December 30, 2003
Best Albums of 2003, Part I
It's time that I compiled, today and tomorrow, the best records of 2003, with handy-dandy links attached to each one. I listed to a lot of music this year, in part thanks to iTunes. I'm very aware that my taste in music has been super-conditioned by popular alternative opinion, but so be it -- I stand 100% behind these recommendations.
The following is in no particular order because music, to me, doesn't fit nicely in groups. Here is Part 1 of 2, however:
Lucinda Williams, World Without Tears
Soulful conjunctions of beautiful singing in various country-like styles
Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the Head
Smartly written melodies
Be Good Tanyas, Chinatown
Beautiful Canadian soulful, southern music
The Strokes, Room on Fire
Overplayed but not overestimated, these young men are truly talented musicians
Lost in Translation, Kevin Shields and others
Beautiful, nonstop music lead by one of hte most important musicians of the 1990s
New Pornographers, Electric Version
Sweet harmonies that takes a long time to truly enjoy
The White Stripes, Elephant
Too smart, too cool, and too good not to play over and over again
Doves, The Last Broadcast
A surprising and ethereal album, with catchy strumming and fine lyrics
Interpol, Turn On the Bright Lights
A new old-time favorite, they sound better every time I hear them
The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow
Not unlike the other new "The" bands like The Vines, but better
Belle and Sebastian, Dear Catastrophe Waitress
Hated the first listen, swooned during the second, laughed during the third
Stephen Malkmus, Pig Lib
Well-written redux solo act by Pavement funnyman and great song-writer