Rufus Wainwright - Want One
The brilliant and epic Want One not only belongs at the top of my top 10 of 2003, but it rightfully takes a place in my top 10 of all time. Featuring lush and deeply layered baroque arrangements that can't be called cabaret nor pop, this record creates a genre all his own. The son of folk icons Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III, Rufus was raised on French cabaret and opera, and although the arrangements flirt at times with being over the top, the album is as complex in its sonic layering as any record since Pet Sounds. Listening back through his first two albums, with Want One you can see how Rufus finally has found the way to give voice to the 300 part harmonies he hears in his head. Written just before his trip to rehab, excess and intensity never sounded so beautiful nor inviting before. It almost makes you think that crystal meth can't be that bad if the result is music as gorgeous as this.

The Polyphonic Spree - The Beginning Stages Of...
What's not to love about a 26 piece caftan-wearing choral hippy rock band that features flutes and French horns? My friend Lee introduced me to The Polyphonic Spree in the middle of the war, and their upbeat early 70's-era love-fest style was just the thing to bring a smile to my face when everything else in the world looked so bleak.

Mogwai - Happy Songs for Happy People
Oh I just love these moody, atmospheric kids from Scotland and their complex, intense mostly instrumental pieces. Where Sigur Ros have become the darling of the critics, Happy Songs for Happy People is a more cohesive and beautiful effort that lacks the pretension that dogs Sigur Ros. This sadly under appreciated album harkens back to the great orchestral rock experiments of the early 70's.

Damien Rice - 0
This debut album from Dublin-based Rice has justifiably landed on many top 10 lists, and so I'm happy to place it here in my list, too. In the overly crowded male singer-songwriter world, Rice stands head and shoulders above the pack with beautiful arrangements and unique lyrics. Make sure you check out "The Blower's Daughter".

Teenage Fanclub - Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty Seconds
Normally I wouldn't include a retrospective in a top 10, but then not only is this a great collection, but it's also a chance to introduce folks to the criminally under-appreciated band from the U.K.. Think Big Star meets the Beach Boys and you have an idea of the sonic brilliance of Teenage Fanclub.

Robert Randolph and the Family Band – Unclassified
I can't remember the last time I was blown away by a band on a late night talk show, let alone one I'd never seen or heard before, but one night last summer my jaw dropped when I saw the Family Band rip it up with "I Need More Love" on the David Letterman show. Randolph, who plays a Jimi Hendrix style pedal steel guitar, came up playing in church in his home town of Orange New Jersey, and although God may be in the mix, you're more likely to hear the influence of George Clinton and Bootsy Collins than you are to notice Jesus in the mix. This is serious get down and boogie music.

Sun Kil Moon – Ghosts of the Great Highway
Mark Kozelek, ex of Red House Painters, delivers his most consistent and engaging recording yet with his new outfit. All of Kozelek's work with RHP, as a solo artist, and now with Sun Kil Moon bears a certain similarity, what with his mournful and deeply-felt style which gave birth to the sad-core genre. Although Kozelek might be perennially hooked into an introspective groove, the formula works beautifully on this newest recording.

Yo La Tengo - Summer Sun
Some long-time Yo La Tengo fans seem disappointed that the pride of Hoboken has delivered a another sweet and low-key recording. But for me, this gentle record ranks up there as one the best and certainly most consistent records in their almost 20 year history. Yeah, it took me a few listens to get into the subtle nature of this release, but when the slow groove got me, it never let go. Don't let the low-key atmosphere of this disc fool you - they might not use their feedback-laden layered sound this time around, but Yo La Tengo solidifies their postion as *the* indie rock band.

Dar Williams - The Beauty of the Rain
My old pal has come a long way since that stunning mid 90's folky debut, "The Honesty Room".  While her sound becomes more pop with each recording, "The Beauty of the Rain" finds the now married (and soon to be mother) Dar writing more satisfying and more heartfelt lyrics than she has since the beginning of her career. Make sure you listen to her cover of the mournful "Whispering Pines" by The Band (a favorite of her husband); it's unlike anything Dar has done before.

Joss Stone - The Soul Sessions
When talking about Joss Stone, you *have* to mention that this woman with the soulful Aretha-sounding voice is a 16 year-old white girl from England. But when you get beyond the wow factor of where the voice comes from, The Soul Sessions is a a great album in and of itself. Hopefully this is the start of a long career.

The Pernice Brothers - Yours, Mine & Ours
When I listen to the Pernice Brothers, I keep thinking that if I had sway in the music world, then Joe Pernice and his post-Byrds 12-string folk-rock sound would be all over the radio. Featuring yet another album of deeply thought lyrics set against a jangly-pop soundtrack, "Yours, Mine & Ours" further shows that The Pernice Brothers are due for serious critical attention. Maybe the next record will find them making the charts.

Pat Metheny – One Quiet Night
The simplicity of this album (recorded in one take during one evening in Metheny's home) reminds me of what made Windham Hill such a great label when they first started (think Alex DeGrassi, Michael Hedges and Pierre Bensusan). Some longtime fans have been critical of the lack of upbeat jazz prowess in this reflective recording (which makes great use of the low-strung baritone guitar), but in my book, One Quiet Night is a simple and sweet album that only adds to Metheny's deserved reputation of the greatest jazz guitarist of his generation.