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January 19, 2004
The War on 2003
Note: The following entry was originally posted on Blueprints for Architectural Warfare. I have migrated it here for continuity.
Sometimes, when performing the inevitable annual music nerd ritual of the writing of the "best of" list, I am struck by how accurately it summarizes my year, ups and downs, the good and the bad. This year, however, it does no such thing. 2003 was, both on a personal and global scale, one of the worst years in recent memory: Near-fatal car crashes, graduating into one of the worst job markets in recent memory, a living situation constantly in flux, records largely in storage for the second year in a row, an ill-justified foreign invasion (against the will of most of the rest of the world, no less) followed by the inevitably mismanaged occupation, a steady erosion of civil liberties, etc.
No surprise, then, that my "best of" list doesn't exactly cohere, or even reconcile, with my experience of 2003. Music this year didn't so much represent 2003 for me as it did offer some brief, fragmentary respite from it. Few noteworthy live shows this year (save for the Pop Holiday; I will take credit for at least attempting to bring music back in line with my reality) certainly contributed to that sense of disassociation, so it is without much in the way of remorse that I move on to 2004 and give a cold goodbye to 2003, except for the Pop Holiday and these records:
Albums:
The Aislers Set - How I Learned To Write Backwards (Suicide Squeeze/Slumberland)
The subdued, spacious production and arrangements mark a definite change, one that adds a whole new dimension to the brilliant songwriting that is The Aislers' hallmark.
The Postal Service - Give Up (Sub Pop)
Fair enough, it's probably not racking up any rewinds on Baghdad dancefloors, but if I had to pick an album out of all of these that most accurately elicits a connection between me and 2003, this is it, in all its jelly bracelet glory.
The Radio Dept. - Lesser Matters (Labrador/Shelflife)
Sweden seems to be opening up a new salvo in the battle for indie pop, and this record towers above the rest with the best feedback squall I've heard since the late, great Henry's Dress melded with some serious jangle pop bidness.
Prefuse 73 - One Word Extinguisher (Warp)
Ignoring the coffee shop chicks and white dudes who seem to make up the core of his audience, Scott Herren comes correct with this one again. I'm not trying to pretend this is "real" hip-hop, and as long as I make that caveat, I don't see anything wrong with enjoying this record for what it is: a surprisingly moody, herky-jerky cut-up extravaganza.
Dizzee Rascal - Boy in Da Corner (XL)
Speaking of records that people try to pretend are hip-hop when they really aren't, here you go. Discussing this record on a blog is like playing The Decemberists on a college radio station, so this is all I'm going to say on the matter.
Sportique - Communiqué no. 9 (Matinée/WIAIWYA)
Brilliantly walking the line between early Buzzcocks and early Gang of Four, Sportique is a brilliant mix of the two, so obvious that in retrospect it's hard to believe nobody's done it before. Snotty art-punk with a whole heap of invective for the art world. The sound of the late seventies, or the sound of the future?
Villalobos - Alcachofa (Playhouse)
It's unbelievable how subdued this record sounds when played quietly, yet how monstrous it sounds when played loud. Not really microhouse, not really techno, just slinky, dirty, minimal fun.
The Relict - Tomorrow is Again (Vegas Morn)
Melancholy '60s-styled British pop, unsurprisingly in the vein of The Clientele, since they are part of the backing band to former member Innes Phillips' simultaneously less hazy yet more introspective frontman. The perfect album for walking down the high street and people-watching.
v/a - Superlongevity 3 (Perlon)
The Perlon label still has it, and they're still branching out of the funky minimal techno/tech-house arena while managing to retain their signature style. Check Markus Nicolai & Nina's "Mr. Big Star." They might go pop, but they probably won't blow up, seeing as how it's still painfully difficult to find the goddamn records.
Luomo - The Present Lover (Forcetracks/BMG)
My recent reassessment of this record finds it even more of a straight-up dancefloor record than I previously reckoned, and that's its flaw, inasmuch as it has one. The heavy production sheen makes for a rather smoothed over feel that makes it more difficult to get into, at least for me. Still, all the signature Luomo elements are there, and even a less-than-stellar Luomo record trumps any number of others.
Singles:
The Frenchmen - Powdered Blue (Shelflife)
Black Dice - Cone Toaster (DFA)
Dub Taylor feat. Vital - Your Soul (Forcetracks)
The Pines - True Love Waits volumes. 1&2 (Foxy Boy/Matinée)
Lorelei - Informed by the Future (Textile Sounds)
The Foxgloves - Lives You Didn't Lead (Foxy Boy)
DJs Collapse - Jawfunk (Soundslike)
Morane - The Trick (Perlon)
Broadcast - Microtronics (Warp)
Matthew Dear - Dog Days (Spectral Sound)
On the reissue tip:
Remarc - Sound Murderer (Planet Mu)
Secret Shine - After Years (Clairecords)
v/a - Cool as Ice (LTM)
v/a - Sounds of Leamington Spa vol. 3 (Firestation Tower/Clarendon/Bilberry)
v/a - Rough Trade Presents Post-Punk vol. 1 (Rough Trade)
v/a - Feedback to the Future (Mobilé)
v/a - New York Noise (Soul Jazz)
Razorcuts - R is for Razorcuts (Matinée)
v/a - Wild Dub (Select Cuts)
v/a - Egg Records: An Introduction to 1988-1991 (Egg)
There were also a few really great records that came out in the last few weeks of 2003 that kind of missed the deadline, but are serious contenders for next year's list:
The Radio Dept. - Pulling Our Weight EP (Labrador)
The Legends - Up Against The Legends (Labrador)
Matthew Dear - Leave Luck to Heaven (Spectral Sound)
Baby Ford - Basking in the Brakelights (Force Inc.)
So that's it for me and 2003, here's hoping this year will be better in almost every respect, though these days I'll settle if the music is just as good as it was the year before. I know Kid Frostbite's got his picks up around here somewhere but hopefully he'll get a chance to comment on them in this space as well. I know I'd love to hear others' picks, as well.
Tags: Blueprints
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