h, 2004. It had 365 days in it and
a lot of stuff happened, but can we really call it
a year? I mean, there have been months where we've
gotten more done. Maybe this had something to do
with the fact that this was such a divisive year.
A year in which the only winners of a heated election
were the people who got the most votes, the people
that supported those people, and the people that
will benefit, either directly or indirectly, from
those people having won. A year in which various
celebrities split and repaired like so many single-celled
organisms under a microscope. A year in which Eminem
did not give Elton John a hug. Yes, it seems like
the only thing we could all agree on this year was
what constituted its best music. And even with that,
we totally sucked at agreeing. However, in an attempt
to sugarcoat these past twelve months for posterity,
here is a look at some of the albums that either
shaped or did not shape our world in 2004.
One final note before getting to the list: as with
any other list that you read, we did not all get
together and say, “boy, I bet it would really
piss off [insert your name here] if we left [insert
the crappy band that you like here] off the list
this year.” Sorry to disappoint you, but there
is no conspiracy against you, at least not here at
RED Magazine. No, instead, the final placings were
determined based on a top secret point-allocating
system that was passed on to us from the Druids and
for which I am obligated to have one finger removed
each year for the right to continue using it. So
please enjoy it now, because it's only going to get
more stubbish with each passing year. –BS
| 25. Desperate Youth,
Bloodthirsty Babes |
TV on the Radio
Touch & Go
I read an interview with the members of TV on the
Radio about the time this record came out. They were
pretty stoked on themselves for being unique and
different, and they suggested that most bands these
days just aren't trying. Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty
Babes is a good example of a band making a conscious
effort to sound different. This is the kind of approach
that would usually fail, but in this case it triumphs.
Using two, three, and sometimes even four part harmonies,
some antibacterial production, and a gnarly saxophone,
TV on the Radio manages to maintain a high degree
of accessibility. –RMac
| 24. A Grand Don't Come for Free |
The Streets
Vice/Atlantic
This is a terrible album. Some pompous British fop
whining, sorry, rap-whining on and on about his petty
problems. Those awful tin can beats are just a step
above Wesley Willis fare. Some rap albums are gritty
in the way they depict life on the streets. This
one just sounds gritty. But like that scene in “Sideways” where
Miles goes to fetch Jack's wallet, it's almost beautiful
in its awfulness. And it would make for a wonderfully
haunting one-man play. When Mike Skinner [SPOILER
WARNING:] finally finds his wad of cash in the TV
set during “Empty Cans,” I can't help
but choke back the tears. It gets me every single
time. –BS
Franz Ferdinand
Domino
In recent years, danceable punk pop has been on
the rise, and Glasgow’s Franz Ferdinand may
very well mark its apex. The band’s self-titled
debut LP picks up where exciting but half-baked bands
like The French Kicks and Hot Hot Heat left off,
giving us something a little more substantial to
ponder while we rock out and flail about. –Stewf
Pinback
Touch & Go
Earlier this year my brother Dave and I went to
see one of our favorite bands currently, and no,
it wasn't Pinback. It was Enon. Oh Pinback was there
all right. But we weren't there to see Pinback. We
were there to see Enon. We didn't really know much
about Pinback and, frankly, we didn't much care to
know. First off, there were about 500 brace-faced
teenage girls there, all wearing their “I Heart
Pinback” t-shirts—not exactly our “crowd.” Strike
one. Then, while Enon was playing, there was little
to no respect from the Pinback crowd—unacceptable.
Strike two. Then I finally heard Pinback's set. It
was…kind of boring. Strike three. But I remember
thinking at the time, yeah, maybe if I got into one
of their albums I would appreciate this. And then,
what's this? A home run. Or at least a triple or
whatever. Pinback may have spent the summer in the
Abaddon of my heart, but they're currently wintering
in the cozy log cabin of my left aortic ventricle. –BS
Rogue Wave
Sub Pop
What’s that coming out of the shadow? It smells
like indie lo-fi (“Nourishment Nation”).
No, it’s psychedelic jangle pop (“Seasick
On Land”). No, wait, it’s early ’70s
folk rock (“Kicking The Heart Out”).
Now it’s straight power pop (“Endless
Shovel”)! WTF!? Only 37 minutes!? Gimme more! –Stewf
Kanye West
Rocafella
When I listen to a rap record, beats and production
are the first things I notice. Rhymes usually start
hitting me after a few listens. With Kanye West’s
The College Dropout, I was immediately taken in by
both. Kanye's beats are the real moneymaker here,
but even when he is talking about kids dealing drugs
he uses enough playful puns to make it fun for all
ages. Kanye's flow seems awkward at times, but luckily
he's got help from the likes of Jay-Z, Ludacris,
Talib Kweli and others to smooth things out. –RMac
Jolie Holland
Anti
A cofounder of The Be Good Tanyas, Jolie Holland
may have been the best Tanya of them all. This year's
album, Escondida, picks up the neo-traditional mood
of the Tanya's first effort, Blue Horse, which Holland
wrote part of and shaped before departing the group,
and improves upon
it as the Tanyas’ second album failed to do.
Her versatile alto’s unique phrasing complements
a host of traditional instruments, many of which
she plays herself. Truly a gifted musician and lyricist,
Holland would surely have placed higher on this year's
list if only more people had heard of her. –JP
The Walkmen
Record Collection
I have something important that I want you to do.
If you have not yet listened to the track “The
Rat” from Bows + Arrows by The Walkmen, do
it yesterday. It is easily one of the best singles
of 2004 and will get you hooked on the record’s
smart, fun rock and roll. Once you get a chance to
hear the rest, you will find a very rewarding combination
of warm nostalgia and the brilliance of the present.
I have said that this is the record I was hoping
The Strokes would make with Room On Fire. Although
the Walkmen share some musical elements with The
Strokes—including their New York flavor—the
members of The Walkmen do not repeat themselves track
after track. Instead, they swagger about from place
to place like a group of friends walking home late
from a bar in Manhattan. –KP
Blue States
Memphis Industries
I don't know which is more admirable—that
such a crisp, knowledgeable homage to mid-80s bands
like Echo & the Bunnymen and The Psychedelic
Furs could have been produced in this current age
of excess, or that it could come from a band like
Blue States, whose prior two albums were more along
the lines of adult-lite bands like Air (ahem, see
#11), and barely explored the band's lyrical/vocal
abilities like The Soundings does. But this isn't
just an album that you admire. This is an album that
you come to love. And if it doesn't make an outright ’80s
fan out of even the most staunch ninetyist, it should
at the very least feel at home in this, the reddest
state of them all. –BS
| 16. Happy Like an Autumn Tree |
Cyann & Ben
Gooom
The French label Gooom seemed to come out of nowhere
last year with the much-lauded Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost
Ghosts by electronic duo M83. It was a fine album
to be sure, but I was even more impressed by another
Gooom offering, Cyann & Ben's accomplished debut
Spring. Its combination of whirring fairy-tale electronics
and earnest, pastoral folk was like liquid crack
for my ears, and now, not a year later, the band
has followed through like a good dealer with Happy
Like an Autumn Tree. As with most psychotropic substances,
this second hit was a bit more intense, a shade darker,
and did not last quite as long. But it left me wanting
more, even more than before. –BS
Junior Boys
Kin
Do you like the Postal Service, but are somewhat
unsettled by their affiliations with the actual United
States Postal Service (no joke) and/or O.C. poster
band Death Cab for Cutie? Did nobody show up for
your birthday party this year besides friends of
your mom? Have you always wished you were just a
little bit more cool? Look no further than the Junior
Boys! With the Junior Boys on your side,, seamlessly
mixing the coolest sounds of now with the songwriting
sensibilities of the ’80s and the boyish good
looks of the’90s, you'll find people aged 12-32
just aching to be your friend! –BS
| 14. Good News for People Who Love Bad News |
Modest Mouse
Epic
In 2002, “Gravity Rides Everything” appeared
in a Miller Genuine Draft TV ad. Now “Float
On” is all over alt-rock radio. It's enough
commercialism to scare off the band's anti-corporate
Modest Mouseketeers. Well, maybe if Good News for
People Who Love Bad News didn't kick so much ass!
Seriously, this record's depth shows why Isaac Brock
is one of the most experienced and inventive of today's
indie rockers. And however you feel about the (over?)-exposure
the band's getting now, at least they're finally
getting recognized for something all of us smart
people have known for about seven years now. –Stewf/BS
| 13. Misery is a Butterfly |
Blonde Redhead
4AD
Of course, misery isn't really a butterfly, but
Blonde Redhead does give a pretty convincing argument
nonetheless. For one thing, if misery isn't a butterfly,
then how did Blonde Redhead manage to record an album
so lovingly labored and intricately layered while
between record labels? And how did the band, who
had already recorded a stellar departure album with
2000's Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons, manage to
whip up yet another complete departure, this time
into shoegaze-tinged, maudlin chamber pop? And why
does almost every song sound like it should be the
album's first single? Unfortunately, I don't know
the answers to any of these questions. But I do know
that misery must be a butterfly. Because otherwise,
none of these things make any sense at all. –BS
| 12. Thunder, Lightning, Strike |
The Go! Team
Memphis Industries
A lot of people this year were calling “Spiderman
2” the best superhero movie yet. But really,
when you think about it, that's just silly. Especially
when clearly the best superhero movie to come around
in a long time would have to be The Go! Team. Observe:
A Corn Pops Saturday morning Superfriends kid by
day, a beatboxing cheerleader by mid-afternoon, and
an A-Team vice squad, trumpets-blaring vigilante
by night, The Go! Team put the fear back into a legion
of nefarious foes this year, from Squaredance Sam
to Frowny Fred. And the Go! Team aren't even a movie!
Meanwhile, what did Tobey Maguire ever even do? Deliver
a couple pizzas? Come on. –BS
Air
Astralwerks
The world became just a little bit more soft and
fluffy when Air dropped their debut Moon Safari six
years ago. To me, it's still a very special album,
and one of the first I think of when trying to list
classic albums from the’90s. Somehow, Talkie
Walkie already manages to conjure up some of the
same feelings in me. And yet, it's a completely different
animal. As the title sort of suggests, Talkie Walkie
really flexes Air's vocal muscles more than ever.
Meanwhile, the band has honed its trademark “sexy
boy” atmospherics to sound effortlessly transcendental,
and more cohesive than ever before, leaving us with
some pretty sweet Nyquil-laced lullabies. That endorsement
from Nissan don't hurt either. –BS
Wilco
Nonesuch
Let’s not kid ourselves. Compared to Yankee
Hotel Foxtrot, this is a bit of a disappointment.
But then, compared to YHF, aren’t we all disappointments?
And what an interesting disappointment it is! That
ten minute krautrock song. That other ten minute
song. Those two songs about things that can fly.
That one where the girl kisses him on his black eye,
even though she gave it to him—oh man! I’m
even told some people don’t think it’s
a disappointment at all, and want to punch me in
the face right now! And who can blame them? As strong
as a lot of these songs are, if you listen to A Ghost
is Born long enough and loud enough that it deadens
that part of your brain with YHF in it, it doesn’t
even really sound that disappointing at all. –BS
Sufjan Stevens
Sounds Familyre
Last year, Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake
State introduced Sufjan Stevens as a songwriter of
great promise. One of those promises, in fact, was
to go on to record a similar state-themed album for
every state in the contiguous U.S. (take that, Alaska).
Just kidding Alaska, he was going to do you too.
But while Seven Swans effectively proves Sufjan a
liar by having nothing to do with any state whatsoever,
it still manages to deliver on most of his other
promises (the ones about being great). These heavily
spiritual songs have the power to transform any room
in which they're played. If Sufjan had a little bit
more of a voice, he could just be “the next
Nick Drake” that everyone seems to want him
to be. But the vocals match his spare mystic-folk
so well it feels wrong to complain. I guess you could
call it a state…of grace? –Stewf/BS
A.C. Newman
Matador
The New Pornographers have always been a great band
to say you like over dinner if you hate your parents.
Your father drops his fork and starts massaging his
forehead. Your mother seems unshaken for about a
minute but then breaks down in tears. And all the
while you're thinking, “Ha! They're nowhere
near as bad as Revco!” But head pornographer
Carl Newman's first solo effort, The Slow Wonder,
may be even more impressive than your eighth-grade
shenanigans. This is power pop at its best: catchy,
but not too predictable, nothing over four minutes. "On
the Table" could be a Shins tune. By the time
you get to the delightfully moody “Come Crash" you
may just be wishing that Carl spent less time with
the Porn and more time making great music on his
own. –BS/Stewf
| 07. From a Basement on the Hill |
Elliott Smith
Anti
From a Basement on the Hill is a melancholic record
to listen to considering that this is the last piece
of music we will get to enjoy from one of the most
talented artists of our generation. Released almost
exactly one year after Elliott Smith’s untimely
death, the album contains a vast range of beautiful
songs about heartache, despair, and battling drug
addiction. Not fully finished at the time, it was
left up to close friends and family to arrange and
produce the final tracks on the album. Sadness has
rarely been sung quite so sweetly. –RB
Interpol
Matador
Apparently Interpol has never heard of the term “sophomore
slump.” Well, maybe the band members have heard
of it. But if that's what they were going for with
Antics, then they sure did a crappy job of it. Some
said there was no way Interpol could improve on Turn
on the Bright Lights, and so they should have tried
something new this time around. To that I say, “bah!” There
isn't a dry spot on Antics. I played it for my angst-rock-hatin'
brother the other day and he was so engrossed by
its complexity and production that he overlooked
how dark the album is. Pissed off? Play it loud and
feel better. –Stewf
Madvillain
Stones Throw
If you take Daniel Dumile's war against mainstream
hip hop seriously, as I do, then the arrival of this
album was probably even more important to you than
this year's election. I mean, Operation: Doomsday
and Vaudeville Villain were, well, villainous and
all, but come on, Doom and Vaughn are just henchmen.
Even King Geedorah, who's like a thirty-story dragon
or something, can't so much as eat a helicopter without
the go ahead from Madvillain. Madvillainy, with Madlib's
jazz-tinged production perhaps providing Dumile with
his best musical backdrop yet, is as much an episode
of Cribs for the underground elite as it is an instructional/terrorist
video to the rest of the hip hop world. –BS
The Fiery Furnaces
Rough Trade
I was in New York two summers ago when I had the
best smoothie I've ever had in my life. It was a
blueberry banana. I think there was some bee pollen
in there too maybe. Ever since then, it's sort of
been my holy grail. Every time I have a chance to
order a smoothie and those two flavors are available,
I can't help myself. So when Eleanor Friedberger
sings with all her third grade might to a cadre of
imagined fruit pirates, “you ain't never gettin'
the cargo of my blueberry boat,” I can sympathize.
And an hour later, when Blueberry Boat is just winding
down, I'm barely even thirsty anymore. Call it what
you will (headache-inducing, juvenile, or self-indulgent),
it's certainly one of the most ambitious albums in
recent memory, and to a great many of us, one of
the most intriguing, innovative, and satisfying as
well. –BS
Brian Wilson
Nonesuch
A few unexpected events happened in music this year,
but probably none were more surprising than Brian
Wilson completing his second masterpiece, Smile.
As if deciding to one-up the Pixies reunion tour,
Wilson, whom many assumed was no longer emotionally
or mentally fit for the job, completed and re-recorded
what was to be the 1967 follow-up to Pet Sounds before
his breakdown ended sessions and resulted in the
minimally produced Smiley Smile.
As I listen to Smile, it’s still hard to believe
that it’s real, after years of listening to
a series of mysterious snippets, reading speculation
over the proper running order and attempting to assemble
the album from various bootleg tracks. And the shock
grows as with each listen I realize how complete
the album is.
In a year when many people declared the “album” dead
in the wake of the digital music revolution, Wilson
may have released the quintessential album. Several
songs on Smile had previously been released in various
forms, on myriad bootlegs and various official releases—most
notably The Beach Boys’ Good Vibrations boxed
set, which included unreleased recordings and songs
that turned up on later Beach Boys albums—but
only now, in its complete form, is it the grand “teenage
symphony to God” that Wilson envisioned.
In three movements, Wilson uses a pop language ranging
from the simple, building beauty of “Wonderful” to
the awe-inspiring orchestration and ascending melodies
of “Surf’s Up.” Songs overlap on
one another as Wilson’s modular recording technique
creates a stunning variety of
arrangements in each song.
While Wilson’s voice isn’t at the same
strength that it used to be, the decision to re-record
the album in its entirety was the only way to integrate
the new elements and avoid legal issues. Wilson is
still in top form as a producer, and he adds new
elements while recreating the old ones. If it is
a weaker album than what might have come out in ’67,
it only suggests that the older version of the album
would likely have reached a transcending level of
genius. –JM
Sonic Youth
Geffen
If someone had told me in 2002 when Sonic Youth
released Murray Street that they would return in
two years with a record that was even more experimental
and inspired, I would have told them they were a
damn fool. Then I would also reply that the
year that would happen would be the year that a movie
would be made about a thin curly-haired geek from
my home state of Idaho that would become wildly successful.
But Sonic Youth did release that record. And
2004 did become the year that Idaho broke. This actually
happened. I don't even think Miss Cleo saw it
coming.
When I first heard Sonic Nurse, I was skeptical
of course, but the songs eventually won me over. “I
Love You Golden Blue” is a long, slow-burning
track with a sound not present in any recent work
from the band. “Peace Attack” is one
of the most beautiful ballads they have ever written
in their career. And then there’s “Mariah
Carey and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream,” which
I submit to be the most catchy and representative
entry into the band’s work yet and their best
single ever released. Immediately I couldn’t
help but imagine a newer and younger generation of
listeners hearing this track and it becoming their
gateway drug to the band.
This record is a very balanced one for Sonic Youth.
It contains some of the most accessible music they
have ever recorded, yet it still contains plenty
to challenge the ear. Combining many elements of
the music they have created over the last 23 years,
they have succeeded in creating a masterpiece which
brings to mind many points along their career, but
they still sound just as fresh and inventive as they
ever did on Sister, Daydream Nation, Dirty or Washing
Machine. This year Sonic Youth dismissed all the
critics and amusing psychics to show that even after
releasing volumes of albums, their music is still
far from being tired or formulaic and they are not
planning on stopping any time soon. –KP
The Arcade Fire
Merge
I don't want to give too much away about our system
for scoring the albums that made this list, but it
may interest you to know that, on said system, the
Arcade Fire scored a whopping 605 points, over four
times more than the next closest competitor. Granted,
my statistical sampling methods would make Dan Jones
and that Gallup guy collectively weep, but still,
between all of us and our many differences, the one
thing we could basically all agree on (get on the
boat, Jeremy!) was the glory of the Arcade Fire.
But how did this come to be? How did yet another
band from Montreal manage the trek across the icy
lakes, over thousands of miles of boring nothing
land, over the tremulous Rockies, and straight into
our hearts? The answer is simple and twofold. On
the one hand, the Arcade Fire have crafted an album
that goes straight for the heartstrings, contemplating
adulthood and the death of loved ones through eyes
both winsome and profound. I can't listen to more
than three or four songs off Funeral without wanting
to call my mother just to make sure everything's
all right with her.
On the other hand, this is a rip-roaring beast of
a rock album. “Rebellion (Lies)” stomps
and soars like one of those things from the “The
Neverending Story”. And “Neighborhood
#3 (Power Out)” is elegant in much the same
way as a power saw. Throughout the album, Win Butler's
vocals are expertly mixed, often sounding like an
animal caged behind a glass wall. Every track here
is vital, executed as if it might be the band's last
chance to make a statement before that looming titular
event makes victims of them as well.
Ah, energy! Emotion! A sense of community! This
is all we seek in our music! It doesn't seem like
much to ask. So why do so few bands manage to deliver?
Simple. They are not the Arcade Fire. And, at least
for this year, that answer was good enough for most
all of us. –BS
Walking Cloud, Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and
the Sun Shined
Mono
Temporary Residence
On their third full-length, Japanese instrumental
outfit Mono continue to innovate in their creation
of lush, guitar-based soundscapes. This time with
the help of legendary producer Steve Albini, the
record feels much more organic and more like an entity
than a collection of parts. The guitars on this recording
sound less like guitars and more like evaporated
liquid or howling winds. Such is the case on opening
track "16.12" which creates a perfect storm
that would strike fear in the heart of any man. It
is such an unrelenting, spiraling force that the
combined force of George Clooney, Marky Mark, and
also Sinbad (as himself) would be powerless against
it. –KP
Riot on an Empty Street
Kings of Convenience
Source/Astralwerks
The suave Norwegians craft their best album yet.
This one is catchy bliss from start to finish. Ideal
for a mellow dinner party of guests uninitiated with
indie. Expect lots of comments at the table about
how great the music tastes. –Stewf
Ghosts Don't Have Bones
Tolchock Trio
Red Triangle
Every so often the national music media arbitrarily
designates one area of the country as a “hot
scene.” We’ve seen this with Seattle
in the early ’90s, and more recently with New
York. Could Salt Lake City ever become such a hype
town? If any significant member of the music media
were to stumble across Ghosts Don’t Have Bones,
then I’d say it could. The refreshingly awkward
ascending riff of “Wolf Eyes,” the pump-up
intensity of “Reflux Bollox,” and the
strutting funk of “Goose” is enough to
put Salt Lake on the proverbial map. It’s that
good. –RMac
Utopia
Murcof
Leaf
It surprised me to learn that this album was only
meant to be a holding place until Fernando Corona’s
next proper album as Murcof. See, I prefer to look
at Murcof in the context of this album as the closest
the microhouse genre is ever going to come to a supergroup.
Featuring remixes from some of the best beat programmers
and soundscapists (Jan Jelinek, Sutekh, Deathprod,
and Geoff White to name a few), this is an entrancing
listen from beginning to end. And that’s saying
nothing of Murcof’s own tracks, whose haunting
orchestral arrangements rival his beats. It’s
like dance music for gothic termites. –BS
Now Here is Nowhere
Secret Machines
Warner Bros.
On their first full-length album, the members of
Secret Machines have created an extremely cohesive
record which I believe shows promise for new blends
of psychedelic rock. Rather than re-treading or merely
combining the work of greats such as Pink Floyd and
the Flaming Lips, they have instead built upon the
work of the past and succeeded in creating their
own voice that is solid throughout the entire record.
While the music extends out into space it is also
tightly rooted with an incredible rhythm section.
The interweaving of the drums and bass guitar on
this record is a unique treat. Both are laser-precise
and fit inside of each other perfectly. Filled with
color and texture, the record is a pleasure to listen
to from beginning to end. This is by far my choice
for Road Trip Album of the Year as it drives along
with great intensity while providing plenty of beautiful
scenery along the way. Opening track “First
Wave Intact” is particularly special to me
since its pounding rhythms have become my new choice
of soundtrack if I could ever have the pleasure to
become a giant lizard and destroy a city with fists,
tail and Ice Breath Attack. –KP
My Country II: Music to Beat Bush By
Anthems
Dan Bern & the International Jewish Banking Conspiracy
Messenger
While many musicians served their political beliefs
by using their music and fame as a fundraising tool,
the great neo-folk singer/songwriter Dan Bern bore
his on his sleeve with moving songs on his two pre-election
CD EPs, My Country II and Anthems. Bern’s songs
are sometimes funny, like My Country II’s “Bush
Must Be Defeated” (His goodbye coffee heated/
His inaugural spats uncleated/ His White House bed
short-sheeted), sometimes heartbreaking, like the
same EP’s “After the Parade,” about
a wounded soldier returning home, sometimes
motivational, like My Country II’s title track
and “Take Back the New Millennium” from
Anthems, and sometimes a combination. While some
of the songs on the EPs might simply be depressing
to listen now that the election is over, they recall
the rousing folk and rock of the 1960s, when musicians
felt the need to express their desires to change
the world through their art. –JM
The Milk-Eyed Mender
Joanna Newsom
Drag City
Newcomer Joanna Newsom sings like a little girl,
but that didn’t stop Blossom Dearie from garnering
a loyal fan base. Young Joanna already has her own
throng of worshipers who feel blessed to have found
such a rare voice. If the old folkers of Appalachia
had harps, their music might have sounded something
like this. Even if they did have harps, nothing could
approach Newsom’s heart-tugging, ethereal tone
and fairy tale poetry. –Stewf
Sung Tongs
Animal Collective
Fat Cat
I hardly feel like I need to talk about this album
much, considering how well other publications have
done at singing its praises. Unfortunately, it just
didn't get enough fans out of the people who contributed
to this article. Which I can understand. Although
it's probably true that this is the Animal Collective's
most accessible album yet, that still only makes
it about as accessible to the average person as a
wet metal pole hanging thirty feet above your head.
Call me old-fashioned, but to me, Avey Tare, Panda
Bear, Deakin, and the Geologist may never create
another album as weirdly wonderful as 2000's Spirit
They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished by those first
two members of the collective. But this comes really
close. –BS
