The best of 2003

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Righty, some fucker has to do it.

 

I found many of the albums I purchased this year ranged from OK to pretty good, nothing standing out as truly great. I'm torn between Andrew WK - The Wolf and Killing Joke for my no.1.

 

I feel that AWK's release was universally underrated, and I just couldn't understand any of the cirticisms against it. It proves his talent and staying power compared to every other twat the NME creams over. The melodies are still there, the emotion is still there, and the natural progression is a joy to behold. Glorious.

 

Killing Joke found far more critical acclaim with their eponymous comeback, making it an album of the year contender in many British publications. The world needs this record. Its as if nu-metal were good, had something to stay, and had personality with a frontman who was genuinely nuts. Of course, KJ had all these things in the 80s, but now we need them more than ever. Dave Grohl on drums is always welcome for me. ON DRUMS. Stick with what ya know.

 

if they are 1 and 2, the rest would go a bit like this:

 

3. British Sea Power - The Decline of British Sea Power

Many were shocked this didn't make the mercury music prize nominations after it's acclaim as an indie release, and it's the only debut album of it's kind that's really impressed me in a long time. Their longevity remains to be seen, but they're a talented band.

 

4. Frank Black & The Catholics - Show me your tears

(again panned for sounding much like a pop country record, but can you find me a better example of pop country? Anywhere? Ever? Try and review his solo stuff objectively.)

 

5. Wire - Send

I believe some of these tracks have been released previously, but they are new masters and there's new material, so it's in. You have to listen to this a few times, but when you learn to split all the noises apart from one another, you realise just how much is going on. 99.9 in particular, a remarkably contained 7:42 of growling, minimalist rush, shows what they are still capable of, and why you should check out all their old stuff.

 

6. Tomahawk - Mit Gas

I'll say this about Patton, I often find his stuff fizzles out either from being overlong or from blowing his whole load at the start (so to speak). This record doesn't so much suffer for these shortcomings, but the problem is in almost every song there's a good bit and a really pedestrian nu metal bit. It can be very annoying. Rape This Day is complete crap IMO, and I think choosing that as the first single was a mistake, as it appeared they were going for the mainstream market, and that's the last we really heard of the material from Mit Gas. So, a comedown from the first album overall, but (for at least half of every song) the creative ante is way up, the opener (Birdsong) is just the right way to kick off, Patton still owns you and Tomahawk remains a great band when they want to be.

 

7. The Locust - Plague Soundscapes

Each album is getting to be more of an aquired taste from here on in, I should point out. This is noise. That's basically the gist of it. It starts, I'm hooked. 23 tracks in about half an hour. But there is stuff going on there. You couldn't mosh to this or anything, it's too complicated. and the song titles can't be beat, ie 23 lubed up schizophrenics with delusions of grandeur, Priest with the sexually transmitted diseases get out of my bed, Pulling the Christmas Pig by the Wrong Pair of Ears etc.

 

8. Melt Banana - Cellscape

See no.7, but more irritating in the bad bits due to a high pitched voice distorter being used throughout the whole damn thing, and better in the good bits due to noise being used in a much more engaging manner for longer periods of time. I've not heard anything else by them, so I don't know if they do the distorted vocals and fast tempos all the time or if it's a new direction. That'd probably be more impressive.

 

9. The Darkness - Permission To Land

Well well, yes it is a fine album, by a great live band, and if you look past the clichés and the transparent christmas song this stuff is actually quite good. Not AWK in terms of melody and marriage of old and new, but a great mainstream rock album it remains, even after everyone gets bored of them.

 

10. Well I should point out I have yet to hear the new primus, Aphex Twin's 26 mixes for cash (if it counts) and many others, so this is blank for now. I've no doubt either of those two would get into the middle somewhere.

 

And my pick for best song is AWK's Totally Stupid.

 

Do yer worst.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Only album I've bought this year that was released this year and I liked at all was Black Label Society - Blessed Hellride...so that's a defacto winner for album.

 

As for concert...MTV2 Headbanger's Ball Tour. Unearth, Killswitch Engage, Lamb Of God, and SHADOWS FALL headlining in Worcester. The atmosphere was insane (almost as good as for Slayer), and the bands were top-notch.

 

The Jagermeister Music Festival would have been the best concert, only for Arch Enemy and SLAYER, but because Dry Kill Logic and Hatebreed suck so bad...no.

 

FiendFest '03 comes in at 3rd, even if Jerry, Marky, and Dez aren't the REAL Misfits. DI was fucking cool (OC'S BURNIN~!), Balzac is my favorite Japanese band, The Dickies were hilarious (if only I could hear what the fuck Stuart was saying during the songs) and great, The Damned were pretty fucking good, and Jerry/Dez/Marky...ugh. Misfits '03 are an AMAZING live band, even if Jerry does suck as a singer.

 

At 4th is Iron Maiden/Dio/Motörhead. The only downside of the show was that Motörhead was on first, and the floor had a bunch of fucking seats (YOU SHOULD NOT SIT DOWN AT A METAL SHOW, HOWEVER FUCKING OLD YOU ARE). Motörhead did just as Lemmy (God) promised and kicked our asses. I fell asleep during Dio, wishing a Billy Goat Gruff would come and kill him already. And Maiden...well, Maiden's Maiden, so you know they fucking ruled. Bruce jumped, literally, 10 feet in the air without the aid of any springboard or boost or higher platform. Bruce also ranted on how Metallica sucks now, and how the RIAA sucks too, and you just can't help but love Nicko when he's dancing a jig behind his drumset before playing "The Clansman."

 

At 5th, I'd have to say MetalFest. I got there late, so I was lucky to JUST catch Shadows Fall (who started with "A Fire In Babylon," oddly enough), and Nevermore was fucking awesome...but Opeth just doesn't do it for me live. I can listen to their stuff and just chill out, but live? Not too into it. Good tunes, GREAT tunes...but people were trying to mosh to Opeth songs, when half of nearly every Opeth song is acoustic and unmoshable. Kinda funny, actually.

 

The worst concert I've been to this year, bar-none, was Summer Sanitarium (I'm not counting shows at the high school that a friend's band was playing at). Sure, Metallica played maybe 4 songs post-Black, and the 4 songs played were GOOD, but the undercard sucked complete ass. Limp Bizkit was almost boo'd off of the stage, and when Fred did "Behind Blue Eyes"...ugh. My back and middle finger was to LB their whole set. Linkin Park I took a break and grabbed a burger for, preaching the sermon of Shadows Fall to some 25-year-old dude with a Linkin Park shirt. And, of course, Mudvayne are the most boring live act in all of heavy music today. BOR-FUCKING-ING.

 

Decent year for shows, and it seemed that each one got better (with the exception of Summer Sanitarium/MetalFest) as the year went by. 2003 = The Beast Strikes Back.

[King Kamala 0]

Don't buy too much music( All I bought this year was remasters) but I'll do short reviews of the two concerts I went to.

 

 

Paul Rodgers/ Kansas: June 28, Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom (Hampton Beach, New Hampshire). Started with a decent coverband, who's frontman was a dead ringer for Sam Kinison. Kansas performed a surprisingly unsucky set that's only fault was for being long and at time mind numbingly boring. Closed with Dust in the Wind, geriatrics went apeshit. Paul Rodgers came on next and blew them off the stage in almost every aspect. The whole crowd was singing along to every song with the exception of the one or two solo songs in his set. Closed the show with Rock and Roll Fantasy and a decent Beatles medley. Only negative was he didn't play Bad Company and Radioactive.

 

 

ZZ Top/Ted Nugent: September 3rd, Cumberland County Civic Center (Portland, Maine). Ted Nugent wasn't great technically, but his between song banter, his kickass stage show and his music was loud and it rocked, which is all an opening act needs to do. Closed with an extended version of Stranglehold. ZZ Top also kicked ass, they've perfected everything to a tee. Their set, their between song banter, everything. ZZ Top got the crowd in with their hits at the beginning, kept them coming with a few minor hits and album tracks, lost them with their new stuff and got them back with their hits. Closed with La Grange and Tush.

[Brocklock 0]

I didn't go to any concerts this year, so I'll list my best/worst albums this year. I still haven't heard Maiden's Dance Of Death or Anthrax's We've Come For You All and I'm sure they will both be on the list. I didn't really hear that many new albums this year as I've been into mostly old stuff for the last year.

 

Best:

1. AFI - Sing The Sorrow

2. Black Label Society - The Blessed Hellride

3. Andrew W.K. - The Wolf

4. Jane's Addiction - Strays

5. Korn - Take A Look In The Mirror (I seriously think this is their best album since Life Is Peachy. All the songs are good except for Alive and a few others, but I still like it.

 

Worst:

1. Limp Bizkit - Results May Very

Edited December 8, 2003 by Brocklock

[razazteca 0]

. The Darkness - Permission To Land

Well well, yes it is a fine album, by a great live band, and if you look past the clichés and the transparent christmas song this stuff is actually quite good. Not AWK in terms of melody and marriage of old and new, but a great mainstream rock album it remains, even after everyone gets bored of them.

I saw a video for the band and don't know what to think. What was the deal with the spaceship concept? It's different but compared to the other garage bands with THE in its name I think the Darkness is at the bottom.

[Guest Gathering Moss]

Since when are The Darkness a garage band?

[razazteca 0]

Ok they are not but I'm always confuse music genres. Explain to me the Darkness greatness to me then.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

It's obviously a tad tongue in cheek, but look past that and you find a great live band, with actual decent rock songs. That's dem darkness.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Yeah, the Darkness album is one of my favorites of the year. It's just really solid - they're enthusiastic in the same way Andrew WK is. I think they're to 70's rock of the AC/DC & Queen variety as AWK is to 80's party rock. The songs are fun and hang on a nice balance between clever and cock-rocktacular. Inexpensive too - you can pick it up for 8 or 10 bucks pretty easily.

 

I really need to hear more of this year's releases in-depth (particularly the Wrens album, the new Basement Jaxx, and the Aphex album like saturnmark said, all of which I've really liked on my sampling thus far) before pulling together a year-end list, but some of the more stuff I've loved this year:

 

Dizzee Rascal, Boy in Da Corner

Andrew WK, The Wolf

OutKast, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Jay-Z, The Black Album

The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow

 

Oh, and the new Radiohead is pretty spiff, if only their, mmm, 4th best album. Kinda feel that about a lot of stuff, the Outkast and Jay-Z especially. Really good, but not transcendent - I feel a bit spoiled after last year offered some really, really standout stuff - foremost Wilco, Trail of Dead, Interpol, and Sleater-Kinney - but hey, I'll take what I can get.

[razazteca 0]

The Darkness to me sound like 80's glam/hair band or Buckcherry trying to be funny.

[SpikeFayeJettEdBebop 0]

I havnt bought anything too great this year, nothing that came out this year anyway. I might still get AWK and Thursday, so I dunno.

[Guest Choken One]

Album of the Year

"Perfect Little Monsters"-Keith Caputo.

[Zetterberg is God 0]

Out of the CD's I bought this year, The Mars Volta's De-Loused in the Comatorium is unquestionably the best.

[Guest Mindless_Aggression]

I'm gonna go with Tomahawk's Mit Gas, I don't see why one would think Rape This Day is crap, it's not drastically different from a lot of other Patton punk metal experiments and is hardly anything begging for mainstream acceptance. What about Andrew W.K.'s first single off of his album? Big cheesy ballad that practically begged to be a hit and proceded not to be just like his whole first album did. I never understand why the guy gets so much mainstream press, he sells shit and can't even fall back on the whole "Well at least it's really good" thing. It's just there.

 

Dog Fashion Disco's Committed To A Bright Future was good times even if they do borrow way too much from Mr. Bungle. Fun album though and Pogo The Clown is one of my top songs of the year.

 

Of course the Mars Volta album. Just brilliant unique stuff going on there.

 

And thats about it from me. Oh The Blood Brothers' Burn Piano Island Burn as well. Just fuckin chaos and I love that sort of thing, so good times were had. I'll come up with more later.

[5_moves_of_doom 0]

Hrm... the Darkness album... the Siouxsie and the Banshees reunition tour album... and... uh... well, I suppose that's about it.

 

As for soundtracks however, Kill Bill, Vol. 1, Lost In Translation, and Wonderland were all superb. Probably better than any actual albums released all year, especially the former two.

 

Oh, and Costello's newest album was good, although (unsurprisingly) not up to par with his older stuff at all. Same with the last Strummer effort.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Album of the Year: Interopl, Turn on the bright lights. I loved loved LOVED this fucking CD to death and still am. Some of the lyrics are outright brilliant, especially in "Obstacle 1" and "Stella was a diver and she was always down." The lead singers tone and almost robotic voice evokes memories of Ian Curtis of Joy Division. But yeah, they're actually from Jersey, IIRC. And they rock mobster gear from the 30's style. Which rocks.

 

Honourable Mentions:

 

- Radiohead, Hail to the theif.

- AFI, Sing the Sorrow

- Broken Social Scene, You forget it in people

- Songs: Ohia, Lioness

- Matthew Good: Avalanche

 

Moment of the Year: Radiohead concert at Skydome. I was enlightened.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Interpol was last year, Curry. Sure is awesome, though.

[cbacon 0]

Personal top 5 of 2003:

 

1. Hawksley Workman - Lover/Fighter

2. Matthew Good - Avalanche

3. Radiohead - Hail to the Theif

4. Fuel - Natural Selection

5. The Dears - No Cities Left

 

Top 10 concers of 2003 (repost from another board):

 

1. Radiohead - Toronto, SkyDome *****

2. Hawksley Workman - Toronto, The Phoenix *****

3. Matthew Good - Wasaga Beach *****

4. Matthew Good - Koolhaus,Toronto *****

5. Holly McNarland - Great Hall DVD shoot *****

6. Fuel - Lee's Palace, Toronto ****1/2

7. Matthew Good - Hamilton **** 1/2

8. Disturbed - Mississauga ****1/2

9. Holly McNarland - Toronto, The Phoenix **** 1/2

10. Matthew Good - Laurier University **** (shorter set, most students were there just for the show, Giant was the only encore)

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

I'm gonna go with Tomahawk's Mit Gas, I don't see why one would think Rape This Day is crap, it's not drastically different from a lot of other Patton punk metal experiments and is hardly anything begging for mainstream acceptance. What about Andrew W.K.'s first single off of his album? Big cheesy ballad that practically begged to be a hit and proceded not to be just like his whole first album did. I never understand why the guy gets so much mainstream press, he sells shit and can't even fall back on the whole "Well at least it's really good" thing. It's just there.

 

Dog Fashion Disco's Committed To A Bright Future was good times even if they do borrow way too much from Mr. Bungle. Fun album though and Pogo The Clown is one of my top songs of the year.

 

Of course the Mars Volta album. Just brilliant unique stuff going on there.

 

And thats about it from me. Oh The Blood Brothers' Burn Piano Island Burn as well. Just fuckin chaos and I love that sort of thing, so good times were had. I'll come up with more later.

The new album is more varied, better produced and more ballad orientated than the first. It shows he's more talented than all his contemporaries. Whether it's a hit or not certainly isn't high in my criteria of rating songs. He's been marketed badly, (ie waaay too much) look past that and he's a genius. Everyone who's met the guy will tell you he's genuinely happy to be doing what he is, and he puts everything into it. I get tired of hearing the same criticisms, it's as if people can't see the bigger picture.

 

I must disagree though, Rape This Day is a half finished song, not drastically different from Patton's punk experiments, but adding nothing and feeling extremely 'Patton-by-the-numbers' at times. It definitely sounds like a single, come on.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

My favorite album this year..Probably the new Primus release, honestly.

 

They also put on the best live set I've seen this year. Their style has adapted and aged so incredibly well. I hope they pull a King Crimson and put out albums for over 30 years. God those guys are old.

 

Best overall show, Jager fest. Slayer were gods, plus I met Dave Lombardo and Tom Araya. Angela Gossow's sweat got on me, I touched Kerry King in a non-personal manner, Hatebreed was perfectly solid, and Sworn Enemy didn't suck.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Interpol was last year, Curry. Sure is awesome, though.

I kinda figured that was the case but I discovered them in 2003 so dammit, they're the best of 2003 for me.

[Guest RoyalBlue]

In no particular order:

 

Postal Service: Give Up

The Mars Volta: Deloused In The Comatorium

Radiohead: Hail To The Thief

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fever To Tell

Broken Social Scene: You Forgot It In People

The White Stripes: Elephant

Outkast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

 

And probably others I've forgotten.

[Guest Mindless_Aggression]

I'm gonna go with Tomahawk's Mit Gas, I don't see why one would think Rape This Day is crap, it's not drastically different from a lot of other Patton punk metal experiments and is hardly anything begging for mainstream acceptance. What about Andrew W.K.'s first single off of his album? Big cheesy ballad that practically begged to be a hit and proceded not to be just like his whole first album did. I never understand why the guy gets so much mainstream press, he sells shit and can't even fall back on the whole "Well at least it's really good" thing. It's just there.

 

Dog Fashion Disco's Committed To A Bright Future was good times even if they do borrow way too much from Mr. Bungle. Fun album though and Pogo The Clown is one of my top songs of the year.

 

Of course the Mars Volta album. Just brilliant unique stuff going on there.

 

And thats about it from me. Oh The Blood Brothers' Burn Piano Island Burn as well. Just fuckin chaos and I love that sort of thing, so good times were had. I'll come up with more later.

The new album is more varied, better produced and more ballad orientated than the first. It shows he's more talented than all his contemporaries. Whether it's a hit or not certainly isn't high in my criteria of rating songs. He's been marketed badly, (ie waaay too much) look past that and he's a genius. Everyone who's met the guy will tell you he's genuinely happy to be doing what he is, and he puts everything into it. I get tired of hearing the same criticisms, it's as if people can't see the bigger picture.

 

I must disagree though, Rape This Day is a half finished song, not drastically different from Patton's punk experiments, but adding nothing and feeling extremely 'Patton-by-the-numbers' at times. It definitely sounds like a single, come on.

Oh I don't particularly care about hits either but he gets an insane amount of coverage despite never having one. The first songs off his debut album got played endlessly and yet never did anything. I do agree on the overexposure aspect of him, he's to the point where I turn the channel when I see him as I am tired of the wacky guy who swings his arms a lot and is extremely excited for no reason. Dunno where you're getting the genius tag from but then again, I think Mindless Self Indulgence are geniuses, so what the hell do I know?!

 

And I agree, Rape This Day certainly has a single vibe too it but you could argue that Patton even at his most experimental still has a huge degree of flat out catchyness. Rosemary's Baby by Fantomas doesn't even have any lyrics till the end of it but it's still one of the catchiest vocal performances I've ever heard. But yes, I can see being disappointed with the song if one was expecting soemthing totally new with it. Anyways, if they wanted a single, they shoulda just went with Capt. Midnight or When The Stars Begin to Fall IMO.

[Anorak 0]

M Ward - Transfiguration of Vincent

My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves

Calexico - Feast of Wire

Four Tet - Rounds

The Sleepy Jackson - Lovers

Bonnie Prince Billy - Master and Everyone

Willard Grant Conspiracy - Regard the End

The Handsome Family - Singing Bones

Jay Farrar - Terroir Blues

Nina Nastasia - Run To Ruin

[SamoaRowe 0]

Didn't buy too many albums this year, but I heard several. Out of them, I liked the best were....

 

 

1) Radiohead: Hail To The Theif

 

2) Cold- Year of the Spider

 

3) Korn- Take a Look In The Mirror

 

4) Trapt (the album is much better than the singles would imply)

 

5) Ben Folds- Speed Graphic and Sunny 16 (two E.P.s that absolutely ruled!)

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

1. Mars Volta

2. Strokes

3. Death From Above

4. Outkast

5. Evan Dando/Yeah Yeah Yeahs (tie)

Edited December 10, 2003 by Banky: A Tragedy

[DCMaximo 0]

My own personal top 10:

1.The Darkness- Permission To Land

2.AFI- Sing The Sorrow

3.American Hi Fi- The Art Of Losing

4.Blink 182- Blink 182

5.Funeral For A Friend- Casually Dressed And Deep In Conversation

6.Alkaline Trio- Good Mourning

7.Everclear- Slow Motion Daydream

8.The Distillers- Coral Fang

9.Nickelback- The Long Road

10.Poison The Well- You Come Before You

 

Has to be the Darkness at no 1. Saw them at Reading tranform a field full of bored people, who had just endured the tedium of a Staind acoustic set, into a dancing field of joy, using the simple power of ROCK

[Red Baron 0]

Top Albums to me this year from 2003:

 

 

Black Label Society: The Blessed Hellride

Iron Maiden: Dance Of Death

Jane's Addiction: Strays

 

 

 

But for Tours it'll be this:

 

Motorhead/Dio/Iron Maiden

 

Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band

 

Sarsstock.

 

Ozzfest 2003

 

Summer Sanitarium

[Guest JebusNassedar]

Best albums of 2003? Hm. Well, I gotsta say, I didnt buy a lot of albums from this year I liked. Like, Audioslave. I have no idea what happened there. But, from the albums I got this year that I liked, I can only give album of the year to one CD.

 

The Mars Volta.

 

Could you HAVE a better debut album? The entire CD is just a total shock. It's nothing like any of the members past bands, and do see all these different(ish) genres coming together and putting out music like this is just awesome. Even if Flea isnt technically a member.

 

My opinion is null and void on concerts. A) Too young to go. B) The last one I saw was a gospel group, and I left dizzy. Gospel groups do NOT need towers.

 

But I guess that the worst album I bought this year was probably...um...I dunno. St. Anger was pretty bad, but by no means the worst. Oh! Dirty Vegas. My older brother made me listen to it and continuously tried to sell Dirty Vegas as a rock band, not techno. And the music was bad.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Anyways, if they wanted a single, they shoulda just went with Capt. Midnight or When The Stars Begin to Fall IMO.

Yeah, I think if 'Rape This Day' had a bit more substance to it then releasing 'Capt. Midnight' as a follow up would have ensured massive sales and would probably have cemented them over here too. But what ya gonna do.

 

I fail to see how Andrew WK is not a genius, he's genuine, he writes infinitely better melody lines than any other mainstream artist, The Wolf shows more variation than most of the albums I've heard all year, and because of his marketed image people dismiss it as all sounding the same. I've never understood it. I'm not saying this is the case with you, but I think people's attention spans have been diminished by listening to such unchallenging music all the time, so that when something comes along you actually have to listen to to appreciate fully, they don't buy it. But then that's people. People are gay.