Wednesday 31 December 2003

Singles and albums of the year – 2003

I originally wrote the singles list in December 2003, but I didn’t list the albums so I did this in December 2009. I managed to find 17 albums that I wanted to stick in the list.

Not sure I would have stuck with Muse as my number 1 now, it wasn’t the best year of the decade for music but it was OK. There’s still quite a bit of rock and punk (newer style American punk and pop punk stuff, not the traditional stuff). I was influenced by a now defunct TV channel called p-rock.tv which explains the presence of bands like Tsunami Bomb, Tuuli, Farse and [spunge].

I may well have put the following in my top 10 today:

15. Junior Senior – Move Your Feet
16. Asian Dub Foundation – Fortress Europe
17. Dub Pistols Feat Terry Hall – Problem Is
19. Klang – L.O.V.E.
23. Cardigans – For What It’s Worth
34. Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks – Dark Wave
36. Silver Sun – Can’t Get You Out Of My Head

Plus the unlisted Radiohead – A Wolf At The Door which is the best song they released between Kid A and In Rainbows.

Not to be confused with a slightly rubbish BBC3 comedy programme, K.L.A.N.G. was the new band from Donna Matthews from Elastica, a more lo-fi version of the original band but with a fantastic charm all the same. Sadly, and well documented now, Donna has given up music and turned to God, which is definitely music’s loss.

I could only find one of their songs on Youtube:



The top two albums, British Sea Power’s debut and the Cardigans, are head and shoulders ahead of everything else on the list, even Blur which I wasn’t able to get into the same way I had managed with all the others.

Singles

1. Muse – Time Is Running Out
2. Hot Hot Heat – No Not Now
3. Franz Ferdinand – Darts Of Pleasure
4. Tahiti 80 – Soul Deep
5. Robocop Kraus – Fashion
6. Tsunami Bomb – Take The Reins
7. Goldfrapp – Strict Machine
8. British Sea Power – Carrion/Apologies To Insect Life
9. Tuuli – Who’s The Fool Now
10. Libertines – Don’t Look Back Into The Sun
11. Outkast – Hey Ya
12. Turin Brakes – Pain Killer
13. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps
14. Scissor Sisters – Laura
15. Junior Senior – Move Your Feet
16. Asian Dub Foundation – Fortress Europe
17. Dub Pistols Feat Terry Hall – Problem Is
18. Mew – Am I Wry No
19. Klang – L.O.V.E.
20. Blur – Out Of Time
21. Aqualung – Brighter Than Sunshine
22. Distillers – Drain The Blood
23. Cardigans – For What It’s Worth
24. Radiohead – 2+2=5
25. Tim Burgess – Only A Boy
26. Ween – Transdermal Celebration
27. Thrills – One Horse Town
28. Nu – Any Other Girl
29. Transplants – Diamonds And Guns
30. Electric Six – Dance Commander
31. Belle And Sebastian – Step Into My Office Baby
32. Travis – The Beautiful Occupation
33. Longview – Further
34. Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks – Dark Wave
35. Futureheads – First Day
36. Silver Sun – Can’t Get You Out Of My Head
37. I Am Kloot – Life In A Day
38. Placebo – This Picture
39. Foo Fighters – Times Like These
40. Rem – Bad Day
41. Erlend Oye – A Sudden Rush
42. Postal Service – Such Great Heights
43. Stellastarr* – Jenny
44. Josh Rouse – Love Vibration
45. Bridge And Tunnel – City Rules
46. Electric Six – Gay Bar
47. Hot Hot Heat – Oh, Goddamnit
48. Coldplay – Clocks
49. Ok Go – Don’t Ask Me
50. Mull Historical Society – The Final Arrears
51. Bis – Today Of All Days
52. Liz Phair – Extraordinary
53. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Fortune Faded
54. Queens Of The Stone Age – Go With The Flow
55. Killers – Mr Brightside
56. Muse – Hysteria
57. Placebo – The Bitter End
58. I Am Kloot – Untitled No 1
59. Rocket Science – Being Followed
60. Interpol – Obstacle 1
61. Rapture – House Of Jealous Lovers
62. Goldfrapp – Twist
63. Hot Hot Heat – Bandages
64. Athlete – El Salvador
65. Ima Robot – Dynomite
66. Ok Go – Get Over It
67. A – Good Time
68. Cardigans – You’re The Storm
69. Easyworld – Second Amendment
70. Farse – Hopscotch
71. Travis – Re-offender
72. Ladytron – Evil
73. Johnny Cash – Hurt
74. Desert Sessions (P J Harvey And Josh Homme) – Crawl Home
75. Halfcocked – Drive Away
76. Inspiral Carpets – Come Back Tomorrow
77. [spunge] – Ego
78. Burn – Big Blue Sky
79. Blondie – Good Boys
80. Happylife – Breathe For Me
81. Strokes – 12:51
82. White Stripes – 7 Nation Army
83. Bluetones – Liquid Lips
84. Simian – La Breeze
85. Supergrass – Rush Hour Soul
86. Cerys Matthews – Only A Fool
87. Skin – Trashed
88. !!! – Feel Good Hit Of The Fall
89. Mull Historical Society – Am I Wrong
90. Futureheads – A To B
91. Super Furry Animals – Golden Retriever
92. Elbow – Fallen Angel
93. M J Hibbett And The Validators – You Will Be Hearing From My Solicitor
94. Star Spangles – I Live For Speed
95. Webb Brothers – Ms Moriarty
96. Inme – Crushed Like Fruit
97. Zwan – Honestly
98. Coral – Pass It On
99. Violent Delight – I Wish I Was A Girl
100. Razorlight – Rip It Up

Albums

1. British Sea Power – The Decline Of British Sea Power
2. Cardigans – Long Gone Before Daylight
3. Blur – Think Tank
4. Paddy McAloon – I Trawl The Megahertz
5. Belle and Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress
6. Goldfrapp – Black Cherry
7. Radiohead – Hail To The Thief
8. Libertines – Up The Bracket
9. Liz Phair – Liz Phair
10. Client – Client
11. Chris T-T – London Is Sinking
12. Jim Bob – Goodnight Jim Bob
13. I Am Kloot – I Am Kloot
14. Marc Almond – Heart On Snow
15. Senor Coconut – Fiesta Songs
16. Easy Star All Stars – Dub Side Of The Moon
17. Botnledja – Iceland National Park