Lambchop: Aw, C'mon/No, You C'mon
Lambchop is an odd one. They started out as an alt-country band, then slowly started transforming themselves into something decided more retro-soul. Bolstered by an extensive band featuring a large string section and a vocalist with a voice so deep it sounds impossible that its real (but it is!), Lambchop ably blends 70s soul and 90s alt-country to form a truly unique sound. Lush, dark, and, at times, romantic, Lambchop's sound is a really refreshing change of pace.
The two discs were released separately, but as they are essentially "of a piece," it's just not possible to choose one of these two albums over the other. Aw, C'mon comes across slightly more emotional than No, You C'mon's more upbeat offerings, but both are absolutely essential to understanding Lambchop's vision for their music in 2004.
Trash Can Sinatras: Weightlifting
This tiny little pop-rock band took something like 8 years off between albums and returned in 2004 with one of those albums that periodically appears on the musical horizon and feels like it's saving your life. So enveloping was its warmth that it found itself heavily and repeatedly in rotation - something that rarely occurs anymore because so few things cement themselves with me that quickly. TCS makes dramatic, somber music that somehow manages to feel uplifting and hopeful. The beautiful "All the Dark Horses" should have been everywhere, and the title track should have been right on its heel. Sadly, neither have gotten any notice outside of critics and the small cadre of fans the band has. Do something about that - check this album out.
Matt Pond, PA: Emblems
This is the album that should have been huge this year, and its lack of huge success just goes to show how it's merely the big budgets of major labels that allow the public to take notice of these little bands that don't wallow in excessive "look at me" behavior. This is a better album than Modest Mouse's offering for 2004, but which of these two bands are most people going to actually know? It's no less catchy or infectious than Modest Mouse, but it is less "weird." Chiming guitars, simple, soulful vocals, and hooks-a-plenty. "Bring On The Ending" should have been featured in one of those cheesy Fox teen-angst shows, but it's far too good for that. If you like the equally unfairly ignored Trash Can Sinatras, you owe it to yourself to check out Matt Pond, PA. If you don't know either and you love good, simple rock, you need to hear this.
Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
wildly interesting and informative list Tom, thanks! Ihad no idea the Trash Cans were still around and I had almost completely forgotten Grant Lee
2 - DJRadiohead
Tom,
Interesting list- particularly Helmet. I expected so much less and was pleasantly surprised. I can't say I like the album as a whole, but there are a couple of very good songs ("Throwing Punches" has been a favorite of mine since I heard it on the 'Underworld' soundtrack).
3 - Tom
Eric: do check out both the Sinatras as well as the Grant Lee Phillips album - if you liked what they did in the past, you'll like what they're doing now, and probably more, from my perspective. They're that good.
DJRadiohead: I went into the Helmet album with low expectations, too, and still found it to be a disappointment. I'd much rather listen to pretty much anything than this, sadly. I really thought I might like it, as I even like Aftertaste, which I think is unfairly slagged by fans who might have been expecting Betty II.
4 - Henry Porter
I must say you do check out the hard, cold, strange and unusual shit. No Dick Dale and the Deltones for your funky ass. I find your tastes peculiar but your means of expression are immaculate, and I don't think I've had as much fun with a single post since I went skinnydipping with the Bundchen sisters.
5 - Bill Lamb
Fascinating list...I didn't know Einsturzende Neubauten were still around either. I'll have to look that up.
Keep listening to Arcade Fire. It is a truly beautiful album and they are starting to build a buzz.
6 - Mark Saleski
as usual, tom provides a varied list, almost none of which is on mine.
...which is a good thing because now there's more stuff to check out.
particularly that intrumental Mike Keneally cd. yummy.
i do have the Wilco cd and it's pretty cool. is is alt.country? it is music concrete? uhm, yes.
7 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
tom, excellent stuff. i never thought i'd enjoy reading about Marillion, but there you go, suprised am i, as yoda would say, if he too were reading about marillion.
I somehow managed to miss the whole Modest Mouse thing, and it was only after my own list was up that someone reccomended it. It blew me away, is what. Fantastic.
I would add the libertines, of course, to any list of best records of 2004, but thats why we all got our own, i guess.
Brilliant stuff, and whilst i'm wary of instrumental rock opera shindigs, you write about it brilliantly.
8 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
and as a fairly long-time fan of nick cave, having enjoyed pretty much all of his back catalogue, i gotta say the new record (s) is the best thing i've ever heard from the dour sonabitch.
9 - Tom Johnson
Good sir Duke, never fear, the Libertines released a much-enjoyed album, but I had to make a cut-off point somewhere. As I mentioned, it was a really tough job just picking these, and the Libs weren't the only thing I had to sadly leave out of this meandering list.
I may have a "honorable mention" list for those things that just didn't quite make the cut. I realized in retrospect there were a number of things that I really enjoyed that, for whatever reason, the listening tapered off toward the end of the year and they plum got forgotten. ANd there are things like the new U2, which came out so late in the year that I have a hard time calling it a "2004 album," as the majority of it's first full year of life will be spent not in 2004 but in 2004. Anything released in the last couple months of the year is pretty hard to list as a best-of for the entire year, I think. I know my tastes change pretty quickly, and what I favor immediately after buying may well disappear from my listening queue by year's end.
10 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
Anything released in the last couple months of the year is pretty hard to list as a best-of for the entire year
I totally agree. I left Eminem's Encore off my list, but i've been listening to it constantly for the last month. It's hard to get a handle on things overnight.