Welcome one and all to the most anticipated post of every year on Musing - the HCMAs! Without further ado, let's get it on.
Discovery Artist of the Year - Dave Matthews Band
In the band's own way, DMB has become my number one fav. There's no denying the unbelievable amount of creativity and skill that it takes to improvise and to jam like this jam band does. They're like the jazz musicians of the rock genre. And indeed, with a saxophonist and a violinist, they are nothing like your typical rock band. For the ability to cover the entire gamut of emotions that any one person can feel and for skill virtually unsurpassed by any others, there is really no other choice more deserving of this award than the Dave Matthews Band.
Album of the Year - Get Born by Jet
Start to finish, this album is 100% rock 'n' roll music at its best. The fact that they sound like an early version of Oasis or The Strokes helps them out a lot, too. There's nothing fancy about this album - no weird production sound tricks or anything like that - just four guys from Australia (Way to go, mates) showing us what rock sounds like at the very core. What a core.
Retro Songs of the Year - "Blurry" by Puddle of Mudd, "Politik" by Coldplay, and "Papercut" by Linkin Park
There's not much I can do in the way of explaining those three other than saying that they were in my head a LOT. "Papercut" was for days that I felt like a badass. "Blurry" was for rainy/stormy days. And "Politik" just craves attention like chocolate to a woman on her period.
Classical Work of the Year - "Carmina Burana", arranged by George Orff
If you've ever watched TV or seen a movie, you know what this choral arrangement sounds like. If you knew that it's actually priests singing about dirty, guilty pleasures, you might like it even more. No, no little boys were harmed in the making of any of these recordings. Another great work to listen to on a stormy day.
And finally, the one award that everyone holds their breath for. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you 2004's...
Song of the Year - "August and Everything After" by Counting Crows
Supposedly, a studio version of this song doesn't exist. But supposedly this song didn't exist at all except as a few lyrics on the cover of the album by the same name. But in a show in San Francisco in 2003, Adam Duritz surprised the world. Clocking in at over seven minutes long, this ballad written only for piano is one of the most haunting pieces of music I have ever heard. I mean that in the sort of way that makes you want to loop the song for hours on end on the weekend (like I have done quite a few times). Incomparable to anything else heard in the past year, Adam and his Counting Crows take home this year's 2004 Song of the Year title. Nice job, guys.
Honorable mentions in various categories all go out to the Doves, Muse, Seven Mary Three, Sister Hazel, and STP. As a listener, you can't go wrong with any of those bands either. Thank you to everyone who was in the running and to all of the readers and voters, and we'll see you all back here next year!
[applause]
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