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| From | DanAbnrml9@aol.com |
| Subject | Top 20 of 2003 |
| Date | Mon, 5 Jan 2004 17:21:25 EST |
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Here we go... (apologies if anyone gets this twice, I had some difficulty
sending it)
1. Fountains of Wayne – Welcome Interstate Managers
It’s a bit of a cop-out to name the follow-up to one of your previous #1
records as the #1 record of its given year, but Fountains of Wayne’s “Welcome
Interstate Managers†is that rare sequel that lives up to the promise of its
predecessor. Taking the lyrical themes of “Utopia Parkwayâ€, which keenly observed
the bland concerns of middle class American suburbia with rarely-seen
empathy, to a broader, more expansive level, “Welcome Interstate Managers†sounds
like a travelogue where “Utopia Parkway†felt situated at the local mall.
Fountains of Wayne try on a little of everything here—country, new wave, brit-pop, ‘
70s easy listening, classic power-pop—and wed each track to brilliant Ray
Davies-esque observations of normal folks. It makes perfect sense that the
infectious “Stacy’s Momâ€, accompanied by a shamelessly commercial video MTV couldn’
t refuse to air, finally broke the band through to the mainstream. But the
rest of “Welcome Interstate Managers†is every bit as lyrically rich as “Stacy’
s Mom†is catchy.
2. Bleu – Redhead
I like “ordinary†guitar-based pop music with background harmonies and
guitar solos that sounds really good in the car, in the summer, with the windows
down. I like people who co-write songs with Andy Sturmer (of the Jellyfish) and
Dan Wilson (of Semisonic). That’s what this is, so I like it.
3. The Sounds – Living in America
The ‘80s revival is a few years old now, but while most of the electroclash
acts sound a bit, erm, boring, The Sounds come out of nowhere (well, okay,
Sweden) and toss out an album that’s catchier and harder-rocking than any single
Blondie disc while evoking their basic sound. Imitators to some, but this is
way too much fun.
4. The Coral – The Coral
The Coral’s debut record is barely a half hour long, but in that space they
run through sea shanties, ska, folk, ‘60s British Invasion rock, brit-pop, and
punk, often in the space of a single song. At times “The Coral†sounds ready
to run right off its wheels, standing the most deliriously out-of-control and
forward-thinking debut of the year. Extra points for also releasing an EP and
an almost-as-good follow-up record (“Magic and Medicineâ€) within the same
year!
5. The Weakerthans – Reconstruction Site
One song on the third CD by Propaghandhi’s John K. Sampson’s side project
finds him telling a story from the point of view of a boy with cake in his hair
hiding under the table at a wedding. Another finds him as a jaded cat
criticizing his owner’s self-destructive ways. The entirety of “Reconstruction Siteâ€
takes these literate, heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics and pairs them with one of
the brightest sets of songs of the year, constantly veering from rock to
country and back again.
6. Junior Senior – D-D-Don’t Stop the Beat
Prince was a common man to name-check this year, as evidenced by these next
two choices. Junior Senior took a great deal of psychedelic-era Prince (think “
Raspberry Beretâ€) and mixed in a whole lot of late ‘80s alt-dance (think B-52’
s, Stereo MC’s, Soup Dragons, Big Audio Dynamite, etc.) and a dash of
Monkees-esque ‘60s pop to create a fun and booming party record. Way less serious and
way more fun than most of the other neo-garage acts who flooded the landscape
this year.
7. OutKast – Speakerboxx/The Love Below
What else can be said about this album that hasn’t been already? “
Speakerboxx/The Love Below†is the rare mainstream record that excites music fans from
all stripes AND is f***ing good at the same time. We all know this. The most
important record of 2003, hands down.
8. Postal Service – Give Up
Much of 2003 was about pairings of things that shouldn’t go together, and the
Postal Service is one of the most vivid examples. Take Death Cab For Cutie’s
Benjamin Gibbard and a set of songs that are virtually identical to what you’d
find on any DCFC album and lay them over blippy IDM (read: dance music you can
’t actually dance to) courtesy of Dntel’s Jimmy Tamborello and you get a
surprise treat, and one of the rare electronic albums that doesn’t sound
detached. Who would’ve guessed?
9. Blur – Think Tank
Blur, along with Fountains of Wayne, are one of my all-time favorite bands,
so be aware of bias. But “13â€, the last Blur album, was a bloated piece of
poo, burying all but a few songs under sub-Sonic Youth-like guitar mess and
leaving them to meander for too long. Then they lost their guitarist, Damon
discovered hip-hop and world music in his side project, Gorillaz, and the reunited
Blur came out rejuvenated, recording a spacious, airy album that emphasizes
percussion rather than guitars. This time around they chose to let the melodies
breathe, and the result was an album that, while lethargic at times, sounds like
the clouds drifting away to expose the sun again.
10. Sparks – Lil’ Beethoven
Awarded extra points because it inspired me to purchase all of their 20+
record catalog, “Lil’ Beethoven†is a dense and difficult art project, where Ron
and Russel Mael wrote a set of dance songs like they’ve included on every one
of their albums for the fifteen years, then scrapped all of the
instrumentation and laid them over a full orchestra. It’s weird stuff, but from the buoyant
pop of “Suburban Homeboy†to the tense, near-industrial grind of “Ugly Guys
With Beautiful Girlsâ€, it never remotely verges on boring. It’s little wonder
that these guys have been a little-known inspiration on artists as diverse as
Morrissey, Ween, They Might Be Giants, Faith No More, and the Pet Shop Boys.
11. The Libertines – Up the Bracket
12. The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow
13. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – Hearts of Oak
14. Liz Phair – Liz Phair
15. Matthew Sweet – Kimi Ga Suki
16. Ryan Adams – Rock N Roll
17. Copperpot – Copperpot
18. White Stripes - Elephant
19. Wheat – Per Second, Per Second… Every Second
20. Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
And honorable mentions to other records I really enjoyed this year:
Caesars – 39 Minutes of Bliss (In an Otherwise Meaningless World)
Cursive – The Ugly Organ
Dandy Warhols – Welcome to the Monkey House
The Darkness – Permission to Land
Death Cab For Cutie – Transatlanticism
Electric Six - Fire
The Format – Interventions and Lullabies
Go-Betweens – Bright Yellow, Bright Orange
Ike – Parallel Universe
Loveless – A Gift to the World
Model Rockets – Pilot County Suite EP
New Pornographers – Electric Version
Owsley – The Hard Way
Pink – Try This
Radiohead – Hail to the Thief
Rooney - Rooney
Brett Rosenberg Problem - Problematic
Sloan – Action Pact
The Strokes – Room On Fire
Super Furry Animals – Phantom Power
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