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Published on January 1st 2004
A Great Year For Music, But A Terrible Year For Musicians
That soundbite has become rather cliche in recent months, but
it's as true as ever. Take a look: The music world lost numerous talents this year: Elliott Smith, Wesley Willis, Johnny and June Carter Cash, Matt Davis of Ten Grand, Warren Zevon, Barry White, Jeremy Ward of The Mars Volta, Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, Ryosuke Morimura of Kemuri, and Adam Cox, Matt Fitzgerald, and Jeremy Gage of the Exploding Hearts, among others. Let's also not forget the untimely death of Daniel Martin at the tragic Death By Stereo house show in Blacksburg, VA earlier this year. These are all truly terrible losses to the brotherhood of music that will be mourned for some time. It seemed like a week wouldn't go by that a band didn't end it's life professionally. 2003 saw the demise of Dismemberment Plan, Elliott, Atom and His Package, The Control, Reach The Sky, The Jimmies, Living Sacrifice, Bis, Teen Idols, Small Brown Bike, This Day Forward, The Movielife, The Cost, Fairweather, Pele, Dr. Know, The Stryder, Forstella Ford, The Rocking Horse Winner, Kid Brother Collective, Gameface, Worthless United, Smogtown, Common Rider, The Scaries, Whatever It Takes, City Of Caterpillar, Bury Your Dead, Knockout, The Pattern, August Premier, The Ivory Coast, The Horde, Page Ninety-Nine, The Pavers, Count The Stars, The Curse, Whippersnapper, Tear It Up, 32 Frames, Will Haven, Narcissus, Penfold, Death On Wednesday, Consumed, Shai Hulud and Face To Face, among countless others. And if your band survived the breakup epidemic, chances are you got your gear stolen [Slowride, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Hopesfall, F-Minus, Xiu Xiu, Murder By Death, Don't Look Down, Samiam, Leftover Crack, Big D and the Kids Table], got in a van accident [Eastern Youth, Bleeding Through, Thursday, Ester Drang, The Bronx, On The Might Of Princes], or just went through some potentially damaging lineup changes [Taking Back Sunday, The Æffect, Give Up The Ghost, Avoid One Thing, Boy Sets Fire, Since By Man, Between The Buried And Me, Stairwell, The Reunion Show, The Ghost]. But with all the troubles that plagued musicians, the music that they created was something different altogether. 2003 was a special year for music, and one that I don't see duplicated for a long time. If you made a list of your top 10 favorite bands that are still active, odds are at least one of them put out a record this year. That alone should make you happy. With my year-end list this year, I decided to add a little something extra - a second opinion, courtesy of Pitchfork. Pitchfork, for those of you who don't know, is viewed by many as the golden standard when it comes to record reviewing. Where applicable, I've posted Pitchfork's score of the album in question after the label name, designated as the following: PS: x.x. So, now that that's out of the way, let's get down to business: The Top Twenty Records Of 2003 20.Blink-182 - S/T [Geffen] Honestly, this record should be higher on this list than 20, but I don't want to face the wrath of you guys.  19.Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Streetcore [Hellcat] PS: 6.9 A near-perfect last will and testament from one of punk's forefathers. You're still missed, Joe.  18.On The Might Of Princes - Sirens [Revelation] This band came out of nowhere and blew me away with their Revelation debut. It's really solid post-hardcore with no gimmicks.  17.The Postal Service - Give Up [Sub Pop] PS: 8.0 Ben Gibbard is the new Tim Kasher - everything he touches is gold.  16.Cursive - The Ugly Organ [Saddle Creek] PS: 7.0 Tim Kasher is the old Ben Gibbard - everything he touches is gold.  15.The Mars Volta De-loused In The Comatorium [Universal] PS: 4.9 Hyped to the point of oblivion, but still an amazing album on it's own. Sure, it's not At The Drive-In, but at least it's not Sparta.  14.Against Me! As The Eternal Cowboy [Fat Wreck] I've always liked Against Me!, but something always felt missing on their previous releases. With this record, they nailed it. This record makes me believe in punk rock again.  13.The Blood Brothers Burn Piano Island, Burn [ARTISTdirect] PS: 9.1 One word: sasscore. Just remember that I coined that term.  12.Vaux There Must Be Some Way To Stop Them [Volcom] This disc has grown on me exponentially since I first heard it. Their live show is second-to-none, too. Who would've thought Volcom would put out a good record?  11.Copeland Beneath Medicine Tree [The Militia Group] This is a debut? Wow. Copeland is sincere and heartfelt without being sappy and cliche, and while most of you would refer to them as "emo," I simply describe their album as "real music."  10.Mates Of State Team Boo [Polyvinyl] PS: 7.3 I dance to this record. You probably do, too.  9.The White Stripes Elephant [V2] PS: 6.9 The blues are back, and how. I never was a really big fan of the Stripes, but this record has made me a believer.  8.Duvall Volume & Density [Asian Man] Dear Josh Caterer: I don't care what you sing about, please just keep singing. Love, Scott Punknews  7.Desert City Soundtrack Funeral Car [Deep Elm] It's like Black Heart Procession meets The Blood Brothers. And it works. Boy, does it work.  6.Rainer Maria Long Knives Drawn [Polyvinyl] PS: 4.4 A complete reinvention of sound, and the best album of the band's career.  5.Criteria En Garde [Initial] Stephen Pederson shows just why the first two Cursive albums kicked so much ass, with 10 straightforward, hard-hitting indie rock songs that don't rely on a cello to sound majestic.  4.Brand New Deja Entendu [Triple Crown] PS: 6.9 Evolution barely describes what happened with this band. With the masterful lyricism of this disc, Jesse Lacey has become thousands of teenage boys' muse [and thousands of teenage girls' rockstar crush], whether he likes it or not.  3.Mando Diao Bring 'Em In [Mute] PS: 8.0 Pushing the boundaries of mod rock just like countrymen Refused pushed the boundaries of hardcore. I have a feeling this record doesn't even create a ripple in Mando Diao's talent pool.  2.Death Cab For Cutie Transatlanticism [Barsuk] PS: 6.4 Absolute beauty, both musically and lyrically. Name one other band that could get away with repeating the phrase "I need you so much closer" for 6 minutes straight and make it work. That's what I thought.  1.The Weakerthans Reconstruction Site [Epitaph] PS: 5.6 John K. Samson is the Bob Dylan of our generation, and something tells me he's only getting started. This album is beyond essential. In a perfect world, this would sell a million copies, but I guess I'll just have to spin the album a million times over to compensate. And the thing is, after a million listens, I still wouldn't get sick of this record. The Top Five EPs Of 2003 5.Bullet Train To Vegas Profile This [Letterbomb] This band reeks of potential, and the unbridled energy on this EP only hints at what to come.  4.The Realistics Go Ahead [Catapult] The best-kept secret in New York City.  3.Small Brown Bike Nail Yourself To The Ground [No Idea] This EP is all the more bittersweet, knowing that the followup LP stunk.  2.Saosin Translating The Name [Death Do Us Part] I hate believing the hype as much as anyone else, but this shit is dope, yo.  1.Somerset This Thought Process [self-released] The only thing I hate more than believing hype is creating hype, but I assure you, this quartet out of Minneapolis is worth your full attention. Knowing that some of the songs on this EP were written within a half hour of the band's first practice sends chills down my spine. The Top Ten Biggest Disappointments Of 2003  10.Matchbook Romance - West For Wishing / Stories and Alibis [Epitaph] Mr. Brett promised so much from this band that, as of yet, hasn't delivered. There's definitely talent, though, so we'll see what happens.  9.Teen Idols - Nothing To Prove [Fueled By Ramen] The final nail in the coffin of a band who peaked on their first CD.  8.Mad Caddies - Just One More [Fat Wreck] Weak. Just plain weak.   7.None More Black - File Under Black [Fat Wreck] / Paint It Black - CVA [Jade Tree] It's not Kid Dynamite, and I just can't get past that.  6.Diffuser - Making The Grade [Hollywood] My, how the mighty have fallen to the level of shitty pop-punk. Why, Diffuser, why?  5. Cave In - Antenna [RCA] -
PS: 6.1A commercial and artistic flop. I'm not sure if I'm happy or embarassed for them.  4.Reggie and the Full Effect - Under The Tray [Vagrant] - PS: 3.7 James Dewees really isn't that funny. I wish it wouldn't have taken me 3 CDs to realize that.  3.Further Seems Forever - How To Start A Fire [Tooth & Nail] A better voice doesn't always equal better songs, I guess.  2.Small Brown Bike - The River Bed [Lookout!] - PS: 7.7 Outside of a couple of tracks, the Bike's last effort came off rather flat [no pun intended].  1.Saves The Day - In Reverie [Dreamworks] Two words: shit sandwich. The Top Five Records I Just Didn't "Get" In 2003 5.The Constantines - Shine A Light [Sub Pop] PS: 8.3 Adam loves it; I just can't get into it like he does.  4.The Rapture - Echoes [Universal] - PS: 9.0 Okay, so you can dance to it in hipster clubs. So?  3.AFI - Sing The Sorrow [Dreamworks] Even though their singer is pretty hot for a goth chick, the music is still pretty much defanged and tame.   2.Thrice - The Artist In The Ambulance / Thursday - War All The Time [Island] Okay, don't get me wrong - I'm a fan of both bands, I own both albums. I just don't see any ground being broken in either.  1.Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 [Equal Vision] Long songs do not equal good songs. The end. The Best Compilation Of 2003 
Various - OIL: Chicago Punk Refined [THICK] /
Various - Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault: Jawbreaker Tribute
[Dying Wish]Two of the best things in the world were honored this year: Chicago and Jawbreaker. 'Nuff said. Most Improved Band Of 2003 Gatsbys American Dream - Ribbons
& Sugar [Rocketstar]It's almost impossible to believe this was the same band that was ripping off Lagwagon on their debut record just a year ago. Kudos for evolving. Best Comeback Record Of 2003 Suicide Machines - A Match and Some
Gasoline [SideOneDummy]A dynamite return to form, and it would be giving Destruction By Definition a run for it's money for the title of best Suicide Machines album had they not completely ripped off "The Killing Blow" for "The Politics Of Humanity." For shame. The Best Music DVD Of 2003
Tenacious D - The Complete Masterworks [Epic]Give it up for KG, give it up for JB, and give it up for the D-VD. The Best Remix Record Of 2003 Dismemberment Plan - A People's
History Of The [Desoto] -
PS: 6.0It's slightly hit-and-miss, but there's enough goodness here to give this disc the nod. Plus, it was created largely by the fans! How cool is that? The Best Re-Issue Of 2003
Motion City Soundtrack - I Am The Movie [Epitaph]A great album got even greater with it's slight tweaking. The three new songs are great, and - shock of shocks - you can hear the bass now! The Best Cover Art Of 2003 The Bronx - S/T [Ferret]It's like the Rocky Horror Picture Show gone horribly awry. I love it. The Best Record Of 2003 By Andrew WK
Andrew WK - The Wolf [Island]This category is kind of premeditative, because I believe in the future AWK will be putting out multiple albums a year. But still, this is the best record by Andrew WK of 2003, no question. The Best Solo Record That Was Unfortunately Packaged With A Incredibly Subpar Second Disc Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love
Below [Arista] -
PS: 8.0Andre 3000 is a genius. Many people are comparing this double disc to the Beatles' White Album, but I view it as more of a John Lennon/Ringo Starr pairing than anything else. The Big Boi CD makes a great coaster, though. The Best Record Of 2003 Had It Not Contained A Really Awful Country Song Fountains Of Wayne - Welcome
Interstate Managers [S-Curve] -
PS: 7.5Seriously. This record is fantastic, but that goddamn country song makes me want to cut off my ears every time I hear it. The Best Record Of 2003 Where Every Single Song Sounded The Same, In A Good Way
Limbeck - Hi, Everything's Great [Doghouse]Well, yeah. The Best Record Of 2002 That I Didn't Hear Until 2003 Hot Hot Heat - Make Up The
Breakdown [Sub Pop] -
PS: 8.7This CD holds the honor of being the only CD I was so in love with that I actually walked to class listening to it on my discman. In 4 years of college, I've never done that with any other album. The Best Record Of 2002 That I Didn't "Get" Until 2003 Glassjaw - Worship and Tribute
[Warner Bros.]So I liked a couple songs off the record last year, but this summer was the summer of Glassjaw for me. This record was like audio crack, I couldn't get enough of it. THE BEST UNSIGNED BAND IN AMERICA FOR 2003SomersetBands like this make me wish I had a record label, as I would do everything I could to put out this band's full-length. The talent these kids posess blows away most of your favorite bands, and they're just getting started. If you haven't downloaded their new demos yet, you're missing out. Get them here and learn the words, because you'll be shouting along soon enough. The Punknews.Org Mixtape, 2003 EditionThis was almost as hard to put together as my Top 20 list above. Every one of the records I picked for that list contains at least one song that could make this year's mixtape, but I wanted to showcase other bands. The songs picked here are from releases that are not neccessarily the best of the year, but each song can stand on it's own two feet, without the support of a good album behind it. Thus, I bring to you my Punknews.org mixtape for 2003. Click on the song title to download, where applicable.
The Most Anticipated Records Of 20042003's musical output makes 2002 look like the kid's stuff, but 2004 could easily make 2003 it's bitch, if all these bands come through with dynamite records: Social Distortion, The Pixies, Descendents, Green Day, Bad Religion, Jimmy Eat World, Weezer, Get Up Kids, Schatzi, Modest Mouse, Mr. T Experience, The Ghost, David Singer, Tsunami Bomb, Onelinedrawing, Millencolin, Pedro The Lion, Somerset, Bluebottle, Saosin, Faultlines, Haymarket Riot, and who knows what else.Things I'd Like To See Happen In 2004Somerset get signed.A Tuesday/Death On Wednesday/Thursday/Saturday Looks Good To Me/Taking Back Sunday nationwide tour. Just for kicks. Adam Levin sending me the Slow Gherkin t-shirt I paid him for back in October of 2002. If any of you know this man, please make him send it. I'll put out a 20 dollar reward for the person who can get him to send it to me [I really want the shirt]. Honestly, would it kill you to buy me a gift off my Amazon.com wishlist? For real, yo. People who liked this also liked:           Please login or register to post comments. What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?
Man, I just happened on thus during a google search and PN was making shitty year end lists as far back as 03 at least. Joe Strummer was cool, but that Hellcat release was total shit. scott is such a fuckin douche bag. "You are the new plague" "Individualism is the new punk." i thought this site was about punk rock bands not a bunch of losers who play like blur only faster.... i assume you haven't posted any new reviews cause you think these top 10s are good enough to hold off a week. well fuck you asshole. i want some reviews. "individualism should always be the new punk." "Sports are the new punk." When are you posting more reviews? weren't they supposed to come out on Tuesday? Trying to milk the hits aren't ya???....I know your kind...(wink) Adam and Steve? What the fuck? this has got to be the dumbest comment i have ever read. ever. dude you so like boys its ridiculous...paint it black is terrible and so are you because your gay and god means adam and eve not adam and steve so why dont you go and dream about other gay guys like you you boy liker guy None More Black and Paint It Black shouldn't have to suffer just because you havn't got over Kid Dynamite. But thumbs up for the Spinal Tap reference. rob is such a texican, he should just go work at texico with all the other texicans...i couldnt even wipe my floor with his clothes hes soo poor We should seriously consider starting a punk sports section on this site. Sports are the new punk. "just like they said in lord of the rings 3, "the eagles are coming."" eagles are going to the superbowl baby. watch out. Fuck the Packers...the Hawks are gonna win the Superbowl next year and they should seriously make the prediction now. "dungeons and dragons secrets of middle earth mordor chapter 6: geddy lee volta" Top Ten: while everyone seems to either go the route of "brand new, thrusday, coheed, blood bros" or "rise against, strike anywhere, larry arms" i agree are all great albums, don't any of you fuckng listen to lagwagon? it is easily as impressive of a comback as rancid, suicide machines and waaaay better than the souls or nofx. most of the bands in everyones top 10's 6th album will not sound this good. i'd like to hear coheed's sixth album, what will it be "dungeons and dragons secrets of middle earth mordor chapter 6: geddy lee volta" . i mean cmon. as for your favorite show to see in 2004: don't forget From Autumn to Ashes, A Fall Farewell, and Early November. You could have a band named after every month, day and season come the end of 2004. My dream show would be Cave In, Trail of Dead, Godspeed You Black Emperor and Kinski. Then I'd die happy. Well, I'm still holding out for a My Bloody Valentine reunion. scott, just so you know, I bought a Slow Gherkin tshirt off their site right around the same time as you, and I never got anything for a few months. When I emailed them, they said they weren't selling the tshirts anymore because the band was on hiatus. Kinda dumb if you ask me. I really wanted that one with the Pillsbury Doughboy guy on it. Re: Spain, I'm mostly referencing bands from a few years ago- Aerobitch, Nuevo Catecismo Catolico (NCC), Rumble, Senor No, Pleasure Fuckers- those are all such strong bands (besides PF) that I assume the next wave of bands can only be equally bad ass. Heck, Munster's always repressing some of the best punk rock and roll records on big beautiful vinyl, to me that says they're still on the capital "R"-rock tip. Newer bands, give me a list to check out, from Spain AND from Mexico. We played with Los Flying Monkeys (?) from Tijuana a few months back, they were pretty fun. I don't think a cd would make a very good coaster, that hole in the middle would make the leakage seep through, ruining coffee tables around the world. I think the score is even there buddy, but sure, hugs all around. The number one band that got shafted this year is strike anywhere... nowhere in any of the top of 2003. LushJ, what spanish bands rock? the only one i know of right now is Ska-P (and they're great) and I'm very curious about the spanish music scene. On your list, I'd replace Spain with Mexico for teachers of rock, and I second, third and fourth your saying that Japan and Sweden rock harder than America (especially Japan). GWEE! Schwab, I always thought Twisted By Design was Strung out's first, but I am not a hardcore Strung Out fan, so i'm sure your right. They broke up before their album came out, and then got back together. when did BURY YOUR DEAD break up? Ok lets all calm down. It should be easy for you, Dan, you're up by one with that zodiac sign comeback. Nothing beats real Detroit RnR.....and I don't mean Stripes. Fucking Clone Defects kick(ed) ass....an Dirtbombs, holy Fuck! Mensen, Turbonegro, and Randy fucking rock though. Most anticipated CD in 2004 Whoops, Turbonegro "Scandinavian Leather" is also on my list, I forgot to put it on there. Well i do have a thing for black shirts...but just as much for green. but you usually dont notice because of the navy blue hoodie. Unfortunately I dont smoke or drink. And also unfortunately, it is not elitist to tell someone to stop saying ridiculous things. Or else that makes you elitist just for having this argument with me doesnt it? Double edged swords...what a bitch. Yeah, as someone said ealier, the best reissue was cleary Turbonegro...MCS aren't bad, but they aren't great either. Most anticipated 2004: Propagandhi, Leatherface, Bad Religion and Social D. I think only LushJ and I put Randy in our Top 10! I thought Welfare Problems was an awesome record. No ones anticipating the new Leatherface this year? I'm surprised. Anyway, i'd say the best albums go to the Weakerthans and Lawrence Arms, though there was a lot of good stuff this year. Oh and if anyone on this site knows about them, I Farm put out an incredible (and underatted as usual) album that everyone should get into. Thats just me though. I don't know if I've said this already, but if The Lawrence Arms weren't making music, I don't think i'd be listening to anything right now. wow, shawn clancy from new jersey...what information about me would you like first? my birthday? my zodiac sign? how i don't give a shit what shawn clancy from new jersey thinks, because he is probably a skinny kid who wears black t-shirts and smokes marlboro reds, acting like a badass as well as a music elitist? good job acknowledging the Blink 182 record. it is a damn fine disc any any one who doesn't agree should actually listen to the the disc and not be pussies about admiting to liking it. nooge. "Curt- seriously, you should start a record label. 2 things: To the person below who had paris' "sonic jihad" on the list. THat record goes on my list for "albums that I wish I had bought before last night". Great shit. i'd post a top ten list like the rest of you... except none of you would read it (cause you don't care what i have to say), as i did with yours... Wow, your name is dan. Your sure are a brave one. I, Shawn Clancy from new jersey really am not impressed though. Curt- Wow Anonymous user. You sure got me. I'm not sure which I hate more, Punknews.orgs Top 20s or Pitchfork medias Top 50. Dude, have you heard Speakerboxxx? Andre needs to stop making so many damn sketches and realize that Big Boi has eclipsed him. Couple of comments on some things below. 1- I like reading other people's top lists cause it's fucking music. Maybe there's something I missed or didn't give a 2nd listen to that I should go back to. Maybe not. #1 Cursive - Ugly Organ yeah Streetlight Manifesto definately got the shaft... "that was my point. the original post was pretentious, for going off on a guy for just plugging a band. chill out and if you wanna call me a "fucking idiot", then call me pretentious, by all means don't do it behind a keyboard. i never had to sink to the level of calling people petty names." Fuck all of you punknews.org guys for not mentioning Hilary Duff's Cd in any of your lists. Fuckin Brilliant Record. Scott I owe you a big apology for asking why The Bled and Every time I die weren't on your list I totally got you mixed up with Aubin. But I'm glad it was on here somewhere. But I know I have my facts straight with this one. You praised Avenging Disco Godfathers of Soul. What happened to them? And one more question, Do you know when the Somerset album is coming? Once again sorry about the mistake. And keep up all the great work. omg kid brother collective and the ivory coast broke up? how the fuck did i miss this. good pick on the limbeck album scot. i feel the exact same way. "what will probably be the new " and i meant to write what will probably be the last most anticipated album of 2004 for me is the new,and what will probably be the new leftover crack album. I've heard some of the songs live, and i guess the three they released on comps,and they are all really good. operation:MOVE is so fucking good, it just owns in every way, it's got a violin and then just goes into this crazy like death metal or black metal (whatever its called) typed song. so anyway, i'm willing to bet this will be the best cd in 2k4 No one has Billy Talent in their list :/ i like that best of AWK section. ANDREW WK OWNS!!! that list below belong to me. I think that list is pretty rad. Several bands I don't know that much of. kudos scott, best review of the three... HOW IS YOUR FAVORITE BAND BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE'S FAVORITE BAND?" "I am curious as to what news item/review this year got the most reader comments. Is that something you can determine? It would be interesting to see what that was. Thanks." "Also, if you want an amazing cd, buy "Twisted by Design". It was Strung Blink 182 got #20 on the list and Travis Barker gets this you would get a 10 but you failed to recognize, what both other reviewers noticed, that the lawrence arms record was one of the greats of the year and wil soon be a classic i can bet hey posters, Shit, take off one of the last two and put DKM - Blackout on there, I totally blanked and forgot their album. Might as well give my list, the KoR's top 10 of 03 (LPs and EPs lumped together): I always did like John Samson's songs when he was in Propagandhi and now I like his songs in the Weakerthans. "Also, if you want an amazing cd, buy "Twisted by Design". It was Strung I think it's hard to determine who would be better, but it was certainly a good year in music 2003 for strong songwriters. In memory of Elliot Smith, i went out and bought the new Weakerthans CD. fucking finally someone likes somerset Scott, I think you said it best in referring to Saves The Day's In Reverie as a Shit Sandwich. Amen. What a terrible record. I got the free download on mp3.com and knew this one was going to be a real shitter. I'm glad I didn't buy it. if youre going to do your favorite elliott smith albums, ill do mine as well. "I am curious as to what news item/review this year got the most reader comments. Is that something you can determine? It would be interesting to see what that was. Thanks." Greg, |
