marusin.com

If you’re just tuning in, it’s become tradition in the marusin(.com) household to record a year-end compilation of some of the best songs that I stumbled upon in the preceding year. 2004 marks the fourth annual compilation and honestly some of the best songs yet.

I wouldn’t say 2004 was a break-out year for “whole” albums (with the exception of my beloved Wilco), but song-wise here’s what I thought stood out:

01.) “Take Me Out” - Franz Ferdinand

Yes, we all heard this song a million times this year. You know what? I still like the song and the album as a whole is fantastic and still in my rotation. Perfect song to open up the cd with.

Official Site: http://www.franzferdinand.co.uk Buy This CD

02.) “I Need You Back” - Ben Kweller

Pure, basic music. Nothing too fancy here, but damnit if Ben Kweller cannot write a catchy tune. “I Need You Back” is a pretty good representation of his work.

Official Site: http://www.benkweller.com/ Buy This CD

03.) “Carl Perkins Cadillac” - Drive By Truckers

What a perfect song to kick back that PBR or High Life to. The Beautiful South is the best Drive By Truckers album to date and I can sense them being on the verge of becoming bigger than they already are. The whole album is fantastic and is one of those discs that everytime I listen to it, I wonder why I don’t listen more.

Official Site: http://www.drivebytruckers.com/ Buy This CD

04.) “To Be Alone With You” - Sufjan Stevens

I have to thank Matt Gifford for getting me hooked on Sufjan Stevens. He is easily my favorite new artist that I discovered this year. Sufjan’s music is incredibly melodic, hypnotic and makes you want to learn to play the banjo. On a completely other layer, when you sit down and listen to the words of the songs, you quickly learn that he’s quite spiritual.

Official Site: http://www.sufjan.com/ Buy This CD

05.) “Palm Of Your Hand” - Cake

I’m a sucker for the band, Cake. While the album Pressure Chief isn’t their strongest album to date, I have to admit that “Palm Of Your Hand” is the best song off their newest release and the one that I listened to the most off this album. In my opinion, it’s much better than “No Phone” which they released as their first (and only) single.

Official Site: http://www.cakemusic.com/ Buy This CD

06.) “Stuck In The Metal” - Eagles of Death Metal

Take a lot of fuzz and mix with the acoustics of your garage and you get Eagles of Death Metal. “Stuck In The Metal” is an alternate name for a tune I’m pretty sure you’re familiar with. I personally love every song on Peace Love and Death Metal and it was hard to pick one. I was going to go with “Kiss The Devil”, but decided that it wasn’t too Christmas-y. :) I have to award Peace Love and Death Metal with “Album Cover of the Year”.

Official Site: http://www.eaglesofdeathmetal.net/ Buy This CD

07.) “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” (Live) - U2

Ok, you can stop making fun now. Maybe it’s me getting older or something like that, but I really dig the latest U2 release, “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb”. The album is pure U2 (yes, you know it’s The Edge playing guitar this time rather than synthesizers). “Sometime You Can’t Make It On Your Own” is my favorite song on the album. The version of the song that I included on this years compilation is actually a live version that they did at an album release party under the Brooklyn Bridge. This version is available from the iTunes Music Store and I highly recommend picking up the whole EP (great version of “I Will Follow”).

Tell me you don’t get goosebumps at the 3:22 mark of this version of “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own”.

Official Site: http://www.u2.com Buy This Song/EP

08.) “A Fond Farewell” - Elliot Smith

The world lost Elliot Smith this year, but we gained an amazing final album from him. This song pretty much sums up his leaving us.

Official Site: http://www.elliottsmith.com/ Buy This CD

09.) “Public Service Announcement” - Jay-Z + DJ Danger Mouse

What do you get when you mix black and white? Grey of course. A perfect name for DJ Danger Mouse’s mash-up of Jay-Z’s Black Album and The Beatles’ White Album. “Public Service Announcement” only touches on how clever DJ Danger Mouse’s work is. I highly suggest downloading the whole Grey Album to see what all the controversy was/is about.

Official Site: http://djdangermouse.com Download This CD (For Free!)

10.) “The One Who Got Us Out” - Ted Leo & The Pharmacists

Ted Leo has been given the title of the “new Billy Bragg”. I can kind of see that. Power pop with a strong message at it’s finest. Another “on the verge” artist that you should try to catch while you can at a small venue.

Official Site: http://www.tedleo.com Buy This CD

11.) “Curiosity” - Jay Bennett

Jay Bennett made his debut on a Marusin Compilation back in 2002. Jay is an ex-member of Wilco and has been trying really hard to build himself up as a solo artist since he was asked to leave the band back in 2001. Listening to this song, I get the feeling that he wrote this song about his departure from Wilco. Probably as a bit of self-help.

Official Site: http://www.jay-bennett.com Buy This CD

12.) “It’s A Hit” - Rilo Kiley

There are no other bands like Rilo Kiley out there. I can’t think of many other bands that play as tightly as they do with such smart lyrics. I originally was going to include “Portions For Foxes” on this years compilation, but the song was probably a bit too racy for some of my audience. :)

“It’s A Hit” fits in well with this years compilation since it seems relevant with the 2004 Election outcome.

Official Site: http://www.rilokiley.com Buy This CD

13.) “Unmade Bed” - Sonic Youth

I’ve been listening to Sonic Youth for at least half my life and I can honestly say that Sonic Nurse is one of their best albums to date. “Unmade Bed” is one of the songs that has stuck out from the album. I think this song is one of the most “user-friendly” Sonic Youth songs that I’ve heard. It has just enough noise/Thurston Moore to give you a taste of the band, but has enough melody to not turn away the casual listener.

Official Site: http://www.sonicyouth.com Buy This CD

14.) “Naked As We Came” - Iron and Wine

Iron and Wine is the perfect music to listen to on a dark and rainy day. “Naked As We Came” is amazingly expressive through it’s simplicity.

Official Site: http://www.ironandwine.com Buy This CD

15.) “Bam Thwok” - The Pixies

The Pixies have returned and damn it if “Bam Thwok” isn’t the catchiest freaking song that they’ve ever put out (ok, “Here comes your man” is right up there, but…). I have not been able to get this song out of my head all year long and now I can share my agony with you.

As Close As You Can Get To An Official Pixies Site: http://www.pixiesmusic.com Buy This Song

16.) “Doesn’t Have To Be This Way” - Jay Farrar

Jay Farrar has one of the most distinct voices in music. His live album, Stone Steel and Bright Lights is a great glimpse of his music that he has released since the demise of Son Volt.

Official Site: http://www.jayfarrar.net Buy This CD

17.) “Portland Oregon” - Loretta Lynn

What do you get when you mix Loretta Lynn and Jack White? You get a great album and an amazing fusion of rock and country music.

Official Site: http://www.lorettalynn.com Buy This CD

18.) “Walk Idiot Walk” - The Hives

What can I say, I’m a sucker for bands with “a look”. Combine matching outfits along with a couple mustaches and you have a band that I’m very intrigued by. Add the fact that they are kick-ass musicians and you have a band that is going to make my year-end compilation.

Official Site: http://www.hivesmusic.com Buy This CD

19.) “Float On” - Modest Mouse

Some may say that it’s 2004’s “Hey Ya”. While we’ve heard “Float On” alot this year, there’s no arguing with the fact that it’s a great song and has finally brought Modest Mouse the deserved credit that they have finally received. Most of you OC fans probably don’t realize that Modest Mouse has been around for years.

Official Site: http://www.modestmousemusic.com Buy This CD

20.) “Theologians” - Wilco

What can I say, I can’t get enough Wilco. I’ve yet to tire of A Ghost Is Born and it’s probably on it’s 1000th go around on my iPod. “Theologians” is one of the standout tracks in my opinion. Definitely my album of the year. “I’m a cherry ghost”

Official Site: http://www.wilcoworld.net Buy This CD

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 22nd, 2004 at 5:39 pm and is filed under compilations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.