Mike’s 2003

Songs (in no real order)

1. Drive By Truckers–“Decoration Day” (Decoration Day). A story as old as human history, told well.

2. Keep the Dog–“Domaine de Langardreer” (That House We Lived In). Another all time favorite. Beg borrow or steal to find this on CD, because you can’t really hear the bass that carries the Satie-esque melody here. Shame.

3. Sun Kil Moon–“Carry Me, Ohio” (Ghosts of the Great Highway). Live.

4. King Crimson–“Level Five” (The Power to Believe). The best band in the world in 1969 is still at it in 2003. Well, ok, only Fripp remains, but this cut approaches the power, if not the surprise, of the very first incarnation of the band referenced in last month’s theme. The rest of this album, maybe not so much, but this leaves a lot (everything) to live up to.

5. Richard Thompson–“A Love You Can’t Survive” (The Old Kit Bag). Another artist who appeared on my 1969 list. The album is pretty good too.

6. The Books–“The Lemon of Pink” (The Lemon of Pink). Tim must have turned me on to this when he listed it in the “B”s theme. Still haven’t picked up or digested the entire album, but really love this track.

7. Dave Douglas–“November” (Freak In).

8. The Microphones–“Solar System” (Mount Erie). Off the amazing Mount Erie album which I haven’t yet fully digested.

9. Sufjan Stevens–“Vito’s Ordination Day” (Michigan).

10. Robert Wyatt–“Forest” (Cuckooland). Really good early Floyd track, but not.

Albums

The top five here (and maybe deeper) are all 5 star efforts in my book and stand with anything from any other year.

1. Drive By Truckers–Decoration Day. Three terrific songwriters at the tops of their games: “Outfit” (Isbell), “Heathens” (Hood), “Your Daddy Hates Me” (Hood), “Deeper In” (Hood), “Loaded Gun in the Closet” (Cooley).

2. Tim Berne–The Sublime And. (Science Friction Live). I’m not sure anything gives me as great a thrill as hearing “Mrs. Subliminal/Clownfinger”. John and Tim, if you can find it, try at least the first few minutes, especially around 4:00-7:00ish if I recall correctly. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. I once forced Brent to buy a Berne album for a few bucks at a used record store in Milwaukee. I don’t think he regrets it.

3. Vandermark Five–Airports for Light.

4. Songs: Ohia: Magnolia Electric Company.

5. Radiohead–Hail to the Thief. Head from the radio, brains by the boulder, of this thief’s great hall. I really don’t like writing about music, and can’t do it well. What’s to say, this is really fricking good.

6. Eyvind Kang–Virginal Coordinates

7. Califone–Quicksand:Cradlesnakes (Brent lists most of my favorites, which I know from a great mix cd he made me back in the day, especially Vampire, but would also have to mention “Michigan Girls“)

8. Gillian Welch–Soul Journey. First half of this record approaches her greatest material. The rest is not quite at that level, but still worthy: “Make Me Down a Pallet on Your Floor“, “Lowlands“, “Look at Miss Ohio“.

9. Tindersticks–Waiting for the Moon. Surprisingly strong, later career effort. Actually maybe it isn’t late career; I guess I started to lose interest around this time, perhaps wrongly. “Waiting for the Moon“, “Say Goodbye to the City“, “4:48 Psychosis“.

10. Robert Wyatt–Cuckooland.”Lullaby for Hamza“, “Old Europe“, “Beware“.

11. Slaughter Rule soundtrack–This is among my favorite mostly song mix soundtracks of all time, something I avoided for our soundtracks theme. Many of the greats in americana/alternative country offer songs that flow together perfectly with Jay Farrar’s understated but lovely instrumentals. I should see the movie.

Tim’s 2003

Tim’s 2003

I’d be doing myself and my bandmates a disservice if I didn’t put our debut album at #1. What a weird year to be a recording artist – charts filled with the dregs of Britpop, fringe dance music, novelty indie, ghastly pop and a pervasive feeling of rudderlessness! A year later, things started to make sense, but 2003 is a lost year for music IMO.

Albums

1. Good Science/Friendly Gods (Donderevo) – highly acclaimed upon release and championed by no less than John Peel, Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson, our debut disappeared before it achieved it’s purpose: to destroy the universe. For years I’ve worried that it’s too scattered and unfocussed, jap-pop, Ambient, Folk, Pavement, Weezer and Grandaddy, but it’s actually very much a product of it’s time – post-rock-post-modern toe-tapping space-pop for a schizophrenic and disillusioned era in British music. Turned out to be pretty influential on our hugely successful label mates The Killers, Franz Ferdinand and others.
2. The Lemon of Pink (The Books) – Perhaps the best album of the decade. Inspired, disquieting and beautiful from start to finish.
3. Dear Catastrophe Waitress (Belle and Sebastian) – this band of Scots have always appealed to me, but this was a complete departure from their previously lo-fi indie records. A muscular and dimensional pop album with astonishing production.
4. A Strangely Isolated Place (Ulrich Schnauss) – simply the perfect ambient album. Perhaps my #1 desert island disc.
5. Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts (M83) – the debut album from one of the most influential artist of the millennium. Every epic pop song you hear on the radio with a massive washy synth pad owes a debt to Anthony Gonzalez innovation to create My Bloody Valentine-esque soundscapes that would make Eno shudder.
6. Sumday (Grandaddy) – Jason Lytle is one of my favourite songwriters, and this is his most consistent work to date. Though his lyrics remains in the realms of bleak sci-fi and Ballardian dystopic modern life, Sumday is a joyful album, perfect for a summer drive through forests of discarded computers and broken down androids.
7. Apple O’ (Deerhoof) – Deerhoof seem almost normal now that every indie band in the world has embraced experimental instrumentation and recording techniques, but in 2003 this was a very shocking loud noise, still is.
8. Analord (Aphex Twin) – Aphex Twin’s music is uncategorizable, and this sprawling project covers everything from ambient and electro to drum & bass, though none of those genres can truly claim him as their own. A huge section of Analord is devoted to the infamous ‘Amen’ break, heavily used in early Jungle and Drum & Bass, and a direct ancestor of contemporary Dubstep. The album was released in installments over two years, its final form containing 62 tracks and running for four and a half hours. Aphex Twin is insane.
9. YosepH (Luke Vibert) – Equally genre-defying in the world of electronic music is Aphex Twin’s mate Luke Vibert aka Wagon Christ aka Amen Andrews. He’s among my favourite producers, and his ultra-tight beat making starts with Yoseph. Vibert pays tribute to the heyday of Acid House with this album, but tinged with his signature dischord of uneasy pads and super-tight beats.
10. Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place (Explosions In The Sky) – very special ambient music with heart.

Songs

1. Questions and Answers (Biffy Clyro) – Scottish 3-piece Biffy Clyro have never quite lived up to this, their Sebadoh-esque debut single. They are masterful arrangers, and this song contains some of my favourite backing vocals.
2. I Went To A Wedding (Half Man Half Biscuit) – Nigel Blackwell had been writing hilarious satirical songs for 20 years before this came out – he’s still writing, and still hilarious. This is a particularly pretty example.
3. Eple (Röyksopp) – an incredible piece of quirky electronic music that, at least in Europe, was the soundtrack to the optimistic futurism of the 2000s. If we could’ve gotten a penny out of our record company we’d have commissioned remixes from these Norwegian bleepers, with whom we shared a music lawyer.
4. Hysteria (Muse) – I remember seeing this song on Top Of The Pops and feeling my jaw dropping as I watched Christopher Wolstenholme hammer out that insane bassline. Stunning track from a great British band and one of the greatest basslines of all time.
5. Jessica (Adam Green) – I’d pretty much gotten over the novelty of The Moldy Peaches when I heard this album, and realized that Adam Green is a master songsmith. ‘Jessica’ still makes me laugh – so horribly disrespectful to poor Jessica Simpson!
6. Strict Machine (Goldfrapp) – innovative synth-glam – a huge shift for this strange band.
7. Danger! High Voltage! (Electric Six) – One-hit-wonder? Novelty-band? Yes – and so much more. Just watch the video!
8. I Believe In A Thing Called Love (The Darkness) – another flash-in-the-pan novelty act, but a great song! Check out other singles ‘Get Your Hands off My Woman’, and ‘Growing On Me’.
9. Oh God, Where Are You Now? (In Pickeral Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?) (Sufjan Stevens) – I feel as though I should hate Sufjan Stevens and all he stands for, but I can’t because he’s just fantastic. This self-recorded debut album, is a work of genius. Sadly, it ushered in an age of bland, uninspiring nu folk, but I think this track still stands up despite the twittering rabble of wannabe folkies.
10. זה רעיון טוב (The Apples) – Israeli car-chase funk with sweet cutting? Hell yeah!

Tim’s B-List

1. Becker & Stuhlen ‘Mellotron’ – This is a track from a rare library album of vintage synthesizers. Sublime and trippy.
2. Butthole Surfers  ‘Chewin George Lucas’ Chocolate’ & ‘Goofy’s Concern’ – expert punk nihilsim.
3. The Books ‘The Lemon Of Pink’ – schizophrenic sample-magic. Also notable: ‘A Cold Freezin’ Night’ (amazing video!
4. The Beastie Boys ‘Oh Word!’ – So many amazing tracks from the Beasties – I love MCA’s sections. Always sing this when I’m in NY.
5. Biffy Clyro ‘Questions And Answers’ – Scottish. These boy keep you waiting and then drop the magic – check the BVs at 2:14 then the harmony – oh yes! All this and an album cover by Milo Manara.
6. Beck ‘Beercan’ – I shortlisted a bunch of Beck – mostly from Stereopathetic Soulmanure, but nothing can beat his rhymes on Beercan. Zeitgeist 1994.
7. Blind Mr Jones ‘Mesa’ – Sweet shoegaze from a relatively unappreciated album of great songs.
8. Big Star ‘Blue Moon (demo)’ – Again – so many to choose from, but this demo has been breaking my heart of late.
9. Busta Rhymes (feat. Mysikal) ‘Iz They Wildin Wid Us?’ – A rare hip-hop post from me – Busta Rhymes production is insane and this song is hilarious. Be sure to listen until Busta’s section 1:39 – 2:13.
10. The Byrds ‘Draft Morning’ – So many Byrds tracks could’ve made this list, but this won out over ‘What’s Happening?’
11. Boards Of Canada ‘ROYGBIV’ – This song blows my mind every time – delicately poised between whimsical, fun and utterly devastating.
12. Billy Bragg ‘A New England’ – Just great.
13. The Breeders ‘Off You’ – Kelley Deal brings it home [swoon].
14. Blur ‘This Is A Low’ – Check this live video. Graham Coxon is high in my pantheon of guitar gods.
15. Bob Hund ‘100 år’ – 100 år är ingenting för mig.
16. The Bonzo Dog Band ‘Quiet Talks and Summer Walks (Unpeeled Version)’ – A relatively straight and beautiful song from the original Novelty Band, inspirations to Monty Python. Neil Innes on vocals and the inimitable Vivian Stanshall on recorder. For contrast check out ‘The Intro And The Outro’ and ‘Big Shot’.
17. The Beach Boys ‘Little Bird’ – Just one of my favourite songs of all time, courtesy of Dennis.
18. Bee Gees ‘Wind Of Change’ – I watched a documentary recently that made me despise The Bee Gees – this song makes me forget my hatred.
19. Björk ‘Army Of Me (Suckerpunch Remix)‘ – Björk is 100% brilliant, and 90% unlistenable. This is part of the 10%. Particularly loved this remix from the ‘Suckerpunch’ movie.
20. Bad News ‘Warriors Of Ghengis Khan’ – The first Bad News TV show was shot before Spinal Tap – both are brilliant but very different parodies of Heavy Metal. Produced (and played in places) by Brian May the eponymous first album is a staple of 1980s British humor. Highly influenced by ‘The Troggs Tapes’ and 100% profane. Very funny, very metal.

Tim’s (alt) Side One/Track One

Too many obvious choices made my list impossible to cut down – so here’s the alternative top 10. I’m hoping all of you know who The Shaggs are.

1. The Perfect Me (Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity)

2. I Want You To Know (Masha Qrella – Luck)

3. The Lemon Of Pink (The Books – The Lemon of Pink)

4. Breather (Chapterhouse – Whirlpool)

5. Cold Fish (Queen Adreena – Taxidermy)

6. Philosophy Of The World (The Shaggs – Philosophy Of The World)

7. Godhopping (Dogs Die In Hot Cars – Please Describe Yourself)

8. Only Shallow (My Bloody Valentine – Loveless)

9. The Noise Won’t Stop (Shy Child – One With The Sun)

10. Surf Solar (Fuck Buttons – Tarot Sport)