Jeff W of Dirty Old Town
Will Stegemann of Be The Boy
Matthew P, rockpilefilmer
Tony Baloney of specialpurpose.net
Brian Warren
MST
Steve C of Mental Spigot
Chuck BB's of reallybigmonster.com
Katie H of katherinehall.com
tony romanello of TRB
Sarah B. of queserasera

1. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow Play Chutes Too Narrow once, and the sophisticated, crystalline songwriting will lure you in. Play it half a dozen times and you'll get wrapped up in how James Mercer's surprising vocal range dips and soars through the intricate and inventive melodies. You'll get lost in the swirling and shimmering guitars. You'll sink into the gorgeous harmonies. And you won't want out.

2. The Constantines - Shine a Light The Constantines are from a strange corner where Fugazi's lean, muscular punk purity and Springsteen's rock 'n' roll evangelism about easy girls and crummy dive bars intersects. Toss in a little of the Pixies' incredible use of dead space and loud/soft dynamics and you're starting to get the idea. Searing, ragged and true, the Constantines might not have made the best record of the year, but they were certainly the most exciting band to emerge in 2003.

3. Grandaddy - Sumday On paper, Sumday's buzzing, whirring, technology-obsessed rock sound might seem a cousin to recent Radiohead. But Grandaddy stakes out its own territory, forsaking the alienation and paranoia of Kid A and the ilk. Instead, the focus is on digging past the encroachments of the digital age to find the human truth buried within. Amid stories of computers, operating systems, and robots, Sumday somehow still manages to wear its heart on its sleeve.

4. The Strokes - Room on Fire Overexposed, overhyped, too rich, too young, too pretty, starlet-dating fashion plates... It's the damnedest thing how so much of what's written about the Strokes fails to actually mention the music. It's a shame, too, because, while the Strokes aren't exactly reinventing the wheel, they sure are spinning the hell out of the thing. NYC's finest haven't so much expanded their sound as refined it and tested its reach. Room on Fire offers just over thirty minutes of driving, polyrhythmic indie rock gold, ranging from the faux-synth guitar line and breathy Kim Gordon-style vocals of "12:51" to the gutter soul of "Under Control." When a band's music is this sharp, who cares how they dress?

5. The Thermals - More Parts Per Million From the opening kick in the ass of "It's Trivia" to the time bomb rock of "No Culture Icons," the Thermals hit you where it counts. They deliver their scuzzy, lo-fi three-chord punk with so much brash exuberance and catchy pop melody (think Bob Pollard at 23 instead of 46), it'll be all you can do not to stand up on the bus and shout out the lyrics, pumping your fist in the air.

6. My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves This is the new southern rock. Jimmy James and company draw on Neil Young, the Flaming Lips, the Everly Brothers, and old school country music, finding a reverb-drenched high lonesome sound that's perfect for watching the sun come up with a bourbon after staying up all night.

7. The Decemberists - Her Majesty, The Decemberists Glowing pop troubadours of an unusually literary bent, Colin Meloy and company have single-handedly reviving the sea chanty, penning sunny odes to voyeurism, bittersweet tributes to the city of angels, and even finding time to rhyme "undies" with "Mondays."

8. The Wrens - Meadowlands The Meadowlands is a raw, open wound of a record, a masterpiece born of hard times. It's a record steeped in disappointment, bitterness, longing, and regret. It's been seven years since their last record, and every mile shows. Possibly the breakup album of the year.

9. Sin Ropas - Trickboxes on the Pony Line A murky and moody record, with odd bits of jagged electric guitar crying out across acoustic strumming, droning feedback, and various bits of folk and blues, Trickboxes on the Pony Line blurs genre distinctions to create its own sexy, sinister, schizophrenic vibe. Experimental rock has seldom had roots that run this deep or soul that strikes this true.

10. The Postal Service - Give Up IDM-style techno gets a shotgun wedding to '90s-style indie pop singer-songwriting. Ben Gibbard's decline into pure lyrical sappiness is ever-accelerating, but in this retro synth-pop context, the purple prose and melodrama serve the songs well. Even in techno-pop's '80s heyday, canned music rarely sounded so good.

Honorable Mentions:
Guided By Voices - Earthquake Glue; Sufjan Stevens - Greetings from Michigan! The Great Lake State; Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Hearts of Oak; The Thrills - So Much for the City; The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?

When Jeff isn't hangin' with 50 cent, he's either slogging cheap booze and sundry drugs to minors, or writing at Dirty Old Town. I was kidding about the drugs. Of course he'd never sell to miners. Miners are dirty. They get coal all over everything.

I've always viewed best of lists with suspicion and my own list is no different. It's biased and lacks credibility. It's not a best of so much as it's the best records I actually got around to listening to this year. Mine is really a top 5 with five honorable mentions because I feel that the first 5 are much better than the second 5. While I've only commented on the first 5 I think all 10 are worthwhile.

1. Warren Zevon - The Wind When in doubt pick a dead guy. That and it's also a great record showing an artist content with the life he has led facing his mortality with courage and dignity.

2. The Urinals - What is Real and What is Not The Urinals formed in 1977 as a standard issue LA punk act, renamed themselves 100 Flowers in 1984 and have released records sporadically over the years under both names. This is their first record under any name in a few years and it shows that the band hasn't lost touch with it's roots over the past 25+ years. What is real is a DIY masterpiece. A smart mouthed, hard-rocking blast of sound.

3. The Crimea - White Russian Galaxy/Baby Boom This is cheating because the Crimea haven't released an album and these are only singles. Thus far they are the only releases but they hold up to anything else put out in 03.

4. The Kills - Keep on your Mean Side Dirty, sexy, bluesy, trashy and the first rock album featuring a drum machine that I have ever loved. This duo out stripes the White Stripes at their own game.

5. Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Streetcore Posthumous release from the late great former Clash leader takes us to his roots and back. It's a surprisingly complete album for a post death release but it was largely completed before Strummers passing in December 2002. Streetcore is by far Strummer's best post Clash work and at times gives his old band a run for it's money.

6. The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium

7. The White Stripes - Elephant

8. The Libertines - Up The Bracket

9. Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around (Honorable mention to June Carter Cash's Wildwood Flower)

10. Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism

Special Bonus Section: The fiendish plot to make me repurchase records I already own, or Best Reissues.
1. Television-Marquee Moon
2. Jeff Buckley -Live at the Sine
3. Thelonius Monk-Monk in Paris, Live at the Olympia. Not quite a reissue since it has never been released in it's entirety but hardly a new record.

Will is a freelance writer/crime fighter living in Los Angeles. He would like to make it clear that he is not working on a screenplay although he does not begrudge those who are. For the past several years Will has served a contributing editor of "Wook Ma No Hands" a magazine dedicated to children with speech problems who are also amputees. In his spare time he enjoys playing pinball and sharing his thoughts at being the boy.

Matthew PB Smith, H2BH guy:

1. The Thermals - More Parts Per Million Hardly art, hardly starving. "No Culture Icons" reminds me of nothing more than John Cusack's Say Anything monologue. "I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed."

2. The Postal Service - Give Up To be honest, my favorite track (their cover of Phil Collins's "Against All Odds") isn't even on this album, but shuffled amid the album proper, its my go-to playlist.

3. Four Tet - Rounds Clickity clack, beepity beep, la la la.

4. OutKast - Speakerboxx/The Love Below The automatic bid. Ever notice how the albums that get the best raves univerally also are completely devoid of insight? Its that Dancing About Architecture thing. This blurb is no exception.

5. Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress Twee guy took xanax and went to a ball game. Piazza's hitting .316, but he's gay. Isn't that happy/sad?

6. The New Pornographers - Electric Version Phil Spector had sexual intercourse with Neko Case. Luckily he didn't shoot her.

7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell (OMITTED BY H2BH LEGAL)

8. The White Stripes - Elephant Jack beat a guy up in Detroit. Ha!

9. The Beginning Stages Of The Polyphonic Spree Thirty-five cultists in white robes kidnapped me and made me buy a Jetta.

10. mc chris - "Fett's Vette" The wizard of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim brings to the world the greatest Star Wars-related piece of art since, oh, 1980. "I'm a devious degenerate defender of the devil/Shut down all the trash compactors on the detention level." Bitch.

11. Gene Marshall - "Jimmy Carter Says Yes" Soul music as campaign theme for the 1980 Carter reelection campaign. One wonders what effect this masterful tune had on the election, but one knows that its relevance to Our Modern Age is indisputable.

1. Beulah - Yoko Please, for the love of all that is musical and holy, buy this album. Poignant, meaningful, beautiful, timeless.

2. Starlight Mints - Built on Squares Yes, they live in Oklahoma. Don't let that scare you. Let it fill you with love and hope.

3. Bishop Allen - Charm School A Christmas present from last year, but an official 2003 release. Share it with friends. It's the soundtrack to a fantastic time in your life, for sure.

4. Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism Forever a special place in my heart. Rocking verily, verily.

5. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief Reuniting the world in rock, roll and art.

6. Superchunk - Cup of Sand So much music. So much chunk. So little time. Superchunk = my personal superheroes. Let's just forget about here's to shutting up.

7. Quasi - Hot Shit! On a silver platter.

8. Led Zeppelin - How the West Was Won Babe, i'm never gonna leave you!!!

9. Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People A new addition to my collection. Still test driving, but seems promising.

10. Special Purpose - ding!

So I had to get a plug in. And I haven't bought much music this year. Plus, it took the whole freakin' year (or more) to record and produce. so that's what most of my year was spent listening to.

When he's not making TVs in the shed behind his house, Tony Baloney is the singist for special purpose, who win the 'Best band with best Steve Martin related name that needs to play more shows" award for 2003.

Brian Warren

10. The Warlocks - Phoenix Yes, things were cooler in the 60's

9. Robyn Hitchcock - Luxor Extreme acoustic eccentricity

8. Televison - Marquee Moon The year's best reissue (honorable mention to T Rex's Electric Warrior). Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd take your arse to Geetar School.

7. Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham - L'Avventura Warm 'n' fuzzy ballads polished to a chrome shine by one Tony Visconti. P.S. Britta Phillips is hot....That is all.

6. The New Pornographers - Electric Version Bubblegum pop for music snobs. Also, pure brilliance.

5. The Wrens - Meadowlands Recognizable, modest indie guitar rock that somehow manages to transcend that description via its superb quality.

4. Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress I don't care what every one of my previously B&S-loving friends say, DCW is by far these Scots' best album since If You're Feeling Sinister.

3. British Sea Power's Classic The Decline of British Sea Power Title pretty much sums it up, methinks.

2. Clearlake - Cedars More personal and even gloomier than our beloved Radiohead, Clearlake's second album is the downer of the year in my book. Produced by former Cocteau Twin, Simon Raymonde.

1. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow This record debuted in my high esteem, and I love it more with every spin. I'll risk hyperbole here and say "Instant Classic".

Brian A. Warren is a retail music stalwart and mouth-piece of The Hallelujah Crowd. Send him your cold, your tired, and your junk mail for paxil at: halleluinfo[at]yahoo.com.

1. The White Stripes - Elephant Every time I heard “Ball and Biscuit,” I became aroused to an inappropriate degree. I had to stop listening to it at work.

2. Bishop Allen - Charm School This was technically my favorite album of 2002, but seeing them live stretched it well on into 2003. Also, I secretly feel cool for being the one to tell my friends about them. That never happens, as my friends are incredibly hip to new music, but this time I even scooped Joey Zee!

3. OutKast - Speakerboxx/The Love Below I didn’t even try fighting this one. “Hey Ya” and “The Way You Move” aside, resistance would have been futile the moment I heard that part in “Where Are My Panties?” where she says, “He gon’ think I’m a HO.”

4. Beulah - Yoko Beulah reminds me of being happy, and then it makes me happy again. I should marry Beulah and raise a family.

5. The Darkness – Permission to Land I was hepped to this awesomeness by my friend Erin in the very last days of 2003, but I was truly sold the night after Christmas while my brother and I sat in our parents’ living room at 3 am, riding out our drunkenness, and we happened upon the video for “I Believe In a Thing Called Love.” My mouth was half-open the whole time, and when it was over, I turned to him and said, “That was awesome, right?” He confirmed.

6. The Postal Service - Give Up “The District Sleeps Alone” tucked me into bed many a night.

7. Rufus Wainwright – Want One I’m a sucker for crooners. I only wish his phone was on vibrate for me.

8. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow Sometimes you fall in like with an album due to the situation in which you first heard it. It’s always so nice to realize you still like it as much even after that moment is gone.

9. The Raveonettes – Chain Gang of Love Okay, I mostly just listened to “That Great Love Sound” on repeat, but I did this for like a month straight, so that has to count for something.

10. Electric Six – Fire You had me at the video for “Gay Bar” with its dirty Abe Lincolns. Sweet, sweet, dirty Abe Lincoln, come sit by me.

Honorable Mentions:
R. Kelly – Chocolate Factory Underage golden showers aside, I’d be lying if I said “Ignition Remix” wasn’t one of my favorite songs this year. I even downloaded the ringtone. However, gross title and, you know, underage golden showers.
Beyonce – Dangerously In Love The English major in me wants to ask why she didn’t just pick one adverb and stick with it. Also, one night while getting ready for a hot date with a cute boy, I danced to “Crazy In Love” in the shower. I got a bruise on both my shin and my ass. That’s so 1999.

Biggest Disappointments:
Malkmus/Jicks – Pig Lib I looked forward to this album for so long, and then it irritated me so much, one morning I actually got out of the shower mid-shampoo to turn it off. Stephen, where did our love go? I can’t even talk about this. I get upset. Starlight Mints – Built on Squares It pains me to be bored by this, but they seriously should have just re-released "Submarine #3" over and over again. Cat Power – You Are Free I listened to this non-stop for two weeks and could never decide whether I was intrigued or supremely annoyed. I’ve dated people longer for similar reasons. Sahara Hotnights – Jennie Bomb I feel sort of bad for listing this here, because this album totally served its one month purpose for me. Then we never spoke again and pretended like we didn't see each other when we passed at the bar. Everyone wins.

Sarah lives in Brooklyn with a hobbit, and is currently employed as a detective. Think deerstalker hats, huuuge magnifying glasses and looking for cute boys she met on the subway with iPods. She also has lots of time on her hands right now, as you can tell by all the words she wrote. We said top ten, lady.

MST

1. Stereophonics - You Gotta Go There to Come Back
2. Placebo - Sleeping with Ghosts
3. Stellastarr* - Stellastarr*
4. British Sea Power's Classic The Decline of British Sea Power
5. Richard Ashcroft - Human Conditions
6. Starlight Mints - Built on Squares
7. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
8. Grandaddy - Sumday
9. Guided by Voices - Earthquake Glue
10. The Rapture - Echoes

Yes, Mike really did pick Richard Ashcroft at #5. And he's not sorry.

1. Ted Leo and The Pharmacists - Hearts of Oak
2. Bishop Allen - Charm School
3. Grandaddy - Sumday
4. The Rapture - Echoes
5. Stellastarr* - Stellastarr*
6. The Constantines - Shine a Light
7. British Sea Power's Classic The Decline of British Sea Power
8. Slumber Party - 3
9. The Decemberists - Her Majesty, The Decemberists
10. Clem Snide - Soft Spot / A Beautiful EP

other good stuff: incredible moses leroy, postal service, the thermals, fruitbats, the wrens, pulseprogramming, centro-matic, four tet, City of God: remixed, kelis, the frames, calexico

Yeah, I wrote the synopses for the consensus top ten, so I don't feel much like writing more. Ted Leo is fucking fantastic. Stellastarr* was the best suprise of the year. You won't be sorry if you check out the Constantines. And for some reason, Slumber Party just sounds perfect to me, like if Nico had had the brain of Lou Reed.

10. Danny Elfman - The Hulk Soundtrack
9. The Postal Service - Give Up
8. Old Man's Child - In Defiance of Existence
7. Dimmu Borgir - Death Cult Armageddon (666)
6. Kill Bill, Vol. 1 Soundtrack
5. The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium
4. Ulver - Svidd Neger
3. Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism
2. Ulver - A Quick Fix Of Melancholy EP
1. Emperor - Scattered Ashes: Decade of Emperial Wrath

Chuck is a reely good drawer. No foolin'. Check out his stuff at Really Big Monster. Did you know that Ulver is Norwegian for wolf? Didn't think so.

My picks were based on cover art, lyrics, quantity of librarian propaganda, and overall excellence.

1. Ugly Duckling - Taste The Secret
2. The Thermals - More Parts Per Million
3. Justin Timberlake - Senorita (CD Single/Import/Enhanced)
4. The White Stripes - Elephant
5. The New Pornographers - Electric Version
6. The Decemberists - Her Majesty, The Decemberists
7. The Postal Service - Give Up
8. Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism
9. Cursive - The Ugly Organ
10. Tori Amos - Tales of A Librarian

Katie Hall works in a looney bin and spends all day doing crosswords about librarian pirates. So there.

10. The Fire Theft - The Fire Theft
9. Starlight Mints - Built on Squares
8. Pearl Jam - Lost Dogs: Rarities and B Sides
7. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
6. The Beatles - Let it Be Naked
5. Centro-Matic - Love You Just the Same
4. B.R.M.C. - Take Them On, On Your Own
3. Ted Leo and The Pharmacists - Hearts of Oak
2. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
1. Ryan Adams - Rock N Roll

Tony is a rockstar, a producer, a businessman, and works in the highly lucrative field of ostrich plucking. He would like you to know that he has actually listened to all of these. He still wears his flannels, but only around the house.