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By Bret Foster 2004 is winding down and it’s time once again to look back on the year and determine which artists are worthy of being recognized and remembered. However, I will have to say that the most important and beautiful release of the year did not come from any of the artists listed here. It came from my wife. Yes, my number one release of 2004 came on February 13 th when my daughter, Lily Kate Foster, was born. And oh boy, does she ever rock! She definitely rocked my world enough that I didn’t have the time or cash to purchase many albums outside of my “must purchase” list. So I didn’t get to explore the music world as much this year as I have in the past. However, I was able to get my hands on some excellent albums this year. Here are the ones that I highly recommend.
Wilco’s latest offering is a perfect soundtrack for a slow evening at home while drinking a bottle of red wine. And like fine wine, A Ghost is Born will only get better and more respected with age. It’s an album that you will have to be patient with and listen to again and again to fully enjoy. But your perseverance will pay off when you finally discover its subtle beauty.
Tyrannosaurus Hives is a different beast all together. This album grabs you by the balls, rips them off, and nails them to the wall in an arrogant display of total domination. And that’s probably why you won’t see this album on may top ten lists this year. People today are afraid of the RAWK!!! But fear not, RAWK does the body good. The directions for this one are simple: Put it on, turn it up, and do your best Mick Jagger strut all around the living room. Don’t worry about what others will think, for they too will soon follow your lead and will be RAWKING OUT with you! Bon appetite! Other great albums of 04: Drive by Truckers, Morrissey, Doug Gillard, U2, Franz Ferdinand, The Streets, TV On The Radio, Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Sufjan Stevens, & Hayden. Top 5 Songs: Bret Foster is an Honorable Colonel of the Dark and Bloody Ground that has been blessed with a masculine face and with what has been described as drag strip courage. You may contact him though his parole officer or by going HERE!
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1. Loretta Lynn – Van Lear Rose: Who better to save Rock n’ Roll than the First Lady of County Music? Like Rick Rubin before him, Jack White has jumpstarted the career of a country music legend. Where Rubin helped Johnny Cash rediscover his voice and find relevance, White has given Lynn a new voice taking her in a direction she would have never gone left to her own volition. However, what I find most incredible is the lack of support this album received from “country radio”. Even with White being the driving force behind this album, make no mistake about it, this most definitely is a country album. With songs about drinkin’, lovin’, cheatin’, forgivin’, killin’, momma, daddy, and God sometimes all in the same song, how could it be anything but a country album? But maybe “country radio” didn’t play it because most “contemporary” country music fans really don’t like real country music. They would rather listen to watered down, over produced, utterly accessible pop music performed by people with fake southern accents. Case in point: When I gave a copy of Lynn’s new album to a friend of mine that only listens to country music by modern country artists, he returned it saying, “This is terrible. It’s just way too country.” Imagine that--Loretta Lynn, too country? Well, Loretta did once sing, “If you’re looking at me, you’re looking at country” and boy, I can look at her all day long.
2. The Arcade Fire – Funeral: A period of suffering and loss is fertile soil for creativity. During the writing and recording of Funeral, many of the members of The Arcade Fire were dealing with the death of family members. It’s during these times of life that we are forced to strip away the meaningless filler of our lives and look at life in its raw form. Sometimes we see its simple beauty, sometimes we see our empty investments of time and energy, and sometimes we see nothing. But for those who dare to look close enough, we can see something more--something larger, something bigger than us. Those with the right kind of eyes are given the brief opportunity to see the perfection and beauty of God. And it’s how one responds to such an encounter that is most intriguing. Bono of U2 once said something to the effect that the greatest music is written either by those running towards God or those running away from God. This album documents this band’s journey to and from that source of inspiration. 
3. The Walkmen – Bows and Arrows: Brewing and percolating sounds with sonic eruptions that adhere to your mind while being peppered with elegantly wasted vocals that spin and swirl around the musical landscape. And oh yeah, this album rocks too! However you better hurry up and get into this band, because lead singer Hamilton Leithauser's voice won’t be able to handle much more of this abuse. 
4. Interpol – Antics: Trying to follow up on an album that was so well received by fans and so highly praised by critics as their 2002 debut Turn on the Bright Lights had to be a daunting task. However these boys from NYC decided to do the unthinkable; they released a better album. What nerve! The songs on Antics are intelligent, well crafted songs full of attitude and confidence that at times, borders arrogance. And that’s the way I like my rock n’ roll. Music from the gut that has no regrets or guilt and that is played with the confidence of a teenager. 
5. Guided By Voices – Half Smiles of the Decomposed: Yes, this is the final Guided by Voices album. Ever!!! While it certainly isn’t their best release, it is an excellent album. But hey, Bob Pollard could release a collection of his belches and it would be better than anything playing on the radio. There are some real gems on this one and it’s a fine swan song for the greatest, drunkest, and most prolific band of the last twenty-five years. However, I will have to say that I’ll probably miss their live shows more than their albums. I honestly feel sorry for anyone that did not have the pleasure of being in the middle of a sweaty, beer-soaked crowd screaming the lyrics of “A Salty Salute” at the top of their lungs. You truly missed out on a magical moment in rock history.
6. The Killers – Hot Fuss: If the rest of the album was as good as the first five tracks, this would be the best album of the decade. However, things go down hill pretty fast at track six and by the time you get to the final track, you’ll want to throw this CD out the window. But, those first five songs are fantastic and much better than most bands will ever release, making this a top album of the year. Yeah, the cool hipsters will probably make fun of you for liking the Killers, but those kids are too worried about how cool they look and too busy updating their MP3 blogs like ten times a day to ever let down their guard and enjoy this album.
7. Elliott Smith – Froma Basement on the Hill: With any posthumous release, I feel a little uncomfortable listening to it. These are songs that aren’t ready yet; they were still cooking and simmering in the artist’s mind. And with this album, much like I did with Jeff Buckley’s For My Sweetheart the Drunk, I feel like I’m eavesdropping on an artist’s conversation with himself. Maybe that contributes to my interest of this album, but it’s not the only reason I like it. These songs are as good as any Smith ever wrote. Full of emotion, heart, and honesty. That’s what made Elliott Smith one of the best American song writers of his generation and that’s what makes this a great memorial to an artist brave enough to constantly bare his soul to the world.
8. Modest Mouse – Good News for People Who Love Bad News: You’ll see this album on a lot of top ten lists this year, but what you’ll probably never see anywhere else is someone comparing Modest Mouse to a character from The Andy Griffith Show. Modest Mouse is the Earnest T. Bass of rock n’ roll. Remember the episode where Andy and Barney tried to hook Earnest T. up with a girl by cleaning him up, teaching him some manners, and taking him to Mrs. Wiley’s tea party? Well, Good News is Modest Mouse all cleaned up and presentable for mass consumption. But what makes this album so good is that, deep down, underneath all those accessible melodies hides the lunatic that at any moment could explode and scare the pants off all those jocks and frat boys who think their super cool because they’ve discovered this new indie band. But ho, ho buba. Wait until the next album suckers! You’re all gonna wet your shorts and be riddled with fear when Modest Mouse reveals their true self. Oh, what a day that will be!!
9. Brian Wilson – Smile: This album could never live up to the myth that has been building around it over the last forty years, but, it comes pretty damn close! It’s still light years ahead of all the albums and bands it inspired. A great example of the pop genius and visionary that is Brian Wilson.
