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The 101: "Never In"

This song probably doesn't qualify to be on this list, since technically it's not being released until 2005. But, the band leaked it on their site and I'm throwing it on this list. I love this band for their simplicity: let the songs do the work. Just write 'em, play 'em, and let it be. Long live the power trio.

Les Savy Fav: "The Sweat Descends"

This isn't a 2004 song either -- it was originally released years ago on a 7" and re-released on this year's Inches. Whatever. It's new to me. Brilliant guitar work once again from Seth. I really admire Sid's bass playing, and this song's chorus is plain killer.

Interpol: "Slow Hands"

Interpol does occasionally write a great song, and I think this is one of them. Unfortunately for every one of their great songs, there are several less-than-stellar attempts. So it goes. This song is a lot of fun to dance to. Also, Interpol is lucky to have a really, really good rhythm section.

Aloha: "Goodbye to the Factory"

Holy shit, what a great band. With the recent lineup change, they moved away from their heavy use of vibrophone and brought in more percussion and organs. At first I pined for the Sugar sound, but I quickly gave in to this record's scope. Man, so good. This song's intro is like that lead apron that they lay on you when they x-ray your teeth.

Morrissey: "It's Hard to Walk Tall When You're Small"

This is one of the B-sides from the big Moz studio comeback, which made quite a splash with my circle. I love Morrissey in that I've been listening to him for... shit, for more than half of my life, but his solo work still can't compare to the Smiths, as far as I'm concerned, mainly because his backing band are just vastly inferior players and writers than the Moz/Marr/Rourke/Joyce team. I think I look at the songs more for their structure and composition than their lyrics and theme, while most Moz fans latch onto his melodrama -- and that's cool. This is a good song, though. It's nice to hear Morrissey rock.

The Stella Link: "Winner Takes All"

There must be something in the Kansas City water, because that town knows how to kick out the bands -- bands that understand that "pretty" and "heavy" are not necessarily at odds with each other when it comes to rock music. This album is pretty diverse in its sound, with some really atmospheric, ambient songs and huge jams like this one. I love, love, LOVE songs like this. Their lyrics could be a bit better, though.

Mastodon: "Leviathan"

RULING. Pure, true metal. A Moby Dick concept album, and they manage to pull it off magnificently. I think Mastodon will be the next great metal band, if they're not already.

ISIS: "Wills Dissolve"

ISIS just keeps getting better. I know a couple "real" metalheads who aren't into ISIS, since they're "too emo," but I don't care. ISIS are the masters of the slow build. Excellent live performance, too. I've seen them three times now and I think they've said no more than 20 words between songs in total.

Hard Place: "Little Joy"

I discovered this band on a whim after seeing a hand-written endorsement stuck to their CD at Amoeba. They're a San Francisco band, by way of Detroit, and they play glammy guitar/keyboard rock in the vein of Sparks, Cheap Trick and the like. I think they were on the verge of breaking up, when they were included on an iTunes indie rock mix (some Bay Area content producer for Apple must be a fan) and their band was sparked up again. This is a fun song. I like to play it when I DJ.

Minus the Bear: "Dog Park"

This song is pretty much a vehicle for delivering a huge, epic chorus. It's a good one, though. For me and the lady, this song is warm nights in the living room and vodka cocktails, this song, the acoustic guitar, and oh... did I mention Ketel cranberries?

Elliott Smith: "Pretty (Ugly Before)"

From beyond the grave. The greatest song craftsman of our time, as far as I'm concerned. He got himself fixed up, kicked the junk, and things fell apart anyway. Goodbye, Elliott.

The B-sides:

These songs aren't from 2004, but they were still hits last year.

The Stills: "Gender Bombs"

Like I was with Rushmore, The Hives and Archers of Loaf, I was about a year late to the party, but once I got there, I had a great time anyway. This record came out in 2003 and I think I dismissed them as another 80s revival band with a generic "The ..." name. I was wrong. Great songs.

Big Star: "September Gurls"

Notably, this is the year that a certain September gurl knocked me for one hell of a loop. She gets it, she gets me, I get her. Once again, living room, Ketel cranberries, inside jokes, this song. It also astounds me that this song is from 1974.

Chinese Radio: "Shame on Me"

Also notably, this was the year that I got off my duff and tried to make something of my musical proclivities again. It had been too long. Luckily the Chinese Radio opportunity fell into my lap. We're not a perfect band, but we play as earnestly as we possibly can, and it feels damn good.