TonyDoug's CD Reviews: Best of 2004

by tonydoug wright

Another year of reviewing CDs came to end in December and I soon noticed the somewhat large pile of reviewed CDs in my apartment. While organizing my pile of CDs I thought to myself: "It would be a shame for me to place these CDs in the TonyDoug Music Archives without choosing the best CDs of 2004". OK, that's not what I said but it is better than "Where in the hell am I going to put all of these damn CDs?" After examining the albums I reviewed for Erasing Clouds last year, I chose four that deserved to be placed in my "Best of 2004" list. Please note that the following albums are in no particular order.

1. Anthemic Pop Wonder, Supersonic Lullabies (Self Released, 2004)

The NYC based Anthemic Pop Wonder's (APW) Supersonic Lullabies is the band's impressive seventh album of 60s garage rock and 70s power-pop anthems. There are plenty of catchy hooks and harmonies courtesy of Dfactor, the lone man behind the musical force that is APW, on tracks such as "Ridin' A Hitch", "Smile In My Day" and "Hands". APW does not disappoint listeners with the marvelous Supersonic Lullabies.

2. Kalimoto, Multicore (Souvenir Records, 2003)

You might be wondering why an album released in 2003 is included on my 2004 list. Kalimoto's Multicore album was sent to me for review in 2004 and it would be an injustice not to include this great album in the "Best of 2004" category. Multicore contains many well-crafted pop songs such as "Everything Goes", "Sandstorm" and "Easy" that reflect possible influences from Oasis and Crowded House. Keep an eye out for this British band's follow-up CD that will be released later this year.

3. The M's, The M's (Brilliante Records, 2004)

When you listen to The M's debut album you will be treated to twelve terrific tracks of British Invasion influenced rock mixed with Glam. "Maggie", "2 X 2" and "Dirty Old Dog" are three standout songs that makes The M's a very enjoyable listening experience. Hopefully we will hear more from this Chicago band in 2005.

4. The Skating Club, The Unfound Sound (Kimchee Records, 2004)

Aubrey Anderson, the one-man musical force behind The Skating Club, delivers strong with his extraordinary singer-songwriter effort titled The Unfound Sound. The music is very beautiful and laid-back plus it blends well with Anderson's Matthew-Sweet-mixed-with-Jakob-Dylan vocals. The Unfound Sound contains a few gems such as "Beach Tar Footsie", "San Francisco" and "Pretty Soon".