Number ones in 2003

“If it’s not in this show it didn’t matter.”

—Tagline from VH1 Big in 03 awards show

At this time of year, top 10 lists rule, and I for one dig ’em. Re-digesting the Cliff Notes version of the year that was is such a quick way to get closure and move on to the hoping and dreaming and planning for the next round of life. Or, maybe it’s just a really fun forum for getting pissed off and arguing the results with anyone who’ll put up with it.

The world of arts and entertainment media tries to give an authoritative rundown of what was and what wasn’t worth your time, either through editorial evaluation and consensus or by tallying popular or critical numbers and giving the biggest vote-getter an authoritative “No. 1 ______ of the year” distinction.

I much prefer the more personal “my favorite” lists by the critics and writers I follow all year over the hyped-up “Big in 03” endeavors of VH1 and the like. It doesn’t have to be “Big” to be important (and who gives a rip about the Big Smooch by Britney and Madonna anyway)—meaningful experiences and discoveries vary from person to person, and no one group of agreeing personalities is any more valid than another. And who cares about agreeing anyways? Dis- agreeing is where the fun is at.

Nowhere are there more disagreements on what is good or not good than in the world of music criticism. To prove this point, pick up “The Special Collectors Issue” of Rolling Stone magazine featuring “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” pass it around a group of music fans, and stand back. Once they get past the Top 20, full of such predictable heavyweights as Sgt. Pepper’s, Nevermind and Thriller, you will hear more “Holy bleeps!” and “What the bleep evers!” than you can shake a collectable box set at.

Obviously, anytime an authoritative “best” list is compiled the only real value in the endeavor is culled from the discussion created in its wake. Not only can truly comprehensive guidelines for greatness never be sufficient (although Silkworm’s Tim Midgett has created a commendable formula for “musical correctness"—check it out at www.matadorrecords.com/escandalo/6/subjectivity.html)—any set of rules breaks the only one that matters: There are no rules.

With that in mind, some of the News & Review’s music writers have forgone any authoritative Top 10s in favor of listing a variety of their personal number ones from the past 12 months. None of us has listened to everything released this year or come remotely close to seeing every show that took place. All that we offer is a look at what turned us on (or off) and an opportunity to have a peek at the handful of small happenings, achievements, failures, actions, reactions, creations and embarrassments that rippled through our spheres of influence. Let the arguments begin.

Our number ones:

Phil Anker:

Local show: Experimental Dental School, Royal Crown, The Americas, et al. at Fulcrum Records

Album: the meadowlands, The Wrens

Song: “Hey Ya!” Outkast

Guilty pleasure: (tie) Anything by, of, or relating to Justin Timberlake; The Darkness

New local band (from Chico): The Deer

New local band (not from Chico): The Handclap Orchestra (Redding)

Discovery: Stephen Malkmus (ex-Pavement) can actually play guitar.

Albums from 2002 that I’m still listening to: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco; Phrenology, The Roots

Hope for music: Apple iTunes proves indie music is a viable commercial product; radio gets message.

Injustice on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums” list: (tie) Every Big Star album farther down chart than Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Californication; Radiohead’s amazing Ok Computer getting beat out of the coveted No. 145 spot by some Steely Dan album (does it matter which one?). The biggest injustice is that they apparently let idiots cast ballots.

C. Nystrom:

Local show: Kinski peelin’ some red paint at The Riff-Raff

Album: (tie) You Forgot it in People, Broken Social Scene; Until He Finds Us, Timonium

True center for the arts in Chico: Fulcrum Records

Least needed hiccupping Ian Curtis (Joy Division) Impersonation: Stellastar

True punks: The Americas. Their indomitable and essential Statuette succeeds in first jamming up my CD player, making it impossible for me to listen to anything; and second, a few days later (stuck inside the 10-buck player!), being the only thing taken when my car is ransacked.

Music/movie moment: Lost in Translation’s dizzying montage of Tokyo lights reflecting between skyscraper glass and a moving car’s windows to the sound of My Bloody Valentine’s “Sometimes.”

Indie-rock read: Skyscraper Magazine or Chunklet

Music documentary: Silver Rockets/Kool Things: 20 Years of Sonic Youth

Sharp-as-swords music journalism: Brian Howe takes a much-deserved dig at the monolithic rock star egos of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on www.pitchforkmedia.com.

Injustice on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums” list: Not honoring the band that virtually created college radio—R.E.M.'s Murmur (197) needs to change places with U2’s The Joshua Tree (26).

Christine LaPado:

Local show: Gillian Welch and David Rawlings at Sierra Nevada Big Room

Album: Robinella and the Ccstringband (self-titled)—best thing I’ve heard in ages

Hope for music in 2004: New Willis Alan Ramsey (after all these years!) and Karrin Allyson CDs. Christine Kane in Chico? (please, Steve Schumann?)

Song for dancing: “Sexy Muthafucka,” Prince. Doesn’t get any cooler.

Discovery (next to Robinella): Japanese jazz pianist Makoto Ozone

Album I’m still listening to (released prior to 2003): Companion, Patricia Barber on jazzy/smoky vocals, piano and Hammond B-3, is super cool.

Injustice on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums” list: No Rickie Lee Jones. None! Girl at her Volcano is easily as exquisite as Miles’ Kind of Blue (which made No. 12), for one; No NRBQ; too much Madonna; and no Leon Russell.

Jason Cassidy:

Local show: (tie) Joel R. L. Phelps at the Riff Raff; West by Swan at the Brick Works

Album: You Forgot it in People, Broken Social Scene (takes me back to the fun and noisy days of Dinosaur Jr., My Bloody Valentine, Superchunk, etc.)

Song: “Hey Ya!” Outkast

Song at full volume in my pickup: “Lose Yourself,” Eminem

Song from a shampoo commercial: “Diamonds & Guns,” The Transplants (featuring Rancid and Blink 182 members)

Discovery: The Streets, All Got Our Runnins Internet-only release

Music video: (tie) “Lost Cause,” Beck; “Hurt,” Johnny Cash

Dangerous and thrilling rock band on the verge of self-destruction: The Libertines

Album I can’t believe I still haven’t heard: Elephant, The White Stripes

Injustice on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums” list: The fact that Madonna’s Ray of Light and Music are considered at all, but Fugazi, Leonard Cohen, NRBQ and Violent Femmes are left off completely.

Miles Jordan:

Local Show: Marcia Ball at Sierra Nevada’s Big Room

Album: THE HOLY la, Steve Lacy Trio, and Live in Tokyo, reissue, Art Pepper

Song: “Holding out My Love,” Ellis Hooks

Song I can’t get enough of: “Give Me Back My Wig,” Mike Henderson & The Bluebloods

Chico band: Charlie Robinson & Charlie Haynes Band

Blues compilation: Live at the W.C. Handy Blues Awards, Vol. 1

Most haunting CD: Adios Nonino, Astor Piazzolla

Party song: “Let’s Have a Party,” Amos Milburn & His Chicken Shackers

Album I’m still listening to (after 47 years): Jazz at Massey Hall, Vol. 3, Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie

Injustice on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums” list: No Little Feat, Oingo Boingo or Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band

Carey Wilson:

Local show: Dropkick Murphy’s at the Brickworks

Album: Fear Yourself, Daniel Johnston

Song of the year: Joe Ely, “Streets of Sin”

Guilty pleasure of the year: Liking that song “I’m with You” by Avril Lavrigne

Out-of-town show: Motorhead, Dio, and Iron Maiden at Sleep Train Amphitheater

Over-hype of the year: Britney Spears not a virgin anymore.

Chico band: The Trousers

Web site: http://imotorhead.com/

Hope for music in 2004: More bands mixing electronica and heavy rock

Song at a party: Mark Zempel, “Monkey”

Song on headphones: Mark Zempel, “Blue Room”

Discovery: Shakatura, Galactivation

Album I’m still listening to: Exile on Main Street, Rolling Stones

Injustice on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums” list: No Hawkwind, Space Ritual—the originators of space-rock in their finest hour

Chris Baldwin:

Local show: Gillian Welch at Sierra Nevada Big Room

Album: Rainy Day Music, Jayhawks

Music video: “Gay Bar,” Electric 6

Song: “Hey Ya!” Outkast

Chico State Associated Students event: Michael Moore at BMU

Old album I discovered at Melody: Gandalf (self-titled)

Way to alienate indie rockers: Say you like the White Stripes or The Strokes

Music in a commercial: Devo’s “Freedom of Choice” for Miller Beer (brrrrr, what happened to that irony?)

Worst trend: Predictable “critics” who listen to only one style of music then write as if their favorite bands had invented the musical lexicon

Injustice on Rolling Stone’s "500 Greatest Albums" list: The whole thing is bogus (Rolling Stone is owned by Vivendi Universal, which means any music on Geffen/MCA/Interscope/Universal/ Polygram gets a better than fair shake). Yet another illustration why publications truly suck when they whore content for sales. Readers know the difference!