Top 20 Recordings of 2003

Putting together a Top 20 is always a chore, albeit an enjoyable one. Really, when you get down to it, great records are great records, and a ranking isn't entirely meaningful. This year it was tough, in that there was no obvious masterpiece. Had I waited for Sparks' Lil' Beethoven to come out in the United States, it would have easily been my number one record this year, as it was last year.

Which isn't to say that I don't think the top seven or eight records on this list aren't really great records. Just none of them are at that highest level. Still, I'm quite happy to have Ted Leo at number one. He writes with passion and shows how to reinvent old rock schemes. Moreover, he is a warm and winning live performer.

As you get further down the list, the rankings are even more meaningless – that is, the qualitative differences shrink more and more. Deciding what would go at number 20 took some time – Nada Surf, The Contrast, The Shins, Michael Carpenter, The Fall, Beulah and others were considered. In the end, Martin Gordon became the choice, since it represents a style of music that I have loved for so long and hear so rarely now.

One other note, to make this feel more column-like. I do think that the top three records were particularly timely. The Ted Leo and Radiohead records are overtly political records and the songs are consistent with my concerns about the mess the world is in right now. John Cale's record isn't political, but has songs that speak of a global perspective. I don't necessarily feel that a record has to take on deeper themes, but nowadays, it is something that I really appreciate. In fact, given what's going on now, I'd like to see more of it.

1. Ted Leo/Pharmacists – Hearts Of Oak (Lookout): Leo has late-‘70s/early-‘80s post-punk and new wave coursing through his veins. This comes through in the songs, which are defined by both his razor slice guitar playing and the bevy of pop/rock hooks. Equally important, he invests these songs with passion. He pushes his voice to falsetto heights as he sings his lyrics. Though the wordplay is often dense, and there may be layers of meaning that are lost, the essential message always comes through. This is a political record that seeks to find out why we, as a society, have hidden our compassion and lost the ability to think of the future. Leo is a treasure.

2. Radiohead – Hail To The Thief (Capitol): I'm not sure why this disc was not embraced more, as it seemed to take the most interesting qualities of their last four records and consolidated them into a whole that took cohesive songs and placed them in compelling (and disturbing) settings. Moreover, the message they've struggled to get across the last few albums finally was coherent and amplified. Articulating rage, frustration and paranoia, this record is a simultaneous call to arms and cry for help.

3. John Cale – Hobo Sapiens (EMI): Hmmm...my top 3 is comprised of records that have a worldly perspective. Cale's take on things is more reserved, befitting his elder statesman status. This disc finds him revisiting the pop-rock style that I associate with his fine mid-‘70s work. He is not afraid of forward production, so the classic songs he comes up with find modern settings that truly enhance. This simply sounds fresh and engaged, yet it's still challenging.

4. Frisbie – Period. (Hear Diagonally): A bittersweet triumph for this Chicago band. This is essentially a live tribute album to former drummer Zack Kantor, whose bipolar disorder forced him to leave the band. So the core trio of Steve Frisbie, Liam Davis and Eddie Carlson took to the stage and put on superb performances of Kantor's amazing songs. Musically, Kantor distilled The Beatles, Big Star, The Who and a load of classic soul into something distinct. Lyrically, Kantor searched for answers to quell his frustrations and figure out his place in life, often repeating themes in the midst of this quest. Credit to Frisbie and Davis for how they invest very personal songs with their own personality and commitment – each song is a living organism. And Carlson's bass playing is as good as you will hear on any pop record in 2003.

5. Outkast – The Love Below/Speakerboxx (Arista): Andre 3000 makes a nouveau Prince/George Clinton disc, but more eclectic. Big Boi makes a more standard hip-hop record, but with great consistency and ambitious lyrical ideas. Every time I hear this, I think of The Clash's Sandinista, another overstuffed record that was nonetheless great, because there are just too many killer tunes, and even the non-killers are interesting.

6. The New Pornographers – The Electric Version (Mint/Matador): On their second album, this Vancouver band smooths off some of the rough edges, and then commences to do what they do best – dense, hook packed pop songs that assault you with oddball wordplay and boundless energy. Carl Newman does not get enough credit for how he creates a distinctive musical vocabulary. If you look at 10 different reviews of the band, you'll notice all the different comparisons. Every comparison is right...and wrong, since you can't pigeonhole this band as just following someone else's path. It's all the better that Dan Bejar contributes a few loopy tunes and Neko Case gets to lend her powerhouse voice.

7. Chris Hickey – Release (Work-Fire): I can't quite call Hickey underrated, since he's spent so little time even near the spotlight. Two major label one shots and two solo albums in the ‘80s aren't quite enough to establish a presence. But I think he is one of the best singer-songwriters I have ever heard. He has a voice that commands attention – not because of some incredible range, but because his voice has a plaintive intensity. It is perfect for his concise sketch-like lyrics that don't tell the whole story, yet give you enough to go on. His music is likewise simple. He knows the secret of the perfect bridge and the ultimate chord change that can lift a song into sublime territory. This album is haunting and beautiful, vulnerable and reassuring.

8. Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings – Full Tilt & Swing (Brewery): The best kept secret in roots rock may have found the perfect recipe for an album. It balances his sublime Nick Lowe/Beatles pop sense with his leanings in the direction of artists like Buddy Holly, John Fogerty and Steve Earle. Writing stuff that sounds like it could have charted with the aforementioned artists is rare. Having a band that can pull it off effortlessly may be even harder. Yet Clevenger and his Dairy Kings nail song after song, hitting on some essential truths and having a lot of fun while doing it.

9. Fountains Of Wayne – Welcome Interstate Managers (S-Curve/Virgin): The genius of Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger is how they candy coat their bittersweet tales of people who have hopes and dreams destined not to come true, finding humor and poignancy in the day to day travails of life. The result is AM radio nirvana, with the band hitting reference points from Bacharach to The Kinks to Simon and Garfunkel to The Cars with ease. This only suffers in comparison to their first two brilliant discs.

10. Chris von Sneidern – The Wild Horse (Innerstate): Sneidern continues to grow as an artist. He can lay down a saucy R & B joke fest like "Ooh Mama Mama" and turn around and grab you with sensitive fluff like "The Ballad of Zoe Snow" or acutely felt numbers like "Glory Days Are Gone". For a guy who seems to have no regrets, his ‘70s pop tinged numbers are exceedingly good at portraying regret and sorrow and broken hearts...you get the picture.

11. Pernice Brothers – Yours, Mine & Ours (Ashmont): While not influenced by the New Garage movement of 2002, this is Joe Pernice and Co. at their most propulsive. A few numbers on here graft Pernice's perfect poetry with songs that draw upon the inspiration of The Smiths, New Order and other Brit bands of that era. This is simply a new twist, as the band still specializes in beautiful laments about love gone down the drain.

12. Wire – Send (Pink Flag): While most of this album is comprised of tracks from the band's two 2002 EPs, those bursts were just a bit too short, and the songs sound even better in the album format. And all of the new songs, but for one, are of similar high quality. Hearing how the band has woven strands of the approaches taken on their historic first three albums, shows how enduring their initial concepts were and how well they adapt to a ferocious modern rock attack. This disc proves that no one does Wire better than Wire.

13. Splitsville – Incorporated (Houston Party): The Baltimore band is now a quartet, and a polished one at that. The punky silly side of the band is slowly heading to the background, but pops its head up a few times. This isn't a loss, since this band is aiming on making songs that aren't merely catchy – they want emotional resonance and succeed. So you have a band that equals Redd Kross and Gigolo Aunts for power pop songwriting, with incredibly strong vocals and thoughtful and reflective lyrics.

14. Grand Champeen – The One That Brought You (Glurp): Scrappy Texas band evokes the glory days when Minneapolis acts like Soul Asylum and The Replacements and The Magnolia were providing ragged rock and roll thrills. Like those bands, Grand Champeen knows how to play with tremendous energy and give you a thrill, since it sounds like things are going to fly apart. Yet they have a way with melody that injects sweetness and sadness in the proceedings, making their songs extremely compelling.

15. Absinthe Blind – Rings (Mud): Part shoegazer, part in the vein of popsters like Mercury Rev and The Delgados, this Champaign, Illinois band goes out on a high note. Working with producer Keith Cleversley, who has teamed up with both Flaming Lips and Spirtualized, Absinthe Blind creates a beautiful and contemplative world, as the album frequently floats, but reality is just a power chord away. Quite a bit of the album is devoted to asking what the point of making music is anyway, and the songs themselves and the engaging emotionally invested performances answer that easily.

16. Sukilove – Sukilove (Hidden Agenda): The full length debut from the band fronted by Dutchman Pascal Deweze. Two primary reference points are Roddy Frame (and early Aztec Camera) and Paul McCartney, but there is a heck of a whole lot more going on here. Deweze is a smart lyricist and writes songs that go from simple and nice to explosively melodic. While there are some happy songs here, the real winners are the more contemplative numbers. You feel the tug of recognition as you sing along.

17. The Pearlfishers – Sky Meadows (Marina): David Scott's basic methods and influences are the same. As is the quality. He evokes the best of the soft pop masters of the ‘60s. What makes this record stand out amongst his fine body of work are some songs which really reveal what he's thinking. "Flora Belle" may be a sunny song, but it shows a very realistic take on what it's like in the world out there – in fact, it's a tad cynical. Since things are tough all over, Scott celebrates the little things. And makes you realize why they can be so big.

18. Dwight Yoakam – Population: Me (Koch/Audium): Yoakam is focused again. He is back with more modern honky tonk magic, incorporating bits of rock and western music along the way. This is simply the best bunch of songs he's had in ages. A lot of the songs are based on places – places he's going to, places he's stuck in and places he's leaving. He even takes a crack at Burt Bacharach's "Trains and Boats and Planes", and it fits oh so well.

19. Shelby Lynne – Identity Crisis (Capitol): Lynne is focused again. After a one album detour in the commercial hit making factory (where she was ultimately recalled), she gets back to establishing herself as a true student of American music, blending country, blues, rock, jazz and pop effortlessly. It's so easy to focus on her incredible smooth yet earthy voice that the songs might get overlooked. That's a big mistake, as she is a dazzling songwriter. There may be a standard or two lurking on this disc.

20. Martin Gordon – Baboon In The Basement(Radiant Future): Gordon wrote buzzing hooky and witty rock songs while spearheading the bands Jet and Radio Stars. Over 20 years ago. Not since Captain America was thawed from an ice flow has a man been able to come back so strong after a long layoff (NOTE: Gordon made lots of other music in various roles, just not in this basic rock format). If anything, Gordon may be better than ever. This is the most consistent effort the former Sparks bassist has ever released. Working with a crack band, including brilliant Swedish singer Pelle Almgren and former John's Children drummer Chris Towson, Gordon skewers Germans, shoe bombers, girlfriends, tightwads and others, while nailing excellent covers of T. Rex, The Rolling Stones and The Move.

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