Hmmm let me see...

For me, two records stand out when looking back into 2004:

Air - Talkie Walkie
and
Rodrigo Leão - Cinema (a Portuguese musician, with special guests like Beth Gibbons from Portishead, in a wonderful and very... err... cinematic album)

Then, these that also grabbed my attention:

Kings Of Convenience - Riot On An Empty Street
U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
R.E.M. - Around the Sun
Perry Blake - Songs for someone
Clã - Rosa Carne (a Portuguese band)

I bought a lot more records in 2004 but these are clearly my favourites.

Cheers,

José Mendes
http://portugal.vega.net