All mixed up

Remixed songs make it big,
with Danger Mouse's "The
Grey Album" in the lead

ASSOCIATED PRESS Usher, also had a big year, with his hit single "Yeah" making our top 10 singles list this year.

This was the year the mash-up made the news -- and it was only because the Beatles' record label raised a stink about it.

DJ Danger Mouse's imaginative fusing of rap and rock samples -- remixing the vocal tracks of Jay-Z's "The Black Album" with select instrumental portions from the "White Album" -- not only gave the end result its title, "The Grey Album," but shows how the supposed boundaries of "black and white" music are ultimately illusory.

Recent musical partnerships between Nelly and Tim McGraw, and even Jay-Z with Linkin Park, are only the most blatant examples. I mean, did you check out some of the guests who sung with Ray Charles on his final album? Elton John, Diana Krall, Michael McDonald, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor ... Nothing out of sorts, there.

Anyway, is this particular mash-up, "The Grey Album," worthy of the notoriety, outside of the dance clubs where such clever hybrids flourish? I say yes, yes, yes, which is why I picked it as one of the best albums of 2004.

The phrase "conceptual art" has been bandied about in describing this project. You can hear how much thought Danger Mouse used in trying to find the right -- and appropriate -- sonic combinations, i.e., replacing the hard-rock guitar riff of "99 Problems" with the looping riffs of "Helter Skelter." And, still, with Jay-Z's confrontational rap a snug fit, hand in glove, so to speak.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Björk returned.

What started off as a fun, little underground thing meant only for Danger Mouse and his fans -- he reportedly burned only 3,000 copies of it and promoted it only on his Web site -- became major news when EMI, the Beatles' label, got wind of it and served notice to the legally named Brian Burton to cease and desist.

Even though he complied, it was too late already. It's been heavily downloaded, and now burned, thousands of times over, making it a true artifact of renegade music. It's rebellious rock 'n' roll to the max. And, I argue, a legitimate artistic statement.

Go to illegal-art.org/audio/grey.html for more details.

And now for the rest of the news ...

Best 10 albums of the year:

ASSOCIATED PRESS Christina Milian had a single to remember.

» Danger Mouse: "The Grey Album"

» Talib Kweli: "The Beautiful Struggle" (Rawkus) and Mos Def: "New Danger" (Geffen) -- Rappers Talib and Mos originally made their name as the duo Black Star. Now, both men are trying their best for wider mainstream acceptance, and while not entirely successful, both albums have enough hip-hop cred to recommend. Talib, in particular, who hasn't the celebrity cache of his former partner (who's become quite an accomplished stage and screen actor), tries mightily to keep his voice intact, one that's more independent-minded than heard usually on the radio these days. His verbal flow still ranks amongst the best.

» Kanye West: "College Dropout" (Roc-A-Fella) -- The linchpin to the above (who both guest on this album), and the producer powerhouse of the year. He's a decent enough rapper who takes a more philosophical tone at times ("Jesus Walks" is a standout track). West has garnered much respect with all kinds of hip-hop heads and, along with the now-retired Jay-Z and crooner Usher, made up the true trinity of pop music this year. They were EVERYWHERE in '04.

» The Clash: "London Calling 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition" (Epic/Legacy) -- A pivotal album back in the day, and still sounding fresh, challenging and relevant today. With the addition of a couple of vintage concert clips and home video of the band in the recording studio with their mad producer Guy Stevens, this is an invaluable reissue.

» Green Day: "American Idiot" (Warner Bros.) -- A rock opera? This was the last thing I expected from this tuneful (and now maturing) pop-punk trio, but it sure holds together well. The lyrics and melodies work due to the sheer chutzpah of Billie Joe Armstrong's songwriting talent.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Green Day also came back strong.

» Loretta Lynn: "Van Lear Rose" (Interscope) -- It took someone like Jack White of the White Stripes to strip down Lynn's rural artistry to its most naked and compelling form. Her proudly independent songs, rooted in her life in Butcher Hollow, Ky., now stand apart from the sleek Nashville Sound that helped make her one of country music's beloved icons. It's the coal miner daughter's most honest and autobiographical statement to date.

» Björk: "Medulla" (Elektra) -- Every aspect of the human voice is featured, with no instrumentation needed or wanted. The Icelandic artist puts her unique and phenomenal voice to the test, collaborating with other notable vocalists and layering it over, under, sideways, down in a fearless manner. It makes for a truly spellbinding experience.

» Madvillain: "Madvillany" (Stones Throw) and TV on the Radio: "Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes" (Touch and Go) -- Of the albums listed here, these two are my favorites. Both make me feel unsettled, off-kilter, but in a good way. The iconoclastic duo of producer-emcees MF Doom and Madlib mix up the sound of language and obscure samples to illustrate a stoner's weirded-out mentality. Madlib's samples, combined with Doom's slurred and slow delivery, make for a free flow of popular culture detritus, the collaboration of offhanded geniuses.

Brooklyn's TV on the Radio (this year's winners of the Shortlist Music Prize) are art-rockers with a difference. The band's music drips with cool sensibilities of jazz, hip-hop, electronics and soul, made complete with the strange, though riveting, singing of Tunde Adebimpe.

Honorable Mentions:

ASSOCIATED PRESS Loretta Lynn presents a raw autobiography with "Van Lear Rose."

The Finn Brothers: "Everyone Is Here" (Nettwerk America)
The Abyssinians and Friends: "Tree of Satta: Volume 1" (Blood and Fire)
Faces: "Five guys walk into a bar ..." (Rhino/Warner Bros.)
Talking Heads: "The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads" (Rhino/Warner Bros.)
Bob Marley & the Wailers: "Burnin' Deluxe Edition" (Island)
Nirvana: "With the Lights Out" (Geffen)
Blonde Redhead: "Misery Is a Butterfly" (4AD)
Sonic Youth: "Sonic Nurse" (Geffen)
Drive-By Truckers: "The Dirty South" (New West)
Morrissey: "You Are the Quarry" (Attack)
Comets on Fire: "Blue Cathedral" (Sub Pop)
The Roots: "The Tipping Point" (Geffen)
Joss Stone: "Mind Body & Soul" (S-Curve/EMI)
Elvis Costello and the Imposters: "The Delivery Man" (Lost Highway)
The Thermals: "F---in A" (Sub Pop)
PJ Harvey: "Uh Huh Her" (Island)
Tom Waits: "Real Gone" (Anti-)
Wilco: "A Ghost Is Born" (Nonesuch)
Trina Broussard: "Same Girl" (Motown)
Jill Scott: "Beautifully Human: Words & Sounds 2" (Sony Music)

Favorite local albums:

» Emirc: "Rhyme & Punishment" (Flip the Bird Entertainment)
» Ooklah the Moc: "Rearrange Your Positive" (Ghetto Circus Records)

Best 10 singles:

» Jay-Z: "99 Problems" (Roc-A-Fella)
» Twista: "Overnight Celebrity" (Atlantic)
» Usher featuring Lil' Jon & Ludacris: "Yeah" (LaFace)
» Julie Roberts: "Break Down Here" (Mercury Nashville)
» Nina Sky featuring Jabba: "Move Ya Body" (Universal)
» Christina Milian: "Dip It Low" (Island)
» Beenie Man featuring Ms. Thing: "Dude" (Virgin/EMI)
» Los Lonely Boys: "Heaven" (Epic)
» Franz Ferdinand: "Take Me Out" (Epic)
» Maroon 5: "This Love" (Octone)

Favorite music DVDs:

» Sonic Youth: "Corporate Ghost: The Videos 1990-2002" (Geffen)
» DJ Shadow: "Live! In Tune & On Time" (Geffen)
» "Tom Dowd and the Language of Music" (WEA)
» "The Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus" (Abkco Films)
» Yeah Yeah Yeahs: "Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow" (Universal Music)
» The White Stripes: "Under Blackpool Lights" (BMG Distribution)

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