My year-end list is a little late getting up, I know. Lazy, dontcha know. I wanted to dress it up a little bit more than just listing stuff off, and that equals more work, and… well, lazy. At least I’ve gotten it posted before Christmas. Oddly numbered lists seem to be the fashion, so I’ve gone with a happy baker’s dozen of top albums. After that, it became impossible to rank one album against another in terms of my preference – so the honourable mention should be read as “also good”. I’ve also elected to not give each album a writeup because, uh, I’m lazy. Maybe you haven’t been paying attention. I have linked the Metacritic review page for each record if you want to read some criticism/praise, and there’s a sample mp3 of one of my favorite tracks off each album linked for your enjoyment. And while it seems obvious/futile, if you like what you hear, for the love of God go out and buy the CD. All of these artists need you love and support.

	The Postal Service Give Up (SubPop) MP3 – “Nothing Better” Metacritic reviews		The Shins Chutes Too Narrow (Subpop) MP3 – “Fighting In A Sack” Metacritic reviews
	The Wrens Meadlowlands (Absolutely Kosher) MP3 – “Hopeless” Metacritic reviews		Ted Leo & The Pharmacists Hearts Of Oak (Lookout!) MP3 – “Tell Balgeary, Balgaury Is Dead” Metacritic reviews
	Beulah Yoko (Velocette) MP3 – “Landslide Baby” Metacritic reviews		Death Cab For Cutie Transatlanticism (Barsuk) MP3 – “The Sound Of Settling” Metacritic reviews
	Pernice Brothers Yours, Mine & Ours (Ashmont) MP3 – “One Foot In The Grave” Metacritic reviews		Belle & Sebastian Dear Catastrophe Waitress (Rough Trade/EMI) MP3 – “I’m A Cuckoo” Metacritic reviews
	The New Pornographers Electric Version (Mint) MP3 – “The Laws Have Changed” Metacritic reviews		Fountains Of Wayne Welcome Interstate Managers (S-Curve/Virgin) MP3 – “Hackensack” Metacritic reviews
	Broken Social Scene You Forgot It In People (Arts & Crafts/Paper Bag) MP3 – “Almost Crimes (Radio Kills Remix)” Metacritic reviews		Calexico Feast Of Wire (Quarterstick) MP3 – “Sunken Waltz” Metacritic reviews
	The Weakerthans Reconstruction Site (Epitaph) MP3 – “Plea From A Cat Named Virtue” Metacritic reviews
Honorable Mentions: My Morning Jacket / It Still Moves Fruit Bats / Mouthfuls The American Analog Set / Promise Of Love Metric / Old World Underground, Where Are You Now Nada Surf / Let Go The Sleepy Jackson / Lovers The Cardigans / Long Gone Before Daylight Wheat / Per Second Per Second Per Second Every Second Young & Sexy / Life Through One Speaker

There were a lot of great shows this year, but a handful stood out as outright celebrations of music and the effect it can have on people. “Transcendent” is a pretty loaded word, but sometimes it’s appropriate. I should also mention my top two shows that I am beyond sorry I missed – Ted Leo & The Pharmacists at the Rivoli in April and Steve Earle at the Kool Haus in May.

	Belle & Sebastian, Rasputina Massey Hall, Toronto November 8, 2003 Photos and review
	Broken Social Scene, Stars, Apostle Of Hustle, Jason Collett, Amy Milan Lee’s Palace, Toronto June 13, 2003 Photos and review
	Billy Bragg The El Mocambo, Toronto July 11, 2003 Photos and review
	Beulah, John Vanderslice Lee’s Palace, Toronto November 8, 2003 Photos and review
	The American Analog Set, The Cansecos The Horseshoe, Toronto June 25, 2003 Photos and review

Or last night’s, to be accurate. The office Christmas party went off without a hitch. Which is to say, I stayed mostly sober, awake and kept my dinner down (which is good because it was the finest steak I’ve had in over three years) – All marked improvements over last year. I even played a couple decent games of pool. Afterwards I swung by the Global Pop Conspiracy shindig a couple blocks away and met up with Sean from House of Hotsauce. It was crazy busy and impossible to talk or move, so I only stuck around a little while, retired to the Tap for another drink then back home to crash.

There seems to be the makings of a university reunion this weekend, as there’s a bunch of my old classmates in town for one reason or another. I expect tonight will involve some more drinking and shouting over loud music. Happy holidays.

Mark Kozelek plays a solo show at the Horseshoe January 30. Tickets $12.50. Sounds like a bargain. I will be in Las Vegas, however. Alas.

Lee’s Palace will be shutting down for two weeks at the start of January for renovations, including a new stage 2.5 feet higher and 4 feet deeper. Neat.

np – various artists / Global Pop Conspiracy: Best of 2003

I spent last night in the rehearsal space with Brad and Clay recording drums. Sitting there listening to drums and drums only for two hours is interesting… but I think we got some good stuff down. A fairly low-tech, TapeOp-approved setup, but I think it was sounding pretty good. I doubt I’ll get around to laying any of my parts down till the new year at least.

Torontonians may notice that the Rotate This website has gotten a shiny new makeover. Very nice, took long enough.

Pitchfork’s top 50 albums of 2003. Grist for the mill. I have a big fat seven of their picks.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. George W Bush needs to visit a grassy knoll somewhere. A transcript of his interview with Diane Sawyer from this week. My eye starts twitching just reading it.

The company Christmas party goes off tonight, and hopefully this year I’ll be able to pass on the mantle of official company party punch line onto someone else. The open bar didn’t quite agree with my system last year and I was nodding off through dinner. Nothing horribly embaressing, but enough to earn me a year of ribbing.

np – Luna / The Days Of Our Nights

The Onion has posted their year-end lists. Real ones, not fake! I think.

Kraftwerk are coming to town April 23, and playing the newly erected Ricoh Colliseum. Kraftwerk = arena rock? I’m strangely intrigued.

Pitchfork’s Top 50 singles of 2003. Do people even talk about singles anymore? I guess so. I’ve only ever heard 12 of these songs, and that includes t.a.t.u.

Neutral Milk Hotel live and rare mp3s, including a Mountain Goats cover of “Two-Headed Boy”. Courtesy of LHB.

CDs make crappy gifts for kids. From Cranky Coder.

So I missed the Emm Gryner/Sarah Slean show last night – went out to dinner with a friend and by the time I got home, it was late enough that I was pretty certain it would have been sold out – all the advance tickets had been gone for days. Alas.

np – Cinerama / Cinerama Holiday

So hopefully my cable modem adventures are at an end. The repair guy came by again – different one this time – and I don’t think I understood a word he said. The whole time, it was a non-stop stream of techno-babble, modem types, filter connections, mips, blips, gurps… I had no idea what was going on. What I do know is when he left, I had a new modem, 20 more cable channels and a RIDICULOUSLY fast internet connection. I’m talking 2700 kbps download. Whoooooa. I’ll be sticking with Rogers, I think.

24 – Gotta say, last night was a disappinting episode that doesn’t really bode well for the rest of the season. I don’t find the fact that the President got dumped by his girlfriend a very compelling storyline. Nor is the explanation for why Jack needed to re-infiltrate Salazar’s orgainzation terribly interesting. In fact, everything has taken a turn for the conventional, banal even. I’ve seen all this before in countless spy movies. Blah. I think it’s time to cue the space aliens. End spoilers.

Apparently they had some trouble keeping the computer-generated soldiers in Return Of The King from running away from certain virtual death.

Pitchfork has started their 3-day look back at the way we were in 2003. Lists, lists, lists.

Another quiz! You know you’re indie, let’s subcategorize (from Melody Nelson):

You’re an Indie Pop Kid. You like songs about
relationships and the prettiness of nature.
You’re sentimental, but not certainly not emo.
Oh, and if you aren’t an English Major, you
should be.

Hmm, well that’s emasculating. At least I get a picture of Isobel Campbell as consolation.

np – Steve Earle & The Del McCoury Band / The Mountain