Clearing the Decks

Since my Best of 2003 list was posted there’s been quite a lull in new releases; I actually went more than two months without buying a new release during the week it came out. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been acquiring new CDs—far from it! I’ll have something to say about some new releases from 2004 (perhaps Norah Jones, Kylie Minogue, or Melissa Etheridge) soon, but for now, here are very brief reviews of a few albums from 2003 that have come into my life since I created the top ten list—feel free to email me for more of my thoughts on any of these:

The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow
One of Amazon’s favorite CDs of 2003 and now one of mine as well. At only 33 minutes, it’s barely an album, but if you can find a better set of ten songs, you should cling to it like grim death. With witty lyrics that name-check Sir Thomas More and a song that starts with the singer witnessing an exposed ankle and “react[ing] like it’s 1805,” the album is funny, far from ordinary, sing-along-able, and wonderful. It rocks and rollicks its way into your head and once it’s there, you’ll never get it out.

OutKast, Speakerboxx/The Love Below
You’ve all heard the two singles off this album, “Hey Ya!” and “The Way You Move.” But with well over two hours of music to mine, Big Boi and Andre 3000 could keep releasing singles from this well into the Kerry presidency. The thumping “Ghettomusick,” the surprisingly political “War,” the gospel-infected "Church," the randy “She Lives in My Lap,” the witty “Behold a Lady” and the bizarre “Roses” all stand out on a hip-hop album that actually makes me want to listen. Oh, and The Love Below, 3000’s disc, is both touching—as Dre reveals his softer side—and hilarious, with even the obligatory skits advancing the album enjoyably.

The Jealous Sound, Kill Them With Kindness
Paul Allen’s number one is headed right into my revised top ten. It’s hard to imagine that anyone wouldn’t like this album—it’s accessible, with depths both sonic and lyric that reveal themselves further upon each listen. Maybe there are a few tracks that aren’t perfect, but there’s an undeniable power in the opener, “Hope For Us,” that carries through most of this outstanding CD. Some might call it emo, some indie rock, but it’s fantastic under any label.

Death Cab For Cutie, Transatlanticism
The Postal Service, Give Up
Benjamin Gibbard, who provides lyrics and vocals for both of these albums, should be considered the breakout singer and songwriter of 2003. With a willingness to make his songs accessible to a pop audience that eluded 2002’s phenom, Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos) and left him holding a pail of critical acclaim that didn’t amount to any appreciable sales improvement, Gibbard’s projects should be selling millions of records—there’s just nothing to keep people away. Beautiful metaphors about cars and maps and traveling and love mesh equally well with the organic sound of the DCC album and the electronic blips and blops of the PS record. The two CDs provide two very different—and remarkably enjoyable—showcases for a singular talent.