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DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

sean by Sean Adams [Edit this content] ▾ 142 comments 10:45 December 9th, 2003


Radiohead Thom Andy Future

2003, what a year...

It's nearly over, but not 'til every publication has put together a chart. And why should we be any different? Here's our staff voted summary of the records which meant something and everything in 2003.

Drowned In Sound : Critics Poll 2003

  1. Radiohead Hail to the Thief

  2. The Darkness Permission to Land

  3. Cat Power You Are Free

  4. Blood Brothers Burn Piano Island, Burn

  5. Muse Absolution

  6. Fountains Of Wayne Welcome Interstate Managers

  7. Funeral For A Friend Casually Dressed and in Deep Conversation

  8. Zwan Mary Star of the Sea

  9. Hell Is For Heroes The Neon Handshake

  10. Elbow Cast of Thousands

  11. Mogwai Happy Songs for Happy People

  12. Outkast Speakerboxxx / The Love Below

  13. Mars Volta De-loused in the Comatorium

  14. Hot Hot Heat Make up the Breakdown

  15. White Stripes Elephant

  16. Dizzee Rascal Boy in Da Corner

  17. Jane’s Addiction Strays

  18. Deftones Deftones

  19. Mew Frengers

  20. Evan Dando Baby I’m Bored

  21. Strokes Room on Fire

  22. The Distillers Coral Fang

  23. Goldfrapp Black Cherry

  24. Rilo Kiley The Execution of All Things

  25. Silver Mt Zion This is our punk rock: thee rusted satellites gather + sing

  26. Twilight Singers Blackberry Belle

  27. Broken Family Band Cold Water Songs

  28. Biffy Clyro The Vertigo of Bliss

  29. Oceansize Effloresce

  30. British Sea Power The Decline Of..

  31. Stellastarr Stellastarr

  32. Pretty Girls Make Graves The New Romance

  33. Dandy Warhols Welcome to the Monkey House

  34. Alkaline Trio Good Mourning

  35. Marilyn Manson The Golden Age of Grotesque

  36. UNKLE Never Never Land

  37. Snow Patrol The Final Straw

  38. Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever to Tell

  39. Broken Social Scene You Forgot it in People

  40. A Perfect Circle Thirteenth Step

  41. My Morning Jacket It Stll Moves

  42. King Geedorah Take Me to Your Leader

  43. Blur Think Tank

  44. Postal Service Give Up

  45. Girls Aloud Sound of the Underground

  46. Rapture Echoes

  47. Metallica St. Anger

  48. Cooper Temple Clause Kick Up The Fire and Let The Flames Break Loose

  49. Aereogramme Sleep and Release

  50. Brand New Deja Entendu

  51. Rufus Wainwright Want One

  52. The Shins Chutes Too Narrow On Import. UK Release March 2004

  53. Distophia Soda Lake

  54. Hidden Cameras The Smell of Our Own

  55. Azure Ray Hold on Love

  56. Four Tet Rounds

  57. Belle And Sebastian Dear Catastrophe Waitress

  58. M83 Dead Cities Red Seas and Lost Ghosts

  59. Billy Talent Billy Talent

  60. B Movie Heroes Anthems for the Underdog

  61. Ani DiFranco Evolve

  62. Magnet On Your Side

  63. Warlocks Phoenix

  64. Desert Sessions Volumes 9 & 10

  65. Clearlake Cedars

  66. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Take them on, on Your Own

  67. Sole Selling live Water

  68. Meanwhile, Back In Communist Russia My Elixir: My Poison

  69. Jetplane Landing Once like a Spark

  70. Super Furry Animals Phantom Power

  71. Adam Green Friends of Mine

  72. Thursday War all the Time

  73. Peaches Fatherfucker

  74. The Kills Keep on your Mean Side

  75. Adult Anxiety Always

The Science Bit...

This chart was compiled from the votes of our staff, who chose their top 20 albums of the year, with number 1 scoring 20 points and number 20 scoring 1 point. There was a two vote minimum to get into the chart. Radiohead scored nearly 200 points.

Some of these records are missing reviews. Reviews will appear on the site in the coming weeks.

DiScuss: What were your albums of the year? Who was robbed? Anything here surprise you? Do you think this chart represents what DiS is all about and what has gone on in 2003?

Radiohead The Shins The Darkness Azure Ray

DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Maximilian Hecker?
Not very *exciting* I grant you, but a wonderful album nonetheless!!

mew, stellastarr* and PGMG should be higher too!

in my humble..

sp
sadpunk | 9 Dec '03, 11:23 | X | Reply

DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

first I saw...

8. Zwan Mary Star of the Sea?

and I though "hmmmm". then I saw...

47. Metallica St. Anger

and I said "I quit"
bunch of wrong 'uns
-Raz- | 9 Dec '03, 11:28 | X | Reply

DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003


I take it that there will be slating of the imminent NME Album Poll then. After all, how can you slate anybody else's poll for being 'old' when you put a 1970's rock covers band at Number 2?

I hear Mike Oldfield's still recording...
DrFurry | 9 Dec '03, 11:32 | X | Reply

DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

The Faint? The Sleepy Jackson?

were they this year?

sp
sadpunk | 9 Dec '03, 11:34 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Actually ignore the above. I realise it makes no sense. I blame the fact that it's 6am and I'm trying to get through a section of calculus whilst writing. What I meant to say was:

" take it that there will be slating of the imminent NME Album Poll then. After all, how can you slate anybody else's poll for being 'old' when you put a 1970's rock covers band at Number 2?

I hear Mike Oldfield's still recording..."

I apologise for any bullshit contained within.
DrFurry @DrFurry | 9 Dec '03, 11:40 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

If we can work out how to code it (or i can talk matt or natts into coding it) we'll put something up...
sean @broken-windows | 9 Dec '03, 12:18 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

It's weird, I only voted for about 2 of the top 20 records and I'm pretty sure there are a lot of other people who regularly contribute to the site who had about the same amount of their records of the year near the top.

I did look confusedly at Zwan and Hell is For Heroes and Elbow too for that matter, getting quite so high. Then again, Distillers, Strokes and White Stripes all did oddly well...

We're going to be doing a few other runs downs of the year which should go someway to giving a personal and collective view of the year.
sean @Old_Anonymous_Comments | 9 Dec '03, 12:37 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Even tho Cat on Form are great live, the albums really not impressed me. Have played it quite a bit and it just doesn't feel like the same band.

Did Q and not U have an album out this year?
sean @sammoandy | 9 Dec '03, 12:41 | X | Reply

DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

im surprised you didnt knock off a quick koreans album before the new year so you could bum the arse off it. there's always next year.
kernelkrock | 9 Dec '03, 12:59 | X | Reply

DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

this list saddens me a little
maybe the mechanics weren'y entirely appropriate, seeings as it seems to reward the albums that have been most heard, as opposed to most loved
maybe cutting down the number of votes per person would make it more representative?
alcxxk | 9 Dec '03, 13:24 | X | Reply

DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Anyway I voted for Last Train to Mashville as my number 1 so there. Some other ones that never made it in cos it's a consensus poll innit:
The Zephyrs - A Year To The Day (Setanta)
Quante Jubila – Quante Musica (Play)
William E Whitmore – Hymns For The Hopeless (Southern)
Saian Super Crew – X Raisons (Source)
Bitmap – Alpha Beta Gamma (General Electric)
but ain't that what makes music so ace? There's so much out there. If you read this site, and other media, then hopefully you're interested in finding new music that's out there waiting to snog you mercilessly. The DiS chart is only a snapshot of some of those artists and you gotta remember there's around 160 records released every week in the UK. Multiply that by 52, and also take into account all the DIY and Import releases - that's a lot of class out there. The great thing about this sorta stuff is that any chart like this is only a starting point to being led in the direction of stuff personally I didn't know about before innit so I'm up for being enlightened, ain't that what makes anyone get outa bed in the morning (and back into bed at night for more filthy fun)
joe_shoo | 9 Dec '03, 13:45 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

it's only cos I wasn't in charge this year.
nobody complained last year.
nobody that wasn't a fucking dick anyway.
-Raz- @alcxxk | 9 Dec '03, 14:01 | X | Reply

DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

A good list, I think. Bearing in mind it has to please everyone and not just you, yes YOU, reading this...
Damian | 9 Dec '03, 14:11 | X | Reply

DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

What about Tom McRae - Just Like Blood?

One of my top albums of the year. I guess if you didn't review it, you can't put it in?
brusma | 9 Dec '03, 14:33 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

I have to agree the Darkness may be the most fun album in the list, but there are quiet a lot more musically...intricate albums around, some that didn't even make the list (Tom McRae my personal favourite ain't there), so I can see why Darkness came high...but....well I don't agree. Different strokes for different folks an' all that.

Incidentally, check out www.metacritic and their section on music, and you can find out what the average of all reviews for a fair few albums (reviews from UK and US iirc) and find the top lot an' all that. Led Zeppelin top? Well well well...
brusma @black_lights | 9 Dec '03, 14:39 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

I really like the record too (was at the bottom end of my top 20). Am just confused, if you look at the kinda things that get written about on DiS day in day out that the kinda people who voted for elbow don't take part in dis on a day to day basis and the album hasn't even been reviewed on the site...
sean @black_lights | 9 Dec '03, 15:00 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

We didn't review the Kinesis album as we only got a copy of it the day it came out and didn't get chance to listen to it enough before the review woulda been outta date. Admittedly, any number of contributors coulda picked it up in the shops and written about it, but they didn't and that's nobodies fault.
Don't think the pr people even sent us the last single - tho i might be wrong.
The album isn't as good as the first record they did themselves (with most of the same songs on)
sean @Old_Anonymous_Comments | 9 Dec '03, 15:05 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Then hurry one of your leetle minions up, Sean! :P
brusma @sean | 9 Dec '03, 15:45 | X | Reply

DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Bah! No Tomohawk? Ah well, how about a '10 Worst Albums of 2003' list. I nominate the bloody awful Superjoint Ritual album.
Aconite | 9 Dec '03, 16:54 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Tomahawk. Bugger.

Also, I know it's not really DiS but I'd have stuck the Mastodon album somewhere near the top. I know it was released last year but it was re-released about a month ago with the obligatory bonus track and a rather excellent live DVD which pisses all over Linkin Park.
Aconite @Old_Anonymous_Comments | 9 Dec '03, 17:14 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

1. Pretty Girls Make Graves - New Romance
2. Cat Power - You Are Free
3. Dandy Warhols - Welcome to the Monkeyhouse
4. Rilo Kiley - The Execution of All Things
5. Azure Ray - Hold on Love
6. Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers
7. Magnet - On Your Side
8. Meanwhile, Back in Communist Russia - My Elixir; My Poison
9. The Murder of Rosa Luxemburg - Everyones in love and flowers pick themselves
10. Muse - Absolution
11. Elbow - Cast of Thousands
12. The Warlocks - Pheonix
13. Arab Strap - Monday at the Hug and Pint
14. Cooper Temple Clause - Kick Up the Fires...
15. Biffy Clyro - Vertigo of Bliss
16. Maximilian Hecker - Rose
17. Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium
18. The Rapture - Echoes
19. Jetplane Landing - Once like a Spark
20. Spiritualized - Amazing Grace
sean @Old_Anonymous_Comments | 9 Dec '03, 17:38 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Didn't even know Cat on Form had an album...
shadyadie @sammoandy | 10 Dec '03, 02:00 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

I'm listening to it at the moment and it's not the music that bothers me, although that's nothing special, it's Mr Anselmo's voice and arrogance that get me.
Aconite @mooseman | 10 Dec '03, 02:03 | X | Reply

DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Some of my fave albums of the year that did make it...

AEREOGRAMME sleep and release
BRAND NEW deja entendu
EVAN DANDO baby i'm bored
DISTILLERS coral fang
MEW frengers

The one's that didn't make it...

CANYON empty rooms
LIMBECK hi, everything's great
MILLION DEAD a song to ruin
MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY us
PERNICE BROS yours mine and ours
SIMPLE KID #1
SLEEPY JACKSON lovers
SPITALFIELD remember right now

and I compiled the list
tom_edwards | 10 Dec '03, 14:34 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Elbow's newer stuff's just developed from their own, in a good way. But even if it was mostly a retread of AITB, it would've still deserved top ten.
brusma @FinestLittleSpace | 10 Dec '03, 17:17 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Because you care deep down. Yes, you do.

1. Why? - Oaklandazulasylum
2. King Geedorah - Take Me To Your Leader
3. The Blood Brothers - Burn Piano Island, Burn
4. Sixtoo - Antagonist Survival Kit
5. Mogwai - Happy Songs for Happy People
6. Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People
7. Cat Power - You are Free
8. A Silver Mt. Zion - The Rusted Satallites Gather and Sing - This
is our Punk Rock
9. Brother Ali - Shadows On the Sun
10. Dizzee Rascal - Boy in Da Corner
11. Aerogramme - Sleep and Release
12. Sole - Selling Live Water
13. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
14. The Locust - Plague Soundscapes
15. Non-Prophets - Hope
16. Prefuse 73 - One Word Extinguisher
17. Tes - X2
18. Viktor Vaughn - Vaudeville Villain
19. Girls Aloud - Sound of the Underground
20. Buck 65 - Talkin' Honky Blues
daniel_h @Old_Anonymous_Comments | 10 Dec '03, 17:24 | X | Reply

DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

hmm this list has got some albums that i truly hate and some albums i do love. but its missing most on my list though. but okay the list is fair enough.
carbootsale | 10 Dec '03, 17:53 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Have to say I agree with the Zwan comment. I have no idea why so many people voted for that. It was shit. I'm no fan of the Radiohead record either.
tom_edwards @Old_Anonymous_Comments | 11 Dec '03, 00:52 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

I still don't understand why Million Dead changed their name from Hundred Reasons. Their last album, "Ideas Before Our Station" was much better as well. They've gone downhill I fink.
-Raz- @Old_Anonymous_Comments | 11 Dec '03, 11:23 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

You're a pretty obnoxious little shit really, aren't you?
brusma @Old_Anonymous_Comments | 11 Dec '03, 13:38 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Oh, I see. Because I list that I like Turin Brakes and Radiohead, I'm a lesser human being.

The main problem I have with 'hacks' like you is you just lambast other people without provocation and then act in this holier-than-thou sense that, because you work 'within in industry' or whatever you like to call it, your opinions are somehow more valid. They're as valid as everyone else's - music is all about taste, and you can only say what you like. You can't say there's a 'fact' that any album is good or bad, even if it's agreed by popular concensus. Just remember it's all about opinions, friend. Now if you're analysing the music in terms of technicality and skill and actual innovation in music - you're talking about something away from the simple in terms of rhythm, tone, harmony, all that shit. If you've got, say, a music degree, I'll sit back and take all the crap you want to throw at me for not being indier-than-thou. Just because you've seen a lot of gigs and listened to a lot of albums does not make your opinion more valid than practically anyone. It only makes your taste more definite, you know what you like. That's fair enough, but it still doesn't really give you the right to lay into other people that bad and talk about 'facts', especially when it's saying one band are better. The Darkness - fair enough if you like them, but there are no facts that they are better or worse than Radiohead. You like something rocky? Fine, but it doesn't give you any right to say it's better than any other style of music.

You've dug yourself a nice little hole there. Now sit down in it while we fill it in, please.
brusma @Old_Anonymous_Comments | 12 Dec '03, 12:02 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

scrabbling around on the verge yet another comeback I imagine
joe_shoo @Old_Anonymous_Comments | 12 Dec '03, 20:00 | X | Reply

DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Worst.
List.
Ever.
joe_shoo | 13 Dec '03, 12:02 | X | Reply

me albums

1. fountains of wayne
2. youthmovie soundtrack strategies
3. adam green
4. hot hot heat
5. the broken family band
6. british sea power
7. the kills
8. stellastarr*
9. hidden cameras
10. girls aloud
11. death cab for cutie
12. snow patrol
13. the strokes
14. clearlake
15. chris clark
16. the robocop kraus
17. jetplane landing
18. the darkness
19. the weakerthans
20. biffy clyro
shadyadie @Old_Anonymous_Comments | 13 Dec '03, 12:48 | X | Reply

Re: me albums

can't remember my order or anything but

Funeral
Tallica
Blood Bros
Darkness
HifH
DMX
Oceansize
Dizzy
Deftones
Alkalines
Tricky

some others which are so good that I've forgotten about them
mwah mwah
-Raz- @shadyadie | 13 Dec '03, 13:17 | X | Reply

Re: me albums

BUGGER.

i forgot Plans & Apologies and X Is Greater Than Y. thought those came out in 2002. I WANT TO CHANGE MY LIST.
shadyadie @shadyadie | 13 Dec '03, 13:18 | X | Reply

Re: me albums

BUGGER X2

i forgot Belle & Sebastian. ARSE!
shadyadie @shadyadie | 13 Dec '03, 13:19 | X | Reply

DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Could everyone whose favourite band didn't make it into this list (because, like, duh, YOU didn't help to compile it) stop crying into your milkshakes and get over it? Who cares? It's a list! It's got some albums on there I like, some I dislike, some I've never heard (I suspect most of us can't afford hundreds of albums a year), and yes... it misses off some I'd like to see on there. SO RUDDY WHAT? Go to a news website, see what's going on in the world, find something that it IS justifiable to get genuinely annoyed about. People getting so bothered about a list (yes, a LIST) clearly need to get out more, and by that I don't mean the Rudgleigh Dog & Turnip for local indie night on Fridays...
Damian | 13 Dec '03, 17:14 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

its true. i disagree with a fair proportion of albums on that list and i voted in the thing. Radiohead getting number 1 doesn't mean we all worship them, it simply means that they were mentioned on more/higher up on peoples lists.

i dont know how you people find the time to chase your own tails with arguements that can clearly never be resolved because it all comes down to your own opinions and tastes. You're never going to agree so... like.. getoverit.

KPx
_kp_ @Old_Anonymous_Comments | 13 Dec '03, 18:24 | X | Reply

Re: me albums

mine went something liiiiiiiiiike...

Oceansize
The Faint
Blood Brothers
The Darkness
The Gossip
The Mars Volta
Marilyn Manson
Minus
Explosions In The Sky
Hot Hot Heat
Biffy Clyro
Kinesis
Mew
Peaches
Jet
The Postal Service
Cat Power
Nina Nastisia
Audioslave
Aereogramme

KPxx
_kp_ @-Raz- | 13 Dec '03, 18:32 | X | Reply

DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

just got in a superb one - Luke Vibert / YosepH on Warp records. Fuggin ace mashed-up house class.
joe_shoo | 14 Dec '03, 19:24 | X | Reply

DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Don't forget Cool as by the Inspiral Carpets, it may of been a greatest hits on one CD but the rare unrelased stuff on the second CD still pissed on most of the current scene
gertcha | 15 Dec '03, 07:25 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Errr have you seen any other lists? It's in NME and Q for two and those are the only other ones I've seen so far.
tom_edwards @Old_Anonymous_Comments | 19 Dec '03, 05:03 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

anyone got Volume 1? not heard it yet
joe_shoo @Old_Anonymous_Comments | 30 Dec '03, 13:20 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

yeah human was a good album, damnit.
joe_shoo @barkstain | 31 Dec '03, 12:31 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

The Darkness aren't the country's number one band, but even if they were, this was a poll regarding our favourite <B>albums</B>, not bands!
natts @Old_Anonymous_Comments | 4 Jan '04, 03:13 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

Another idea would be for this writers chart to actually list the total score that each album accumulated, so it can be seen how close the votes actually were.
natts @sean | 4 Jan '04, 03:16 | X | Reply

Re: DiS Staff Top 75 Albums of 2003

because nobody liked it?
shadyadie @Old_Anonymous_Comments | 12 Feb '04, 00:34 | X | Reply

this was a very DISsy year.

shadyadie | 26 Oct '11, 14:43 | X | Reply

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