EOY 2003

It's been a hugely interesting year, if a very stressful one. And fast.

Now, at the end of it, and in looking back, and in looking forward to another, my mood is probably best illustrated by what I've been listening to the last couple of days:

Scritti Politti, First Goodbye - A first-rate Green Gartside ballad from the 1999 record Anomie & Bonhomie. Somewhat sappy, I guess, but that's fine.

Pulp, Wickerman - While I don't like to resort to X meets Y comparisons, this is sort of "Cargo Culte"-era Serge Gainsbourg meets "Mercy Seat"-era Nick Cave, with a huge orchestra build and a generally depressed industrial thing going on. It's very good.

The Darkness, Love on the Rocks with no Ice - Apparently a huge crowd-pleaser at live shows, and I could see why--multiple stop-and-starts, a huge guitar break and outro, and that ever-present Justin Hawkins falsetto.

All somewhat melancholy, perhaps at the passing of this interesting year, or perhaps just at ever-advancing age, or perhaps because I'm posting this on New Year's Eve instead of doing something enjoyable, etc.

But that's 2003.

But enough whining--some favorite things from 2003:

• Launching TypePad, seeing Movable Type growing in popularity, and building up Six Apart to its current size.
• Meeting Claire, Phil, and Amelia.
• Return of the King. I could not have been happier with the entire trilogy.
• Traveling to Japan, Chicago, New York, and Washington DC with Mena, and meeting people and seeing friends in all of those places.
• Spending more time listening to music. In no particular order, favorites from 2003:
  • !!!, Me and Giuliani Down By the Schoolyard
  • Beyoncé, Crazy in Love
  • Electric Six, Danger! High Voltage
  • Killer Mike, A.D.I.D.A.S.
  • Kylie Minogue, Slow
  • Outkast, Hey Ya!
  • The Raveonettes, That Great Love Sound
  • Scooter, Weekend
  • Sugababes, Hole in the Head
  • The White Stripes, Seven Nation Army
  • A.R.E. Weapons, Street Gang
  • Justin Timberlake, Love Don't Love Me
  • The Rapture, House Of Jealous Lovers
  • The Postal Service, Such Great Heights
  • Basement Jaxx, Plug It In
  • The Darkness, Love Is Only A Feeling
  • Frank Black, My Favorite Kiss
  • Scissor Sisters, Laura
  • Ms. Dynamite, Dy-Na-Mi-Tee
  • Kelis, Milkshake