# Great albums of 2003 (so far) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 10, 2003, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668 "2003-09-10T02:43:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Husker\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Husker\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Husker_Dude)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/21 "2003-09-10T21:55:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mouthbreather \* > \*\*Beck – Seachange > McClusky – McClusky do Dallas > Interpol – Turn on the Bright Lights (2002?) > \*\* These are all from 2002. **Turn On The Bright Lights** is my favorite from last year by far. ---
**Author:** ![J\_String](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@J\_String](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_String)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/22 "2003-09-10T22:57:04Z")
OSI: Office of Strategic Influence ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/23 "2003-09-11T00:41:54Z")
Huge third for The White Stripes - Elephant. And Guster - Keep It Together is incredible. I saw them on June 20, the last concert before the new album and it was great. And they’re coming back September 20. Woo! ---
**Author:** ![nitroglycerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nitroglycerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitroglycerine)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/24 "2003-09-11T01:21:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hüsker Düde \* > **Worst Record Of The Year:** > > **Turbonegro – Scandinavian Leather** > Barf. Fuck this band. Never again. \*\* Oh come on…It wasn’t THAT bad. Sure it was the weakest Turbonegro yet, but still, one mediocre record out of, what, 5? Thats not a bad track record. I expect better from them next time. My vote for the worst record of the year…The fucking White Stripes. Lame Led Zep outtakes disguised as faux garage rock does not a quality album make. Jon ---
**Author:** ![chief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/25 "2003-09-11T02:47:36Z")
i’d vote for: jayhawks - rainy day music radiohead - hail ben harper - diamonds on the inside ---
**Author:** ![chief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/26 "2003-09-11T02:48:59Z")
oh and how could i forget, for live albums: Led Zeppelin - How the West Was Won … simply killer!!! ---
**Author:** ![raizok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@raizok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raizok)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/27 "2003-09-11T03:46:27Z")
Nobody said Me, First and the Gimme-Gimmes “Take a Break” its the shiznitch. C’mon, a punk band covering Lionel Ritchie, Boys II Men and R.Kelly? GOLD BABY SOLID GOLD! ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/28 "2003-09-11T04:13:00Z")
NOFX “The War on Errorism” gets my vote. The SoCal punks give their most political album since “The Decline”. It came out in May or June and I still listen to it at least twice a week. The band laments the downfall of punk in “The Separation of Church and Skate” and pokes fun of their own age in “Mattersville”. It’s simply awesome, and I wish I could write a better review of it. OAR “In Between Now and Then” is another really good album. I also agree with the selection of “Elephant” by the White Stripes. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/29 "2003-09-11T04:29:38Z")
Yo La Tengo - Summer Sun. The Faint - Danse Macabre Remixes Go-Betweens - Bright Yellow Bright Orange Camera Obscura - Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi The Tyde - Twice ---
**Author:** ![Banger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@Banger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banger)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/30 "2003-09-11T05:19:07Z")
I second Rancid’s _Indestructible_. Apparently it was a very cathartic album for the band, as they went through a lot of rough times since their last album in 2000. The album title is a nod to how they weathered the storm by sticking together. The new NOFX album _War on Errorism_ is pretty good too, as is Me First and the Gimme Gimme’s _Take a Break_. In other words, I second all the good punk albums that came out this year 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/31 "2003-09-11T06:42:05Z")
Norah Jones “Come Away With Me” came out in 2002, I think. And I have to credit myself with never having even heard of a single band that Hüsker Düde mentions, aside from Malky, and maybe if his name is a reference to Husker Du, which is pretty probable. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RobertP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e8cbc/32.png) [@RobertP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobertP)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/32 "2003-09-11T10:45:55Z")
**Jane’s Addiction** – Strays ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/33 "2003-09-11T12:06:13Z")
Athlete - Vehicles and Animals British Sea Power - The Decline of British Sea Power The Rapture - Echoes And I’m sure that next month I will be able to add “The American Adventure” by the Electric Soft Parade to that list, if it is anything like as good as their debut. (Word is that it’s even better…) ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/34 "2003-09-11T12:07:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hüsker Düde \* > \*\*These are all from 2002. \*\* I’m turning into an old man. It takes me a while to get hip to the scene these days. I didn’t get any of them until 2003 so that’s what year I’ll count 'em in, by gum! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Husker\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Husker\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Husker_Dude)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/35 "2003-09-11T13:07:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by nitroglycerine \* > \*\*Oh come on…It wasn’t THAT bad. Sure it was the weakest Turbonegro yet, but still, one mediocre record out of, what, 5? Thats not a bad track record. I expect better from them next time. My vote for the worst record of the year…The fucking White Stripes. Lame Led Zep outtakes disguised as faux garage rock does not a quality album make. > > Jon \*\* Norwegian press mostly ignored them during their golden days of the late nineties when they released their classic albums **Ass Cobra** and **Apocalypse Dudes.** They broke up just when they were about to make it big, because of the lead singers heroin addiction. But around 2002 or so they came back from retirement and the media finally got clued in and hyped them up the heavens. Suddenly they were the greatest Norwegian band ever and off course now everybody had been a fan since day one. Scandinavian Leather appeared to me to be just a quick attempt to cash in on their heritage and sell $125 denim jackets to their hordes of new fans. Not that I have anything against them making money, very few bands deserve it more than them. But this album was a disgrace, not a single good track. I mean they even released a song called ‘Fuck The World’ as the first single, a moronic song without a trace of irony and this band used to be the wittiest and cleverest of them all. But to be fair, most of my friends disagree with me, so I’m probably wrong. **Apos** that is indeed a reference to Husker Du. I wish I had written it without the stupid umlauts when I registered, it would’ve made vanity searches so much easier. If it makes you feel any better **mouthbreather** I thought for the longest time that **Turn On The Bright Lights** came out in January this year, because that was when I bought it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![slu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@slu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slu)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/36 "2003-09-11T14:11:53Z")
Chris Robinson - New Earth Mud Soulive - Don’t know the title, but it is live and seconds for: Ween - Quebec Ben Harper - Diamonds on the Inside ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/37 "2003-09-11T15:53:22Z")
**Hüsker Dü** : are you [pitchformedia.com](http://pitchformedia.com)? 😉 Your list has some great stuff, btw. So far this year I’ve liked: The Postal Service - Give Up Architecture In Helsinki - Fingers Crossed Radiohead - Hail To The Thief Blur - Think Tank The White Stripes - Elephant Cursive - The Ugly Organ The Sleepy Jackson - Lovers And from what I’ve heard so far, Dizzee Rascal’s album is fucking amazing. And of course the new Outkast and DCFC albums are going to be amazing. And there’s also a new Basement Jaxx coming. I think 2003 is going to end with a bang. ---
**Author:** ![Ich\_Bin\_s](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Ich\_Bin\_s](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ich_Bin_s)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/38 "2003-09-11T16:21:13Z")
So far no mention of my favorite album of the year: Burn, Piano Island, Burn by **the Blood Brothers** Picks up where the late **Refused** left off, explosive jazz-punk that’s a mix of **Giddy Motors** , **the Liars** and **J.R. Ewing** times two. The first album in a long time that made me get off my butt and try to get tickets to see them two hours away. Alas, everyone else had the same idea. Reminds me of how I felt the first time I heard **Naked City**. ---
**Author:** ![Husker\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Husker\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Husker_Dude)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/39 "2003-09-11T16:35:12Z")
No, but that’s one of the places I get my music news from and that’s also where I first learned about Broken Social Scene and TV On The Radio. I haven’t listened to the new Cursive album yet, but my friend is raving about it. I’m really looking forward to the new Outkast as well, along with new albums by The Shins, The Books and Mirah. ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/40 "2003-09-11T22:17:59Z")
I have to disagree with the White Stripes and Rancid. Both of their new albums are low points in their careers, and neither band is good enough to have a low point be a great album. NOFX also does not belong on a list of 2003’s great albums. War on Errorism was pretty good, but pales in comparison to the better albums of the year. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668.md?page=3)