# 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:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/41 "2003-09-11T22:47:00Z")
**Hüsker Düde** , I forgot The Shins had a new album coming out! Hurray! The only new album I’m looking more forward too is Belle and Sebastian’s _Dear Catastrophe Waitress_, which comes out in October. Not too thrilled about the title, but it has to be better than _Storytelling_\*. Right? ---
**Author:** ![minty\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@minty\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minty_green)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/42 "2003-09-11T22:59:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RobertP \* > **Jane’s Addiction** – Strays I’ll second that. A fine album, way better than I ever would have expected. Honorable mention to Radiohead’s generally pretty cool _Hail to the Thief_, but it’s pretty slim beyond those two. ---
**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, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/43 "2003-09-11T23:14:56Z")
The new Shins album is excellent; I’ve actually listened to a couple of times. They haven’t written another song as good as 'New Slang.’ But I think **Chutes To Narrow** surpasses their debut by far. You have a sweet treat to look forward too, I promise. I’m going to wait and buy it when it comes out on vinyl, **Oh, Inverted World** came in beautiful blue vinyl and had the most gorgeous packaging. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/44 "2003-09-11T23:22:02Z")
Bit of a disappointing year so far. There’s been lots of pretty good albums but no real stand-outs. ---
**Author:** ![Quack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e99b99/32.png) [@Quack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quack)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/45 "2003-09-12T00:10:01Z")
**cheddarsnax** , Why do you say that _Indestructible_ is a low point in the career of Rancid? Which of their albums are better (aside from _Let’s Go_, I’ll give you that one)? ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/46 "2003-09-12T00:26:17Z")
**Hüsker Düde** , how have you received a copy of the new Shins album? Life is so unfair! ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/47 "2003-09-12T00:42:53Z")
**New Pornographers** - Electric Version Already kudo’d up **S.T.R.E.E.T.S.** - Bobognargnar Stands for Skating Totally Rules Everything Else Totally Sucks… great skatepunk/metal **The Exploding Hearts** (RIP ☹ ) - Guitar Romantic It’s a real shame these guys (3 out of the 4 of them, anyway) recently died in a car accident… they could have been America’s answer to the Buzzcocks **The Gossip** - Movement Garage rockin’ goils. **Andrew Vincent & The Pirates** - I Love the Modern Way A mixture of Jonathan Richman’s first album and the Replacements first album **The Scene Creamers** - I Suck On That Emotion Cynical, smart, original indie-rock **The Weakerthans** - Reconstruction Site Took a while to grow on me, but it was worth the effort. **The Kings of Leon** - Youth & Young Manhood Part of the Southern rock revival, but they expand upon the premise. ---
**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 12, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/48 "2003-09-12T01:27:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lisa-go-Blind \* > \*\ ***Hüsker Düde** , how have you received a copy of the new Shins album? Life is so unfair! \*\* It has leaked. My friend plays it non-stop around his house, but personally I’m waiting for the proper release. I forgot **The Exploding Hearts** album. Excellent ‘pop-punk’ (in the vein of The Jam and the aforementioned Buzzcocks) that has nothing to do with skateboards, Vans shoes or wallet chains. These guys were my age with their whole lives in front of them, just on the brink of making it big. Breaks my heart… ☹ I really want to check out **The Scene Creamers** album, Ian Svenonius is a hero of mine. But are we sure that a Southern Rock revival is a good thing? I don’t know… ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/49 "2003-09-12T01:46:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Quack \* > \*\ ***cheddarsnax** , > > Why do you say that _Indestructible_ is a low point in the career of Rancid? Which of their albums are better (aside from _Let’s Go_, I’ll give you that one)? \*\* _And Out Come The Wolves_, _Rancid_ (2000), and _Life Won’t Wait_ (in addition to _Let’s Go_). ---
**Author:** ![nitroglycerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nitroglycerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitroglycerine)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/50 "2003-09-12T03:12:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cheddarsnax \* > \*\*_And Out Come The Wolves_, _Rancid_ (2000), and _Life Won’t Wait_ (in addition to _Let’s Go_). \*\* I have to agree on the greatness of Life Won’t Wait. Thats the album that all the “punx” hate, but IMHO its the most punk album Rancid ever put out. Everything else they’ve done is pretty much by-the-numbers generic punk, but they actually tried to do something different on this album. Ahhh…but then again, I think Sandinista is the best Clash album, so what do I know? I don’t really like the fact that they’re hob-nobbing with the likes of Good Charlotte. Thats kind of like collaborating with the enemy. They lose at least a hundred thousand punk points for that. Having said that, Indestructible is still a pretty good, albeit generic album. Jon ---
**Author:** ![nitroglycerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nitroglycerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitroglycerine)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668/51 "2003-09-12T03:36:52Z")
I’m gonna go out on a limb and call the Bangles new one, Doll Revolution, one of the best of 2003, but thats only because I have a thing for Susanna Hoffs. I have to agree with The Griffin…It has been a disappointing year so far. New albums from my old faves, Turbonegro and Supersuckers, haven’t been up to the standards of previous releases, Garage Rock is becoming watered down and commercialized, and there hasn’t been anything new in the punk underground to get excited about. I did think of one new album while I was typing that really kicks some major ass…The new Mudhoney record, Since We’ve Become Translucent, is probably the best album they’ve ever made, hell, the best album ANYBODY has ever made, and its been totally overlooked by the mainstream, the underground…by everybody. You all should go buy a copy, on vinyl, right now. Jon [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-of-2003-so-far/200668.md?page=2)