ILx'ers Top Albums of 2003

In other words, I think I really need broadband in the new year.

Here tis:

1. David Banner, Mississippi: The Screwed and Chopped Album
2. Bubba Sparxxx, Deliverance
3. Drive-By Truckers, Declaration Day
4. The White Stripes, Elephant
5. OutKast, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
6. The Mars Volta, De-loused in the Comatorium
7. The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow
8. Cat Power, You Are Free
9. The Darkness, Permission to Land
10. Neil Young, Greendale

My also-rans: Kid Rock, The Strokes, Death Cab For Cutie, The Rapture, Radiohead, Metallica, Ying Yang Twins, The Bug, 50 Cent, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, M. Ward, The Kills, Basement Jaxx, Grandaddy, Richard X, Fog, Led Zeppelin, Super Furry Animals, New Pornographers, Scene Creamers, Nada Surf.

FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE – Welcome Interstate Managers
YEAH YEAH YEAHS – Fever To Tell (Interscope)
THE BLACK KEYS – Thickfreakness (Fat Possum)
THE WHITE STRIPES – Elephant (V2)
THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS – Electric Vision (Matador)
SHELBY LYNNE – Identity Crisis (Capitol)
THE SHINS – Chutes Too Narrow (SubPop)
GRANDADDY – Sumday (V2)
THE JAYHAWKS – Rainy Day Music (American)
THE CLIENTELE – The Violet Hour (Merge)

I always think a Top Ten is too little. 25 probably covers it better for me.

Honorable mention: Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day; New Pornographers - The Electric Version; David Banner - Mississippi: The Album; Aesop Rock - Bazooka Tooth; Prefuse 73 - One Word Extinguisher; The Darkness - Permission to Land; everything even remotely brushed up against by MF Doom

Though I just mail-ordered Saturday Looks Good to Me and Ballboy.. Maybe I like those more?

1. Basement Jaxx
2. Drive-By Truckers
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4. King Sunny Ade
5. Dizzee Rascal
6. Bubba Sparxxx
7. Atmosphere
8. Electric Six
9. The Rapture
10. New Pornographers
11. Jay-Z
12. Outkast
13. Justin TImberlake
14. Amy Rigby
15. Audio Bullys
16. Yo La Tengo
17. White Stripes
18. Lyrics Born
19. Liz Phair
20. Kathleen Edwards

1)= My Morning Jacket, It Still Moves (RCA)
1)= Mars Volta, Deloused In The Comatorium (Strummer)
3) Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fever To Tell (Dress Up)
4) Blood Brothers, Burn Piano Island Burn (Artist Direct)
5) Deerhoof, Apple O (5 Rue Cristiane)
6) Nefilim Modulation Systems, Woe To Thee O Land If Thy King be a Child (Big Dada)
7) Outkast, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (RCA)
8) The Gossip, Movement (K)
9) The Hunches, Yes No Shut It (In The Red)
10) Lightning Bolt, Wonderful Ranbow (Load)

Top five compilations and/or box-sets

1) GBV, Hardcore UFOs Box (Matador)
2) V/A - Goodbye Babylon (Dust 2 Digital)
3) The Wonder Of Stevie (compiled by Bobbito & DJ Spinna)(Harmless)
4) V/a, Root Damage (Sympathy For The Record Industry)
5) Movement Soul (ESPDisk)

Top five reissues

1) Jeff Buckley, Live At Sin E (Sony Legacy)
2) Neil Young, On The Beach (Warners)
3) Glenn Branca, The Ascension (Car Park)
4) Guided By Voices, Get Out Of My Stations (Siltbreeze)
5) Uncle Tupelo, Still Feel Gone (Sony Legacy)

Blood Brothers - Burn Piano Island Burn
Super Furry Animals - Phantom Power
Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
Murder by Death - Who Will Survive, And What Will be Left of Them
Xiu Xiu - A Promise
British Sea Power - The Decline Of
Ted Leo - Hearts of Oak
Sufjan Stevens - Michigan
Cooper Temple Clause - Kick Up the Fire...
Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
Non-Prophets - Hope

Best comp:
Guided by Voices - Human Amusement at Hourly Rates

Great 2004 albums so far:
Walkmen - Bows and Arrows
Xiu Xiu - Fabulous Muscles
Liars - They Were Wrong So We Drowned

Most anticipated 2004 album:
Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News

1. Reverend Charlie Jackson - God’s Got It - CaseQuarter (15 points)
2. Jolie Holland - Catalpa - Anti (14 points)
3. Pluramon - Dreams Top Rock - Karaoke Kalk (13 points)
4. Hidden Cameras - Smell of Our Own - Rough Trade (12 points)
5. A-Frames - 2 - S-S (11 points)
6. Various Artists - Goodbye, Babylon - Dust to Digital (9 points)
7. Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash - Astralwerks (8 points)
8. Cass McCombs - A - Monitor (7 points)
9. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow - Sub Pop (6 points)
10. Dizzee Rascal - Boy in Da Corner - XL (5 points)

Contenders
Wayne Rodgers- Constant Displacement (Drag City)
Double Lepoards- Halve Maen (Eclipse)
Sunburned Hand Of The Man Bootleg

What I haven't heard that could have been in the 10.
Led Zeppelin, Paik, Robert Wyatt, The Screaming MeeMees, Goodbye, Babylon Set

What I'm looking forward to in 2004
P.G. Six, Ghost

Your Pazz & Jop albums ballot was submitted as follows:

1. Junior Senior - D-D-Don't Stop The Beat - Mercury (20 points)
2. Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash - XL (20 points)
3. Sugababes - Three - Universal/Island (15 points)
4. Richard X - Richard X Presents His X Factor Vol 1 - EMI (10 points)
5. Bubba Sparxxx - Deliverance - Interscope (10 points)
6. Girls Aloud - Sound Of The Underground - Polydor (5 points)
7. The Darkness - Permission To Land - Must Destroy (5 points)
8. David Banner - Mississippi: The Album - Universal (5 points)
9. The Clientele - The Violet Hour - Pointy (5 points)
10. Tatu - 200 km/h In The Wrong Lane - Polydor (5 points)

I rolled a dice to decide which 5 out of 9 or 10 five-pointers went in.

What were the other ones, Tom?

matthew dear – leave luck to heaven / false - false
mu – afro finger and gel / colette no5
villalobos – alcachofa / taka taka
michael mayer – fabric 13 / tobias thomas – smallville
prefuse 73 – one word extinguisher / luke vibert – yoseph
coloma – finery / barbara morgenstern – nichts muss
radiohead – httt / postal service - give up
bubba sparxxx – deliverance / missy elliot - this is not a test!
cat power – you are free / david sylvian - blemish
ekkehard ehlers and stephan mathieu – heroin + remixes** / william basinski – the river
carl a finlow – electrilogy plus / dinky – black cabaret
sami koivikko – salmiakki / baby ford - basking in the brakelights
james holden - balance 005 / serie noire 2 mixed by the glimmer twins

**a reissue, but it has new material

I really need to finally hear these guys.

1. Luomo - The Present Lover
2. Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash
3. V/A: Michael Mayer - Fabric 13
4. Dizzee Rascal - Boy in da Corner
5. Ward 21 - U Know How We Roll
6. Sugababes - Three
7. Junior Senior - D-D-Don't Stop the Beat
8. Mis-Teeq - Eye Candy
9. V/A: Jammer - N.A.S.T.Y. Mix
10. The Rapture - Echoes

... but mentally replace The Rapture with Coloma. Also what I've heard of Bubba would put it in there if I had the whole thing.

1. A.R.E. Weapons - "Don't Be Scared" - Rough Trade
2. Beyonce - "Crazy in Love" - Columbia
3. Matthew Dear - "Dog Days" - Ghostly
4. Chevelle - "Send the Pain Below" - Epic
5. R Kelly - "Ignition (Remix)" - Jive
6. Killer Mike - "A.D.I.D.A.S." - Epic
7. Wayne Wonder - "No Letting Go" - Atlantic
8. Dizzee Rascal - "I Luv U" - XL
9. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Maps" - Interscope
10. Cold - "Stupid Girl" - Geffen