Vote

Suspended Night by the Tomasz Stanko Quartet. While many can't seem to resist comparing Tomasz Stanko to Miles Davis, Suspended Night may well be Stanko's magnum opus—a work of the highest musical art by Stanko and his latest quartet, one that brilliantly outshines the often over-stated and perhaps over-rated shadow of Miles Davis.

Rich Robinson - Paper Green Day - American Idiot

Norah Jones: Feels Like Home. Even better than her debut. So much for the sophomore jinx! Elvis Costello: The Delivery Man. Easily EC's best work since Spike. If there's any justice, he'll get a least a Grammy nomination.

A Stereophile Record of the Month, Hymns of the 49th Parallel by k d lang is my Record of the Year.

Mindy Smith's One Moment More and the reissued Jefferson Airplane LPs, Surrealistic Pillow and Bless Its Pointed Head.

Green Day's American Idiot. This is the coolest record I've heard in a long time! Who'd have thought they had anything left?

Dave Brubeck's Jazz Goes to College (Colombia, available on CD). My first purchase from the Columbia Record Club when I was in high school in the 50s. Absolutely blew me away and started me down this crazy road we live on.

Shangri-La by Mark Knopfler, a beautifully intimate recording. Offering by Paul Baloche, heart-felt modern worship songs

Lucinda Williams, World Without Tears or any Lucinda Willliams, for that matter. But WWT is the richest-sounding piece of vinyl in my collection of 5000 +. Holly Cole's Temptation which is all covers of Tom Waits songs. She adds a certain depth and dimension to everything she sings. This makes a wonderful addition to my complete catalog of Tom Waits, who would be my third, if you gave me one!

My CD collecting is still way down, but if I had to choose one, Beethoven's early piano sonatas with Maurizio Pollini on Deutsche Grammophone.

brian wilson-smile joanna newsom-milk eyed mender

Fiona Apple's third album. I will probably die before it is ever released by Sony Records. I wish I had a chance to decide on my own if it was any good.

Stravinsky: Histoire d'un Soldat by Bremer Kammersymphonie; Jarvi. Bjork: Medulla.

I wouldn't die for any record.

Doves' Last Broadcast; Beautiful South's Quench.

This year I subscribed to Gramaphone which has helped me better know the classical music availability. The disc which knocked my socks off this year (and made several audio shop personnel take notice was Magdalena Kozena ongs.Lieder.Chansons.Canzoni. I was unaware of this artist prior to 2004.

Louis Sclavis, Napoli's Walls (ECM): A beautiful album that combines wonderful avant-garde jazz and world music. Great textures, improvisations, and also fine acoustics.

It came down to a tie between CDs by two musicians from Mali: Bowmboi by Rokia Traore and Tassoumakan by Issa Bagayogo. Both are mesmerizing.

Fountains of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers; Peter Gabriel: Play. (Do DVDs count?)

Cheap Thrills by Big Brother and the Holding Company on SACD. The surround mix on "Ball and Chain" is laid back and sounds as close to being in the venue as any rock'n'roll I've heard. Aja by Steely Dan on LP. I pulled this out one day last winter to get reacquainted with my vinyl and I never put it away. It's getting played at least once a week ever since. I'd be curious to hear this in multichannel, but it wouldn't necessary, as good as my album version sounds to me.

Wynton Marsalis Quartet: The Magic Hour from Blue Note 2004. Incredible disc. It's very fun music with excellent performances and a real delight to hear.

Wilco: A Ghost is Born; DJ Dangermouse: The Grey Album

Drive By Truckers: The Dirty South. Best rock'n'roll record in the last five years—and then you get to explore and enjoy their back catalog work after buying this one! GREAT BAND!!

The College Drop-Out by Kanye West.

Aimee Mann: Lost in Space (MoFi SACD)

Stephen Malkmus: PigLib; Whiskeytown: Faithless Street

The Killers: Hot Fuss. Awsome!

Geri Allen: Life of a Song (hybrid SACD), great music and sound. Wynton Marsalis: The Magic Hour. Marsalis stops trying to make the big artistic statement, and instead makes great, unpretentious music.

Love Songs For Patriots by American Music Club; The New Danger by Mos Def.

M Ward: The Transfiguration of Vincent; The Beatles: Meet The Beatles from Capitol Albums Vol. I