zero 7 got a lot of airplay this year with their single, "In the Waiting Line," which is also found on the Garden State Soundtrack. Someone described Zero 7 as the British Air, but Zero 7 is more influenced by soul and R&B, which normally I don't like, but really work for them.

4. Sufjan Stevens: Seven Swans. Yeah, I know it all sounds the same and that he's another Elliott Smith, but whereas Smith moved along to more of a desperate sound, particluarly with his final album, Stevens' chords resonate the fracturedness of solitude, reflection, not anger. Or, as they say, hauntingly beautiful.

5. 764-HERO. I don't really have a favorite album—I just downloaded a bunch of their stuff from Limewire. They are a staple of the same Portland scene that spawned Modest Mouse and Built to Spill, but their roots lie closer to Nirvana-esque punk. I've been wanting this type of staple in my diet for a while, and none of the current indie bands was offering it, so I'm glad I found them.

6. Bebel Gilberto: Tanto Tempo. Bebel is not related to the Astraud Gibreto of the Bossa Nova scene, but she sings the same type of music. Although some of it is overproduced (and sounds like it can be used in appliance commercials), Gilbreto's voice is rich and beautiful. And she's not bad looking, either.

7. Midnight Movies. Another band I've been ripping off the Internet. It's hard to describe in terms of my current music catalog, but maybe that's the best thing about them: doesn't everyone aspire to be a thoroughly original band?

8. Songs Ohia: Axxess & Ace. A little bit of Neil Young and Idaho.

9. Beastie Boys: To the Five Boroughs. I never was a big Beastie Boys fan, but most of this album lives permanently on my MP3 player. Their rhymes suck, but their beats are phat. They've totally captured the essence of NYC on this album, and when I'm listening to it (usually at the gym), I pretend I'm there, being the hipster that I am.

10. David Bowie: Hunky Dory. I finally got this CD for my birthday. No one needs to justify any Bowie album on their top ten list, with the possible exception of the one after Blue Jean.