Music: Best Albums of the Year Series: 2003

[Saturated Fats]

1965: The Beatles - Rubber Soul
1966: The Beatles - Revolver
1967: The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
1968: The Beatles - The White Album
1969: The Beatles - Abbey Road
1970: Black Sabbath - Paranoid
1971: Led Zeppelin - IV
1972: Neil Young - Harvest
1973: Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
1974: Supertramp - Crime of the Century
1975: Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
1976: Eagles - Hotel California
1977: Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
1979: Pink Floyd - The Wall
1980: AC/DC - Back in Black
1981: Rush - Moving Pictures
1982: Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
1984: Metallica - Ride the Lightning
1985: Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair
1986: Metallica - Master of Puppets
1987: Guns 'n Roses - Appetite for Destruction
1988: Metallica - ...And Justice for All
1989: Pixies - Doolittle
1991: Nirvana - Nevermind
1992: Alice in Chains - Dirt
1993: Nirvana - In Utero
1995: Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
1996: (TIE) Soundgarden - Down on the Upside // Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire
1997: (TIE) Radiohead - OK Computer // Foo Fighters - The Color and the Shape
1998: (TIE) Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill // System of a Down - System of a Down
1999: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
2000: Radiohead - Kid A
2001: The Strokes - Is This It
2002: Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
2004: (TIE) Madvillain - Madvillainy // The Killers - Hot Fuss // Green Day - American Idiot
2005: Coldplay - X & Y
2006: Tool - 10,000 Days
2007: Radiohead - In Rainbows
2009: Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
2010: The National - High Violet
2011: No definitive winner
2012: (TIE) Kendrick Lamar - good kidd, M.A.A.D. city // Deftones - koi no yokan
2014: Behemoth - The Satanist
2015: Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly

1978: (TIE) The Police - Outlandos d'Amour / The Cars - The Cars / Van Halen - Van Halen

Sorry about the delay in getting this one up. It was a very busy week on the work and personal front for me, just didn't get a window to get at it. Nonetheless, only the second 3-way tie we've had in these polls. Always neat to see.

2003 isn't really as strong as I remember it being. Only a few albums that are critically acclaimed, and even fewer that blend popularity with contemporary relevance. Going to be a weird one, I reckon

The remaining years, in order (expect a poll every 2-3 days):
1983
1990
2008
2013
1994
2016 - Now
1900 - 1964

Click to read more...

 

[Mescaleroman]

Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros - Streetcore
the Stereophonics - You Gotta go There to Come Back
Ocean Color Scene - North Atlantic Drift
British Sea Power - The Decline of British Sea Power
the New Pornographers - Electric Version
the Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Heart of Oak
Metric - Old World Underground , Where Are You Now

Edited to add the Warlocks - Phoenix
Will pretend I have the UK release which was 2003.

 

[Mikeaveli]

Velocity: Design: Comfort by far. Been my favourite album since I first listened to it 3 years ago.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

We were born in a flame - Sam Roberts

 

[plank]

1. The Magnolia Electric Co. - Songs: Ohia
2. Where Shall You Take Me? - Damien Jurado
3. Ghosts of the Great Highway - Sun Kil Moon
4. Some Devil - Dave Matthews
5. Post To Wire - Richmond Fontaine
6. Elephant - The White Stripes
7. Nitro Burnin' Funny Daddy - Brian Setzer
8. World Without Tears - Lucinda Williams
9. Decoration Day - Drive-By Truckers
10. s/t - The Mavericks
11. Stumble Into Grace - Emmylou Harris
12. Terroir Blues - Jay Farrar
13. Greendale - Neil Young & Crazy Horse
14. It Still Moves - My Morning Jacket
15. Feast of Wire - Calexico
16. Diamonds on the Inside - Ben Harper
17. Countrysides - Cracker
18. Sumday - Grandaddy
19. Regard the End - Willard Grant Conspiracy
20. Soul Journey - Gillian Welch
21. Surf Sensation - The-Meltones

 

[Langdon Alger]

We were born in a flame - Sam Roberts

Good album for sure.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Velocity : Design : Comfort, without hesitation. Can't think of another one from that year that's really within striking distance and I don't think it's a bad year at all. Take Me to Your Leader is also a great, great album though.

 

[Cas]

I had to throw a vote at St. Anger for the "(lol)". I'm not actually voting for St. Anger.

2003 was in the middle of that early 2000's weird transition period where nu-metal got big and then quickly died, metalcore sort of took off but then crashed at the end of the runway, the legacy bands were reforming and releasing new albums but not really pushing anything creatively, and the internet hadn't yet gotten big enough to create the explosion of creative new bands and bands trying to replicate the 80's and 90's we've had over the last decade. I can only assume this happened outside of the metal world.

Darkthrone - Hate Them
King Diamond - The Puppet Master
Melechesh - Sphynx
Portal - Seepia
Reverend Bizarre - Harbinger of Metal EP (lol; this EP is 74 minutes long)

Sodom's One Night in Bangkok is an excellent live album - Gamma Ray, Blind Guardian, and Rush also released big, quality live albums in 2003.

Honestly, I don't even listen to these albums all that much. I guess I'd go with Sphynx. I voted for Dopesmoker on the list as well, but that's a really tough listen - it might be better if one was stoned, but I haven't the interest. Cool artwork, though. Seepia's a really tough listen, too, but Portal has really got an aesthetic going that I appreciate (how many people can wear a clock on their head on stage and not come off like a fool).

 

[Teemu]

Sufjan Stevens - Michigan
The Postal Service - Give Up
Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism
Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day
The White Stripes - Elephant
Warren Zevon - The Wind

Good year for Ben Gibbard

 

[MoreOrr]

You've Never Seen Everything - Bruce Cockburn

 

[plank]

Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros - Streetcore
the Stereophonics - You Gotta go There to Come Back
Ocean Color Scene - North Atlantic Drift
British Sea Power - The Decline of British Sea Power
the New Pornographers - Electric Version
the Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Heart of Oak
Metric - Old World Underground , Where Are You Now

Edited to add the Warlocks - Phoenix
Will pretend I have the UK release which was 2003.

I guess I'll pretend I have the UK release too.

I picked up a used copy of Streetcore a couple weeks ago but haven't got around to listening to it yet.

 

[MakeTheGoalsLarger]

Strokes - room on fire
white stripes - elephant

other: would have voted for Sam Roberts' album as well.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Nothing is going to annoy me more than watching a masterpiece like De Loused in the Comatorium lose to the f***ing white stripes lmao

 

[tacogeoff]

Nothing is going to annoy me more than watching a masterpiece like De Loused in the Comatorium lose to the f***ing white stripes lmao

lol. I could say the same about 50s GRODT album which is now an iconic album for the genre that smashed 2003 in the mouth … But everyone has a personal preference and this is not which is the best album but which album you enjoyed the most

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

lol. I could say the same about 50s GRODT album which is now an iconic album for the genre that smashed 2003 in the mouth … But everyone has a personal preference and this is not which is the best album but which album you enjoyed the most

Voted for Get Rich...

Landmark album in the genre and a legitimately great one. All killer, no filler

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I'm kind of happy you took some time off, and hope everything's fine.

I love the Cex album, never thought I'd put him first in anything, but I'm glad I did. It's really uneven, but so are the next 4. Good stuff, but nothing to break anything (still, having Lightning Bolt out of the top-10 shows that the level is still pretty high).

1. Cex – Maryland Mansions
2. Caroliner – Wine Can't Do It, Wife Won't Do!
3. Keep the Dog – That House We Lived In
4. Sheena Ringo – Kalk samen kuri no hana
5. Bob Drake – 13 Songs and a Thing
6. Tied & Tickled Trio – Observing Systems
7. Matt Elliott – The Mess We Made
8. Natural Snow Buildings – Ghost Folks
9. The Locust - Plague Soundscapes
10. The Books – The Lemon of Pink
11. Kaada – Thank You For Giving Me Your Valuable Time
12. Lightning Bolt – Wonderful Rainbow
13. Woven Hand – Blush Music
14. Boris – Boris At Last – Feedbacker
15. 1349 Rykkinn – Brown Ring of Fury

HMs:
The Angels of Light – Everything Is Good Here / Please Come Home
Ween - Quebec
The Microphones – Mount Eerie
Genocide Organ ‎– 虐殺機関
Hala Strana – Fielding / Hala Strana – Hala Strana
Crescent – By the Roads and the Fields
Elliott Sharp – String Quartets 1986–1996
Kevin Drumm – Land of Lurches
Benjamin Biolay – Négatif
Animal Collective – Here Comes the Indian
Genocide Superstars – Superstar Destroyer
Chien-Yin Chen – Purr
AIT! – Fiori di carne
Joëlle Léandre, Jonathan Segel & Fred Frith – Tempted to Smile
Derek Bailey, Antoine Berthiaume & Fred Frith – Soshin
Tomahawk – Mit Gas
Supersilent – 6
Mononc' Serge & Anonymous – L'Académie du massacre
Deerhoof – Apple O'
Kopernik – Kopernik
The Curse of the Golden Vampire – Mass Destruction
Brassy – Gettin Wise
Burmese – A Mere Shadow and Reminiscence of Humanity
Joe Henry – Tiny Voices
Grunt / Taint – Schoolyard Bruises
Pink Anvil – Halloween Party
Institut – Live Like Traitors, Die Like Traitors

Curiosities:
Meanwhile, Back in Communist Russia – My Elixir; My Poison
Khanate – Things Viral
Sleep – Dopesmoker
Xiu Xiu – A Promise
Gridlock – Formless
Yamamoto Seiichi – Nu Frequency
Robert Wyatt – Cuckooland
Whitehouse – Bird Seed
Excepter – KA
Chris Watson – Weather Report
John Zorn – Chimeras (great album, but the opera-like voices are just not really my thing)
Diamanda Galas – La serpanta canta (live with some of my favorite songs by her, but these versions are pale compared to other recordings)

 

[frisco]

Other:
Do It For Love-Hall And Oates
Unearthed-Johnny Cash

My Best-Carey

 

[kihei]

Radiohead: Hail to the Thief
Sean Paul: Dutty Rock
Evanescence: Fallen
Muse: Absolution
Gillian Welch: Soul Journey
---can't think of anything else

 

[Oxbow Lakes]

Ween - Quebec
Yo La Tengo - Summer Sun

Mew - Frengers
Boris - at Last: Feedbacker
The Horrors - Vent
Luomo - The Present Lover
Opeth - Damnation

+ a bunch of pretty good, but not great stuff (Sweet Trip, Microphones, The Wrens, Nujabes, Moloko etc.)

 

[Eisen]

Weak year.
Off top of my head my favourite album was Muff Potter - Heute wird gewonnen, bitte.

 

[Gordon Lightfoot]

Reminder that Dopesmoker is incredible if you're in the right mood.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Some bands that weren't mentioned that put some good stuff out that year: British Sea Power, The Cardigans (handful of great singles on this one), I Am Kloot, BRMC, Gob, Cooper Temple Clause, Oceansize, Kashmir, and South.

For my favourite, I'll go with Snow Patrol's Final Straw which is really the only good album they made. Has 9 songs on it which I really like, a slightly heavier alt sound than the stuff they made afterwards, and a huge anthem on it called Run which imo is better than Chasing Cars. Favourite song is probably Wow. I'd maybe give 2nd to Muse's Absolution but weak year overall.

 

[Ouroboros]

Georg Friedrich Haas - In Vain [Cambreling/Klangforum Wien] [Spectralism/Modern Classical]
Horațiu Rădulescu - Streichquartett Nr. 4 Opus 33 [Arditti Quartet] [Spectralism/Modern Classical]
Francisco Guerrero - Complete Orchestral Works [Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia] [Modern Classical]
Autechre - Draft 7.30 [Electronic/Glitch/IDM]
Portal - Seepia [Death Metal]
T.E.F. - Symptomatic Harbinger [Noise]
Eliane Radigue - Geelriandre-Arthesis [Drone]
The Chasm - Conjuration Of The Spectral Empire [Death Metal]
Monolake - Momentum [Electronic/Minimal Techno/Glitch/IDM]
John Fahey - + (Red Cross, Disciple Of Christ Today) [American Primitivism]
Khanate - Things Viral [Drone Metal/Drone/Sludge]
Blut Aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God [Black Metal/Industrial Metal]
Samuel Feinberg - Piano Sonatas 1-6 [Samaltanos/Sirodeau] [Modern Classical]
Xanopticon - Liminal Space [Electronic/Glitch/Flashcore]
Dmitri Shostakovich - String Quartets 1-13 [Borodin Quartet] [Modern Classical]
Drudkh - Forgotten Legends [Black Metal]

 

[Habsfunk]

Two of the best Canadian rock albums of all time came out this year:
The Constantines - Shine a Light
The Deadly Snakes - Ode to Joy

 

[beowulf]

APC Thirteenth Step