Lots of records came down the pike this year. Here are 10 that we couldn't do without. From C&W royalty getting help from a White Stripe to French dance'tronica mavens revealing their Tokyo obsession, 2004 had several, out-of-the-blue surprises. Click here to see which boxed sets made our best-of list.

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand (Columbia)
Maybe their music wasn't as clever as it wanted to be, but these canny Scots had the world domination thing down: smooth stage moves, guitars that kicked your feet into action, and the best stop-start songs since The Breeders' "Cannonball." (240)

Kanye West - The College Dropout (Roc-a-fella)
Hip-hop discs that sustained themselves the whole way through were virtually nonexistent this year, but the producer-turned-MC's debut sure came close. West has opinions on all sorts of situations. Sex, of course -- but he offers it without being overtly cheesy or blatantly raunchy. Consumerism, too -- he slams one sista for being a victim of Madison Avenue. But ghetto culture and religion are the big deal here. Both benefit from some sage production maneuvers and the genre's most polished nonchalance.

Elliot Smith - From A Basement On The Hill (Anti)
Posthumous albums usually don't do anyone any favors. This was an exception. With friends refusing to betray his legacy, Smith's dreamy tunes hinted at the drug hell that led to his death, and it was made all the sadder for the odd glimpse of hope that glimmered through.

Gwen Stefani - Love Angel Music Baby (Interscope)
2004's pop album par excellence, down to the bitchy first single and the title's plug for her clothing line. Stefani left her personality with No Doubt, and excelled as a mouthpiece for state-of-the-art melodic perfection. Hey, Lohan, pay attention there in the back.

Green Day - American Idiot(Warner Bros.)
Billie Joe Armstrong has long been a commentator, but his great subject was always himself and the way he reflected his generation's dizzying anxiety. Ten years after Dookie placed him on the list of punk-pop royalty, he's now a social pundit, crafting a hard-hitting essay on our perpetually daydreaming nation. No longer content to be a pogoing dolt, he slips, rather easily, into the role of insightful social pundit.

Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose (Interscope)
As Rick Rubin's work with Johnny Cash proved, well-done country reclamation projects are a joy to behold. So hats off to Jack White for leading Lynn to water and making her drink. His signature gruffness finds an apt parallel in the raw spirit of her canon, and the new tunes, all written by Lynn, are craggy enough and catchy enough to be cut from the same cloth.

Air - Talkie Walkie (Astralwerks)
They'll always be measured against Moon Safari, so cherish this title for its differences. With whistles and gongs, the French duo opted for bushido rigor over the usual fromage. It isn't everyone who looks East with sex on their minds and nirvana in their hearts.

The Killers - Hot Fuss (Island)
Nothing about them - the Las Vegas origins, the louche posing, the Anglophilia - works except for the music. Their murderous lyrics and Joy Division barking hinted at depth. In the end, though, it was the pounding melodies which made them airplay kings.

Youssou N'Dour - Egypt (Nonesuch)
Religious music is driven by the passion of its spirit, but not every prayer has the pop savvy of the mesmerizing tunes the master Senegalese singer crafted for his trip through his Muslim beliefs. More lilting than usual, the rhythms are concocted by the oversized orchestra N'Dour treats like a party band. Ultimately they become a gateway for Western ears: in a word, irresistible. Ditto for the atmosphere of dedication created by the vivid lyrics of devotion.

Brian Wilson - SMiLE (Nonesuch)
With guidance from the minions/ mentors of his backup band, the beleaguered Beach Boy finished work on a program of elaborate, wondrous tunes that were scheduled to follow the revered Pet Sounds some 40 years ago. A patchwork sprawl of sounds that bring pop tunesmanship to a keen compositional sense, the disc mixes the sometimes surreal poesy of Van Dyke Parks into a fountainhead of instrumental motifs. Smile is where French horn players and cellists have as much responsibility as rock guitarists, sophisticated adults make barnyard noises, and plaintive ballads are built from arcane wordplay. Here's a serious work that uses a giddy innocence as a path to things both profound and poignant.

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