The Grammys are tonight. Yes, it’s music’s big night, one I generally I don’t place too much stock in and haven’t for quite some time (though it you had told me Daft Punk would be contending for Album and Record Of The Year a few years back, I would have said ‘yeah, right’)
So while the Grammys try and stay topical and relevant, I tune out. But not completely. I still make it a music day! I started a tradition a few years ago looking back at what music I was listening to a decade ago. It’s a blast. It’s so much fun to see if my tastes have changed or if the music I was obsessed with then is still resonating today. How many of the bands are still around? How many made it big? Hell, how many of them ended up winning a Grammy (quite a few!)? How many do I now say, ‘what was I thinking?’
I’m one of those nerdy music people that saves notes and playlists on my computer so in case you are blowing off the Grammys tonight but still want to check out some music, here, in no real order, are the notes from my Best of 2004 list (has it really been almost ten years since Arcade Fire’s Funeral?) I Scattered in a few tunes that were easy to find:
TEN YEARS BACK:
Modest Mouse- Good News For People Who Like Bad News: Float on or Salty
Rilo Kiley- More Adventurous: Portions for Foxes, The Absence of God, I Never, Does He Love You. Album of the year?
Elliott Smith- From A Basement On A Hill: A Fond Farewell. Has to be that one.
Arcade Fire- Funeral: Too out there? Power Out! Or Haiti.
Franz Ferdinand- Franz Ferdinand: Jacqueline or Take Me Out.
Interpol- Antics: No Exit. So New York.
Kings Of Convenience- Riot On An Empty Street: Homesick, Misread, Cayman Islands
The Libertines- The Libertines: Music When The Lights Go Out or Man Who Would be Kind or What Katie Did.
Iron & Wine- Our Endless Numbered Days: Love and Some Verses (well, whole album, really)
Beta Band- Heroes to Zeros: Easy
Devendra Banhart- Rejoicing In The Hands: Will Is My Friend or This Beard Is for Siobhan or Todo Los Delores
Sondre Lerche- Two Way Monologue: Days That Are Over or title track
Bright Eyes- Lua: Just an EP. Title Track. Wow.
The Walkmen- Bows & Arrows: The Rat
Ryan Adams- Love is Hell: English Girls Approximately (about Beth Orton?)
Devotchka- How It Ends: title track
Gomez- Split The Difference: Catch Me Up or Me, You and Everybody
Antony & the Johnsons: Cripple & the Starfish or Hitler In My Heart
The Streets- A Grand Don’t Come For Free: It Was Supposed to Be So Easy or Fit But You Know It.
What were you listening to in 2004?