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Rock Critic Ken Tucker: Best Pop of 2004

Detail from the cover of Brian Wilson's Smile.
Detail from the cover of Brian Wilson's Smile.

Music critic Ken Tucker gives us his top picks in pop for 2004. He runs down his 10 best albums, and then talks about some trends of 2004, such as the return of punk, the year of the hip-hop producer, crunk music, and the potential end of an era as iPods and single song downloads replace album purchases. Ken Tucker is also a film critic for New York magazine.

His 2004 list in full:

1. Eagles of Death Metal, Peace Love Death Metal (AntAcidAudio)

2. Brian Wilson Presents: Smile (Nonesuch)

3. The Black Keys, Rubber Factory (Epitaph)

4. Green Day American Idiot (Reprise)

5. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Shake the Sheets (Lookout!)

6. Nellie McKay, Get Away From Me (Columbia)

7. Ludacris, Red Light District (Def Jam South)

8. Tegan and Sara, So Jealous (Sanctuary/Vapor)

9. Aberfeldy, Young Forever (Rough Trade)

10. Jolie Holland, Escondida (Anti)

Copyright 2022 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

Ken Tucker is the pop music critic for Fresh Air with Terry Gross.
Ken Tucker is the pop music critic for Fresh Air with Terry Gross.

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Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.