|
2003 — The year in music
By THOMAS BOND
Get Out
With downward spiraling CD sales, the decline of the business end of the music industry is well documented, but the actual music itself is still plenty healthy. 2003 saw the release of some terrific albums and songs and the Valley was treated with a solid variety of concerts. Here's a Get Out breakdown of the best the past year offered...
Albums of the year
1. Belle & Sebastian, ‘Dear Catastrophe Waitress’
Slyly referencing their pop rock forbears throughout, enigmatic Scottish pop collective Belle & Sebastian have created a glittering, multi-hued gem of their own with “Dear Catastrophe Waitress.” Sam Cooke's signature song “You Send Me” is inverted in the horn-inflected “You Don't Send Me.” The Byrds are nodded to in the 12-string guitar hooks of the rollicking “Wrapped Up in Books.” The Left Banke's “Walk Away, Renee” is cited as a life's achievement in the tender “Piazza, New York Catcher.” And Thin Lizzy are namechecked both sonically and in moniker in the joyous “I'm a Cuckoo.”
Where once the band was precious and twee almost to a fault, they sound gloriously confident here and the material by founder/leader/singer Stuart Murdoch and lush-without- being-frilly production by Trevor Horn more than warrant that feeling.
Murdoch's songwriting has never been better. From the gorgeous simplicity of “Asleep on a Sunbeam” to the humorous inter-office affair detailed in “Step into My Office, Baby,” his wordplay is never less than charming. The album's centerpiece track “If You Find Yourself Caught In Love” is a fascinating examination of man's relation to deity. It's at once pious (“Give up your will to Him that loves you”) and pragmatic (“Thank him for saving your sorry ass”) without being preachy and ends perfectly with creeping doubt balancing the faith.
The disc's music and sonic scope are tremendous of their own accord, but coupled with Murdoch's literate lyrical musings make “Dear Catastrophe Waitress” the album of the year.
2. The Dandy Warhols, ‘Welcome to the Monkey House’
Through three previous albums, The Dandy Warhols strongly hinted at but never delivered a full disc that lived up to their enormous potential — until now. “Welcome to the Monkey House” impresses from start to finish as the band reins in their tendency for meandering melancholic drones and keeps the pop hooks in sharp focus. The band's trademark fuzztone guitars are downplayed slightly in favor of synthesizers, but singer/songwriter Courtney Taylor-Taylor's kingsize melodies still carry the day.
3. The Shins, ‘Chutes Too Narrow’
Not since the heyday of XTC has a band made guitar pop as simultaneously arty and accessible as The Shins. “Chutes Too Narrow” is densely wordy, but singer/songwriter James Mercer's music is not only sturdy enough to bear it but his songs’ musical twists and turns adroitly complement the lyrics. Completely subverting traditional pop song structures, Mercer's tunes are nonetheless eminently hummable and ear- catching on first listen and only get better with repeated spins.
4. Fountains of Wayne, ‘Welcome Interstate Managers’
Beware anyone who's tempted to write this band off as a novelty act after the success of irresistible single “Stacy's Mom.” Fountains of Wayne had a prior pair of terrific albums and a passel of as-good-if-not-better songs under their belt before the general public finally took notice. The band's strength is their ability to deliver the real life poignancy and/or humor in character vignettes such as the boss-hating low- level employee of “Hey Julie” or the manual laborer pining for a now-famous former classmate in “Hackensack.” From Big Star to The Cars to Matthew Sweet to Fountains of Wayne, well- written and engagingly performed power pop has a place in every decade.
5. The White Stripes, ‘Elephant’
Plenty of underground artists have gone mainstream, but only the truly special ones have brought the mainstream to them as have The White Stripes. The duo's rock ’n’ roll primitivism hasn't changed nearly as much as the media's presentation of it: from garage rock curiosity to high art.
Jack White is an unholy terror on his guitar on the magnificent “Ball and Biscuit” but can be elegantly subdued elsewhere as Meg White keeps her strong-but-minimal backbeat on the drums. “Elephant” isn't quite as classic an album as the enormous hype around it suggested (five stars in Rolling Stone) but the fact that it almost lives up to that is an achievement itself.
6. Lucinda Williams, ‘World Without Tears’
Perversely enough, singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams’ ostensibly cheerily- titled disc is unrelentingly bleak. A peerless songwriter (named America's best by Time magazine), her music and performances here are unflinchingly raw looks at heartache and despair. She takes listeners to places few have gone on their own — or perhaps would want to — but rewards those willing to follow with songs that are bottomless pits of emotional depth.
7. Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros, ‘Streetcore’
Given Joe Strummer's passing at the age of 50 in late 2002, you might be tempted to put this pick down to sentimentality over the death of the Clash frontman — don't do it. Like the best of his work with his former band, “Streetcore” finds Strummer lyrically rebel- rousing (like the fate of the world depended on it) over punk and rock rhythms infused with reggae and world music influences. Where his previous two discs with the Mescaleros were somewhat disjointed musically and lyrically, here the focus is razor sharp on both counts. More than a fitting epitaph to a remarkable artist, this album could contend for placement on an annual best of list in any year.
8. Pernice Brothers, ‘Yours, Mine & Ours’
Possessed of a beautiful, haunting voice, singer/songwriter Joe Pernice puts it to fine use on this third album with his group. The band plays sprightly indie guitar pop and Pernice's melodies rise and fall to fit his words of longing and melancholy. There's a definite ’80s influence at work with nods to English greats of that decade New Order and The Smiths, though the sound is never retro. In the achingly pretty “Cut the Baby in Two” Pernice channels the wisdom of Solomon and elsewhere proves himself a lyrical sage in his own right.
9. The Strokes, ‘Room on Fire’
As anointed kings of the garage rock movement, The Strokes avoided the infamous sophomore slump with “Room on Fire” by playing to, and more importantly, expanding upon the strengths of their debut. Their sound is still based around the nervous-energy- fueled twin guitar attack of Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., but to that the band has added new wave color, reggae rhythms and even a terrific slow song, “Under Control.” Singer/ songwriter Julian Casablancas even cuts loose from his usual deadpan delivery to show some vocal emotion although his lyrics remain coolly detached.
10. The Go-Betweens, ‘Bright Yellow Bright Orange’
Reuniting after more than a decade apart, The Go-Betweens first comeback effort, “The Friends of Rachel Worth,” showed slight signs of rust. “Bright Yellow Bright Orange” is the complete return to form for singer/songwriters Grant McLennan and Robert Forster. The playfully exuberant tone of their music is leavened with melancholy lyrics (such as “Part of me loves to fail” from “Too Much of One Thing”) and that bittersweet balance — long the group's trademark — gives their songs lasting resonance.
Honorable mentions
The Beatles, “Let It Be... Naked”: Originally released in 1970, so hard to include in a 2003 list but the reissue is too good to completely ignore. The disc has been entirely revamped sonically and in running order to bring it from an also-ran as far as the Beatles albums go to among their best.
Annie Lennox, “Bare”: Scottish siren delivers an elegant album of lyrical sorrow that's never overwhelmed by its sadness.
Travis, “12 Memories”: Britpop survivors take on themes from the personal to the universal with this album of subtle music yet lyrical bite.
Songs of the year
1. OutKast, ‘Hey Ya!’
OutKast's Andre 3000 channels Prince from his most fertile creative period, the mid-’80s, and delivers an effervescent and giddy blend of classic soul and electronic funk. The musicality of this song is so far ahead of everybody else in the current hip hop game it really is like Mr. 3000 popped in from a future millennium.
Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, ‘Crazy in Love’
Not every superstar collaboration works (Britney and Madonna's “Me Against the Music” mess, anyone?), but this one does in spades. The sexy video didn't hurt either.
Fountains of Wayne, ‘Stacy's Mom’
A loving sonic homage to The Cars with an irresistible chorus that's equal parts sincerity and tongue-in- cheekiness.
The Format, ‘Tie the Rope’
The Valley's own pop duo deliver a bittersweet masterpiece of peppy music salted with lyrics of sorrow and suicide.
Belle & Sebastian, ‘If You Find Yourself Caught in Love’
God, love and war are all touched on in a song that begins with an elegant piano intro and segues into a Motown-esque slice of pop soul.
The Strokes, ‘12:51’
The Strokes’ most radio-ready song to date, it's another loving sonic homage to The Cars complete with handclaps and suitably monotone vocals.
The Shins, ‘Turn a Square’
Backed by a jaunty guitar figure, The Shins deliver the self-help question every rocker should ask of him- or herself: “Have I left my home just to whine on this microphone?”
The Dandy Warhols, ‘We Used to Be Friends’
A perfect pop blend of warm, fuzzy guitars and cold, clinical synthesizers crowned with a singalong melody.
The White Stripes, ‘Seven Nation Army’
A grinding, driving song with an insistent hook. Audioslave paid tribute by covering it live during the Lollapalooza tour.
Coldplay, ‘Clocks’
If anyone ever doubted that it's the sensitive guy that eventually gets the dream girl, singer Chris Martin's marriage to Gwyneth Paltrow should lay that to permanent rest.
Local albums of the year
The Format, ‘Interventions + Lullabies’
Nationally released on Elektra Records, The Format's full-length debut expounds on the promise of their five-song “EP,” which earned them their major label contract and topped last year's Get Out list of local band releases. The pop duo deftly layers the harmonies of singer Nate Reuss over the acoustic guitar of Sam Means that drives each song for an exhilarating effect that never wanes over the course of 12 tunes. Standout track: “Tie The Rope”
Quetzal Guerrero and Gustavo Angeles, ‘Cascabel’
An enchanting jazz collaboration between violinist Quetzal Guerrero and acoustic guitarist Gustavo Angeles, the CD is named for the band in which both perform. The mostly instrumental disc finds the pair trading swinging melodic lead lines and tasteful accompaniment over subtle Latin percussion and singing a song apiece, one in Portuguese and one in Spanish.
Standout track: “El Desierto”
Ticker Tape Parade, ‘You're Causing a Scene’
An expert blend of emo sentiment, punk propulsion and pop melodies, Ticker Tape Parade's debut EP was aptly titled as the new band made quite a splash in the local music community and beyond. Not that the band needed the assistance, but a guest spot by Jimmy Eat World singer Jim Adkins didn't hurt either.
Standout track: “Sore Eyes”
Trophy Husbands, ‘Walk With Evil’
The Trophy Husbands old-school country music veers from rocking honky tonk to acoustic ballads. The extremes are perfectly suited to singer/ songwriters Kevin Daly and Dave Insley's lyrical explorations of heaven and hell and the pair don't forget to have some fun on the thoroughfare between the north and south ends of the road.
Standout track: “Grace”
Kenn Harris, ‘Amadeo’
Kenn Harris is an acoustic guitarist with the deft touch of a surgeon — literally. The local brain doctor's fine fretwork is matched by his compositional skills on this sparsely elegant and entrancing album of what he calls “post-modern classical” pieces of instrumental music.
Standout track: “Abril”
Illegal Substance, ‘Illegal Substance’
Illegal Substance's “electro hip hop” is a sharp and seamless blend of dance club beats, rock guitar and white boy rapping that has been used on ESPN's “SportsCenter” and MTV's “The Real World - Paris.” The album plays like a non-stop party — albeit one with juvenile jokester, foul-mouthed hosts.
Standout track: “Step to the Floor”
Jodi Light, ‘I Am Right Here’
Singer/songwriter Jodi Light's soulful voice glides effortlessly over her and her co-writer and producer husband Mario Mendivil's adult contemporary pop compositions. Gilded with funk and jazz touches and lyrical positivity, the tunes are sweet and buoyant without being cotton-candy lightweight.
Standout track: “What You've Got”
Atllas, ‘King of AZ’
While other rappers have painted themselves into a stylistic corner with the same old beats and predictable musical accompaniment, Atllas stands out by sheer sonic inventiveness. Horns, violins, guitars and even fully orchestrated classical music fanfares bolster his strong vocal skills and back up the claim of his album title. Standout track: “Hood Famous”
Redfield, ‘The Hellfire Club’
Grafting pummeling-yet-catchy hard rock riffs onto punk rock energy, Redfield packs a sonic wallop that is perfectly paired with singer Alfie Lucero's cathartic caterwauling. Packaged to resemble a book of matches, “The Hellfire Club” is an incendiary listen.
Standout track: “Hope”
James Miles, ‘Soul To Keep’
On “Soul to Keep,” singer/songwriter James Miles tries his hand successfully at pop rock, country, breezy jazz and introspective ballads with a melodic sensibility that links the disparate genres together. That he performed nearly every instrument on the album as well as producing and engineering the whole shebang makes it all the more impressive.
Standout track: “The Stars Don't Shine as Bright”
Concert highlights of the year
2003 could be called the year of classic rock for Valley concerts, kicked off by venerable veterans The Rolling Stones at America West Arena in January and capped off by the Simon & Garfunkel reunion show at the same venue in November. In between those performances we saw visits by The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, ZZ Top, The 21st Century Doors, Lou Reed, James Brown, Aerosmith and Kiss, Cher, Al Green, Sammy Hagar, Ozzy Osbourne, Smokey Robinson and Bon Jovi.
On a more modern note, the Valley also saw visits by top name contemporary artists including: Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, The Dixie Chicks, Jay-Z and 50 Cent, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Shakira, Pearl Jam, Matchbox Twenty, Linkin Park, Michelle Branch, Dave Matthews Band, Brooks and Dunn, Mariah Carey, Avril Lavigne, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Korn, Toby Keith, Missy Elliott, Alan Jackson, Shania Twain and The White Stripes.
Here's some of the highlights:
What a surprise: The 21st Century version of The Doors — with Ian Astbury replacing the late Jim Morrison on vocals — not only didn't suck but produced an ecstatic reaction from a Dodge Theatre crowd that overran the stage during the encore of “Soul Kitchen” and held band members aloft at song's end.
What a surprise, part two: An unannounced Beyoncé in a slinky black dress joining boyfriend Jay-Z for a run through their single “Crazy in Love” at the rapper's America West Arena show.
Coldplay rocks: For an ostensibly genteel band with a dramatic but generally mellow sound, the British alternative band turned up the tempo live and singer Chris Martin proved to be a remarkably engaging showman.
Farewell Sex Pistols: A crowd of about 700 souls at the Marquee Theatre may have witnessed the final show ever by the legendary punk progenitors if singer Johnny Rotten's pronouncement “This is the last Sex
Pistols show ever!” is to be believed.
Still funky at 70: The Godfather of Soul, septuagenarian James Brown, brought the house down at a Gila River Casino performance.
Arizona artists impress: Michelle Branch, the reunited Gin Blossoms, Jimmy Eat World, Authority Zero, Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers and solid newcomers The Format all showed in concert that their music and live performances are worthy of the national recognition they've earned.
Reunited and it feels so good: Apart from the aforementioned Doors 21st Century, Simon and Garfunkel gave several generations of fans a thrill at America West Arena and Duran Duran — with all five original members together for the first time in almost two decades — did the same for a packed house at Celebrity Theatre.
No fooling: The Pretenders, led by one of the greatest female rockers of all time in Chrissie Hynde, gave one of the best shows of the year at Celebrity.
Show stealers: A few performances by opening acts stole the show from their better known peers including Fountains of Wayne to Matchbox Twenty, Keith Urban to Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts to Brooks & Dunn and The Music to The Vines.
Feels like the first time: The debut show in the Valley by indie popsters the Pernice Brothers enchanted a small but enraptured audience of about 50 at Modified Arts.
2003 songs our staff can't get enough of
Bring Me to Life, Evanesence and Paul McCoy (Fallen) Calling, Leona Naess (Leona Naess)
Camera, Wilco (Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Australia Import)
God is a DJ, Pink (Try This)
Go Tell It On the Mountain, Blind Boys of Alabama with Tom Waits (Go Tell It On the Mountain)
Hey Julie, Fountains of Wayne (Welcome Interstate Managers)
Hypnotize, The White Stripes (Elephant)
If It Were Up to Me, Rooney (Rooney)
In Da Club, 50 Cent (Get Rich or Die Tryin’)
It's My Life, No Doubt (The Singles 1992-2003)
Man, Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Fever to Tell)
Me Against the Music, Britney Spears and Madonna (In the Zone)
Move Your Feet, Junior/Senior (D-D-Don't Don't Stop the Beat)
P.I.M.P. Remix, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg (P.I.M.P.)
The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows, Brand New (Deja Entendu)
Really in Love, Andrew W.K. (The Wolf)
Reconstruction Site, Weakerthans (Reconstruction Site)
Rock Your Body, Justin Timberlake (Justified)
Rush Around, Edie Brickell (Volcano)
Sand In My Shoes, Dido (Life for Rent)
Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades, Brand New (Deja Entendu)
Teenage Wristband, The Twilight Singers (Blackberry Belle)
Train Wreck, Sarah McLachlan (Afterglow)
Tune Out, The Format (Interventions + Lullabies)
Unwell, Matchbox Twenty (More Than You Think You Are)
The Way You Move, OutKast (Speakerboxxx/The Love Below)
The Weakest Shade of Blue, Pernice Brothers (Yours, Mine & Ours)
White Flag, Dido (Life for Rent)
Local musicians pick their favorite albums of 2003
Quetzal Guerrero,
singer/violinist of Cascabel
Pick: Alicia Keys, “The Diary of
Alicia Keys”
“The quality of the music is incredible and the compositions, arrangements and production are great.”
Zach Lind,
drummer of Jimmy Eat World
Pick: Warren Zevon, “The Wind”
“It's his way of bidding farewell to family and friends and there's a deep reconciliation in the record.”
Jamie Monistat VII,
singer of Blanche Davidian
Pick: Turbo Negro, “Scandinavian
Leather”
“The album is excellent, it smokes everybody. There's satire and guitar solos and great, great songs and musicianship.”
Hans Olson,
solo singer/songwriter/guitarist
Pick: Various Artists, “Martin Scorcese Presents the Best of the Blues”
“It's the greatest collection of old and new blues and a great cross-section of what makes blues great.”
Prophet,
singer St. Madness
Pick: Pantera, “Best of Pantera: Far Beyond the Great Southern Cowboys’ Vulgar Hits”
“It has a lot of great songs and all their videos on the same disc.”
Jennifer Spector,
solo singer/songwriter
Pick: Regina Spektor, “Songs”
“She's an independent artist out of New York and the album is just piano and voice and it's amazing and beautiful.”
Rhonda Townes,
solo singer
Pick: Toby Keith, “Shock’n Y’all”
“It's an album of good old-fashioned country music.”
|
