The Top Ten Albums of 2004

2004 was a year dominated by many musical trends, many of which haven't aged as well as other music from the early 2000s. This was the dawn of ringtone rap, the era of post-grunge rock, the domination of American Idol-written pop schlock, but like all years, there are quite a few to be found if you search beyond just the trendy. What makes the best albums of this year stand out is their timelessness, with all of these albums sounding as if they didn't have to be made in 2004, they were either visionary and led towards the future or gave us a taste of nostalgia, but with a modern twist. Now let's dive into the best that we had on offer twenty years ago.

#10 In Between Evolution - The Tragically Hip (45 minutes, Rock/Alternative/Folk)

The Tragically Hip, fifteen years into their career, had mostly settled into a particular sound, a hard-driving rock with touches of folk every now and again, and if any album exemplifies that post-90s Hip formula it is this platter, which shows the quintet rocking on with a set of strong uptempo numbers. The album is structured a bit like a live show, 45 minutes of spirited guitar rockers then closing with a few sparse, warm ballads that spotlight Gord's immaculate emotional range. No song here truly breaks The Hip's mold, but they don't have to, as sometimes the wheel is just fine as it is. In fifteen years they have lost none of their bite, with the instrumentals humming along at breakneck, heavy pace and Gord's howling voice fitting right in. Sometimes all you need is more of the same, and on here The Hip give us exactly what we want.

Essential Tracks: "Gus: The Polar Bear from Central Park" "Vaccination Scar" "Are We Family" "As Makeshift As We Are"

#9 To the 5 Boroughs - Beastie Boys (44 minutes, East Coast Hip-Hop)

The Beastie Boys have always tried their best to constantly subvert the expectations of their fans by never making the same album twice, and at almost twenty years into their career, there would be no bigger subversion than creating their most straight-forward rap album since their 1986 debut "Licensed to Ill". This album is a brisk 45 minutes of nothing but New York style boom-bap hip hop with electronic leaning production, which for the trio is strikingly typical, but that doesn't mean this lacks personality. This record sees the Boys deliver some of their best pure lyrical performances in years, piggybacking off of each other's rhymes and punchlines like it's still the 80s. The album is a mix of classic Beasties comedy with an added layer of social consciousness and political critiques, with quite a few tracks taking on the political ineptitude of the Bush era. Most importantly, this record is a love letter to the Beasties' home of NYC, with many songs functioning as a touching tribute to their city still struggling to rebuild after the atrocity of 9/11. In many ways, this album is the best of both worlds, it is classic Beastie Boys in musical style but much more mature in attitude.

Essential Tracks: "Ch-Check It Out" "Triple Trouble" "Right Right Now Now" "An Open Letter to NYC" "Hey Fuck You!"

#8 Musicology - Prince (47 minutes, Funk/Psychedelic Rock)

One of Prince's most enigmatic qualities is his agelessness, and few albums show it off better than this one, an album nearly thirty years into his career that sounds like it could have been written and recorded in the same sessions as "Purple Rain", twenty years prior. This set sees the Purple One coming off a weaker streak in his catalog, but here he totally kickstarts his muse by returning to the sounds that made him a superstar, concocting an album filled with pop hooks, nasty guitar licks, effortlessly sexy falsetto and funk jams aplenty. This is a clinic of everything Prince does well, creating a fantastic introduction for anyone unfamiliar with Prince's work post-1980s. His voice is still immaculate as ever, especially on the remarkably sensual ballads which are equal parts graceful and sexual. The stand outs here by far are his guitar-led rock tracks that see Prince truly embracing the sounds of "Purple Rain" in ways he hadn't for years, instead dabbling in less fitting sounds like jazz and electro-pop. This set proves that some legacy acts never lose a step, and that Prince is chief among them. Screw anyone who says he's past his prime when this is what the man can still do, and do easily.

Essential Tracks: "Call My Name" "Musicology" "On the Couch" "Cinnamon Girl"

#7 Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2 - Jill Scott (1 hour and 7 minutes, Neo-Soul)

Jill Scott's sophomore album is the true epitome of smooth. Every single track her is buttery, soft, plush and breezy with a summer-y atmosphere that radiates joyfulness and romance. While her first album was somewhat long-winded, dealing in mainly liquid neo-soul balladry with Scott at the piano, this set sports some more variety in both her vocal approach, hinting as jazz and grittier R&B motifs as well as her compositions, some of which have a delightfuly upbeat pop edge making them infinitely more memorable than her lounge-y debut. Her lyricism mostly stays within the realm of the romantic, but occasionally she delivers a hard-hitting tribute to those gunned down in street violence or the joys of family get-togethers. Her voice is the album's best instrument, gracefully weaving through the plush piano-forward soundscapes with ease and crystalline high notes. This record is an immaculate vibe, one where the songs pass through you like rays of sunshine. An album to enjoy lounging in the sunshine, perhaps while picnicking because as Jill expertly says, this is all about spring summer feelings.

Essential Tracks: "Golden" "Bedda at Home" "Spring Summer Feeling" "Talk to Me" "Cross My Mind" "Whatever"

#6 The Delivery Man - Elvis Costello & The Imposters (53 minutes, Country Rock/Americana)

In his second album with his newly revamped backing band, The Attractions, Costello returns to one of his most predominant musical palettes, diving deep once more into the world of country music and Americana, but unlike his past dabbling in the genre here he delivers a much more rock-inflected take while employing some of country's finest female voices along the way. The album centers around a very loose concept of a series of tragic love affairs, but taken song for song, this is one of Elvis's most consistent albums of the 21st century, delivering both spirited, uptempo guitar rock and achingly beautiful, weary ballads befitting an aging country singer. The album is surely lifted up by the inclusion of Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris on multiple tracks, which give the project an air of authenticity many of his country records lack, and also creating beautiful and harsh vocal counterpoints at times. The themes of heartbreak and religious doubt permeate throughout this set and showcase Costello's endless craftsmanship, allowing him to prove that no matter the genre, he will always be a world class songwriter.

Essential Tracks: "Bedlam" "Country Darkness" "Heart Shaped Bruise" "Either Side of the Same Town" "Monkey to Man"

#5 Tha Carter - Lil Wayne (1 hour and 19 minutes, Southern Hip-Hop)

At 22 years old, Lil Wayne was already a seasoned veteran of the New Orleans' rap scene, being a part of Cash Money group, The Hot Boyz and having three solo albums already under his belt, but in many ways this was Wayne's true debut because here he firmly stepped out of the shadows of the Cash Money crew and became a superstar all on his own. "Tha Carter" quintilogy is a truly unparalleled series in rap history, and it had to start somewhere with this smoking set of Southern fried rap music with beats cooked up by the underrated in house producer Mannie Fresh who allows Wayne's wild, sometimes alien flow to smoothly glide across keyboard heavy beats. Wayne's confidence here is truly infectious, infusing each track with a sense of wacky personality, endless bragging and some hard-hitting gangsta rap tracks. Wayne was the real deal, a street soldier from a young age, which shows on how gritty some of these tracks are, but even at the album's darkest moments his sense of humor reigns supreme with layers upon layers of word play and killer punchlines. Wayne had flashes of brilliance before on his earlier album, but this truly a clinic when it comes of Wayne's skills as an MC (who freestyled a majority of the album in the studio, never writing his bars down). Soon "Tha Carter" series would become larger than life, each installment more decadent and high budget than the last, but here on the original we get the OG Wayne, and that's hard to top.

Essential Tracks: "Go DJ" "Ain't That a Bitch" "This Is The Carter" "I Miss My Dawgs" "Cash Money Millionaires" "BM J.R."

#4 Hot Fuss - The Killers (45 minutes, Indie Rock/Post-Punk Revival)

The Killers are a band out of time and on no other album is that more evident than this, their wildly self-assured debut record which sounds like it could have come straight out of 1984 with its full-throated embrace of new wave and early indie style. There are hints of bands like The Cure and U2, but this is still distinctly The Killers due to the band's Vegas-y knack for showmanship in Brandon Flowers' theatrical vocals and arena filling choruses. The album is frontloaded with five of the best rock songs of the decade, never missing a single beat with soaring riffs, classic rock melodies and new wave influenced grooves. The confidence of this set is infectious, with the band's sense of fun resonating on each track. This is an album of anthems, not songs and that's what makes it stand out from the rest of the group's catalog. Sometimes a great act only needs one album to cement their legacy and for The Killers, they'd never do better than their first time out of the gate.

Essential Tracks: "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" "Somebody Told Me" "All These Things That I've Done" "Mr. Brightside" "Smile Like You Mean It"

#3 Confessions - Usher (1 hour, R&B/Dance-Pop/Crunk)

Usher's fourth studio album is more than just any R&B record, it is a statement piece, a true coming of age for the soul superstar of the new milennium where he matures into not only a consummate performer but an album artist. This record is not only chocked full of sure-fire hits ranging from crunk-heavy club bangers and danceable pop trifles to heartbroken ballads and guitar-led funk smokers, but it also tells a loose story with the record revolving around the concept of Usher's infidelity and ensuing heartbreak over disappointing his longtime partner, before bouncing back as a newly minted ladies man. Usher's vocals have hit their peak in terms of sheer power and virtuosity, laying down truly transcendent performances on the ballads, which ring every ounce of emotion from the softer moments. The production from powerhouses like Lil' Jon and Jam & Lewis give the album some sonic variety, but the star is always Usher with his buttery vocals who can sell even the slimmest compositions. Thankfully, Usher is gifted the best set of songs in his career which allows him to create a lasting masterpiece and the best example of 00s mainstream R&B one can find.

Essential Tracks: "Yeah!" "Caught Up" "Throwback" "Burn" "Confessions Pt. II" "Bad Girl" "Superstar"

#2 American Idiot - Green Day (57 minutes, Pop-Punk/Alternative Rock)

A full decade after Green Day burst out from relative obscurity into becoming the poster-boys of the burgeoning pop-punk scene in the alternative world, the band's star was waning, growing a bit too mature for the snot-nosed spitfire anthems of adolesence they were best known for. Between this record and their breakout "Dookie", the group had done a lot of experimenting musically, and this is no exception as it sees the punky trio graduating into rock royalty by releasing the standard of any great rock band, the vaunted concept album. Everyone had attempted these back in rock's heyday but in 2004 they were hard to come by, but Green Day nailed it their first time around, writing an opus that takes on the disturbing trend towards conservatism and bigotry in a post 9/11 world as well as the struggles of a suburban kid trying to strike out and make his voice heard. It is that exact tension between the personal and the political that makes this album so accessible and remain relevant 20 years on from the Bush administration it was critiquing. This album sees Billie Joe Armstrong's best work as a lyricist, delivering scorching anti-war anthems alongside gentle, character-driven songs that explore grief, addiction and the boredom of suburban life. It is a rare few concept albums that are able to work just as well when the story is taken away, but here the songs speak for themselves. The trio delivers soaring, anthemic melodies, classic riffs and some of the rhythm section's most powerful work. This is Green Day's masterpiece, a call to arms for dangerous times, but never forgetting the humanity of each and every listen. Truly a beautiful work of protest and earnest, powerful rock music.

Essential Tracks: "Jesus of Suburbia" "Holiday" "American Idiot" "Wake Me Up When September Ends" "Whatsername" "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"

#1 The College Dropout - Kanye West (1 hour and 16 minutes, Hip-Hop/Chipmunk Soul)

Sometimes an artist comes along at just the right time to completely change the game, one such artist was the incomparable Kanye West who popped onto the scene with his revolutionary debut album in 2004 after making a name for himself producing for luminaries like Jay-Z, Cam'ron and Ludacris. This album epitomized the brand of chipmunk soul sample flips that were his early signature, perfecting that warm, vintage sound on the beats which still sound remarkably contemporary with their roots in classic R&B. While the production is truly on another level, the revelation here is Kanye himself on the mic, who carries himself with an infectious charisma, like he's been rapping for years as opposed to this being his debut album. His flows are by no means complex, but his lyrics are a potent mix of absurdly goofy humor, salient spirituality, brag-rap and some street-wise knowledge. Kanye's pen game has never been more earnest and engaging, with him spinning tales of the come-up and his disdain for higher education. The variety on display on this album is astonishing for a debut, throwing down verses about anything and everything. His feature game is also tight with countless memorable guest sports from Jay-Z, Twista, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Jamie Foxx and others which give the album more serious voices for Kanye's comedy to bounce off of. While Kanye has completely fallen off lately and begun to truly tarnish him immensely creative legacy, it is impossible to deny how genre-defining this album was. A true classic of 00s hip-hop.

Essential Tracks: "Jesus Walks" "Through the Wire" "Family Business" "Spaceship" "All Falls Down" "We Don't Care" "Last Call"

Thank you for journeying with me through The Best of 2004. The Best of 2014 is coming soon!

Happy listening!