Top Ten Albums of 2013
10. Okkervil River- The Silver Gymnasium
This album could have easily flown under most peoples radar this year, but for those who found it you were rewarded. The unusually depressed Okkervil River found happiness by looking back to home and childhood memories. The record is a lot more accessible than their usual stuff and the number of instruments used is amazing. They use the traditional rock band instruments with horns, strings, and lot of other things added in. Summed up this is a happy album full of fun memories and stories told in a truly beautiful way.
9. Foals- Holy Fire
While doing my research on Foals for this album review I fell in love
with this band, and more specifically Holy Fire. Every track has it purpose on this
album and drives a very different felling home with each song. Yannis sings over it and at
moments even screams in a deafening roar close to what might be
considered nu-metal. Then all of the bands dance rock elements come
rushing back with "My Number", a simple but insanely catchy song about
an ex who can't text him because he changed his number. "Bad Habit",
slows down and pulls things way back in for an emotional ballad about
his past sins. "Every time" has sort of a surf rock feel to with crazy
percussion on top to make it really catchy song. "Last Night" is a
slower but building indie rock song that blasts out the fund toward the
end. "Out of the Woods" is a more old school song from Foals a look back
to Antidotes era, but it adds to the album as a whole. "Milk and Black
Spiders" is my favorite song on the album. It’s simple with lots of
layers and it builds beautifully to an amazing finish. "Providence" is a
crazed heavy, funky, math rock that explodes to the heaviest music they
have ever made. The final two songs "Stepson", and "Moon" are a prefect
slower close, ending with more of a Total Life Forever feel bringing
the album and the band full circle through all three albums in one.
8. Nine Inch Nails- Hesitation Marks
This is one of the best albums Trent has written since the 90's. I
think the part people miss about this album is how it seamlessly
combines all of the sounds from every previous album. Also this is a
very personal album for Trent, putting him in a very new place for him,
dealing with happiness, success, and living up to his past self. If you
can get past the fact that this is a little lighter of an album you will
find something truly powerful here with this album. An album from an
artist in a new state of mind, truly inspired.
7. Alter Bridge- Fortress
I really don't know how they do it but some how Alter Bridge seem to get better with every album. The guitar solos are harder and faster than ever, Myles's vocals range from high screams to low growls. Everything is bigger and better on this album. The anthems are huge singalongs and the rockers are heavier then ever before. This is an amazing album the only thing I would like to know it is, where do they find the time to do this with all of their side projects?
6. Clutch- Earth Rocker
This album is what happens when true veterans kick it up a notch and remind us why they were awesome in the first place. What can you say about this album other then it's a bad ass, no filler, pure blues rock and roll album. It trashes from begging to end. This album takes the Foo Fighters spot, they may not have reinvented the wheel here buy they didn't need to.
5. Arcade Fire- Reflector
When bands make double albums it either results in one of two things happens. Either a piece of utter garbage is made or a moments of magic happens. This is the latter, through out this album Arcade Fire takes you on a musical journey as they change up there sound entirely. It's a tour of Jamaica and Haiti with Arcade Fire as your soundtrack, and it's a hell of a ride. They took a huge risk on this album and it majorly paid off.
4. Volcano Choir- Reprave
In a year where the heavier albums are delivering more, the ever amazing Justin Vernon now away from his hit project Bon Iver delivers again. This time with Volcano Choir's second album. It sometimes sounds like Bon Iver and why wouldn't it, but where it differs is where he finally lets loose. Away from the spotlight he feels more comfortable to explore more sounds, and we all benefit for it. This is one of the most beautiful albums of the year. Justin Vernon always delivers.
3. Queens of the Stone Age- Like Clockwork...
The crazy thing about this album is the emotional depth in the
stories it tell through the lyrics and songs. You have to remember that
this is all stuff that happened to Josh during the darkest and hardest
moments in his life. He does his best singing and songwriting of his
career on this album. The album was one of the most hyped albums I can
remember, and it features so many amazing musicians that it's incredible
the way it comes out. It feels like an intimate up close look into the
mind of a depressed musician. It's dark it's beautiful and it rocks. You
almost forget that it has so many featured artists on it. I still can't
believe this is the band that wrote Era Vulgaris.
2. Vampire Weekend- Modern Vampires of the City
Vampire Weekends have been referred to as a group of spoiled ivy league
kids that have trouble relating and connecting to their audience's
troubles. On this album they may have changed that. Their lyrics are as
clever and filled with pop culture references as ever, but now they have
more emotional depth. "Ya Hey" even goes so far as to question the
existence of god while a chorus of chipmunks sing over the top.
"Unbelievers" talks about being involved with the sins of life. The rest
of the songs remain as dark and real with talks of running away just to
run away, or dying like a Kennedy. This album has the widest
arrangement of instrumentation they have ever had, and does what Vampire
Weekend always do combining worldly, new wave, and pop genres together
into one successful cohesive unit. This album tackles huge issues that
most pop artists avoid like life, death, religion, and living in the
modern day New York City, where time is moves very differently and how
different the lives of the people that live there can.
1. Deafheaven- Sunbather
There are a ton of reasons why this is my album of the year. It could either be the best alternative album of the year with its shoe gaze guitar work and hazy distortion, or it could be the best metal album of the year with its black metal drumming or vocal howling. Instead the reason I picked it was because with its only seven tracks it was one of the few albums this year that truly took me into a dream like state where all I could think about was the album. It did what every crap dream pop albums tries to do, took me to another place while listening to it and before I new it the album was over.
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