Top 20 of 2003

Adam's Picks (2003)

Adam White

I've been thinking about writing this article for months, now
I find myself rushing to finish it on New Years Eve. That's
pretty much how this year has gone for me, and when I think
back to the events of last winter they seem a world away.
This has been quite a year for us at Punknews.org, in a word
"busy," but it's also been very gratifying. We've managed to
talk to some fascinating people (see the "article.php?sid=7573">
Lawrence Arms and "article.php?sid=6186">
Less Than Jake interviews, which stand out to me as two
of our best) and work with some awesome bands. This has been
a surprising year to me, as quite a few of my all-time
favorite bands from the past 5 years didn't even make it into
my top 20, their places usurped by releases I never assumed
would captivate me like they have. This isn't a discredit to
those groups either, it's a credit to the amount of great
records that were released in `03.

I can't end this introduction without an acknowledgement of
those we lost this year, particularly the legendary Johnny
Cash. The scene is also now missing singer Adam Cox, bassist
Matt Fitzgerald, and drummer Jeremy Gage of the brilliant
Exploding Hearts.

So here's my picks for 2003, ranked in order (or at least, in
the order of my preferences last night).

Who Rocked The Casbah In 2003: 20
Maxeen
Maxeen
November 18 on SideOneDummy Records

This has been a pretty good year for power-pop and bands
seem to be realizing there's a world to explore in that
spectrum without ever having to touch the much-maligned
"mall-punk" genre. Case-in-point: Maxeen's
debut. This is irresistibly catchy new-wave inspired rock that
will stay in your head for weeks. [ "reviews.php?op=albumreview&id=2450"> full review

]

19
The Bouncing Souls
Anchors Aweigh
August 26 on Epitaph Records

Underappreciated. The Bouncing Souls have always had a very
down-to-earth charm about them and now they've matured
their music and lyrics to a point where that they can fully
realize that potential. There's something satisfyingly
soulful and poignant about this release.

18
Cave In
Antenna
March 18 on RCA Records (BMG)

I wasn't too interested in Cave In's melodic
turn at first and certainly didn't think much of
Antenna early on. Yet over the course of the year for
whatever reason I kept finding this disc in my stereo and now
I've come to love the big epic anthems here. Despite the
genre, Cave In is simply a great band and that shines
through.

17
Thrice
The Artist in the Ambulance
August 12 on Island Records (UMG)

Thrice unfortunately suffers a backlash due to their
overzealous fans, which is also funny considering the
band's comprised of some of the most soft-spoken and
low-key personalities in punk. While I enjoyed their past work
I've never been one to shower Thrice with excessive
accolades. However The Artist In The Ambulance amplifies
the band's best qualities with far more solid and
thought-out songwriting. A frequent resident of my stereo as of
late.

16
The Slackers
Close My Eyes
September 9 on Hellcat Records (Epitaph)

The worlds best active ska band releases one of the best ska
records of the year, which is really not too surprising at all.
Ruggerio, Hillyard et al haven't set out to break any new
ground this time around, as Close My Eyes is very much a
"back to basics" approach, but their classic
songwriting is as strong as ever. [ "reviews.php?op=albumreview&id=2262">full review
| "article.php?sid=7112">
interview with Dave Hillyard]

15
The Planet Smashers
Mighty
July 1 on STOMP! (Union Label Group)

The most musically interesting and mature album of the Planet Smashers career. Transcending the 'ska revival' this is a batch of surprisingly folky pop tunes that work remarkably well for a band with an already well established sound. [ "reviews.php?op=albumreview&id=1980">full review]

14
The Lawrence Arms
The Greatest Story Ever Told
September 23 on Fat Wreck Chords

The Larry Arms have so much going for them: well-read
intelligent lyricism, a fantastic sense of wit, captivating
dual vocals and the ability so switch on a dime between snotty
and downtrodden. This album could have been the band's
opportunity to storm the mainstream, but have instead delivered
something far more smart and interesting then I was
expecting.

13
Ted Led & the Pharmacists
Hearts of Oak
February 11 on Lookout! Records

Just what makes Mr. Ted Leo "the motherfucking
man" as we so frequently proclaim? It just may be the
passionate, heartfelt mix of amazing songwriting, boundless
energy, wonderfully literate lyrics and an original sound that
no one can touch. Ted Leo and his Pharmacists are well on their
way to becoming legends.

12
Rise Against
Revolutions Per Minute
April 8 on Fat Wreck Chords

They're starting to become victims of their own hype,
but like a few others on this list the overbearing praise is
rooted in the reality of a great record. This is an honest and
exciting melodic hardcore album; it's really that simple.
A good mix of the personal and the political keeps the band
from ever falling into the usual lyrical traps. This is a huge
jump in passion and energy from their debut.

11
The Blood Brothers
…Burn, Piano Island, Burn
March 18 on ARTIST Direct Records (BMG)

Sure, The Blood Brothers come off as spasmodic and maniacal
(and they are…) but hiding under all that chaos is the
band's real quality of incredible songwriting. Sure,
we've had our share of driven, pissed-off hardcore this
year, but none of it is as undeniably infectious as this.
Without a doubt this is one of the more important and original
hardcore records in recent memory.

10
Every Time I Die
Hot Damn!
July 1 on Ferret Records

It's not too hard to see that my tastes don't
usually extend far into the metalcore universe. Every Time I
Die won me over with the underlying thread of irresistible
dirty rock `n roll in their sound. Combined with brilliantly
sarcastic and well-written lyrics, Hot Damn! has demanded my
attention and will not let go.

9
Clann Zú
Rua
September 16 on G7 Welcoming Committee Records

A low-key overseas release from 2001 gets revamped by a
Winnipeg political label and emerges as one of the year's
most surprising sleeper releases. Songs of cultural reclamation
put to a mixture of haunting violins, electronic house
percussion and dark gothic rock. If that sounds strange and
different, it's because it is. [ "reviews.php?op=albumreview&id=2260"> full review
]

8
The Weakerthans
Reconstruction Site
September 26 on Epitaph Records

John K. Samson and company release an incredibly literate
and touching batch of songs. Lyrically The Weakerthans convey
ideas of urban alienation like none other and deliver messages
of sorrow and hope with a depth and maturity that simply
isn't found in most punk rock. The Weakerthans continue
to eloquently convey tensions between forces urban & rural,
traditional & progressive, east & west.

7
Against Me!
as The Eternal Cowboy
November 4 on Fat Wreck Chords

Against Me! Is really everything I want in a band. They move
from soulful to furious in a heartbeat and write fresh punk
rock without ever losing tough of their roots rock origins.
Against Me! has the distinction of being one of those rare
bands that continuously makes it's own path, regardless
of trends or the opinions of fickle punk rock commentators.
This is 25 of the sweetest minutes recorded this
year.

6
The Bronx
The Bronx
August 26 on White Drugs (Ferret)

I'd been waiting with bated breath for this record
ever since this band's red-hot demos showed up online
last year. Raw, scathing punk rock recorded with flaws intact.
It makes for one of the most exhilarating and genuine records
of the year that easily lives up to and surpasses its hype.
[ "reviews.php?op=albumreview&id=2223">full review
]

5
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
March 18 on Merge Records

The reviewers in the major publications would have you
believe this is nothing more than average, and while I
don't deny my own opinion is likely affected by this
group's legendary past, I maintain that this is an
awesome punk rock record. Few bands could pull off such a
revitalization of sound as their members push 50, but the fact
remains that no one writes a hook like Shelley and Diggle.
[ "reviews.php?op=albumreview&id=1837">full review
]

4
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros
Streetcore
October 21 on Hellcat Records (Epitaph)

With Streetcore Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros
finally meshed together into a solid, driven band, giving up
world music experimentation for fantastic roots-rock
songwriting. The real success of this record is not that it
ends Joe's career on a positive note, but that totally
isolated from that context it still holds up as a great record.
A fitting epitaph… [ "reviews.php?op=albumreview&id=2373">
full review]

3
The Exploding Hearts
Guitar Romantic
March 24 on Dirtnap Records

The Exploding Hearts, in both recording and songwriting,
sound like the reincarnation of everything exciting, charming
and hopeful about the pioneering 70s punk bands. Guitar
Romantic exists in a time warp, unaffected by everything
that went wrong since this time that I'm struggling to
idealize. Through shockingly effective and straightforward
songwriting the Exploding Hearts could never be mislabeled as
one of today's garage revivalists, from their recordings
alone you could tell they had too much charisma and passion to
get caught up in that petty cycle of hype, backlash and irony.
Three members of the Exploding Hearts died tragically in an
automotive accident this past July. What we lost is
immeasurable.

2
The New Pornographers
Electric Version
May 6 on Mint Records & Matador Records

I'll make the bold assertion that the New
Pornographers are indeed one of the best pop bands on the
planet, indie or otherwise. Touring has bonded this one time
side-project supergroup into a full fledged band. This takes
Carl Newman's songwriting and Neko Case's
captivating vocal presence to an entirely different level than
their debut. What results is a dynamic comparable to the
Pixies, only filtered through the New Pornographers'
proven ability to layer more hooks in a single song than some
bands do in entire albums. [ "reviews.php?op=albumreview&id=1930">
full review]

1
The Constantines
Shine a Light
August 19 on Three Gut Records & Sub Pop Records

The Constantines deliver on the promise shown in their
Fugazi influenced debut with one of the years most stunningly
complete and visionary albums. Shine A Light
simultaneously embraces traditional roots-rock elements and
pushes the boundaries of its genre. This is punk music with
soul, which in a year of purportedly
"emotional" records has been sorely lacking.
[ "reviews.php?op=albumreview&id=2192">
full review]

The 2003 Mixtape

Top Compilation / Reissue Of 2003
Sticks & Stones
The Strife & Times
September 16 on Chunksaah Records

Such an underappreciated band is eulogized in a fantastic two
disc set. Anyone interested in the roots of the current East
Coast punk scene needs to pick this up. [ "reviews.php?op=albumreview&id=2469">
full review]

Honourable mention goes out to the New Wave for the Next
Generation compilation from the newly resurrected Sire
Records. It's all old and familiar songs, but damn is it
a great mix.

Thoughts on Other ReleasesI thought it would be best
to offer some justification for various popular or noteworthy
releases that I've left off my list this year. The most
glaring to most here will be Strike Anywhere's Exit
English. While that album had some great tunes it failed to
hold my interest like their previous. Don't get me wrong,
I still think quite highly of the band, but their new record
just didn't hook me. Other records I liked quite a bit
were simply pushed off the list as more and more albums became
contenders. I'd like to mention my affection for The
Suicide Machines' A Match and some Gasoline, Less
Than Jake's underrated album Anthem [ "reviews.php?op=albumreview&id=1940">
review], Tangiers' breakthrough Hot New
Spirits, Fifth Hour Hero's Scattered
Sentences, Andrew W.K.'s unbelievably fun The
Wolf and
NOFX's unfairly maligned War On Errorism.

Now the big two: Rancid and AFI. I liked Indestructible,
as you can see in the above linked review, however it lacks
something that the band's previous two albums had.
Although different in style and execution Live Won't
Wait and Rancid (2000) are two of my favorite
records. What was the new one lacking? It's hard for me
to say. Call it ambition if nothing else. It doesn't help
that my faith in Rancid's sincerity is much weaker after
their unnecessarily shadowy and bewildering Warner deal.

On the other hand I have no doubts that AFI is sincere in what
they're doing. In fact I think they're taking a
more honest approach to their music now then when they were
trying to hold the balance between their intended direction and
the opinions of their old-school fans. Does their current sound
bother me? Not one bit. I've always been more of a Cure
fan anyways, so the influences shown on the new material are
fine by me. In fact, despite some over-production issues, I
really like Sing The Sorrow.

Finally a note on The Mars Volta. I can appreciate the
band's instrumental ability and ambition to make
challenging music. However De-Loused In The Comatorium
is dreadfully uninteresting. I find the songs repetitive and
some of the band's art-noise rather irritating. Like most prog
the music is rather alienating; Music to me is more about fun
and passion then it is about high-art. Anyone who praises this
band as a savior has their priorities mixed up.

Anticipated for 2004:2003 was a really great year, but
2004 promises new records from such classic bands as Bad
Religion, Descendents and Social Distortion (for real this
time). On top of that we'll have new stuff from Green
Day, Tiger Army, Avoid One Thing, Bedouin Soundclash, The
Frenetics and (likely) Planes Mistaken For Stars. Look out for
the new Cave In record, as that band's sudden rediscovery
of their metal period is sure to provide fodder for a more
aggressive release.
…and there you go. All the best in the new year.