Top rock albums of 2004

One writer's top rock albums of 2004:

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1. "Funeral," Arcade Fire: Those Canucks sure can rock, eh? The newest Montreal export is the best yet, and the most exciting debut of the year. Composed after the deaths of several of the band's family members, "Funeral" is a dizzying rush of melody. Win Butler sings, "Sleepin' is givin' in / No matter what the time" -- and this album will keep you awake.

2. "Bows & Arrows," The Walkmen: Rolling Stone magazine recently listed the 500 best songs, focusing on the "rock 'n' roll era" and featuring mostly tunes from the `60s and `70s. Fair enough, but somebody forgot to tell the Walkmen that rock is old news. Shimmering and gritty at the same time, they are a fresh, original inductee into the canon of the Kinks and the Who. Guitar riffs aplenty, torrents of drums, melodic organ and drunken, passionate crooning. This is rock 'n' roll ... even if they did perform on "The O.C."

3. "Slow Wonder," A.C. Newman: Newman's first solo effort outside of his home band, the New Pornographers, seemed likely to be less dynamic and miss Neko Case's pretty voice. But while this might not have the Pornographers' incredible pop grandeur, songs like "On the Table" and "Cloud Prayer" reveal what a brilliant songwriter Newman is. The finest moment, though, is the whistling of "Drink To Me, Babe, Then." From "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" on down, has there ever been a bad song with whistling in it?

4. "Tyrannosaurus Hives," The Hives: The Hives return again from Sweden with an eye on taking over the world. Presumably, it would be a world of constant dancing, two-minute blasts of three-chord anthems and matching white and black suits for everyone. What's better, capitalism? I'm voting for the Hives and for "Antidote" as song of the year.

5. "College Dropout," Kanye West: Previously a producer, Kanye West's debut was undeniably the hip-hop record of the year. Though it has one minute of chit chat between each song (who likes this?), the first half of "College Dropout" is otherwise packed. Kanye is a refreshing new meld of real talent and pop appeal in the line of Jay-Z's best hits, Alicia Keys' soul and Talib Kweli's flow. Wait. You mean he produced all that stuff too? This guy is good.

6. "Good News for People Who Love Bad News," Modest Mouse: Modest Mouse became a modest hit in 2004, and it was about time. One of the most unique rock bands today, this might not be on the level of their last two (both indie classics), but Isaac Brock's howl is always good news.

7. "A Ghost is Born," Wilco: Wilco's last album, "Yankee Foxtrot Hotel," became a cause celebre after being dropped by Reprise for not being commercial enough. While "A Ghost is Born" has been somewhat overlooked, it's the third classic release in a row from Jeff Tweedy's troupe. Though not as consistent as "Foxtrot," this still has three songs as good as anything this year: the rocking, Neil Younge-esque opener, "At Least That's What You Said"; the gentle "Company in My Back"; and "Theologians," a treatise (finally) about those pesky, dogmatic philosophers.

8. "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: L.A.'s Desert Origins," Pavement: Ten years after indie gods Pavement released their sophomore effort, here comes this two-disc reissue. The album is a bona fide masterpiece of not just "indie" or "slacker" rock, but of anything. The demos reveal how crafted many of the seemingly tossed-off tunes were, and many of the unreleased songs (unlike most unreleased songs) are excellent. It's like being transported back to the early `90s without the help of VH1.

9. "Rubber Factory," The Black Keys: The raw blues stomp and grimace-inducing note bends of this duo may flatten you, but on this, their third release, they show a greater versatility with a few ballads, including "The Lengths," a tune made for the porch swing. A dramatic step forward for the Keys.

10. "You Are the Quarry," Morrissey: Has anyone's tongue ever been described as "silver" more than Morrissey's? Maybe Bill Clinton's? The former Smiths singer and icon for the melodramatic has put out a lot of garbage over the years, but "Quarry" is one of the best-produced discs of the year, and yields not just lyrics worth dissecting, but tunes worth humming.