2003 Pitchfork 'Best New Albums' - which of these is the best?

I'd rep for all of the albums on this list. It makes me feel old that I haven't really agreed with any Pitchfork best-of list since 2006 or so.

that Shins album had a huge impact.

You Forgot.... is my favorite from this list, though it really came out in 02.

Kish Kash - one of maybe half a dozen I'd actually listen to. In retrospect it sounds even more like B Jaxx's peak.

ha we now have itt Moka saying every single album here is good and Lex saying every single album save for four is terrible

voted for Ellen Allien, only one i have any use for now. of the ones i loved at the time i'd say You Forgot it in People is best.

and Lex saying every single album save for four is terrible

Not to turn this into another opportunity to bash lex here, but given his kneejerk dismissal of nearly everything "indie" I'd be shocked if he's even heard more than a handful of these all the way through.

Who Will Cut Our Hair... came in a close second behind Vaudville Villain. love that album. "i pretend to die in a plane crash KKPSSSH!"

yeah that unicorns record is really rad, i always forget how much fun it is

xpost - you dont need to listen to record to know if they suck

you dont need to listen to record to know if they suck

just quoting this for posterity, y because it intrsting.

Blood Brothers for sure, Wrens and Exploding Hearts great too.

Like obviously critics or listeners shouldn't be thinking "hmmmm what will British audiences be thinking in nine years?" but altogether this list gives the impression of an insular publication not really facing in the right direction, even the equivalent NME list is probably better.

but altogether this list gives the impression of an insular publication not really facing in the right direction,

pitchfork has always been insular tho

which albums past 2001 really had an impact?

From 2003 alone... 'Elephant' for one. It's not like they needed any more good press but still...

superglad matt dc is itt, takin my advice

super glad that ppl are spending time talking about each other instead of the albums in the poll, it's always super fascinating and worthwhile

Mouthy, check out the final Books album The Way Out, it's totally in yr wheelhouse.

just as fascinating and worthwhile as snarky condescension and haughtiness!

(xpost)

loads of albums in this list from 90s holdovers I had dismissed based no earlier releases

I really don't understand My Morning Jacket, like not even in the slightest

more like my boring racket!

although man I should have been up on Lightning Bolt, wau

MMJ = Neil Young stoner jamz but yeah not very exciting imho. also terrible band name.

huh i only see like 4 or 5 90s holdovers on this list, most of this list is, in my head, part of this weird insular gestation of indie that started around 2001 and kind of filled the gap between the post-pavement 90s sloppy indie rock stuff and the post-Funeral anthemization of indie. like there are no obvious trends on this list, just a lot of bands drifting off in different directions

Shins, Cat Power, MMJ, Grandaddy, Jay-Z (lol), The Microphones, Basement Jaxx... Ted Leo and Xiu Xiu had been in other bands. I dunno, seems like a bunch to me.

kind of weird to call Basement Jaxx "90s holdovers", like they were The Prodigy or Orbital

well I hated their first album, had totally forgotten about them by 2003

ha we now have itt Moka saying every single album here is good and Lex saying every single album save for four is terrible

― price lo matalan (DJ Mencap)

lol I still own 12 of these albums and I wouldn't mind listening to the rest. Am I considered an indie stan over here? Didn't realize Lex was my nemesis.

I'm not trying to talk about ~people~ it was just that you and Lex were the posters who said those things

Lex strikes me as a Unicorns kind of man.

The Real New Fall LP is so damn great. They haven't released anything nearly as good since, right? I think I missed the last few

― Evan R, Friday, July 27, 2012 12:51 AM (12 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Imperial Wax Solvent is fantastic.

Also, LOL DJP, The Ratpure is an AMAZING band name...

I will stan for MMJ "At Dawn" even if I haven't been able to get into their later records at all

Jon: The Ratpure

most of this list is, in my head, part of this weird insular gestation of indie that started around 2001 and kind of filled the gap between the post-pavement 90s sloppy indie rock stuff and the post-Funeral anthemization of indie

what are the other indie generations

2003 was around the time I started reading Pitchfork but before I started working or got broadband so I haven't heard as many of these as I probably have for the equivalent lists for 2005/06. Some I got around to hearing much later on - I've heard 21 of these in total, own 11, used to have more but sold some on.

wow The Unicorns are Not My Thing

haha

I mean, I know that's semi-rich considering I jumped immediately from that to Black Moth Super Rainbow's Dandelion Gum but still

The Real New Fall LP is so damn great. They haven't released anything nearly as good since, right? I think I missed the last few

― Evan R, Friday, July 27, 2012 12:51 AM (12 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Imperial Wax Solvent is fantastic.

Also, LOL DJP, The Ratpure is an AMAZING band name...

― Lewis Apparition (Jon Lewis), Friday, July 27, 2012 12:40 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Imperial Wax Solvent is great; also, Our Future Your Clutter is one of their best albums imo.

Is that Black Moth Super Rainbow album good? That's up there w lightning Bolt in the list of stuff I need to check out?

I love it; it's fuzzed-out twee Boards of Canada-influenced indie with vocodered vocals and a goofily sunny disposition

my introduction was "Lollipopsichord"; I think if you dig that, you'll dig the whole album

(here's a Spotify link to "Lollipopsichord": http://open.spotify.com/track/03GmiapZrVujkO2BwX945T)

Thank you! I will try to find time to listen to that this weekend!

oh man The Microphones are exactly my type of shit at first glance, which likely means I'm gonna have a Godspeed! reaction and be all "these guys are amazing!" *20 minutes elapse* "wtf just stop already"

hoping that doesn't happen

It's probably going to happen.

that is happening

oh yeah that happened at minute 11 of "The Sun"

stop mumbling and get back to the drumming, you big dork

Wait til Calvin Johnson starts singing

so far my faves of the albums I've been sampling that I didn't know from this list are (unsurprisingly) Ellen Allien and Lightning Bolt

lol btw the drums just kicked back in and The Microphones became interesting again; I'm sensing... a PATTERN

super glad that ppl are spending time talking about each other instead of the albums in the poll, it's always super fascinating and worthwhile

man I can't agree with you here I think it's really tiresome and horrible