Favourites in 2003:
The
Black Album - Jay-Z
There
are better storytellers, there are better battle rappers, there are undoubtedly
rhymers with more on their minds. But there isn't a better MC around, if you're
talking about the art of sheer mic domination. METACRITIC
SCORE : 81
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the reviews
Want
One - Rufus Wainwright
Whether
you listen closely, for the sonic textures, or in a cursory fashion, scouting
out the allusions galore, with each listen you'll likely appreciate something
different.. METACRITIC
SCORE : 71
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the reviews
1972
- Josh Rouse
If
you say you've heard a better adult pop record this year, you are lying. METACRITIC
SCORE : 79
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the reviews
Love
Is Hell Pts 1 & 2 - Ryan Adams
At
times self-involved, at times filled with moments of unbearable poignancy. At
times flirting with cliché, occasionally knowing, sometimes even flirting with
other people. Most often, though, it’s a painful but beautiful business, that
keeps you coming back.. NME
RATING: 9
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Echoes
- The Rapture
The
Brooklyn band's dance/punk/80s hybrid debut follows months of hype and anticipation
fed by several years of touring. METACRITIC
SCORE: 74
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the reviews
Cast
of Thousands - Elbow
Like
all great albums, even though it takes a few listens to truly appreciate what’s
going on here, your journey of discovery is immediately dotted with signs that
this is something special. Rock ‘n’ roll is very nearly at the end of its creative
evolution. But, on ‘Cast...’, Elbow transcend their influences to produce a
virgin sound. A rare pleasure indeed. METACRITIC
SCORE: 81
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the reviews
Absolution
- Muse
Muse
have widened the goalposts and re-established what rock is allowed to stand
for. NME RATING: 9
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O
- Damien Rice
This
full-length debut for the Irish singer/songwriter has moved beyond his home
country (where it was a massive hit) to attract critical praise and strong sales
worldwide. METACRITIC SCORE: 79
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the reviews
Strays
- Jane's Addiction
An
ambitious, exuberant effort that moves through hard-rock cave stomps into swaggering
funk and loopy folk, ''Strays'' sounds like the work of a committed band intent
on hanging around longer than the current Lollapalooza life span. METACRITIC
SCORE: 72
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the reviews
Lipstick
Traces - Manic Street Preachers
Now, after a decade and a half of making
some of the most stridently earnest music you can spend money on, Manic Street
Preachers have released Lipstick Traces: A Secret History, which compiles 20
B-sides. PITCHFORK RATING: 63
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the reviews
Live
at Sin-e - Jeff Buckley
Live At Sin-E, the new edition, warts and
all, showcases great dynamics and a heartfelt manner of self-expression that
nobody can duplicate. MUSIC CRITIC SCORE: 10
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the reviews
Hail
To The Thief - Radiohead
Not
quite the return to the "rock" side of Radiohead as originally believed, the
band's sixth album (produced again by Nigel Godrich) retains many of the experimental
electronica elements of its predecessors Kid A and Amnesiac. METACRITIC
SCORE: 85
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the reviews
Elephant
- The White Stripes
For
their major label debut (and fourth LP overall), the Detroit-based duo of Jack
and Meg White offer up 14 new tracks, all recorded in London and (fortunately)
showing absolutely no trace of major label production values. METACRITIC
SCORE: 91
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Just
Like Blood - Tom McRae
Ten
passionately powerful, yet comfortingly mellow tracks all stand up in their
own right. Most of the songs are filled with melancholy and relationship-breakdown
despair, but McRae retains a powerful sense of self-determination. He offers
hope and strength without any whiff of triteness.
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the reviews
Baby
I'm Bored- Evan Dando
The
singer/songwriter/guitarist returns to the studio for the first time since 1996,
when he recorded his final album as leader of the Lemonheads. Here, he's joined
by Jon Brion on four tracks, as well as members of Giant Sand, Calexico, and
Spacehog. METACRITIC SCORE: 67
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the reviews
Magic
And Medicine - The Coral
One
of the more attention-grabbing British bands to emerge in the last few years--their
fun, genre-jumping debut album landed them a Mercury Music Prize nomination--The
Coral returns with their second album in a little over a year, with a sound
heavily influenced by the 60s. METACRITIC SCORE: 82
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the reviews
Welcome
To The Monkey House- The Dandy Warhols
The
fourth release for the Portland, Ore. four-piece is a trip through 70's glam-
and 80s synth- rock, complete with contributions from Duran Duran's Simon Le
Bon and Nick Rhodes (the latter produced much of the album), Chic's Nile Rogers,
Bowie/T. Rex producer Tony Visconti, and, well, Evan Dando. METACRITIC
SCORE: 71
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the reviews
Ether
Song - Turin Brakes
Builds
considerable muscle to the skeletal frailty of intricate guitar work while commendably
maintaining all which was good of their debut. METACRITIC
SCORE: 66
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the reviews
Think
Tank - Blur
The
veteran Britpop outfit's first new album in four years is the result of tumultuous
recording sessions in Morocco with producer Fatboy Slim, which saw a growing
dispute between co-founders Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon culminate in Coxon's
departure from the band. METACRITIC SCORE: 81
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the reviews
Long
Gone Before Daylight - The Cardigans
This
is an album powered by its own radiance - like a solar-powered torch stringed
up to a pair of mirrors, driving itself on forever, and still going strong,
even by daylight. NME
SCORE: 8
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