Best Music of 2013

[dissentowner]

There is a band called Vampire Weekend? lol. I am so out of touch with mainstream music.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

Please tell me that this is a joke. How could anybody have that garbage album in their top 10 list let alone #1?

No complaining in this thread, unless you post your own top 10 list.

[troutman]

2013 Music Critic Top Ten Lists

http://www.metacritic.com/feature/cr...albums-of-2013

We collect the individual year-end Top Ten lists published by a variety of music sources, including critics, music magazines, music shops, and more. This page will be updated at least once a day throughout December and January as new lists are published; be sure to check back frequently.

[troutman]

NME
http://www.nme.com/photos/nmes-50-be.../326689/2/1#50

1. AM by Arctic Monkeys
2. Yeezus by Kanye West
3. …Like Clockwork by Queens of the Stone Age
4. Holy Fire by Foals
5. Silence Yourself by Savages
6. Random Access Memories by Daft Punk
7. Reflektor by Arcade Fire
8. Push the Sky Away by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
9. Once I Was an Eagle by Laura Marling
10. The Next Day by David Bowie

[bluejays]

I absolutely love Kanye's production and all his albums to date, minus Yeezus. It was purely an experimental album with little to no flow and still these hipster critics give it a top 5? I think it's ridiculous. If he wanted to release an album like that, he could have released a mixtape. 90% were "songs" that had annoying interruptions and random sounds. I love every other album, but that one was garbarge from a musical point of view. Shocked to see critics loved it.

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

Please tell me that this is a joke. How could anybody have that garbage album in their top 10 list let alone #1?

anything is possible when you see the National and Sigur Ros in any top tens.

[macker]

Kanye West "Blood on the leaves" was one of the better songs of the year but the album is too frustrating to return to enough to make it good. Same thing with James Blake with Retrograde being one of the better songs of the year but Overgrown was below the standard that he set. Both Kanye and James Blake are about as innovative as it gets and maybe pushed things too far this time.

I found myself listening to Kacey Musgraves "Same Trailer Different Park" much more than Yesuz and Overgrown which is saying a lot A good year for NEW women artists with strong releases from London Grammar, Lorde, Haim, Haerts, Chvrches. At the other extreme quiet releases that came out from OLD male artists like David Bowie and Paul Mccartney. Odd year.

Was there one album that totally blew you away this year? Lots of good albums but I still haven't found that album yet. I guess there is a few weeks left.....What about some heavier stuff? I get the feeling that Vampire Weekend may have the album of the year? I still like The National better though.

[East Coast Flame]

Yeezus is amazing. And here is Lou Reed explaining why it is amazing:

http://thetalkhouse.com/reviews/view/lou-reed

[Senator Clay Davis]

I give Kanye all kinds of credit for consistently challenging himself and the listener with new ideas and approaches to music making. That said Yeezus features some of the poorest lyrics hip hop has seen. Apparently he wrote all the lyrics in 1 day, and it shows.

[Hockey_Ninja]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

I give Kanye all kinds of credit for consistently challenging himself and the listener with new ideas and approaches to music making. That said Yeezus features some of the poorest lyrics hip hop has seen. Apparently he wrote all the lyrics in 1 day, and it shows.

If that's true then i'll cut him some slack. But the guy truthfully has been fairly weak lyrically for a while. As great of an album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was it had quite a few cringe worthy lines.

[Kiran403]

Yeezus is a good album and I liked where he tried to take it as far as the concept but it's middle-low in terms of his overall discography. Not the best album but definitely not worse than 808's and Heartbreaks.

[Displaced Flames fan]

2013 was kind of a return to Seattle glory for me with new releases from Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam.

None of them blew me away, but Lightning Bolt is very strong. Alice's release, The Devil Put Dionsoaurs Here is pretty good too. Still enjoying it. Soundgarden's much anticipated (by me) Animal Kingdom was a little disappointing.

I also purchased the QOTSA record which is great, as they all have been. Still, surprised to see it in so many top 10 lists.

It seems that goofy sounds that don't make any musical sense and poppy, drum machine filled love songs are all the rage now with the success of Vampire Weekend and some of the other bands that are frequent in these lists. I don't get it.

One album I bought that I had really high hope for was Tired Pony's The Ghost of the Mountain. Perfect example of hearing one really great song (All Things All At Once), getting excited about the involvement of a musician you really admire (Peter Buck) and going all in on faith. Not a great investment on my part.

The last album I bought that blew me away was Babel or maybe The Head and the Heart's self-titled debut. Hopefully 2014 offers us more excellence than 2013.

I do peruse these lists looking for new stuff though. Looking forward to troutman's own list next month.

Oh, and I should be conked in the head because I still haven't picked up Sebadoh's new record. Would love to hear opinions if anyone else has it.

[habernac]

Still spinning the hell out of Alice in Chains' new one. My kids love it (they're 8 and 5). Tough for a band who lose their lead singer to recover. Jerry Cantrell is a great songwriter and his voice works with his stuff. Decent releases I picked up this year included Megadeth's SuperCollider, Motorhead's Aftershock, Matthew Good Band's Arrows of Desire, Pearl Jam's Lightning Bolt and QOTSA ... Like Clockwork.

The jewel for me this year was Black Sabbath's 13. I've been waiting for this album since I was about 13. No, Ozzy's voice has been better (and some obvious autotune going on there) and the boys are a little longer in the tooth. A bummer that Bill Ward isn't on the drums. But it's still basically a Sabbath album with the original lineup. The first time I heard "End of the Beginning, I had goosebumps. Tony Iommi has still got it in his 60's. Can't wait to finally see them live in April.

[habernac]

dis, wasn't King Animal a 2012 release? I didn't mind it. A few good tunes on there.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by habernac

dis, wasn't King Animal a 2012 release? I didn't mind it. A few good tunes on there.

Might have been. It felt forced to me, but there are spots where Cornell's vocals are stellar and some really interesting guitar parts from Thayil throughout. Definitely not a throw away for me!

BTW...agree about the Sabbath record. Musically, it is really, really good.

[DownInFlames]

AV Club Top 23 Albums:

http://www.avclub.com/article/the-23...of-2013-106233

Fall Out Boy?

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Rocky Raccoon

After listening to a bunch of this for the first time while reviewing the link, I don't feel like I missed out on anything by leaving old Aerosmith in my CD player.

That didn't take long.

[troutman]

Maybe the most comprehensive compilation of year end lists:

http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/...earend_on.html

[troutman]

NPR Music list their 50 favorite albums of 2013


http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archive...usic_list.html

[troutman]

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archive...b_lists_t.html

A.V. Club's Top 23 LPs of 2013
1. Kanye West, Yeezus
2. HAIM, Days Are Gone
3. Deafheaven, Sunbather
4. The National, Trouble Will Find Me
4. Chvrches, The Bones Of What You Believe
5. Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires Of The City
6. Savages, Silence Yourself
7. Waxahatchee, Cerulean Salt
8. Neko Case, The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
9. Lorde, Pure Heroine
10. David Bowie, The Next Day
10. Fall Out Boy, Save Rock And Roll