The best albums of 2004

Every album here was released in 2004 and has been through at least 5 head-to-head matchups against other records. That floor matters: without it, an album that won its only vote would outrank one that has survived two hundred, and the page would be worse than useless.

Positions shift as people keep voting. This is a live ranking, not a list published once and left to rot - if you disagree with it, the way to change it is to vote.