10 after 6

"When I'm feeling alone, you feel like home, you feel like home" - Zero 7, Somersault (Dangermouse Remix)

Halfway There
The Top 10 Albums of the first half of 2004. In order.

10. AIR - Talkie Walkie
AIR is best heard when you're by yourself, or at least want to be alone. Talkie Walkie feels solemn and pensive, looking inward. It's an empty park on a blustery gray day. Talkie Walkie also has tons of tracks that you'd want to end a mix CD with. I've listened to it less as the year has gone on but it dominated my winter.
Download Universal Traveler (25 itunes spins)
[Buy the album]

9. Toots & The Maytals - True Love
I'm a pretty new listener to Reggae, Ska and it's roots. This compilation with one of the originators of the style performing with some of the best artists across all forms of America's popular music is a great introduction to Toots Hibbert's songs and his powerful, striking voice.
Download Reggae Got Soul (featuring Ken Boothe and Marcia Griffiths) (11 itunes spins)
[Buy the album]

8. Madvillain - Madvillainy
Madlib always blows me away with his production. The gritty tracks he's built for MF Doom are perfect for Doom's many rhyme aliases and Madvillian stands strong from start to finish.
Download Fancy Clown (featuring Viktor Vaughn) (8 itunes spins)
[Buy the album]

7. Cee-Lo Green...is the Soul Machine
Cee-Lo is baad, man. Hip hop so funky it makes your bootyhole pucker. "Whenever you need some soul, start him up." Indeed.
Download My Kind of People (featuring Jazze Pha & Menta Malone) (24 itunes spins)
[Buy the album]

6. Modest Mouse - Good News for People who love Bad News
No, I'm not obsessed with Float On. It's a cool song that's been squeezed into a smashing pumpkins video and is a little too radio friendly for an act that is more more interesting than pop music is allowed to be but whose to say that that's a bad thing? If Float On gets folks to hear The Good Times Are Killing Me and Ocean Breathes Salty and the blaring of horns just for the sake of horns, well, then that's a good thing. "And that is that and this is this."
Download Ocean Breathes Salty (13 itunes spins)
[Buy the album]

5. DJ Nu-Mark - Hands On
It's not just that I love his blending of intro tracks from several different albums and artists into a head nod dream (and don't think that I'm not totally biting that concept with all the intros and skits I've got...it's damn harder than it sounds) it's the middle of this album that I love. From Chali 2na's jump up and get down Chali 2na Comin' Thru to Viktor Vaughn's Saliva it's fun , upbeat, rarely heard tracks from some very adept rhyme slingers over really solid beatwork. Nu-Mark is always impressive when he's showing his turntablist skills live, I'm incredibly happy that he's as adept at picking tracks on his own compilation album.
Download Melody (7 itunes spins)
[Buy the album]

4. Ozomatli - Street Signs
I've only had this album in my possession for a few days but it's speaking to me. It's probably the perfect album for a Los Angeles Summer. It sounds like LA. It's alive and vibrant. It makes me sing loudly in my car. It makes me want to get out of my car at stop lights and dance.
Download Te Estoy Buscando (3 itunes spins)
[Buy the album]

3. RJD2 - Since We Last Spoke
It's just a special, special album. RJD2 takes the sensibilities of a hip hop producer and just takes them to a completely different world. Wonderful, romantic, multi-faceted music.
Get Iced Lightning on (18 itunes spins)
[Buy the album]

2. Rewind 3
The album with the most spins combined in my itunes library, Ubiquity's compilation of many of the artists on their label (and some that aren't) doing covers and remakes of some of their favorite songs is inspired and awe-inspiring. Antibalas, This Kid Named Miles, Nobody, Greyboy and the rest just do beautiful and unexpected things on what are already great tracks. I think everyone needs this is in their music library but that's just me being hyperbolic.
Download Genevieve (33 itunes spins)
[Buy the album]

1. Zero 7 - When It Falls
Now, this is just for me. I reviewed the album earlier this year and then I sort of reviewed the show. It's the absolute embodiment of my first 6 months in 2004.
Download Passing By (12 itunes spins)
[Buy the album]

Notes: Sia's Colour The Small One is likely to move way up the list but I've only had it for one day; I don't like The Killer's Hot Fuss as much as I thought I would; I enjoyed The College Dropout Album but haven't returned to it much over the course of the year.

downloads will only be available for a week.

Comments

[Michelle]

So like half the albums on my Amazon wishlist are there now "because Jason said so." I even put Cee-Lo on the list after grooving to the track you served up. You weild much power and influence young one. Use the force wisely.

[ej]

i got Air and Cee-lo because of you. Getting Madvillian because of you and Trent. I'm going broke but in a good way. Zero 7's coming down this way, and now I'm on a mission...

[Enigma]

Damn another one! The last one gave me a headache. Thanks for the dls. I'll let EJ and KB do this one. I don't think I've heard 10 new cds this year (well that have been released). And I'm positive I haven't liked 10.

[lynne]

dang - this list is butterific. but i have like only two albums that appear here. i have to get up on the goodness of music, but currently, unfortunately, due to the nature of what i do for a living, i'm trapped in the commercial mainstream listening station w/very little time for these rare specialties. i love rewind 3 and toots and the maytals discs, but i'm not sure they'd make my list just yet. i really have to get my hands on that zero 7 joint, i'm sure they'd make my list.

i want you to give amp fiddler a listen before you make this list final.

[reef]

i definitely gotta cosign with you on the madvillian. even though i much prefer viktor vaughn out of doom's recent catalogue, some madvillian tracks definitely get some spins from me.

[j. brotherlove]

Now were cooking with grease! Although (like Lynne) I only have a few CDs off this list. Must do one of my own for compare and contrast purposes.

It may take me a minute - my music is all over the place. Did you ever finish ripping everything into a digital format? I can't finish that project to save my life.

[forksclovetofu]

Don't think I didn't notice you decided to musicblog a little, you sneaky fellow!

I'll be trying to send some traffic over. Great choices!