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Top 10 albums of 2003 (and one more...oh, and one more after that) By Bret Foster Now that it's mid-January, I guess it's time to assemble my top 10 list of 2003? Well, if it has to be done, I guess I'm the man to do it. Besides, if I don't, Rolling Stone or Teen Beat will try to sell you on some crappy bands as the next "big thing" and THAT will only waste your time and money. So here you have it, my top ten of 2003…and a couple more:
Oh,
and another one too: Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink
9:
Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below: With each member
7:
Kings of Leon - Youth and Young Manhood: Every once in a
5:
Ryan Adams - Rock N' Roll: My brother-in-law says, "This is the
3:
The White Stripes - Elephant: Just when you thought The
1:
Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers: Hon.
Mention LPs: Top
5 Singles of 2003 Bret Foster loves music and often shares his opinions without anyone asking for them. |
One
More: Guided By Voices - Human Amusements At Hourly Rates: OK…I
know that having a "Best Of…" or compilation in your top ten list
is like breaking the cardinal rule of "Top 10 Lists"…so that is why
I have this album listed as "One More." Hands down the best songwriting
and music in the post rock era. 
Robots 5.1 (DVD & CD) With the original CD released in 2002, this
doesn't qualify for this year's list. However, this DVD/CD is the
best music DVD to be released all year!! What Wayne Coyne of the Flaming
Lips has done here is nothing short of amazing! Taking the original
tracks and remastering them in Dolby Digital 5.1 audio gives this
incredible album new life. Listeners are surrounded by sound and at
points, you feel as if the music is moving through you. If you have
a home theater system, then you should own this DVD! (Note: This DVD
works on all home DVD players, unlike other DVD-Audio DVDs.) OK, OK…here
is my top ten of 2003: 
10:
The Dandy Warhols - Welcome To The Monkey House: The Dandy's have
been writing Americanized Brit Pop for years….This time, they do it
right! With help from members of Duran Duran, the Warhols have created
an album that moves the listener to tears for no good reason at all.
of the duo having their own disc to show their skills, Andre 3000's
offering is the better of the two. With his sexy beats, seductive
(but often silly) lyrics, and his keen pop sensibilities, Andre has
mastered the art of walking the fine line of jazz, hip-hop, pop, and
funk. Andre 3000 has become the artist we all hoped Prince would become.
8:
Guided By Voices - Earthquake Glue: Pop….Prog…Punk…Psych….they
are all here. Bob Pollard and company have mixed together another
perfect batch of tunes that all the kids love. This is the album the
Lennon and McArtney might have created after Abby Road if Yoko would
have allowed it. Proving once again, GBV is the best band of the last
twenty years. 
while
a group comes along that forces you to step back, take a deep breath,
and evolve! The Beatles did this, so did The Stones, and possibly
even Nirvana…However, The Kings of Leon do the exact opposite…Listening
to their debut LP drives the listener back to a much simpler time
when it was cool to grow-out your hair, smoke Marlboro Reds, and drink
Miller High Life…back to a time when it was cool just to be cool.
6:
My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves: If indie rock fans ever wanted
a "Jam Band" to follow across the US just so they could trade live
recordings and not shower, then MMJ is that band. Heavy on reverb
and sounding like Neil Young singing Flaming Lips tunes, It Still
Moves rocks hard in all the right places, yet having enough indie
rock credibility to make it fun for the hipsters downtown. 
best Rick Springfield album I've ever heard." Now, I don't know what
that means, but if he is trying to say that Adams is wearing his influences
on his sleeve, then yes, I concur. Listen closely, and you'll hear
the familiar sounds of the Smiths, World Party, U2, Nirvana, The Cult,
AC/DC, and many others all blended together. Most impressive, is how
Adams seems to make these sounds his own and gives the listener the
sense that they have never heard them before. 
4:
Tobin Sprout - Lost Planets and Phantom Voices: Somewhere in Michigan,
Tobin Sprout is recording the perfect pop song on a four-track in
his basement. Fortunately for us, he allows us to listen in on his
masterworks. (The track, "Courage the Tack" alone is worth the price
of admission ten times over.) 
White
Stripes couldn't do anything else with their sound, they release Elephant.
Lightin' Hopkins may be rolling in his grave when the kids call this
blues, but this album owes more to Loretta Lynn than Muddy Waters.
2:
The Strokes - Room on Fire: Picking up right where they left off
with 2001's Is This It, The Strokes have perfected the art of the
33 minute album. However the boys sure don't waste any tracks. Every
song on this album is a winner and will leave you humming all day
long. 
Fountains
of Wayne are to music what Wes Anderson is to Film…they both do an
excellent job of making depression entertaining. Each song on Interstate
captures an emotion whether it is regret, loss, delusion, joy, or
love. This album is hands down the best straight-forward pop album
of the new millennium…it's so pop it should come with its own straw!