Top ten albums of my 2003...

The Editor, Steve Gardner, of Clink asked for top ten lists from contributors. The following is very similar to what I submitted (no change in the order, just changes in the explanatory text to reflect the audience of N.Q.B.).

Let me qualify the following list: This represents a lot of what I've been listening to for the year of 2003... not all of the albums were released in 2003 (about seven were) but I was turned on to these albums in 2003... so for me, these are the albums I listened to most in 2003.

I'm fairly certain that none of my readership will know more than one or two of these artists... but I think you should... so I've made an effort to explain why. If you're not familiar with a term or an artist, submit a comment and I'll add footnotes.

Top Ten Albums of Joe's 2003 (This list goes to 11!)

Song of Zarathustra - The Birth of Tragedy (Troubleman Records; 2000)
One of the best bands that contributed to the high water-mark of progressive hardcore. These guys rock unrelentlessly... and do so with an organ. Needless to say, I like screaming, organs and uncompromising displays of emotion... Zarathustra represents some of the best; they're passions lie along the likes of Anasarca, The Red Scare and Weakling.
Roky Erickson And the Aliens - The Evil One (Plus One) (Sympathy for the Record Industry; 2002)
This re-release (with extras) is the album for those interested in Roky Erickson's work after the 13th Floor Elevators. Roky's obsession with horror B-movies is given free reign in the music of these years... and this album even includes a few recordings from the Modern Humans call-in show circa 1979 to give us insight into his love for horror flicks. If your introduction to Roky post-13th Floor Elevators was the �Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye� tribute, this 2-disc set is a must have.
The Riverboat Gamblers - Something to Crow About (Gearhead Records; 2003)
These punk rockers from Denton, Texas can really rip it up... as evidenced by the canceling of their US tour after their bassist had the front of his face significantly rearranged by a swinging microphone during their San Francisco show in October. I listen to the track �What's What� before I go boozing it up with the missus; it really gets the juices flowing and priorities set straight.
Peaches - Fatherfucker (Beggars XL Records; 2003)
Peaches is the sexiest-singing, dirtiest and most-provocatively sexual Canadian that I can think of. Her half-rap, half-electronica style instantly pleases with tracks like �Shake Yer Dix� and with duets like �Kick It� with Iggy Pop. Buy this album, play it around an 18+ crowd, hide your hard-on and/or wet panties. I must say my favorite song on this whole album is the dark and bearing-down-upon-you "Operate" with lyrics like, 'He's not dead, He's gonna live/ I see his eyes rolling back in his head'.
Glass Candy and the Shattered Theater - Love Love Love (Troubleman Records; 2003)
I must say lead singer Ida No of Glass Candy is drop-dead sexy. 4-inch skirts, fancy underwear and a wailing-vibrato vocal style that sounds like an opera diva stuffed in an iron war-barrel and rolled down a hill (of course, that's a good thing). The other two instruments, drums and guitar, are also compellingly dark and raucous. Check out �Nite Nurses� and �The Last Time�... you'll be an instant convert.
The Lost Sounds - Rat Brains and Microchips (Empty Records; 2002)
These guys from Memphis, TN are really really good in a wild way that's difficult to describe. Merciless Rock and Roll, screaming, organs and guitar riffs conspire to leave you with an experience akin to being launched from a catapult into an abyss like the Grand Canyon... at night. In such a situation, there are no appearances to maintain, nothing left for you to do... except enjoy the last few seconds of your life and make peace with your demons. These guys are highly accomplished (but still nurture the garage within) musicians with no scruples about exploring the sonic landscape before them. �Blackcoats / Whitefear� and �Radon Flows� off this album are fucking classics.
Beehive and the Barracudas - In Dark Love (Swami Records; 2003)
With members of San Diego bands such as Rocket from the Crypt, the PeeChees, Fishwife and the Red Aunts, this band could probably not be cooler or more experienced for the space they occupy. This album is a good cross-section of the best of modern Rock... and it comes so easily to them. Songs such as �Whip Out My Pistol� and the breathlessly-sexy �Up In Flames� will resonate throughout the underground for years to come. Simple complexity... the fare for the future.
Neurosis & Jarboe - Neurosis & Jarboe (Neurot Records; 2003)
This would probably be higher on my list but I haven't had a chance to listen to it as much as other records. The magnificent Jarboe from the Swans and one of my all-time favorite bands, Neurosis, team up to deliver an amazingly powerful, avant-garde record of darkly beautiful tracks. They expose the soul of the underground...
The Vanishing - In The Bat Haus EP (Cochon Records; 2002)
The Goth Rock scene is big over here on the West Coast... and the Vanishing epitomizes this scene. This EP serves up some of the best of their work that they describe as �sci-fi horror disco� (The Vanishing and their sister band Subtonix have been known to play shows dressed like horror prom queens). My favorite is �Get In The Car� where the goth-sexy vocalist/bassist Jessie lays down the law: �Get in the car now / I want to see you on the floor! / where you belong, my love... / I want to see you on the floor!�
Vaz - Dying to Meet You (Gold Standard Laboratories Records; 2003)
I'm not really sure where these guys came from... but they're really good and amazing song writers. They remind me of Sonic Youth if SY had been born in the 70s and grown up to the 80s punk scene instead of participating in it. The first track, �They've Won� is amazingly lightning fast and silky smooth at the same time... which can't be easy to pull off... as is the last track, �Fired Eye Quit� which is the only rock song I've ever heard that makes whistling and rock together sound cool.

(like any good non-conformist's list... this one goes to 11! Props to Spinal Tap.)

Christopher Russell - Demo (King Monolith Productions... not signed yet; 2003)
Chris was a student of mine from this past semester in my introductory astronomy class. He is a superb singer/songwriter who has a great voice and amazing production skills. His style vaguely reminds me of a Radiohead that had grown up in the American Southwest. My personal favorite is the fifth-track �Neon Signs�... it leaves me wondering what other college students with ProTools and unlimited tracks are doing with their free time. Look for Christopher Russell's site to appear soon at: http://christopherussell.com/ and http://kingmonolith.com. If you'd like to hear more or get in touch with him directly, let me know at: joebeone [ at ] pobox [ dot ] com.

Posted by joebeone at Enero 1, 2004 11:50 AM