The Duke Presents The Best Records Of 2004
Published December 03, 2004
"………………………………."
This right here, though, his debut record proper, was nothing short of stunning. Inter-cutting the tracks with lengthy speeches from Alan Clarke's Made In Britain, Council Estate Of Mind seems less of an album than an impassioned address to Britain's working class youth.
Lofty and pretentious that might seem, but it works, and works in a way folks hadn't heard since back when Billy Bragg first plugged the hell in for to sing about "When one voice rules the nation…" and so on.
He talks about other things, too, like the music business, for example. The bile evident in Fuck The Hook is enough to have a man's home smelling of pure orange juice for weeks.
Todd Snider - East Nashville Skyline
The Duke has been singing the praises of this fella over on The Mondo MP3 Digest for some time now, and with good reason, is what. East Nashivlle Skyline sounds like Another Side Of… era Bob Dylan, a playful set of mostly acoustic based songs, dealing with both the political and the personal.
Every damn track is a winner, from the opening Age Like Wine (concerning a rock star who's "Too old to die young, now") through Alcohol And Pills (detailing the addictions of Hank Williams Snr. And Elvis Presley, amongst others), the brilliant Conservative Christian, Right-Wing Republican, Straight White American Males (about how the folks of the title detest "tree-huggin, peace-loving, pot-smoking, porn-watching lazy ass hippies like me") to the closing rendition of Enjoy Yourself, East Nashville Skyline has a fella smiling like a goon one minute, then angry as all fuck the next.
A startling piece of work.
If you hurry, you can hear Conservative Christian… at the MP3 Digest before it goes off next week.
The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free
Just edging out Skinnyman and Dizzee, Mike Skinner offered us mere wretches the finest hip-hop record of 2004. A concept album, would you believe, full of the kindsa minute observations worthy of the finest of stand-up comedians.
Chorus of the year;
"I saw this thing on ITV the other week,
Said that if she plays with her hair she's prob'ly keen,
She's playing with her hair well regularly,
So I reckon I could well be in."
Not for Skinner the bling nor the bravado nor the rat-a-tat-tat. Whilst So Solid Crew were squandering their potential by indulging in the kinda uber-macho gang squabbling that so blighted US hip-hop eventually, The Streets were producing records that folks could actually relate to.
When you live in a council estate in The County Antrim, you don't see many drive-by's. There ain't many "turf-wars" going on in the back field.
The Duke (Aaron McMullan to his parents and the clergy) is a Northern Irish writer, performer and insomniac currently residing in London. He is the creator of Mondo Irlando, wherein his scribblings and hollerings can be found. He is currently working towards the completion of his first novel, and his debut "punk / country / folk / whatever" album has recently been released by Ex Libris Records . You can also pop by His MySpace Page and maybe have a coffee and a biscuit.
- The Duke Presents The Best Records Of 2004
- Published: December 03, 2004
- Type:
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Rap, Music: Punk Rock, Music: Pop, Music: Indie Rock, Music: Country and Americana
- Writer: Duke De Mondo
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- Duke De Mondo's personal site
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Good list Duke!
I'll be wrapping up the year from And We Danced soon and making lists within our dance music contribution. Most likely Prince will be the only which appears on our lists and yours.
But...that's not to ignore that there was a lot of great music this year outside of the dance realm.
I'm still blown away by the Loretta Lynn album. It's hard to get people to listen to it, but once you hear it, you will understand why critics salivate all over it.
And I wasn't shocked by the Green Day set either - they have been a very good, nearly great, band for a long time now.
Then...the Brian Wilson album and the unearthed Clash tapes appeared on the same day this past fall!! Yeah, it was a good year.
Thanks folks.
Aaman, Eminem ALMOST made the grade. Certainly it's a stunning record, and a hell of a lot better than The Eminem Show. And thanks for the kind words :)
Bill, i'll look forward to your list, although, as you may have gathered, i'm pretty shamefully lacking in knowledge concerning the old dancin' and so on. The best dance record i heard recently was the second 2 Many DJ's album, although i think that's 2003.
As to The Clash, i should really have done a bit about re-issues and so on (although those Vanilla Tapes are hardly re-issues)
London Calling, the Nirvana set and the expanded Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks, for example, would all have been there.
And gifts, obviously you too know the wonders of this prodigiously talented troubadour.
Most of the records you highlighted are on my list too! Except Dizzee Rascal (I just don't get it, not yet anyway) and Green Day (although it's the best album I have heard by them I'm still underwhelmed)
Most critics agree with you however. I am glad to see you included the William Shatner / Ben Folds album which really took me by suprise. Kinda like a brick to the head.
Some of my others include:
Killers - Hot Fuss
Moving Units - Dangerous Dreams
Autolux - Future Perfect
Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Muse - Absolution(#1?)
Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
The Polyphonic Spree - Together We're Heavy
Ray Lamontagne - Trouble (#1?)
Trouble
Bill Lamb,
Do not forget the new Duran Duran - surely a candidate for dance album of the year
Duke D'Mondo,Your inclusion of Dizzee is
highly laudable. I really dig "B.I.D.C",
but haven't gotten into "Showtime" yet.
I've given it a few listens but it just
seems to lack the punch of the first CD.
Maybe it'll grow on me with time.
Unfortunately, I don't think he'll ever
break really BIG stateside.He's just too
British. Most US hiphop fans like their
funk homegrown, plus he's unintelligible
to my ears on a lot of cuts(UK slang and
all)which definitely won't help him on
this side of the pond. Nevertheless he's
talented as all great give a fuck. Ditto
for Mike Skinner.
Anyway, Here's my Top Ten for 2004 not
that anyone besides me gives a fat fuck:
1)Nathaniel Mayer- I Found Out
2)J-Zone - A Job Ain't Nuthin' But Work
3)Tom Waits - Real Gone
4)Black Keys - Rubber Factory
5)Dirty Dozen Brass Band -
Funeral For A Friend
6)Capleton - Reign Of Fire
7)Wolf Eyes - Burned Mind
8)Nancy Sinatra - S/T
9)V/A - Not The Same Old Blues Crap V.3
10)Quintron - The Frog Tape
Peace,Love & Soggy Chips.
HW, i imigine the slang thing might be hard to get ones head around, but its not exclusive to folks outside the UK - Half times i dunno what the hell he's yelpin on about either. Fuckin sounds great tho, whatever the hell it is.
Also, i was intrigued by the mention of these Modest Mouse folks, so i went and got hold of a copy. For some reason i assumed they were a dance band (maybe cause of all the danger mice and felix tha housecats and so on). Good god almighty... How fucking sweeeettttt!!!! is that record?
It's like the flaming lips but a bit more approachable...
"my thoughts were so loud i couldn't hear my mouth" Great great stuff
arggghhhhh i hate these fuckers!!! how good is that "float on"???? Wht can't folks be shit for ten damn minutes any more? God almighty. I hate them. Noone should be this good in a year when everyone else is so good!! who the hell might give whining sons a bitches like The Duke two seconds of ear-space in an era of stunning shit like this!!! Fucking hell bastards
Great list! LL, Shatner, Prince and the Streets will all probably make my year end list. So many other good albums that picking 10 will be difficult. I am pretty sure my list will include Saul Williams-Fader Label and Jello Biafra and the Melvins-Never Breathe What You Can't See. I am picking up the Kaada/Patton-Romances album today and I have high expectations for that disc. I will also be considering Tom Waits-Real Gone, Handsome Boy Modeling School-White People, Bjork-Medulla, Madvillain-Madvillainy, Ramm Ell Zee-The Bi-Conicals of the Ramm Ell Zee, Franz Ferdinand-S/T, Scissor Sisters-S/T, and K-OS-Joyful Rebellion. All in all, it was a great year for my music collection!
Duke - Did you happen to catch the Honeydogs' 10,000 Years? Best album of 2004, in my opinion.
I'm trying to think really hard if I actually went to a record store looking with anti-ci-(say it!)pation to buy an album. Is there anything more boring than a record store?
So, instead, I'll look at what I've enjoyed. Extra to the Nick Cave and William Shatner (you really need to see "Free Enterprise" for his rap version of "Julius Ceasar").
The Pixies - live tour recordings from their reunion.
Tom Waits - Real Gone
The Kleptones - A Night At The Hip-Hopera.zip
David Thomas - 18 Monkeys on a Dead Mans Chest
Camper Van Beethoven - New Roman Times
Mostly this year, it's been hearing a couple of international corporations telling me how much they hate me. And the best advice in an abusive relationship is just to walk away.
Smenkharon, i loved the franz ferdinand record, but thought it was a tad repetitive. Scissor Sisters also was fantastic in an early Elton John sorta way. great stuff.
Alex, i didn't get around to that one - therein lies the problem with these things, you dont get to hear EVERYTHING so it's a bit pointless, other than as an excuse to swear entertainingly of course. heh
Jim, surely browsing the aisles of the record emporium is a joy bettered only by browsing through a video store. If said emproiums are combined in some manner, then it's all very close to sinful, i'm guessing. Best to wait a fortnight between expeditions, though, is what i would suggest, so as they get time to put in new stuff. It becomes strangely soul destroying lifting and setting back down the same stuff every day. "oh, a record i've picked up every day for the last four years. Best have another look at the tracklist, and then just set it back down." again and again.
The Tom Waits record sounded interesting to me, but not neccesarily something i loved, if you get the drift and such. A bit like Bjork's record. Inventive and admirable, but not really to my liking as a whole.
"Has Been" is a wonderful album, Duke - thanks for the reference - it's now near constant listening - possibly will be appreciated even more in my own twilight years.
glad to be of service, Aaman. Spreading the word of Shatner is a joy unto itself, if only to see the suprised looks when Has Been reveals itself to be a touching, humane masterpiece rather than the kitsch (if highly enjoyable in a bizarre kinda way) psychadelia of Transformed Man.
also, although i don't agree with this in the slightest, i found this to be rather amusing. Selfish Cunt have just released My Prerogative as a single, and i found the NME review highly amusing. "Further proof that Selfish Cunt are the best band in britain, untill you actually hear them, at which point they become the worst."
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My list:
Encore - Eminem
Feedback - Rush
Shangri-La - Mark Knopfler
Around The Sun - REM - *****
The Kill Bill 1/2 soundtracks
Smile - Brian Wilson - *****
Good News For People Who Love Bad News - Modest Mouse
The New Danger - Mos Def
Great reviews, Duke - you're one of the reasons that attracted me to blogcritics