AINERZ BANGERZ FOR 2003

2003! What a year for music.

 
I was 13 and full of ANGST and LONGING. I wore white Chuck's that I had drawn designs on with sharpie and attached wooden rasta beads to the laces. I was often found in Emily Strange t-shirts. It was hard being such a cool punk and a rad hippie at the same time. I remember using MSN Messenger a lot this year trying to get a boyfriend but really crushing on my female friends at the same time. A very confused young las I was. Thank fuck for the music this year! Most of these albums were painstakingly downloaded one song at a time on LIMEWIRE, which resulted in an almost indecipherable music library (~~xMoNeEnxxx!3=Startangry3ndMad___12532677). I think I may have got a MYSPACE this year too, which is where i single-handedly discovered Plain White T's.

All of these albums were religiously listened to by me at that age (except for one that I just had to include), and are still revisited today! In no particular order:

The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium

This album is STILL a banger, and makes me feel just as cool listening to it as I did back in the day.

The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?

This album made me feel so UNIQUE, and none of my friends knew this band at the time, so it swelled my secret ego whenever I asked if they had heard of it. Such a fun and weird album which is good for a listen on a sunny day when you're cooking.

Brand New - Deja Entendu

I still remember my friend in middle schools dad owned some chain store and were sponsoring Brand New so we got stacks of Brand New stickers which we put all over the school. This album is pretty self explanatory.

Songs: Ohia - The Magnolia Electric Co.

I didn't listen to this when I was younger, but I fell in love with this album (and all others by them) after watching 'Hearts Beat Loud': a beautiful film with Nick Offerman as a record store ownin' dad who is having a hard time letting his daughter move away after the death of his wife. A really good movie, and a killer soundtrack. He talks about this band in the movie and I've been listening ever since.

Streetlight Manifesto - Everything Goes Numb

This album was SIQ, and remains so.

Moneen - Are We Really Happy?

Okay so this album was an absolute banger of bangers for me, and still is. "Start Angry...End Mad" was one of my favourite songs all throughout high school and beyond.

Radiohead - Hail to the Thief 

Don't really need to explain Radiohead's genius, do I?

The Cardigans - Long Gone Before Daylight

This album was SPECIAL, and it is STILL SPECIAL. This band meant a lot to a well-loved dude, and Brayden, myself, my mom and Jenn all went to see them at the end of the year and it was one of the best concerts I have ever been to, and one of the most connected moments I've had with music. They opened for Liz Phair (boo), and when Liz came on we all looked at each other, nodded in agreeance, and left. I remember Jenn saying "how does liz phair keep her nipples so hard while she is performing?" and my mum replying "they're probably grapes." I still think about grape nips.

Boys Night Out - Make Yourself Sick

Okay, this is the best album of the year and nobody can tell me different. Anyone who knows me knows that BNO is one of my all time favourite bands. Sometimes when I have a few drinks I put BNO on, sit by the speaker, and zone out while singing along, to the dismay and annoyance of the other people present.

Dashboard Confessional - A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar 

I remember a counsellor at my camp putting this on and saying "you wouldn't know this band" when I asked what she was going to put on for music, and I sang every fucking word to her complete embarrassment. This album is always going to be a special one though. Hands Down was an anthem for my deep and heavy longing to fall in love.