2003 in music.

Taking Back Sunday's Tell All Your Friends won 2002 and you should all feel bad about that. Let's see who wins 2003. Big year.

Billboard chart-topping albums of 2003:
Shania Twain - Up! (cont. from 2002)
Eminem - 8 Mile Soundtrack (cont. from 2002)
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me (cont. from 2002)
Dixie Chicks - Home (cont. from 2002)
50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'
R. Kelly - Chocolate Factory
Linkin Park - Meteora
Godsmack - Faceless
Kelly Clarkson - Thankful
Madonna - American Life
The Isley Brothers - Body Kiss
Marilyn Monroe - The Golden Age of Grotesque
Staind - 14 Shades of Grey
Led Zeppelin - How the West Was Won
Metallica - St. Anger
Luther Vandross - Dance With My Father
Monica - After the Storm
Beyonce - Dangerously in Love
Ashanti - Chapter II
Various Artists - Bad Boys II
Alan Jackson - Greatest Hits
The Neptunes - Presents Clones
Mary J. Blige - Love & Life
Hilary Duff - Metamorphosis
John Mayer - Heavier Things
DMX - Grand Champ
Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Ludacris - Chicken-N-Beer
Clay Aiken - Measure of a Man
Toby Keith - Shock'n Y'all
Jay Z - The Black Album
Britney Spears - In the Zone
Alicia Keys - The Diary of Alicia Keys
Ruben Studdard - Soulful

Billboard chart-topping singles of 2003:
Eminem - Lose Yourself (cont. from 2002)
B2K - Bump, Bump, Bump (cont. from 2002)
Jennifer Lopez - All I Have (cont. from 2002)
50 Cent - In da Club
Sean Paul - Get Busy
50 Cent - 21 Questions
Clay Aiken - This is the Night
Beyonce and Jay Z - Crazy in Love
Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee - Shake Ya Tailfeather
Beyonce - Baby Boy
Ludacris - Stand Up
Outkast - Hey Ya

What are your top three albums for 2003? We will keep a running tally and eventually have some sort of bracket. For me it would be:
1. The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium
2. The White Stripes - Elephant
3. The Strokes - Room on Fire

What are some of the forgotten gems from the year? What is overrated? What did you discover at a young age and what did you discover later?

YEARS IN MUSIC • forum.chorus.fm

 

rest of the top 10:
4. The Wrens - The Meadowlands
5. Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
6. Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day
7. Songs: Ohia - The Magnolia Electric Co.
8. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
9. The Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site
10. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism

honorable mentions:
50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin’
A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step
Against Me - The Eternal Cowboy
The All-American Rejects - The All-American Rejects
Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
Biffy Clyro - The Vertigo of Bliss
The Black Keys - Thickfreakness
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Take Them On, On Your Own
Blink-182 - Blink-182
Cass McCombs - A
Cave In - Antenna
Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Cursive - The Ugly Organ
Dashboard Confessional - A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar
David Bowie - Reality
Deerhoof - Apple O'
Deftones - Deftones
Every Time I Die - Hot Damn!
The Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic
Fall Out Boy - Take This to Your Grave
The Format - Interventions and Lullabies
Gojira - The Link
Grandaddy - Sumday
Jack Johnson - On and On
Jay Z - The Black Album
John Mayer - Heavier Things
The Kills - Keep on Your Mean Side
Kings of Leon - Youth & Young Manhood
Lagwagon - Blaze
Linkin Park - Meteora
Loose Fur - Loose Fur
Mandy Moore - Coverage
Metallica - St. Anger
Mew - Frengers
Mogwai - Happy Songs for Happy People
Muse - Absolution
My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves
Nada Surf - Let Go
The National - Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Nocturama
Okkervil River - Down the River of Golden Dreams
Pete Yorn - Day I Forgot
The Postal Service - Give Up
Rise Against - Revolutions per Minute
The Shins - Chutes too Narrow
Sleep - Dopesmoker
Snow Patrol - Final Straw
Spiritualized - Amazing Grace
Third Eye Blind - Out of the Vein
Thrice - The Artist in the Ambulance
Thursday - War All the Time
Warren Zevon - The Wind
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell
Year of the Rabbit - Year of the Rabbit

stuff to check out:
AFI - Sing the Sorrow
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy - Master and Everyone
Damien Jurado - Where Shall You Take Me?
DMX - Grand Champ
Killer Mike - Monster
Lucinda Williams - World Without Tears
Ludacris - Chicken-n-Beer
Luther Vandross - Dance with My Father
M. Ward - Transfiguration of Vincent
M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts
Mary J. Blige - Love & Life
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
Opeth - Damnation
Steely Dan - Everything Must Go
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Pig Lib
Vince Gill - Next Big Thing

 

MY first thought for 2003 is how irritated I am that Zwan's Mary Star of the Sea is not on streaming, and I cannot find my CD copy of it.

 

1. Bear vs. Shark - Right Now, You're in the Best of Hands...
2. Jay-Z - The Black Album
3. The Weakerthans - Reconstruction Site

 

1. Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
2. Deftones - Deftones
3. Rx Bandits - The Resignation

 

1. Cursive - The Ugly Organ
2. AFI - Sing the Sorrow
3. Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue

4. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism
5. Blink 182 - Untitled
6. Motion City Soundtrack - I Am the Movie
7. The Early November - Room's Too Cold
8. Britney Spears - In the Zone
9. 50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'
10. Thursday - War All the Time

This is by the far the most difficult year for me to go through. The top four albums are definitive albums for me growing up, and any of the top four could my number one vote depending on how I am feeling. My top vote is more like a 1A and 1B situation.

 

feels like this might be one of the lower vote winners recently. just seems like it'll be a varied year

 

1. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism

not my #1 death cab, but an incredible and essentially perfect record

2. The Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic

Wonderful little record that I became obsessed with about 8-9 years ago. Very tragic story. I think a lot of people here would really like this one.

3. Songs: Ohia - Magnolia Electric Co.

Home to the single greatest song of all time.

honorable mentions:

Burn, Piano Island, Burn
A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar
Mary, Star of the Sea
The Ugly Organ
Give Up
The Meadowlands
Sing the Sorrow
It Still Moves
Michigan
Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers
Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?

too many to go into depth but a couple stray thoughts: I really loved the dashboard and afi albums. Throw in so long Astoria and you have a pretty unreal year for major label crossovers - Sts especially is by far the best afi album imo and a real high water mark for giving a big budget to a punk band and seeing what happens.

P4k overrates the album, but House of Jealous Lovers by the rapture is an absolutely iconic song in my book.

hail to the thief is the worst Radiohead album that isn’t Pablo honey. And sad songs is much higher in the national pantheon than it typically gets credit for imo.

 

the guitar romantic album is so fucking good. would probably be higher for me but I only heard it first recently

 

It’s such a cool album, so much early 2000s attitude with some really really tight pop songwriting to back it up. The call and response part that ends “I’m a pretender” is one of those real joy captured in song form moments for me.

imo the best overall song for anyone who wants to check them out:

 

1. Kamelot - Epica
2. Evanescence - Fallen
3. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism

Another insane year with three of my top 10 of all time. The early 2000's are clearly my formative years.

Epica is my favourite album that isn't made by My Chemical Romance. It's the first of two concept albums made by the band inspired by the story of Goethe's Faust. The storytelling in the lyrics/music here is for me the best example of a concept album I've ever come across with even the interludes (best interludes of all time) adding so much to the atmosphere and main narrative of the album. The vocal performance is my favourite by any artist other than Gerard Way and every song is incredible. I'm constantly amazed by every second of this album when I listen to it. I wish more music was like this.

Honestly did not expect to rank Evanescence higher than Death Cab but I was listening to some of these albums again this week and I loved Fallen more than ever. It's got such a great vibe, I love the sound they went for on this album and despite never really getting into anything else by them I feel like they perfected what they were going for here. I love the mix of heavy guitars with the dramatic strings, soft piano and occasional electronics. Plus I think Amy Lee's vocals on here are some of the best, most emotive, I've ever heard. I never get tired of hearing her belt.

Transatlanticism is the best work by one of my favourite bands, easily some of Ben's best songs lyrically and melodically. Their production was never better, finding the perfect spot between their earlier and later work. I don't think there's many albums that sound better to me and there's not a single weak song on here. The title track and "Passenger Seat" in particular are two of my all time favourites.

Honourable mentions;

4. Saosin - Translating the Name; Probably my favourite EP of all time. Five perfect songs and my favourite thing Anthony Green has ever done, he sounds so good here. The drums and guitars are incredible too, it all just comes together to make something special.

5. Busted - A Present for Everyone; This might be my second most listened to album ever, I spent so long listening to just this when it came out and it's still something I go back to often and sincerely love. Hugely nostalgic for me.

6. The Postal Service - Give Up; It's insane to me that Ben Gibbard put this out in the same year as Transatlanticism. Probably his two best records in the same year. Some of his best songwriting mixed with some of the most perfect electronic production I've ever heard. Most years this would be in my top 3 if not number 1.

7. Motion City Soundtrack - I Am the Movie; Fantastic debut from one of my favourite bands. They already had their sound pretty much nailed on here with some of their best songs ("My Favourite Accident", "Mary Without Sound). I'll never get tired of Justin's lyrics and the synth melodies throughout are so good.

8. Copeland - Beneath Medicine Tree; Another great debut album from one of my favourite bands. This is clearly the weakest album they've made which is impressive considering how great it is. The sound isn't as unique or interesting as their later work but there's still some fantastic songs here filled with lovely melodies and lyrics.

9. The Format - Interventions and Lullabies; A lot of my favourite artists put out their debut albums this year. Nate's skill for songwriting is clearly already there with some of the catchiest songs he's ever written. There's a few songs I don't care for but mostly it's pretty great.

10. Blink-182 - Blink-182; I'm not the biggest Blink fan but this album is fucking great. Their best by a significant amount in every single way. The production is fantastic and all three members do their best work here.

11. John Mayer - Heavier Things; I wish this one was a little more consistent because half of these are among his best songs and the other half is just ok. "Split Screen Sadness" and "Wheel" are just perfect songs though.

12. Epica - The Phantom Agony; Another debut that isn't quite on the same level as some of their later work but the Gothic atmosphere on this one is pretty unique for them and I love that sound. Really love Simone's voice.

13. Cursive - The Ugly Organ; I was never the biggest fan of this one as I always thought it fell off hard after the first three songs and while I still think that's the best part, the rest is really great too! Love the lyrics and the use of organ/cello all over it gives it a really unique sound. Need to listen to this more.

14. Thrice - The Artist in the Ambulance; Probably my second favourite Thrice album, super fun listen. Wish I heard these early Thrice albums earlier in my life.

15. Gareth Gates - Go Your Own Way; Another big nostalgia album for me. For some reason it's a double album and most of my favourite songs are on the second disc. There's still a lot of great pop songwriting on here though.

16. Okkervil River - Down the River of Golden Dreams; Some fantastic songs on here showing off Will Sheff's amazing lyrics and sense of melody, especially on "The War Criminal Rises and Speaks" which I highly recommend checking out if you never have. Love the use of organ, horns and strings on this album.

17. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief; My least favourite of their 2000's work and a bit inconsistent for me but there's still a lot of great stuff on here. "Sit Down. Stand Up." and "Scatterbrain" in particular are fantastic.

18. Mew - Frengers; Lovely little album, really unique sound. Love the louder parts and "Comforting Sounds" is a fantastic closer.

19. The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium; Really love a lot of the sounds on here but there's also parts that drag out and lose me, especially in the second half. Starts really strongly though.

20. Anberlin - Blueprints for the Black Market; Fun debut, I just really like Stephen's voice and sense of melody here even if the songs are a bit amateur compared to their later work.

Big year for me.

 

I take it people have not heard that Bear vs Shark album? No other reason it hasn’t been mentioned yet. @williek311 get in here

 

I was sure that Busted album was going to be at least top three for @SpyKi

 

I've heard it but only recently so I've only had like 2/3 listens so not familiar enough for it to rank on my list. It's good though!

 

This is such a fun year for albums I don’t think totally hold up beginning to end but have some 10/10 songs, especially as it comes to ap.net stuff. Seven Years! My Favorite Accident! In This Diary! The First Single!

 

Have not - RIYL ?

 

There's only like 4/5 years where it wouldn't be in my top 3, it just so happens that 2003 is one of them lol.

 

Seven Years isn't even top three on a five song EP! It is a 10/10 though.

 

If I had to bet on a winner this year, it would be Transatlanticism.

 

Holy shit y'all first page and my "First Listens" list is already longer than any other year I can think of. And I thought I had a good grasp on this year. My 2003 playlist has already doubled in size from this morning.

 

That's what I'm hoping for!

 

I would like to thank this thread for ensuring Monday morning rivals Friday afternoon for least productive part of every work week

 

I do like Who's David and 3am.

 

it’s decent but i forget about it a ton

 

probably will be but, even as someone with a tattoo related to that album, i feel like it and gibbard entirely have fallen hard in a ton of peoples estimation the last few years