2004 Best Songs U didn't hear part IV

Ok, here's my plan this week. I've got 15 songs that I think most people haven't heard but should've. If anything this year has made me realize how much good interesting music there is out there and how impossible it is to hear it all. They may be from albums you've heard of, I've written about or I hate but a single song is redeeming. There's at least 2 songs here from albums that I frankly think sucked a bit, but the individual song is a shining salvation. Thank God for iPod playlists. I'm going to post 3 or 4 a day and if you download religously by Friday you should have a decent mix to burn or new playlist for the pod. There may be a song or two that I blogged about way back when I started doing this thing, but since my readership has gone from 4 to about 12 some of these songs were probably overlooked. I'm going for the standard bell curve mix tape. That is, it starts out mellow builds to something rocking and then lets you down easy again. Be forewarned, I'm all over the place with these songs. I find that's at least part of the fun of thinking about a years worth of music. I feel justified in including alt-country, a little hip hop, indie-rock, etc. in one place because there's so much good music out there this year. As always you're encouraged, nay implored, to purchase these artists. So, away we go:

Day #4. The question we're all asking at this stage of the proceedings is: Where the hell is he gonna go after that Arcade Fire track? The answer my friends is deeper into a little bit of dance pop. It's a guilty pleasure that is rarely if ever indulged here at Bars & Guitars. So hopefully as a coherent whole (coherent in the sense that it's all music and I like it) things start to mellow again with the todays third track and then we wrap up the whole mess tomorrow.

10) The Go! Team - Lady Flash. When I first picked up Thunder Lightning Strike I thought that I was listening to a new dawn in indie music. Of course I've calmed down a bit since then, but I still believe this is one of the best albums of 2004. It's fun, without pretension. A mix of The Avalanches and doo wop girl groups with a dose of indie rock guitar. Really fun. Go to Go Team Website and watch the video for this song. But the album while you're there.

11) M.I.A. - Galang. This one's pretty out of left field. But what a great track! Get some asses movin'! Simple and tinny, some may say cheesy. But this is too good to ignore.

12) J. Xaverre - Saturday. My hope is that the slightly electronic tones (the scratchy hiss, the bleeps and blips) of this rather mellow track hide the complete incongruity of it abutting against "Galang". J Xaverre's These Acid Dreams is spacey greatness. Think Sparklehorse if Linkous had dropped acid instead of smoking all that pot or had grown up in Canada instead of the rural south. Technically this was released in 2003, but it was the very tailend so the referees will in fact allow it. Memphis Industries has links for purchase.