Best Albums of 2003

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1.

Elephant 

 The White Stripes

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"Ball and Biscuit. I have said enough. I'll continue anyway. This album is killer from start to finish, not a bad song on the it. This is the most rockin' album Jack made with this band, and Ball and Biscuit has his finest guitar work ever."
- Mike43 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2003

Appears in:

1,507 charts

Rank Score:

11,291

Rank in 2003:

1

Rank in 2000s:

13

Overall Rank:

115

Average Rating:

 83 (2,149 votes)

Comments:

130

2.

Hail To The Thief 

 Radiohead

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"Underrated in comparison to their other albums? Certainly seems that way. And why? Well, this is possibly due to its length. When I first heard this album, I of course recognized its brilliance. However, it's length, and its apparent lack of flow, did manage to seep in at times, ultimately overth...""Underrated in comparison to their other albums? Certainly seems that way. And why? Well, this is possibly due to its length. When I first heard this album, I of course recognized its brilliance. However, it's length, and its apparent lack of flow, did manage to seep in at times, ultimately overthrowing its overall magic. Thom York himself posted a comment a short while back discussing the albums length and track-listing. He felt they'd included some tracks that, as I've noticed, do seem to cause more harm than good (Remember, sometimes less is more). Therefore, he included in this post of his, an alternate track-listing that he felt was far more effective. 1. There There 2. The Gloaming 3. Sail to the Moon 4. Sit Down, Stand Up 5. Go To Sleep 6. Where I End and you Begin 7. Scatterbrain 8. 2+2=5 9. Myxomatosis 10. A Wolf at the Door Overall, I find this alternate track-listing to be far more cohesive than the original, truly bringing to the forefront a perfect combination of Radiohead's early Britpop sound, and their - shortly thereafter - electronic experimentation. In conclusion, with this album, Radiohead managed to do it again - another masterpiece. " [More]
- JasonZaia | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +14 votes (15 helpful | 1 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2003

Appears in:

1,205 charts

Rank Score:

7,990

Rank in 2003:

2

Rank in 2000s:

30

Overall Rank:

185

Average Rating:

 81 (2,384 votes)

Comments:

163

3.

Absolution 

 Muse

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"There's tons of bombast in this stadium rock influenced by queen and what radiohead would sound like if more extroverted and needing to be liked, but it works because it seems sincere even though it feels like an act. Here, the act is the other side of the end of the world. On "apocalypse please"...""There's tons of bombast in this stadium rock influenced by queen and what radiohead would sound like if more extroverted and needing to be liked, but it works because it seems sincere even though it feels like an act. Here, the act is the other side of the end of the world. On "apocalypse please", the heavy, low-note piano bears a palpable burden as does 's soaring vocals. "time is running out" is the hit, with kind of a dance-punk electro-glam combo and lyrics "I think I'm drowning; Asphyxiated, I wanna break this spell That you've created." and a chorus that soars and attempts to lift you up with it. Guitars wrench hard. i really like how Matthew Bellamy's voice soars to give weight to his meaning. The other standouts are "stockholm syndrome" and "hysteria". "stockholm syndrome" is a pure guitar juggernaut, that POUND with the drums before the chorus's climax "This is the last time I'll abandon you..and this is the last time I'll forget you / I wish I could" and its twinkly orgasm before resurrecting the guitar onslaught, and probably captures the muse sound i like the most. This song alone makes showbiz seem like it was put out half-assed by arty high-school kids. There's a guitar onslaught in "hysteria"; but the guitars bring out a more pensive mood once Matthew starts singing "I'm endlessly caving in / and turning inside out" before kicking at the chorus. For a next-generation Radiohead band, they sure can churn out some old-school guitar riffs (something Greenwood probably could do but would rather stick with layered textures). "the small print" rocks as well. They also have their prettier moments, like on "blackout" and "endlessly" ("hopelessly, i'll love you endlessly"). "butterflies and hurricanes" was my 2004 election year anthem for its message of personal responsibility of change reflected in the lyric "You've got to change the world / And use this chance to be heard / Your time is now" (with a classical sounding piano bit)." [More]
- paladisiac | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2003

Appears in:

962 charts

Rank Score:

7,882

Rank in 2003:

3

Rank in 2000s:

31

Overall Rank:

187

Average Rating:

 79 (1,673 votes)

Comments:

112

4.

Room On Fire 

 The Strokes

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"Room on Fire is This is It version 2.0 That is what ultimately hurts the legacy of their sophomore effort. Reptilia is better than anything on Is This It? But the whole album is safe and by the end of it the thinking is basically, "This is great too, but I have heard it before" and "Okay, but can...""Room on Fire is This is It version 2.0 That is what ultimately hurts the legacy of their sophomore effort. Reptilia is better than anything on Is This It? But the whole album is safe and by the end of it the thinking is basically, "This is great too, but I have heard it before" and "Okay, but can The Strokes do anything else or is this it?" (pun intended) Just as cohesive, just as gut punching. Every second has a purpose. All of this can be said about what came before but it is still fantastic." [More]
- Edwarda85 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2003

Appears in:

750 charts

Rank Score:

5,820

Rank in 2003:

4

Rank in 2000s:

41

Overall Rank:

280

Average Rating:

 80 (1,235 votes)

Comments:

69

5.

Chutes Too Narrow 

 The Shins

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"This album is so consistently enjoyable all the way through. Every single track is fun and full of energy and I would recommend this album to anyone as it is extremely accessible. The song writing is the real strength of the record with the lyrics having so much depth and allowing so much room to...""This album is so consistently enjoyable all the way through. Every single track is fun and full of energy and I would recommend this album to anyone as it is extremely accessible. The song writing is the real strength of the record with the lyrics having so much depth and allowing so much room to be able to explore them. Alongside this is the tight guitar work and the drums on this album are just superb. Furthermore, the record never slows down and so you barely notice the 33 minutes go by and at the end I just want to start it over again. Overall, the album is delicate and beautiful but also loud and energetic when it needs to be making it never dull or disinteresting making it a joy whenever I revisit it." [More]
- Untitled | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2003

Appears in:

631 charts

Rank Score:

4,665

Rank in 2003:

5

Rank in 2000s:

58

Overall Rank:

357

Average Rating:

 80 (786 votes)

Comments:

41

6.

Give Up 

 The Postal Service

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"This one time, I had an out of body experience listening to Such Great Heights."
- Necharsian | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2003

Appears in:

559 charts

Rank Score:

4,044

Rank in 2003:

6

Rank in 2000s:

66

Overall Rank:

412

Average Rating:

 79 (703 votes)

Comments:

28

7.

Transatlanticism 

 Death Cab For Cutie

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"Been binging on this album for a few days, and it's becoming quite the love fest. I used to dislike his vocal delivery, but it's really grown on me, plus his lyrics are some of the best. And the music is splendid."
- pearljammer13 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2003

Appears in:

545 charts

Rank Score:

3,827

Rank in 2003:

7

Rank in 2000s:

72

Overall Rank:

441

Average Rating:

 79 (776 votes)

Comments:

39

8.

The Magnolia Electric Co. 

 Songs: Ohia

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"How the hell can someone rate this 25/100? C'mon."
- Graeme2 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2003

Appears in:

311 charts

Rank Score:

3,645

Rank in 2003:

8

Rank in 2000s:

76

Overall Rank:

465

Average Rating:

 82 (305 votes)

Comments:

15

9.

De-Loused In The Comatorium 

 The Mars Volta

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"These guys are crazy awesome. The way Omar Rodríguez-López writes and thinks is very reminiscent of Robert Fripp/King Crimson, but the music comes at you full force like Bad Brains or Fugazi. De-Loused in the Comatorium might be their most accomplished and realized work, though I do go back and f...""These guys are crazy awesome. The way Omar Rodríguez-López writes and thinks is very reminiscent of Robert Fripp/King Crimson, but the music comes at you full force like Bad Brains or Fugazi. De-Loused in the Comatorium might be their most accomplished and realized work, though I do go back and forth between this one and their next, Frances the Mute. Definitely give it a listen." [More]
- teague | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2003

Appears in:

478 charts

Rank Score:

3,475

Rank in 2003:

9

Rank in 2000s:

79

Overall Rank:

488

Average Rating:

 79 (680 votes)

Comments:

39

10.

The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place 

 Explosions In The Sky

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"This is one of my favourite albums of the 00's. Truly a beautiful and unique experience to listen to from beginning to end. EITS are one of the most underrated bands of our time."
- jqmusiclove | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

2003

Appears in:

381 charts

Rank Score:

2,604

Rank in 2003:

10

Rank in 2000s:

101

Overall Rank:

659

Average Rating:

 79 (521 votes)

Comments:

33

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100

Best Albums of 2003 composition

Top 1,000 Top 500 Top 250 Top 100

Artist	Albums	%
Various Artists	16	2%
William Basinski	5	1%
King Crimson	4	0%
Pearl Jam	3	0%
The Allman Brothers Band	3	0%
Peter Gabriel	2	0%
Ryan Adams	2	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	450	45%
	182	18%
	55	6%
	37	4%
	31	3%
	30	3%
	24	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	931	93%
Yes	69	7%

Live?	Albums	%
No	966	97%
Yes	34	3%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	986	99%
Yes	14	1%