my favorite music of 2003

apart from the top five i can't really rave about 2003, the big exception being the reissues. (given my fondness for the old stuff and given the fact that my music budget, while bloated, is not unlimited, i was pretty conservative with new releases.) chronological classics started up a rhythm and blues offshoot a couple years ago and they are putting out some real gems. if you like joe turner you'll like jimmy witherspoon. good mid-sized band boogie woogie from bull moose jackson. the elly ameling box has some old friends but i would have preferred, say, schoenberg's "gigerlette" to any of the godawful showtunes. there are some excellent smallgroup strayhorn arrangements on the ellington disc. the clean: loopy happy indiepop. it was interesting to hear some of that weird early moles stuff, but what a poor reissue job - esp compared with what flydaddy did with untune the sky just a few years ago. the notes are crap, and wouldn't it have been nice to hear more of the live stuff?

the top 5

belle and sebastian, dear catastrophe waitress

broken social scene, you forgot it in people

cat power, you are free

the fall, country on the click

m ward, transfiguration of vincent

the rest

aspera, oh fantastica

bluebottle kiss, come across

david bowie, reality

califone, quicksand/cradlesnakes

crooked fingers, red devil dawn

deerhoof, apple o

mandible chatter, of foreign lands and people

the mink lungs, i'll take it

my morning jacket, it still moves

the new pornographers, electric version

the oranges band, all around

quasi, hot shit

the rectifiers, wear the weight of the resting sky

the sea and cake, one bedroom

the sleepy jackson, lovers

super furry animals, phantom power

gillian welch, soul journey

yo la tengo, summer sun

eps

and you will know us by the trail of dead, the secret of elena's tomb

machine translations, love on the vine

mid-state orange, summer in disguise

the sea & cake, glass

the sleepy jackson, vampire racecourse

stereolab, instant 0 in the universe

reissues

elly ameling, the artistry of elly ameling

david bowie, aladdin sane

the clean, the clean anthology

elvis costello, get happy!!

elvis costello, trust

duke ellington, 1951 (chronological classics)

the fall, fall in a hole

the fall, words of expectation

wynonie harris, 1950-1952 (chronological classics)

bull moose jackson, 1945-1947 (chronological classics)

jackie mclean, jackie's bag

the moles, on the street/rare and weird

sonic youth, dirty

the stems, mushroom soup

stereolab, abc music

television, marquee moon

television, adventure

jimmy witherspoon, 1947-1948 (chronological classics)

v/a, american splendor soundtrack

v/a, the best of king gospel

v/a, combo vocal groups vol 3

v/a, tales from the australian underground

the festive ones

song of the year: the fall, theme from sparta fc

m ward, helicopter

quasi, good time rock n roll

cat power, he war

broken social scene, kc auto

grandaddy, now it's on

outkast, hey ya!

my morning jacket, magheeta

yo la tengo, little lies

the sleepy jackson, vampire racecourse

the sea & cake, echo in

the sea & cake, sound & vision

chocolate genius, ain't that peculiar

deerhoof, dummy discards a heart

super furry animals, venus & serena

lilys, will my lord be gardening

dizzee rascal, stop dat