The 10 Most Influential Albums Turning 10 This Year

Check out the 10 most influential albums turning 10 this year. Whether you liked rock, rap, or something else altogether, 2004 was a great year.

By Confusion, Constant Gardner, Gus Turner, and Christian Randell

Let’s rewind to 2004. Facebook had just come into existence, TRL was still a thing, gas was $1.85 a gallon, Boston just remembered what it was like to win a World Series after 86 years, and the world was introduced to Janet Jackson’s right breast during the Super Bowl thanks to that sly dog Justin Timberlake. While there’s plenty of pop culture nostalgia to go around, the music of the year propelled some artists to mainstream stardom, others to cult favorites and other superstars just used it as another year to assert their dominance.

Whether you liked rock, rap, or something entirely off the beaten path, 2004 had something for everyone and you won’t believe that some of the albums on this list are already ten years old. Here are the ten most influential albums turning ten this year.

1.

2. Kanye West - The College Dropout

Release date: February 10, 2004

Kanye West's universally acclaimed major label debut The College Dropout was released in February of 2004, and there have been few rap records since that have been both as critically and commercially successful. West's trademark soul production sound, heavily based around pitched up vocal samples, had already gained him multiple production credits on some of Roc-A-Fella's biggest singles, but many still doubted his ability to rap.

West answered by dropping a classic album centered on themes of family, religion, race, materialism, and personal struggles, deviating strongly from the dominant gangsta rap persona which seemed necessary for success in the early 2000s.

West answered by dropping a classic album centered on themes of family, religion, race, materialism, and personal struggles, deviating strongly from the dominant gangsta rap persona which seemed necessary for success in the early 2000s. Singles from the album spawned classic visuals such as those for "Through the Wire" and "Jesus Walks" while other singles such as "Slow Jamz," which featured Twista and Jamie Foxx, and "All Falls Down" made their way to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The College Dropout remains Kanye West's best-selling album, and its impact continues to be felt today, in the wide acceptance of the more introspective music of artists like Childish Gambino and Drake.

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3. Madvillain - Madvillainy

Released: March 24, 2004

You can hear DOOM in so many of today's rappers, and none of them are ashamed to admit that the masked villain is an influence. With Madlib handling production, Madvillainy is a prime example of how to do things on your own terms. There was always a gap between "underground" hip-hop and mainstream, but Madvillainy lived in world separate from both of those. Madlib dug for jazzy, obscure samples, never polishing them up or adding too much muscle, and DOOM rapped like he was born in the pages of a comic book, technically sound but unconcerned with flash.

So much of the hip-hop of 2004 ("Tipsy," "Lean Back," "Drop It Like It's Hot") feels forever stuck in 2004. They were huge singles, but the styles have changed and the songs remain remnants of the past, things that we'll forever hear and think, "Ah yeah, I remember listening to that while I was..." Madvillainy doesn't feel like that. It feels like a classic, and when you listen to some of today's rising talent (like Earl Sweatshirt, Mac Miller, and Rejjie Snow) you can hear that Madvillainy vibe, and it doesn't sound like 2004.

It was DOOM and Madlib making what they wanted to make, and if they made that same exact album today, it would sound just as special, just as relevant, and in 10 more years if we looked back on it, it would probably be just as influential.

Maybe that's the thing—while others capitalized off the styles of the moment, DOOM and Madlib made up their own. They weren't trendy, vintage, or ahead of their time. They were simply separate. It was DOOM and Madlib making what they wanted to make, and if they made that same exact album today, it would sound just as special, just as relevant, and in 10 more years if we looked back on it, it would probably be just as influential.

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4. Arcade Fire - Funeral

Release date: September 14, 2004

Canadian band Arcade Fire has been a staple of indie rock for what seems like forever, but they were relative unknowns before the release of their 2004 debut album Funeral.  The album touched on themes of life, death, and mourning, influenced by the deaths of several relatives of band members. Funeral was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Alternative Music Album and was a staple in many end-of-decade Top 10 lists.  It was received with almost unanimous praise from critics who used words such as “celebratory, “empowering,” “hopeful,” “euphoric,” “beautiful,” “harrowing,” and even “life-affirming.”


At a time when guitar bands face declining popularity, Arcade Fire continues flying the flag for rock that can both fill stadiums and push things forward sonically.

From the starting point of Funeral, Arcade Fire went on to become the biggest rock band to come from the 2000s, filling stadiums and, over the course of four albums and ten years, making movie scores, headlining major festivals, and collaborating with David Bowie. At a time when guitar bands face declining popularity, Arcade Fire continues flying the flag for rock that can both fill stadiums and push things forward sonically.

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5. Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News

Release date: April 6, 2004

Nearly everyone has shared some lyrical content from Modest Mouse’s hit single "Float On" at one time or another in their lives, on their AIM Profile, Myspace, Facebook, or Twitter. And with good reason. The catchy song is full of optimism, matched perfectly by the visuals of floating on down a river, feeling alright even when everything isn't perfect. Coming from their fourth studio album Good News For People Who Love Bad News, "Float On" could be heard across mainstream radio while the memorable visuals starring the band as moving cardboard cutouts was all over television.

Good News For People Who Love Bad News is a masterclass in selling more without selling out, and a reminder that thoughtful indie rock can also be radio-slaying pop music.

The rest of the album, which contains other singles such as "The World at Large" and "Ocean Breathes Salty," was considered by many to be one of 2004's best records. The melancholy tones of the album were easily accessible yet extremely expressive, and what is most impressive is the way that Modest Mouse managed to make a sound that was so popular without losing any of their core values.

Good News For People Who Love Bad News is a masterclass in selling more without selling out, and a reminder that thoughtful indie rock can also be radio-slaying pop music.

6. Animal Collective - Sung Tongs

Release date: May 3, 2004

Though Sung Tongs was the band's fifth album, the Animal Collective that we all know and love was formed with the making and release of this definitive LP. Trading in their electric guitars from Here Comes the Indian for a distinctly acoustic vibe, AnCo started to stray into a freakier, psychedelic territory that they would more fully inhabit on successive releases like Strawberry Jam and Merriweather Post Pavilion.

Highly regarded in 2004 as one of the year's best releases, Sung Tongs' influence hasn't waned with age.

We've all heard the stories of how Bob Dylan first introduced the Beatles to weed, and how the band's habitual use of pot and LSD completely reshaped their sound, a change resulting in Rubber Soul. For Animal Collective, Sung Tongs showcases a similar breakthrough, serving as the pupal stage of the band's remarkable metamorphosis. From the opening track, "Leaf House," swirling chants, layered echoes, and a free-wheeling ecstasy signal that a new type of band was emerging from the one that fans had previously known.

Highly regarded in 2004 as one of the year's best releases, Sung Tongs' influence hasn't waned with age. If anything, its formative qualities have only become more obvious, as countless bands have tried and failed to emulate the spiritual fervor that has come to define Animal Collective.

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7. N.E.R.D. - Fly Or Die

Release date: March 23, 2004

Building on the successes of their debut LP, In Search Of..., N.E.R.D. once again sought to redefine the sound of hip-hop and pop music with the follow-up album, Fly or Die. Exploring funk, soul, alternative rock and more, the group's second release tip-toed between genres, coming off as a progressive pop album of all forms that resisted arrest from any critics looking to pigeonhole the group. The album got solid reviews, not great ones, but looking back, it's evident how ahead of their time these genre-benders were.

Fly or Die was the work of underground artists who had finally made it.

Fly or Die wasn't N.E.R.D.'s highest-charting album (that was Seeing Sounds), nor did it put them on the map in the way that their first record did. Fly or Die was the work of underground artists who had finally made it. Now that Pharrell, Chad Hugo, and Shay Haley had made it to the big time, they were ready to reap all the rewards that the top had to offer. On "Maybe," they enlisted ?uestlove and Lenny Kravitz to assist with the instrumentals. Joel and Benji Madden are featured on the upbeat and sugary pop jam, "Jump." Is that hip-hop? Hell no, but it's not a lot of other things either. And that ability to make a coherent sound out of countless influences is what makes any N.E.R.D. release worthwhile. Fly or Die is no exception.

8. Wilco - A Ghost Is Born

Release date: June 22, 2004

Wilco's A Ghost Is Born isn't necessarily the band's most influential or best album—those titles would probably go to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, their experimental and critically acclaimed album officially released in 2002. No, A Ghost Is Born isn't their creative peak or career highlight, but it's something just as valuable. A Ghost Is Born is a lesson in aging gracefully. How the fuck else do you follow up a release like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot? In 2004, Wilco answered that question. They won a Grammy for Best Alternative album, received critical acclaim once again, and had their best sales week ever.

A Ghost Is Born is a lesson in aging gracefully. How the f*** else do you follow up a release like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot?

A Ghost Is Born is a masterpiece in balance. Songs like "Hummingbird," "Handshake Drugs," and "The Late Greats" featured the catchy pop stylings of Wilco's earlier work, but there was still an experimental edge that you'd expect from a band who had just made YHF (see: "Spiders" and the 15-minute "Less Than What You Think.") Instead of recording live in a studio, the band played everything through Pro Tools before recording anything live, a process they had never tried before. The biggest complaint is that the album lacks cohesiveness, but that's what it took to come down from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and Wilco handled that masterfully.

9. The Killers - Hot Fuss

Release date: June 7, 2004

Ever since the mid-'90s, mainstream rock music has been in a weird place. Grunge felt like the last real movement that both fans and critics could agree on, and since then it's been one or the other (with a handful of exceptions like Radiohead, The White Stripes, Arcade Fire, and Vampire Weekend). Usually, either you're indie and cool or mainstream and basic. That's oversimplifying things, but one of the bands that helped push open a new door in 2004 was The Killers.

But Hot Fuss was also produced well, made for huge settings, massively successful, and proof that the average rock fan doesn't give a shit about critical acclaim.

Now, The Killers didn't completely win over the cool kids. The reviews were mixed. Their music was flashy, sleazy, blown out to epic proportions, and unconcerned with avoiding the obvious path. But Hot Fuss was also produced well, made for huge settings, massively successful, and proof that the average rock fan doesn't give a shit about critical acclaim. It's the same reason Kings Of Leon and Mumford & Sons fans turned on their groups at the same time they started to realize serious mainstream success. It's the reason Imagine Dragons is making more money this year than your favorite indie darling will ever see in their life. As much as some purists hate to admit it, catchy songwriting always wins, and when you press play on the first five songs of Hot Fuss (all singles), it's clear that this was something The Killers had mastered.

The appeal of rock music has always been rooted in rebellion, but these days, it just doesn't work like it used to. The things that make a band sell out stadiums and appeal to the masses are the things that remove any sense of rebellion. But The Killers were different. They were from Vegas. They blew up in the UK before the United States. They incorporated new wave style and retro showmanship, and they unashamedly flaunted huge choruses pop star-level production.

It's difficult to look back on Hot Fuss and realize exactly where it will sit in the history of rock music, but the album did prove that there was still a place for mainstream rock bands who could sell to the masses without the approval of old-school fans. It wasn't just about legacy acts like Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Pearl Jam, and Green Day anymore.

10. Dizzee Rascal - Showtime

Release date: September 6, 2004

Although Dizzee Rascal's first album, Boy In Da Corner, might be a better record overall, his follow-up, Showtime proved that grime's time in the limelight would not be limited to just one year and just a couple of records.

His massive success has only been a positive for British music, with what once would have been relegated to niche "urban" shows now being accepted on mainstream radio and consumed by a much larger audience.

What is really most important about this album is that is provided a platform for Dizzee Rascal's continuing success, and provided the base for him to be the first genuine crossover star from the British urban underground. Showtime is raw, brutal, and grounded in UK dance music, but Dizzee used the critical acclaim and solid sales figures to further boost his profile, eventually leading him to platinum albums (Tongue N Cheek), No. 1 singles ("Dance Wiv Me," "Bonkers"), and even a performance at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.

Certainly, over time, Dizzee has softened his sound and moved away from his grime roots, but his massive success has only been a positive for British music, with what once would have been relegated to niche "urban" shows now being accepted on mainstream radio and consumed by a much larger audience.

11. Usher - Confessions

Release date: March 23, 2004

Often, it is albums that were at first under-appreciated, at least commercially if not critically, that are eventually understood to have been influential. Exactly the opposite is he case with Usher's Confessions. It sold 1.1 million copies in its first week and would go on to sell over 8 million copies in 2004 alone, while final sales figures now sit at over 10 million.

Although he was clearly not the first R&B singer to do it, Usher mastered the balancing act between extreme emotional vulnerability, sex appeal, and style.

Confessions was a massive commercial success, helping confirm the early 2000s trend of so-called "urban music" dominating the pop charts, and its impact can still be felt today, in the music of everyone from Miguel to Drake. Although he was clearly not the first R&B singer to do it, Usher mastered the balancing act between extreme emotional vulnerability, sex appeal, and style. One moment he was crying over a broken relationship, the next he was stealing your girl, and the mix of contradictions that Usher embodied whilst still being wildly successful helped further changes in what is acceptable (or expected) in R&B and pop music.

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