Top Albums of the Year 2003, Part 3: Other Highly Recommended Albums

Other Albums from 2003 Worth Listening To

Below you will find a somewhat-ordered catalogue of the album releases from 2003. These are albums that I have determined to be good or interesting enough to recommend to you, the reader, for your own exposure, awareness, and/or exploration; these are albums that were not, in my opinion, good enough to belong on my "Masterpieces" page, but which, I thought, deserved some credit and attention. 

     You will find that some of the albums below are reviewed or commented upon, while many have nothing but cover, artist and title, lineup of musicians and songs list. This variance is usually due to a lack of time and a lack of willingness or desire to give each and every album the time and energy necessary to write a review. This is done without any intent of disrespect; the albums have been included because I think them worthy enough to have others try them out and form their own opinions.

MEW Frengers 

Though ostensibly Denmark's MEW is a indie-pop band on the level with MUSE, RADIOHEAD, and COLDPLAY, Frengers contains and displays so much odd, idiosyncratic, and "progressive" sound and song choices that it has earned itself almost universal inclusion into progworld. Reminds me of a cross between IVY and THE CLASH, or PREFAB SPROUT and RADIOHEAD, or THE BUGGLES and very early U2, or THOMAS DOLBY and SIMPLE MINDS.

Favorite songs: "Am I Wry? No" (9/10), "156" (4:55) (9/10), "Snow Brigade" (8/10), "She Spider" (8/10), the prog-length (nine minutes) Post/Math-sounding "Comforting Sounds" (8/10), and, best of all, the gorgeous, emotional "Symmetry" (5:18) (10/10).

Overall quite an enjoyable start-to-finish album of diverse, quirky, surprise-filled songs.

4.5 stars, a near masterpiece.

OCEANSIZE Effloresce 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Mike Vennart / guitar, lead vocals
- Steve Durose / guitar, backing vocals
- Richard "Gambler" Ingram / guitar
- Jon Ellis / bass, keyboards
- Mark Heron / drums
With:
- Claire Lemmon / backing vocals (4,11)
- Kimberlee McCarrick / cello, violin, viola (4,12)
- Martin McCarrick / cello, violin, viola (4,12)
- ? / choir (10)

1. I Am the Morning (4:18)
2. Catalyst (6:40)
3. One Day All This Could Be Yours (4:19) (9/10)
4. Massive Bereavement (9:59)
5. Rinsed (3:58)
6. You Wish (6:00)
7. Remember Where You Are (5:22)
8. Amputee (5:32)
9. Unravel (2:50)
10. Women Who Love Men Who Love Drugs (8:30) one of the best songs of 2003. (19/20)

11. Saturday Morning Breakfast Show (9:04)
12. Long Forgotten (8:57) (18/20)

Total Time 75:29

Why does this great "new" music from this great "new" band sound so familiar? Oh, because ANEKDOTEN has done so much of this before. What Oceansize has over Anekdoten is great vocals/vocalist and an amazing drummer. The debut full-length album from these boys (and girls) from Manchester, a lot of this music is more interesting than likable, more entertaining than ground-breaking. Teases of what is to come next with 2005's Everyone into Position. 

Album highlights include the DOVES-like Post/Math Rock song, "Women Who Love Men Who Love Drugs" (one of the best songs of 2003) (19/20),  "One Day All This Could Be Yours" (9/10) and the mellow, bass-bowed-driven "Long Forgotten" (18/20). I'm sure that this band has been mis-categorized: they're not alt rock, not Indie rock, not psychedelic/space rock, they're more Post/Math Rock or Experimental/Post Metal or a combination of all of the above. (Does that make them "eclectic"?). 

 A very solid 4 star effort.

SATELLITE A Street Between Sunrise and Sunset

A project from remnants of Poland's Noe Prog masters, COLLAGE, including the distinctive sound of MIREK GIL on lead guitar. This is a nice effort though it fails to hold the high level of consistency of Moonshine and other prog masterpieces. One of the notables from any project Gil has been involved with is the high production level--recording engineering is always great. Though Satellite has continued to produce albums since A Street Between Sunrise and Sunset, this was the last project that involved Gil. This is my favorite Satellite album. Best songs: "Not Afraid" (3:55) (10/10), "On the Run" (14:51) (27/30), "Fight" (4:29) (8/10), and "Now" (10:13) (16/20).

Line-up / Musicians:

- Robert Amirian / vocals
- Sarhan Kubeisi / electric (2-6) & acoustic (7) guitars
- Mirek Gil / guitars (1, 2, 6-9)
- Darek Lisowki / keyboards, arrangements
- Krzysiek Palczewski / keyboards (5, 8), arrangements, mixing & co-producer
- Piotr Żaczek / bass guitar (1-3, 6, 8)
- Przemek Zawadzki / bass guitar (4, 5, 7, 9)
- Wojtek Szadkowski / drums, arrangements & co-producer
With:
- Maciek Meller / electric (2, 8) & acoustic (2) guitars
- Michał Kirmuć / drum programming (5)

- Zbigniew Bieniak / backing vocals (2), arrangements (2, 7)

1. "The Evening Wind" (12:45) (20.5/25)
2. "On The Run" (14:51) (27/30)
3. "Midnight Snow" (4:59) (7.75/10)
4. "No Disgrace" (5:34) (8.75/10)
5. "Not Afraid" (3:55) (10/10)
6. "Now" (10:13) (16/20)
7. "Fight" (4:29) (8.25/10)
8. "A Street Between Sunrise & Sunset" (11:18) (16/20)
9. "Children" (3:56) (8/10)

Total time: 72:00

84.3 on the Fishscales = B-/four stars; a nice addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you're a Neo Prog lover.

O.S.I. Office of Strategic Influence

Part DREAM THEATER (thanks to the participation of DT members Kevin Moore and Mike Portnoy), part FATES WARNING (Jim Matheos), here is a "supergroup" that debuts with this solid album of Heavy Prog.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jim Matheos / guitar, keyboards, programming, bass (2)
- Kevin Moore / vocals, keyboards, programming
- Mike Portnoy / drums
With:
- Sean Malone / bass, Chapman Stick
- Steven Wilson / vocals (7)
- Robert Ashley / samples from "Automatic Writing" (7)
- Casa Boom / hand drums, didgeridoo

1. The New Math (What He Said) (3:36)
2. OSI (3:48)
3. When You're Ready (3:08)
4. Horseshoes and B-52's (4:18)
5. Head (5:18)
6. Hello, Helicopter! (3:43)
7. "shutDOWN" (10:24) with Steven Wilson's voice this could very well be 2003 PORCUPINE TREE. (17.75/20)
8. Dirt from a Holy Place (5:09)
9. Memory Daydream Lapses (5:55)
10. Standby (Looks Like Rain) (2:09)
11. Horseshoes and B-52s (bonus video clip) (4:38)

Total Time 52:06

THE GATHERING Souvenirs

As Anneke van Giersbergen becomes more and more the face and soul of The Gathering (she wasn't always!), one can sense her future exodus for a solo career.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Anneke van Giersbergen / vocals
- René Rutten / guitars
- Frank Boeijen / keyboards, programming
- Hugo Prinsen Geerligs / bass
- Hans Rutten / drums, percussion
With:
- Kristoffer Rygg "Trickster G." / vocals (10)
- Dorothy / backing vocals (4)
- Wouter Planteijdt / electric & acoustic guitars (1,4)
- Mathias Eick / trumpet (6)
- Michael Buyens / bass (4,7)
- Jacob Otten "Kid Sublime" / electronic beats (6)
- Zlaya Hadzich / co-arranger, co-mixer, producer

0. Telson (2:08) - hidden pre-gap track
1. These Good People (5:55)
2. Even The Spirits Are Afraid (5:12)
3. Broken Glass (4:59) (9/10)
4. "You Learn About It "(5:08) probably the best song of the year--even the decade. An unforgettable performance. (11/10)
5. Souvenirs (6:06)
6. We Just Stopped Breathing (6:51)
7. Monsters (5:01) (9/10)
8. Golden Grounds (4:52)
9. Jelena (10:09) - with 4:00 of silence
10. A Life All Mine (5:07)

Total Time: 61:28

The Gathering's trend toward more popular, accessible tunes is strikingly evident on Souvenirs. Anneke seems in control, now,  or, at least, the band has realized what an attraction she is and have gone out of their way to showcase her more. And there are definitely some absolutely gorgeous tunes showcasing her extraordinary vocal talents, including the amazing "You Learn About It" (5:10) (10/10), and "Broken Glass" (4:54) (9/10), but, overall, the album shows less and less 'progressive' tendencies and more and more conformity to polished radio-friendly structures and sounds. Still, a mature and very polished band with one of the top five female voices of all-time! Definitely worth a listen.

MOONGARDEN Round Midnight

Often dissed by the prog community, I find Moongarden's contributions quite relevant to the prog revival, even if they are more NeoProg than expansionist. The final Moongarden album with singer Luca Palleschi in the lead position.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Luca Palleschi / lead & backing vocals
- David Cremoni / 6- & 7-string electric and 6- & 12-string acoustic guitars
- Cristiano Roversi / analog keyboards, electric piano, Hammond, Mellotron, Moog, loops, samples, Chapman Stick (1)
- Mirko Tagliasacchi / bass
- Massimiliano Sorrentini / drums, samples
With:
- Giorgio Signoretti (Scraps Orchestra) / guitar solo (3)
- Stefano Boccafoglia (Scraps Orchestra) / narrator (3)
- Marco Remondini (Scraps Orchestra) / cello (5)
- Francesca Leasi / oboe (5)
- Massimo Menotti / ambient guitar loops (7)

1. "Round Midnight" (7:48) (14/15)

2. "Wounded" (7:25) acoustic guitar strumming while Luca's scratch-compressed voice sings melancholically. In the third minute the music changes ('tron, electronic kick drum and bass). In the fourth minute Luca emerges from his submerged location and the music becomes flanged electric guitar strumming. Fifth minute full band coalesces and everybody is front and center--drums and sustained Hammond chords and sustained guitar (power) chords (kept in the background). Interesting but kind of scattered and nonsensical. (12/15)

3. "Killing the Angel" (4:53) builds into an excellent, power song. Great drumming and vocals. (9/10)

4. "Lucifero" (6:36) heavenly choir with spacey wind sounds panning around until the second minute when Roland electric piano takes over. Luca enters shortly thereafter singing in a voice that is like a combination of Thom Yorke and Peter Gabriel. Never really amounts to much. (7.5/10)

5. "Slowmotion Streets" (5:47) innocuous enough but takes too long to develop. (7.5/10)

6. "Learning to Live Under the Ground" (10:24) power metal? settles down in the third minute for entry of vocals. Nice melodies and chord progressions throughout the vocal sections. Stop/interlude 5:10 to 6:12 which is filled with Luca's four RADIOHEAD-like vocal tracks. Nice instrumental section follows. Another interlude 7:50 to 8:35 filled with reverse guitar notes and then solo electric piano. Interesting drumming display slowly brings us back to vocals--this time more subdued (though doubled up in harmony). (17.25/20)

7. "Coda: Psychedelic Subway Ride" (1:56) (4/5)

8. "Nightmade Concrete" (5:42) solo piano motif is joined by metronomic jazz-rock combo for Luca to sing. The stripped down solo acoustic guitar chorus is cool. A pleasant song about young love. I like the relaxed GENESIS palette of the instrumental passage. (8.5/10)

9. "Oh, by the Way, We're So Many in This City and So Damn Alone" (1:54) (4.25/5)

Total Time 52:25

Great sound, excellent musicianship (especially love the up-front bass on this LP), and a strong, powerful, emotive voice in LUCA PALLESCHI, their music is always an enjoyable and interesting listen. The songs "Round Midnight" (7:49) (14/15), "Killing the Angel" (4:53) (9/10), and "Learning to Live Under the Ground" (10:24) (17.25/20) are all worthy of inclusion in the pantheon of excellent prog music.

82.22 on the Fishscales = C/3.5 stars; Round Midnight is a solid 4 star effort; a very nice addition to a prog lover's music collection.

AFTER CRYING Show 

Hungarian prog rockers of the truly symphonic persuasion come forth with their sixth studio album release.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Zoltán Bátky / lead & backing vocals
- Gábor Egervári / lyrics, narration
- Tamás Görgényi / lyrics & dramaturgy, narration, programming
- Ferenc Torma / guitars, keyboards, programming
- Zoltán Lengyel / grand piano, keyboards, synthesizer
- Péter Pejtsik / cello, violin, bass, backing vocals, arrangements & orchestrations
- Balázs Winkler / trumpet, grand piano, synthesizer, arrangements
- Zsolt Madai / drums & percussion
With:
- Judit Andrejszki / lead & backing vocals (1,4)
- Zsófia Katona / lead (10) & backing (1,10) vocals
- Gábor Légrádi / narration (6,7,10,11)
- László Préda / trumpet
- László Borsódy / trumpet
- Pál Makovecz / trombone
- Viktor Dániel Nagy / trombone
- Réthi Zsombor / trombone
- Sándor Endrödy / horn
- Dezsö Czentár / horn
- Peter Soós / horn
- Balázs Pernecky / horn
- Gábor Kollman / saxophone

1. NWC - New World Coming (4:30)
2. Invisible Legion (9:37) (17.5/20)
3. Face to Face (The Legion) (2:34)
4. Welcome on Board (3:51)
5. Paradise Lost (2:54)
6. "Remote Control" (9:04) (17.25/20):
- a) Invision
- b) News
- c) Media Overdose
7. Technopolis (7:54) :
- a) Setup
- b) Technopolis
8. Globevillage at Night (in memoriam Bartók Béla) (1:30)
9. Bone Squad (2:58)
10. Wanna Be a Member? (4:27) :
- a) Bible Rap
- b) Reception
11. "Secret Service" (15:24) (26/30):
- a) Part One
- b) Part Two (incl. Déjà vu I)
- c) Part Three (incl. Déjà vu II)
- d) Part Four
12. Farewell (2:50)
13. Life Must Go On (4:29)

Total Time 72:02

After Crying is one of those bands who came onto the scene in the 1990s (1990, to be exact) with a bang: each album vastly different from the other, full of songs that, though sometimes show influences of their prog predecessors, more often draw from the peculiar Hungarian folk, classical and colloquial traditions. Show does not quite reach the heights of Overground Music, De Profundis, Megalázottak és Megzomorítottak--or even Fold Es Eg or 6--but still has some very fresh and wonderful music and ideas--even hybridizing some more poppy (no pun intended) sounds and technologies within the fabric of their unusual musics. "NWC" (New World Coming) (8/10) is one such example: Hungarian, classical and poppy all at the same time. "Invisible Legion" (18/20) has some of After Crying's familiar 'larger than life' cinematic bombasticity to it--and definitely in After Crying's unique and inimitable style. "Face to Face" (8/10) shows the jazz-rock-orchestral side of After Crying: pianos, big orchestral support (especially in the horn section), and seering electric guitar soli. "Welcome on Board" (7/10) is another attempt to cross the pop lines, with some techno/electronic sound and female vocals (though she does get a bit operatic at times) in English. "Paradise Lost" (8/10) is a typical AC interlude showcasing the talents and song-writing skills of a particular group member--this time cellist Péter Pejtsik. Sounds a bit too like PAUL WINTER CONSORT circa Icarus. "Remote Control" (16/20), at 9:08, is one of the album's three real epics. Even so, it has quite a poppy HOGARTH ERA MARILLION/GUY MANNING sound and feel to it. Still, the song has enough unpredicted, quirky tangents to stand on its own. "Technopolis" (9/10) definitely showcases AC's new proclivity to incorporate the modern computer programming rhythms and sounds though here as pure backdrop to some brilliant piano, keyboard, and guitar work. Well done, pianist Zoltan Legeyl, and AC. Instrumental virtuosi with a compositional style unlike anyone else in progworld. Give this one a listen, people!

SUPERSILENT 6

EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place

A very well-acclaimed album from the Post Rock sub-genre. Predecessor to the MONO / GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT / RED SPAROWES / GIFTS FROM ENOLA group of atmospheric Post Rockers.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Mark Smith / guitar
- Munaf Rayani / guitar
- Michael James / bass
- Christopher Hrasky / drums

1. "First Breath After Coma" (9:33) (17.75/20)
2. "The Only Moment We Were Alone" (10:14) (17.25/20)
3. Six Days at the Bottom of the Ocean (8:43) (/20)
4. Memorial (8:50) (/20)
5. Your Hand in Mine (8:17) (/20)

Total Time: 45:39

MAR DE ROBLES Mar de Robles

Line-up / Musicians:
- Rodrigo Moris / guitar, backing vocals
- Julio Tobar / flute, tenor saxophone, vocals
- Cristián Larrondo / bass, backing vocals
- Victor Muñoz / drums 
- Ignacio Larrondo / percussion

1. Introducción Al Universo Conocido (1:02)
2. Involución (7:35)
3. Nòmades (8:38)
4. Tantic (7:34)
5. Milodòn (6:10)
6. Aire Chileno (8:58)
7. El Flecha (5:12)
8. V-S (8:32)

Total Time: 53:41

MUSE Absolution

Line-up / Musicians:
- Matthew Bellamy / lead vocals, lead & rhythm guitars, keyboards, string arrangements, programming
- Chris Wolstenholme / bass, backing vocals 
- Dominic Howard / percussion, drums, programming
With:
- Paul Reeve / vocals samples (1), backing vocals (9,10)
- Audrey Riley / string arrangements
- "Spectrasonic's Symphony of Voices" / vocal samples (5,12)

1. Intro (0:22)
2. Apocalypse Please (4:12)
3. Time Is Running Out (3:56)
4. Sing for Absolution (4:54)
5. Stockholm Syndrome (4:58)
6. Falling Away With You (4:40)
7. Interlude (0:37)
8. Hysteria (3:47)
9. Blackout (4:22)
10. Butterflies and Hurricanes (5:01)
11. Small Print (3:29)
12. Endlessly (3:48)
13. Thoughts of a Dying Atheist (3:11)
14. Ruled by Secrecy (4:52)

Total Time: 52:09

  

ANEKDOTEN Gravity

A fan favorite, Gravity is a pretty solid studio album--much more so than those that follow it. Still, I find it a bit flawed, lacking as much freshness as previous Anekdoten efforts; the sound is definitely Anekdoten. As always, Mellotron heaven (though not nearly as much as the following live album Waking the Dead: Live from Japan, 2005). And, still, "Ricochet"(9/10) is for me the only 5 star song--though both "Monolith" and "SW4" really stand up in the live format.

If you want to hear Anekdoten at its innovative best, check out any of the previous three albums, Vemod, Nucleus, and From Within. But, if you want the best of all--and one of the best live recordings ever--check out Waking the Dead!

DJAM KARET Night in Baku

Line-up / Musicians:
- Gayle Ellett / electric & slide guitars, 8-string lute, organ, Theremin, synths, Fx, field recordings
- Mike Henderson / guitars, e-bow, synths, Fx, field recordings
- Henry Osborne / bass (1,3,5,8)
- Aaron Kenyon / bass (2,4-7,9)
- Chuck Oken, Jr. / drums, percussion, synths, sequencing, sounds
With:
- Steve Roach / guitar atmospheres (8)

1. Dream Portal (5:26)
2. "Hungry Ghost" (9:17) (/20)
3. Chimera Moon (7:08)
4. Heads of Ni-Oh (8:03)
4. Scary Circus (3:41)
5. The Falafel King (3:23)
6. Sexy Beast (4:25)
7. Ukab Maerd (7:56)
8. "The Red Thread" (10:29) (/20)

Total Time: 59:56

ESPERS Espers

Line-up / Musicians:
- Greg Weeks / guitar, dulcimer, autoharp, bass, violin, chimes, recorder, electronics, vocals
- Meg Baird / acoustic & electric guitars, dulcimer, electronics, vocals
- Brooke Sietinsons / 6- & 12-string acoustic guitars, finger cymbals, chimes, harmonica
With:
- Tara Burke / vocals
- Laura Baird / flute
- Matthew Everett / viola
- Margie Wienk / cello
- Quentin Stoltzfust / tone generator

1. Flowery Noontide (4:10)
2. Meadow (4:11)
3. Riding (4:09)
4. Voices (3:44)
5. Hearts & Daggers (8:34)
6. Byss & Abyss (6:03)
7. Daughter (3:03)
8. Travel Mountains (6:30)

Total time 40:24

ULVER Lyckantropen Themes

Another road taken by the masters of musical adventure and risk taking! This one into the world of elctronica--and very effectively done! This could very well be a music to accompany dream therapy, lucid dreaming, brain wave therapy, meditation, and/or sleep therapy--all of which I am intimately familiar with. While I haven't tried to use this music for trance and/or meditation induction as I have with the music of The Listening Program, The Monroe Institute, Andrew Weil, Deepak Chopra, Robert Gass, The Tomatis Institute, Brian Eno, Jonathon Goldman, Peter Kater, and Glenn Velez, it could be used as such. There is a growing thickness, an increase in the layers and depth in the music as we get 20 minutes into the album. After that there is a greater presence of suggestives like harmony, melody, and computer generated special effects, but, by the time we get to the 9th Lyckantropen theme the music/sound is getting confusing, disconcerting, even overwhelming or irritating. Were this intended as a mind-guiding experience I would think it would be more settling, more peaceful, less unnerving.

Amendment 12/14/15: Now that I've seen Steve Ericsson's film Lyckantropen I understand much better. this is music based on themes Ulver had composed for a movie soundtrack! No wonder!

ANATHEMA A Natural Disaster

Line-up / Musicians:
- Vincent Cavanagh / lead & backing vocals, guitars, vocoder (?)
- Daniel Cavanagh / guitars, keyboards, lead (4,9) & backing (1,2,6) vocals
- Les Smith / keyboards, programming
- Jamie Cavanagh / bass, programming
- John Douglas / drums
With:
- Lee Douglas / lead vocals (7)
- Anna Livingstone / "spectral voices" (4)

1. Harmonium (5:28)
2. Balance (3:58)
3. Closer (6:20)
4. Are You There? (4:59)
5. Childhood Dream (2:10)
6. Pulled Under at 2000 Metres a Second (5:23)
7. A Natural Disaster (6:27)
8. Flying (5:57)
9. Electricity (3:51)
10. Violence (10:45)

Total Time: 55:18

 

Special Mentions:

(Albums that are just outside the spectrum of true Prog Rock)

MASSIVE ATTACK 100th Window

EVANESCENCE Fallen

BLUR Think Tank

ARCADE FIRE Arcade Fire (EP)

Albums from 2003 that Are, IMHO, Over-rated

NEAL MORSE Testimony

Neal has a kind of cult following, maybe because of his Christian messages, but I think Testimony gets so much hype because it's a double album worth of music. Well, recorded and performed, covering a vast gambit of styles, from country torch song to blues to cinematic to California 60/70s to classic prog and stadium rock sounds, the effort is a bit too strung out for my tastes--as if Neal is actually trying to impress people with his diversity and eclectic abilities. (Kind of like my reaction to Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn. Show off!)  Plus this is as prog as The Eagles were with Joe Walsh. (Which is: Close but not quite.) Good music if you like James Taylor, Jackson Brown, and Don Henley/The Eagles.

KING CRIMSON The Power to Believe

My reaction to hearing this for the first time--especially after all the "Crimson is back" and "Crimson is still breaking new ground" hype--was one of quite a let down "Oh! It's just more King Crimson doing what King Crimson does." I like that Adrian Belew's voice (which I never really loved but tolerated for its humerous, intelligent content) is most often treated and I do like all the percussive play, especially on "The Power to Believe II" (7/10) but R Fripp's solos have been pretty much . . . played out; he's really not doing much new. And he's still not getting out of his head and playing from his hear very well (something he always admired in others and supposedly aspired to achieve for himself). The one thing that I never cease to admire in R Fripp and Crimson is their disciplined approach to music. They set the bar very high in that regard. A decent album. In my opinion, better than the the 'double trio' efforts of the 90s.