whats the deal with people who are all like "every year is a good year for music"?? (an anti-2004/pro-2005 thread)

It felt dull while it was happening, but I suppose what truly determines the worth of a given year is how that music is percieved in retrospect. I remember last summer searching for new stuff daily and finding very little, whereas today I don't think I'm trying quite as hard, and yet every week I'm discovering a new great album or another great single.

Arular, Bloc Party, LCD soundsystem and the new Beck are great, but...

(In case you forgot about 2004, strong (in some cases classic) releases from: Fiery Furnaces, Franz Ferdinand, Animal Collective, Arcade Fire, Annie, DFA, Sonic Youth, Ghostface, Streets, D. Banhart, J. Newsom, Brian Wilson, DFA, Ariel Pink, Junior Boys, etc.)

(And don't tell me you're one of those "Moonlight Sonata" pussies.)

As for 2004, you named everything I enjoyed (and a few I didn't as much as I wanted to) in that one sentence, except for the Muse record, which no one else liked anyway.

ha, very funny, mocking people who rank years, as if you've never done it.

2000
2005
2003
2002
2004
2001

and if you're not averse to turning your head occasionally!

I'm not sure I'd totally subscribe to the ".... if you know where to look" theory: with the benefit of hindsight there are clearly peaks and troughs in the quality of music being released over a periods of time; although there's certainly an element of truth in it.

I think it takes a few years distance to be able to get a meaningful sense of perspective though and I certainly don't think I've got the last five years in perspective yet.

Some of the initial excitement surrounding some records will inevitably fade; some records will gradually become more and more irritating; others will turn out to be growers; some will just fall off the radar altogether.

2004:
Cornelius DVD
Plus-Tech Squeeze Box's 2nd LP
JC CHASEZ
'TOXIC'
'SOME GIRLS'
The two 'Yeah's
'Love Machine'
Half of Anniemal
Stars again
Crunk + Bubblecrunk
DFA continued ROXORness
Tiefschwarz continue winning streak
REX THE DOG
Get Physical
More Cagedbaby
'More Than Real'
Beta Band still brilliant, now defunct
'Hey Mama' + video
Still no Stereophonics
NIPPLEGATE + 'All Nite (Don't Stop)'
Less Pharrell
Assorted FakeID
Reissue of Markus Nikolai's 'Bushes' absolutely worth it
Loose Cannons totally grebt once remixed
'Trick Me'

2005:
More interested in new Beck than Human After All
Anticipating Rachel Stevens and Vitalic
Hopefully 100% less Andre
More interested in old Debbie Gibson than new anything else

(that was directed as general silliness toward no one. But it's also slightly true that I haven't been moved by much new stuff the last seven or eight years).

It's the good half, though!

No slight to RJ but goddamn, people!

Still, 2001 rules you:

Is This It
The Blueprint
Since I Left You (US issue)
Discovery
Rooty
The Great Depression
White Blood Cells
Word of Mouf
Amnesiac
Lucy Ford
Comets on Fire
Even in Darkness
Fever (original issue)
In Search Of... (original non-Spy Mob version)
The Cold Vein
Miss E... So Addictive
Rings Around the World
Melody A.M.
I Get Wet
Southern Rock Opera
Hot Shots II
Internal Wrangler (US issue)
"21 Seconds"
"Bootylicious"
"Silver Screen Shower Scene"
"Stepfather Factory"
"Ugly"
"Hella Good"
"The Whole World"
"Pinky Ring (Uzi)"
"Get the Party Started"
"Bouncin' Back (Bumpin' Me Against the Wall)"
"Bad Boy For Life"

213 - Groupie Love
Ada - Maps
Air - Alpha Beta Gaga (Jackson Remix)/Surfing On A Rocket (remixed by Zongamin)
Aldo Vanucci - When I See You Smile
Alice Russell - Taking Hold
Aloud - Sex And Sun Part 1 (The Supermen Lovers Remix)
Alter Ego - Rocker (Blackstrobe Remix)
Angie Stone - I Wanna Thank Ya (ft Snoop Dogg)
Animal Collective - Leaf House
Annie - Chewing Gum (Mylo Remix) / Heartbeat
Archive - Fuck U
Armand Van Helden - My My My (Ashley Beedle Mix)
Armand Van Helden feat Spalding Rockwell - Hear my Name (Radio Edit)
Avril - Be Yourself / Be Yourself (Broadcast Remix)
Basement Jaxx - Right Heres The Spot (Switchs Drunk At The Dogstar Mix) (7:16)
Bearsuit - Rodent Disco
Belle and Sebastian - Your Cover's Blown
Big Youth - Rudie No!
Billy Nasty and Anthony Rother - Celebrate the Roots
Bjork - Oceania (Remix w/Kelis)
Black Strobe - Me And Madonna
Blonde Redhead - Misery is a Butterfly
Blue States - Across The Wire
Boomclick - Follow Love (Blue Skin Mix) / High Tide (Dub)
Britney Spears - My Prerogative (X-Press 2 Dub) /Breathe On Me (Holden Unreleased Vocal)
Bronx Dogs - And The Letters Spell
Campag Velocet - Who Are The Trumping Men?
Camper Van Beethoven - Discotheque CVB / That Gum You Like
Captain Comatose - $100 (Remixes)
Cee-Lo - Let's Stay Together (feat Pharrell)
Cerrone - You Are The One (Jamie Lewis Peak Time Dub) / Je Suis Music (AVH Vocal Edit) (7:58)
Chikinki - Like It Or Leave It / Assassinator 13
Christian Kleine - Ghostwriting
Clouddead - Dead Dogs Two (Boards Of Canada)
CocoRosie - By Your Side
Cut Copy - Saturdays
DJ Krush - Beyong Raging Waves
DJ Signify - Peek a boo (Pts 1, 2 & 3)
Danger Mouse - 99 problems
Dark Globe - Feed (Shapeshifters Edit) / Break My World (Flypast Edit)
David Byrne - Glass Concrete and Stone / Glad / The Other Side Of This Life (The whole album is terrific)
Deekline Ft Skinnyman Wiley & Hyperactive - Fame and Money
Deep Dish - Flashdance
Deerhoof - Giga Dance
Depeche Mode - Halo (Goldfrapp Remix)
Detroit Grand Pubahs - Big Onion (Joakim's Slap On It Remix)
Dido - Stoned (Deep Dish Edit)
Dijf Sanders - Sartres Rumblefest
Dimitri From Paris - Not Quite Disco
Dizzee Rascal - Stand Up Tall / Just A Rascal (Remix)
Dominique A - Ou Sont Les Lions
Duo505 - Nochwas
Dykehouse - Chain Smoking
Erlend Oye - DJ Kicks
Erlend Oye - The Black Keys Work (Phonique Remix)
Estelle - Dance Bitch/ 1980
Esthero - O.G. Bitch
Evil Nine - Restless / Crooked
Evil Tordivel - I Like You
Fabolous - Breathe
Fatboy Slim - Wonderful Night (Feat Lateef) / The Joker
Felix Da Housecat - She's So Damn Cool/ Rocket Ride (Soulwax Rock It Right Mix)
Fingathing - Rock The Whole Planet
Flash Brothers - Amen (Lys Dream Mix)
Franz Ferdinand - Dark of The Matinee (Headman Vocal Remix)/ Take Me Out (Daft Punk Remix)
Freestylers - Push Up
French Kicks - One More Time
Frou Frou - Holding Out For A Hero
Funkstörung - Fat Camp Feva / Basic P.P.O. Blues
George Michael - Flawless (Go to the City) (Boxer Mix)
Ghostface - Tush / Run
Gift of Gab - In A Minute Doe
Gotan Project - La Del Ruso (Calexico Remix) / La Cruz Del Sur (5:33)
Graham Coxon - Right To Pop
Gravenhurst - Bluebeard
Greyboy - Genevieve (Quantic Remix)
Guitar - Escape
Gwen Stefani - What You Waiting For?
Hakan Lidbo - Esplendido / 100 Specimen
Hatiras - Money Shot
Havana Funk - Bakiri Ban
Hell Featuring Erlend Oye - Keep On Waiting (Radio Edit)
High Contrast feat Spoonface - Only Two Can Play
Hird - Moving On
Husky Rescue - City Lights / Summertime Cowboy
I Monster - Hey Mrs (Glamour Puss Mix)
Ian Pooley Feat Jade And Danielle - Heaven (Tonkas High Pass Mix)
Ilya - Bliss (Tom Middleton Cosmos Mix)
Infected Mushroom - Cities Of The Future
Interpol - C'mere
Ivan Smagghe - Suck My Deck
J-Kwon - Tipsy
JC Chasez - All Day Long I Dream About Sex
Jacques Lu Cont With Cecile And General Degree - Na Na Na Na
Jadakiss - Kiss Of Death
Jam & Spoon - Mary Jane/Vata
Janet Jackson - All Nite (Don't Stop) (Sander Kleinenberg's Edit)
Jason Sparks - Secret Place
Jay-Z - Dirt Off Your Shoulder (Pete Rock Remix)
Jill Scott - Bedda At Home / Golden
Joanna Newsom - Inflammatory Writ
Johnny Boy - You Are the Generation Who Bought More Shoes
Junior Boys - High Come Down / Teach Me How To Fight
Junior Jack - Stupidisco
Justus Koehncke/Meloboy/Freiland - Frei/Hotlove
Justus Köhncke - The Answer Is Yes
Kaito/Superpitcher - Tomorrow
Kammerflimmer Kollektief - Hysteria
Kanye West - Jesus Walks
Kate Rogers - Not Ten Years Ago (Andy Votel)
Kelis - Trick Me (Basement Jaxx Backlash Rerub)/ (Tiefschwarz Remix)
Kelli Ali - Psychic Cat
Kings Of Convenience - I'd Rather Dance With You (Cornelius Remix)/ Misread
Kings Of Tomorrow - Dreams (Rasmus Faber Dub)
Kraymon - Time Wasting
Kuusumun Profeetta - Vuosisadan Vaihteessa
Kylie - I Believe In You
LCD Soundsystem - Yeah
LL Cool J - Headsprung
Laidback Luke - Cryin' In The Dark (Jaimie Fanatic Remix)
Lali Puna - Micronomic (Boom Bip Remix)/ Faking the Books
Lazyboy - Western Skies (Radio Slave And Cagedbaby Remix) / Penguin (Manasseh Mix)
Le Tigre - Sixteen
Lemon Jelly - Stay With You
Lil Flip - The Ghetto
Lopazz - I Need Ya
Los Amigos Invisibles - Una Disco Liena
Lostep - Burma (Sasha Remix)
M83 - America (Edit)
MIA - Sun Shawa / Galang
Madvillian - One Beer
Magnetic Fields - I Thought You Were My Boyfriend (Extended Mix)
Manhead - Birth, School, Work, Death
Marcus Nikolai - Bushes 2004 (Cuban Heads Mix)
Mark Rae - Mind Body And Soul / Clip My Wings (Max Sedgley Mix)
Martin Solveig - Rocking Music (Warren Clarke Mix)
Martini Bros - Big And Dirty
Master H - Thirteen (Mylo dub)
Max Sedgely - Happy
Minizza - Winning a battle, Losing the war
Miss Kittin - Requiem for A Hit (Abe Duque Remix) / Neukolln
Miss Plump DJ - I Know I'm Really Really Creepy
Mobb Deep - Got It Twisted (Remix Feat Twista)
Money Mark Ft Slick Rick - Do It Do It
Morillo feat Audio Bullies - Break Down The Doors
Morrissey - Irish Blood, English Heart/First of the Gang to Die
Mos Def Vs Zero 7 - Umi Says
Mount Sims - No Yellow Lines)
Mouse On Mars - Mine Is In Yours
Mousse T - Is It Cos I'm Cool (Dino Lenny Mix)
Mu - Paris Hilton
Mylo - Drop The Pressure + mixes
Nadine Sutherland And Ernie Ranglin - Save Me
Of Montreal - Rapture Rapes The Muses
On!Air!Library! - Bread
Orbital - Acid Pants
PJ Harvey - You Come Through
Pascal - The Handbag Memoirs
Pendle Coven - Blast Turntable (Blinky's Beats)
Pepe Deluxe - Lying Peacefully (Husky Rescue Remix)
Pete Rock - Head Rush, More Base
Philippe Zdar And Etienne De Crecy - Poisoned
Phoenix - Everything Is Everything
Plasticman - The Music
Plej - Blue (Akufen Remix)
Prodigy - Memphis Bells/ Girls
Psychonauts - World Keeps Turning (Emperor Machines Vocal)
Quant - Tryin
Quantic - Sound Of Everything
RJD2 - 1976/ Up to No Good Again
Rachel Stevens - Some Girls
Ralph Myerz And The Jack Herren Band - Lipstick /Escape From The Island
Rennie Pilgrem - Celebrity
Rex the Dog - We Live in Daddy's Car
Riton - Candy
Robag Wruhme - K.T.B.
Roni Size Feat Sweetie Irie - Rise Up (Original Mix)
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Undercooled (4:32)
Ryukyu Underground - Kanasando (Brown Sounds Remix)
Saint Etienne - Fascination
Sandboy - Les Eclairs
Scape One - Traces
Scissor Sisters - Mary (Junkie XL Radio Edit)
Scott Mac - Funkhole
Scratch Perverts - Essential Mix
Seelenluft - Wonderwheel
Sex In Dallas - Berlin Rocks (ManiX D-conXtructed mix)/Everybody Deserves To Be Fucked (Tom Cats In Tok Yo Remix)
Seymour Bits - You Must Be The Bass
Shakedown - Love Game (Mousse T Vs Eraserhead 313 Dub)
Shapeshifters - Lola's Theme
Shitmat - Amen Babylon
Sia - Breathe Me (Ulrich Schnauss Remix) / Where I Belong (Hot Chip Mix)
Sieg Uber Die Sonne - Mirror / Hot (Swags Aftersun Re-Rub)
Skepta - Serious Thugs Dub
Slam - Lie To Me (Dave Clarke Remix)
Slum Village - The Hours
Snoop Dogg - Drop It Like It's Hot
Solid State Revival - Step Into The Sun
Solvent - My Radio
Sondre Lerche - Two Way Monologue / Days That Are Over
Sonic Youth - Unmade Bed
Soundfreaks - We Dont Care
South - Colours In Waves
Spektrum - Interference / Kinda New (Tiefschwarz Dub)
Squarepusher - Venus No 17 (Acid Mix)
Stabilizer - Bounce
Star You Star Me Ft Erlend Oye - A Place In My Heart (Jori Hulkkonen Remix)
Stars - Set Yourself On Fire
Stereolab - Cosmic Country Noir
Superpitcher - Traume
Swayzak - Keep It Coming (Vocal Mix)
Switch With Ms Thing - Love Guide
Syntax - Bliss (Radio Edit)
T Raumschmiere Ft Miss Kitten - The Game Is Not Over
Tali - Airport Lounge (Freestylers Mix)/Grey Days
The Beta Band - Assessment (C Swing's Bootleg Mix)
The Concretes - Lonely As Can Be / Chico (Avalanches Mix)
The Delgados - I Fought The Angels
The Dining Rooms - Dreamy Smilies
The Divine Comedy - entire Absent Friends album (my favorite of the year)
The Egg - Forwards / Wall (Mylo Mix)
The Emperor Machine - Pop Goes The Spaceman
The Futureheads - Meantime / Decent Days and Nights
The Go! Team - Bottle Rocket
The Killers - Somebody Told Me (Josh Harris Full Club)
The Knife - Heartbeats
The Loose Cannons - I Like it When Ya
The Soft Pink Truth - Out Of Step
The Streets - Fit But You Know it
The Walkmen - The Rat
The Youngsters - Confusion (Serious Rework) / Confidential Music
Tiga - Pleasure from the Bass
Tiki Obmar - Seasons (Tim Koch Remix)
Tim Wright - Flatliner
Tom Neville - Just Fuck (Dirty D Remix)
Trafik - Your Light (Forth Reboot)
Two Lone Swordsmen - Faux / Damp / Showbiz Shotgun
Ugress - Manhattan Sapphire
United State Of Electronica - It Is On!
Utada - Let Me Give you my Love
Uusi Fantasia - Ilta
Vast Aire - Da Superfriendz (Ft MF Doom)
Vector Lovers - Melodies and Memory
Viktor Vaughn - Doper Skiller (Ft Kool Keith)
Wagon Christ - Shadows
Wiley - Pies / Pick Ur Self Up
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps/Control (Tommie Sunshine Brooklyn Fire Retough)
Yoko Ono - Everyman Everywoman (Basement Jaxx Mixes)
Zero 7 - Home
Zoot Woman - Taken It All (Todd Edwards Soul Line Edit)

Flaming Lips
Doves
Electric Soft Parade
Coldplay
Margarets
Beck
Kent
Peter Gabriel
George Harrison
Polyphonic Spree
Supergrass
David Bowie
Saybia
Soviet

not setting the world ablaze means something is bad?

But to the question: Every year is a good year for music.

Like I said in the original question, I think it's likely that you're part of a minority. Dance music fans loved 2004 I guess, which is totally fine with me.

Seems like 1985 is the year that most people can agree on regarding its utter suckage.

and as far as i'm concerned it was pretty great on all those fronts. i could probably come up with another couple of hundred reasons why i loved last year, but whatever. if you want to declare my pov a minority and yours a majority because it appeases your sense of whatever, then so be it. (it's usually the small, intelligent minority that has the right idea anyway *raspberry PTHHHBBBBBT*)

:)

Not exactly, but it was still an excellent album. A middle aged man with a blue beard may not appeal to the kids though, no matter how good the music is.

Hmmm, let's see now: Hounds Of Love, The Firstborn Is Dead, The Head On The Door, You're Under Arrest, This Nation's Saving Grace, New Day Rising, Flip Your Wig, Psychocandy, Night Time, Up On The Sun, Fear & Whiskey, Low Life, Rum Sodomy & The Lash, Steve McQueen, Fables Of The Reconstruction, Cupid & Psyche '85, Meat Is Murder, The Dream Of The Blue Turtles.... OK, maybe not The Dream Of The Blue Turtles, Little Creatures, VU, Rain Dogs.... ; nope, I'm afraid you can count me out of your consensus.

I liked half the list (2 Cagedbaby remixes - not his best from last year - Cuban Heels excepted - but get in), but this is older than 2004, I'm sure.

Major omission of Soulwax - 'NY Excuse' in my 2004 list. I need to dance to that outside of my living room soon.

Hmm, My bad... I first heard it and got it on a release from last year:
Deadly Avenger's "Thelasttimeidothisfornothing" on Illicit. And perhaps mistakenly so, but the liner notes said all the tracks were either 'new or exclusive to that release'. Maybe they were stretching their definitions...

stop this good year bad year madness

Both halves of this statement are the exact opposites of how I feel!

Bryter Layter, Shooting At The Moon, Let It Be, Sweet Baby James, Curtis, Look-Ka Py Py, Spirit In the Dark, Ladies Of The Canyon, Led Zeppelin III, Sky's The Limit, Tea For The Tillerman, Loaded, After The Gold Rush, Signed Sealed And Delivered, Moondance, Fun House, Paranoid, Bridge Over Troubled Water, The Man Who Sold The World, Close To You, The Madcap Laughs, "I'll Be There", "ABC", "I Want You Back", "These Eyes", "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours", "The Tears of a Clown","Mama Told Me (Not to Come)","O-o-h Child","Only Love Can Break Your Heart","Shilo","(They Long to Be) Close to You"," Ain't No Mountain High Enough","Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)","In The Summertime","Lola","Come And Get It","Express Yourself","Get Up I Feel Like Being Like a Sex Machine","I Want to Take You Higher","If You Could Read My Mind","Instant Karma (We All Shine On)","Lookin' Out My Back Door","Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)"," We've Only Just Begun","Your Song"

http://www.philaradio.com/music/wfil/top5670.htm

I guess, in the interests of rigorous subjective science, I would want people doing this to list the same number of records from every other year and swear that the year in question's list is not the worst. Although that wouldn't be very rigorous, as it would be ignoring the relative quality of all the records not on the list.

It is indeed a mug's game.

1986 sucks though ("Oh, but The Queen Is Dead")

is this sarcasm? how else to counter the absurd statement?

x-post. What?

Hmm, My bad... I first heard it and got it on a release from last year

It was on the first Battlecreek EP from 1999. I knew it wasn't even from this decade but needed Discogs to be sure. I have it on their Marbel Bar label's Marbles comp, but I never really liked it or anything else they did.

Jessica's right, you know.

With that said, J&L are really the omnipresent producers of that time.

i don't buy this at all. i mean if the best song ever recorded (sic) was recorded in a year and everything else that year was horrible beyond worth, i'd still argue that it was a good year for music - otherwise the "best song ever recorded" wouldn't have come out.

i see what you're saying - i just happen to have a different take on it.

74 was one of the best years for soul, funk, dub and proto-disco ever
people should stop trying to blame a year for their lack of diverse listening/breadth of musical knowledge

The best single ever released in the entire history topped the UK charts at the end of 1975.

I'm now realizing my motivation for this question, which is that I'm pretty sure it's been years since I've enjoyed this much new music during the second week of March - I have enough favorite new songs to probably fill 2 80-minute CD's. 1999 might be the last time I experienced anything like this. Usually this doesn't start really kicking in for me until May or June, and 2004 had a 3-month dry period for me last summer. (And it's not like I wasn't searching for any new music during that time.) I remember it being a huge breath of fresh air to finally get to hear "Flap Your Wings" by Nelly, which was early August, and a month afterwards saying "Finally!" to myself when hearing "Somebody Told Me."

I'll admit that 25% of the "new" stuff I'm enjoying now is from the last month or 2 of 2004, but I still think last summer was a very boring period, and in most cases, the music of the summer is essentially what makes or breaks any given year.