5 Amazing Albums Released 20 Years Ago This Month

2004 can’t possibly be 20 years ago, can it? We’ve been playing the albums on this list (and several others that didn’t quite make the cut) pretty regularly since they were released in October 2024, so that might have something to do with the disconnect.

In any case, we have a very cool batch of five albums for you to check out. Let’s see what was happening in the music world two decades ago this month.

From a Basement on the Hill by Elliott Smith

Released almost a year to the day after his death in 2003, this album was cobbled together from the material Smith had recorded over about a three-year stretch. And while some might quibble whether the finished result matched Smith’s intent, the producers did a solid job of generally recreating his signature sad, swirling sound. Whatever problems he might have been personally enduring, Smith’s work shined brilliantly till the end, highlighted here by deeply personal and exquisitely crafted gems like “Pretty (Ugly Before)” and “A Fond Farewell.”

Real Gone by Tom Waits

The crown prince of the unholy racket was at it again with what’s essentially a double album’s worth of material. Once again collaborating with wife Kathleen Brennan, Waits left piano completely out of the picture on Real Gone, pretty much completing the transformation from his barroom ballad days. Not that he doesn’t slow it down now and again. He delivers one of his eeriest melodies in “Trampled Rose,” while closing track “Day After Tomorrow,” with wisps of Marc Ribot’s guitar wafting around the singer, is a heartbreaking soldier’s tale. There’s still plenty of space left for wild rabble-rousers like “Hoist That Rag” to lighten the mood.

Around the Sun by R.E.M.

Many fans will tell you (and the band themselves has said as much in the past) that Around the Sun is the weakest R.E.M. album. Is the band that good that even their worst deserves a spot in the best of a particular month in history? Or is it maybe that everyone has judged the album a bit too harshly? You can’t go into Around the Sun expecting it to sound like typical R.E.M., because those churning guitars are largely absent. But the melodies are quite strong, with arrangements designed to show off the prettiness of songs like “Leaving New York.” Trust us: Give it another chance.

Dear Heather by Leonard Cohen

Cohen threw a little bit of everything at the wall on Dear Heather, which would turn out to be his last studio album for eight years. There are lyrics borrowed from other poets, and several songs where he’s barely a presence at all in the recording, handing the vocals over to Sharon Robinson and Anjani Thomas. The title track finds him singing in a humorous automaton voice, but he also delivers earnest empathy in the 9/11-themed “On That Day.” The album finishes strong, with the beautiful “The Faith” and a rollicking live cover of “Tennessee Waltz” providing an unlikely 1-2 punch.

Alfie Soundtrack by Mick Jagger and David Stewart

Does anybody remember that they did a remake of the classic Michael Caine film Alfie with Jude Law? Maybe not? Well, you might then have also forgotten that Mick Jagger collaborated with David Stewart of Eurythmics to turn out a pretty nifty soundtrack. You’ll find fetching incidental music and some nice guest appearances, including Joss Stone doing a nice cover of the legendary Bacharach/David theme song. But Jagger’s mid-tempo ruminations like “Old Habits Die Hard” and “Blind Leading the Blind” are the highlights, as he sinks smoothly into a contemplative, bittersweet vibe.

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