The Best of 2004: Staff Picks

Our favorites from the year 2004, the best we can choose on any given day.

Claudia Marshall

FUV Weekday Morning Host
The Ten Best CDs Your Friends Have Never Heard:

Mark Erelli - Hillbilly Pilgrim
David Mead - Indiana
Dayna Kurtz - Beautiful Yesterday
Kings of Convenience - Riot on an Empty Street
Paul Thorn - Are You With Me?
Peter Mulvey - Kitchen Radio
Slaid Cleaves - Wishbones
Susan Werner - I Can't Be New
Amy Correia - Lakeville
Candy Butchers - Hang On Mike

Other Faves:

Wilco - A Ghost is Born
Various Artists - "The Spongebob Squarepants Movie" soundtrack
Mocean Worker - Enter the MoWo
Medseki Martin and Wood - End of the World Party
Tift Merritt - Tambourine
Bruce Hornsby - Halcyon Days
Joseph Arthur - Our Shadows Will Remain
Citizen Cope - The Clarence Greenwood Recordings
David Byrne - Grown Backwards
Elvis Costello - The Delivery Man
Los Lobos - The Ride
Old 97's - Drag it Up
Prince - Musicology
Rufus Wainwright - Want Two
Ray LaMontagne - Trouble

Julianne Welby

News & Public Affairs Director/FUV Weekday Morning Host
In alphabetical order:

Air - Talkie Walkie
Amy Correia - Lakeville
David Byrne - Grown Backwards
Elvis Costello - The Delivery Man
Gomez - Split the Difference
Joseph Arthur - Our Shadows Will Remain
Luna - Rendevous
Nellie McKay - Get Away From Me
Tom Waits - Real Gone
Wilco - A Ghost is Born

Darren DeVivo

FUV Weekday Host

The Bad Plus - Give
Tony Bennett - The Art Of Romance
Jen Chapin - Linger
Eric Clapton - Me And Mr Johnson
(honorable mention: Sessions For Robert J)
Alice Coltrane - Translinear Light
Chick Corea Elektric Band - To The Stars
Crosby Nash - Crosby Nash
Jamie Cullum - Twentysomething
The Doobie Brothers - Live At Wolf Trap
Fripp & Eno - The Equatorial Stars
Richie Havens - Grace Of The Sun
Joe Jackson Band - Afterlife: Joe Jackson Band Live
Elton John - Peachtree Road
Norah Jones - Feels Like Home
Diana Krall - The Girl In The Other Room
Nick Lowe Untouched Takeaway
Michael McDonald - Motown Two
Medeski Martin & Wood - End Of The World Party (Just In Case)
Jane Monheit - Taking A Chance On Love
Graham Parker - Your Country
Alan Parsons - A Valid Path
Lou Reed - Animal Serenade
R.E.M. - Around The Sun
The Rolling Stones - Live Licks
Rush Feedback
William Shatner - Has Been
Richard Shindell - Vuelta
Tears For Fears - Everybody Loves A Happy Ending
Tom Waits - Real Gone
Brian Wilson - Smile
(honorable mention: Gettin In Over My Head

Dennis Elsas

FUV Weekday Host

Singles remind me of kisses
Albums remind me of plans
- Squeeze, "If I Didn't Love You"

Favorite Songs of 2004 (alphabetically by artist)

Crosby Nash - "Lay Down," Crosby Nash
Finn Brothers - "Won't Give In," Everyone is Here
John Fogerty - "Deja Vu," Deja Vu
Bruce Hornsby - "Gonna Be Some Changes Made," Halcyon Days
Griffin House - "Tell Me A Lie," Lost and Found
Keran Ann - "Sailor and Widow," Not Going Anywhere
Buddy Miller - "Shelter Me," Universal United
Old 97's - "The New Kid," Drag it Up
Chuck Prophet - "Just to See You Smile," Age of Miracles
R.E.M. - "Leaving New York," Around the Sun
Todd Snider - "Ballad of the Kingsmen," East Nashville Skyline
Jill Sobule - "Cinammon Park," Underdog Victorious
Glenn Tilbrook - "Untouchable," Transatlantic Ping Pong
U2 - "Vertigo," How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Brian Wilson - "Our Prayer/Gee... Heroes and Villains," Smile

Corny O'Connell

FUV Weekday Host
In alphabetical order:

J.J. Cale - To Tulsa and Back
Citizen Cope - The Clarence Greenwood Recordings
Ricky Fanté - Rewind
Jem - Finally Woken
Ray LaMontagne - Trouble
Luna - Rendezvous
Madeleine Peyroux - Careless Love
Chuck Prophet - Age of Miracles
Ollabelle - Ollabelle
The Thrills - Let's Bottle Bohemia

Rita Houston

Music Director/The Whole Wide World Host
I love these CDs more than any of the other thousands I listened to.
In no particular order:

Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
Wisdom and cool come together.
Nellie McKay - Get Away From Me
Artist of the Year.
Candi Stanton - Album is actually titled by a series of hearts
Closest thing to a new Shelby Lynne album.
Citizen Cope - The Clarence Greenwood Recordings
Folk and hip hop together the way i like it.
Deathcab for Cutie - Transatlanticism
Where I can go and turn off my brain
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
Love it all the way. Playful, meaningful and incredibly well produced
Polly Paulusma - Scissors in my Pocket
Album title of the year. Don't miss her live session in the WFUV archives
Amos Lee - EP, plus debut to be released in March 05
THE one to watch
Ray LaMontagne - Trouble
Polly, Amos, and this guy are simply new, (as yet) undiscovered classics.
David Byrne - Grown Backwards
Great songs, great grooves.
Rufus Wainwright - Want Two
Love it. All this useless beauty!

Songs of the Year (a tie!):

Scissor Sisters - "Take Your Mama"
Calexico with Nicolai Dunger - "Alone Again Or"

CDs I also really dug:

Elvis Costello - The Delivery Man
Elvis gets swampy!
Jill Sobule - Underdog Victorious
Once again, she creates an album worthy of repeated listens.
Mosquitos - Sunshine Barato
Remember Hurrah?
Phoenix - Alphabetical
So, we can dance and rock? Excellent.
Madeleine Peyroux - Careless Love
With definitive Dylan cover
Patty Griffin - Impossible Dream
With my favorite CD moment - Patty G's parents singing the title track in their kitchen
Amy Correia - Lakeville
Astonishing full listen
Queen Latifah - The Dana Owens Album
Sass wins every time
Nicolai Dunger - Here's My Songs You Can Have Them I Don't Want Them Anymore
Buy it as an import, it's worth it. Listen to live session in the WFUV Archives too!

A rambling of my fave music moments:

Talking to Ani, Mavis, Elvis, Tony Joe, Dr. John, Bebel...
Every single Gomez show i was lucky enough to catch...
Wilco at Newport...
Belle and Sebastian at Coachella...
Van at Irving...
Nellie, Nellie, Nellie...
Oh and did i say, Nellie...
Bonnaroo...
DJing Summerstage...
Hanging out with Westerberg...
And of course all the Dylan moments...

Russ Borris

Assistant Music Director

Green Day - American Idiot
The Magnetic Fields - i
The Damnwells - Bastards of the Beat
Morrissey - You Are the Quarry
The Hives - Tyrannosaurus Hives
Eminem - Encore
Ray LaMontagne - Trouble
Dogs Die in Hot Cars - Please Describe Yourself
Citizen Cope - The Clarence Greenwood Recordings
Tom Waits - Real Gone

John Platt

Development and Marketing Director/Sunday Breakfast Host

This Top 10 (actually 13) could've been 50, but these are the ones that had the most staying power (in alphabetical order):

Ryan Adams - Love Is Hell
The prolific Mr. A. tries his talented hand at writing unrequited love songs
Jamie Cullum - Twentysomething
The brash young Brit who's equally at home with Jimi Hendrix and Cole Porter
Eliza Gilkyson - Land of Milk and Honey
A breakthrough year for an underrated veteran who wowed them at Falcon Ridge and earned a Grammy nomination for this mature CD
Norah Jones - Feels Like Home
Not as breathtaking as the debut, but she avoids the sophomore jinx with this confident, comfortable collection
Dayna Kurtz - Beautiful Yesterday
A haunting combination of covers and originals
Ollabelle - Ollabelle
What began as a pickup Sunday night hymn sing evolved into my favorite new group of the year
Madeleine Peyroux - Careless Love
An eight-year wait produced this melancholy gem
Richard Shindell - Vuelta
A great American songwriter adds an expatriate's perspective and an Argentine accent to the arrangements
Mavis Staples - Have a Little Faith
There goes Mavis - a natural woman with the gospel truth
U2 - How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
When they're flying high, no one can touch them
Dave Van Ronk - ...and the story ended and the tin pan bended...
This recording of Van Ronk's last concert perfectly captures his performance and gets him a posthumous Grammy nomination
Susan Werner - I Can't Be New
She evokes the spirit of Gershwin and Porter to craft new standards for the 21st century
Brian Wilson - Smile
After 37 years we finally get to hear the great lost masterpiece

Among the many to honorably mention:

Eric Andersen, Jonatha Brooke, Slaid Cleaves, Elvis Costello, Steve Forbert, Patty Griffin, Richie Havens, Janis Ian, Lucy Kaplansky, Loretta Lynn, Nellie McKay, Jill Sobule, Little Toby Walker, Adrienne Young, Gandalf Murphy

Pete Fornatale

Mixed Bag Host
Pete's Top Ten:

Smile - Brian Wilson
The Art of Romance - Tony Bennett
Beyond The Sea - Kevin Spacey
Halcyon Days - Bruce Hornsby
Genius Loves Company - Ray Charles and Friends
U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
Enjoy Every Sandwich - Various Artists
Limited Edition - Roger McGuinn
Linger - Jen Chapin
All the others that I forgot to include!

Chris Pergolizzi

The FUV Jamboree, Friday nights at Midnight
Favorite Albums:

Wilco - A Ghost is Born
It's not Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but it's a strong enough album to remind me why Wilco is one of my absolute favorites.
Brian Wilson - Smile
I really did not expect much when I heard this album was finally being recorded. It sounded like a nice idea to go back and recreate what Wilson had originally intended this album to be, but I figured there was no way they could recapture the Beach Boys. Maybe it's not exactly what Smile would have been had it been recorded with the Beach Boys, but I was completely blown away when I heard it. They really did come close to the Beach Boys sound, and I am totally in love with this record.
Jay-Z - The Black Album / Danger Mouse - The Grey Album
Jay-Z comes out with a retirement album only to have one of the most productive years of his career. The Black Album is Jay's best work in years, with top-notch production and a lyrical return to his socially-conscious roots, now informed by years as a hip hop businessman. The album's release is followed by the now infamous release of The Grey Album, DJ Danger Mouse's mash-up of Jay-Z's Black Album lyrics set to new beats created with snippets of the Beatles' White Album. The mash-up idea is not new - what is unique about the Grey Album is that it is a concept mash-up album, taking what may arguably be the most important albums of both the Beatles' and Jay-Z's career, and turning them into a hip-hop/rock and roll Frankenstein monster. Of course, the Grey Album's release was quickly followed by the insufferable bandwagoning of hundreds of bedroom dj/producers who took any album that wasn't nailed down and set Jay-Z's a cappella lyrics over their favorite rock artists. With the official release of a Jay-Z/Linkin Park mash-up album and the Times calling the "Commercial Mash-up" one of the biggest ideas of 2004, we may have seen one of the fastest turnarounds of a cool idea into a complete sellout in music history.
Deathcab for Cutie - Transatlanticism
This sits uncomfortably somewhere between the difficult to define categories of indie rock and emo, but Deathcab appears to be one of the best bands to find a home in mainstream rock in quite a while.
Gomez - Split the Difference
I can't believe it took me this long to get into Gomez, but I really dig this record. "Nothing is Wrong" is a rock anthem, and they completely destroy Junior Kimbrough's "Meet Me in the City" and rebuild it from the ground up.
Jeff Buckley - Grace [Legacy Edition]
One of the best rock records of all time, plus extra songs, and a DVD bonus. I loved it before, and I still love it.
Bob Marley - Roots of a Legend
This album is basically another greatest hits collection, but it's all the greatest hits Legend missed, and a lot of them are not really hits so much as great Marley that has gotten lost in the shuffle somewhere.
Citizen Cope - The Clarence Greenwood Recordings
Citizen Cope has a weird fusion of styles that I didn't enjoy so much on his first record, but this one is great. "Son's Gonna Rise," "Pablo Picasso," and "Bullet and a Target" are absolutely incredible.
Phish - Undermind
By no means their best record, but far better than the previous one, Phish end their career with a solid and interesting studio effort and a tear-jerking goodbye (for me at least).
Phoenix - Alphabetical
I don't know how to describe this record, but I have found myself listening compulsively to it.
Umphrey's McGee - Anchor Drops
Umphrey's McGee is a great jam band out of Chicago, and this record is their best to date. There's some really out-there weirdness, but they don't sacrifice songwriting and they don't lose the groove even when they venture off into weird time signatures and rhythms.
Gilles Peterson - Gilles Peterson in Brazil
Awesome compilation. First disc is old stuff, very chill vibe, second disc is new stuff, dancefloor vibe.
Wu-Tang Clan - Disciples of the 36 Chambers
It's a greatest hits with a bunch of remixes. Wu-Tang is one of the greatest hip hop groups of all time, with some of the strangest MC's and the most unique production. RIP ODB.
Nas - Street's Disciple (Disc 2)
Much like Jay-Z, Nas is one of the best rappers around and has been releasing boring albums for quite a while. This one is an epic two-disc effort, and Disc 2 in particular has caught my attention. I was sold when I heard the a cappella song with Doug E. Fresh beatboxing. It's got an old-school sound, but it isn't nostalgic.

Plus:

Honorable mention: William Shatner - Has Been
Crazier all the time. Awesome.
Best Concert Experience: Prince

Kim Rudolph

The FUV Jamboree, Friday nights at Midnight
In no particular order:

Wilco - A Ghost is Born
Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Gomez - Split the Difference
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Ray LaMontagne - Trouble
Dogs Die in Hot Cars - Please Describe Yourself
Railroad Earth - The Good Life
Air - Talkie Walkie
Umphrey's McGee - Anchor Drops
Cake - Pressure Chief

Harlan Jacobson

FUV Weekday weekly film critic

Kinsey
Sideways
Moolaade
The Aviator
Vera Drake
Kitchen Stories
Osama
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring
Motorcycle Diaries
Birth / The Woodsman (a tie!)

And then a perfectly fine Alternative 10 Best list:

The Incredibles
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Saddest Music in the World
Lemony Snickett's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Ray
Hotel Rwanda
Million Dollar Baby
Primer
The Agronomist
The Story of the Weeping Camel

And then what about...

Spiderman 2
Maria Full of Grace
Goodbye, Lenin!
The Corporation
Riding Giants
Since Otar Left
The Return
The Sea Inside
Super Size Me
Fahrenheit 9/11 / The Passion of the Christ (another tie!)

George Evans

Director of Technical Operations/FUV Weekday Host
George's Best of 2004
or 31 Flavors and then some...

Jem - Finally Woken - ATO
Bjork - Medulla - Elektra
Norah Jones - Feels Like Home - Blue Note
A Girl Called Eddy - A Girl Called Eddy - ANTI/Epitaph
Finn Brothers - Everyone is Here - Nettwerk
Cake - Pressure Chief - Columbia
Jamie Cullum - Twentysomething - Verve
Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News - Sony
Madeleine Peyroux - Careless Love - Rounder
Elvis Costello - The Delivery Man - Lost Highway

Plus:

Luna - Rendezvous - Jetset
Bebel Gilberto - Bebel Gilberto - Six Degrees
Steve Earle - The Revolution Starts...Now - E Squared/Artemis
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous - Brute/Beaute/WB
David Byrne - Grown Backwards - Nonesuch
G. Love - The Hustle - Brushfire Records/Universal
Tom Waits - Real Gone - ANTI/Epitaph
Los Lobos - The Covers EP - Mammoth
Los Lobos - The Ride - Mammoth/Hollywood
Patti Smith - Trampin' - Columbia

And don't forget:

Ron Sexsmith - Retriever - Nettwerk
Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill - ANTI/Epitaph
The Thrills - Let's Bottle Bohemia - Virgin
Big Head Todd and the Monsters - Crimes of Passion - BIG/Sanctuary
Jill Sobule - Underdog Victorious - Artemis
Ani DiFranco - Educated Guess - Righteous Babe
Cowboy Junkies - One Soul Now - Zoe/Rounder
Luka Bloom - Before Sleep Comes - Bar/None
Morrissey - You Are the Quarry - Attack/Sanctuary
Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose - Interscope
William Shatner - Has Been - Shout Factory

Ceol na nGael

Celtic Sunday afternoons with Maggie Dolan and Liz Noonan, Noon-4pm

Heidi Talbot - Distant Future
Teada - Give us a Penny and Let us be Gone
Lunasa - The Kinnitty Sessions
The Saw Doctors - Live in Galway
Shilelagh Law - Good Intentions
Sharon Shannon - Libertango
The Screaming Orphans - Circles
The Hothouse Flowers - Into your Heart
Eleanor McEvoy - Early Hours
Gaelic Storm - How Are We Getting Home?
Black 47 - New York Town

Seamus Blake

Mile Failte, Celtic Saturday mornings, 8-9am

Caitriona O'Leary, "Duil, Irish Songs of love and Nature," Virgin classics
Doiminic Mac Giolla Bhride, "Saol na Suailce, Sean-Nos as Tir Chonaill," RTE: Raidio na Gaeltachta
Tadhg Mac Dhonnagain, "Imionn an t-Am, Rogha Amhrain, Selected Songs," Futa Fata Records
"Skara Brae," digitalized re-issue, Gael-linn
"Caitlin Maude," digitalized re-issue, Gael-linn
Brid Ni Mhaoileoin, "Ar Mhuin na Muice," www.brid.at
"Seoltai Seidte, Setting Sail, Ceolta Gael 1957-1961 - Forty-three historic recordings, Traditional Songs in Irish and tunes on fiddle, flute, accordian, and uilleann pipes," Gael-linn
"Sceilin o Bheilin, Scealta Traidisiunta don Aols Og le Ceol ar Dhluthdhiosca," Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne

Laura Fedele

Web Site Director

Loved 'em before, still love 'em:

Gomez - Split the Difference
Ani DiFranco - Educated Guess
Citizen Cope - The Clarence Greenwood Recordings
Finn Brothers - Everyone is Here
Paul Weller - Studio 150
Toots & the Maytals - True Love

New to me this year:

Nellie McKay - Get Away From Me
Ray LaMontagne - Trouble
Polly Paulusma - Scissors in My Pocket
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
Deathcab for Cutie - Transatlanticism

Shari Rosen Ascher

Corporate Sponsorship Representative
(and Biggest Elvis Costello Fan Ever)

The Delivery Man - Elvis Costello
No big surprise here. I am one of the biggest Elvis fans ever and this is one brilliant piece of work! Elvis is one of the only singers in the past 25 years who has improved with age. His vocal quality, his lyrical poetry and his live performances are better than they have ever been. He is the George Clooney of musicians.
American Idiot - Green Day
The only thing I don't like about this CD is that we don't play any of it on WFUV. This is a seamless work of genius from start to finish. It is political, lyrical, poignant and makes you want jump right into a mosh pit and dance!
True Love - Toots and the Maytals
Even my sons like this one. It is pure fun and my favorite song changes each time I listen to it.
Twentysomething - Jamie Cullum
Even as a twice-twentysomething, I can enjoy this CD. After seeing him at a FUV show at J&R, I was hooked. His singing style and piano playing is unique and energetic. He is Harry Connick for Generation Y (and a bunch of us boomers).
All that we Let In - Indigo Girls
I love everything they do.
Your Country - Graham Parker
He is an underrated artist who is just as provocative as he has ever been.

Tara Anderson

Assistant Program Director
In alphabetical order:

The Bad Plus - Give
Amy Correia - Lakeville
Bebel Gilberto - Bebel Gilberto
Indigo Girls - All That We Let In
Patty Griffin - Impossible Dream
Dayna Kurtz - Beautiful Yesterday
Ray LaMontagne - Trouble
Sondre Lerche - Two Way Monologue
Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
Nellie McKay - Get Away From Me

Michelle Gillan

Development/Major Giving Maven
In alphabetical order:

Mary Chapin Carpenter - Between Here and Gone
The Clarks - Fast Moving Cars
Slaid Cleaves - Wishbones
Amy Correia - Lakeville
Steve Forbert - Just Like There's Nothin' To It
Indigo Girls - All That We Let In
Lucy Kaplansky - The Red Thread
Keb' Mo' - Keep It Simple
Mark Knopfler - Shangri-La
Alison Krauss & Union Station - Lonely Runs Both Ways
k.d. Lang - Hymns of the 49th Parallel
Old 97's - Drag It Up
Madeleine Peyroux - Careless Love
Nerissa & Katryna Nields - This Town Is Wrong
Richard Shindell - Vuelta
Jill Sobule - Underdog Victorious
John Wesley Harding - Adam's Apple

Mary Croke

Music Department Manager
Albums:

Wilco - A Ghost is Born
Believe the Wilco hype!
Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
Chills every time.
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Shake what your mama gave you.
Interpol - Antics
Excellent production, great songs.
The Walkmen - Bows & Arrows
Two words: The Rat
Morrissey - You Are the Quarry
He's back! He's still funny! He's still hurtin'!
Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Top 40?? Good for them.
Dios - Dios
Underrated. Wonderful, cohesive record.
Sondre Lerche - Two Way Monologue
As-good-as-it-gets indie pop.
Joseph Arthur - Our Shadows Will Remain
Always a favorite...more great songs.

5 Hit Singles (or those that should have been):

Calexico (w/Nicolai Dunger) - "Alone Again Or"
Loretta Lynn / Jack White - "Portland, Oregon"
Franz Ferdinand - "Take Me Out"
Scissor Sisters - "Take Your Mama"
Modest Mouse - "Ocean Breathes Salty"

A few more albums it hurt me to keep off my top 10:

The Concretes - The Concretes
The Magnetic Fields - i
Neko Case - The Tigers Have Spoken

Jennifer Guerra

Morning Producer
Top 10 from A to Z:

Adem - Homesongs
Joseph Arthur - Our Shadows Will Remain
Blanche - If We Can't Trust the Doctors...
Neko Case - The Tigers Have Spoken
Ray LaMontagne - Trouble
David Mead - Indiana
Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans
Tom Waits - Real Gone

Erich Rastetter

Weekend DJ Psychiatrist and IT Guy

Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
[Best Song: "Float On"]
Wilco - A Ghost Is Born
[Best Song: "Hummingbird"]
M. Ward - Transconfiguration of Vincent
My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves
[Best Song: "One Big Holiday"] (technically 2003)
Magnetic Fields - I
Calexico - Convict Pool EP
[Best Song (ever) - Cover of Love's "Alone Again Or"]
U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
[Best Song - "City of Blinding Lights"]
Tom Waits - Real Gone
[Best Song - "Hoist that Rag"]
Rufus Wainwright - Want Two
[Best Song - "Old Whore's Diet"]
Bjork - Medulla
Danger Mouse - The Grey Album
Jesse Harris and the Ferdinandos - While the Music Lasts

Tags: #Best of the Year Lists