Lars Gotrich's Best of 2003
music editor (Tangzine.com), local music director (WUOG-- Athens, GA)
This year I was more careful in selecting my list. Looking back, I wish I could change mine for
2002. After a year of living with
those albums, Interpol's Turn On the Bright Lights became a bitter taste in my mouth,
so trite and so lifeless, while LN's Novel took on a new life of its own far surpassing
anything I had written on it and certainly became more important than The Polyphonic Spree, who
are just a bunch of Soft Bulletin-lovin'/Danielson Famile-robe-wearin' copycats (whew). I also can't
believe I gave Blackalicious's Blazing Arrow a lousy honorable mention because it's certainly
more creative and smart than Sigur Ros's unpronounceable album.
Hindsight is, of course, 20/20, but I hope I feel the same way about these records in ten years as much as I love
them now.
Top 20 Albums of 2003:
Best Songs of 2003 (in alphabetical order by artist):
Best Artwork/Layout:
The Band That Needs to Die:
The 2002 Euro Imports (now released in US) That Would've Hit the Top Twenty:
Best Collections:
Best shows of 2003:
Bands to Watch in 2004:
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01. Sufjan Stevens- Michigan [Asthmatic Kitty/Sounds Familyre]
2002's number one was Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and I'm just now getting around to writing about it.
Michigan, I'm sure, will have the same fate. Stevens understands the depth in simplicity, yet can make
layers and layers of instruments sound like one. His lyrics reach beyond just the state of Michigan, but to a
universal state of perpetual depression and glimmering hope. A powerfully fragile beginning to his 50 state adventure.
02. All Things Bright and Beautiful- Love and Affection [Northern]
Perhaps it's a bit risky to include an album released so late in the year, but loyal Luxury fans have waited for
Love and Affection for nearly a year. When I finally did hear Lee Bozeman's trademark velvet vocals, I knew
it would be an experience of profound spiritual depth. Lee bears his bleeding heart and soul, lusts and joys all
the same, like the confessional poetry of David.
03. Crooked Fingers- Red Devil Dawn [Merge]
This man just won't stop re-inventing himself, and he gets better every time. I saw him recently in town
and he had completely rewritten most of his songs to work around the keyboard (!), which he happened to take
a liking to this past year. I have a feeling most people forgot Red Devil Dawn as it came out in January,
but I could never get "You Threw A Spark" out my head. Lyric of the year: "I know you would cheat with anyone
but me."
04. Ted Leo/Pharmacists- Hearts of Oak [Lookout!]
He's a pop genius and a legend in the making. Coupled with The Tyranny of Distance, Ted Leo will someday
be held in the same esteem as his heroes The Specials.
05. Daniel Lanois- Shine [Anti-]
This brilliant producer of albums from such luminaries as U2, Bob Dylan, and Peter Gabriel does not come out
with his own material as much as he should. Lanois comes from a vulnerable, deeply spiritual place in the music
that prays with such fervency as if this could be last contribution on Earth.
06. Richard Swift- The Novelist [Velvet Blue Music]
This is the kind of album I hope everyone gets to hear at least once, even if by mistake.
07. The Books- The Lemon of Pink [Tomlab]
The best part about The Lemon of Pink is that you can't tell whether those guitar and cello lines
are the original or gloriously cut-up to form completely new compositions. The music and samples aren't glitched to pieces
(surprising how quickly that became overdone), but organically reconstructed to take on brighter, more
brilliant forms that make my heart race with glee (see "Tokyo" and "Take Time"). Somehow this is better
than last year's breakthrough Thought for Food.
08. Viva Voce- Lovers, Lead the Way! [Asthmatic Kitty/Amore!Phonics]
Absolutely sexy, and cool on the ear. My summer album.
09. The Fall of Troy- s/t [Lujo]
The Blood Brothers originally had this spot... and then I heard The Fall of Troy.
10. Drive-By Truckers- Decoration Day [New West]
Athens' rock n roll heroes came back strong from Southern Rock Opera and kicked everyone's ass
with Decoration Day. It's a loaded shotgun in every way you could metaphorically look at it from
the roll and tumble of "Sink Hole" to the self-damning "When the Pin Hits the Shell." And, oh yeah, three
guitars never sounded so good.
11. Summer Hymns- Clemency [Misra]
It was only enough time before Zachary Gresham embraced the country tints in previous
Summer Hymns releases, and Clemency is the result. Other bands like Grandaddy
sound forced when including the elements of Gram Parsons's light-hearted songsmithing, but
Gresham's songs are natural as if they were there all along.
12. Outkast- The Love Below/Speakerboxx [Arista]
There are two schools of thought on this double-disc: 1) It's bloody brilliant and marks a new
innovation in hip-hop. 2) André 3000 aped Prince's back catalogue and Big Boi is unoriginal and less
ambitious than Dre, but ultimately makes the better album. I just think they're both damn entertaining.
Critics put too much of an emphasis on originality, and sometimes forget to enjoy themselves.
13. The Decemberists- Her Majesty... [Kill Rock Stars]
Listening to this in the car recently, I don't know why some major label hasn't picked this band
up, yet (oh wait, I just remembered Colin Meloy's voice). The Decemberists have an incredible
knack for the theatrical side of music complete with Meloy's beautiful lyrical imagery. "The heavens at my birth/
intended me for stardom,/ rays of light shone down on me/ and all my sins were pardoned."
14. The Ether Family Presents...- How to Get Lost in a Time Consuming Ego Trip, Pt. 1 [Headphone Treats]
Part one in a four-disc concept album with 70 minutes of pop music influenced from the '60s on. It's full of
undeniable pop hooks in the vein of The Kinks, The Beatles, The Apples in Stereo, and Pavement. They give
me hope for the Atlanta rock scene.
15. Soul Junk- 1958 [Sounds Are Active/Sounds Familyre]
So many complaints were issued upon the radio play for 1958 at WUOG that Mitch had to take it
out of rotation in less than a week. Soul Junk constantly challenges the boundaries of hip-hop
with every release and have come to an insane apex of "free-hop" using the energy and
unpredictability of John Coltrane's experimental period and the cut-up-beyond-recognition beats
that sound like crazed jack-in-the-boxes ready to explode. Glen Galaxy's rhymes blow the mind.
16. The Microphones- Mount Eerie [K]
A different fare for Phil Elvrum and friends, but a unique experience in the tradition of the epic.
I was a dork and bought the Singing/Drumming from Mount Eerie discs that isolated the vocal
and percussion tracks seperately, which certainly strips down Elvrum's vision for this project.
17. Madlib- Shades of Blue [Blue Note]
A DJ's absolute dream: access to the Blue Note archives. Madlib found the essence of each song, respected it,
and breathed a different life into 12 fun-as-hell remixes.
18. Antipop Consortium/Matthew Shipp- Antipop Consortium vs. Matthew Shipp [Thirsty Ear]
Certainly one of the best (and few?) hip-hop/jazz collaborations in years. An excellent final album for Antipop
Consortium and a genre Shipp definitely needs to explore.
19. Starflyer 59- Old [Tooth & Nail]
A return to rock form, so to speak, and a very welcome one, I assure you. Jason Martin recruited his best line-up
to date with Jeff Cloud (bass, of course), Frank Lenz (kick ass drums), and Richard Swift (keyboard extraordinaire
and those fantastic falsetto vocals on "Underneath"). Old sees the addition of new elements like a choir,
and (the best part) Jason's vocals in front of the mix (something all SF59 fans have secretly wished for since
Americana). "Loved Ones" features one of SF59's best vocal hooks to date-- love that background vocal at the end.
20. Cooper-Moore / Tom Abbs / Chad Taylor- Triptych Myth [Hopscotch]
My brother explained avant-garde/improvisational jazz as a battle between the musicians,
finding a note out of the piano mess, taking off with it until the pianist fights his way into another chord while
the drummer seemingly fights himself. Despite what comes across as chaos to the undiscerning ear, Cooper-Moore (piano)
keeps the music moving in fascinating ways as Tom Abbs (bass) and Chad Taylor (drums) propel each other forward like
the opening track, "Stem Cell." But the trio also glides on water with songs like "Nautilus." A collaboration
between this trio and Soul Junk would just kill anyone that heard it.
Absinthe Blind "Walls Covered in Hope"
Beyoncé f. Jay-Z "Crazy in Love"
The Blood Brothers "USA Nails"
Carrie Nations "Magnum"
The Dagons "Dell of Ferns"
The Decemberists "Shanty for the Arethusa"
The Delgados "All You Need Is Hate"
The Dirty Projectors "My Offwhite Flag"
DM + Jemini "Ghetto Pop Life"
Enon "Daughter in the House of Fools"
The Ether Family Presents... "Rot"
The Go-Betweens "Old Mexico"
The Good Ship "Sunrise Estates"
Iron & Wine "Such Great Heights" (The Postal Service cover)
Rachel Jacobs "Productive Vampires"
Ted Leo/Pharmacists "Where Have All the Rudeboys Gone?"
Marshmallow Coast "Bizzare Classical #7"
Outkast (André 3000) "Hey Ya"
Pernice Brothers "The Weakest Shade of Blue"
Phosphorescent "Salt & Blues"
Madeline "Home to Me"
Mates of State "Ha Ha"
Faris Nourallah "Start a Revolution"
Radiohead "2+2=5"
Sufjan Stevens "All Good Naysayers, Speak Up! Or Forever Hold Your Peace!"
Summer Hymns "Pete Rose Affinity"
Richard Swift "Lady Day"
Thimble Circus "I am punkrock"
Viva Voce "Brightest Part of Everyone"
We Versus the Shark "You Don't Have to Kick It"
Unwed Sailor- The Marionette and the Music Box [Burnt Toast Vinyl]
Artwork by Jamie Hunt
Zao
Woven Hand- s/t [Glitterhouse 2002, Sounds Familyre 2003]
Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man- Out of Season [Go Beat 2002, Sanctuary 2003]
The Clash- The Essential Clash [Epic]
Trumans Water- The Singles 1992-1997 [No Sides]
+The Flaming Lips @ the 40 Watt 04/15/03
+Carrie Nations @ Tasty World (AthFest) 06/21/03
+Summer Hymns @ WUOG Live in the Lobby 08/12/03
+Maserati (final show w/ Matt Cherry), Cinemechanica @ the 40 Watt 08/23/03
+Melted Men @ the Caledonia Lounge 09/26/03
+"Pajama Party" w/ Coulier, Cinemechania (as YHUM, the HUM cover band), We Versus the Shark, Pygmy @ the Chi-House 10/03/03
+Radiohead @ Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater 10/06/03
+Bill Mallonee @ WUOG Live in the Lobby 10/09/03
+R.E.M. @ Phillips Arena 10/11/03
+"An Athens Tribute to Johnny Cash" w/ Don Chambers, Hope for AGoldenSummer, Joseph Plunket, and Phosphorescent @ WUOG Live in the Lobby 11/25/03
+Cinemechanica (Athens, GA): Imagine if Don Caballero, At the Drive-In,
and Braid all got into a polite fistfight and decided to make a record, and Cinemechanica's the result. Definitely
more rocking live than recorded, but I have a feeling their new material may level the field.
+Mt. Gigantic (Bloomington, IL): My favorite description of this band goes
something like "kids wrecking a school bus and enjoying it." I wouldn't call it deranged but crazy/paranoid folk music
with screams, yelps, and hiding-in-the-corner wavering vocals like you might expect from a Bossanova session gone wrong. Look out for Old Smiler on Friends & Relatives Records.
+We Versus the Shark (Athens, GA): This guitar duo (plus laptop) became
a four-piece this past fall, and proved skeptics wrong that We Versus the Shark could become a full-fledged band.
Self-dubbed as "calculator funk," the Shark breaks out the dance grooves with technical rhythms and girl/boy shout/sung
vocals. I always dance my ass off to the Shark.
2002 White Elephant
Productions