975. Want One

Want One
Rufus Wainwright
2003

Tracks
1. Oh What A World
2. I Don't Know What It Is
3. Vicious World
4. Movies Of Myself
5. Pretty Things
6. Go Or Go Ahead
7. Vibrate
8. 14th Street
9. Natasha
10. Harvester Of Hearts
11. Beautiful Child
12. Want
13. 11:11
14. Dinner At Eight

I was only familiar with a couple songs that Rufus Wainwright had covered, so I was pleased to explore more of his work. Wainwright is clearly a very emotionally intelligent songwriter, and there wasn't a bad song on the album. 

I could how his voice might grate for some people, but I really enjoyed it and thought it suited his songs well. Each track was unique but still paid tribute to the central mood of the album. My favorite song is probably "I Don't Know What It Is" but it's a really tough call.

A fairly heavy and emotional album, so gird your loins.

RATING: 4/5

974. Wonderful Rainbow

Wonderful Rainbow
Lightning Bolt
2003

Tracks
1. Hello Morning
2. Assassins
3. Dracula Mountain
4. 2 Towers
5. On Fire
6. Crown of Storms
7. Longstockings
8. Wonderful Rainbow
9. 30,000 Monkies
10. Duel In the Deep

Well, they really leaned into the noise aspect of noise rock. This is just a relentless onslaught of noise, and it's difficult to even make out the vocals.

I didn't hate it, but I think I did begin to tune it out after awhile. Consequently, it did not leave the strongest impression. Still enjoyable though.

It's a very repetitive album but it still manages to entertain.

RATING: 3/5

973. De-Loused in the Comatorium

De-Loused in the Comatorium
The Mars Volta
2003

Tracks
1. Son et Lumiere
2. Inertiatic Esp
3. Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)
4. Tira Me a Las Aranas
5. Drunkship Of Lanterns
6. Eriatarka
7. Cicatriz Esp
8. This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed
9. Televators
10. Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt

This is a concept album based on a short story that the lead singer wrote. It tells the story of Cerpin Taxt, who overdoses on rat poison and morphine. I got all this from the Wikipedia page, not the album. You can't really get that from the lyrics, so it's a concept album only if you already know the concept.

We are left with a pretty pretentious album with irritating vocals. Even the album cover is annoying, and they aren't even doing anything original.

One month before the album was released, one of the founding members of the band was found dead of a heroin overdose in his apartment. So I guess they knew what they were talking about.

RATING: 2/5

972. Get Rich or Die Tryin'

Get Rich or Die Tryin'
50 Cent
2003

Tracks
1. Intro
2. What Up Gangsta
3. Patiently Waiting
4. Many Men (Wish Death)
5. In Da Club
6. High All The Time
7. Heat
8. If I Can't
9. Blood Hound
10. Back Down
11. P.I.M.P.
12. Like My Style
13. Poor Lil Rich
14. 21 Questions
15. Don't Push Me
16. Gotta Make It To Heaven

Damn, that album cover has certainly brightened up my morning. Stupid broken glass. If he could just scooch a little to the left I'd be happy.

So I actually enjoyed this a bit. He has really good singles, with a slow and soft delivery. This might be because he was shot 9 times and not necessarily an artistic decision, but I still appreciate it. 

50 Cent was recently harassed by his ex Chelsea Handler into renouncing his endorsement of Trump. That's the kind of ex girlfriend I aspire to be.

RATING: 3/5

971. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Outkast
2003

Tracks

Disc: 1

1. Intro
2. GhettoMusick
3. Unhappy
4. Bowtie Featuring Sleepy Brown & Jazze Pha
5. The Way You Move
6. The Rooster
7. Bust Featuring Killer Mike
8. War
9. Church
10. Bamboo (Interlude)
11. Tomb Of The Boom
12. E-Mac (Interlude)
13. Knowing
14. Flip Flop Rock
15. Interlude
16. Reset
17. D-Boi (Interlude)
18. Last Call
19. Bowtie (Postlude)

Disc: 2

1. The Love Below (Intro)
2. Love Hater
3. God (Interlude)
4. Happy Valentine’s Day
5. Spread
6. Where Are My Panties?
7. Prototype
8. She Lives In My Lap
9. Hey Ya!
10. Roses
11. Good Day, Good Sir
12. Behold A Lady
13. Pink & Blue
14. Love In War
15. She’s Alive
16. Dracula’s Wedding
17. My Favorite Things
18. Take Off Your Cool
19. Vibrate
20. A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre

Boy, this album has a lot of gull for being two and a half hours when we are only 30 albums away from finishing this thing. Really, no album should be that long, even if the music is enjoyable it loses some of its charm after the second hour.

Setting aside the length, this is actually a pretty good album. It had a good blend of hip hop and soulful rap. But with such a long album there are inevitable dull stretches. Huh, I guess I can't set aside the length after all. 

At least it had a few standout singles.

RATING: 3/5

970. Fever to Tell

Fever to Tell
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2003

Tracks
1. Rich
2. Date With The Night
3. Man
4. Tick
5. Black Tongue
6. Pin
7. Cold Light
8. No No No
9. Maps
10. Y Control
11. Modern Romance

I am finding myself drawn more to punk music as I get older, which might be an early stage of a midlife crisis. This is slightly watered down punk, and I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, even though there was the occasional obnoxious song.

You can tell that the people who made this album had a really passion for the genre, and they paid tribute to many punk artists throughout the album's entirety. It was another pretty short and punchy album, which is always admirable.

The next entry is over two hours, so brevity is greatly appreciated.

RATING: 4/5

969. So Much for the City

So Much for the City
The Thrills
2003

Tracks
1. Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far)
2. Big Sur
3. Don't Steal Our Sun
4. Deckchairs And Cigarettes
5. One Horse Town
6. Old Friends, New Lovers
7. Say It Ain't So
8. Hollywood Kids
9. Just Travelling Through
10. Your Love Is Like Las Vegas
11. 'Til The Tide Creeps In/Plans

As I mentioned in the previous post, we've had a lot of fun noise rock lately from fairly obscure bands and it's been a blast. 

I especially enjoyed this album since it was focused on the sunshine-y, California aesthetic. It's not shallow exactly, but it does romanticize the state. Where I am there is nothing but grey skies. 

Much like the other noise rock bands we've had lately, they are not doing anything particularly new, but they still created an entertaining album.

RATING: 4/5

968. Youth and Young Manhood

Youth and Young Manhood
Kings of Leon
2003

Tracks
1. Red Morning Light
2. Happy Alone
3. Wasted Time
4. Joe’s Head
5. Tranny
6. California Waiting
7. Spiral Suitcase
8. Molly’s Chambers
9. Genius
10. O Dusty
11. Holy Roller Novocaine

Once again, we are treated to a great rock band with a decidedly retro feel. I guess we all discovered everything post 2000 was a mistake and we should just make the best of it with throwback after throwback.

And I'm not complaining. I really enjoyed this despite never hearing of Kings of Leon before. They are reminiscent of the Strokes and the Rolling Stones, although I enjoyed them more than the latter.

So a pretty great album. We are in a good streak lately.

RATING: 4/5

967. Boy in da Corner

Boy in da Corner
Dizzee Rascal
2003

Tracks
1. Sittin' Here
2. Stop Dat
3. I Luv U
4. Brand New Day
5. 2 Far
6. Fix Up, Look Sharp
7. Cut 'Em Off
8. Hold Ya Mouf (Feat. God's Gift)
9. Round We Go (Ain't No Love)
10. Jus' A Rascal
11. Wot U On?
12. Jezebel
13. Seems 2 Be
14. Live O
15. Do It!

Well, that was aggressive. Not necessarily in subject matter, but those beats felt like they were coming for me. But that might be my album madness talking.

I actually liked Dizzee Rascal before this, and my good will survived this listening experience. Yes, it was a little irritating, but there was so much dark energy behind the album that it was difficult not to get swept up in the sound.

And it's cool to hear a UK rapper, especially when he pulls in garage and rock elements. 

RATING: 3/5

966. Elephant

Elephant
The White Stripes
2003

Tracks
1. Seven Nation Army
2. Black Math
3. There's No Home For You Here
4. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
5. In The Cold Cold Night
6. I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart
7. You've Got Her In Your Pocket
8. Ball And Biscuit
9. Hardest Button To Button
10. Little Acorns
11. Hypnotise
12. Air Near My Fingers
13. Girl You Have No Faith In Medicine
14. Well It's True That We Love One Another

I am going to dress up as Meg White this Halloween, by which I mean I will be wearing a red t-shirt. But I relate to Meg White; I also strive to be a loud introvert.

Jack and Meg White have such an interesting dynamic, and it's that push-pull relationship that makes their music so fascinating to listen to. None of the recording equipment used in this album was newer than 1963. This makes for a very rich sound that still manages to be modern.

We have one more White Stripes album to go, and it's the last album on the List. So in a way, dressing up as Meg White will be a tribute to finishing this List, and now I have to get it done by Saturday.

RATING: 5/5

965. Permission to Land

Permission to Land
Darkness
2003

Tracks
1. Black Shuck
2. Get Your Hands Off My Woman
3. Growing On Me
4. I Believe In A Thing Called Love
5. Love Is Only A Feeling
6. Givin' Up
7. Stuck In A Rut
8. Friday Night
9. Love On The Rocks With No Ice
10. Holding My Own
11. Makin' Out

Well, this came as somewhat of a surprise. I actually enjoyed a glam metal album, which is a genre I thought I was incapable of appreciating. I mean, it wasn't my favorite album, but I wasn't tempted to bang my head against the wall like I normally am with a metal album.

I definitely wouldn't make the argument that this is a masterpiece, but it is entertaining and pretty retro, although I enjoyed it more than I enjoyed listening to the bands they are paying tribute to. They had really good hooks, and 38 minutes wasn't long enough for the vocals to grate.

Not essential listening, but fun nonetheless.

RATING: 3/5

964. Feast of Wire

Feast of Wire
Calexico
2003

Tracks
1. Sunken Waltz
2. Quattro (World Drifts In)
3. Stucco
4. Black Heart
5. Pepito
6. Not Even Stevie Nicks
7. Close Behind
8. Woven Birds
9. The Book And The Canal
10. Attack El Robot! Attack!
11. Across The Wire (Widescreen)
12. Dub Latina
13. Guero Canelo
14. Whipping The Horses Eye
15. Crumble
16. No Doze

I had a hard time classifying this album. Technically, this album could fall into the category of world music, indie rock, pop, folk, country, jazz, or trip hop. I guess we will just call it "varied."

This makes for a somewhat scattered album, but it the end it really worked. I enjoyed the exploration of the different genres, and it was always exciting to see what the next track would hold.

Inevitably, there were some slower moments where I didn't enjoy the style they were trying on. But overall, it was very fun, and props to them for doing something different.

RATING: 4/5

963. Frank

Frank
Amy Winehouse
2003

Tracks
1. Intro / Stronger Than Me
2. You Sent Me Flying / Cherry
3. Know You Now
4. Fuck Me Pumps
5. I Heard Love Is Blind
6. Moody's Mood For Love / Teo Licks
7. (There Is) No Greater Love
8. In My Bed
9. Take The Box
10. October Song
11. What Is It About Men
12. Help Yourself
13. Amy Amy Amy / Outro

Poor Amy. Her ending was inevitable, but her talent was immeasurable. "Back to Black" is still one of my favorite songs, and I could listen to her voice all day.

I guess this was before she went off the rails completely, and so you can admire her brashness and humor, with less dramatic irony. That being said, I did enjoy the Back to Black album more. These songs are elevated because of Amy's voice, and I'm not sure how great they would be without it. 

But the range and emotion of her voice is so fascinating that it makes ho hum songs incredible.

RATING: 4/5