A must for every webzine: the top of the year. Perfect way for us to tell you what you have to have, perfect way for us to tell you “you’re so stupid for not having this godly CD”. Well, not really… We’re just taking this opportunity to let you know what rocked our writers world. What you get: individual takes on 2003 by the M[m] staff. We couldn’t be arsed to make a general M[m] best of 2003 list. We gladly leave that to Pitchfork…

Some of us only contributed lists, other added comments. Browse our archive: plenty of the albums listed have been reviewed here.

Martijn Busink

Best of 2003:
1. Supersilent - 6
2. Eyvind Kang - Virginal Coordinates
3. Khanate - Things Viral
4. King Crimson - The Power To Believe
5. Anathema - A Natural Disaster
6. Estradasphere - Quadropus
7. David Sylvian - Blemish
8. Ivo Papasov - Fairground
9. Virus - Carheart
10. Buckethead - Bucketheadland 2
11. The Haunted - One Kill Wonder
12. Masterplan - Masterplan
13. 50 Cent - Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
14. RZA - The Birth Of A Prince
15. Yat-Kha - /tuva.rock
16. OSI - Office Of Strategic Influence
17. Matmos - The Civil War
18. The Gathering - Souvenirs
19. Entombed - Inferno
20. Eda Zari - Statement
21. Moloko - Statues
22. Raekwon - The Lex Diamond Story
23. John Zorn - Masada 10th Anniversary Vol. 2: Voices In The Wilderness
24. Dimension F3h - Reaping The Worldwinds
25. Enslaved - Below The Lights
26. Justin Timberlake - Justified
27. Dave Murray - The Deserts Of Träun, Part III: The Lilac Moon
28. Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash
29. Killing Joke - n/t
30. Dave Fiuczynski & Rufus Cappadocia - KiF

Best concerts of 2003:
• Electric Masada - 19 July, Bijloke Site, Gent, Belgium
• The Haunted/Mastodon - 2 March, Baroeg, Rotterdam, Netherlands
• Supersilent - 5 March, Theater Kikker, Utrecht, Netherlands
• Naked City - 17 June, Holland Festival, Theater Carré, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Dhafer Youssef Electric Sufi - 8 November, IJsbreker, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Best dvd's of 2003:
• Frank Zappa - Baby Snakes
• King Crimson - Eyes Wide Open
• Primus - Animals Should Not Try To Act Like People
• Tabla Beat Science - Talamanam Sound Clash
• Sun Ra - Space Is The Place

François Monti

What the hell was 2003 like for me? On the 31st of December, I was 6 months closer to graduate. I still can’t drive. I’m still waiting for some girl to take notice. (mail me if interested ;). More importantly, I returned to London in October for the first time in 4 years. I love living in Brussels, but London is something else. Hope I will be able to visit good ole Albion again in 2004. One thing really infuriated me: I didn’t have enough time to read other things that what university asks me to…
Very positive: got to discover gazillions of new shit.
Anyway, I’m sure that 2004 will be ten times better.

1. Boris – Feedbacker (Diwphalanx / Japan)
Thanks God we do our 2003 best thing in February… If not, this album wouldn’t have featured… Feedbacker might well be Boris finest hour thus far. A mixture of drone, slow-core, sludge, ambient and psyche-rock à la Rallizes Denudes. Or how to rocket an album in my top ten of all times… Expect a review soon.

2. Khanate - Things viral (Southern Lord / USA)
3. Tujiko Noriko - From Tokyo to Naiagra (Tomlab / Japan)
4. Pelican – Australasia (HydraHead / USA)
5. Haco and Sakamoto Hiromichi - Ash in the rainbow (ReR / Japan)
Haco is the be all and end all of Japanese experimental/pop/jazz/post-rock/noise female artists. Sakamoto Hiromichi is the cello player of Cinorama, one of the best bands on the PSF catalogue. Their collaboration was mouth watering. The result astonishing. Heart crushing songs, beautiful harmonies and that voice…

6. Robert Wyatt – Cuckooland (Rykodisc / UK)
7. David Sylvian – Blemish (Samadhi / UK)
8. Sunn - White1 (Southern Lord / USA)
9. Kazumasa Hashimoto – Yupi (Plop / Japan)
10. Supersilent 6 (Rune Grammofon / Norway)
11. O.N.O - 6 month at outside stairs (TBHR / Japan)
12. Neurosis & Jarboe (Neurot / USA)
13. Hoahio - Peek-ara-boo (Tzadik / Japan)
Another Haco release. The third for her Hoahio project. Rocking with a electric mandolin, soothing with Michyio’s koto… At the same time beautiful, playful and enjoyable.

14. Outkast – The love Below (Arista / USA)
Never been much of a Outkast fan. And if the first CD of their new album (Speakerboxx, by Big Boi) was better than what I expected from them, it’s The love below (by Dre 3000) which made the greatest impact. A surreal, psychedelic mix of funk/soul à la Prince, old school jazz, new school R&B and extremely cool hiphop. Most recommended.

15. Ekkehard Ehlers - Politik braucht keinen Feind (Staubgold / Germany)
16. Sole - Selling live water (Anticon / USA)
17. Aoki Takamasa - Indigo Rose (Progressive Form / Japan)
18. Minamo – Beautiful (Apestaarje / Japan)
19. Ulver - Quick Fix of Melancholy / First decade (Jester / Norway)
20. Virus – Carheart (Jester / Norway)
21. Piana - Snow Bird (Happy / Japan)
22. Iran - The moon boys (Tumult / USA)
23. Melt Banana - Cell scape (A-Zap / Japan)
24. Killing Joke - s/t (Zuma / UK)
25. Grails - The burden of hope (Neurot / USA)
26. House of low culture - Edward's lament (Neurot / USA)
27. The Angels of light - Everything is good here /Please come home (Young God / USA)
28. Sora - re.sort (Plop / Japan)
29. And then you die – Abuse Park (Onyxia / Finland)
30. Sun - s/t  (Staubgold / Germany)
31. Giardini di Miro - Punk not diet (2.nd / Italy)
32. Sketch show – Tronica (Thirsty ear / Japan)
33. Entombed – Inferno (Threeman / Sweden)
34. The Neptunes present Clones (Star Trak / USA)
35. A silver mt Zion - This is our punk rock (Constellation / Canada)
36. Why? - Oaklandazulasylum (Anticon / USA)

Concerts of 2003:
Melt Banana @ ABclub, Brussels
Sunn @ Lintfabriek, Kontich
Mastodon / High on Fire @ Lintfabriek, Kontich
Electric Masada @ Blue Note Festival, Gent
Sage Francis @ Botanique, Brussels
Tarentel @ Rhaaa Lovely festival, Fernelmont
Mono @ Ostende

David Bauwens

2003...
Graduating from university and the ensuing unemployment, nearing the 1000th CD in the collection, Sigur Rós single and DVD, Gloria Coates' string quartets, staying at François' place, Martin's hospitality and Roger's trademark Jester-burgers, Dødheimsgard and Boris (loud at night, in Martin's car), the good half of the new Anathema, new Ulver every
other month, Jaga Jazzist live for the umpteenth time + beers with Andreas, a TV at my place, blissful doze at a Merzbow concert in an abandoned train station, illegal CD-Rs, The Wire, all the C93/Coil/NWW this year ("England's Hidden Reverse", and the signing session in London), Black Dice live twice, "Ratcatcher" and "Nowhere" on DVD, Berg
Sans Nipple live, Tujiko Noriko saying "thank you", Steve Roden, Le Bonheur, missing Supersilent live *again*, When's new album predictably inferior to its divine predecessor (and the same thing, alas, for Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds), L "Holy letters" - a most fortunate find,
discovering Woven Hand when accidentally catching them live, missing Daniel Johnston live (but scoring the reissue of his "Songs of Pain"), Virus turning out to be mediocre hardcore ;-), various hallucinations and disappointments, box sets from PSF and Erstwhile, Katatonia stuck in a
rut, started reading again (Shakespeare, Mishima, Coetzee, Yourcenar, Calvino, Joyce, Céline, and of course Nabokov as ever), my last year with a head full-o'-hair (but I do not know this yet), dissing Tolkien, Gerard Reve 80 years old and Nearer to Thee, Current 93 live for the first time
and painful death to the audience, and Friends not the sitcom (also the sitcom).

The list (of course the exact order changes all the time):
1. David Sylvian - Blemish (Samadhisound)
2. Kazuki Tomokawa - Box 13CD (PSF)
3. Minamo - Beautiful (Apestaartje)
4. Supersilent - 6 (Rune Grammofon)
5. Dorine_Muraille - Mani (FatCat)
6. Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland (Hannibal)
7. Ekkehard Ehlers - Politik braucht keinen Feind (Staubgold)
8. Current 93 - Hypnagogue (Durtro)
9. The Angels Of Light - Everything is good here / Please come home
(Young God)
10. Doron Sadja - A piece of string, a sunset (12k)
11. The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra... - "This is our punk rock!,"
thee rusted satellites gather + sing (Constellation)
12. The Tiger Lillies / Kronos Quartet - The Gorey end (Nonesuch)
13. Virus - Carheart (Jester)
14. Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble - Memory/Vision (ECM)
15. V/A - Amplify02 balance 7CD+DVD (Erstwhile)
16. Nurse With Wound - Salt Marie Celeste (United Dairies)
17. Neurosis & Jarboe (Neurot)
18. So (Thrill Jockey)
19. Ulver - A quick fix of melancholy EP (Jester)
20. Matt Elliott - The mess we made (Domino)
21. Ulver - 1993-2003: 1st decade in the machines (Jester)
22. Désormais - Iambrokenandremadeiambroken... (Intr_version)
23. Keith Rowe / John Tilbury - Duos for Doris 2CD (Erstwhile)
24. Gloria Coates - String quartets nos. 2, 3, 4, 7 & 8 (Naxos)
25. Antony and Current 93 - [live MCD] (Durtro)
26. In The Woods... - Live at the Caledonien Hall 2CD(Prophecy)
27. Coil - Live four / three / two / one 4CD (Threshold House)
28. Keiji Haino - "C'est parfait" endoctriné tu tombes la tête la
première (Turtles' Dream)
29. Philip Jeck - 7 (Touch) + Host (Sub Rosa)
30. Radiohead - Hail to the thief (Parlophone)

And definitely Steve Roden's gorgeous 2003 releases, which I discovered a
few seconds after the end of the year.

Patrick Toepoel

2003 was a pretty important year for me. I put History behind me (D'oh!) and started studying journalism. Best decision ever. Moved to the rock-city of Groningen in summer (which incidentally turned my attention to more urban-based music), and got a great little kitten as soon as it was possible. At this point, he already controls my life and runs this household. It was the year Deep Space Nine was released on glorious DVD, and Enterprise finally got good. I got myself a decent internet-connection at last. Not bad, not bad at all.

As for musique, 2003 may have been the most important year for me yet. It was the year I bought a lot of Zorn, got into jazz through Coleman and Coltrane, discovered the  Last Visible Dog 'league' of great artists, and started to explore the twisted world of Frank Zappa. Turned to Barbarian Wrath for great extreme metal releases, and saw Naked City live in Amsterdam. And ofcourse, I started contributing to Musique Machine, which further broadened my musical horizon and emptied my wallet. Thanx guys.

Favourite 2003 albums:
1. Kayo Dot - Choirs of the Eye
2. Anathema - A Natural Disaster
3. Aesma Daeva - New Athens Ethos
4. Solefald - In Harmonia Universali
5. Ephel Duath - The Painter's Palette
6. Katatonia - Viva Emptiness
7. Enslaved - Below the Lights
8. Estradasphere - Quadropus
9. Ulver - Svidd Neger / A Quick Fix of Melancholy
10. Doormouse - The Method / Freaked Out Mess
11. The Soil Bleeds Black - Mirror of the Middle Ages
12. The Quill - Hooray! It's a Deathtrip
13. Black Forest / Black Sea - s/t
14. Dimension F3H - Reaping the World Winds
15. Massive Attack - 100th Window
16. King Diamond - The Puppet Master
17. Morbid Angel - Heretic
18. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Nocturama
19. Ulver - First Decade in the Machines
20. Opeth - Damnation
21. The Cardigans - Long Gone Before Daylight
22. Sun 0))) - White 1
23. The Mars Volta - De-loused in the Comatorium
24. Burnt By the Sun - The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good
25. Tomahawk - Mit Gas

So, the Kayo Dot debut album got the number one position. I was already heavily into Maudlin of the Well, but no matter how freakin much I enjoyed those three albums, they did not do to me what "Choirs of the Eye" did, that is: to intimidate me. What a godly work of barely graspable infinitely dimensional inhuman art. … No, no, fuck all that pretentious bullshit. This album simply kicked my ass.

Some cool albums that didn't make it to the list: Iron Maiden - Dance of Death, Dead Raven Choir - Wine, Women and Wolves, Desert Sessions 9/10, Darkthrone - Hate Them, and a couple more, but it has to end somewhere.
Note that I have not heard the new Khanate, Virus and King Crimson albums yet. Shame on me! Yes, I know. Nevertheless I'm looking forward to what the new year will bring. Some killer albums I bet.

Niels van Rongen

2003 was a year of changes for me. At the very end of 2002 I started an exciting new job. Which takes up a lot of my precious time and seems not that really exciting after one year. I also moved to my own place and I might've been pissing off my new neighbours with playing my 'odd' music the last few weeks while not being able to come online. 2003 was a year with not enough of my contributions to this site. Work, life, gaming and lazyness took up a lot of time. On the other side, Musique Machine seems to becoming stronger each year. I'm especially proud to everyone who contributed endlessly in the last few months. You guys rock!

Favourite 2003 albums:
The Gathering - Souvenirs
Kaada - Thank You For Giving Me Your Valuable Time
Solefald - In Harmonia Universali
Ulver - First Decade In The Machines
Blur - Think Tank
Therapy? - High Anxiety
Supersilent - 6
Kaizers Orchestra - Ompa Til Du Dor
Amorphous Androgynous - The Mello Hippo Disco Show EP
Dengue Fever - n/t
Ephel Duath - The Painter's Palette
Beyond Dawn - Frysh
Ulver - Quick Fix Of Melancholy
Virus - Carheart
When - Pearl Harvest
Iron Maiden - Dance Of Death
Estradasphere - Quadropus
Anathema - A Natural Disaster
The Desert Sessions 9 & 10
Sun Caged - Sun Caged
Martina Topley-Bird - Quixotic
Tomahawk - Mit Gas

Best live show I've seen in 2003 was Naked City live in Carré, Amsterdam. John Zorn and co were amazing. One of the best shows I've witnessed in my life.