2003 LIST: Just Traveling Through

Here are my entries to the Voice poll, with a couple new additions and some order juggling. Every year at this time I'm grateful I'm not obligated to listen to everything, and these lists help me keep in touch with stuff I might not otherwise chase down. I was dumbfounded to see Pareles pick the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as his number one CD of the year, but as Milo miles said, "He's in New York, he'd get lynched if he didn't pick them…" The New Pornos swept me away early on, and kept me coming back all year. Cash's set was early, bound to get overlooked, so I put her way up to earn her more points, she's easily our most consistent, as well as most affecting, working artist. Ride is an abiding passion, a sound that can't be beat, and everything they did for the Beeb sounds as mysterious and foreboding today as it did when it was played, over ten years ago. Almost-rans include Basement Jaxx's KISH KASH, which I snagged over the weekend, and is giving me my Prince fix; and Fountains of Wayne, WELCOME INTERSTATE MANAGERS, a set I respect more than admire. The reluctant cool of Nada Surf tugged at me more in both cases. White Stripes are definitely to be reckoned with, and they almost made it on attitude and presence alone. Otherwise, I look forward to hearing the Drive-By Truckers in about two records, they get edged out by the Bottle Rockets, who have earned their way into my heart in ways not entirely bound up with reason. And from melancholy Dublin, the Thrills create their own melodic California utopia (bombin' title: "Your Love is Like Las Vegas") in a season that reveled in atrocity, moral and physical, near and far.

1. New Pornographers ELECTRIC VERSION (Matador)
2. Rosanne Cash, RULES OF TRAVEL (Capitol)
3. Ride WAVES (The First Time Records)
4. Dave Holland Quintet, EXTENDED: LIVE AT BIRDLAND (ECM)
5. Chris Smither TRAIN HOME (Hightone)*
6. Nada Surf LET GO (Barsuk)
7. Johnny Cash UNEARTHED (American)
8. Bottle Rockets, BLUE SKY (Sanctuary)
9. Thrills, SO MUCH FOR THE CITY (Virgin)
10. Willie Nelson CRAZY: THE DEMO SESSIONS (Sugar Hill)

OH YEAH:
Dwight Yoakam POPULATION ME (Reprise)
Jon Langford** and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts HE EXECUTIONER'S SONGS VOL. 2-3 (Bloodshot)
The Flaming Sideburns SAVE ROCK'N'OLL (Jetset)
Sahara Hotnights JENNIE BOMB (Jetset)
Mike Ireland & Holler, TRY AGAIN (Ashmont)
Various, LIVIN' LOVIN' LOSIN': SONGS OF THE LOUVIN BROS (Hightone)
Soundtrack, AMERICAN SPLENDOR (New Line)
Warren Zevon THE WIND (Artemis)
Warren Zanes MEMORY GIRL (Dualtone)*
Fountains of Wayne WELCOME INTERSTATE MANAGERS (S-Curve) Liz Phair LIZ PHAIR (Capitol)
Shania Twain UP! (Only Half Facetious)
White Stripes ELEPHANT (V2)
Neil Young GREENDALE (Reprise)
Amy Rigby TILL THE WHEELS FALL OFF (Signature Sounds)

REISSUES: [best category by far]
The Allman Brothers ATLANTA POP FESTIVAL 1970 (Sony Legacy)
The Byrds SWEETHEARTS OF THE RODEO (Sony Legacy)
Bloomfield, Stills, Kooper SUPERSESSION (Sony Legacy)
Bob Dylan [CATALOG] (Sony SACD)
Neil Young ON THE BEACH (Reprise)
The Beatles LET IT BE...NAKED (EMI/Capitol)
Television MARQUEE MOON, ADVENTURE, LIVE (Rhino)

BOOTS:
Nick Lowe RADIO DAZE (Five Dolar Records)
Buddy Holly APARTMENT TAPES (private)
Rolling Stones NOW TO THEN (Blue Moon Records)
Rolling Stones BEGGAR'S REAKFAST (Invasion Unlimited)
*sent to me by the artist, on friendly terms
**workaholic