The year in music from the kids at KWLC
Date 12/11/2003 12:00 AM | Topic: Arts & CultureSo, this is a weak attempt at one of those "year-in-review" articles. It will probably be a little different than the ones that are already starting to pop up in newspapers and magazines. We're not going to talk about Beyoncé (we hear she was big this year). We won't mention Michael Jackson (we hear he was creepy this year). We'll let someone else reminisce about the big blackout, and the fact that the star of Kindergarten Cop was elected to govern the fifth largest economy in the world.
No, we've decided to stick with what we know, so here are some simple musings about the year 2003, as viewed from a radio booth in the basement of the Union. But we're not claiming to know it all. After all, it's hard enough to remember what happened yesterday, let alone what happened over the last 12 months.
It was actually a pretty big year for indie rock. While there still might not be a huge number of Luther students that can discuss the rise of The Mars Volta from the ashes of At the Drive-In with us, or share our sentiments that Cursive had the best album of the year, there is a growing number of people who can recognize a White Stripes song when they hear one - even if it is "Seven Nation Army." And our guess is that there are a few more Dashboard Confessional posters hanging up in the dorms this year than last.
Even if you didn't catch the indie rock bug this year, chances are you've heard more of it than you know, especially if you watched Fox's new teeny-bopper drama "The OC." Each episode brings music from indie rock bands like Belle and Sebastian and Death Cab for Cutie to network television. Regardless of what this means for the future of independent music, 2003 was the year we saw indie go mainstream.
And while the indie bands stumbled into the mass market, we saw the copycats hot on their heels - especially on the pop/punk scene. Simple Plan, Fountains of Wayne, The Ataris and Good Charlotte cashed in on the common misconception that Avril Lavigne is punk while Abercrombie and Fitch profited off the newest demographic - tweens - by selling "punk" wristbands branded with their logo. And, honestly, how many of you at least considered buying a studded belt at Hot Topic? Or donning a "new vintage" trucker hat? Don't be defensive, though. We considered it, too. But the state of pop/punk is still pretty ridiculous. In fact, pop/punk got so obnoxious that even Blink 182 traded in their trademark toilet humor for a more serious tone on their latest album. Go figure.
Speaking of trading, the battle over electronic file-sharing continued to rage through 2003. We saw some victories for the record industry. Web sites like Emusic.com and Napster.com allowed music lovers to download mp3s . for a price. And the Recording Industry Association of America went after file-sharing by suing 261 people who were suspected of illegally distributing "substantial" amounts of copyrighted music on peer-to-peer networks (many of whom were college students). Despite these lawsuits, millions of people continued to strut around with their new iPods full of (*gasp*) stolen music, taken from file-sharing networks like Luther's own Loafy. All this, even when Universal Records dropped its CD price to $12! Meanwhile, in the indie rock scene, kids went to rock shows and bought CDs directly from the bands, usually for about $10. Ok, they downloaded, too . but the difference is that indie bands don't care.
Well, they don't care about file-sharing, but this year saw rock bands caring about lots of other stuff, especially politics. Green Day, NOFX, Good Charlotte and others lent songs to a compilation entitled Rock Against Bush, an album aimed at increasing awareness among young voters and ousting "W" in the next election. Bands like Thursday and Anti-Flag released acutely political albums in 2003, and numerous bands (even the Dixie Chicks) voiced their concern with the policies of the current administration in Washington, D.C.
And, as every year, the music community bid farewell to some of its prominent members. The death of Elliot Smith hit hard at KWLC. Smith, who ended his own life at age 34, was a brilliant singer/songwriter who was known on the national scene for his haunting soundtrack to Good Will Hunting. We'll miss Johnny Cash, the Man in Black, and Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa. And music just won't be the same without Barry White (Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Baby, and so many others), Robert Palmer (Addicted to Love, Simply Irresistible), and Wesley Willis (Cut the Mullet, Rock and Roll McDonalds).
But, out of all that happened in 2003, we hope to remember the music. This past year also saw a lot of great albums released in the world of college radio. We'll leave you with a cheesy conclusion, and then our "Top Ten of 2003." Cheesy ending: Yes, 2003 was a good year. We laughed. We cried. We rocked. And now we look to the future!
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Top Ten Albums of 2003
1.
Cursive - The Ugly Organ
2.
The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
3.
Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism
4.
Postal Service - Give Up
5.
Mates of State - Team Boo
6.
The Wrens - The Meadowlands
7.
Miracle of '86 - Every Famous Last Word
8.
Grandaddy - Sumday
9.
Rainer Maria - Long Knives Drawn
10.
Longwave - Strangest Things
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Sam Drong, Zach Hawkins and Lindsay Kimball
KWLC Staff
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