Year End

God Save the Scene

Sassy Brits, hoochie mamas and a dude named Beans attempted to invigorate a stagnant year for hip-hop.

by Dan LeRoy

Dec 22, 2004

Its difficult to survey the hip-hop of 2004, more bloated and self-referential than ever, and not imagine the mythical AOR wasteland of the mid-70s. Like rock before it, hip-hop has easily won a cultural acceptance once unthinkable, and our reward is a parade of Jadakisses and G-Unit solo projects, preaching empty and ultimately safe rebellion in the same way Boston and Foreigner once spoke to beer-drinking longhairs in high school parking lots...

Americana Pie

Grab a slice of 2004s best roots music while its still hot.

By John Nova Lomax
Dec 22, 2004
Trend-Spotting

In a scandal-ridden election year, the years top ten music stories were all about winning the popular vote.

By Sarah Hepola
Dec 22, 2004
Smells Like Indie Spirit

Music that made the world safe for the word "alternative" again.

By Rob Harvilla
Dec 22, 2004
Marrying the Mainstream

White men learned to dance, and the emoting was as thick as the eyeliner on the years best pop-rock records.

By Annie Zaleski
Dec 22, 2004
Dance, Dance Revolution

This was the year electronic dance music got its head -- and its ass -- out of the past.

By Darren Keast
Dec 22, 2004
On the Down-Low

Shovel away all that Usher, Prince and Lil Jon youve been jamming and dig this years buried black-music treasures.

By Craig D. Lindsey
Dec 22, 2004
Up From the Underworld

This year, blood-soaked extreme metal took its rightful place in the world of heavy music.

By Jason Bracelin
Dec 22, 2004