OK OK let me belatedly break the ice on week two of the much ballyhooed (but reluctantly posted) Top Five/Ten/yeah whatever countdown for 2004.

Some more albums:

Frog Eyes - The Folded Palm. Victoria BC-based band's second release - it's intense without being loud, mostly due to the eyes-bulging-out-of-the-head vocal style of singer Carey Mercer, whose lyrics are paradoxically (given the aforementioned vcoals) poetic and ephemeral, though at times they do embrace a more direct angst-ridden style. Reminiscent (vocally, at least) of eighties goth...at other times it's more like whacked out Bowie. As a whole, it's powerful stuff, but not an easy listen, and it's possible it would just be exhausting if it weren't for the underlying songs - sympathetic and inventive organic instrumentation, melodically and musically rich arrangements, and they grow and grow.

Eric Friedlander - Maldoror. Mentioned this one before, and you kind of have to hear it to have a discussion about it. It's ten improvised cello (solo) tracks (first takes, no overdubs) referencing and drawing inspiration from a series of surrealist poems by Comte de Leautremont called Les Chants des Maldoror. Not really difficult listening ultimately, certainly not as atonal as it might be - he has a beautiful tone and is a spectaculalrly inventive player, and has crafted a gorgeous, flowing, synesthetic, mood piece. Groovy cool. Top two or three of the year for me.

Songs - well, how about something from Modest Mouse? I originally was loving "Float On" big time, but the more I listened to the record the more "Ocean Breathes Salty" was the one for me. A great song, very similar really to Float On, but I love the verses with their sloppy, vaguely hip-hoppy rhythm and his over-the-top singing. Great driving song.

OK, who's next?