I was all set to write my list of the Top Albums of 2004 when I realized, to my everlasting horror, that I barely bought ten albums this year. What happened? I used to be so musical. Well, not musical in the sense that I could play any instrument, but musical in that I bought at least one CD a week and usually more. I knew all the new stuff coming out and had half-baked, second-hand opinions about all of it. And now I’ve become one of those people who says, “Uh, no. I haven’t heard of them. Or them. Or them.” And then laughs shamefacedly.
This blows. But now that I’m… now that I am mature, I have to be careful not to become some Nick Hornby-type character who tries to be hip in her musical tastes but is really just sort of lame and would be embarrassing to her children, if I was mature enough to have any.
Perhaps I should take up classical music? Or jazz. The problem is that both of those genres give me a headache. Sad but true. It’s like my futile attempts to learn to play an instrument. There was the time I rented a banjo and never once opened the case for the entire six months I had it. I just loved going into Long and McQuade and pretending I was a member of some funky little bluegrass band like the Be Good Tanyas. I also liked telling people I was renting a banjo. I liked everything about renting a banjo except the actual instrument.
Then there was the time I actually bought a bass. On credit. I’d heard somewhere that the bass is the easiest instrument to play. NOT TRUE! This is a BIG, FAT LIE as I discovered when I started taking lessons from some guy who lived just off Commercial Street and was all poor and musician-like and who quickly despaired of teaching me anything. This time I even practiced, which was not at all fun. The finger positions were uncomfortable and it was quite tricky to try and watch TV while playing bass. I eventually gave my brother the bass, partly because I owed him money but mostly to get rid of it. But still, I had a wonderful time telling people I was learning the bass and going to the music store to make my payments. It was practically as good as giving a concert. I was mingling on a professional level with musicians! Yes! So it was really worth every penny.
But now I’m not even a poseur. I am that saddest of person (at least according to my 20 year-old self): someone who’s not that into music. I can’t even disdain the stuff I used to because I have no counterbalancing cool stuff that I’m into. It’s a little early to make New Year resolutions, but I’m going to anyway. I hereby announce that I, Susan Juby, will get back into music. Maybe world music, because a lot of older, ahem, make that people in their thirties and up, are into it. Or perhaps I will finally commit to bluegrass or folk (Yeah! Utah Phillips!) But I will get into something. In the meantime, here it is, my not very comprehensive list of top albums of 2004.
Susan’s Top Two Albums of 2004
Wilco, A Ghost is Born
Loretta Lynn, Van Lear Rose
Please note that I did buy a few other albums, such as The Cure, Greatest Hits but they were mostly compilations or were produced before 2004.