Music: Best Albums of the Year Series: 2003

[belair]

Why is 'Elephant' leading this poll?

The album was fine, but not even close to being the best White Stripes album. I don't think any of them fall in AOTY category either. I find they get carried by their singles.

Not the best, but 'Take Them On, On Your Own' by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club was a pretty solid entry in 2003.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Why is 'Elephant' leading this poll?

The album was fine, but not even close to being the best White Stripes album. I don't think any of them fall in AOTY category either. I find they get carried by their singles.

Not the best, but 'Take Them On, On Your Own' by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club was a pretty solid entry in 2003.

I fully expected Elephant to win this. It is a good album, to be fair. I don’t know if it’s the best of that year, but it’s popular enough to win a poll like this since a lot of people have likely listened to it.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Why is 'Elephant' leading this poll?

The album was fine, but not even close to being the best White Stripes album. I don't think any of them fall in AOTY category either. I find they get carried by their singles.

Not the best, but 'Take Them On, On Your Own' by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club was a pretty solid entry in 2003.

Inexplicable

 

[MakeTheGoalsLarger]

Why is 'Elephant' leading this poll?

The album was fine, but not even close to being the best White Stripes album. I don't think any of them fall in AOTY category either. I find they get carried by their singles.

Not the best, but 'Take Them On, On Your Own' by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club was a pretty solid entry in 2003.

I certainly agree with this, but it includes Seven Nation Army, which is by far their biggest hit. Their other albums simply don't have the same notoriety.

 

[tacogeoff]

Why is 'Elephant' leading this poll?

The album was fine, but not even close to being the best White Stripes album. I don't think any of them fall in AOTY category either. I find they get carried by their singles.

Not the best, but 'Take Them On, On Your Own' by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club was a pretty solid entry in 2003.

because it is people voting for their personal favorite albums of the year and not based upon the popular vote in regards to sales numbers, singles and weeks on the charts etc.

 

[belair]

because it is people voting for their personal favorite albums of the year and not based upon the popular vote in regards to sales numbers, singles and weeks on the charts etc.

My argument is that their albums get carried by sales numbers, singles and weeks on the chart. White Stripes albums are riddled with duds. Elephant was no different.

 

[ghostnights]

I love that strokes album . Still on heavy rotation

 

[Langdon Alger]

My argument is that their albums get carried by sales numbers, singles and weeks on the chart. White Stripes albums are riddled with duds. Elephant was no different.

Out of curiosity, which songs on Elephant do you think are duds?

 

[belair]

Out of curiosity, which songs on Elephant do you think are duds?

Track 2, 8-13 are the ones that I particularly enjoy. I was never really fond of Seven Nation Army and the airplay it received never really helped.

I don't think history will look back at Elephant as a particularly great album. I don't think it's a standout in the White Stripes' discography either and the most notable thing that probably came from it besides Seven Nation Army was the music video for Hardest Button to Button.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Track 2, 8-13 are the ones that I particularly enjoy. I was never really fond of Seven Nation Army and the airplay it received never really helped.

I don't think history will look back at this Elephant as a particularly great album. I don't think it's a standout in the White Stripes' discography either and the most notable thing that probably came from it besides Seven Nation Army was the music video for Hardest Button to Button.

You don’t like “well it’s true that we love one another”?

Lol

 

[belair]

You don’t like “well it’s true that we love one another”?

Lol

Lol No

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Track 2, 8-13 are the ones that I particularly enjoy. I was never really fond of Seven Nation Army and the airplay it received never really helped.

I don't think history will look back at this Elephant as a particularly great album. I don't think it's a standout in the White Stripes' discography either and the most notable thing that probably came from it besides Seven Nation Army was the music video for Hardest Button to Button.

Let me get this right.... You're complaining that an album on which you particularly enjoy 7 tracks is leading in this poll?

 

[belair]

Let me get this right.... You're complaining that an album on which you particularly enjoy 7 tracks is leading in this poll?

Yes, because it's a poll for 'Best Album'.

I enjoyed a lot of albums in 2003. Many of them weren't filler for half of them.

I get that it's a personal preference, it's just kinda strange.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Yes, because it's a poll for 'Best Album'.

I enjoyed a lot of albums in 2003. Many of them weren't filler for half of them.

I get that it's a personal preference, it's just kinda strange.

I fully expected Elephant to win this poll, so I’m not surprised at all. That doesn’t mean it’s the best album of the year though. Maybe just the most popular on the list.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

I’m actually surprised that Coheed and Cambria’s In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth wasn’t listed. I never skipped a track on that album then, and still don’t.

 

[belair]

I fully expected Elephant to win this poll, so I’m not surprised at all. That doesn’t mean it’s the best album of the year though. Maybe just the most popular on the list.

I expected Speakerboxx to take it in all honesty. Room on Fire maybe.

Pitchfork has You Forgot It In People in their 2003 list for some reason. I remember The Unicorns being the big thing in indie music at the time, too.

Edit: Come to think of it, No Cities Left by The Dears was a great album from this year as well.

 

[Roo Returns]

2003 was probably my lowest point in how I felt/success/stuff to do. I truly hated this year and have a hard time listening to music from it or even reminiscing about it. I'll probably have to take another shower when I'm done with this post. That's how much I despise this year. I went to about 15 great concerts and the rest of the year was worthless.

That said, let me throw in some stuff.

50 Cent wins. That album was anywhere and everywhere this year. He took over the world. It was 50 Mania.

Unicorns got really big end of this year and into 04. That album was all over the place in my hipster circles.

Strong years for Outkast and The Strokes.

Mars Volta album is great. Flea does some of if not his finest bass playing ever on this record. Since we're still in the cycle of RHCP being "not cool" (I roll my eyes) until they release something new with Frusciante end of next year or early-2022, check out the amazing work Flea does on this release.

Lightning Bolt peaked this year playing small clubs.

I know Songs For The Deaf came out in 2002 but that album had 2003 momentum. Them and Audioslave were the hottest bands in 2003.

 

[Roo Returns]

I expected Speakerboxx to take it in all honesty. Room on Fire maybe.

Pitchfork has You Forgot It In People in their 2003 list for some reason. I remember The Unicorns being the big thing in indie music at the time, too.

Edit: Come to think of it, No Cities Left by The Dears was a great album from this year as well.

They played a free show in Brooklyn the following summer to end their tour in Brooklyn. I went to the bar with friends to get 2-3 drinks and we came back and the line was around the block. We just ended up back at the bar and I "no sold" the next day at work with a terrible hangover lol.

 

[belair]

They played a free show in Brooklyn the following summer to end their tour in Brooklyn. I went to the bar with friends to get 2-3 drinks and we came back and the line was around the block. We just ended up back at the bar and I "no sold" the next day at work with a terrible hangover lol.

That was a cool time for me when it came to live music. I was living in Sudbury at the time and for some reason they played multiple shows there in a pretty short time period. A couple of friends and I talked to them after their opening set with Hot Hot Heat. A few months later they're in the Rolling Stone, Maxim, you name it. Then shortly after--boom--they're gone.

I also got a chance to meet Regine from Arcade Fire at a music festival just before Funeral dropped and brought up the Unicorns, since they were also from Montreal. I mentioned how surprised I was to see how much they grew in such a short period of time. Lol.

 

[Roo Returns]

That was a cool time for me when it came to live music. I was living in Sudbury at the time and for some reason they played multiple shows there in a pretty short time period. A couple of friends and I talked to them after their opening set with Hot Hot Heat. A few months later they're in the Rolling Stone, Maxim, you name it. Then shortly after--boom--they're gone.

I also got a chance to meet Regine from Arcade Fire at a music festival just before Funeral dropped and brought up the Unicorns, since they were also from Montreal. I mentioned how surprised I was to see how much they grew in such a short period of time. Lol.

A buddy of mine flew out to Los Angeles to audition as the new bassist for The Warlocks around this time. He started talking to them about music theory...and it all went downhill from there.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

Blink 182 - Blink 182. Loved the darker approach and it has some amazing drum fills.

 

[Mescaleroman]

@Saturated Fats , did you have a list for this year ?

 

[Saturated Fats]

@Mescaleroman I do, thanks for asking. I've lapsed on these threads of late, as the twin terrors of overwork and two kids under the age of 3 have really been kicking my ass.

My top album on the year is head and shoulders above the rest on my list, and sneaks into my top-75 of all time. I love Jose Gonzalez, and will never understand why he didn't catch on as a prestige act in the aughts. His songwriting and guitar-focused mantras are a delicacy. I can't get enough of this album or In Our Nature. Otherwise, not the best year in terms of my rankings.

1. Jose Gonzalez - Veneer

2. The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium
3. M83 - Dead Seas, Red Cities
4. Viktor Vaughn - Vaudeville Villain
5. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism

6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell
7. The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?
8. King Geedorah - Take Me to Your Leader
9. Sun Kil Moon - Ghosts of the Great Highway (though I have a tough time liking anything Kozelek has done anymore)
10. Cat Power - You Are Free
11. Blut aus Nord - The Work Which Transforms God

 

[Teemu]

@Mescaleroman I do, thanks for asking. I've lapsed on these threads of late, as the twin terrors of overwork and two kids under the age of 3 have really been kicking my ass.

I hear that. The oldest of my two just turned three yesterday.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Why is 'Elephant' leading this poll?

because it is people voting for their personal favorite albums of the year

Maybe just the most popular on the list.

Yeah, the voting isn't ranked, so, for all we know, Elephant is the 10th favorite album of everyone who voted for it, but it counts just the same.