2004

Since October is kind of a lull month for new releases, I've been going back through some of my favorite albums of the decade for the past few days. 2007 was an exceptional year and 2008 is shaping up to be almost as good, but no year this decade comes close to 2004. If you don't believe me, here's what came out that year:

- Arcade Fire - Funeral: Still unequivocally my favorite album of the decade.
- Brian Wilson - Smile: It took 37 years to finish; it really was his "teenage symphony to God", even though he was well into his 60s at this point.
- Wilco - A Ghost Is Born: Wilco scores their fifth (an maybe final) masterpiece with this dark, uncompromising folk-rock.
- Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose: Jack White produced this stunning crossover that made us all wish for more country/indie team-ups.
- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/Lyre Of Orpheus: This sprawling double disc summarized their whole career and is still their best album.
- Green Day - American Idiot: By far the best mainstream rock-radio album of the decade. In fact, maybe the only memorable one.
- Modest Mouse, The Killers, The Walkmen, Franz Ferdinand: Say what you want about the OC, but that show took some great music to the masses.
- Morrisey - You Are The Quarry and Prince - Musicology: Two 1980s titans finally had their artistic revivals in 2004.
- Madvillian - Madvilliany and The Street - A Grand Don't Come For Free: A banner year for oddball, uncommercial rap albums.
- Kanye West - College Dropout: The best rapper and biggest pop star of the decade showed up in 2004.
- Tom Waits - Real Gone: George W. Bush hating peaked this year (and he won the election regardless). Every year Tom puts out an album is a good year.
- Elliott Smith - From A Basement On A Hill: What a beautiful was to go out - RIP.
- Blanche - If We Can't Trust The Doctors: The most underrated and unrecognized debut of the past few years.
- Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans: A landmark for both modern folk music and Christian music.
- DJ Danger Mouse - Grey Album: The only thing that could stop this from being a classic is lawyers (who actually did stop it, so good luck finding a copy).

You have to go back to 1977 to find a year with a lineup like this; 2004 was the best music year of my life. We would all look at 2004 this fondly if it weren't for that damn election...