Over the Edge Presents Top 20 Albums. ef,2904 By Davip DRYSDALE, KATHLEEN DE VERE AND STEPHANIE WILSON 9 () () As over. It seemed to be the year that indie-rock became what alternative was in tle early 1990's. Bands that have (or would have) operated just outside the mainstream were suddenly getting play on local radio stations and MuchMusic. Franz Ferdinand put out an unlikely smash album, and Modest Mouse released one of the soundtracks of the summer. This isn’t a bad thing - anything that takes airplay away from the Britneys and the American Idols is fine by us, and when it is actually good music that is getting that airplay, it’s a bonus. There were some very cool and some very good albums released in 2004; here are Over the Edge’s personal favourites: TV ON THE RADIO: Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes, TV on the Radio defies any kind of genre classification, other than maybe electronic-indie-barbershop, and that’s no kind of genre at all. They won the Shortlist Prize, so lots of other people think they’re good, and other people are always right, aren’t they? A different kind of album, qui- etly intelligent, sweetly romantic and endlessly creative. MIRAH: C'mon Miracle C’mon Miracle is a piece of quiet beauty, The album is occasionally political, but the production is excel- lent-the instrumentation is never too obtrusive nor is it too slight for Mirah’s lush lyrics. JAMIE CULLUM: Twentysomething Jamie Cullum, Britain’s newest _ pop-jazz superstar, took influences from the ‘40s jazz classics to house in creating this album. While he does a commendable job covering the usual staples such as Singin’ in the Rain and I Get a Kick Out of You, the real high points of the album are his original material. Twentysomething is a refreshing album that brings jazz and the classics into the realm of rock star- cool. THE ORGAN: Grab That Gun Imagine that. Morrissey fronted The Cure. Now imagine that they were all women. There’s The Organ. This Vancouver band quietly put out one of the best albums of the year. The songs are catchy, moody, and quirky, and the entire album rocks. FRANZ FERDINAND: Franz Ferdinand Not only an excellent album, but such an unlikely success. Look - Take Me Out alone breaks all the rules of the radio single. It starts out being one song, has a huge break, and then turns into some sort of new wave disco funk rock thing-it is amazing. Hmm. Maybe it is the best album of the year. In any case, wheir anyone thinks of 2004, this is going to be the first album that pops into their head MUSE: Absolution . Songs such as Sing For Absolution and Butterflies and Hurricanes show- case Matt Bellamy’s abilities as a pianist. On’ top of that there are crashing, anthematic tracks like the singles, Time Is Running Out and Hysteria. Absolution is a lush album that effortless traverses a range of emotions, all tied together with lead singer Matt Bellamy’s silky falsetto. MODEST MOUSE: Good News for People Who Love Bad News There were a lot of complaints that this album was “too commercial” and that Modest Mouse had - ugh, “sold out.” Bollocks. Every bit as good as The Moon and Antarctica, Good News for People Who Love Bad News is infectious, joyous and revelatory. It is popular for one reason: it is that good. AC NEWMAN: The Slow Wonder It is no surprise that one of the brains behind The New Pornographers would release an album this good - the music is fun, catchy, and easy to listen to. | ‘INTERPOL ANTICS | INTERPOL: Antics Over the Edge’s initial review of this album wasn’t entirely positive, noting that the band sounds uncom- fortable in places. However, after repeated listens this album has really won us over. We really loved Turn on the Bright Lights, after all. While the band sounds awkward in places, the album is very geod— Take You On a Cruise and Slow Hands are as good as anything else the band has done. Le Chevre It was a total fluke that I came across Le Chevre at all. Somebody on a message board I read posted a link to some samples from his new CD. Usually I ignore these things, but this one got such an overwhelmingly posi- tive response.that I had to check it out. Iam glad I did. If you are a fan of the Postal Service, do -yourself a huge favour and check out Le Chevre THE MUSIC: Welcome to the North Welcome to the North is a high- energy trip down a path full of explo- sive guitars and addictive beats. The first track, Welcome to the North, sets the pace for the entire album. With The Music’s own blend of infectious beats, guitars, and sheer enthusiasm, Welcome to the North is stellar. THE ARCADE FIRE: Funeral The Arcade Fire have that unique- ly Canadian, wonderfully busy, layer-y indie-rock sound. Lush guitars, vocals and violins all play against each other to make truly inspiring creations of sound. Funeral is easily an album of the upper echelon of album-hood. ELLIOTT SMITH: From a Basement on the Hill Goodbye Mr. Smith, and thank you for leaving us with this one last, hitter- sweet taste of what it must have been like to know you. Filled with songs that were so achingly sad they were beautiful, Smith sang like an angel, and shared his most intimate feelings on his last.album, and it’s a very wor- thy effort by one of our time’s best songwriters. A TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS: Shake-the Sheets What can you say about Ted Leo besides the fact that he consistently writes some of the best indie-pop rock out there? Shake the Sheets is no exception. We’re huge fans of Hearts of Oak, and Shake the Sheets is even better. GREEN DAY: American Idiot Green Day gets major points for releasing an album with lines such as, “The subliminal mindfuck, America” six weeks before the American elec- tion. Who said today’s music was mindless drivel? Green Day has creat- ed a fabulously political album without coming off as whiney, arrogant, or completely irrelevant. Each of the songs is strong enough to stand alone, but together the result is golden. WILCO: A Ghost is Born A Ghost is born was an incredible, fragile, monumentus album, beautiful and magical and don’t doubt that for a second. One of the very best, but most difficult albums of the year. eee ae Re adh. Pi nd, MEE Set Yourself om Fire Set Yourself on Fire is brilliantly crafted indie-pop, with an electronic undertone. The opening track, “Your Ex-Lover is Dead,” is one of the finest bits of songwriting of the year. It is a conversational piece, beautifully craft- ed and scored, that draws you into the album at large, which doesn’t disap- point. THE WALKMEN: Bows + Anrow’s. This album, as an album is good - but then there is the one song... In this case, the second song. A song that is so good that it elevates the entire album into the next echelon of...album-hood? The bottom line is that Bows + Arrows -has The Rat, and that’s good enough for us. THE FUTUREHEADS: The Futureheads While everyone was going gaga over that other “F” band, these guys were out there putting out some pretty fantastic music. An infectious blend of vocal harmonies over dance-punk, The Futureheads have put out a won- derfully short, sweet, tongue-in-cheek album. THE KILLERS: - Hot Fuss With fabulous post-punk guitars, ‘80s new wave synth, and influences that range from the Cure to Depeche Mode with touches of David Bowie, ‘Blur, and Suede thrown in, Hot Fuss is catchy and fun. Overall, Hot Fuss is a dynamic and decadent album.