Phil Gyford

Every year I do not make a CD of my favourite tunes of the past twelve months and give copies to a few friends. No. Because while honest and good people have been making and sharing mix tapes for decades without civilisation collapsing, burning CDs and giving them to a few friends is, as we all know in this terrifying age, the spark that leads to the fiery hells of crime, drugs and, of course, terror.

But if I did wish to cause the downfall of western governments and industries, not to mention forcing musicians to cast aside their instruments and beg in the gutter, the CD I would have made of my favourite tunes of 2004 would have looked like this:

(Links are a mixture of places you can hear or download the track, where I first heard the tune, or just to Amazon.)

1. The Robot Ate Me — The Genocide Ball (2004)
2. The Shins — Kissing the Lipless (2003)
3. Beans — Mutescreamer (El-P Remix) (2003)
4. The Postal Service — Nothing Better (2003)
5. Art Brut — Formed a Band (2003)
6. Shystie — I Luv U (Raw Mix) (2003)
7. David Bowie — Young Americans (1975)
8. Jaga Jazzist — Serafini Jungelen (Jomba vs K-Mart & Ravi ‘97 Mix) (1998)
9. Gillian Welch — The Weight (with Old Crow Medicine Show, Live) (2004)
10. Kimya Dawson — Hadlock Padlock (2003)
11. The Mountain Goats — Dance Music (2004)
12. Sharkey — Summer in the City (Lovin’ It) (featuring Jean Grae) (2004)
13. The Waifs — London Still (Live on Andy Kershaw, Radio 3) (2004)
14. The Weakerthans — My Favourite Chords (2000)
15. Kathryn Williams — No One Takes You Home (2002)
16. KRS-One — Outta Here (1993)
17. Nellie McKay — Sari (Live) (2004)
18. Saturday Looks Good To Me — Lift Me Up (2004)
19. Nina Simone — Just in Time (?)

This is based upon what I listend to a lot during 2004, rather than music released that year. And there are several criteria beyond simply choosing “my favourite tunes”: Anything new I’m sure my friends will know is out (no Morrissey or PJ Harvey); Only one track per artist; An emphasis on tracks I’ve played a lot rather than what I think are best (in my obssessive ratings, a few of these only get 4 out of 5 stars).

Such a brief list appears somewhat inadequate in the face of Dan’s recent post on his tracks of 2004, most of which I’ve never heard of, let alone heard. But I like the restriction of making a single CD.

Looking at how I heard about all this music, it’s obvious that MP3 blogs have been important for me this year. I’ve heard so much music I’d never have come across if I hadn’t been reading them, and in a year when I largely stopped listening to radio I’ve been more excited about music than ever. And, yes, in many cases I have gone on to buy CDs after hearing songs on blogs, although bloggers do have an annoying knack of picking the single decent song to put up…

In all, I first heard twelve of the 19 tracks via MP3 blogs (tracks 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18). Two (10 and 11) were via John Peel, one (4) via a friend, one (5) via MTV while on holiday, one (9) I first heard live, and two oldies I re-heard in movies: Young Americans in Dogville and Just in Time in Before Sunset.

There are a few more tracks I that I either forgot to consider or that didn’t quite make it on to the CD (that I still definitely did not compile and burn easily in iTunes like millions of other people):

• Aimee Mann — I’ve Had it (1993)
• Ballboy and Laura Cantrell — I Lost You, But I Found Country Music (Peel Session) (2003)
• Bishop Allen — Little Black Ache (2003)
• Elite Swingsters — Dinokza (?)
• Jean Shy — What Can I Do, I’m So in Love With You (1976)
• The O’Jays — There’s Someone (Waiting Back Home) (1969)
• Peter Dizozza — Hang My Head (2001)
• Red Shadow (The Economics Rock & Roll Band) — Understanding Marx (1975)
• Regina Spektor — Us (2004)
• Sarah Harmer — Lodestar (2004)