The “Miscellaneous” Mixes: The Best of 2004

Today we’ve got yet another Cousin Matt mix to tackle. This time we’re examining his Best of 2004 compilation. Again, here’s a little rundown in Cousin Matt’s own words:

So this was the first Best Of where I utilized the Billboard “look” that would eventually become the template. It made sense, it was a countdown after all. And, quite frankly, I was running out of ways to change it each year.

This was also the first time I posted my top albums on a Best Of. Even still, compared to later versions, you can see that it was pretty bare bones in its infancy stage. No numbers, no titles or bands names. Just the album covers. Laaaame. And probably confusing. Anyhoo, those albums were…

Front cover – Top 10 Albums of 2004:

#10 – Sung Tongs by Animal Collective
#9 – Good News for People who Love Bad News by Modest Mouse
#8 – No Danger by Inouk
#7 – The Difference Between Me and You is That I’m Not on Fire by McLusky
#6 – Dios by Dios
#5 – Summer In Abaddon by Pinback
#4 – Doing the Distance by Snowglobe
#3 – Blueberry Boat by The Fiery Furnaces
#2 – The Futureheads by The Futureheads
#1 – Funeral by Arcade Fire

I think this is one of Cousin Matt’s strongest compilations. In comparing it to my Best of 2004 CDs, I realize that while we include a lot of the same bands, we actually picked wildly different tracks. This, actually, is pretty common among our mixes. Cousin Matt and I tend to agree on the performers, yet we typically choose different songs as our favorites, and I’m not quite sure why. Still, I suppose it makes for more variety come the end of the year. Like Cousin Matt, my mixes included The Fiery Furnaces’ “Chris Michaels,” Devendra Banhart’s “This Beard is for Siobhan,” The Detachment Kit’s “Skyscrapers,” and Snowglobe’s “Aimless Sailor.” Again, the weird thing is that we actually had so many of the same bands on our mixes that year, yet only four songs in common.

Among the more underrated records of 2004 represented below are Dios’ self-titled record, Snowglobe’s Doing the Distance, Inouk’s No Danger, and The Futureheads’s self-titled debut. Additionally, “The Heat” by Graham Smith (aka Kleenex Girl Wonder) is absolutely fantastic.

As is always the case with Cousin Matt’s year-end mixes, this is a “countdown” as opposed to a compilation. (Again, Track 1, in this case, is his 34^th favorite song of the year.)

The Best of 2004 front cover.

The Best of 2004 back cover.

The Best of 2004 (Disc 1):

1. The Good Life – “Album of the Year”
2. Brian Wilson – “Heroes and Villains”
3. The Comas – “The Last Transmission”
4. Guided By Voices – “Girls of Wild Strawberries”
5. Ambulance Ltd. – “Stay Where You Are”
6. These Arms are Snakes – “Angela’s Secret”
7. Xiu Xiu – “Clowne Towne”
8. Of Montreal – “Vegan in Furs”
9. Rogue Wave – “Kicking the Heart Out”
10. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – “The One Who Got Us Out”
11. The Hives – “B is for Brutus”
12. Les Savy Fav – “The Sweat Descends”
13. Electrelane – “On Parade”
14. The Go! Team – “Junior Kickstart”
15. Dios – “Meeting People”
16. Modest Mouse – “Black Cadillacs”
17. Aloha – “I Don’t Know What Else to Do”

The Best of 2004 (Disc 2):

1. Animal Collective – “Leaf House”
2. Franz Ferdinand – “Jacqueline”
3. Snowglobe – “Aimless Sailor”
4. Interpol – “Slow Hands”
5. A.C. Newman – “On the Table”
6. Devendra Banhart – “This Beard is for Siobhan”
7. The Walkmen – “The Rat”
8. Detachment Kit – “Skyscrapers”
9. Inouk – “Nudie Suit”
10. Bloc Party – “Banquet”
11. McLusky – “She Will Only Bring You Happiness”
12. The Killers – “All These Things That I Have Done”
13. Graham Smith – “The Heat”
14. The Fiery Furnaces – “Chris Michaels”
15. Pinback – “Syracuse”
16. The Futureheads – “Hounds of Love”
17. Arcade Fire – “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)”

Next up, obviously, is Cousin Matt’s 2005 compilation. Before that, though, I hope to get my Best of 2009 mixes up and running. They’re all tracked and burned, ready for your amusement. So, you can most likely look for them this week.

Until next time, have at it, you vultures!

BD