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TOP 10 Albums Of 2003
After 12 months of College Radio charts featuring the best in rock, dance, metal, Hip-Hop, Jazz and World
music, CMJ revisits the Top 10 albums of the year, as tabulated from the weekly playlists of our reporting
panel. This year, the White Stripes, the Postal Service, Radiohead, Belle And Sebastian, Cat Power, Death
Cab For Cutie, Grandaddy, Ween, Yo La Tengo and Yeah Yeah Yeahs receive the honors.
1: WHITE STRIPES: Elephant (V2)
Like the lumbering gray mammal from which it takes its name, Elephant is a beast of
an album. The challenge for the White Stripes this time wasn’t so much to craft
another great record as to avoid repeating themselves. After all, the most amazing
thing about the duo’s last release, White Blood Cells, wasn’t just what a fantastic disc
it was — it was the realization that it had taken three albums before anyone caught
on to how devastatingly good the music that Jack and Meg White (but mostly Jack)
had been churning out was. True to form, without losing the reincarnated-Deltabluesman-
in-the-body-of-a-Cure-disciple-on-the-road-with-Led Zeppelin formula,
Jack was both nimble and quick in surprising those who were just daring him to try
it. Using an octave pedal to wrench a bassline out of his guitar, the man in red and
white subverted the
one prior rule of his
typically low-endlacking
compositions
with “Seven Nation
Army”— and we all
know how well that
one went over.
Following with a
nearly naked poledancing
Kate Moss in the video for their cover of Burt Bacharach’s “I Just
Don’t Know What To Do With Myself” didn’t hurt the Stripes’ boost in
popularity; nor did the choice of the equally addictive “The Hardest Button
To Button” as the next single. Jack’s unfortunate car crash and broken finger
earlier this year may have derailed the band’s touring plans a bit, but they
certainly didn’t hurt its popularity. Not only did Elephant stampede into the
Top Spot this year, but it also offers some indispensable advice: “Be like the
squirrel, girl.” — Doug Levy
2: POSTAL SERVICE Give Up (Sub Pop)
The idea of conceiving an album by sending letters and recordings through the mail is not
entirely new. Neither is the concept of mixing electronics and music of blatant sentimental
value (read: emo). But Jimmy Tamborello (a.k.a Dntel) and Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben
Gibbard still managed to slap their signatures on both trends with a single debut record.
Simply dubbing the side-project the Postal Service, the duo put together a disc that rode the
radio charts for half the year. Not long after fans of Gibbard and Tamborello’s other projects
caught on, the album’s “Such Great Heights” single spread like a virus; without any warning,
IDM and emo fans were suddenly appearing side-by-side at the same shows. Making their way
onto mix tapes all over the country, the songs on Give Up drew attention to the budding
“indie-tronica” scene, and helped raise the profile of similar deserving artists, such as Lali Puna
and Manitoba. Meanwhile, as the Postal Service talks of recording a second album, both members’
bands have further thrived from the dual exposure in two prominent and once-separate
musical arenas. — Vicki Siolos
3: RADIOHEAD Hail To The Thief (Capitol)
Although by most accounts, the
beleaguered Field Day festival
— ultimately held on a cold,
rainy June day at New Jersey’s
Giants stadium — was a complete
washout, those who braved
the weather long enough to see
Radiohead’s triumphant headlining
set were far from disappointed.
A large part of that set
consisted of songs from the
impressive Hail To The Thief,
which, while not a complete
return to the guitar-driven
antics of The Bends or OK
Computer, is still closer to Pink
Floyd than Squarepusher.
Fourteen tracks of political anger, aggressive guitars, thumping
drum machines and lyrics about… rabbit disease — Radiohead
albums are never the happiest things, and Thom Yorke can be
downright surly at times, but Hail remains full of the kind of
positive energy that inspires action. It was no surprise that the
disc ascended to the top of CMJ’s charts in 2003 (the band could
release a recording of its members tuning their instruments, and
it would be heralded as a masterpiece), but it was nice to see that
this was hardly a case of the emperor’s new clothes.
— Brad Filicky
4: BELLE AND SEBASTIAN Dear Catastrophe Waitress (Rough Trade)
Nestled among a Top 10 list
spotlighting such things as
Thom Yorke’s mournfully
uplifting vocals and Dean and
Gene Ween’s whacked-out
sounds of mysterious origin is a
disc that makes the uninhibited
listener do a little jig down the
street as the sun beams brightly.
Dear Catastrophe Waitress is
more than just a collection of
danceable folk and lo-fi “indie”
tunes, though; the sixth album
from Scotland’s Belle And
Sebastian (and the first on its
new label, Rough Trade) is a masterfully constructed work of art,
awash with warm harmonies and a powerful pop presence.
Swelling with a sea of violins, saxophones, cellos and various
symphonic instruments, while often maintaining a simple rock
formula, the album makes it extremely clear just how much this
ragtag bunch of Glasgow musicians has matured since its early EP
days. From opening to closing, Dear Catastrophe Waitress serves
up delectable unlimited refills that not only ensure a generous tip,
but also the band’s place on the payroll for yet another year.
— Greg Winter
5: CAT POWER You Are Free (Matador)
Cat Power’s Chan Marshall, settling
into the role of her generation’s
Carole King, found herself
in a great place in 2003.With
help from such luminaries as
Dave Grohl, Eddie Vedder and
the Dirty Three’s Warren Ellis,
Marshall’s first release of original
music in five years features
12 new songs anchored heavily
in emotional and creative freedom,
plus two covers (John Lee
Hooker’s “Crawlin’ Black
Spider” and Michael Hurley’s
“Werewolf ”). Numerous solo
concerts and full-band appearances
in support of the disc
took place throughout the year (and by “concerts,” we really
mean “performance art pieces,” as Marshall has been known to
do everything from chirping at squirrels mid-song to abandoning
setlists to play what she feels like on a whim), along with one
very shy Late Show With David Letterman rendition of “Maybe
Not.” “Free,” meanwhile, stood out as a rallying cry for the appreciation
of music over flash, and was one of the year’s catchiest
singles. Understandably, the response to You Are Free proved that
Cat Power’s acoustic ballads and wistful piano-driven rockers
continue to enchant College Radio. — Kory Grow
6: DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE Transatlanticism (Barsuk)
Death Cab For Cutie’s fourth
full-length and its achingly gorgeous
songs (like the single “The
New Year”) made the Seattle
band the big fish in the indie
pond this year. Even the deafest
A&R ears heard the noise made
by the foursome in 2003 (and by
its frontman, Ben Gibbard, in
particular, who sent another
chart-topping indie love letter
with the Postal Service). In
addition, the group’s performance
at the close of the 2003
CMJ Music Marathon was one
of the most eagerly anticipated
showcases. An ever-expanding crowd showed up to hear
Transatlanticism’s new songs played live, and the herd got an earful
of what it sounds like when a good band becomes truly great.
All that chatter about how “my clique is cooler than your clique”
was drowned out by the noise of an inspired band that makes
great music regardless of the size of its tour bus.Who knows —
the “new year” may allow Death Cab to shop at more upscale
thrift stores for its threads, but no doubt its dedication to its
music will remain priceless. — Steve Ciabattoni
7: GRANDADDY Sumday (V2)
“I’ll paint the words a simple
wish / For peace of mind and
happiness,” sings Grandaddy’s
Jason Lytle on the ultra-catchy
“El Caminos In The West,” one
of the highlights of the band’s
third full-length record. Gaining
that peace of mind and understanding
relationships — with
both humans and technology —
are recurring themes throughout
the disc, making it one of
the band’s most passionate outputs
yet. Often compared to the
more low-key work of
Radiohead and the Flaming
Lips, Sumday’s country-tinged,
lush arrangements make it a far cry from Grandaddy’s noise rock
beginnings. “Now It’s On,” featuring chugging guitars, ’80s-style
synths, and gentle-but-steady drumbeats, is a stellar lead-off
track, while, moving from poppy to emotive, “Saddest Vacant Lot
In All The World” boasts some of the most affecting rolling
piano playing of the year. To fully appreciate the beauty of
Sumday, repeated listens are both necessary and well deserved —
which makes it easy to see why College Radio kept the album on
the charts for a full six months. — Caroline Borolla
8: WEEN Quebec (Sanctuary)
All aboard the Greyhound bus
to “Chocolate Town”— or
Quebec; whichever comes first!
For nearly two decades,Ween
has had the inexplicable ability to
write the most obvious dumbass
anthems ever conceived and the
most subversive dumbass
anthems, all masked behind
legitimate musicianship. On the
duo’s latest release, however, a
strong level of seriousness runs
throughout.While it’s always
great to hear a goofball track
akin to “Mr. Richard Smoker,”
like the castrated bouncy romp
“Hey There Fancypants,” this
time Gene and Dean Ween also deliver things like the simply
beautiful “I Don’t Want It” (as “simply beautiful” as a one-nightstand
seen through broken whiskey goggles, anyway). The boys
that once gave us “Poop Ship Destroyer” are still hard at work
here, especially on “Zoloft” and “So Many People In The
Neighborhood,” but you could play most of Quebec to an old
ladies’ sewing circle and it would barely raise an eyebrow. “Poise”
and “grace”may not have been two words synonymous with
these Pennsylvania heroes, but they should be now — right
along with “poo” and “pee.” — Brad Maybe
9: YO LA TENGO Summer Sun (Matador)
Three years after the release of
the much-loved And Then
Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out,
Hoboken, New Jersey’s Yo La
Tengo finally returned with the
long-awaited follow-up in 2003.
Summer Sun, featuring standout
cuts like “Season Of The Shark”
and “Today Is The Day,” found
the band in a mellower, yet still
sonically adventurous, position,
while the disc’s placid, meandering
guitar-isms and softly spoken
lyrics marked a transition
into a more musically mature
place — experienced most clearly
on the jammy 10-minute
“Let’s Be Still.” Performing alongside Portastatic and Calexico
earlier in the year, YLT reconnected with its fans; later in the
year, it also reconnected with its noisier roots, via the Today Is
The Day EP. Released in August, the EP featured a new recording
of its title cut, providing yet another reason for fans to go back
and continue to revisit the album itself. Rekindling the spark in
longtime admirers, Summer Sun brought Yo La Tengo right back
into the arms of the College Radio fold, charting straight
through the summer — a season neither will soon forget. - Kory Grow
10: YEAH YEAH YEAHS Fever To Tell (Interscope)
After previously releasing a
mere eight songs on two EPs,
the Yeah Yeah Yeahs found
themselves riding high on an
overwhelming whirlwind of
hype that oftentimes focused as
much on the group’s gritty New
York fashion sense as it did on
the equally gritty, bass-less new
wave garage-blues the trio
pumped out with such abandon.
But can a musical career be
built on the undying adoration
of British music rags and a
revisited Flock Of Seagulls coiffure?
With their debut fulllength,
the Yeahs silenced all naysayers. Fever To Tell saw the
band lauded by the press and College Radio alike for singer
Karen O’s ability to alternate between beer-drenched shrieks,
unhinged sneers, erotic wails and beautifully vulnerable coos.
Guitarist Nick Zinner keeps his trills and monstrous blues riffs
locked in with drummer Brian Chase’s flawless percussive assault
on the album, resulting in such tracks as the thunderous “Rich,”
the bouncy “Y Control” and the stunningly beautiful “Maps”—
a song that only hints at the untapped brilliance we can expect
to see this group mine in the future. — Louis Miller
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