that you don't mention Calexico's Feast Of Wire.

an belle und sebastian und an calexico habe ich irgendwie jegliches interesse verloren. die beiden bands scheinen sich für mich nicht in die richtige richtung zu entwickeln.

calexico habe ich glaube ich außerdem zu oft live gesehen. diese texmex-mariachi sachen kann ich nicht mehr hören. ist "feast of wire" besser als die schwache vorgängerplatte "hot rail"?

belle und sebastian's erste beiden platten habe ich innig geliebt, wobei es eine weile dauerte bis sich mir die melancholische schönheit von "if you're feeling sinister" erschlossen hat. danach haben sie nur noch so vor sich hinstagniert, ich habe zwar weiter die platten gekauft, war aber jedes mal enttäuscht. die neue ist anders, habe ich mir sagen lassen. auf "morning becomes eclectic" habe ich eine livedarbietung neuer songs gehört und das war absolut nicht mein geschmack. das kam mir sehr seicht und beliebig vor. vielleicht sollte ich die neue nochmal probehören. sie kriegt ja recht gute kritiken allgemein.

@Calexico: Ja, in meinen noch nicht so Mariachi-übersättigten Ohren ist Feast Of Wire "schöner". Und dass es zu akustischer Übersättigung kommen kann, das wiederum konnte ich ad hoc nachvollziehen. Böse kommt mir ein "folkloristisch" in den Sinn.

1. robert wyatt, cuckooland rufus wainwright, want one hidden cameras, smell of our own

2. thrills, so much for the city azita, enantiodromia josh rouse, 1972

3. high dials, a new devotion white stripes, elephant mushroom vs gary floyd, mad dogs and san franciscans

4. yo la tengo, summer sun grandaddy, sumday belle and sebastian, dear catastrophe waitress go-bwetweens, bright orange, bright yellow

5. calexico, feast of wire high llamas, beet maize and corn ryan adams, love is hell pt one and two adam green, friends of mine

6. bonnie prince billy, master and everyone grey de lisle, homewrecker lucinda williams, world without tears erykah badu, worldwide underground

7. peterlicht, stratosphärenlieder james kirk, you can make it if you boogie handsome family, singing bones monsieur mo rio, bonne chance

8. blumfeld, jenseits von jedem fink, haiku ambulanz tindersticks, waiting for the moon i am kloot, i am kloot

re-issues

1. television, marquee moon
2. neil young, on the beach
3. gene clarke, no other
4. alle 4 kevin ayers-reissues

vieles fehlt, vieles hab ich nicht mitbekommen, aber das sind die, die ich am meisten gehört habe und die auch im nächsten winter noch wärmen werden, die ersten drei jedenfalls in jeder hinsicht zentrale plätze in meinem herzen - robert wyatt natürlich auch stellvertretend für sein gesamtwerk, das sich mir erst dieses jahr richtig erschlossen hat.

heimlicher lieblingssong des jahres:

the darkness, i believe in a thing called love nicht nur weil der so toll ist, sondern weil er vorwegnimmt, was in den nächsten jahren wohl unausweichlich bevorsteht, die rückkehr von suburbian metal, pudelrock, stretchhosen, pomp und falsch verstandenem glam. im sinne von boston, queen, mötley crue, ob nun ironisch gebrochen oder nicht - und davor graut mir jetzt schon.

für die lange liste. also ich habe gerade "boys of melody" auf der website von hidden cameras gehört und bin ganz hin und weg. das ist melodischer indiepop wie ich ihn lange nicht mehr gehört habe. eine phantastische stimme außerdem. sind die anderen lieder auch so gut und stimmt es, was der rezensent in der tangents-besprechung sagt, dass sie live noch besser sind? die cbc sessions sind leider nicht mehr online und ich habe das gefühl, dass keine der mp3s auf der website mehr geht außer der o.g.

sick at home, why not mention a few 2003 favorites? (after that i will look for some of your favorites online) well, here they are, not every one of them might appeal to you, but some will, i think(*, but try some of the others as well!).

Black Dice - Beaches & Canyons the Drones - Here come the Lies the Hidden Cameras - the Smell of Our Own* M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts Matmos - the Civil War the Microphones - Mount Eerie Mogwai - Happy Songs for Happy People Motorpsycho + Jaga Jazzist Horns - In the Fishtank My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves* OutKast - the Love Below (haven't heard Speakerboxxx yet) Salvatore - Tempo Solbakken - Klonapet* the Strokes - Room on Fire M. Ward - the Transfiguration of Vincent* Woven Hand - Blush Music* Zoot Woman - Zoot Woman

get back well soon willem. the black dice sounds like the most interesting album on your list. it's instrumental and slightly noisy, isn't it? i saw m. ward opening for yo la tengo i guess it was. a weird guitar guy. but he didn't blow me away. have to check more of his music. woven hand i never checked. who is solbakken? my morning jacket seems quite traditional at times. i think my taste gets more and more complicated. idiosyncratic taste or something...

let me give you a few download suggestions on the albums you mention:

Black Dice - Endless Happiness (yes, instrumental and sometimes v. noisy. but there's a lot of "space" in the songs as well. it's very intruiging. lots of sea-references. it sometimes reminded me of the sounds Can used on Future Days. but it's a very different and unique album. might take some time, but that's always a good thing when it comes to albums)

Woven Hand - Animalitos (Ain't no Sunshine) (David Eugene Edwards solo, but I reckon you already knew that. depends on mood & atmosphere even more than with 16HP. difficult to pick one song. it's the score to a ballet. some other versions (better) of songs of the first WH album. enchanting.)

M. Ward - Sad, sad song (singer/songwriter with many voices. album contains a very good cover of Bowie's "Let's Dance" but I think the song I suggested will win you over on its own...)

Solbakken - Florence Roadmap or Love Interest (dutch band, members were already active in some new wave bands in the 80's. which can be heard in their current band as well. songs that anchor themselves somewhere in your brain to never leave it again. may be hard to find their material. if you're interested send me an e-mail (sungravieATTnetscapeDOTTnet) and i will send you a copy)

My Morning Jacket - Magheeta or Masterplan or One Big Holiday (yes, rooted in tradition, but again (that's what i like in artists/bands) they seem to reconstruct the past and come up with something that's unique. the first song is more traditional in form, very gorgeous. the other two are epic, invite you to sing along and rock out (esp. the last one). which is what they do at their live shows, so i've read.)

other tasters: Mogwai - Hunted by a Freak Matmos - Reconstruction Salvatore - tempo Zoot Woman - Grey Day

more complicated taste is a good thing. if you don't let it mess with you too much. ;-) if you mean your taste is getting broader than that's even better. it's happening to me as well. i've never bought as much music (both old & new) this year than ever before. currently enjoying a nice side of being sick (getting better, thank you): playing lots & lots of music... :-)

have fun (this was a bit long maybe, sorry... :-)

so much for the suggestions. i camouflaged your e-mail in your post. never post it on the web. the spam spiders, you know.

Beautiful Albums and Songs 2003 (long list, sorry for that and only one number one, the rest is in random order)

Albums

• RADIOHEAD Hail to the thief
• HEXSTATIC Listen and learn
• BLUR Think tank
• DANIEL JOHNSTON Fear yourself
• MOLOKO Statues
• V.A. Jazzanova: Playlist
• ULRICH SCHNAUSS A strangely isolated place
• CAT POWER: You are free
• DOCTOR ROCKIT Veselka's diner EP
• THE MATTHEW HERBERT BIG BAND Swingtime is over
• MOGWAI Happy songs for happy people
• SCHNEIDER TM 6 piece EP
• TOMTE Hinter all diesen Fenstern
• LUOMO The present lover
• SI BEGG Director's cut
• DUDLEY PERKINS A lil' light
• KEVIN BLECHDOM Bitches without britches
• KING GEEDORAH Take me to your leader
• GANG STARR The ownerz
• METEORITES Dub the mighty dragon
• OST City of God
• CLIENT Client
• V.A. Kompakt Köln präsentiert Michael Mayer: Neuhouse Vol. 3
• ZOOT WOMAN Zoot woman
• MIDWEST PRODUCT World series of love
• BEGINNER Blast action heroes
• KOOP Waltz for Koop: Alternative takes
• BASEMENT JAXX Kish kash
• PLASTIKMAN Closer
• THE WHITE STRIPES Elephant

Songs

• SEAN PAUL Get busy
• THE ROC PROJECT Never (FILTERHEADZ Remix)
• ELLEN ALLIEN Trash scapes
• CLIENT Rock and roll machine (edit oder extended)
• ZOOT WOMAN Grey day (PAPER FACES Mix)
• MOLOKO Forever more
• NEPTUNES FT. THE CLIPSE Loser
• THE RAPTURE Open up your heart
• TERRANOVA feat. ARI No peace
• THE RAPTURE Open up your heart
• 50 CENT In da club
• THE WHITE STRIPES Seven nation army