Ten Best Releases of 2003

For those not looking forward to Nelly Furtado's "Folklore," the list of releases for the rest of 2003 appears less than stellar.

That's exactly what makes me so hesitant; many of the best albums of the year were not hyped, and surprising to say the least. While there were the standard and expected quality albums - Radiohead's "Hail To The Thief" and the Strokes' "Room on Fire" come to mind - the real fire was provided by newcomers and improvements (I swear to God if you told me last year that I'd have Brand New on my list of top CDs for this year, I would've had to take fish hooks to your eyeballs).

There are self-imposed guidelines: no drum and bass, no drum and bass, and no techno. There will be no soundtracks, so that means the Slaughter Rule soundtrack drops by the wayside. Lastly, there will only be full lengths, which means that some incredible records like Ryan Adams' "Love Is Hell, Pt. I," These Arms Are Snakes' "This Is Meant To Hurt You" and The Love Scene's "Blood Is The New Black" are shown the door, and quite unfortunately. Especially for Adams, whose EP was the best-recorded work of not only his career, but of 2003.

So without further speculation:

10. Miracle of 86 - "Every Famous Last Word"

The only fault with this energetic indie/alt-country gem is that Miracle of 86 writes a few songs of such high quality that it is nearly impossible to replicate for an entire record. For example, "Dance Dance Revolution," and the title track are so impressive that they make good - not great - songs like "Nice Shirt Salvador Dali" sound subpar.

9. Every Time I Die - "Hot Damn!"

This record took a while to grow on me, but vocalist Keith Buckley's lyrics are so intelligent and feisty that there is no choice but to keep listening. The Buffalo-based quintet has to stay in the higher end of the top 10 due to a lot of filler, but the stand-out tracks like "She's My Rushmore," "I Been Gone A Long Time" and "Godspeed Us To Sea" are so fresh and gritty that you can taste the floor of the Old Pink. Wait, I don't think that's a good thing. With lyrics like "boys/ shoot to thrill/ from the hip/ its time we put the 'act' in action," these kids smoke.

8. Brand New - "Deja Entendu"

Oh I know, and shut up. "Your Favorite Weapon," their previous release, was just as horrible as anything Taking Back Terrible has ever done, and they do steal riffs from bands as diverse as POD and Coldplay. But "Deja Entendu" is what it is - one of the best "emo" records to come out in years. Vocalist/guitarist Jesse Lacey is extremely clever and his clear knowledge of his role in an industry is both poignant and hilarious as he cries (no pun intended), "oh I would kill for the Atlantic/ but I am paid to make girls panic while I sing."

7. Matthew Good - "Avalanche"

Anyone familiar with Good had to be quite frightened at the news that he was disbanding the Matthew Good Band to record a solo record. He had already written almost all the parts for the albums with a full band, and if his dark humor had made the rest of the band members wary, of what could "Avalanche" consist? The answer was timely, smart music that hit the mark and hit it hard.

6. Thrice - "The Artist And the Ambulance"

This year's Buffalo Warped Tour headliners put out a disc that is equal parts punk, metal, and pop and a perfect introduction to good music for radio-bound kids. The title track is one of the top five fun tracks of the year, overcoming its weighty lyrical content (the lyrics are a of a near-fatal car accident and the victim's attempts to justify trying to hold on to life and eventually deciding to fight through it).

5. Kings of Leon - "Youth and Young Manhood"

I made the mistake of calling this the record of the year back in September. While it is wonderful, it just doesn't make the cut. A fitting beginning to the top five, this filthy, dirty country rock band makes listeners want to take their "darling" out to the "hills" with some "malt liquor" and do what they please. It makes me want to "cut a rug."

4. Lucero - "That Much Further West"

The only reason Lucero finds itself at number four is that the three records in front of it are one of a kind, and that their previous release, "Tennessee" was a better record in its entirety. From the opening title track, to the riveting "Tears Don't Matter Much," Lucero is a band that everyone should be hurtling the dead careers of Fred Durst and Billy Ray Cyrus to get to. While they're at it, they should download the song "Sweet Lil' Thing" from "Tennessee," and then call me in the morning. HI-YO.

3. My Morning Jacket - "It Still Moves"

What the reverb is going on around here? Take mid 80s U2 guitar lines, combine them with a healthy dose of '70s southern rock, and throw vocals very similar to the legendary Neil Young in the mix, and you have a meaty rock gumbo that even a vegetarian like myself has to struggle to stay away from. I had a chance to check these guys out opening for the Foo Fighters and Pete Yorn in Toronto, and the Louisville quintet blew me away.

2. The Postal Service - "Give Up"

I'm not afraid to sacrifice scene points to admit that I don't like Death Cab For Cutie; it just doesn't move me. The Postal Service, featuring Death Cab's Benjamin Gibbard and non-Death Cab programmer Jimmy Tamborello, is as close to great electronic music the world has seen since the Chemical Brothers released "Dig Your Own Hole" in 1997. Gibbard's emotional and sincere vocals lend itself to simultaneously simple and thought-provoking beats of Tamborello. A must-have record

1. The Appleseed Cast - "Two Conversations"

The problem with lauding this record is figuring out where to start. The Cast's "Mare Vitalis" was the highlight of Deep Elm Records' hey-day at the turn of the century, and that is saying a lot considering the label launched Cross My Heart's "Temporary Contemporary" and Benton Falls' "Fighting Starlight."

That said, "Two Conversations" may even be twice as good as anything the Cast has ever done. Layers of sound, an extremely touching delivery of vocals and enough spacy rock/emo to make Uranus explode make "Two Conversations" the record the year. If I had to describe it in four words, I would pick: amazing, amazing, amazing and amazing.