Subscribe to A Cry for HelpBetter late than never folks. I'm Nightwing (bet you forgot I had posting rights) and this is my top 10.5 albums of 2003.
10.5) Against Me! - As The Eternal Cowboy - the best 23 minutes of punk rock this year. That's the problem though, it rocks but barely registers because it is over before you even know it. That being said, Against Me! is my new favorite band - check out their back catalog.
10.) The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow - Insanely tight low-fi pop. Great variety, great lyrics, great CD.
9.) The Postal Service - Give Up / Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism - Ben Gibbard is the best songwriter in rock right now and if that wasn't enough he has the best singing voice as well. 2 very different albums - Give Up is a synth pop album and Transatlanticism is an indie rock concept album. Both are must haves. Very excited to see Death Cab at Lupos in a few months.
8.) The Lawerence Arms - The Greatest Story Ever Told - I feel the same about this CD as I did when I discovered Maybe I'll Catch Fire by the Alkaline Trio - I wish every pop punk album sounded like this. Smarter than any punk CD released in years. Great ballance between the unique styles of the 2 vocalists.
7.) RX Bandits - The Resignation - The only ska CD that mattered this year. This CD was tracked live and has an amazing raw sound because of it. RXB are the best band in the US that will never hit it big.
6.) Thrice - Artist in the Ambulance - I found their old stuff unlistenable but this CD does the trick for me. Thrice finally finds out how to write good songs rather than good parts of songs. This CD rocks balls out all the way through.
5.) Constantines - Shine A Light - Sweet lord this is a great album. It sounds like Springsteen meets Fugazi if you can believe that. The rules don't apply to this band - they are all over the place here, in a very good way. Both smart and extremely badass. A rare thing indeed.
4.) Rancid - Indestructible - An all time best from one of my all time favorite bands. A wide variety of punk rock styles creates the most accessible album Rancid has ever recorded. Not quite as smart as 'Life Won't Wait' but so much more fun.
3.) Thursday - War All The Time - 'Screamo'? Sure. But who cares - Thursday is the only Screamo band that really matters. May have the best openening and closing tracks of any album ever. An amazing CD but I think it only hints at what is to come from this band. Catch them live too - the along with Andrew WK they put on the best live act I saw all year.
2.) Brand New - Deja Entendu - This album makes their last CD (which was a great pop punk disc) completely irrelevant. Don't know what else I can say about this CD except that it is damn near perfect. While they are the best tracks on the album, the two singles (Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades / The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows) don't even scratch the surface of what is on here.
1.) The Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site - Already one of my favorite albums of all time. Varied in style and divided by a three part song running through the album, this CD makes me feel smarter every time I listen to it. Sometimes pop, sometimes rock, sometimes punk, sometimes alt-country, always well written character driven songs. I would suggest this album to anyone. Essential.
All told, it was a great year for music.
So what do you guys think? I would love to see some other top ten lists in the comment threads. And check this out too - http://www.songfight.org/blue/ it's pretty cool.
Thanks for re-posting Bil.
Well, I had to put my top 10 up here. Here’s what I think:
10.Earlimart – Everyone Down Here: A very light and low key album, but it is mesmerizing. The vocals seem like loud whispers (I’m crazy) to me and they compliment everything just right.
9. Rancid – Indestructable: It plays like a greatest hits album, but with all new songs, if that makes any sense. It’s got a great bunch of catchy punk songs and enough badass songs where Lars Frederiksen smacks you across the face.
8. Ted Leo and The Pharmacists – Hearts of Oak: I didn’t give this record much of a chance for some reason when I first heard it. Boy was that a mistake. There are so many great songs on this album, including “Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?” I have to stop everything and just enjoy that song whenever I hear it.
7. Thursday – War All the Time: One of many albums that spit in the face of hype this year. At first listen I thought that this was no “Full Collapse.” After future listens I realized I was right – it is so much more. This album just shows how much more talent this group has. My personal favorite is the piano track “This Song Brought to You by a Falling Bomb.”
6. The Strokes – Room On Fire: Yet another group that spit in face of the aforementioned hype. Many people think that this band is all hype, but I just think that this is good old rock. “Is This It?” will always hold a place in my heart, but this album surpasses it with its darker tone.
5. Death Cab For Cutie – Transatlantacism: I love this band. The music is just so simple and so damn good. The title track, “Transatlanticism” is my song of the year. It’s a seven minute song that repeats the phrase “I need you so much closer,” in the middle, and it just flat out works perfectly.
4. The Bouncing Souls – Anchors Aweigh: This is just good clean punk rock. I can’t be anything but happy when listening to this album. I had so much hope for this album and it completely delivered. “New Day” is such a good song. I will never get tired of the Bouncing Souls and it seems like they just love being the Bouncing Souls.
3. The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow: This album grabbed me and has not let go. It such a catchy, sugary, and simple album. I don’t know what else to really say about it – just give it a listen and you’ll know what I mean.
2. The Postal Service – Give Up: Ben Gibbard’s (of Death Cab For Cutie) side project masterpiece. It’s basically his vocals and a drum machine, and it’s one of the best pairings I’ve heard. His lyrics are very interesting and unique.
1. The Mars Volta – Deloused in the Commatorium: Apparently you either hate the Mars Volta or you love them. Clearly, I love them and this album. Their live act shows their massive talent, but drags on a little bit too much. (Six songs in an hour and a half. But then again every act is a little disappointing after seeing Andrew W. K. live.) This is a concept album that you have to listen to in one sitting to totally enjoy. Who would have thought that At the Drive-In breaking up would be such a good thing? They’ve formed two groups – the Mars Volta and Sparta – who have released two of my favorite albums of the last two years (Wiretap Scars). If they can even come close to this album in the future, I’ll be happy.
Honorable mention: The Weakerthans – Reconstruction Site, Brand New – Deja Entendu, Ben Folds – Speed Graphic EP, Radiohead – Hail to the Thief, The White Stripes – Elephant, Year of the Rabbit – S/T, Idelwild – Remote Part, The Distillers – Coral Fang, The Constantines – Shine a Light
I don’t think I even got 10 new albums last year, but the ones I did get were worth mentioning, as they were all excellent.
Besides the Shins and Rancid up there, I’d add the Eels “Shootenany!”, Fountains of Wayne “Welcome Interstate Managers” and Less Than Jake’s “Anthem”.
keke wyatt
Nightwings Top 10.5
keke wyatt
Nightwings Top 10.5
keke wyatt
Nightwings Top 10.5
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Nightwings Top 10.5
jukebox download
Nightwings Top 10.5
jukebox download
Nightwings Top 10.5