I'm not decided yet, so this list will be in roughly descending order, and will have more than 5 albums.

Dredg - catch without arms: hands down best album of the year. i've been a fan for a while, and even though interscope tried, they couldn't screw up this album.

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & Matt Sweeney - Superwolf: definately deserves to be on my list. but putting it there would mean i owed an even bigger mea culpa to ben.

Gratitude - gratitude + Coheed and Cambria - Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness: these two albums probably comprised the bulk of the music i listened to this year, but neither of them are amazing, or unique.

Opeth - Ghost Reveries: great album, miles better than their last two, almost up to par with still life.

Spoon - gimme fiction: really solid album, from a band i've liked a long time. i don't know why i'm not more excited about this.

Nine Inch Nails - with teeth: choosing this would make it seem like my musical taste was stuck in 1994. the fact that i'm considering it makes it obvious that it IS, regardless of whether anyone notices.

The Arcade Fire - funeral: i see this on other lists, but i could have sworn it came out before the end of 2004.

Wolf Parade - apologies to the queen mary: it's a shame i can't put their live show in this list. hearts on fire is the worst way to end an album. but the live version is amazing.

The Decemberists - picaresque + Bright Eyes - i'm wide awake, it's morning: putting these albums in the list would make me THAT indie kid. plus i don't listen to either of them all the way through.

Cave In - perfect pitch black: i only recently heard about this album, and it's growing on me fast. then again, it's no 'jupiter'.

Fantomas - suspended animation: best Mike Patton stuff in a while.