the tigers have spoken

I've been wrapped up in Year in Review crap for the past week or two, mainly for the magazine but also just in my head, trying to nail down the big names and ideas that made 2004 unique. It's funny: Every year I do this (in some capacity) and I always end up getting hung up on someone or something from just the final few months of the year. This time it's Neko Case. Every time I think about 2004, I hear her crooning "The Tigers Have Spoken," a song that I don't fully understand and one that I really only came across a couple of weeks back. (The CD only hit in early November, so at least I'm not that far behind.)
But what about all the other CDs I've been obsessed with this year? Whither Jem, or the sizzling Scissor Sisters? What of Loretta and her amazing "Van Lear Rose," which I'm choosing as my favorite album of the year? I'm even tempted to include the new Swing Out Sister CD on my top 10 roster.
This is do know: Neko's performing in New York in February. Count me in.