2004 albums -- pleasant surprises that exceeded expectations

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Spinning from this thread : disappointing 2004 albums so far

I was surprised by the quality of the Cure album (I'll probably get flamed for saying that)
Orbital's Blue Album was a tremendous bounce back from the peurile "The Altogether". Too bad they've broken up now.
I shouldn't have been so surprised by the Felix da Housecat record, that is, whenever he releases an album I think "meh, what's the big excitement" but they're always great records. I have no idea what makes me think that way.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Sunday, 5 September 2004 21:12 (twenty years ago)

Hives
Mountain Goats

― manthony m1cc1o (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 5 September 2004 21:40 (twenty years ago)

Twilight Singers

― manthony m1cc1o (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 5 September 2004 21:41 (twenty years ago)

Wilco in a weird way. It's my least favorite aside from the debut, but the backlash against these guys was so fierce that I expected to not enjoy it at all.

Sloan
The Fall

― manthony m1cc1o (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 5 September 2004 21:43 (twenty years ago)

After an eight-year gap, I was surprised by how much I'm enjoying the new Trashcan Sinatras album.

― Bruce S. Urquhart (BanjoMania), Sunday, 5 September 2004 21:48 (twenty years ago)

Possibly Youssou N'Dour Egypt. Actually I need to get that back from someone and give it another listen.

― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Sunday, 5 September 2004 21:50 (twenty years ago)

Bjork's Medulla, most definitely.

― Salvador Saca (Mr. Xolotl), Sunday, 5 September 2004 21:51 (twenty years ago)

Seconding Bjork.

I like the Dizzee album more than the first.

― djdee2005, Sunday, 5 September 2004 22:00 (twenty years ago)

Oh add RJD2 to this list as well.

― djdee2005, Sunday, 5 September 2004 22:02 (twenty years ago)

The Streets! Way more love for that then the debut.

I'm guessing Dizzee will qualify once I hear it.

― manthony m1cc1o (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 5 September 2004 22:03 (twenty years ago)

Air - Talkie Walkie

― tipustiger, Sunday, 5 September 2004 22:27 (twenty years ago)

Rilo Kiley
Juliana Hatfield

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Sunday, 5 September 2004 22:29 (twenty years ago)

Dizzee, Fennesz, the first Devendra album at the start of the year, Stereolab -- all much better than I would have expected.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 5 September 2004 22:31 (twenty years ago)

And the Orbital as well. Good way to bow out. In fact those five albums right there might be half of a top ten list for me.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 5 September 2004 22:32 (twenty years ago)

Los Lobos - The Ride

― bahtology, Sunday, 5 September 2004 22:49 (twenty years ago)

the new Moz was quite a shocker

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Sunday, 5 September 2004 23:31 (twenty years ago)

i will be jess's evil twin and say that the beta band album exceeded my expectations. especially after hot shots which i thought was a big dud. yeah, that's right, i said it. wanna make something of it? bringitonyouheyyalovin'muthas.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 5 September 2004 23:40 (twenty years ago)

HIVES. AIR. GHOSTFACE

― Vic (Vic), Monday, 6 September 2004 00:46 (twenty years ago)

Junior Boys, actually. Was convinced it couldn't possibly live up to the single.

― Jacob (Jacob), Monday, 6 September 2004 02:22 (twenty years ago)

Heart Jupiter's Darling
Avril Lavigne Under My Skin
Chingo Bling The Tamale Kingpin

― Begs2Differ (Begs2Differ), Monday, 6 September 2004 02:56 (twenty years ago)

New Bark Psychosis one - like they bever went a away, wonderful. I may even end up liking this more than Hex

― Robin Goad (rgoad), Monday, 6 September 2004 07:42 (twenty years ago)

Auf der Maur

― DJ Mencap0))), Monday, 6 September 2004 08:24 (twenty years ago)

Miss Kittin - I Com

A lot of people were saying she was played out, and I thought I was just buying this for the singles, but it's actually consistently great.

― Flyboy (Flyboy), Monday, 6 September 2004 09:23 (twenty years ago)

Badly Drawn Boy

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 6 September 2004 09:37 (twenty years ago)

i didn't expect anything from the new kings of convenience and it is absolutely gorgeous. even better than the first one which was already quite good. i must have listened to it more than 20 times already. mainly on the road in norway.

i got the new bark psychosis and didn't expect a lot (not to be disappointed after all the praise they get here) and i love it. very relaxing and mesmerizing record. the new album is my first album of theirs.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Monday, 6 September 2004 10:10 (twenty years ago)

campag velocet

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Monday, 6 September 2004 10:12 (twenty years ago)

Chromeo. But don't hold me to that.

― Sean Bateman (Barima), Monday, 6 September 2004 10:51 (twenty years ago)

Ben Kweller was great, and he wasn't even on my radar.
Never would have expected to like Gretchen Wilson so much.
Really surprised Loretta Lynn did so well.
Sonic Youth, Hives, Clinic, Brandy all pleasant surprises.

― Josh Love (screamapillar), Monday, 6 September 2004 13:44 (twenty years ago)

Embrace. I expected nothing, but it's fucking incredible. I expect most of ILM to hate it, mind.

― Jimmybommy JimmyK'KANG (Nick Southall), Monday, 6 September 2004 13:54 (twenty years ago)

The new Tegan and Sara album So Jealous is incredible. I'd hoped it would be good, but had worried that If It Was You might be a fluke. They've gone full-on new wave influenced power pop. God forbid they should ever leave Carswell and Collins.

― dlp9001, Monday, 6 September 2004 14:05 (twenty years ago)

I would say Campag Velocet as well, but only the first half of the album

― Jamie Fake (the pirate king), Monday, 6 September 2004 15:11 (twenty years ago)

I've heard a few tracks off the new Prodigy album which are far better than I expected.

― Wooden (Wooden), Monday, 6 September 2004 15:46 (twenty years ago)

I liked the first Black Eyes, but i was SHOCKED at how great the new one is

― Sonny, Ah!, Monday, 6 September 2004 15:51 (twenty years ago)

yeah i'll second the prodigy, had to actually go up to the counter and ask what it was in HMV. f-ck me who'd have thought? hated their original incarnation.

other than that :

annie
annie
annie (obv.)

― piscesboy, Monday, 6 September 2004 15:55 (twenty years ago)

haha you two are the only people who like the Prodigy album. a couple of the tracks have grown on me tho.

― the neurotic awakening of s (blueski), Monday, 6 September 2004 15:56 (twenty years ago)

I absoluely love the Prodigy's first incarnation, but I only liked a few tunes on Fat of the Land.

― Wooden (Wooden), Monday, 6 September 2004 16:19 (twenty years ago)

i think what i liked abou the prodge traxx were that they were so *hard*. not what u'd normally hear playing full blast out over the heads of the friday afternoon dvd shoppers at hmv manchester. maybe
further listening wil reveal the truth.

i fckng *hate* liam h after this article in the guardian. samples trevor horn, then slags him and frankie goes to hollywood off for like, not being punk enough. fgth were punk as f-ck.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/fridayreview/story/0,,1286323,00.html

― piscesboy, Monday, 6 September 2004 17:03 (twenty years ago)

I've just stolen about half the Prodigy album off Limewire. The tracks are all pretty good, actually, he's slowed it all down and toughened it all up.

I agree that he's a bit of a twat.

― Wooden (Wooden), Monday, 6 September 2004 17:13 (twenty years ago)

The Orb's "Bicycles and Tricycles" is about a billion times better than it had any right to be. The critical consensus doesn't agree with me, though.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Monday, 6 September 2004 17:18 (twenty years ago)

The new Tortoise has been the biggest (pleasant) surprise for me this year.
I was also pleased that Tuxedomoon came back with a really exciting album.

― Baaderoni (Fabfunk), Monday, 6 September 2004 17:46 (twenty years ago)

Cut Copy - Bright Like Neon Love' and JC Chasez - Schizophrenic were pleasant suprises actually - far more genre-messing and defiantly pop than I'd expected.

― B.A.R.M.S. (Barima), Monday, 6 September 2004 17:59 (twenty years ago)

The Orb's "Bicycles and Tricycles" is about a billion times better than it had any right to be. The critical consensus doesn't agree with me, though.

i agree w/this. but then I was also suprised by Radio 4 so grain of salt.

― artdamages (artdamages), Monday, 6 September 2004 19:29 (twenty years ago)

3 brought to my attention by ILM that I had low to no expectations for:

Mt Goats
Big and Rich
Gretchen Wilson

and as of two listens the new Drive by Truckers, which has been pretty much trashed around these parts but is actually pretty decent to my ears. Even when stacked up against the last few.

― danh (danh), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 01:39 (twenty years ago)

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