My Favorite Music of 2003 Or So

Now is the time of year when everyone traditionally posts their "Best of" lists. Partially in that spirit, but more in an effort to chronicle for myself what I enjoyed in 2003, I present some lists of my own. Some of this stuff was just new to me in 2003, having been released in 2002. I also think the "Best of" tag implies some nonexistent objective authority in "judging" the merits of art. In light of these points, I'll call these lists "My Favorites of 2003 Or So" and leave it at that. I'll start with music. Since these lists are meant to be topical, I'm leaving off a lot of older recordings and films I discovered this year and by all rights should be here (Some stuff by Lee Morgan, Larry Young, Daniel Johnston and Cibo Matto come to mind). Assuming I find the time, I'll also have a list of favorite movies and reading of the past year in the near future. I know you will all be holding your collective breath. Let us begin:

White Stripes: Elephant

I was late on the White Stripes bandwagon for no good reason and to my own detriment. Seeing their week in residence on Conan O'Brian in April got me all aboard. This album is all over my most-played lists in iTunes, so I can't really single out a favorite song, but if pressed I'd have to point to "In The Cold Cold Night" and "Hypnotise" but only by a hair. In retrospect, the White Stripes sub-conciously opened up a world of music I never would have bothered with before, including several items on this list. I've since bought all their albums, but this one is still my favorite.

The Mountain Goats: Tallahassee

I wouldn't even have know about The Mountain Goats (aka John Darnielle and friends) if not for one of my then houseguests mentioning that they'd be playing a show in Denver and we should check it out. The show, at Larimer Lounge, was great (and actually contributed another entry on this list) and the CD better. Intense acoustic lo-fi folk rock with a story line. Strictly speaking, this was a 2002 release, but it was new to me and kind of entwined with the next entry, which was a 2003 release

Baptist Generals: No Silver/No Gold

More lo-fi rock from the aforementioned Larimer Lounge show. This album flirts with ear-grating rawness (mostly thanks to the vocals of Chris Flemmons), but somehow comes across as a very intimate and compelling personal effort. Not for everyone, but it's definately worth a listen to find out if it's for you.

Juana Molina: Segundo

Strange but beautiful, minimalist blip-blooping elecronica/acoustic music from a former Argentinean sitcom star. One listen was all it took to confirm its place on this list.

Anti-Pop Consortium: Anti-Pop Consortium vs. Matthew Shipp

This album is the greatest mix of hip-hop electronica and jazz that I've yet heard. It's part of the Matthew Shipp curated "Blue Series" on Thirsty Ear Recordings. There are many recordings on this label that deserve a place on this list (The Blue Series Continuum sessions and Spring Heel Jack Live spring to mind) but in the interest of space and diversity, I will let this be the placeholder. Shipp is mining the future of creative music in this series, and you should give every release in the catalog a listen.

The Bad Plus: These are the Vistas

Rock, Jazz, Both? The Bad Plus caught my ear because of some really good reviews of their live shows on several mailing lists I am on. Since there didn't seem to be many live shows circulating (a situation that still needs to be remedied) I decided to give their first major studio release a try and was quite pleased with the results. They often get written off as a novelty response from the labels to the jazz-rock scene, but that point of view ignores the fact that these guys are amazing musicians who make some great, straight-ahead music. Drummer David King is right up there with the best jazz drummers playing today.

Outkast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

I'm not sure I can say anything about this that hasn't been said a few thousand times before. I'd say this album is everything good about hip-hop, except that it's so much more. Hey Ya might just be the catchiest pop song ever.

Junior Senior: D-D-Don't Don't Stop the Beat

Nothing really groundbreaking with this album, but this Danish duo makes really fun catchy music. Don't miss my favorite video of the year!

Miles Davis: The Jack Johnson Sessions

I owe Rob for setting me straight on Miles Davis. My past experiences with Mile Davis were characterized by the execrable "Doo Bop" and "Tutu". After hearing those album, I unfairly wrote off most all of his work. In hindsight (in any sight really) of course, this was absolute obstinate retardedness for which I have no excuse other than youthful musical stupidity. In any case, many thanks to Rob for setting me straight. This album is probably my favorite of the year and a must for any jazz (or rock or funk) fan.

There are a few items that, given more time, would probably end up on this list. Most of them I just picked up in the last few weeks, but I thought it important to mention them because of their potential for becoming a favorite: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey: Slow Breath, Silent Mind, The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow and Kaki King: Everybody Loves You.