The Official Best of 2003 Thread

Just checked it.

The Shins is the best one of the bunch. Second would be the Books. I do happen to like the Radiohead too. I don't consider the Rapture innovative at all unless you believe that blending The Fall with Sonic Youth and a 'touch' of disco innovative. This would be the typical pitchfork pick. From new york, garagey, punk roots, and the pre-requisite dark clothing. (gads, I'm sounding old).

max

I'd broadly agree with what's been said about Pitchfork. And, like Ludwig, my picks from the Top 10 for people who are not Pitchfork's natural consituency would be The Shins "Chutes Too Narrow" and Surfjan Stevens.

The Shins is basically a pop album and I can't imagine anyone with a broad and relateively conventional taste in music not liking it.

Surfjan Stevens is perhaps a little more obscure and tends to be on the maudlin side which is not everyone's cup of tea (My Mum hated it) but overall it's very accessible.

So if Chris were to try one, I'd start with The Chutes.

Matthew

PS The "La da dah dum" bit in The Chutes' Saint Simon where the strings come in and then the vocal goes "Mercy's eyes are blue" get's my vote as the Greatest Pop Moment of the year.

PPS I find many of The Chutes lyrics are in the very annoying from trying to hard school. First there's all that high school metaphor stuff about kites soaring in teh sky but getting their wires tangled, books being read in reverse, etc.

Second the lyric "Will you remember my reply / One finger parallel to the sky" just doesn't make any sense -- parallel to the sky implies pointing at someone or possibly a sort of hooked finger gesture if we take the sky as a hemisphere. Either way, as replies go it's pretty obscure and I'm not surprised she left him if the average tiff ended with a pecular finger gesture she'd be quite entitled to quote that old standby about failing to convey emotions properly.

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Originally posted by greeny:
Those that Disapointed me:

Pat Metheny - One Quiet Night (not what I expected at all)

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What had you expected? And why were you disappointed?

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The Shins is the best one of the bunch.

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The Shins is basically a pop album and I can't imagine anyone with a broad and relateively conventional taste in music not liking it.

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This is indeed a fine pop record, but I like the infectiously fun new Unicorns album even more. It is in a similar but slightly quirkier vein.

Album - Mogwai, Happy Songs for Happy People
Best music recommendation from a forum member - Matthew Robinson (Notwist's Neon Golden)
Best Thread - Please will someone go to Vietnam and import 300 pirate CDs for me?

"but I like the infectiously fun new Unicorns album even more"

It's great isn't it -- although the one person I played it to was rather non-plussed so maybe its not for eveyone.

It made 18th in my list and its moving up with each listen (it only arrived about 3 weeks ago and sat in my "to listen" pile while I was busy at work).

Matthew

Matthew,

You've selected 50 favorites. How many new releases did you buy this year, to arrive at such a monstrous list?



PS- I have high hopes for Madvillain as one of 2004's first great albums.

Yeah but you must be so ahead of the curve when you pull out your japanese experiemental noise CD at that audit meeting

Matthew

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Originally posted by greeny:
Those that Disapointed me:

Pat Metheny - One Quiet Night (not what I expected at all)
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What had you expected? And why were you disappointed?

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Fred. I think I expected something like an album of Steve Howe playing 'The Clap' or Jimmy Page's 'Black Mountain Side'.

Instead this album sounds to me like someone who's been playing guitar for 2 months has learnt a couple of dozen chords and is randomly strumming through them, whilst mixing in a bit of picking. The songs (if I can call them that) don't go anywhere and sound like what they were, which is someone playing about in their bedroom.

I know you like this album, I have read several of your comments over the past few months, I have also read several good magazine reviews, that's why it was such a disapointment, Just doesn't float my boat at all I'm afraid.

But there again, I can't get into Kind of Blue either.

I do try to be open minded on most things, I really did want to like One Quite Night.


Other things I have bought this year That I really don't like:

Dr Dre - The Chronic
DJ Shaddow - Endtroducing
Daft Punk - Homework

These albums are all apparently landmark albums in their genre. All complete rubbish and near unlistenable in my world.

maxwell wrote:
1. How old are you
2. Have you ever heard of the X-ray Specs
3. Have you ever heard of Squirrel Bait
4. Do you prefer beer over wine
5. What make auto do you drive
6. Who do you lean more towards: Mick P. or Mathew R.
7. Who would you rather listen to Led Zeppelin or Diana Krall
8. Are you single or married

1. 40s
2. Of course
3. Nope
4. Both equal
5. VW
6. Matthew in his less pompous moments, Mick in his more humorous
7. Early Zep and late Krall
8. Single but may as well be married

My prob with this is that my period for being into a blizzard of US indie bands was the early-mid 80s (the paisley underground). Dance music generally leaves me cold, but so do trad-but-tedious groups like Radiohead and Coldplay.

I know there must be great stuff out there but I'm not prepared to plough through a ton of nouveau-adolescent techno-cum-prog-rock to find it.

Chris,
Excellent. On that top 10, I can wholeheartedly suggest The Shins Chutes to Narrow. Wonderful pop songs. The vinyl is superb sounding also.

Albums

Steely Dan - Everything must Go
Rickie Lee Jones - Evening of my best Day
White stripes - Elephant
Evan Dando - I'm with Stupid
Kraftwork - Tour de France

Best Sporting Moment - Go on Wilkinson!

Second Best Sporting moment - Holland V Scotland

Worst Sporting Moment - the Hammers going down.

My 2p worth.

Rickie Lee Jones

but for some reason I can't get on with the Ricky Lee Jones record. I appreciate the tunes and the playing are very good, and I agree strongly with the sentiments but it kind of leaves me cold.

John
Tin hat on, brace position for incoming fire

"I know I'm the only person alive who thinks so"

No John you're not. I bought the album based on the rave reviews and played about a dozen times but it left me cold as well and Ricky's voice began to get on my nerves. The recording quality and musicianship are exceptional but it just did not work for me either.I sold it on Amazon in the end.

Joe

Well John, Greeny thinks Endtroducing is rubbish in his world - so you are in good company. Isn't that what makes it all so great though? That we all get turned on by different stuff? My album of the year is Lisa Marie Presley's and I don't expect anyone will agree with me about that one .

Hmmm, I only recently bought Evening of my Best Day, almost entirely down to Fred's emphatic recommendation (he of impeccable taste) and after a few plays I'm happy to include it in my best of 2003. To which I'll add:

Janes Addiction - Strays
Robert Randolph - Unclassified - a wonderful antidote to so much plinky plonky indie pop twaddle.
The Beatles - Let it Be Naked - don't know why, I was never a huge Beatles fan, but I really enjoyed this.
Emmylou Harris - Stumble into Grace
Lucinda Williams - World Without Tears
Karsh Kale - Liberation (thanks Nick)
Goldfrapp - Black Cherry
Lyle Lovett - My Baby Won't Tolerate
Buddy Guy - Blues Singer
Richard Thompson - 1000 Years of Popular Music
Richard Thompson - Old Kit Bag
Bela Fleck - Ten From Little Worlds

Best re-discovery: Shawn Colvin

Biggest disappointments:

Eels - Shootenany. Normally love their stuff but this was a big let down after Souljacker.

Belle & Sebastian - Dear etc etc - file under dirge

Dave

Daniel Carter/Rueben Redding.. Luminescence

Soweto Kinch... Conversations with the Unseen

Kenny Wheeler... Dream Sequence

Wadada Leo Smith...Year of the Elephant

Vijay Iyer/Mike Ladd... In what language

Evan Parker Electro Acoustic Ensemble...Memory Vision

Martial Solal.. Live at VV (late entry but record of the year)

John

Two more I bought over Xmas that get very high on my best of year list. Both of a Country/Americana/folk ilk:

Bonnie Prince Billy - Master and Everyone
The Handsome Family - Singing Bones.


Both of these are excellent and I'll definately be trying out some of their back catalogue.


It is strange how some things (even in the same genre) appeal to some but not others. I think the Belle and Sebastian album is superb for example.

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It is strange how some things (even in the same genre) appeal to some but not others. I think the Belle and Sebastian album is superb for example.

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I know, clearly we both enjoy a lot of the Americana stuff and despite following the recommendations of several here whose opinions I trust, I just did not get on with the Belle and Sebastian album. I was hoping for a Kings of Convenience moment of discovery but it just didn't happen.

Dave

RE Goldfrapp Black Cherry I've acquired a copy and am listening now OK so far. Questions:-
What genre of music is this?
Any others in similar vein?

Howard

Hi Howard,

If you enjoyed Black Cherry, chances are you'll like the earlier debut album, Felt Mountain, which was neatly summarised by one reviewer as a 'strange and beautiful mix of the romantic, eerie, and world-weary'. It's less electronica than Black Cherry but an excellent showcase for Allison Goldfrapp's voice. She also features on Orbitals' Snivilisation and Add N to X's Avant Hard.

Can't think of too many that match the music to the voice in the same way, but you could try Portishead, Everything but the Girl or Bjork.

Dave

Thanks DJ. Have 1 album by EBTG,can't handle Bjork though. I'll look into Portishead.

Cheers

Howard

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If you enjoyed Black Cherry, chances are you'll like the earlier debut album, Felt Mountain

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Humm. Not necessarily, Now both albums are good but totally different IMO. Felt mountain is very much more atmosperic, with an almost film music feel at times, still good though. Something like Moloko's latest would be more similar to Black Cherry.

Portishead, again whilst not particularly similar to Black Cherry are superb, with both 'Dummy' and 'Portishead' being excellent albums.

Found Glory Box CD single by Portishead in my "not looked at" shelf. Sounds pretty good worth further investigation.

Thanks for your comments guys.
Regards
Howard