I don’t have any 2003 music yet, but soon I will get my hands on:
Elephant (I have their first 3 cds here but missed this one), Hail to the Thief (Radiohead), Dear Catastrophe Waitress (Belle & Sebastian), Welcome Interstate Managers (Fountains of Wayne), Welcome to the Monkey House (Dandy Warhols), Identity Crisis (Shelby Lynne), Soul Journey (Gillian Welch), World Without Tears (Lucinda Williams), Stumble into Grace (Emmylou Harris).
So I figure the best of 2003 might well be here somewhere, although the American females are likely an acquired taste.
And this only represents the new work of artists I know about. No new artists on this list, no real new listening either. 