The Mountain Goats delivered their second album for 4AD : We Shall All Be Healed (CAD 2401). This time around, John, Peter & Co worked with indie production superstar John Vanderslice, and the result was a fuller sounding, more muscular set of songs which - for almost the first time - saw Darnielle writing veiled autobiography. An allusive account of a dark time in his early life, filled with portraits of people that he used to know - most of whom are probably either dead or in jail by now - the record nevertheless had more than its share of Mountain Goats anthems - notably the swaggering singles "Palmcorder Yajna" (AD 2306) and "Letter From Belgium" (AD 2410).
Rachel Goswell followed in Neil Halstead's footsteps by making her own solo album, the delicately lovely, thoughtful Waves Are Universal (CAD 2414). On the album, wistful melodies combined with unusual instrumentation (uillean pipes, harmonium, vibraphone) and a serendipitous approach to production which saw Thai field recordings and Cornish birdsong straying into the mix. Rachel also released an EP called The Sleep Shelter (BAD 2402).
In Immortal Memory (CAD 2403) Lisa Gerrard made her first non-soundtrack studio album since 1998's Duality. For this stately, emotionally dense and weighty collection, her collaborator was the Irish classical composer Patrick Cassidy, whom Lisa had met in while working in Los Angeles. Patrick's contributions to the record included a trove of ancient Gaelic poetry, some of which Lisa sings in the original language; she also sings The Lord's Prayer in Aramaic, the language of Jesus. The end result is as timeless and memorable as any of Lisa's work.
Cass McCombs's debut album A (CAD 2405) caused a stir amongst the indie cognoscenti, delivering what the preceding Not The Way had only hinted at - the arrival of a genuinely distinctive new talent. It was an offbeat record, for sure - tracks like "I Went To The Hospital" and "AIDS In Africa" veer from the acutely personal to the univerally resonant - but a pervading aura of diffident assurance and hazy determination meant that it was also a convincing one.
Blonde Redhead's first album for 4AD was the cinematic, otherworldly and beautiful Misery Is A Butterfly (CAD 2409). In making it, the band were returning from a 4 year hiatus (explained, in part, by the fact that singer Kazu Makino was seriously injured after being thrown from a horse in 2002) and that enforced pause for reflection resulted in a dramatically expanded sound-world - cello, violin and clavinet swirl through the mix, conjuring rich and fluid atmospheres. And if the first single "Elephant Woman" (AD 2408 - a pink vinyl 7") was typical of the album's impressive scope, the second, "Equus" (AD 2415), revealed the lithe rhythms at its heart. It also featured a guest vocal from David Sylvian on the b-side, "Messenger".
Vinny Miller's long-awaited album, On The Block (CAD 2404), was a rare treat for connoisseurs of unfettered imagination and jaw-dropping vocals. Opening with a crazy scrap of pirate radio and moving from bewitching ballads like "Breaking Out Of Your Arms" (also a single - AD 2413) to indescribably visceral blasts like "Hogbreath Busts A Move", the record was a real one-off - a tantalising postcard from unmapped territory.
Another dose of untrammelled energy was delivered by Kristin Hersh, whose new project was an unashamedly direct power trio christened 50 Foot Wave. The band - consisting of Kristin plus drummer Rob Ahlers and bassist Bernard Georges - opened their account with a blazing mini-album, simply titled 50 Foot Wave (MAD 2411). Later - to coincide with a tour of Europe - 4AD released the download-only Live In Seattle (EAD 2419).
One of the most exciting new bands to emerge in 2004 was TV On The Radio, a five piece based in Brooklyn who created unique music from the soulful vocals of Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone and the wayward soundworld of producer / guitarist David Sitek. Their blend of New York noise, gospel, dub and freewheeling inspiration caused a worldwide stir - and something of a bidding war - but the single "Staring At The Sun" (CAD 2421) was an instant classic, and the band's debut album Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes (CAD 2420) proved that all the hype was justified by sounding like nothing else on the planet and still gathering acclaim in all quarters. The band finished a year of exhaustive touring by winning the American Shortlist Prize for the best album of the year, and releasing a brand new song called "New Health Rock" (AD 2423).
Tanya Donelly's Whiskey Tango Ghosts (CAD 2418) was the record that many had wanted her to make for years - a stripped-down collection of intimate songs, unvarnished by tricksy production and unencumbered by complex arrangements. Sensual and hypnotic, it was also a record entirely comfortable with itself - as well as being shot through with a surfeit of Tanya's trademark soaring melodies.
For many, the big story of 2004 was the reunion of the Pixies. After what felt like years of "would they ? wouldn't they ?" speculation, the band announced a string of shows in the Spring and most sold out in record time. Over the course of the year, the Pixies played to more people than they ever did first time around - and, to many ears, they played better than they did first time around, too. To coincide with the shows, 4AD released a definitive, one-disc "best of" entitled Wave Of Mutilation (CAD 2406), and also an accompanying DVD (VAD 2407).