via//chicago

np: "cadillac pussy" - kid rock f. hank williams iii

this is what beer-drinkin', four-wheelin', flag-wavin', chick-shaggin' rock n' roll is supposed to sound like. i've mentioned Kid Rock before, so i'll save the ramblings, but y'all need to give this one a listen.

so i think i've completed my preliminary Top 50 albums of 2003 list, although there's still about a month to go. but first of all, there's really not anything new coming out in the next month that i'm hyped on and secondly, what with the Christmas shopping and all i'm not rolling in the extra ducats for new music right now. but i'm pretty happy with the way my list is shaping up. the top album of the year wasn't really a surprise for me, but whittling down the top ten was a bigger chore than i thought it would be. a lot of my early favorites dropped in the final list, some of them significantly. take Zwan for example, that one isn't even going to make the list at all. yeah, i was hyping it to holy hell early in the year, but i can't think of a single time i've pulled it out to listen to since March. i did pull it out last week for another listen while compiling my list, and it just hit me that it's really not all that good. looking back, i think i was still coloring my opinion of the album with the excellent live shows i had seen by the band. live Zwan > studio Zwan. as if it even matters anymore, word has it that the William Patrick Corgan solo machine is rumbling away and rearing to go.

but as i said before, i was going to put up some thoughts on the albums i've been re-listening to in preperation for the year-end list, so here you go with the first installment.

Holopaw - S/T (8.9) a very strong debut album from Ugly Casanova co-conspirator John Orth. the little twists and turns this album takes over the course of a single song keep this one fresh and sounding just like the countless other near-country crooners flooding the indie scene lately. standout tracks: "teacup woozy", "abraham lincoln"

Something Corporate - North (3.2) yuck. that's my simple, one-word review of this trash. this album lacks the killer hooks that made the debut one of my not-so-guilty pleasures of last year. there's really nothing positive i can say about this one, very disappointing release from a band that had some initial promise. there aren't any standout tracks to recommend, so instead seek out the stunning live track, "konstantine".

peaches - fatherfucker (6.9) peaches, peaches, peaches... how long can you keep up the schtick about your crotch and shocking sexual lyrics? the first time through it was fun, the second listen started revealing the weakness, and by the third i couldn't get through the whole thing. a couple tracks might be fun to hear at a party or in a club, but overall the album falls flat. and Iggy should be ashamed of his contribution, it makes Skull Ring sound like fucking Raw Power by comparison. standout tracks: "back it up", "shake your tits"

Jewel - 0304 (7.9) i think this is a surprisingly not so bad album, considering all the negative hype surrounding it. yes, she's gone embarassingly into Britney/Xtina zone in the promotion of this one, but if it was anyone other than Jewel i think it would have been seen as a pretty decent pop album. the problem was the production was nowhere near the quality of a Beyonce or a Brit, and the long-time Jewel fans couldn't embrace the triteness. for a decent sunny-day pop album though, it's not all bad. standout tracks: "intuition", "sweet temptation"

cex - being ridden (8.7) this was the first album i'd heard by Cex, and to be honest i wasn't expecting much based upon what i had read regarding some of his earlier works. i was almost expecting a sort of Atom and His Package that took himself a little too seriously. i was pleasantly surprised by this though, as his lyrical flow is pretty good and the beats and prodcution kept things interesting. standout tracks: "earth-shaking event", "its not working"