Albums of the Year 2003

As the year ends I like to look back and review the music and bands that have come up and out over the past months. This is Album of the Year time. Album of the Year criterea is based on a few things. First the obvious ones, musical and lyrical aspects. Does the music sound good? Do the lyrics make sense? And put together, does the result stir something in you? These are highly important in picking the Albums of the Year. Then I also consider the album as a whole. Are there any “filler” tracks, you know the tracks that are used just to make the CD longer? These tracks are usually not the bands choice, and even less often a favorite track of the listener. Are there any duplicate tracks, two tracks on the CD that sound similiar and give the same message and emotion out? This is another cope-out on behalf of the record company, who just wants another song on the album. And lastly, consider the album as a staple piece of my collection. Do I listen to the album a few times, then shove it under the bed for the rest of my life? Or does it come out and get replayed everyonce in a while? Does it have the capacity to be re-analyzed, listened to again and new meaning found? Another aspect is the CDs ability to be versitile. Are the songs individually all amazing and cover a wide range of emotions? These are the things, that in my mind make up an album of the year. These albums were all released in 2003.

And the nominations are……

Coheed and Cambria – In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth:3
I just got into these guys and have yet to hear the first album, but this one utterly blew my mind. The lyrics are amazing because they can be taken almost anyway you want, depending on your mood and emotion. Its a band and an album that applies to you and your life, where ever it is, which is always cool. And the musiciality is just as amazing. They are making music in an entirely new way, with new sounds and a wonderful mixture of orchestral and rock sounds. Faint white figures paint my sleep. Please don’t tell my secrets. Keep them hidden.

Cursive – The Ugly Organ
Being raised on classical and folk and church hymns, this CD highly appeals to me because it mixes strings and organ with a punk sounding band. But don’t get me wrong. It is far from old biddys singing warbly church hymns. It is so original and amazing, sounding at times like a circus organ. These guys are very talented, bringing together two genres they way they do. I don’t think they really belong to any genre, they are making their own. Their lyrics are taking some basica ideas and twisting them in unusual ways. “My arms, my legs, my heart, my face, they’re alive!” And she would cry, “Liar, liar! What have I done? You’re no lover and I’m no fighter.”

Brand New – Deja Entendu
These guys had a first album when I was in high school that really fit into my life then. With the release of Deja Entendu, they have done it again. Like I grew up, matured and evolved, so have they. Some bands don’t ever seem to grow up. They are great becaues you know excatly what you are getting. But some bands evolve musically and lyrically. They are amazing, because you can reconize that its them, but its a totally new twist on an old idea. This album is dark and twisted with trobbing bass lines. Each time you hear the song, there is another emotion attached with the experience. The first album was a bit more pop-punk and happy-go-lucky kind of feeling with some very shallow ideas. Much how I felt in high-school. This second album takes on deeper and harder ideas that I’ve faced in college. Overlapping lyrics and melodies, these boys have done it again. You are second hand smoke. You are so fragile and thin, standing trial for your sins.

And there you have it. My picks for album of the year. It will prolly end up being a three-way tie, because I am biased toward Brand New since I’ve seen them live, biased toward Cursive cause it was recommended to me by a good friend and not at all biased towards Coheed and Cambria. So Congradulations on being my picks for Album of the Year!