We decided to do something a little different this year for our 'Best of' roundup. Instead of a master list compiled of submissions from our contributors and writers, we wanted to give our writers a chance to pick their own Top 5 list of the best of the year in music. Over the next three weeks we will be unveiling our writers' picks for the best of 2004.

Every day we will be posting a new Top 5 list from one of our writers, selected at random. At the conclusion we will reveal the master list. We also want to let you take part and will be accepting nominations for a readers' choice list.

Joannie Foney's Top 5 (no Top 3) of 2004.

1. Meshuggah - I: What a band! What a song! I have nothing to add to this besides read the Hobo 5 star review on antiMusic. Back in those days I already owned everything Meshuggah had put out except for Psykisk Testbild & though I was planning to buy "I" just because, I really didn't see how I could get into it, given my self diagnosed, crippling condition I decided was Adult Onset Attention Deficit Disorder (AOADD). Hobo made me not only want to run out & buy it, but listen to it & like it!!! Now I have an attention span of 21 whole minutes long, really! I'm not kidding! It used to be only 7:51 minutes long, the length of "Cadaverous Mastication" ("Elastic" clocking in at 15 & a half didn't help, I always skip through the endless minutes of noise, boo hoo.) I am well on the road to becoming a normal, functioning adult. I can't wait till "Catch 33" comes out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(samples / buy cd | review)

2. Dillinger Escape Plan - Miss Machine: I didn't have time to read the Hobo review of this before I bought it, I was too busy staking out the Mom & Pop record store ready to jump the delivery guy when he brought this gem into the store. Now the terms of my community service have been fulfilled, I have no plans to violate the restraining order the guy has against me, I'm still listening to & loving this, their best ever album. Now go read the Hobo 5 star review.
(samples / buy cd | review)

3. Caliban - The Opposite from Within: Unfortunately because of my delivery guy altercation I had to send my son into the store to buy this the day it came out in America. I knew that even if I hadn't listened to that �keep 100 feet away from the mom & pop shop' stern warning speech the judge gave the day of my court appearance for the DEP thing, it wouldn't be a good idea for me to go in there in the frenzied state of raging impatience I was in. Grrrr, everywhere else in the world had had this release for over a month, I HAD TO WAIT!!!!!!!! Yeah, that's what AOADD people love best, waiting months for something they need to have when everyone else already has it. Was it worth the wait? Yup. But those Caliban guys better never do that to me again! Either everyone gets it at the same time, or I should get it first, grrrr. Well, that's it. I bought a lot of stuff this year, but nothing I can add to this list.
(samples / buy cd)

Those three represent the ones I really really wanted, really really looked forward to, everything else I've gotten this year has been anticlimactic. I like the new Fear Factory, Paria, Domeshots, Daysend, Slipnot, My kids really like the new Korn, Seether & Evanescence CDs, but I just can't bring myself to sully this list of the 3 best albums released all year with any of that filler. Setting a trailer house in the midst of a ritzy neighborhood will cause property values to plummet, adding any of that to this list might do the same. Besides, I've been sitting here for almost 20 minutes now, & I have to go out in the yard & run in circles for a while before my head explodes.

Check back tomorrow when another member of the antiMusic staff checks in with their top 5 list.

Wait! Be sure to submit your nominations for the Readers' Choice list.