Jim's 2004 Music Top 10+
My 2004 Top Music Releases :

1 - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets - Lookout
Ted's most cohesive album to date !

2 - Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse - Geffen
Sonic Youth hasn't lost a beat. Incorporating the brilliance of their early music with the experimentation of newer material. Definitely one of their top 5 albums

3 - the Reputation - to force a fate - Lookout
The Reputation has come together with stronger more mature song writing; you can definitely see the band coming into their own, I'm still a little partial to their first release, but I love this album almost as much!

4 - Bayside - Sirens and Condolences - Victory
Imagine if the Smoking Popes were to mate with Alkaline Trio: the offspring of this pairing could result in the sound Bayside produces. Silky smooth Smoking Popes-esque vocals from the lyric book of Alkaline Trio, musically melding both groups.

5 - Colossal - Welcome to the Problems - Asian Man
phenomenal jazzy indie rock from chicago

6 - Hot Snakes - Audit in Progress - swami
garage rock the way it should be made: dirty, repetitious and so infectious!

7 - Karate - Pockets - Southern
don't expect too much post punk emo like their early stuff on this release, these guys have somewhat reinvented themselves again fusing 70's rock with jazz guitar and a little post punk emo. Amazing songs and bass lines to die for !

8 - J Church - Society is a Carnivorous Flower - No Idea
Lance has a new lineup for the band and offers up a nice album complete with dueling electric guitars and a mini rock opera ! Just a slightly new flavor to add to the J Church pop punk songbook !

9 - Tsunami Bomb - the definitive Act - Kung Fu
Agent M and band come at you bringing the punk with their best batch of songs to date,
great album! Makes you wish we had more women in punk rock!

10- The Butchies - Make Yr. Life - Yep Roc
the Butchies don't disappoint with what maybe the best and most well produced album of their career. Imagine a less political and angsty, but a bit more personal Team Dresch

11- The Blood Brothers - Crimes - V2 Records
This album may not be quite as interesting as their release in 2003, but it is much more listener friendly, it still took me 2 listens before I was able to get through some of the initially irritating screeching and screaming, but it was well worth it !

12- Enemy You - Stories Never Told - Red Scare
best straightfoward pop punk album !!

13- This Moment in Black History - Midwesterncuttalistick - Version City
Cleveland garage artsy punk groove hardcore band. I like to call it Garage Art Core. This band has the most energetic live act, and the album does not disappoint. 2nd best garage rock album I've heard this year !

14- The Soviettes - LPII - Adeline
3 girls 1 guy, all sing, all write songs. Short fast sweet as candy pop punk rock !

15- Rise Against - Siren Song of the Counter Culture - Geffen
Skate style political/social punk, imagine the Offspring if they sang about issues !

16- Social Distortion - Sex, Love and Rock'n'Roll - Time Bomb
This maybe my favorite Social D album yet, they haven't lost anything, just goes to prove
dirty, smokey punk influenced rock ages well !!

17- Hot Water Music - the new what next - epitaph
Extremely solid rock album. If you've heard Hot Water Music before, imagine if the added a little bit of Afghan Wigs style to the production. Great Release !

18- Modest Mouse - Good News for People who love bad news - Epic
best Modest Mouse album to date !

19- Green Day - American Idiot - Reprise
I'm a little tired of green day, even though this may be their best album to date, it doesn't quite do it for me anymore, but I did enjoy it, I just don't think it'll end up in my stereo too often.

20- Mr. T Experience - Yesterday Rules - Lookout
yes, Dr Frank added a little too many country elements to this album, I still like the pop punk element more than the country and more straightforward rock, but at least he's not afraid to experiment, and still writes some amazing "songs about a girl"

Honorable Mentions: Haymarket Riot, Converge, Bad Religion, Tom Waits, Silkworm, Elliot Smith, the Start, the Cure

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