Jonathan’s 2013 Albums of the Year

Hello again, internet. I have finished a 57-page paper and a 27-page take-home exam, and my first semester of PhD complete. Between my program and the dearth of good albums released in December it’s been slow around here, but I’m back to put together a list of my favorite albums from the past year. I’ve decided against rank ordering my list, as making those kind of decisions across genres just didn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense. Enjoy!

1. The Wonder Years – The Greatest Generation

The Wonder Years fall into the unfortunate category of “bands I should have given a chance way sooner.” I’ve been peripherally aware of them for several years, but for some reason I had decided -based upon next to no exposure- that I didn’t like them. In the course of a few days earlier this year, I saw a line from their song Logan Circle pop up a handful of times on both twitter and tumblr –I’m not even sad anymore, I’m just so tired most nights- and really connected with it, as it mirrored my current experience with mental health issues. I looked up the song and have been hooked ever since. The Greatest Generation is as fun of a pop-punk record I’ve heard, with frontman Dan “Soupy” Campbell’s emotional delivery and excellent lyricism shining through on every track.

Sample track: 

2. Cannibal Ox – Gotham

Cannibal Ox may have taken 12 years of since the 2001 release of their debut album, the critically-acclaimed The Cold Vein, but Vordul Mega and Vast Aire have certainly not lost even half a step. With such a long layoff between albums and the level of love listeners have for The Cold Vein, Can Ox was fighting an uphill battle with Gotham, but the album doesn’t disappoint in the least.

Sample Track:

3. We Came as Romans – Tracing Back Roots

I had come to know of WCAR back in high school and was drawn in by lead guitarist Joshua Moore’s excellent, positive lyrics. Unfortunately, after a rather lackluster sophomore effort with Understanding What We’ve Grown to Be and taking in a few uninspiring live performances, I was ready to give up on We Came as Romans. Clean vocalist Kyle Pavone flat-out could not sing live and his voice was often auto-tuned to death in the studio. Unclean vocalist Dave Stephens was consistently great, but the rest of the band seemed to have failed to live up to the promise of their debut LP, To Plant a Seed. TBR answered my doubts decisively. Stephens was given an increased role, adding clean vocals on many tracks in addition to his normal throat-shredding screams. Pavone, for his part, appears to have improved by leaps and bounds. The auto-tune of the past is notably absent -and videos of live performances demonstrate a drastic improvement- and Moore’s lyrics are once again a high point in an overall fun, upbeat album.

Sample Track: 

4. The Civil Wars – The Civil Wars

Pending an unexpected reunion, The Civil Wars will always be one the groups I will most regret never getting to see live. Vocalists Joy Williams and John Paul White had an unmistakable chemistry and a level of musicianship that is pretty much unmatched in popular music. Their simple, emotional songs resonate with me in a big way, and are some of my favorite things to play and sing with my good friends. Seriously, as a vocalist, you have no idea how difficult this performance of “From This Valley” from their self-titled album is.

Sample Track:

5. Jamie Cullum – Momentum

Jamie Cullum should be infinitely more popular than he is. The Brit import has gone from albums mostly consisting of jazz standards and covers to 2013’s Momentum, produced by Dan the Automator and featuring only a two covers. Cullum is an energetic performer and excellent pianist and at this point in his career, he is at his absolute peak.

Sample Track:

6. Touché Amoré – Is Survived By

Touché Amoré burst onto the scene in conjunction with bands like La Dispute, Pianos Become the Teeth, and Defeater, and Jeremy Bolm’s powerful vocals and deeply personal lyrics have helped establish them as leaders in this particular movement within post-hardcore.

Sample Track:

7. The Devil Wears Prada – 8:18

It’s been a real treat to watch TDWP grow up. Frontman Mike Hranica lived and went to school in my hometown of Sidney until middle school, and the band is based out of nearby Dayton. I can remember seeing Prada at the local venue at a release show for Dear Love: A Beautiful Discord back in 2006. That they have grown into the scene behemoth they have become would have seemed very unlikely back then, given the overwhelming irrelevance of my hometown (and what was, in retrospect, the fact that Dear Love was not a particularly good album). The miles Hranica has put on his vocal cords are evident on 8:18, but the band opted to leave these imperfections in place, lending a type of authenticity and realness to the tracks. After a lackluster effort with 2011’s Dead Throne, Prada is at their peak on 8:18, a punishing, confident record that showcases a breadth of musical style/influence not seen on previous albums.

Sample Track:

8. Hands Like Houses – Unimagine

The sophomore effort from the Australian post-hardcore/power pop group has hooks for days and excellent guitar work to back them up. After popping up on the scene radar thanks to guest vocals from Jonny Craig and Tyler Carter on their single “Lion Skin” in 2011, HLH holds up quite well without any help on Unimagine. Their 2012 debut, Ground Dweller, showed a lot of promise, but the songs tended to blend together without much to differentiate one song from another, but Unimagine demonstrates a much improved sense of identity and stylistic differentiation between tracks -Most noticeably on “Oceandust,” a piano-driven ballad, a large departure from previous work. Unimagine is one of the more interesting albums of the year, and I still find myself unable to get certain songs out of my head for days at a time.

Sample Track:

9. Have Mercy – The Day the Earth Pushed Back

Baltimore’s Have Mercy is one of the new additions to Topshelf Records’ already excellent roster -which includes bands like Duck! Little Brother, Duck!, Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate), and The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die. Thankfully Have Mercy opted for a simpler name and have the musical chops to live up to Topshelf’s sterling reputation, even more impressive given that The Day the Earth Pushed Back is their full-length debut.

Sample Track: 

10. Mayer Hawthorne – Where Does This Door Go

Not much analysis required for this on; Mayer Hawthorne just puts out fun records. Slick production, all the rad bass lines your heart could desire, and a dope drop in by Kendrick Lamar all make for an excellent listen, not to mention the vast improvement Hawthorne has made as a vocalist since his debut with 2009’s A Strange Arrangement.

Sample Track: 

11. Tiny Moving Parts – This Couch is Long and Full of Friendship

Tiny Moving Parts may be the least well-known -even in the scene- of any band on this list, but it’s certainly not due to a lack of talent on the part of the Minnesota-by-way-of-North Dakota trio. Couch  moves deftly between spoken word vocals and screams, mixing noodly rifs that would be right at home on a Dance Gavin Dance record with indie and emo sensibilities. That Tiny Moving Parts can craft a rich, full sound as easily as they can the still, quiet moments on Couch is impressive given the group’s 3-man composition and young age. Couch definitely gives me plenty of reason to look forward to what the band does next.

Sample Track:

Honorable Mentions:

Paramore – Paramore; Norma Jean – Wrongdoers; The Head and the Heart – Let’s Be Still; Dance Gavin Dance – Acceptance Speech; I, The Mighty – Satori; Defeater – Letters Home; Sara Bareilles – The Blessed Unrest; The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die – Whenever, If Ever; Deltron 3030 – Event II

Ryan’s top 5 EP’s of the year!

Well, I just posted my top 10 albums and included one EP. After publishing that post, I realized that I totally neglected the amount of amazing singles/EP’s that 2013 has produced. So I’m just going to dive right in. Here they are, my top 5 EP’s of 2013.

5) CHVRCHES – Recover EP

CHVRCHES exploded on to the synthpop scene with the release of their Recover EP in early 2013. What drew me to this group is the excellent production, catchy melodies, and the timbre of vocalist Lauren Mayberry. Her high-pitched vocals are complimented by the catchy synth lines and textures that are masterfully programmed into the songs. I also got the chance to see them live this year, and was not let down. The light show fit perfectly with the music. The only complaint I had was that Lauren’s stage presence wasn’t that spectacular, but that’s to expect from a new band. Overall, I’m really impressed by this group and I’m excited to see where they go.

Check out the title track for their EP:

4) Touché Amoré/Pianos Become the Teeth – Split EP

Earlier this year, screamo giants Touché Amoré and Pianos Become the Teeth released a ridiculously good split EP. The EP is only two songs, one from each band, but each song is equally as powerful. Pianos Become the Teeth’s contribution, “Hiding,” is unlike anything they’ve released before. While PBtT are known for intense, emotional songs, they toned it down for this split. The track cuts back on the rough vocals and emphasizes cleaner vocals. It’s still easy to hear the incredible emotion conveyed throughout the track, but it’s in a more melancholic sense. Regardless, the track is a quality release

Touché Amoré’s contribution, “Gravity, Metaphorically,” is also unlike their previous music. While previously having only one song exceeding two minutes, this song is an incredible four minute emotional roller coaster. The song begins like a typical hardcore song, but evolves into something that’s a mix of post-rock and screamo.

Listen to Pianos Become the Teeth’s contribution:

3) Whirr – Around

Modern shoegaze giants, Whirr, released an EP earlier this year and it’s phenomenal. Whirr has perfected the shoegaze sound by dousing their songs in the perfect amounts of reverb and fuzz. The somewhat muddied instrumentals are complimented by a female vocal texture that pierces through the foggy guitars.

Check out the title track for Around:

2) Burial – Rival Dealer

UK Garage giant, Burial, surprisingly dropped an EP earlier in December. Burial’s been pretty quiet since the release of his last LP, Untrue, but has sporadically teased fans with EP’s containing two or three 10-minute masterpieces. Rival Dealers is some of Burial’s best work yet. Burial’s penchant for vocal sampling shines through in the title track. The other tracks show off Burial’s percussion sequencing and the grainy, gritty sound that defines him.

Check out Rival Dealer:

1) Hop Along – Sister Cities

Falling in love with alt-folk band Hop Along was not a difficult task for me at all. Their 2012 release Get Disowned has gone down as one of my all-time favorite records. While Sister Cities is just a single, it’s the only taste of new Hop Along music that we got in 2013. Hop Along’s story-telling lyrics mixed with vocalist Frances Quinlan’s vocal talent makes for one hell of a listening experience.

Ryan’s Albums of the Year (including my Album of the Year)

2013’s been a pretty rad year for music. We’ve seen some older bands reunite, we’ve seen mainstream journalists start to pay attention to emo music, and we’ve had a lot of pretty fantastic records drop this year. I’m gonna count down my 10 favorite albums of the year with number one being my choice for album of the year. I’m gonna be covering a few different genres, so put your seat belts on and enjoy the musical journey.

10) The Naked and Famous – In Rolling Waves 

The Naked and Famous gracefully entered the synthpop/post-punk revival scene last year with their single “Young Blood” from their debut album Passive Me, Aggressive You. After hearing that The Naked and Famous were working on a new record, I instantly became excited. PM,AY was a quality synthpop album, and In Rolling Waves is no different. Although it seems a bit toned down in the musical intensity, In Rolling Waves rivals CHVRCHES’s The Bones of What You Believe as a solid synthpop release.

Check out their single “Hearts Like Ours” here:

9) Kanye West  – Yeezus

From releasing the first song as a projection on buildings in various US cities to creating a music video parodied by James Franco and Seth Rogen, Kanye has done it all this year. Yeezus aimed to introduce a new sound in mainstream hip-hop by incorporating heavily synthesized sounds and untraditional beats. Ye’s lyrics were a bit lacking on this album, but he made up for it with killer production from the likes of Daft Punk, Hudson Mohawke, and No ID. Sure Kanye’s been stirring up a bit of controversy, but listeners can’t argue once they hear Yeezus.

Here’s his pretty frightening video for the single “BLKKK SKKKN HEAD” which features a creepy CGI Kanye:

8) Tiny Moving Parts – This Couch is Long and Full of Friendship

“I did not know what steps to take after graduating high school.”

We’ve all felt this. We can all sympathize. That’s what makes emo outfit Tiny Moving Parts’ newest album so great. It’s relatable with even the most minuscule facets of life. From songs about life in the midwest to interludes that include twinkly guitar riffs with Brett Farve’s retirement speech in the background, this album is a work of art. The off-key, generally rough vocals add to the emotion behind the lyrics to the songs.

Here’s the video for their song “Clouds Above My Head”

7) Moving Mountains – Moving Mountains

Quasi-post-rock icons Moving Mountains released their final album as a band this year, and it was a work of art. Abandoning the rash, harsh sound of their last release Waves, the new s/t venture back to the post-rock roots of Moving Mountains. Soft vocals, incredible crescendoing bridges, and ethereal guitars makes this album one of the best post-rock releases of the year.

Check out their song Apsides:

6) Melt-Banana – Fetch

Japanoise veterans Melt-Banana released a killer record this year, breaking their nearly 6 year break from recording. Fetch is a fun, noisy record full of raucous guitar riffs and high-pitched yet angry sounding vocals.

Here is the single, Candy Gun:

5) Death Grips – Government Plates

Death Grips shocked their fan base by sporadically releasing a new album on Facebook. After legal troubles following their 2012 release No Love, Deep Web, DG started their own record label so they could release their own music for free. In my opinion, Government Plates is the Grips’ best release yet.

Check it:

4) Deafheaven – Sunbather

Black metal band Deafheaven shocked music lovers with their newest release. Black metal fans hate this record due to the shoegaze/screamo elements. Regardless, this album is a fantastic metal release that incorporates ethereal, atmospheric instrumentals and post-rock length songs ranging from 6 to 15 minutes.

Here is the opening track, Dream House:

3) Danny Brown – Old

Danny Brown exploded on to the hip hop game last year with XXX. This year, Danny blew up with his new album. Featuring production from BadBadNotGood, Rustie, and SKYWLKR, Danny Brown’s Old is a hip-hop masterpiece. From honest lyrics about his drug-addled life to party bangers, this record covers everything

Here’s his song Dubstep featuring a very talented British MC:

2) The World is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die – Whenever, If Ever

2013 was definitely the year for the genre of emo. Sure, emo’s been around for a while. But 2013 brought new light to the genre. TWIABP helped the genre’s reputation a ton with their release this year. This album is full of amazing elements including cello features, analog sounding synthesizers, and a phenomenal vocalist who brings life to the lyrics.

Here is their song Gig Life:

1) Laura Stevenson – Wheel

Laura Stevenson got her start with the ska/punk group Bomb The Music Industry! Wheel marks Stevenson’s first release as a solo act. The folk rock singer delivers a beautiful take on the genre. Her voice and lyrics blend perfectly while her background guitar riffs only add emphasis to the songs.

Here is her song The Move:

Special Bonus Section: EP of the Year

Whirr – Around

This EP from shoegaze masters Whirr delivers a powerful sound. From the fuzzy, loud guitars to the texture of the vocalist, this EP is definitive for the shoegaze genre.

Here is the title-track for Around: