the good
Brian Wilson 's triumphant Smile suite and gigs
the bad
George W Bush getting re-elected
the ugly
The iraq war
4 for 2004
Brian Wilson - Smile (Nonesuch)
The Go Team - Thunder Lightening Strike (Memphis Industries)
Max Richter - The Blue Notebooks (Fat Cat)
Pendulum - Another Planet - (Breakbeat Kaos)
the good
rock sound giving my album 'the fears' 9 out of 10. hearing the akira the don remix on radio 1 , making an album i am proud of , moving back in with my long time girlfriend , finding out that 65daysofstatic are the greatest band on the planet , appearing in the akira the don video next to mark e!
the bad
death of my nan
the ugly
watching people get hysterical and fanatical about the clash-lite libertines.
duh 1977 is behind you.
4 for 2004 :
clouddead 'ten'
65daysofstatic 'the fall of math'
scorn 'list of takers'
mad ep 'eating movies'
the good
brian wilson 's triumphant smile suite and gigs
the bad
george w bush getting re-elected
the ugly
the iraq war
4 for 2004
brian wilson - smile (nonesuch)
the go team - thunder lightening strike (memphis industries)
max richter - the blue notebooks (fat cat)
pendulum - another planet - (breakbeat kaos)
the good
snoop dogg, nate dogg and their lil' homie warren g finally coming together again as 213, the group they formed as teenagers, for a super-bad album. unity! family! intensely future (and misogynistic) soul songs!
the bad
rip old dirty. they say they found a plastic baggie of white powder in you. they say it leaked. my heart is broke, dirty. let this stand as a beacon to all.
the ugly
skull n bones presidential con 2004
4 for 2004
ghostface - the pretty toney lp
213 - the hard way
80s matchbox - the royal society
skinnyman - council estste of mind
the good
jeremy clarkson, supersize me, death from above 1979, glastonbury, u2's surprisingly good single, vertigo
the bad
john peel's untimely exit. four more years of dubya. the rest of the u2 album.
the ugly
paris hilton video, plastic surgery live
4 for 2004
evil nine - you can be special too
franz ferdinand
razorlight - up all night
the eighties matchbox b-line disaster - the royal society
the good
nick cave, charlotte hatherley, art brut, the rakes, danger mouse, akira the don
the bad
pretty much anything that landed on the cover of nme in 2004
the ugly
tom waits charging £75 a ticket for his shows at hammersmith - and all the buggers selling out in 4 seconds or however long it took.
4 for 2004
broken family band - jesus songs
nick cave and the bad seeds - abbatoir blues / the lyre of orpheus
pj harvey - uh huh her
tom waits - real gone
steve mack - that petrol emotion
the good
for me, 2004 was about one thing: regime change in the usa. the good part was that i was not alone, and political engagement was (and to a large extent still is) at an all time high. people here banded together under the banners of hundreds of grassroots organizations such as moveon.org, americans coming together, and the league of pissed off voters. millions of dollars were raised for progressive causes. locally, i helped start a political action committee called no vote left behind that organized events that ralied the local music scene. we put on events all summer that culminated in a four day music festival in september. we were able to donate lots of money to like minded organizations and progressive candidates, many of whom won their races. though we did not take back the executive branch, some of our candidates did win, and we can be happy we did not go down without a fight. not only that, but the groundwork has been laid for 2008.
the bad
it's not just bad - it's ugly.
the ugly
and the ugly is bush. and cheney. and rumsfeld. most of all, karl rove. these lying sacks of sh*t will burn in hell for the wrongs they've inflicted on the world during their short, nasty, and brutish lives. rove, in particular, needs to be punished, preferrably in the most painful way possible. then again, he didn't create the 49% of the population that voted for bush, though he did cynically exploit their fears. the sad truth is that the pendulum has not completed its swing to the right here in the states, and it's going to get worse before it gets better. the ongoing "war against terrorism" provides the ultimate cover for the selfish right-wing agenda. when the streets are no longer paved, the public schools are shut down, and 50% of the population is without healthcare and working for walmart, then maybe, just maybe, people will realize that they've been conned. by that time, it may just be too late to scale the walls of the gated communities they will have built for themselves.
4 for 2004
shit. that's tough - not sure i can be much of an authority here any more, since i'm hopelessly out of the loop on so much these days. here's what has piqued my interest this year, though:
joseph arthur - i've only just discovered him, though apparently he's been around for awhile. the new album is great.
citizen cope - the robert greenwood sessions - great soulful folk/pop, with a sly stone vibe.
mark lanegan - from the first few notes of the first song i heard off this record, i knew it was going to be a winner. it is. welcome back, mark.
left of the dial - 80's compilation on rhino records - this compilation single handedly confirms my suspicion that it *was* better back then.
kidding aside, this accurately chronicles the early beginnings of "indie" music, and exposes where so many of today's artists are stealing their riffs.
david edwards - minotaur shock, bronze age fox
the good
yes the good. good year for me, lots of good stuff. good. goodest thing was the birth of my baby boy.
the bad
going against all my principles, convictions and morals and realising to my disgust that i was wrong about abba all along. they are pure, pure genius and there's nothing i can do about it. perfection.
the ugly
i'm a celebrity in the jungle.
4 for 2004
hmmm well, don't know if they're the best, but my favourite releases were: deerhoof - milk man; world of echo - arthur russell; crooked rain
crooked rain (la's desert origins) - pavement; 69 love songs - the magnetic fields
and yeah i know 3 of those were reissues. so sue me
stephen townsend aka ghettopriest - on-u sound
the good
clear steady mind!!
the bad
the global manipulation of the few!!
the ugly
everyone seems to be caught up in the illusion!! (they dont give a fuck, untilthe shit hits their "fan").
4 for 2004
dead prez (cant remember title), adf (enemy of the enemy), ghetto priest (vulture culture), the roof (sott e ffetto).
the good
personally, getting to dj around europe and getting "scratch" released. on a bigger level, more people seeming to start to see through governments covert agendas and outright lies.
the bad
blair and his neo-fascist team finally destroying any belief i had in democratic representation in this country. mass murder in an illegal invasion and occupation of iraqi.
the ugly
the further entrenchment of "i'm a celebrity" style tv output...
4 for 2004
the manics album, lcd soundsystem various tracks collection (not too sure about the proper album yet), radio 4 "stealing of a nation", ian broudies "tales told" but mainly the marvellous combination of ipod, broadband and soulseek!
stephen bass - moshi moshi music
the good
hot chip
the bad
britney spears
the ugly
britney spears
4 for 2004
arcade fire
micah p hinson
feist
hot chip
the good
douglas coupland
the bad
michael jackson
the ugly
x factor robots
4 for 2004
coco - rosie la maison de mon reve
low - a lifetime of temporary relief
joanna newsome - the milk - eyed mender
ennio morricone - psichedelico jazzistico
sophia - people are like seasons
the good
hearing new material by my friends bands: minuteman, c33x, emily breeze, ingo star cruiser, the nuge, eftus spectun, dominic beatty, the amazing pilots, tdrok, madeline aeon, sawtooth... looking forward to more in 2005.
the bad
there seemed to be a lot of good souls departing this year. rest in peace.
the ugly
the impending introduction of id cards into this country, the iraq war, the culture of fear cultivated by the current government, the continuing blatant promotion racism and xenophobia by right wing newspapers... i could go on but it's xmas so i should try and be more jolly.
4 for 2004
i don't think i have bought any "new" albums in 2004! the music my friends make satisfied my thirst for new music. but have discovered some gems of old lp's: andy pratt "andy pratt", pavlov's dog "pampered menial ", ramases "space hymns" and finally got my hands on captain beefheart "safe as milk".
matt jacobs - memphis industries
the good
arsenal
the bad
tottenham
the ugly
martin johl
4 for 2004
fiery furnaces - blueberry boat
odd fellows casino - winter creatures
the shins - chutes too narrow
the go! team - thunder lightning strike
the (new) good
subways, towers of london, young heart attack, hurricane party, sound explosion
the bad
peelie popping off
the ugly
x factor, keane, goldie lookin' chain, do me bad things, 'smack culture'
4 for 2004
chumbawamba - un
(the real) tuesday weld - i, lucifer
infinite livez - bush meat
the fiery furnaces - blueberry boat
the good
infinite lives at dedbeat if you see one rapper perform make it him, big dada's most underrated. bus driver at the thelka, bristol came on first nobody could follow his combo of history teacher clothing and machine gun rap! the bees survive record label twats trying to stifle them and release the classic free the... the bees have 36! "big" bands offering to jump on their tour but ignoring label pressure take their friends little barrie and us..big ups!
the bad
the loss of john peel, the first guy a r1 to give us a break unhampered by label pressure and plugging. he only played what he liked and he was the only one. the most important man in the british music industry,irreplaceable. george bush reelected, how can so many cross eye gun toting hicks find the time between making love to their cousins to vote?
big ron, shame on you.
the ugly
x factor, an already morally bankrupt pop industry take a step further toward actual bankruptcy! ozzy's bird should know better and slime-man cowell must die.
4 for 2004
the bees "free the bees"
the libertines "the libertines"
mad villain "mad villainy"
the zutons "who killed the zutons"
mark le seur aka rizlo from seemonsters
the good
seeing tg at atp in december, a strangely emotional experience.
the bad
deaths of john peel and jhonn balance within a couple of weeks of each other.
the ugly
keane!!!
4 for 2004
white 2 - sunn0)))
tg live at cambers sands
wonderful rainbow - lightning bolt
rough trade counter culture 03
the good
mars volta (live everytime)
the bad
4 more years.........
the ugly
scissor sisters
4 for 2004
elliott smith - from a basement on a hill
iron & wine - our endless numbered days
connie price & the keystones - wildflowers
mark lanegan - bubblegum
lucas : the boy lucas, leave land for water
the good
. john peel (rip)
the bad
usher
the ugly
the thought of george bush for another 4 whole years
4 for 2004
'one man band' phillip roebuck
'from a basement on a hill' elliott smith
'madvillainy' mf doom & madlib
'medulla' bjork
adam whittaker and j edgar from roger (the band)
the roger band
the good
-the unhumanoids !
the bad
- dubya, j. edgar
the ugly
- dubya
4 for 2004
roger - this is the shit
plantlife-the return of jack splash,
wilco-a ghost is born,
outkast - speakerboxx
and here, unfortunately are j edgars answers which he demands are also
sent...
the good
what do you f*cking think? me of course, too f*cking good for
you maggots.
the bad
me not making enough money, the twat getting back in charge,
franz turninand
the ugly
your momma
4 for 2004
i don't usually listen to 'other' music but if forced on the issue i would answer 'death of british sea power' (british sea power), 'contraband' (velver revolver), the parts of 'this is the shit' (roger) that involve me and the black velvets first single before punching you in the face for your insolence. goodbye forever.......
the good
the uk music scene gets up and stops moping. bloc party and the longcut are leading lights. open minded musicians and writers. the whole "new weird america" thing. nyc. the grey album.
the bad
obviously, john peel rip, someone who helped a lot of people, including me, out. loads of music magazines bite the dust. ridiculous prices in uk record shops. especially in the vinyl sections. no wonder ebay is booming.
the ugly
idiot coke heads who i remember from oxford who now write for style mags and just cover their own drug dealing circle. these guys were dorks at university. every one hated them. any closed off arrogant musician. you meet them one month, then the next time they have a record out... complete dick! share, share, share. don't believe the hype. pr is replacing music. soon you'll just get sent a press release. opening up every magazine/newspaper/webpage and reading the same article for a month. editors - step in and do something...
the friday guardian g2. what the hell happened? i used to be able to get a good train ride to manchester out of that. bland boring. i want to read about the interviewee, not the interviewer. i want a new broadsheet.
4 for 2004
here are ten:
kanye west college dropout
animal collective sung tongs
hood lost you ep
sunburned hand of man rare wood
madvillain madvillainy
the longcut transition
bloc party helicopter
steven wray lobdell live at club dohnut
500mg vertical approach
danger mouse grey album
gareth goddard aka cherrystones
the good
poptones website,djing atall tomorrows parties 2004!
the green man festival-and getting number two in the compilations of the year in nme for hidden charms.
the bad
amateur sycophantic promoters shoe gazing and not holding true to their suggested ideals-whilst making fans of the bands wait outside: meanwhile all their industry mates are inside on the blag networking-disgraceful! no names as you dont know who you are as your ignorance runs that deep!
the ugly
public transport plus televisions & popular cultures ?
obsession with star status and celebrity
4 for 2004
wooden wand and the vanishing voice -xiao(de stijl)
comets on fire -blue cathedral (sub pop)
the un-you in or u out
sunn 0)))-white 2(southern lord)
the good
curb your enthusiasm/eminem:mosh/the sopranos season five/is it cos I'm cool/six feet under/mixtapes/no- limit texas hold'em
the bad
bush's re-election/uk public-transport/john peel passing//uk weather/another ramone gone/celebrity-culture
the ugly
baghdad/hostage-culture/viruses
4 for 2004
dangermouse:the grey album/kings of leon:aha shake heartbreak/brian wilson:smile/the go! team:thunder lightning strike