Best Albums of 2004 [So Far]

Since I don't believe that it's fair to put final rankings on these discs till the end of the year [as I'll listen to some more, the ratings would change] I will simply list the top ten discs that I've heard to date, and I'll babble a little about each one. I will however put a preliminary rating for those discs I feel confident in judging. All scores are via my iTunes rankings for each song [album score is (sum of track scores)/(# of tracks)*20 for a 0-100 scale, with 100 being musical perfection]. The small images to save bandwith on your end. [Edit: I forgot two albums. So I tacked them on.]


Kanye West - The College Dropout [Hip-Hop/Rap]
This album is simply one of the best rap albums I've ever heard. Phenomenal hooks, good lyrics, the album artwork is top-notch - overall, it's just an excellent production. The only knock keeping this album from greatness is the number of skits on the disc. I hate rap skits if they serve no purpose, and Kanye breaks a cardinal rule by putting two skits back to back, leaving the listener with the following sequence: skit-worst song on the album-skit-skit. That's awful. Fortunately, the rest of the album is killer, so this one's looking like the best of the year so far. Rating: 88.6


Bad Religion - The Empire Strikes First [Punk]
Bad Religion had faded in quality before putting out 2002's The Process of Belief, which signalled a return to their punk roots. Following in the footsteps of Belief, BR has another great punk rock record in Empire. Solid tracks with few exceptions. Rating: 84.3


Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News [Indie]
I admittedly haven't listen to this album a whole lot, but I have really liked what I've heard. It might be harsh for some, but once you get past the harsh vocals and see the way the music plays out on many sonic levels, you get an appreciation for it. Rating: pending


Air - Talkie Walkie [Ambient]
This album really is a sonic masterpiece. The only thing keeping it from the top of my lists is that you really have to be in a certain mood to want to hear this music. But when you do, and you slip on a pair of headphones, the music that Talkie Walkie puts in your brain is irresistable. Download "Cherry Blossom Girl" if you need proof. Rating: 82.0


Nellie McKay - Get Away From Me [Indie/Vocal]
This album is very, very hard to categorize. Nellie, a 19-year-old New Yorker, tears through styles, ranging from rap to jazz to crooning. While it certainly is a sonic rollercoaster, there are a few absolute gems in her double-cd debut - "Waiter" and "The Dog Song" both come to mind. Not your typical album, but that's a good thing. Rating: 77.8


Ash - Meltdown [Rock]
I'm not as big a fan of Ash as some of my friends, but I have to say that I enjoyed this album for the most part. There are some real diamonds on this disc, "Evil Eye", "Vampire Love", and "Renegade Cavalcade" are all brilliant. But it seems like a lot of the rest of the album is filler-pop. A good album, but too many lowlights. Rating: 76.4


The Icarus Line - Penance Soiree [Indie/Hard Rock]
Another album I need to listen to more, Penance Soiree is a dark, heavy rock performance. I wish I could say more here, but I really haven't listened to it enough. But the couple times that I have, I was thoroughly rocked. Rating: pending


Cee-Lo - Cee-Lo Green Is The Soul Machine [Hip-Hop/Rap]
Better than his first album, Soul Machine is a lot kinder to the ears. Great hooks and Cee-Lo's signature harmonies really bring this album to life. Tracks vary from soulful, to club-pounding tracks that make you want to move your ass. But I refrain. After all, fat white kids shaking their asses usually result in someone getting hurt. Rating: 74.4


The Living End - Modern Artillery [Punk]
When I started listening to this disc, I was admittedly floored through the first five tracks. All were punk rock bliss - energetic, harmonic, great lyrics. But sadly, the album took a nose-dive after that, barely surfacing later on in the album to retain the CD's decency. If it were a 5-track EP, it'd be near the top of my all-time lists. But it's not, and I've got to stick it to the album for all the rest of the crap tracks. Rating: 72.9


DJ DangerMouse - The Grey Album [Hip-Hop/Rap]
DJ DM got the really clever idea of taking the a capella version of Jay-Z's The Black Album and laying the tracks down over samples from The Beatles' The White Album. White+Black=Grey. Get it? Okay. This album, as well crafted as it is, falls short in only one way: the source material. I wasn't a big fan of The Black Album with the exception of a few tracks. DownhillBattle.org organized a large protest of EMI's cease-and-decist letters to DJDM about using copyrighted works [EMI manages the catalog of the Beatles], so you can find lots of places to download it online. I'd suggest starting over at Illegal Art, which also is a good place to kill time. Rating: 68.3


Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand [Indie/Rock]
No rating on this one yet, as I haven't listened to it enough. But I have to admit it, "Take Me Out" is one hell of a song. It's a little hard to get into, like most indie rock, but it's good. I look forward to hearing more of this one. Rating: pending


Dios - Dios [Indie/Rock]
I'd never heard of these SoCal rockers until I saw them open for Beulah. They put on one hell of a show, and the music was great. This album's been growing on me. It's a good listen, very melodic. This one could surge up my rankings. Rating: pending

And just for comparison's sake, the best album I have rated right now is a 98.3 [Cursive's The Ugly Organ] and the lowest is a 36.7 [Bad Religion's 80-85]. Though I've really only gone through and ranked 2002-2004, with a few exceptions. I'm sure I can do much, much worse than 36.7 in the ratings. I do own a Deep Blue Something CD...