Your top 5 albums of 2013

[Madmya]

So what was the best music to come out in 2013? This isn't a poll, I figured if 5 people posted theirs 95% of the albums listed would be unique. I'm always interested in knowing what people are listening though. I won't instantly check them out but generally if I recognise the name and I come across it I have a better chance of stopping and listening. 2013 was a good year for music for me, so here goes:

In no order

Palms

Queens of the Stoneage - ...Like Clockwork

Big Business - Battlefields Forever (also just pipping QOTSA for best album cover)

Karnivool - Asymmetry

Arcade Fire - Reflektor

Honourable mentions:
Tomahawk - Oddfellows
NIN - Hesitation Marks
Melvins - Tres Cabrones
Ghost - Infestissumam

[emptyvessel]

I have one clear number one album and then a group of very good ones and some honourable mentions..

Protest The Hero - Volition

Embarrassingly I only discovered PTH in 2012 and they very quickly became one of my favourite bands. At first I didn't think Volition was as good as their prior work, but with repeat listens I now absolutely love it. Even the sometimes awkward vocal lines have just become part of a very awesome package. Album of the year.

Karnivool - Asymmetry

Took a lot of listening (a bloody lot) but now I think I can get it and appreciate it for what it is. Technically excellent (but not in a thousand notes per second way) with possibly the most skilled group of musicians around. I'm worried though that in their next album they may successfully disappear up their own arses in the search for MOAR PROGRESSIVE.

Tesseract - Altered State
I hadn't really got into Tesseract before (I had given One a fair listen but it hadn't blown me away) and Altered State didn't really amaze me, but it was a massive grower. I picked it up again a few months after getting it and listened to it solidly for ages. Top quality new vocalist, no harsh vocals (not a huge fan considering the genres I like) and technical excellence with hooks.

Circles - Infinitas
The progression these guys have made since they started out has been fantastic. Still djenty and not a flowing band, but excellent musicianship and overall a great debut album.

Sleep Parade - Inside/Out
They put out a very good alt guitar rock album ages ago and then went quiet (and I hadn't seen them live since that time). Then they come out with this. They've gone all indie rock. Surprisingly I love it. In fact, I listened to it solid for a week before I went "wtf, where's the guitar rock". Very well crafted songs do that to you.


Honourable mentions:

The Ocean - Pelagial
Caligula's Horse - The Tide, The Thief & River's End
Dead Letter Circus - The Catalyst Fire
Self Is A Seed - Siren
Jericco - Beautiful In Danger
Helm - Vol 3... Panthalassa

[Cletus]

Radiohead didn't release an album this year.

I listened to stuff I already had all year. I'm now in my forties.

[Gamma]

I don't tend to listen to much current music, and I hit up a lot of singles rather than albums last year, but I'll have a crack:

Avril Lavigne - Avril Lavigne
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
David Bowie - The Next Day
Paul McCartney - New
Pet Shop Boys - Electric

My most listened to album in 2013 was George Harrison's Cloud 9, by a fairly massive number of plays. One of my favourite albums ever, but obviously not 2013 material.

[Madmya]

Karnivool - Asymmetry

Took a lot of listening (a bloody lot) but now I think I can get it and appreciate it for what it is. Technically excellent (but not in a thousand notes per second way) with possibly the most skilled group of musicians around. I'm worried though that in their next album they may successfully disappear up their own arses in the search for MOAR PROGRESSIVE.

Tesseract - Altered State
I hadn't really got into Tesseract before (I had given One a fair listen but it hadn't blown me away) and Altered State didn't really amaze me, but it was a massive grower. I picked it up again a few months after getting it and listened to it solidly for ages. Top quality new vocalist, no harsh vocals (not a huge fan considering the genres I like) and technical excellence with hooks.

Ahh I was wondering if Asymmetry ever got through to you. It's a shame that the album is so hard to get into that it'll garner practically no new fans, even if the album is actually really good. I just reckon it's the drummer, he's gone way complicated for the sake of it. The drums in Sound Awake was so good and in Asymmetry I hardly remember any drumming that I like (except Amusia, love that intro).

You should have provided some form of youtube video for Tesseract, I keep getting them recommended to me via last.fm and noticed Karnivool toured with them in the UK recently. Will have to check them out.

[Rorschach]

I generally only buy singles but I loved NIN Hesitation Marks even though Everything was a bit derpy.

[stanard]

At the end of each year I look at the best of lists from all the music publications and get sad that I have almost no idea who most of the artists are save for the big releases. I never thought that would happen to me

My most listened to albums of 2013 would be (in order):

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Pearl Jam - Lightning Bolt
World's End Press - S/T
Factory Floor - S/T
The National - Trouble Will Find Me

However there's plenty more that I still need to check out, which I know I'd rate higher that some or all of these such as Arcade Fire's new one. I did discover The Chameleons which I've listened to far more than anything else in 2013. They're an 80's band so obviously don't count but fuck they're amazing.

[ObSoLeTe]

in no order, could only think of 3

Devildriver - Winter Kills
Black Sabbath - 13
Megadeth - Super Collider

[Hercy]

A fairly disappointing year for me, from artists I like.

Flaming Lips - The Terror. It's about time they spent some time writing a proper album instead of shitting out some 'background music' tripe every year. What was their last album with some actual songs? At War With The Mystics 7 years ago? Jesus. Still, they're good live because they play all their old stuff.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Mosquito. There's a couple of OK tracks but it's mostly just muddy and dreary shit.

Sleigh Bells - Bitter Rivals. Three albums in 3 years? No, go away and write some proper stuff instead of cashing in on the goodwill from your debut album.

So the good 'uns:

Chvrches - The Bones of What You Believe. Excellent debut, can't really complain about this one.

Tegan & Sara - Heartthrob. Now here's a band moving with the times instead of releasing shit in their second decade.

Haim - Days Are Gone. They had some surprising mainstream success this year and so are tipped to do quite well in the Hottest 100.

Avril Lavigne - self titled. Right on, Gamma. Avril has never released a bad album and that's a fact, even if she couldn't think of a name for her newest one. She has had a couple of shockingly bad songs though - The Best Damn Thing? Christ. Oh and the duet with the paddlepop lion from her new album.

Mazzy Star - Seasons of Your Day. I only had to wait 17 feckin' years between albums. Now this is how you do meloncholy. That's not how you spell it though, because it's spelled "melancholy".

[Madmya]

I generally only buy singles but I loved NIN Hesitation Marks even though Everything was a bit derpy.

Wait, CD singles or just single tracks from iTunes or something? Most NIN fans hate Everything. I actually like it, it has a Cure thing going on. I wonder what mech thinks of it.

Hercy has also reminded me to list my most disappointing album of 2013 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Mosquito. Terrible.

[Madmya]

Yep, Arcade Fire's Reflektor should have been in my top 5 instead of Tomahawk. Great album. Get into it Stanny.

[stanard]

NIN with a Cure thing? Now that's something I may get into. Will have to check it out.

[Madmya]

It's just the song 'Everything' that has a Cure vibe, not the album. And it's a happy song, maybe that's why NIN fans hate it.

[guttermouth]

In no real order......

Dropkick Murphys - Signed and Sealed in Blood.

Pearl Jam - Lighting Bolt

Mudhoney - Vanishing Point

Bad Religion - True North

Swiggin Utters - Poorly Formed

[emptyvessel]

You should have provided some form of youtube video for Tesseract, I keep getting them recommended to me via last.fm and noticed Karnivool toured with them in the UK recently. Will have to check them out.

Here we go... Two from the latest album with Ashe O'Hara on vocals.

Bonus hot blonde chick and bizarre tentacle action in that last clip.

[Madmya]

Yeah that tentacle shit was just weird man. It was pretty jarring having that heavy music then a kind of girly voice at the start of that first vid. Didn't mind it, didn't instantly grab me either. Turns out they're going to Soundwave so I'll get a chance to see em live.

[stanard]

Actually if EPs count then FKA Twigs' EP2 is at the top of my list, with its lead single Water Me far and away the best song of 2013.

.

And somehow I've completely forgotten about PVT's fourth album Homosapien (well it did come out way back in Feb). Definitely my fave full release of the year, even if it didn't quite match my exceedingly high expectations.

[emptyvessel]

Yeah that tentacle shit was just weird man. It was pretty jarring having that heavy music then a kind of girly voice at the start of that first vid. Didn't mind it, didn't instantly grab me either. Turns out they're going to Soundwave so I'll get a chance to see em live.

I'd recommend grabbing the album even if you're only mildly interested and then listening to it in full. It's a grower, and the quality of the vocal delivery isn't immediate either. I love vocalists with a great high range though so it's my type of thing

[Cletus]

I think I might put Stanard in charge of what I like and what I ignore from now on.

[Twiztid Elf]

Didn't listen to much new music this year, but I did enjoy
Fuck Buttons - Slow Focus


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXXVPlrY ... eUlLE0FQJi[/youtube]

[Madmya]

It's a vagina!

Actually I quite enjoyed that tune. Gonna get me some Fuck Buttons I think.

emptyvessel - will do, I can understand that. Karnivool is pretty much heavy with a high singing voice now anyway.

[Madmya]

Best video of the year:

NSFW!

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[stanard]

I tried my damned hardest to get into Slow Focus, but it just didn't get to me in the same way Tarot Sport did. Still a good album, but not sure if I'll ever go back to it.

[Madmya]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I saw it on a few best of lists so thought it must be decent. Maybe I'll just hit youtube.

Updated my list to include Arcade Fire, could have chosen any one of a number of tracks.