My favorite kind of Random Weekend selections are the ones that are a complete mystery to me, despite the fact that I once bought or otherwise acquired the album years ago.
It’s both a chance to (re)discover new music, and a reminder of the fickle nature of memory. How is it that I once spent the time and attention required to add an album called Ash Wednesday by an artist called Elvis Perkins to my iTunes library, but my brain has completely erased any record of such a thing ever happening?
Continuing my look at 2004, first by counting down my own top ten albums of that year.
#6 – U2 – How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
U2’s eleventh studio album is the last great thing they ever did.
In the 18 years following How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the band released three albums of diminishing quality and commercial appeal. The world’s greatest rock band became an afterthought.
But in 2004, they were still kicking ass. This album sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and won nine Grammys, including Album and Song of the Year.
Continuing my look at 2004, first by counting down my own top ten albums of that year.
#7 – Elvis Costello – The Delivery Man
Like Ron Sexsmith, Elvis Costello is an artist who has put out so many albums it’s hard to keep up. He has released 13 albums in this century alone, none of which I’d number among his very best.
But that run of albums does include some solid work, including the country rock song cycle The Delivery Man.
Continuing my look at 2004, first by counting down my own top ten albums of that year.
#8 – Ron Sexsmith – Retriever
I’ve given Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith a bit of a hard time over his consistency and productivity.
He’s been putting out a solid album every year or two for 30 years, an enviable track record for any artist. But there’s a sameness to his style that makes all of those albums run together after awhile.
Continuing my look at 2004, first by counting down my own top ten albums of that year.
#9 – Keane – Hopes and Fears
The best debut albums are cooked up over time, assembling the best material from a young band’s formative years into a definitive opening statement.
Such was the case with Keane’s Hopes and Fears. The English alt-rock band formed in 1997 and played live shows in London for years, growing in popularity and eventually benefitting from a bidding war among major labels eager to sign them. They joined Island Records in 2003 and began working on this record, with many of its best tracks already in hand.
Meet Me In Montauk 