top ten of 2003
1. phosphorescent- a hundred times or more
2. suntan- send you home_ the best guitar album since vintage spacemen 3 to not include a guitar solo.
3. american analog set- promise of love_ never really got into their past work, but this just clicked from start to finish.
4. centromatic- love you just the same
5. crooked fingers- red devil dawn
6. cobra verde- easy listening_ there's not too many things more appealing than stadium rock being played in front of twenty people. "modified frankenstein" may just be the song of the year.
7/8.portastatic- summer of the shark/autumn was a lark_the progress from the earliest records to these two releases is just amazing.
9. nina nastasia- run to ruin
10. kid dakota- so pretty_ walls of noise followed by the sound of pins dropping with crystal clear clarity.

other things i liked......
my morning jacket- it still moves_ not as good as the live shows but still very solid.
grandaddy- sumday_ as the noise disappears, the songs are still quality.
swords project- entertainment is over if you want it
ween- quebec
nuci phillips/koncak- only when the right side glows_ if you like flip your wig-era bob mould, this will knock you over. one of music's biggest losses, his potential was unlimited.
john shough- ultra vega_ if you remember when the grifters were the best band on the planet, this will bring back a lot of good memories.
quasi- hot shit_ i thought they had exausted themselves, i was wrong.
your american math- motors into the drink
1945- i saw a bright light_ if rainer maria released this record, they would finally be justified in the praise they receive.
silkworm- you are dignified

stuff i received late in the year that i like a lot

yo la tengo- today is the day! ep
sun kil moon- ghosts of the great highway
twilight singers- play blackberry belle
quintron- are you ready for an organ solo_ this sure is goofy but i like.
poster children- no more songs about fire...
mark lanegan band- here comes that weird chill_ i am not sure how i feel about the voice processors used on this but the last three tracks sound great.
drive by truckers- decoration day
pw long- remembered
rachel's- systems/layers
the dead men- st ep _ sonic boom returns from twiddling knobs to a more conventional band setup.

m @ 9:33 AM

m @ 11:37 AM

on espn last night, the friars spanked illinois. rob sanders and ryan gomes went completely nuts. it was very bizarre to see the new york crowd on their feet cheering for providence.

yes, i am working on my top ten albums of the year list. probably be done in a week or so.

whitney houston is claiming bobby brown hit her on sunday evening. i refuse to believe that a pillar of the community such as bobby brown would ever do such a thing. unless of course she dropped the coke.

m @ 9:53 AM

the current administration passed the USA Patriot Act without proper discussion, anyone who opposes it is accused of giving aid and comfort to terrorists. they have used the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to expand its authority and erode civil liberties. this is the same administration that failed to stop the september 11 attacks before they happened. the same administration that currently refuses to hand over documents related to information they had before the Sept. 11 attacks.

the USA Patriot Act allows the FBI to secretly obtain a variety of information about ordinary Americans, including medical records, reading habits, religious affiliations and Internet surfing. thanks to the Patriot Act, any american citizen can now be held in custody for an indefinite amount of time, never given legal counsel, and never being told what they are being charged with. as of november 1, 209 communities and 34 states have passed ordinances refusing to comply with certain parts of the Patriot Act if requested to do so by the FBI. south kingstown and jamestown rhode island are among them.

m @ 10:26 AM

on friday, my 36 mile commute home turned into a five hour ordeal due to the snowstorm that hit rhode island. many people abandoned their cars, or drove them off the road but i had nowhere to go so i stayed in the car struggling to keep warm. when you are stuck in a car for five hours, moving about 100 yards in three hours, you do a lot of thinking. among my thoughts:

hour one: boy theres a lot of traffic. hope i can make dinner at 7:15.
hour two: wow, i havent moved but one mile in two hours, this really sucks. listened to sports talk on the radio. realized i'm not going to make dinner.
hour three: still on same road. four miles in three hours. slowly realizing i may never have another meal in this lifetime. listened intently to religious programming on a.m. radio. found jesus. recited ten hail marys and ten how's your fathers. put all cds except soul junk and neutral milk hotel in back seat. cried myself to sleep while listening to 1957. searched all dunkin donut bags in back seat for morsals of food. no luck.
hour four: spent time wondering if i had to eat one part of my body to stay alive, which one would it be. decided it would have to be my left arm. traffic breaks and i
finally reached the first bridge. cannot figure out why my small four cylinder car is remaining on the road while other much larger and more expensive cars are embedded in snow banks. renounced my new found religion, grabbed all cd's from back seat, listened to zeke at top volume.
hour five: crossed the last two bridges. played oldies on the fm dial. cried along to the carpenters and sam cooke. pulled myself together, got home safe. took a ten minute pee once inside.

m @ 11:23 AM