The celebration of the 10th anniversary of this site continues on with this collection of the best and most notable music of 2004. As I was immersed in this music, I noticed that most everything here has a very clean sound and a vibrant, super-saturated tone. At the time, the site was bright yellow with a rainbow logo, which makes perfect sense for that period - everything just seemed very colorful. This set features a great deal of amazing songs by underground pop acts who basically bubbled up and then disappeared – one hit wonders from an an alternate universe. Keep this in mind if you listen to a version of this on Spotify or Rdio - a very large chunk of this set will not be available on those platforms. The survey mixes for 2002, 2003, 2010 and 2011 are still up. Check in on May 1st for a look back on 2005.

Download Disc 1

Scissor Sisters "Laura" / Kelly Clarkson "Since U Been Gone" / Rilo Kiley "Portions For Foxes" / Charlotte Hatherley "Kim Wilde" / Girls Aloud "Love Machine" / Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris "Yeah!" / Kanye West "School Spirit" / Fiona Apple "Red, Red, Red" (Demo) / Maxi Geil & Playcolt "A Message to My Audience" / Ghostface Killah "Tooken Back" / Belle & Sebastian "Your Cover's Blown" / Justus Kohncke featuring Meloboy "Frei/Hot Love" / Stazi "Love Is Lethal" / McLusky "She Will Only Bring You Happiness" / Alicia Keys "You Don't Know My Name (Reggae Mix)" / Phoenix "If It's Not With You" / Eamon "Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)" / Johnny Boy "You Are the Generation That Bought More Shoes and You Get What You Deserve" / The Concretes "Diana Ross" / Feist "Mushaboom" (Demo)

Download Disc 2

U2 "Vertigo" / Interpol "Evil" / David Wrench "World War IV" / Mousse T "Is It Cos I'm Cool?" / Madvillain "Money Folder" / Junesex "Gets Close to Mine" / Love Is All "Make Out Fall Out Make Up" / Of Montreal "Vegan In Furs" / Alan Braxe and Fred Falke "Rubicon" / Hot Chip "Bad Luck" / Estelle "1980" / Cam'Ron "Get Down" / Snoop Dogg "Drop It Like It's Hot" / Dani Siciliano "Walk the Line" / Lady Sovereign "Ch Ching" / Junior Boys "High Come Down" / Method Man and Ghostface Killah "Afterparty" / Cut Copy "Saturdays" / The Go! Team "Ladyflash" / United State of Electronica "La Discoteca"

Download Disc 3

Wilco "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" / LCD Soundsystem "Movement" / Saul Williams "Grippo" / Dizzee Rascal "Stand Up Tall" / Death From Above 1979 "Blood On Your Hands" / !!! "Pardon My Freedom" / Tracy and the Plastics "Henrietta" / Heloise and the Savoir Faire Dancers "Odyle" / Gene Serene and John Downfall "Electric Dreams" / Morrissey "First of the Gang to Die" / Franz Ferdinand "Take Me Out" / X-Wife "Eno" / The Rogers Sisters "Freight Elevator" / Shrag "Punk Grammar" / Kelley Polar Quartet "The Rhythm Touch" / Superpitcher "The Long Way" / Frausdots "Soft Light" / Destroyer "It's Gonna Take An Airplane"

Download Disc 4

Animal Collective "Who Could Win A Rabbit" / Joanna Newsom "Inflammatory Writ" / Pixies "Bam Thwock" / Courtney Love "But Julian, I'm A Little Bit Older Than You" / Hilary and Haylie Duff "Our Lips Are Sealed" / Dressy Bessy "The Things That You Say That You Do" / AC Newman "Secretarial" / Janet Jackson "Just A Little While" / Kylie Minogue "I Believe In You" / The Streets "Fit But You Know It" / Masta Killa, RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard "Old Man" / Avenue D featuring Cazwell "The Sex That I Need" / George Michael "Freek!" / Ciara featuring Ludacris "Oh" / TV on the Radio "The Wrong Way" / Air "Surfing on a Rocket" / Chungking "We Love You" / Flotation Toy Warning "Popstar Researching Oblivion" / Antibalas "Pay Back Africa" / Soulwax "NY Excuse"

Download Disc 5

Mouse on Mars "Mine Is In Yours" / Annie "Chewing Gum" / Armand Van Helden "Hear My Name" / Futon "Gay Boy" / M.I.A. "URAQT" / T.I. "Rubberband Man" / Nina Sky "Move Your Body" / JC Chasez "All Day Long I Dream About Sex" / The Killers "Mr. Brightside" / Les Savy Fav "The Sweat Descends" / Lolita Storm "Dancing with the Ibiza Dogs" / The Long Blondes "Giddy Stratospheres" / Bloc Party "She's Hearing Voices" / Jason Forrest "10 Amazing Years" / Michael Dracula "Destroy Yourself (Twitch Optimo Mix)" / Sia "Breath Me (Four Tet Remix)" / Wiley "Problems" / R. Kelly "Happy People" / Twista featuring Jamie Foxx and Kanye West "Slow Jamz"

Download Disc 6

Arcade Fire "Wake Up" / The Walkmen "The Rat" / The Chap "Oozing Emotion" / Rework "Not Quite Like Any Other" / Au Revoir Simone "Through the Backyards of Our Neighbors" / R.E.M. "Electron Blue" / Jojo "Leave (Get Out)" / Christina Milian "Dip It Low" / Cocorosie "Butterscotch" / Devendra Banhart "Little Yellow Spider" / Sonic Youth "Unmade Bed" / Green Day "Jesus of Suburbia" / Ted Leo and the Pharmacists "Bleeding Powers" / Modest Mouse "Float On" / Big & Rich "Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)" / Baby "Free Los Angeles" / J-Kwon "Tipsy" / Björk "Who Is It" / Ryan Adams "Wonderwall" / Iron & Wine "Naked As We Came"

Download Disc 7

The Fiery Furnaces "Chris Michaels" / Nellie McKay "Ding Dong" / Elvis Costello "Monkey to Man" / Say Anything "Every Man Has A Molly" / Art Brut "Formed A Band" / Beats For Beginners "Kill All DJs" / Rachel Stevens "Some Girls" / Revl9n "Walking Machine" / Lil Wayne "Go DJ" / Gretchen Wilson "Redneck Woman" / Loretta Lynn and Jack White "Portland, Oregon" / Guided By Voices "Everybody Thinks I'm A Raincloud (When I'm Not Looking)" / Komeda "Blossom (Got to Get It Out)" / Xiu Xiu "I Luv the Valley OH" / My Chemical Romance "Helena (So Long and Goodnight)" / Clinic "Falstaff" / Nimbus Coleman "Who is the Governess?" / Klang "Help Is On the Way" / Stereolab "Margerine Rock" / Blood on the Wall "On My Mouth" / I Hate You When You're Pregnant "There Is Stuff in This World"

Download Disc 8

Gwen Stefani "What You Waiting For?" / Erlend Øye "The Black Keys Work" / Bollywood Freaks "Don't Stop Til You Get to Bollywood" / Dred Prez "Hell Yeah (Pimp the System)" / Prince "Cinnamon Girl" / Dungen "Panda" / Squarepusher "Iambic 9 Poetry" / Regina Spektor "Us" / The Futureheads "Hounds of Love" / Ashlee Simpson "La La" / Mia. "Heroes" / Pet "No Yes No" / Interational Pony "My Mouth (Phony the Punk)" / Slum Village featuring Kanye West and John Legend "Selfish" / Mannie Fresh "Conversation" / Devin the Dude "Briarpatch" / Norah Jones "What Am I to You?" / Sufjan Stevens "The Dress Looks Nice on You" / PJ Harvey "The Desperate Kingdom of Love"

Hundred Waters "Boreal"

"Boreal" ends with singer Nicole Miglis assuring the listener that "a tale is not trite if it's still being told," which is oddly defensive, but keeping with the character of the piece. It is, after all, a song centered on a set of lyrics in which a novice traveler explains her reasons for traveling to the tundra. (Long story short, she wants to see a land stripped bare, and draw strength from what can survive the harsh climate.) The music is measured and precise in its contour and texture, like an elaborate panorama of a barren yet beautiful digital wilderness. Buy it from Amazon.

THEESatisfaction "Existinct"

This song plays very well on repeat, mainly because it begins and ends on this elliptical rhythm and just seems to loop back to the start. That suits the tone and theme pretty well, as the words meditate on the past and potential of a relationship without coming to any conclusion. This song is like having your thoughts and emotions travel through an elaborate maze, and the exit is basically right by the entrance. Buy it from Amazon.

Fiona Apple @ Bowery Ballroom 3/26/2012 Fast As You Can / On the Bound / Paper Bag / A Mistake / Anything We Want / Valentine / Sleep to Dream / Extraordinary Machine / Every Single Night / Carrion / Criminal / Across the Universe / It's Only Make Believe Nitsuh was right. Fiona Apple, always a great singer, has stepped up her game. After witnessing this performance, it is hard to imagine that any other vocalist alive and working today can match her in this moment when she has merged her existing craft and control with a raw ferocity and power that was held back earlier in her career. I could hear the difference from the start, as she sang the verses of "Fast As You Can" with a new type of intensity - you could feel the tension in her jaw and neck, her tone was the sound of a cold stare. When she got to the "you're all I need" part of "On the Bound" was where the new phrasing really kicked in, with her voice shredding as she went on past the soulfulness of the studio recording to unrestrained, mournful frustration. My jaw literally dropped and I felt a sudden, deep concern – not just for her voice, which could easily be damaged from this sort of self abuse, but for her well being, because even if she was just acting out an emotion from over a decade ago, her approach was so method that it registered as pure, unguarded and utterly devastating heartbreak. There is something different about Fiona Apple now, and it seems largely physical in nature. She is still extremely skinny, but now appears buff and wiry, suggesting that she has spent a lot of the past half decade hitting the gym and mastering yoga poses. This physical strength changes the way she moves and carries herself. When I saw her six years ago, she still came across as small and frail, as if she could just float away on a light breeze. That wispiness is gone, replaced by a commanding presence that carries over to her voice, which has become more stern and aggressive. This was most apparent in "Sleep to Dream," which once seemed like a girl's fantasy of wielding power over someone who has underestimated and wronged her, but now sounds like a grown woman tapping directly into a righteous fury. Her body language was taut and severe; she looked genuinely intimidating. The three new songs in her set were outstanding and immediately appealing. "Anything We Want" was particularly exciting, with a taut, highly rhythmic arrangement that reminded me a bit of Spoon's approach to tension and atmosphere. "Every Single Night" was more wounded and brittle, with a refrain that jacked up the raw nerve intensity of her best work. Just as the more assertive and despairing moments in her songs were pushed further than before, her gentle, sweet and lovelorn moments were similarly intensified. "Paper Bag" was largely unchanged but somehow more gorgeous; "Extraordinary Machine" retained its whimsy while coming across as more assertive and emphatic. The Beatles and Conway Twitty covers at the end of the set were showcases for the raw beauty of her voice; the former approaching blissful contentedness in its chorus and the latter displaying her mastery over drama and sentimentality. I would typically include an mp3 of one of Apple's old songs as part of the custom of this site, but it seems wrong in this case, as her studio recordings don't capture the essence of what I heard in this set. The songs are all of the highest quality, but her performance was on another level. Aside from the new numbers, I knew all of these selections backwards and forwards, but Apple's phrasing was so fully in the moment that she could truly surprise me with variations on every line without warping her melodies or changing the character of the song. I desperately want her to release a new live album from this tour. I also want to hear other songs from her catalog sung with her new approach – "I Know," "Red Red Red," "Shadowboxer," "Never Is A Promise," "Not About Love." Apple's song selection seemed very deliberate, though, with some themes about screwing up and moving on recurring through the set. All through the show I found myself wondering what changed for her, what pushed her in this direction. The songs she chose to play may give some hint of what got her to this astonishing new place.

Poor Moon "People In Her Mind"

This is the sort of pop song that practically begs the listener to step back and appreciate it as "songwriting" - the structure and melodic turns signal a neat, impeccable craft that calls attention to itself. It's a very old school composition, and the lyrics follow the form, as the narrator sings with great empathy about a lonely girl who has come to realize that she is constantly blending into the background. I quite like the lines about how she gets hung up on trying to recall people's names - there's an OCD collector impulse going on there, and she seems to be oblivious that her impulse to catalog all these people puts her at a remove from them. Buy it from Amazon.

Bobby Womack "Please Forgive My Heart"

There is a tendency to keep aging singers in their classic context, as if modern influences would pollute and corrupt what was amazing about their voice. Bobby Womack clearly has no interest in treating his distinct voice like a museum piece, at least not since Damon Albarn pulled him out of retirement for two excellent tracks on Gorillaz's Plastic Beach. His forthcoming album was created with Albarn and XL boss Richard Russell, who previously collaborated with Gil-Scott Heron. Russell seems to be playing a Rick Rubin role in rehabbing the careers of aging legends, but whereas Rubin is inclined to strip things back to a prim sort of simplicity, Russell has pushed Heron and Womack to embrace a more modern sort of minimalism. The stark, slightly sputtering beats and moody keyboards of "Please Forgive My Heart" could just as easily be pulled from a James Blake or Drake record, but this doesn't sound like the equivalent giving an old man a hipster makeoever. Womack's voice, a highly emotive and richly human thing, sounds great in the context of cold, synthetic instrumentation. The contrast brings out the best in him, and the minimal approach to the arrangement serves to simply frame his vocal performance rather than distracting from it with too many sounds, or drowning it out in nostalgia. Buy it from XL Recordings.

Jack White "Love Interruption"

The verses of "Love Interruption" are all about wanting a love that rattles you out of dull routine and forces you out of your comfort zone. Jack White chews on those thoughts in these lines, and spits it all out in the chorus, which disavows this sort of love as a corrupting influence that derails his life. Both sides of the song seem a bit irrational, but what else could it be? This is about yearning for passion and intensity, and reckoning with the reality that being reckless with your emotions is just as likely to bring transcendental thrills or heart-rending disaster. The unspoken point in this song: It's always worth the risk. Buy it from Amazon.

Pavement "Pueblo" (Live in Cologne, 1996)

Pavement is known for having very smart and clever lyrics, but most of the lyrics on Wowee Zowee are incomplete, improvised or outright gibberish. A lot of the lines that are clear are bits of evocative language that stuck at some point in the creative process, particularly in the numbers that were staples of the band's live set before they were tracked in the studio. The record is in some ways improved by this impressionistic quality, amplifying moments of absurdity and adding a touch of mystery to emotional peaks, such as the climax of "Pueblo." That section may be the most devastating thing Stephen Malkmus has ever written, as he returns from a desolate instrumental section by rising up with a ragged, surprisingly vulnerable "when you move, you don't move, you don't mooooove." The verses suggest some kind of dramatic context, but I have no idea what this particular bit of verbiage means or what it has to do with a guy called Jacob. Nevertheless, it hits me in the gut like few other pieces of music. I know this feeling, this abstract thing that has resonated with me for over half of my life, and that it feels something like giving up something that you want so badly it stings. Malkmus is very rarely a guy who spells out the emotional content of his music, and this song is a good reason why he shouldn't need to bother – when you can strike this chord, provoke this sort of complex emotional response, why would you ever need to be so literal?

Spiritualized "Hey Jane"

"Hey Jane" stretches out for miles, opening with a sequence that sounds like a joyride segueing into a car chase, but eventually running off the road altogether. Then it gets really intense – a pulse and a drone grows into a gospel-tinged crest in which Jason Pierce plainly states the love that's been the source of his urgent momentum all along: "Sweet heart, sweet light, sweetheart and love of my life." This is Pierce at his finest, doing something he does better than just about anyone - expressing this intense, genuine emotion in a fragile, matter of fact tone as the music bursts behind him, the full power and complexity of his feelings expressed like an ornate fireworks display. Buy it from Amazon.

Girls' Generation "Telepathy"

The lyrics of this song are mostly in Korean but bits of English come through here and there. The effect for me, as a person who only understands English, is that the rest of the vocals come off like a perky pop song reduced to phonetic sounds. This is different from how I hear most foreign-language pop, by the way – the language is usually very apparent and I hear it as part of the texture of the music. This is glossy and sleek, it seems like the lyrics would be nearly irrelevant in any language. The English words give some guide - "love story," "telepathy" pronounced in a slightly awkward way – but then they toss out that "never ever stop falling in love" bit at the end, and it's like, "wait, was more of that in English than I realized?" This tension gives the song a bit of a novelty factor, but the tune is a charmer, and a clear standout on a record of what sounds to me like pretty typical K-pop. Buy it from Amazon.