*Update*
3/19/04
It took me forever to find this so I had to share it. Fans of the Punk Goes Acoustic CD will no doubt already have the words to Sugarcult's "Memory" memorized... it's argurably the best song on the album. On April 13th Sugarcult will release their new CD with a brand new version of memory on it. Would you like to hear that version now? I figured "YES!" would be the answer:
http://www.templeotrunks.com/music/Sugarcult_-_Memory_[Electric].mp3
*Update*
1/6/04 Top Ten Albums of 2003
Everyone has their own opinion, here is mine:
10. Mike Park - For the Love of Music... Mike Park finally releases an album and it just barely edges out Dashboard Confessional for the 10 spot on my list. I'd say that's a good way to start.
9. Rancid - Indestructible... We've all heard "Fall Back Down" on the radio, but did you know this album has 18 other songs on it?
8. The Movielife - Fourty Hour Train Back to Penn... The Movielife proves that they have grown up with this album. You'll be singing along with this one, trust me.
7. Murder By Death - Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them?... Take a rock band, add in a piano and a cello, then have them release a concept album where a story is told that spans all 10 songs and you have a winner.
6. The Offspring - Splinter... The Offspring continue to show their musical diversity on their new album. It ranges from punk, to ska, to acoustic, to hardcore but where ever it goes it stays catchy as hell.
5. The Ataris - So Long, Astoria... "Looking Back on Today" could be the best love song ever written, and this album contains a new version of it... what more do you need to know?
4. The Format - Interventions and Lullabies... 12 acoustic tinged rock sing-a-longs topped by the ballad "On Your Porch" which will become your new favorite song.
3. Mest - Mest... Not a huge progression from their last album, but it didn't need to be. These guys know how to write catchy songs and having John Feldmann produce doesn't hurt either.
2. Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue... Yellowcard's first major label release means that you can actually find it in stores. So why are you still reading? Go buy it!
1. The New Amsterdams - Worse for the Wear... Sounding almost nothing like their previous two albums, this might as well be a new side project for Matt Pryor. It doesn't matter what you call it though, its hands down the best album of the year... my favorite album since Goldfinger's "Hang Ups."
Honorable mention (albums that just missed the cut, but you should buy anyway):
Dashboard Confessional - A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar
Jet - Get Born
Blink 182 - Blink 182
Most likely to top 2004's list:
New Found Glory
Finch
Green Day
Goldfinger
The Starting Line