Alright, well the year is over so its time for obligatory "of the year" lists. Lets see what you've got.

10) William Shatner - Has Been
9) Q and not U - Power
8) Johann Johannsson - Virthulegu Forestar
7) Animal Collective - Sung Tongs
6) Blood Brothers - Crimes
5) AC Newman - Slow Wonder
4) Converge - You Fail Me
3) The Arcade Fire - Funeral
2) Death from Above 1979 - You're a woman, I'm a machine
1) The Dillinger Escape Plan - Miss Machine

Honorable mentions/EPs/Rereleases:
Devandra Bernhart - rejoicing in the hands
Modest Mouse - Good news for people who like bad news
Codeseven - Dancing Echoes/Dead Sounds
Oceansize - Effloresce
The Plot to Blow up the Eiffel Tower - You cut us, we bleed
Muse - Absolution

I'll bite. While I can't name the 10 best albums of 2004, I'll tell you the best classical/orchestral/concert music albums that I own. I think it's a pretty good list. It's the music that has the greatest works weighed against the greatest ensembles and legendary interpretations. No particular order.

Carlos Kleiber and the Vienna Philharmonic - Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphonies #5 and #7 (the fifth explodes with miraculous energy)

Antal Dorati and the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture (the greatest performance ever; this 1950s recording was made so well that it's still the best, and the cannons are still amazingly urgent vital, and, well, explosive) and Capriccio Italien

Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic - Aaron Copland - Suites from Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid, and Rodeo (the Michael Tilson Thomas recording of the complete Appalachian Spring is easily as good, the Bernstein's version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra is also worth mentioning, but...)

Leonard Slatkin and the St. Louis Symphony - Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings, School for Scandal Overture, Medea's Dance of Vengeance, Essays for Orchestra (this May 3, 1988 recording is of amazing quality)

Andrew Davis and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra - Serge Rachmaninoff - Symphonic Dances, op. 45, Isle of the Dead, The Rock (though if you could find a double CD with the Symphonic Dances, Piano Concerto #2 and #3 and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, it would be about the best CD ever)

Steve Reich and Musicians - Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians (either recording, though I prefer the longer new one)

Pierre Monteux and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Cesar Franck - Symphony in D Minor (as for the French, Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony (#3) is also incredible, but this reading of the Franck blazes with glory)

Herbert von Karajan and the Vienna Philharmonic - Anton Bruckner - Symphony #7 (the second movement sells it all)

Seiji Ozawa and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Igor Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring, etc. (I don't want to name another Stravinsky, but Valery Gergiev's reading of the whole Firebird Ballet is wonderful)

Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields - Ralph Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, The Lark Ascending, etc. (just beautiful...)

Keep in mind that this isn't a list of the greatest works or the greatest performances. I would love to mention Mravinsky's version of Tchaikovsky's Symphonies 4-6 or Georg Solti's take on Wagner's Der Ring. I don't have those, alas. It seems too excessive to mention Edo de Waart's ridiculously exciting version of John Adams' Short Ride in a Fast Machine or David Zinman's wonderful account of Michael Torke's Bright Blue Music. I would mention Boult's last version of Holst's The Planets and Elgar's Enigma Variations, but I haven't decided about that mesmerizing performance just yet. Benjamin Britten's reading of his own War Requiem is outstanding, but the work has limited appeal, unfortunately. And I would love to mention something by Mahler (1st, 2nd, 5th, 8th, or 9th), but I haven't quite found the recording yet. Bernard Haitink's Shostakovich's 5th and Sir Colin Davis' Sibelius' 2nd are also incredible. I can't choose a recording of Smetana's Ma Vlast, and I definitely cannot choose a recording of Beethoven's 9th, perhaps the greatest work ever.

Oh well, so the list has its limitations. Happy listing, and happy listening.

I can list my 3 favorite jazz albums from 2004.

3. Michael Brecker - Wide Angles
2. Wayne Shorter - Alegria
1. Dave Holland Quintet - Extended Play Live at Birdland

That Dave Holland CD is easily one of the best albums I've ever listened to.

Everyone needs to read Maddox's 11 worst songs of 2004.

here ya go for the rap albums of 2004:

1) Kanye West - College Dropout
2) Eminem - Encore
3) Usher - Confessions
4) T.I. - Urban Legends
5) Outkast - Speakerboxxx
6) Twista - Kamikaze
7) Crime Mob - Crime Mob
8 ) Jadakiss - Kiss of Death
9) BME Recording Artists Present - Lil Scrappy & Trillville
10) Jay Z - The Black Album

And for anyone who says rap is crap, I dare you to listen to Kanye's album track 1 to track 21 and read about him a little...

If you think my list should be changed a bit, or added/removed of anything, please lemme know, I wanna hear yours! =)

This is most excellent. Being one of the few jazz albums that I listened to all year, I'm kind of upset that I left it off my list. In retrospect, I should've put more thought into my list. I left out a top 5 album for sure in The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat.

I should probably get around to listening to the Kanye West album. This is probably about the millionth time its been reccommended to me. If the production is similar to the song he produced for Alicia Keys it should be very listenable. You should check out Madvillian - Madvilliany. Probably my pick for hip-hop album of the year.

It's a GREAT cd...I have it if you want it.

For all you indie peoples out there, here's a list from an indie based webcomic, some strong stuff on there

And, god, how I love that Shatner album

Gah! The Futureheads at number 3? I can not tolerate that album one bit, and this is somebody who usually gets off on brit pop (see AC Newman). Also inspired by that list...the fact that I left out Isis deeply saddens me. My list is getting to the point where it needs a revision.

That Shatner album is amazing. I can see myself listening to that in 50 years and still liking it.

Yeah, I'd like to give that Kanye album a listen. You want me to create an upload directory, or you going to share it on your comp?

Just give me an upload dir.

I have my full list later in the thread now.

i heard confession, it didn't sound like rap. although thats the only song i think ive heard on that CD, maybe its the black sheep

i don't see how modest mouse hit the "honorable mentions" list while i haven't heard of any other of those albums on your top 10. maybe i am not into the same type of music, but i think for an album to be in any "top 10" for an entire year, it should be easily recognized by anyone who listens to radio. i am very well in tune with independant/alternative music and none of those names ring a bell

They received honorable mention because of their rapid climb of success. I personally didn't like this album as much as "The moon and antarctica" or most of their other material. Regardless, they worked extremely hard and managed to make it to the top on their own terms, which is more than I can say for most artists. That's why they are an honorable mention.

Most of the bands I listed aren't typically played on the radio. Just because they're not recognizable doesn't make them bad, and vice versa. The records I listed are solid all the way through, not really a song that I don't like on any of them.

4 out of 10 are hardcore/metal albums
2 out of 10 are experimental/classical
The remainder fit into rock/pop category

Maybe thats why you are unfamiliar with them. I'm surprised that you haven't heard of Muse though, as I was told they're all over the radio. The only reason they were listed as an honorable mention is because the album was released in 2003 in the UK. Otherwise they probably would've nudged their way into the top 10 list.

I've heard of most of the bands on your list and agree with you on a lot of them, just going to disagree with Shatner. Listened to his album once then decided it best to never listen to it again in hopes I could regain my sanity.