2003 Summed Up By Me
Jan 06 '04
The Bottom Line 2003 Was A Good Year, But 2004 Is Gonna Be Better!
Year Y2K 3 brought a lot of good things like some good movies and video games. It also brought us into the lives of the newlyweds Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson to prove how really ridiculously stupid Simpson really is. It brought the Kobe Bryant scandal and towards the end even the Michael Jackson allegations, but something that will be remembered for a long time is the music that came out this year. Pennywise released a new CD for the first time in two years and Macabre released their most anticipated CD of their whole career. There were a lot of memorable records that came out this year and surprisingly there really weren’t many duds that I listened to despite AFI’s new album and Blink’s idiotic self titled release.
2003 was a great year for me as well. It was the year where I actually began writing mediocre reviews instead of crappy ones like I’d been writing in the past. I made some friends on the site (whom will be named later in this little thing) and even received three hats for my work. I guess I do have some fans despite my lacking reviews. Hmm…What else happened? Oh, I got into a lot of new bands (Which will also be mentioned later in the essay) and I got a new computer. Yes, a brand spanking new computer (Dell Dimension 2400 decked out with so much crap that it cost a thousand buckaroos) along with some games to play. But enough about me. One of the reasons you’re here is to view my favorite albums of last year and even if some of you disagree (someone in the crowd always does) you should feel free to post a comment or complaint. Well, enough of my babble…I’m excited…let’s get to the list! (And none of them are in any specific order since I liked them all the same)
Top Records Of 2003
The Offspring - Splinter
The Offspring really surprised me this year with the release of Splinter. Not only is it much better than the stuff they’ve been releasing since 1998, but it really takes them back to some of their old roots introduced on Ixnay On The Hombre. I love this album and it’s great to see that they finally smacked themselves and decided they were going to be cool again.
The White Stripes - Elephant
After listening to their White Blood Cells record as well as listening to their Seven Nation Army single, I knew that I had to buy Elephant. Plus, everyone was giving it good reviews. Sure, most of my friends think I have softened because they think The White Stripes suck, I loved Elephant especially how rocking it was. It’s the stand alone title of the year. It was over hyped, but it sure connected successfully.
Pennywise - From The Ashes
From The Ashes really proved that an age old punk band can still turn heads even after years of playing. I happened to really like this album no matter how it really was repetitive. Pennywise stunned me this year with From The Ashes because of how lyrically in tune they were and how three dimensional the album was. It’s a catchy CD, fun to listen to, and has some of the more positive thinking that the punk rock genre doesn’t have.
NOFX - The War On Errorism
NOFX was one of the first punk rock groups that I ever got into so when I heard word that they were working on a follow up title to their lacking Pump Up The Valuum CD, I didn’t really want to get it until some reviews were published on the site. Then called Our Second Best Album, The War On Errorism mixes wicked guitar solos with intellectual lyrics and stunning melodies. I think it’s a good thing if you listen to a CD months and months after you bought it because that’s the case with The War On Errorism.
Violent J - Wizard In The Hood
Violent J (of two-person rap group Insane Clown Posse) released Wizard In The Hood in the summer and he really did a good job with it on his “solo” project. What’s unique about this title is that it’s like a story being voiced as the album spins. It’s a spin-off of The Wizard Of Oz tale with remixes of songs from The Wiz. The CD is catchy, hilarious, and full of good humored fun. Violent J has always been top notch when it comes to rhymes and he did a good job with this project.
Macabre - Murder Metal
Death Metal trio Macabre returns after a four year silence with October’s release of Murder Metal with impressive features like thirteen songs of fast heavy metal with very incredible lyrics. The thing is, with Macabre, they scream about serial killers like Dahmer and Bundy. That’s what makes them weird, but in a good way. Sure, Murder Metal sounds a lot more punk oriented and it sounds much different than their awesome Sinister Slaughter CD, but I loved it. If you can listen to all the songs through without skipping a track then it’s a good CD. Macabre outdid themselves with Murder Metal and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.
Anti-Flag - The Terror State
Anti-Flag have it all: Intelligent lyrics, fantastic guitar and bass work mixed in with some of the best drumming I’ve ever heard, along with great vocals by two vocalists. If you’ve heard of a better new punk group then let me know. A-F stunned me with A New Kind Of Army as well as Die For The Government and now they came out in October with The Terror State arguably their most political albums with lyrics that would make George W. Bush blush. #2 Chris gets some more vocal time, but Justin Sane still connects with very powerful words of wisdom. I love this band and they can only get better.
Less Than Jake - Anthem
Anthem was the second LTJ record that I bought and it is one of my favorite. Although it had a lot more pop elements instead of Ska themes that they were known for in the past (which made a lot of fans angry), I think that they did a good job adjusting to the new music medium of mainstream rock. Anthem was really a gamble for me because I some people were saying it sucked while others were saying it was good so I didn’t know what to think, but with it being only ten bucks I had to cave in and buy it. Lucky I did because this turns out to be a really nice record. In fact it’s one of the best of the year. Duh. With songs like She’s Gonna Break Soon and Ghosts Of You And Me, you can’t go wrong with this Pop/Ska/Punk masterpiece.
The Distillers - Coral Fang
Coral Fang is a breath of fresh air for the punk genre with very personal and deep lyrics written by Brody Armstrong (ex-wife of Rancid rocker Tim Armstrong). In fact, a lot of the lyrics really are innuendoes about Tim and her if you can catch some of them. With the band’s new gothic sound comes a new guitarist to help Brody with the guitar work. The band’s sound is much better with four members and Coral Fang proves to be their best release yet. Although it didn’t sell a zillion records it is still a fan favorite and one of my favorite albums of all time. The catchiness and darkness of all the songs is just spectacular along with the very nice lyrics (which I’ve already told you about). The only thing that sucks, though, is the “safe cover”. Oh, don’t get me started!
MxPx - Before Everything & After
Before Everything & After was a sleeper hit. Like Coral Fang, it came out silently and totally under my nose so I was pleasantly surprised when I heard about it. Immediately I bought it and it proves to me that MxPx isn’t one of the countless pop/punk bands out there. MxPx’s sound is much different than what they’ve ever done and all of the songs on it are listenable. The trio of MxPx is a group of talented guys and even if the lyrics are still a little wishy washy with too many rhymes, it’s still cool. Mike leads the vocals and does a great job as always. I hate when people compare MxPx to Blink-182, but they do sound a little similar except for the fact that MxPx’s CD was much better than Blink’s this year.
Rancid - Indestructible
Rancid’s Indestructible was the record that really got me into Rancid’s sound. Ever since I bought it months and months ago I have grown into bigger and better things by the band like …And Out Come The Wolves and Life Won’t Wait, but I still go back to my roots and listen to Indestructible since it’s so cool. The last track Other Side is probably my favorite Rancid song just for having rad lyrics and awesome instrumentation. Speaking of awesome instrumentation, Matt plays bass so well that it will stun you. In Indestructible he doesn’t have as many solos or good parts, but his talent can still be heard. Tim and Lars guitars pack a big punch and even though this is probably the band’s poppiest release, it still has a place in my heart for being so catchy and having the awesome song Arrested In Shanghai.
Most Disappointing Of 2003
AFI - Sing The Sorrow
Sing The Sorrow was the first CD that I bought by AFI and I guess I liked it at first, but it began to suck when I heard AFI’s other albums like The Art Of Drowning and Shut Your Mouth & Open Your Eyes. Sing The Sorrow is full of gothic pop that fans of Korn and Disturbed listen to so I don’t want to associate with that. Sure, the band is a little dark, but Sing The Sorrow is just repetitive and most of the songs just annoy me. It’s a dud.
Blink-182 - Blink-182
I had a lot of hope that Blink-182 was going to be the aging trio’s finest release, but I was dead wrong. It turns out to be their worst and one of the biggest abominations I’ve ever listened to since Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory. The amount of pop and emo involved is way too much. Sure, there is a song or two that I bump up on my speakers, but those few songs are the only ones I can tolerate on the whole record. What happened to the Blink that made Dude Ranch? This was by far the biggest disappointment of the year and should definitely be avoided.
Most Surprising Hit Of 2003
Sepultura - Roorback
During the summer I had the “privilege” of listening to Sepultura’s Against, which I didn’t like at all mainly for the reason that the new vocalist of this Brazilian heavy metal band was annoying and very stupid. Well, when Roorback (or Roorbach) came out in August I thought that I should give it a shot since the band was very proud of it and openly said it aloud. I listened to it and was blown away. Despite the occasional crappy song, a majority of the record was superb and better than anything the band had done with Derrick Green in the group. I was really surprised by this outcome of how good the CD was so I decided that it should be under the title of The Most Surprising Hit of 2003. Igor Cavalera does a phenomenal job drumming (like always) and all of the bases are covered with political lyrics that would impress Jello Biafra himself. I liked Roorback a lot and I think that any self-deserving metal fans should listen to it for it’s uniqueness.
I Still Need To Buy…
Dead Prez - Get Free Or Die Tryin’
Dead Prez is rad. With that said I really can’t say why I didn’t buy their new CD last year. Maybe it was because I was lazy, but my resolution is to pick it up this year no matter how many people dislike it. Dead Prez is a poltical rap group that entertained rap fans with their two very solid albums Let’s Get Free and Turn Off The Radio. Their lyrics are some of the best I’ve ever heard and their beats remain unmatched. Even if the title isn’t as original as some of the things they have rapped about in the past (their title sort of sounds like that Nickel or Quarter rapper…what was his name? 50 cents…oops…). I need to buy this CD. Err…
Cool Bands I Was Introduced To This Year
Rancid (Thanks, MattA75)
The White Stripes (Thanks, Aerocat)
Rocket From The Crypt
Weezer (You get another kudos Aerocat and Matty)
Insane Clown Posse and related groups (it’s all on you, Dbbum)
Why Didn’t You Release Anything New Last Year?
Leftover Crack
Rocket From The Crypt
Weezer
Bad Religion
Jimmy Eat World
Favorite Reviews By My Peers
"Detroit Rocks—As Do The White Stripes" by Shelly (Lambchops) on the White Stripes’ Elephant CD
"The Death Of The Salacious Album Title" by Nikita (Minorthreat78) on Blink-182’s self-titled record
"Reviving Punk Rock From The Ashes Or Driving It To The Grave?" by Steve (PunkRawka) on Pennywise’s From The Ashes CD
"Rancid Shows They Are Very Much Destructible On New Effort" by Matt (MattA75) on Rancid’s Indestructible album
Best New Music Reviewers On The Site
Sxepunk and Musicsucks get this coveted award for being so cool and awesome. Not only is it a privilege to read each review they come up with, but their writing style is much better than my own. I agree with both of them on many subjects ranging from favorite songs to favorite musicians. These guys are very nice writers and hopefully they’ll have a fun time on Epinions well into the new year. What sort of sucks though is how little of people are rating their reviews. I hope that whoever’s reading this will go out and read and rate these guys’ reviews.
My Favorite Review(s) That I Wrote This Year
"This CD is Just Insane" on Justin Sane’s Life, Love, And The Pursuit Of Justice.
It’s not too often that I actually comment on me being proud of one of my reviews. Sure, I get a lot of comments and emails saying how much people enjoy reading my reviews (which means a lot to me), but I truly think that I’m not as talented as people think I am. When I totally 180ed my writing style with this review adding bolds and italics, I really made my review professional looking and much better than anything I’ve ever created thus far. This review marked the first time I actually placed finishing touches on my work to make it look good and I’m very proud of that for that reason. Although I’ve had a couple other reviews that I was really proud of, this one is definitely one that I cherish. This was also the year that I started writing music reviews. Ain't that special?
Decent Epinionators
When I say “decent”, I mean above average. Five stars. Platinum review writers. Great people. The people on this short list are the people that have made my stay here on Epinions a nice one and who have stuck with me through thick and thin. There are many more, but I just choose the best of the best. Sorry, for anyone who’s not on the list…maybe next year will be your year…
Grandpa_Riot – A talented writer and a good guy, Riot has written a lot of good reviews on bands ranging from Less Than Jake to The Clash and even to The Aquabats. This guy knows what he’s talking about and is a smooth talker at that. We have a lot in common, him and me. In fact, he emails me every one in while to check up on me and ask me what I’m listening to and even to recommend some albums.
PunkRawka – We agree on a lot of things except the new Pennywise and Offspring albums, but that’s another story all together. Steve’s one of the few people on the site who has an open mind on nu-metal and he writes reviews one what he knows about. He’s a good guy. But what Steve is truly good at is quick to the point reviews. Instead of filler in his reviews (like what I do sometimes), he says everything that’s on his mind not worrying about how long or short his review is going to be. And you can easily tell that he’s passionate about everything that he talks about even if he’s talking about not liking an album.
Minorthreat78 – Now, when I first started writing “good” reviews, a guy joined the site by the name of Nikita. He wrote really good reviews by the start and as I was growing, I watched him grow and we’re now like on the same level. He was the first one to write me an email when I got an advisor and top reviewer hat in music. I really appreciated that and he’s one of the few who comment on most of my reviews.
Dbbum – Being an Advisor since November of 2002, he’s been on the top of his game writing great music reviews as well as reviews on web sites. He’s talented and has a great vocabulary. He also got me into Insane Clown Posse and all of those rap groups, which meant a lot to me. He’s one of the coolest guys and friends on the site and his reviews are top notch.
Shadesofblue – She’s one of the coolest people on the site and is sincere in everything she says. She gets straight to the point whether it’s a review she wrote or a comment on your review. I can’t count all of the words of encouragement she’s spoken to me through comments on my reviews. She’s a gem, but something I really appreciate is all the comments she leaves. She’s flat out truthful. If I wrote a review tomorrow or something she might write a comment saying “Your writing style is okay, but your musical taste sucks…I enjoyed reading the review anyway”. Thanks…
Lambchops – One of the first Most Helpfuls I got was one that Shelly gave me months and months back when I reviewed an Our Lady Peace album. When she gave me that obvious glitch it boosted my self esteem so I have to say thanks for that. She’s the lead in Music if you don’t know and she’s a happening chick with a good sense of humor as well as good musical tastes. Everything rock is her domain. Hey, and she can even whip up a good movie review every once in a while!
MattA75 – No one knows more about the punk and Ska genres than this guy write here. A fan of almost everything rock oriented, he’s the person I look to when buying a new rock album. With a zillion reviews, he has spawned his eggs on most of the music reviews on the site. When I buy a CD and then check if someone’s written a review on that CD, his name comes up immediately because he’s written so many reviews. I really don’t know why he’s a top reviewer. I would trade him the Advisor hat in music for his writing skills. He deserves an Advisor hat more than anyone.
Looking Into The Future
Now I’m embarrassed. I’ve said my feelings about some of my fellow reviewers and even told people my list of favorites. I bet people will nag me about my list. I can hear it now: “Why isn’t the new Justin Timberlake album on your list? Or that A Perfect Circle one? Oooh and that new Pink and Britney Spears CD! What’s wrong with you? Don’t you listen to good music?” If good music is dancing to a retired Mickey Mouse clubber who had some sleep overs at Michael Jackson’s house, then hand me the anal lube and frozen bananas. I had a fun time last year with all the excitement surrounding my accomplishments on the site, going into high school, and starting a band, but my only hope for the future is to start/continue writing well and being the nicest person that I can be. That’s all I really ask for. A lot of music came and went like last night meat loaf, but memories will always be there of me waiting in line for an hour to get my hands on a pile of crap that was Blink’s new CD. Musically, the year was good and I’m happy with it. What does next year hold? Hopefully a new Rocket From The Crypt or Jimmy Eat World album. Thanks for reading this lengthy piece, but as for me I have to go to the bathroom to wash lipstick off my mouth from kissing so many reviewers’ a*ses. Peace out, everyone!
© Jason Haskins, 2004
“JiggyJay”
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Epinions.com ID:
JiggyJay
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 - Top 500 |
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Member: Jason Haskins
Location: Portland, Oregon
Reviews written: 522
Trusted by: 266 members
About Me:
Hoping to start writing again this month. (May, 2009) ;) See you soon
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