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Adult
Anxiety Always

adult has always been hyped up in magazines but every release i heard before this was boring and just hype. but this album i think is their best release that they have made. if you like early 80s techno-pop speeded up in a frantic modern way, then you might like this too. -- Riff Roxy <riff_roxy at yahoo dot com> (7 pts)

Al Green
I Can't Stop

IS THIS 1973? BEST AL GREEN RECORD SINCE '73. -- Peter Gianakopoulos <oldschrec at aol dot com> (7 pts)

Alan Licht
Bridget O'Riley

Off "A New York Minute" 2CD. Not only the best bootleg remix ever, quite possibly my all time favourite piece of music! -- Erlend Hammer <erlend dot hammer at broadpark dot no> (15 pts)

Alastair Galbraith/Constantine Karlis
Radiant

NZ rules. -- Scott L. Telles <scotttelles at yahoo dot com> (1 pts)

Alvarius B
Ding

from Cerberus Shoal split EP -- Erlend Hammer <erlend dot hammer at broadpark dot no> (11 pts)

Angels Of Light
Everything is Good Here/Please Come Home

I'm scared every year that the next M Gira record will be the one he can't top, we'll see what happens this year.... -- Brian John Mitchell <qrd at juno dot com> (15 pts)

Animal Collective
Here Comes the Indian

i think these are the only 2003 releases that i purchased. more space for pre-2003 releases. -- Fernando Diaz <fern at monkey dot org> (15 pts)

i like this. basically this was the band that i think influenced black dice's current sound. -- Riff Roxy <riff_roxy at yahoo dot com> (8 pts)

Barbara Morgenstern
Nichts Muss

One of the only "electronic" records that my girlfriend really really likes, "Nichts Muss" is a stroke of restrained genius. I don't know what she is singing about, but she emotes so clearly in her vocals and her music that Barbara Morgenstern has me hanging on every word. -- --s-tephen pozgay <suppoz at earthlink dot net> (13 pts)

Bardo Pond
On the Ellipse

Should've included as secret hidden bonus track the Pavement cover "Home", which Isobel sings like a true pop goddess but which I'm too cheap to buy as I don't like Pavement enough. -- Scott L. Telles <scotttelles at yahoo dot com> (14 pts)

Best use of flutes all year! -- David <stopeatingpenguins at btinternet dot com> (12 pts)

Boris
Akuma no uta

These guys never disappoint. -- Ilkka Vekka <ilkka dot vekka at virpi dot net> (13 pts)

Brigitte Fontaine
Plans Fixes (3 CD BOX SET)

A LONG AWAITED BOX SET. GREAT STUFF. -- Peter Gianakopoulos <oldschrec at aol dot com> (11 pts)

British Sea Power
The Decline of British Sea Power

When I first saw this record, I thought it was a reissue simply because of the aesthetics of the cover. What I found inside, however, was a rich update of the Television sound crossed with the Decemberists knack for telling excellent turn of the century stories. -- --s-tephen pozgay <suppoz at earthlink dot net> (14 pts)

Broadcast
Ha Ha Sound

United States of America meets Stereolab -- barrett <barrett at oddpost dot com> (12 pts)

Modern day lullabyes. If mothers arent singing 'The Little Bell' to their kids in a hundred years time then i'll eat my futuristic sci-fi hat. -- David <stopeatingpenguins at btinternet dot com> (14 pts)

Broken Social Scene
You Forgot It In People

No, they're not the second coming of Dinosaur Jr. (or Pavement, for that matter) -- their last album was somewhat generic post-rock -- but a strong tribute to everything that was great about early '90s indie rock. It's all so very self-consciously meta. -- Eric Hoffsten <hoffsten at suscom-maine dot net> (2 pts)

Calexico
Feast of Wire

Quite simply, the best album yet from an outfit at the top of their game. Not a clunker in the bunch. -- Eric Hoffsten <hoffsten at suscom-maine dot net> (15 pts)

Cerberus Shoal
Chaiming the Knoblessone

I consider this band of oddballs my hometown answer to the Sun City Girls, and given their collaboration w/ those folks it's not too far off the mark. Weird, carnivalesque art rock that manages to be catchy while confusing. -- Eric Hoffsten <hoffsten at suscom-maine dot net> (5 pts)

Charalambides
Unknown Spin

Haunting. -- Scott L. Telles <scotttelles at yahoo dot com> (7 pts)

Chicks on Speed
99 Cents

MORE FUN FROM THE CHICKS. GREAT TOM TOM CLUB COVER TOO! -- Peter Gianakopoulos <oldschrec at aol dot com> (13 pts)

Colder
Again

i like the 80s old factory records and some of the music on this has a similar sound and feel to that. some of it i don't like but there are some standout tracks and it was just a good release from 2003. it's on the output label. -- Riff Roxy <riff_roxy at yahoo dot com> (13 pts)

Comets On Fire
Live at WFMU

I´m not sure if this came out in recorded form...I found it on the web somewhere. -- Ilkka Vekka <ilkka dot vekka at virpi dot net> (9 pts)

Danii Siciliano
Likes…

LAURIE ANDERSON MEETS BJORK. GREAT ELECTRONIC MINIMAL POP ROCK RECORD IF GOLDFRAPP HAD RESTRAINT OR STINA NORDENSTAM REACHED PUBERTY. -- Peter Gianakopoulos <oldschrec at aol dot com> (8 pts)

Dirtbombs
Dangerous Magical Noise

Smoking garage. Ending the record with a two cover punch is a cagey move, but for me there is no noticable upswing in song quality when those cuts hit, which really says something positive about what the band is capable of. -- joseph neff <jneff at visuallink dot com> (8 pts)

Dizzee Rascal
I Luv U

also Boy in Da Corner -- R. Lim <rlim at inch dot com> (11 pts)

Dredd Foole & the Din
The Whys of Fire

Still need to get the Forced Exposure release, now more than ever, since this is a pretty amazing leap into some non-songic depths. This summer, when the tempature is blazing and the humidity is so thick that I don't feel like moving, THIS is the record that I'm gonna have on repeat play. Though dense, beautiful sonics like these are not seasonal. -- joseph neff <jneff at visuallink dot com> (13 pts)

Ellen Allien
Berlinette

Excellent techno-pop record from the Bpitch mistress. She has really developed her sound on this record and Berlinette finds her stretching out her ideas of what techno is, much like she has done with the overall arc of her label. -- --s-tephen pozgay <suppoz at earthlink dot net> (4 pts)

Erykah Badu
Worldwide Underground

BEST GROOVE R&B RECORD OF 2003!!! -- Peter Gianakopoulos <oldschrec at aol dot com> (4 pts)

Explosions In The Sky
The Earth is Not A Cold Dark Place

A sure turn to light and levity after their darkened debut. This record is three sides of simple guitar notes ringing out and floating back. -- --s-tephen pozgay <suppoz at earthlink dot net> (10 pts)

Factrix
Artifact

a reissue of some lost early 80s los angeles no-wave -- Riff Roxy <riff_roxy at yahoo dot com> (15 pts)

Four Tet
Rounds

laptop geek takes acid and realizes the electric guitar is a viable instrument. -- barrett <barrett at oddpost dot com> (13 pts)

Gene Clark
No Other

GREAT LOST GEM. MADE ME WANT TO PULL OUT THE OL' HERB. -- Peter Gianakopoulos <oldschrec at aol dot com> (6 pts)

Glass Candy
Love Love Love

Is it glam? Is it no-wave? Either way, it is definitely a fashion show when Ida No and Johnny Jewel come around. 8 songs in under 30 minutes, but I never feel cheated. -- --s-tephen pozgay <suppoz at earthlink dot net> (1 pts)

Goldfrapp
Black Cherry

GREAT ALBUM. GREAT SINGLES. GREAT TOUR. -- Peter Gianakopoulos <oldschrec at aol dot com> (15 pts)

Halo
Body of light

A mere duo can do a suprising amount of damage. -- Ilkka Vekka <ilkka dot vekka at virpi dot net> (8 pts)

Jack Rose
Opium Musick

further proof that the acoustic guitar is a viable instrument in and of itself. -- barrett <barrett at oddpost dot com> (11 pts)

Jeff Buckley
The Grace EPs

One of the increasingly rare examples of a major label doing something right. -- joseph neff <jneff at visuallink dot com> (7 pts)

John Cale
Hobosapiens

CALE'S FINEST WORK IN 20 YEARS. GREAT MIX OF POP AND AVANT GARDE. THE 5 SONGS EP OF EARLY 2003 IS WORTHY OF MENTION AS WELL. -- Peter Gianakopoulos <oldschrec at aol dot com> (9 pts)

One review described it as if Cale had came up with the idea of 'Radiohead' without actually ever knowing of Radiohead. I couldnt agree more but then its actually even better than that. Its the album the youth of today should be writing. Full of fury at the world and its leaders yet at times wrapped up in gloriously playful pop moments. Its a schizophrenic record with Cale forever on the edge of falling apart and taking us with him. Its probably the most powerful musical document of the world we live in and just how fucked up it all is. -- David <stopeatingpenguins at btinternet dot com> (15 pts)

Keijo
s/t

on a cd-r label from finland. nice sounscapes. -- Riff Roxy <riff_roxy at yahoo dot com> (6 pts)

Kelis
Trick Me

Apart from Alvarius B below, the only real contender in the race for Song of the Year. -- Erlend Hammer <erlend dot hammer at broadpark dot no> (13 pts)

Khanate
Things Viral

Taking sludge/doom into the 21st century.No Black Sabbath influences on this one,just a crushing,claustrophobic and diseased feeling throughout.Incredibly powerful. -- Ilkka Vekka <ilkka dot vekka at virpi dot net> (14 pts)

Kinski
Airs above your Station

"Semaphore" = ass kicked. -- Scott L. Telles <scotttelles at yahoo dot com> (8 pts)

Kraftwerk
Tour de France Soundtracks

WORTH THE WAIT, I GUESS? -- Peter Gianakopoulos <oldschrec at aol dot com> (1 pts)

ELECTROCARDIOGRAM! -- Scott L. Telles <scotttelles at yahoo dot com> (12 pts)

Kraig Grady
Stolen Stars

Why does only one other person I know own this? Absolutely gorgeous and essential. -- Nirav Soni <nms240 at nyu dot edu> (14 pts)

Landing
Passages Through

Would not stay out of my CD player. -- Scott L. Telles <scotttelles at yahoo dot com> (10 pts)

Large Number
Spray on Sound

Ann Shenton from Add N To X -- Mark Wink <emperor_tomato_ketchup at hotmail dot com> (5 pts)

Les Rallizes Desnudes
Fucked Up and Naked

anything that i was listening to by les rallizes denudes in 2003 deserves to be on this list -- Riff Roxy <riff_roxy at yahoo dot com> (12 pts)

Linus Pauling Quartet
C6H8O6

ROCK OUT NOW! STOP ROCK NOW! -- Scott L. Telles <scotttelles at yahoo dot com> (15 pts)

Lizzy Mercier Descloux
Press Color & Mambo Nassau (2 Reissues)

SLITS REGGAE MEETS FUNK AND PUNK. HOORAY FOR NEW YORK NOIZE!!!!! -- Peter Gianakopoulos <oldschrec at aol dot com> (3 pts)

M83
Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts

A huge record with a huge sound. M83 proved to be one of the most elusive bands to track down in 2003, but once I got ahold of them I just couldn't let go. Electronic shoegazing like no other, with a sense of Godspeed You! Black Emperor thrown into the song structures. Be sure to pick up the DLP for the extra 12+ minute track on the fourth side. -- --s-tephen pozgay <suppoz at earthlink dot net> (2 pts)

Manitoba
Up in Flames

laptop geek takes acid and realizes the acoustic guitar is a viable instrument. -- barrett <barrett at oddpost dot com> (14 pts)

Matmos
The Civil War

genius sampling and sequencing. poignant political commentary achieved without lyrics. -- barrett <barrett at oddpost dot com> (15 pts)

Matthew Dear
Leave Luck To Heaven

Sing-song-y glitch house from Mr. Dear always leaves me smiling. -- --s-tephen pozgay <suppoz at earthlink dot net> (11 pts)

Michael yonkers Band
Microminiature Love

Not sure if it counts as a reissue as it's hardly been issued before. -- Mark Wink <emperor_tomato_ketchup at hotmail dot com> (11 pts)

Glad to see this guy finally getting the attention he deserves. This is the only one he recorded as "Band," and is markedly more rockin' than the folkier solo stuff that followed. Pretty close to the sound of early Red Crayola, but a bit more psych than art in this rock. -- Eric Hoffsten <hoffsten at suscom-maine dot net> (4 pts)

Minny Pops
Secret Stories

Dutch new wave for the masses. -- Scott L. Telles <scotttelles at yahoo dot com> (4 pts)

Mono
One step more and you die

The Japanese Mogwai. -- Scott L. Telles <scotttelles at yahoo dot com> (3 pts)

Music from the Deserted Village
Various Artists

Compilation of irish psych folk and improv -- Mark Wink <emperor_tomato_ketchup at hotmail dot com> (13 pts)

New Pornographers
Electric Version

Maybe not quite as strong as _Mass Romantic_, but yet another rock-solid collection of early '80s-style power pop from a bunch who know how to write a hook. And the Dan Bejar-penned tunes can somewhat make up for a lack of new Destroyer material this past year. -- Eric Hoffsten <hoffsten at suscom-maine dot net> (14 pts)

A pop record for the masses. Put this on during a mild summer day, right after playing The Shins' "Oh, Inverted World", and revel in the perfection of the moment you find there. -- --s-tephen pozgay <suppoz at earthlink dot net> (5 pts)

Nina Hagen
Big Band Record

FUN FUN FUN!!! -- Peter Gianakopoulos <oldschrec at aol dot com> (10 pts)

No-Neck Blues Band
Intonomancy

A new NNCK release is always worth hearing, and it's almost arbitrary that I included this over the _Ever Borneo!_ LP, but the shiny digital format just, you know, gets a little more play around here. This one's a bit more quiet and -- dare I say it? -- *structured* than some more recent releases. But I like that. -- Eric Hoffsten <hoffsten at suscom-maine dot net> (9 pts)

NTX/Erika Thrasher
Pain Reliever/Titanium EP

holy shit! -- Scott L. Telles <scotttelles at yahoo dot com> (2 pts)

Outkast
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Is André's album better because it is so beyond what anyone expects from a "rapper"? Or is Big Boi's album just too ghettolicious to be ignored? Either way, here's a double album that ups the level of greatness for all others in hiphop to strive toward. -- --s-tephen pozgay <suppoz at earthlink dot net> (3 pts)

Philip Boa & The Voodoo Club / Sand
C-90 / Uunderground Garage (TIE)

BOA STILL PUMPS OUT GREAT LITTLE 80'S ROCK NUMBERS. SAND IS ONE OF THE NEWER KIM FOWLEY/ROY SWEDEEN COLLABS. GREAT LITTLE GARAGE ROCK/SWAMP BOOGIE BLUES SEXY RECORD!!! -- Peter Gianakopoulos <oldschrec at aol dot com> (5 pts)

Plat Ypus
Valis

I know voting for your own records is kinda lame but holding a 12" vinyl album you know you play on is a great feeling.My most important lp of the year,maybe of all time. -- Ilkka Vekka <ilkka dot vekka at virpi dot net> (15 pts)

Pluramon
Dreams Top Rock

Featuring Miss Julee Cruise on vocals for many of the tracks, this new direction for Pluramon finds him travelling the electronic shoegazer sound that is growing in popularity. Think of Miss Cruise's work for David Lynch mixed with My Bloody Valentine and múm. -- --s-tephen pozgay <suppoz at earthlink dot net> (7 pts)

Polyphonic Spree
The Beginning Stages

I don't know much about 'em, but they seem a little cultish. And not like in "cult following," but rather like in "creepy weirdos." No matter. Symphonic pop of the highest order. I can't get these songs out of my head. -- Eric Hoffsten <hoffsten at suscom-maine dot net> (6 pts)

Psychomania
ost

a reissue of a odd 1972 b-movie soundtrack. put out by the cool trunck label in england. -- Riff Roxy <riff_roxy at yahoo dot com> (9 pts)

Quasi
Hot Shit

Somehow knowing only two people made this album helps me understand how people can believe one person could save the universe. -- Torc. <anarchy at ix dot netcom dot com> (15 pts)

Reynols
Sosina Arada Mica

i don't know how to explain this, if you are familiar with reynols than you will know why. lots of honest primitive untamed psychedelic noise -- Riff Roxy <riff_roxy at yahoo dot com> (4 pts)

Robert Wyatt
Solar Flares Burn

if you are a wyatt fan, you need this. it contains rare recordings he made during 1972-1974. -- Riff Roxy <riff_roxy at yahoo dot com> (5 pts)

Roky Erickson
Don't Knock the Rok

Why must I be a teenager in love? -- Scott L. Telles <scotttelles at yahoo dot com> (11 pts)

Rotten Piece
Jet Trails

Improvised guitar drones from heaven. -- Scott L. Telles <scotttelles at yahoo dot com> (5 pts)

Saturday Looks Good To Me
All Your Summer Songs

Production pop that had me thinking at moments of everything from Stephen Merritt to Robert Pollard to Lois Maffeo as filtered through a major lush '60s influence. Short, and with numerous listens, this really grows. -- joseph neff <jneff at visuallink dot com> (12 pts)

Serge Gainsbourg
Aus Armes & Mauvaises (2 reissues)

2 CD SETS OF DUB VERSIONS OF THE OL' SLY & ROBBIE COLLABS W/ SERGE. WOW! -- Peter Gianakopoulos <oldschrec at aol dot com> (2 pts)

Shudder to Think
Curses, Spells, Voodoo, Mooses

My DC bias is showing. -- joseph neff <jneff at visuallink dot com> (3 pts)

Sid Selvidge
A Little Bit of Rain

A late entry into the history of rootsy Memphis, by a guy who been a part of that scene for quite a while. -- joseph neff <jneff at visuallink dot com> (4 pts)

Simply Saucer
Cyborgs Revisited

finally it gets reissued properly. now people will not have to go spending $30 at ebay for the early 90s cd version of it. this reissue was done by sonic unyon records. -- Riff Roxy <riff_roxy at yahoo dot com> (11 pts)

Slumber Party
3

Reverb-o-la! I love the tender, deep sound this Detroit band produced on their third release. The songs sound so sure of themselves. -- --s-tephen pozgay <suppoz at earthlink dot net> (8 pts)

Small Life Form
One

Okay, I admit it, this is my record, but I think it's really good in spite of that rather than because of that. -- Brian John Mitchell <qrd at juno dot com> (12 pts)

Spiritualized
Lord Let It Rain On Me

One of the best Spiritualized songs ever, from the worst Spiritualized album ever. -- Erlend Hammer <erlend dot hammer at broadpark dot no> (3 pts)

Surface of Eceyon
Dragyyn

Like #6, but with more rawk! -- Scott L. Telles <scotttelles at yahoo dot com> (9 pts)

Ted Leo/Pharmacists
Hearts of Oak

Some fine, FINE smart rock music. -- joseph neff <jneff at visuallink dot com> (10 pts)

Tell Balgeary, Balgury is Dead

A great compliment to the above. Ted solo is Ted at his most Billy Bragg-ish. -- joseph neff <jneff at visuallink dot com> (9 pts)

Terry Hall & Mushtaq
Hour of Two Lights

GREAT LITTLE WORLD RECORD. AWESOME HYBRID OF STYLES. -- Peter Gianakopoulos <oldschrec at aol dot com> (14 pts)

The Books
The Lemon of Pink

Wow, this one hit me from out of left field. Completely unlike anything I'd heard, well, ever, The Books do a sort of acoustic musique concrete, taking folk guitar, banjo, etc. and cutting / sampling these snippets into lovely little songs, accompanied by obscure spoken samples and breathy vocals. Really, really beautiful. Maybe if Prick Decay embraced beauty instead of rusty noise they'd sound a bit like this. -- Eric Hoffsten <hoffsten at suscom-maine dot net> (12 pts)

The Dead C
The Damned

Wow, still at it after, what, 17 years or something? I missed out on the last 2 (_New Electric Music_ and _(s/t)_), but this reaffirms my faith. Yeah, it has its slow spots, but a couple of tracks on here are worth the price of admission alone. -- Eric Hoffsten <hoffsten at suscom-maine dot net> (8 pts)

The Decemberists
Castaways and Cutouts

Because I always wondered what Robyn Hitchcock would sound like singing the Neutral Milk Hotel songbook. No, really, it IS that good, and much better than the other two releases from this outfit in 2003. -- Eric Hoffsten <hoffsten at suscom-maine dot net> (11 pts)

Her Majesty the Decemberists

For me, this is actually better than the first one, from beginning to end, anyway. If you made this band up, people would think you were goofy. But they sound freaking perfect. -- joseph neff <jneff at visuallink dot com> (15 pts)

The Duke Spirit
Roll, Spirit Roll

If Blonde Redhead met The Gun Club in a dark alley. A six song debut EP that hopefully is the harbringer of greatness to come. -- --s-tephen pozgay <suppoz at earthlink dot net> (12 pts)

The Fall
The Real New Fall LP (formerly Country on the Click)

OPEN THE BOX! OPEN THE BOX! OPEN THE GODDAMN BOX! -- Scott L. Telles <scotttelles at yahoo dot com> (13 pts)

The New Blockaders
Gesamtnichtswerk

Roots of noise revealed;this is where early Hanatarash and Merzbow found the sound they had been looking for. -- Ilkka Vekka <ilkka dot vekka at virpi dot net> (7 pts)

The Ponys
ShiShiMuMu

Way to debut, huh? A sprawling, double LP of psych-pop gems from this Portland, ME outfit. The vocals are a little on the fey side, but it works for me. -- Eric Hoffsten <hoffsten at suscom-maine dot net> (10 pts)

Cheer up, my man - you don't have to break up the band... -- Scott L. Telles <scotttelles at yahoo dot com> (6 pts)

The Postal Service
Give Up

Oh, man. Why do I feel dirty admitting how much I like this record? Sugary synth pop of the PCL-era New Order magnitude, and I'll admit the guilty pleasure. I always did love that early New Order stuff, and this album makes me feel like I'm in high school again. -- Eric Hoffsten <hoffsten at suscom-maine dot net> (3 pts)

From the second I heard this in January of 2003, I knew that it was going to be near the top of my year-end list. Pure indie-electronic bliss. One of the best things about it is that it is an album that appeals to such a broad range of people. -- --s-tephen pozgay <suppoz at earthlink dot net> (15 pts)

The Rapture
Echoes

Yes, you *should* believe the hype. -- Eric Hoffsten <hoffsten at suscom-maine dot net> (7 pts)

Evidently there was a lot of hype on major "alternative" stations about this record. Well, I think it is worth it in a lot of ways. The Rapture have brought the fun back to "punk" and the swing back to "indie rock". -- --s-tephen pozgay <suppoz at earthlink dot net> (6 pts)

The Rubble Collection vol 1-10
The Rubble Collection vol 1-10

Great 10 cd collection of Bam-Caruso's volumes of psych, freakbeat, etc. Picks up where Nuggets II left off. More Wimple Winch! -- ralph ralphson2391311 <ralph2319311 at yahoo dot com> (10 pts)

The Shins
Chutes Too Narrow

Sooooo much stronger than _Oh, Inverted World_. Gone are the muddy production and clunky drumming; instead we've got a collection of crisp, snappy pop tunes that, while all over the map stylistically, manage to gel into a coherent whole over the course of the album. An almost perfect pop record. -- Eric Hoffsten <hoffsten at suscom-maine dot net> (13 pts)

People with more discerning tastes will probably be unmoved, but I think this has more than a few very good moments, and one great one, the song "Saint Simon". -- joseph neff <jneff at visuallink dot com> (2 pts)

The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
Vintage Slide Collections From Seattle Volume 1

A novelty record, yes, but a good one. -- joseph neff <jneff at visuallink dot com> (1 pts)

Timtim
Let's Pretend We're Going

If Ellen Allien and The Notwist met in a dark alley and had a child midwived by Barbara Morgenstern, you might get Timtim. A complex record of beats, glitches, drones, repetitive stuff, and vocals. -- --s-tephen pozgay <suppoz at earthlink dot net> (9 pts)

Various Artists
La Cosa Nostra 2003, Vol 3

particularly the NASTY Crew set -- R. Lim <rlim at inch dot com> (15 pts)

Rebuilding the Bridge

A comp CDR assembled by Doug Wolk for the members of the Typical Girls message board. A tribute to "Wanna Buy a Bridge?", one of the great comp LPs, featuring the likes of XBXRX, Linda Smith, the Sweater Girls, Animals & Men, etc. After listening, it was obvious that a labor/gesture of love such as this couldn't not make my list. -- joseph neff <jneff at visuallink dot com> (11 pts)

Compiled by Douglas Wolk- a cover of the WANNA BUY A BRIDGE compilation from Rough Trade -- Jason Gross <perfectlist at furious dot com> (9 pts)

White Stripes
Elephant

BEST OVER-THE-TOP LED ZEP RECORD OF THE 21ST CENTURY. -- Peter Gianakopoulos <oldschrec at aol dot com> (12 pts)

Wilco
Australian EP

Does this count? This 6-song EP was available as a free MP3 download to buyers of YHF on www.wilcoworld.net. As someone who's always excited about a new Wilco release, I figured I had to throw it in. 5 new songs and a fuzzed-out version of "Camera." And if including this is cheating, then let's say the Loose Fur album on Drag City should be #15. That's real nice, too, and certainly more "drone-worthy." -- Eric Hoffsten <hoffsten at suscom-maine dot net> (1 pts)

Wiley
Salt Beef

also "Igloo rmx" -- R. Lim <rlim at inch dot com> (13 pts)

Wolf Eyes and Black Dice
s/t

this is a good lp put out by the fusetrone shop. it's a good lp to listen to in the background. it's good that this is on lp, that is definitely the right format to put something like this on. on cd, i don't think it would be so entertaining for some reason -- Riff Roxy <riff_roxy at yahoo dot com> (10 pts)

Wooden Wand & the Van
Angel Hair

a cd-r release from the chocolate monk label in england. somewhat similar to reynols but this is not about being avant, it's more just a stoned commune hippie esp-disk sound -- Riff Roxy <riff_roxy at yahoo dot com> (3 pts)

Zendo Garage
S/T

this album and group really blew my mind this year. discovering this band was a very unique surprise for me. after hearing one song from them i had to buy their album. it's full of interesting unique sounds and a interesting original band. their sound has sort of art-punk-kraut energy and feeling sort of similar to old underground stuff by can, neu!, la dusseldorf, s.y.p.h, 23 skidoo, or the swell maps. there is moog, electric pianos, loops, trumpet, fuzz, analog noise, odd percussion and lots more. it's just an original sound and i can't wait for the bands next releases. this release was on the zombie disco label in new orleans. you can now hear some audio clips on their record label's site, if you are interested at www.zombiedisco.com -- Riff Roxy <riff_roxy at yahoo dot com> (14 pts)

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