2004: The Year In Music

2004 – NASA’s Opportunity Rover lands on the surface of Mars. Janet Jackson has a wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl half-time show. Mark Zuckerberg launches Facebook from his Harvard dormitory room. “Friends” airs its series finale to 52.5 million viewers. George W. Bush is re-elected as President of the United States … somehow. Let’s hope people made better decisions when it came to the music!

I’ll be looking at the popular and highest-rated songs / albums of the year, giving my opinions on their musicality and longevity as well as an overall verdict for the year as a whole.

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Billboard Top 10 (Popular) Singles

Source: Wikipedia

10 – Lean Back (Terror Squad feat. Fat Joe and Remy Ma)

I would never have expected this kind of hard Rap to make the Billboard top 10. I guess public perception was starting to change.

It’s quite catchy in fairness, with a strong backbeat to bob my head to.

9 – Goodies (Ciara feat. Petey Pablo)

Fairly simple RnB. Like Beyoncé but not as good.

8 – Hey Ya! (OutKast)

“Hey Ya!” made an appearance in 2003’s list, but in the high-rated songs. I had a feeling it would turn up in the 2004 Billboard top ten!

I’ve already mentioned how catchy it is, but did I say how intelligent the songwriting is? Well, I have now. Banger of a song.

7 – I Don’t Wanna Know (Mario Winans feat. Enya and P. Diddy)

Yuck. I hate how P. Diddy is on this, I hate how it’s a sample / rip-off of “Ready Or Not” by the Fugees, and I especially hate how much I like it.

It’s one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard in recent weeks. Now I’m mad at myself.

6 – The Reason (Hoobastank)

Can we all agree “Hoobastank” is the worst band name ever?

Jokes aside, “The Reason” is pretty boring. It’s one of those songs most people know (it has over a billion Spotify streams), but it’s very simple and one-note.

5 – The Way You Move (OutKast feat. Sleepy Brown)

The other OutKast hit of the year, and one I wasn’t familiar with until now. It slaps.

The lyrical flow is sublime.

4 – This Love (Maroon 5)

Maroon 5 are more popular than they perhaps deserve, but there’s no denying the commercial appeal of their songs.

“This Love” was one of their biggest hits, and it’s admittedly slick and smooth. An easy-listening bop.

3 – If I Ain’t Got You (Alicia Keys)

The definitive, arguably most popular Alicia Keys song.

“If I Ain’t Got You” is powerful stuff – Keys is a very talented singer-songwriter.

2 – Burn (Usher)

Not the best Usher song of the year. In fact, “Burn” is so far behind the next track that I’m surprised it reached number two on this top ten.

1 – Yeah! (Usher feat. Lil Jon and Ludacris)

Big year for Usher, taking the top two spots on the Billboard top ten.

This time “Yeah!” is a certifiable classic. Those synths can get anyone turnt.

FAVOURITE – “If I Ain’t Got You” (Alicia Keys)

LEAST FAVOURITE – “Goodies” (Ciara feat. Petey Pablo)

Top-Rated Songs

Source: http://www.besteveralbums.com

10 – Rapp Snitch Knishes (MF DOOM feat. Mr. Fantastik)

One of the best Rap backing tracks ever put to tape. The instrumental on its own is called “Coffin Nails”, if you didn’t know.

It’s even better with the lyrics, though.

9 – Neighborhood #3 [Power Out] (Arcade Fire)

You’ll be seeing a lot of Arcade Fire in this top ten – their album “Funeral” has a lot of fantastic tracks.

“Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” starts off heavier than others on the album, and that dark energy permeates through the whole track.

8 – The Rat (The Walkmen)

One of my favourite post-2000’s Rock songs.

The drumming and general energy is immense across “The Rat”, and I especially like how the bridge takes a slower, more personal approach.

7 – Accordion (Madvillain)

I was surprised by how quickly “Accordion” came and went.

It has a great hook and MF DOOM’s rapping is stellar as always, so I only wish it was longer.

6 – Float On (Modest Mouse)

I don’t follow Modest Mouse and know little about them, and apparently “Float On” is their most popular song. I can see it.

It’s quite a positive track, with a bouncy groove to boot.

5 – Jesus Walks (Kanye West)

“Jesus Walks” is the first we’ve seen of Kanye in one of these lists. I’m sure it won’t be the last.

For as controversial as the man is, he makes great music – “Jesus Walks” is one of his catchiest.

4 – All Caps (Madvillain)

Like other songs from “Madvillainy”, “All Caps” feels a lot shorter than I expected. It’s good stuff, and maybe it’s a compliment to say it goes by quickly.

Just remember ALL CAPS when you spell the man name.

3 – Rebellion [Lies] (Arcade Fire)

“Rebellion (Lies)” comes near the end of “Funeral”, posing as an unassuming filler song meant to be forgotten. It ended up being the best on the album.

It comes together in such a simple yet intelligent way, and I love the build throughout.

2 – Wake Up (Arcade Fire)

“Wake Up” is the most rousing song on “Funerals”, and it happens to be one of the simplest.

That simplicity is what makes it work so well. The vocals are raw yet impeccable, and the screamed lyrics get under your skin.

1 – Neighborhood #1 [Tunnels] (Arcade Fire)

The opening song on “Funeral” is a powerful one, but I wouldn’t say it’s better than the previous two Arcade Fire songs.

Like many of the songs on the album, “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” grows and grows into something beautiful.

BEST SONG OF 2004 – “Rebellion (Lies)” (Arcade Fire)

Top-Rated Albums

Source: http://www.besteveralbums.com

5 – Hot Fuss (The Killers)

The first half of “Hot Fuss” is all killer, the second half is all filler.

I love songs like “Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine” and “Somebody Told Me”, and every English person knows all the words to “Mr. Brightside”.

4 – The College Dropout (Kanye West)

Kanye West burst in with one of the most solid debut albums of the decade.

There are lots of weird interlude tracks I don’t like, but the actual meat and potatoes of the album – like “Jesus Walks” and “Through The Wire” – are great.

3 – American Idiot (Green Day)

Green Day are one of those bands every alt-Rock edgelord of the 2000’s adores, and “American Idiot” is their most famous outing.

The title track hits hard, but others like “Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and “Wake Me Up When September Ends” work well too.

2 – Madvillainy (Madvillain)

Madlib and MF DOOM combined to create one of the most critically acclaimed projects of the 2000’s.

I’ve mentioned how the individual tracks should’ve been longer, but that’s not a bad thing. The Jazz Rap style really works, and the interludes feel a lot more appropriate than they did on Kanye’s “College Dropout”.

1 – Funeral (Arcade Fire)

Arcade Fire are one of those bands that have straddled the line between mainstream and obscurity, and that grey area has allowed them to make some of the most thought-provoking yet wide-reaching Folk music of the last two decades.

“Funeral” is a great album front to back, with some of my favourite songs of the year like “Wake Up” and “Rebellion (Lies)”. It might not be to some people’s tastes, but I liked every track from front to back for their songwriting and uniqueness.

BEST ALBUM OF 2004 – “Funeral” (Arcade Fire)

Final Thoughts

Good year for music. Not sensational by any means, but 2004 had some good hits and albums that kept me invested.

Overall Grade: B-

Aaaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: