2003

03.
A Perfect Circle
The Thirteenth Step

I wasn’t mightily impressed with A Perfect Circle’s debut. Water down the Tool sound, take out all of the invention and edge, so it sounds kinda like Tool but is nicely packaged in a four minute chunk for the nu-metal generation to swallow whole. Fuck you, I’m just gonna play Ænima or Lateralus. So I wasn’t going to buy this. In fact didn’t get it till early 2004. It turned out to be beyond anything I could possibly have expected. The Thirteenth Step sounds nothing whatsoever like Tool (aside, of course, from Maynard’s unmistakable voice) and is all the better for it. Mellow, ethereal and beautiful, APC take you on a journey into love and pain and wonderment. Five, six tracks go by of caressing, delicate songs, and then thump, a metal chorus to wake you up, just for fun. It helped that most of the band were new, but experienced, musicians (Twiggy Ramirez, for example, pops up to show at totally new side to his bass playing abilities). It all just fell into place. And made me rush out and buy 2004s abominable covers album on the day of release. Damn you, inconsistent APC!

Nonetheless, The Thirteenth Step remains an album of ambition and true beauty. APC unexpectedly and convincingly stepping out of Tool’s shadow by being careful to avoid sounding anything like them at all. Fair play to them.

02.

Mars Volta

De-Loused In The Comatorium

Ridiculously named, indeed ridiculous in most respects, those who were once the big hair element of At The Drive In returned in 2003 with a progressive rock masterpiece, which has its heart and soul in the prog of the 1970s, but avoids the stargazing pomp that was so often then involved. Stupid track names, singing in a mixture of English and Spanish, guitar solos to build a dam with, this is overblown silliness on a huge scale, yet with the bedrock of simple choruses and the basic sound that made At The Drive In so important to the post-Nirvana world. A great idea, to mix punk and prog and see what happens. The result was spellbinding. Such a pity, then, that this year’s follow up, Frances The Mute, was utter bollocks…

01.

Oceansize

Effloresce

Like Amplifier, Oceansize are from Manchester, and also, like Amplifier, Oceansize sound nothing like the posturing ‘baggy’ twits of the early ‘90s. This is for those who like to think about their music. Oceansize have the enviable distinction of possessing two members who have great singing voices, which means that even live, their vocal harmonies are awesome. Effloresce occupies your mind and takes over your soul. Not an instant hit, this needs work, but be assured, you will receive. Single, ‘One Day All This Will Be Yours’ is a great way in, with its penetrating bass line, but there are much more valuable, if hidden, treasures here. Yes, the songs are long and complicated, but they hey, so is the human condition. Maybe not quite as great as the follow up, Everyone Into Position, this is still an album to last you a lifetime.