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

Dan didn't you initially dislike Black Moth Super Rainbow? Or am I confusing that w/Blue Sky Black Death?

I don't remember expressing dislike for BMSR; I may have made fun of their twee tendencies but I always was into that album (actually Austerity Ponies introduced me to them and School of Seven Bells at the same time and I ended up getting into and digging BMSR first, which given my current So7B obsession is a little ridic)

There was a thread where I tried to get LJ to like that album and he was all "nope, not having it *arms crossed*"

do not remember Blue Sky Black Death

Easy: Hail to the Thief, followed by Boy in Da Corner.

oh thank god the second song on the Sufjan album is uptempo, I thought I was going to have to jump out of a window

this is really personal bias as opposed to a comment on the quality of the music but I would have much more tolerance for this type of thing with a female singer

man that constantines record seemed like a big deal at the time but now its just like 'wait, that existed?'

'young lions' is still a jam tho

That Constantines record is real good. "Soon Enough" is their best tune tho

This Exploding Hearts album is just too much of a Generation X tribute - it's not bad, I'm just not in the market for class of 77 mad libs like "I'm getting modern kicks!"

I'm surprised you haven't heard "A promise", DJP, I think you'll love it. I disagree w/moka sorry moka

hmm well, I'm not gonna play it at work due to the album art coming up on Spotify and me being in an open cubicle with zero privacy

was gonna comment on The Books but someone revived the ICP thread and now I am distracted

oh thank god the second song on the Sufjan album is uptempo, I thought I was going to have to jump out of a window

this is really personal bias as opposed to a comment on the quality of the music but I would have much more tolerance for this type of thing with a female singer

― keeping things contextual (DJP)

Upper Peninsula features a female singer.

I'm surprised you haven't heard "A promise", DJP, I think you'll love it. I disagree w/moka sorry moka

― Ówen P.

Disagree on what?

finally realized my problem with the constantines is 100% the singer, dude is like Britt Daniel thinking he's Tom Waits

@ moka I disagree that anybody should start with "Fabulous Muscles"

So I'm listening to MU and decide to check out the original review. Gotta say, I was surprised by the opener

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5561-afro-finger-and-gel/

In her broken Eng-rish, about midway through "Chair Girl", Japan's Mutsumi Kanamori, the wife half of Sheffield-based duo Mu, creeks out the maxim that "DJs awh wock band," while her husband, Baltimorean Maurice Fulton, whips Model 500 basslines around submarine alarms and a dubbed-out salsa beat. It all makes sense for a second, until I re-read the lyrics and realize that she's actually saying: "Deejays are rocked by an electric chair girl."

mostly i was surprised by "Eng-rish," to be clear

from same review

2003 might go down as a year in which some rock records learned how to dance (Electric Six, !!!, The Rapture, Ssion) and some dance records learned to rock (Basement Jaxx, T. Raumschmiere, Fat Truckers).

did it?

fucking electric six sucks so bad

I am not much a fan of Michigan, but "Sister" off of Seven Swans bowls me over every time. That's where I would point anyone trying to 'get' Sufjan.

The Microphones - Mount Eerie
Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
The Blood Brothers - ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn
Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It in People
Viktor Vaughn - Vaudeville Villain

currently listening to that Lightning Bolt album, which I have been "meaning to listen to" forever, and ya it rocks intensely

Blood Brothers good too but I didn't hear it till waaayyy after 2003

yeah, the blood brothers got a fair amount of attention in their moment, but seem forgotten now. i associate them with the GSL/31G records art-glam-hardcore thing, which seemed to evaporate (or shift/fragment?) a few years back.

They split off into two bands, one solid (Past Lives) and one good-then-horrifically-terrible (Jaguar Love).

Piano Island was released on a major, yes?

first Jaguar Love album was amazing fuiud

fucking electric six sucks so bad

I've only heard maybe three Electric Six songs, but I remain open to the idea that they are unheralded geniuses b/c of da croupier and Perpetua.

I've only heard maybe three Electric Six songs, and I've avoided hearing more because I don't want to push my reflexive dislike into hatred and feel the need to troll da croupier about them.

I like the first Jaguar Love record a lot; it's the second that's a problem. so horrible.

revisit "Evaline," that one was the keeper from the album for me

yeah that's the only one I remember kinda "working." I mean it was ballsy of them (him, at that point?) to embrace a pop sensibility so unabashedly, it's just that the result was...not good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRaHDK3CeVs

so good

"The Shame" is def one of the best album closers of the decade

microphones
songs: ohia
viktor vaughan

ted leoooooooooo

okay Dandelion Gum is sounding great. This sounds like something I would like whilst high.

(I mean, I like it sober, I just mean this sounds like something that would enhance that sort of experience)

Voted MU but was strongly tempted by Ellen Allien, pretty scary to think these records are nearly ten years old, they still sound so fresh to me.

I've heard 22 of these at one point in my life, still like quite a few. Will have to think about this, but leaning toward M83.

Incidentally, 2003 is my least favorite year from 2000-present.

A few that didn't cut the muster:

White Stripes- Elephant
Sun Kil Moon- Ghosts of the Great Highway
Drive By Truckers- Decoration Day
Broadcast- Haha Sound
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Fever to Tell
New Pornographers- Electric Version
Outkast- SB/LB

(keeping this along the lines of stuff I figured p4k would have liked)

Labels must not have bought banner ads

there's really no reason to believe advertising has an editorial influence at pitchfork and leveling the accusation even jokingly is way nastier than anything you could justifiably say about pf's taste or writing etc

accusation?

implying that Matador neglected to buy banner ads on Pitchfork is a pretty serious accusation! no wait that wasn't what i was saying

Need New Body so fucking easily.

Jesus it was a joke, I officially retract it and an sorry for the distress it has caused Pitchfork and some dude

Now go have a nice sunday in baltimore!

Hard to choose between Ellen Allen or Out Hud.

Early Out Hud singles might be better than the album.

i like Xiu Xiu a lot, but that album is uneven - i think i have that Need New Body album somewhere and should listen to it

looking back, i would say it was fairly decent year all in all. 'boy in da corner' is my obvious choice, but a few good to great forerunners. without order :

Out Hud - S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D.
The Microphones - Mount Eerie
The Soft Pink Truth - Do You Party?
Supersilent - 6
Lightning Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow
Jóhann Jóhannsson - Englabörn
Songs: Ohia - Magnolia Electric Co.
The Blood Brothers - ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn
Deerhoof - Apple O
Manitoba - Up in Flames
Sunburned Hand of the Man - Headdress
Polysics - Neu
Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash
Jay-Z - The Black Album
MU - Afro Finger and Gel

^^ especially these

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Glad I was able to give Prefuse 73 its lone vote.