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BEST OF THE NEW BEST OF 2003 BEST OF 2002 BEST OF 2001	A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
1. Hot Water Music Caution 2. Sahara Hotnights Jennie Bomb 3. Foo Fighters One by One 4. Piebald We Are the Only Friends that We Have 5. Thrice The Illusion of Safety 6. Bad Religion The Process of Belief 7. Jets to Brazil Perfecting Loneliness 8. Washdown s/t EP 9. Queens of the Stone Age Songs for the Deaf 10. Desaparecidos Read Music/Speak Spanish	Honorable Mention (in alphabetical order) Blacksonny s/t CD - One of the best new bands that IÁve heard this year. Mellow rock songs with intelligence and personality oozing from their pores. Fans of Seam, Pedro the Lion, and Wheat should check this out immediately. (http://www.vitalcog.com) The Break s/t - Upbeat rock/punk from these five upstarts from New Jersey that seem to have wisdom beyond their years. That wisdom (and a touch of sorrow and disappointment) has produced a pretty strong album full of tight-ass riffs and thoughtful lyrics. RIYL: Avail, Social Distortion, Lifetime (Doghouse Records) Donots Amplify the Good Times - ItÁs absolutely criminal that these guys have not found a U.S. home for this record yet. These German guys have melody running through their veins. About ten times more catchy than whatever youÁre listening to now and a hundred times smarter than New Found Glory or Blink 182. These guys should be filling clubs and dropping jaws everywhere. Track this down now.

1. Hot Water Music Caution Although they would likely shiver at the idea, this album serves a definitive answer to those that would call them Ëemo.Ó This is rock band and they have made a ROCK record that with all the nuances and flourishes that not only make them leaps ahead of many of their peers, should place them among the greats. (Epitaph) 2. Sahara Hotnights Jennie Bomb Not that it's a competition, but THESE FOUR SWEDISH GIRLS CAN WIPE THE FLOOR WITH THE HIVES, THE WHITE STRIPES, AND THE STROKES ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. Some of my favorite female rock vocals since Elastica are found on this record. Sick riffs, great melodies, fun songs. I've listened to this about 3 dozen times. It's getting ridiculous.	Empty Promises Residue EP - This is an excellent EP from a bright new band with a ton of promise. They opener up with a rocker that could have been on the last Snapcase album. The following song is an anthem of the first order with a riff that reminds me of a song from the Twin Peaks soundtrack that blends into a chorus that reminds me of Hot Water Music at 3/4 speed. If you like your rock aggressive and intelligent (think Foo Fighters, Rival Schools, Avail, Thrice), check out this band. The Exit New Beat - Just a good new rock/punk band playing some songs. Fans of the Police and the Clash should be flipping over this band. (Some Rec.)

3. Foo Fighters One by One When growing older doesn't necessarily mean you have to hang up your guitars for keyboards. Their popularity doesn't undercut their ability to create powerful songs. 4. Piebald We Are the Only Friends that We Have - Their best record. This is the album from Piebald that people have been waiting for from Piebald. They've finally realized how to turn Travis Shettel's high-pitched welps into a melodic weapon by writing songs that bring it out and embrace it, rather than bury it. While previous efforts always had a few fun tunes or a couple good choruses, this album is stacked from beginning to end with catchy, witty, and above all, fun songs. This could be the perfect antidote to all the mope rock lying around my room. (Big Wheel) 5. Thrice The Illusion of Safety - I mistakenly thought this would be just another hardcore record...some of the most intricate melodies and killer guitar-playing I've heard in a long, long time. (Sub City) 6. Bad Religion The Process of Belief - the best pop-punk record of the past five years and probably Bad Religion's BEST EVER (Epitaph) 7. Desaparecidos Read Music/Speak Spanish - Conor from Bright Eyes puts down the acoustic and picks up the electric and damn, I'm so proud of him. These songs have meaning and depth, and yes, they actually ROCK. (Saddle Creek)	Favez From Lausanne, Switzerland - Favez may be from Lausanne, Switzerland, but they sound like they fairly familiar with American pop culture. They are also very familiar with rock and how to play it. On this album, they display time and time again their penchant for strong melodies, carbon-burning riffs, and impressive dynamics. (Doghouse Rec.) The Ghost This is a Hospital Aggressive rock/punk that is at once dark, thoughtful, and tuneful. (Some) Lot Six Gwylo - My favorite new rock band in Boston. Their loud songs sound kind of like Refused meet At the Drive In...their quiet songs sound like Sparklehorse. Live they're even better. (Espo) Manifesto Jukebox Remedy - Wow! This Finnish band delivers up the rock something fierce. The vocals are gruff, but you can understand every word he sings. The music is well crafted, with hooks that sound novel and a tight rhythm section. Tricky leads develop into catchy choruses. My suspicion is that theyÁve listened to their fair share of Leatherface and Avail (which is a good thing), but they donÁt sound terribly derivative. This record is definitely worth checking out. (BYO)
8. Washdown s/t EP - Criminally overlooked and poorly publicized, these five songs rank among the strongest debuts I've heard in a while. Coming out of the gates like a potent mixture of the MC5, these Tampa boys represent just about everything I like about rock -clever lyrics, catchy hooks and backup vocals, and a great live show. The best band you didn't hear in 2002. (Lookout!) 9. Queens of the Stone Age Songs for the Deaf - One of those albums that lives up to the hype. 10. Jets to Brazil Perfecting Loneliness Their best album. The loud songs are incredibly memorable; the quiet songs are tenderly heartbreaking. A very mature record featuring hyper-intelligent and self-conscious lyrics and the music of one of the most powerful bands around. (Jade Tree)	Radio Holiday s/t CD - Pretty impressive, kids. The album opens up with a rocker, ËWhen YouÁre Around,Ó that should have alternative radio DJs flipping out. But they donÁt stop thereüthe rest of the album is just as solid, up-tempo rockers all. These Michigan kids know how to write songs and theyÁve put together a hell of a record. TheyÁre like the perfect combination of the Foo Fighters, the first two Shift records, and Samiam. Awesome! Rocket from the Crypt Live from Camp X-Ray - Not their best album, but lucky for us, their level 9 is more than most bands can ever hope for. There are some devastatingly vicious tracks on here. Fcking great songs. (Vagrant) Slowride* As I Survive the Suicide Bomber Smart and snotty punk-rock. Every song is going to be your new favorite. Fans of later Jawbreaker and Seaweed will flip over this record. (Deep Elm)
Best Re-issue: TWENTY YEARS OF DISCHORD (1980-2000) Honorable Mention: Drive Like Jehu å Yank Crime (Swami) Lifter Puller å Soft Rock (Self Starter)	Best Live Show: Lifter Puller reunion show (with Pilot to Gunner, The Oranges Band), August 1st, 2001 @ Brownies, New York City, NY
BEST OF THE NEW BEST OF 2003 BEST OF 2002 BEST OF 2001