Since I've been linking to a bunch of other people's "best of" lists, I thought I'd make one up myself. I can't quite think of 10 CDs to put on it, though, so it's not a top 10 list. In no particular order:
U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
Wilco - A Ghost is Born
Phish - Undermind
Ted Leo - Shake the Sheets
Chris Whitley - War Crime Blues
Silkworm - It'll Be Cool
Rum Diary - Posions That Save Lives
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Chasm
I'm not 100% sure that all of those albums were released in 2004, but I think they were.
I know that there were a lot of good albums in 2004 that I completely missed. Hopefully, I'll catch up a bit in 2005. I'm just starting to listen to Arcade Fire and the Unicorns, for instance. And I haven't picked up Brian Wilson's Smile yet.