2004 lists

It's probably past fashionable by now (patting the shark? spreading the shark? tipping the shark? eating the shark?) to slag other 'best of 2004' lists but still, I have one question/objection: why are all the records mentioned released in 2004?

My year has been punctuated by music from all genres and all ages, not untypical I'd imagine and to send out lists which relate only to the music released sometime in this calendar year seems a little pointless...I'm not particularly interested in attempting to define the year (and, anyway, you only have to look at those I love 1967 etc programmes to see how ignored all the 1967 lists were) and, if the main intention is as a kind of buyers guide for those who feel that 2004 left them behind then those same people will just as likely have missed out on 2003, 2002 etc won't they?

So, my 2004 sounded like this:

Gwen Stefani - because for a 3 minute distillation in the early hours of Dec 12th I thought she'd written a song that described the world. (Just the single, the album defines overration)

The Pop Group - The fantastic Pop Group Jukebox opened my ears to a band I always previously liked the idea of more than I liked the sound. Cleansing stuff.

Throbbing Gristle - dirtier than ever. Reminded everyone what Industrial music actually sounds like.

Shpongle - I just thank the Lord I'd already burnt my Ozric Tentacles Cds

Rachel Stevens - Some Girls - this spewed out of the blogs a few weeks before it was released and was unfortunately fantastic in every way. Helped me in a long overdue haul towards Pop acceptibility.

Traffic - John Barleycorn - complicated reasoning but mostly because they mention knees.

Regina Spektor - Oedipus - crept up on me while I was looking the other way

The Fiery Furnaces - a band more or less live up to the hype which in these sullen, photo-shopped NME days isn't bad at all.

Coil - on the list since the heady days of 1987. Jhon's death means everything.

The Legendary Stardust Cowboy - I have Spoilt Victorian Child to thank for that.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - lyre of orpheus/abbatoir blues - before this was released I'd almost given up on these guys but this was almost entirely awesome.

Stark Effect - Bunnyrabbits, Satan, Cheese and Milk should have been Number 1. May still be if Westlife cover it as part of their 2012 comeback tour.

Jodie Foster - La vie c'est chouette - I just don't know.

Comus - First Utterance - finally tracked this down after reading about it in Underground magazine sometime in the late 80s. Fantastically, maniacally peverse folk music for people under rocks.

The Knife - one of my first ever posts and destined for great things in 2005.

Scout Niblett - uptown top ranking - dares you not to like it.

William Shatner and Henry Rollins - I can't get behind that - TJ Hooker blows away the competition in a one horse race.

Destiny's Child - lose my breath - didn't you just know the album was gonna be crap?

Mark One - Ready for it - still expecting someone to jump in amongst the Grime massive and start yelling: "The emperor's got no clothes!" but this is the best summary of Sartre's Nausea yet.

Joanna Newsom - because she's Kempernorton and I love her.

The Dead Kennedys - more relevant than ever

White Magic - once, this new kid came to school; he was from a Private School and looked all snooty and spoke with 4 plums in his mouth and wore his tie the right way round. Eventually, he became my friend.

Girls Aloud - the intro to Love Machine still makes me squeak like a wet anorak. And because, if it wasn't for them, what would Psychbloke post about?

Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine - because no one pronounces 'extraordinary' like Fiona.

The Futureheads - mostly for their Kate Bush cover but also because they refused to be ordinary.


There'll be others...