(The good congressmen submitted his list to us and graciously allowed us to post it on the site. Much like the rest of us, he had a hard time condensing it down to just 10, hence leaving us with a bonus 10 to start. From here on out, it's all the work of a hard working man of the people...)
I wanted to give recognition to other albums I liked that either just fell short or I haven’t had time to form a solid opinion on yet.
Dr. Dog – B-Room:
Unfortunately weaker than their other albums but still good. I saw them live and it made me go back through and re-listen to this.
Flaming Lips – The Terror:
So dark and slow. Need to be ripped to really enjoy this. I’d say Hobo Keith and Ironfishlantern should probably stay away from this.
Cut Copy – Free Your Mind:
Yea, I’m almost ashamed to admit I like this. I honestly only dig 3 or 4 songs but they sound like Talking Heads meets 80’s pop meets 90’s dance music…such a strange sound. I only checked these guys out because British Knights (Name changed to protect the innocent) wouldn't stop raving about this album plus reviews claimed it sounds like the Stone Roses (I don't hear the connection).
The Knife – Shaking The Habitual:
Just heard this album for the first time less than a week ago so I need more time. I can honestly say El Lantern and The Hobo should stay far away from this. The album is over 100 minutes long with several 10 minute ambient instrumental songs that need to be skipped. The actual songs on here sound like Can with a Swedish chick instead of Japanese guy.
Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City:
Disappointed with this one. The other two albums are great, this one is a step down for me. I still like a lot of it, maybe it will grow on me over time but I'm just not feeling it as much as their first 2 albums.
Belle & Sebastian – The Third Eye Centre:
Singles and outtakes collection from 2004-present. Probably best if anyone reading this stays away from this album unless you're already a Belle & Sebastian fan.
Franz Ferdinand – Right Thoughts…:
Meh…OK, not bad not great. Good live though.
Of Montreal – Lousy With Sylvianbriar:
Of Montreal doing rootsy/country rock with a pinch of Dylan? Not too bad.
Smith Westerns – Soft Will:
I’m sick of typing and my kids are wreaking havoc on my house. (Editors note: What he meant to say was "This is a great album that I will love in a matter of time. Can't wait until it's amazing my ear-balls over and over.")
The Top 10 of 2013:
10. Paul McCartney – New
Hey...old dude with a good album...sweet! I didn’t really give a shit when I heard a new McCartney album came out because I haven’t really liked anything he put out after the 70’s. Lots of songs on this album and most of them are good. A few suck (like Hosanna and Appreciate) but mostly solid stuff here. Alligator, Queenie Eye, Everybody Out There and I Can Bet are my favorites.
9. Deer Tick – Negativity
Definitely a step up from their other albums. Songwriting and production got amped up big time and now instead of sounding like some rootsy bar band, they have their own sound. Definitely catching a Wilco vibe here.
8. Jonathan Rado – Law and Order
Yea it’s not Foxygen but still good. Aside from a couple of instrumental songs on here that I skip and that horrible abomination of a song “Looking 4a girl like U” that no one in their right mind should ever have to hear, the album is damn good. The more I listen, the more it grows on me. Check out the last song on here for the hell of it. Foxygen does such a great job of aping 60’s music and now with the last song I can see they (or maybe just Rado) can also branch out into weird 70’s adult contemporary. After reading all the shit about these guys, I hope they stay together but if not, at least I’m optimistic we’ll continue to get good music in one way or another.
7. Blitzen Trapper – VII
Another solid Blitzen Trapper album. I like this one a little better than American Goldwing. For some reason when I put my music on shuffle and one of these songs comes on, I don’t want to hear it as much as I do when it comes up naturally on the album. Hard to explain but I think this album sounds better just played all the way through in natural order.
- The Strokes – Comedown Machine
This one slowly grew on me throughout the year. There are like 3 or 4 songs I don’t care too much for but the rest is pretty solid. Welcome To Japan is the best one on here and Happy Ending is total guilty pleasure. Not quite as good as Angles but still sweet. I am definitely OK with the 80's sound they're embracing.
- My Bloody Valentine – MBV
I liked “loveless” a lot (I don’t think it deserves all the praise it gets but oh well) so I at least hoped this one would be good, which it is. This is a great album to get really stoned to. Tons of guitar and distortion here. The first song is a little weak but I won’t hold that against the album because it’s kinda like an intro and the second song is great. The only song on here I have to skip is “is this and yes”. It’s like 5 minutes of beeping and moaning. How anyone can enjoy that is beyond me but whatever. It’s not as good as Loveless but oddly enough sounds like it was recorded almost at the same time despite being released 20 something years later. These guys have changed absolutely nothing about their sound since 1990 and I'm fine with that.
4. Surfer Blood – Pythons
Yea this album got ripped apart when it came out by almost everyone. Bullshit man! There is some really good stuff here! Sweet 90’s throwback album. Short with only 10 songs but only one or two I don’t care for all that much. The two bonus tracks are pretty good also. Definitely a step up from their first album. The EP from 2 years ago is worth checking out as well.
3. Wavves – Afraid of Heights
Another album full of 90’s sounding tunes. Difference here is that while the Surfer Blood album has more of a Weezer/Pixies sound, these guys ape the shit out of Nirvana. The songs are really good, just don’t pay too much attention to the lyrics because this guy is a whiny bitch. Almost every song on here is really fast and catchy.
2. Foxygen – We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
Although I think their first album is better, this one is still really good. First 6 songs are pretty awesome (except the instrumental song, which is kinda weak). The last three are still pretty good, just not as good as the beginning. Call me crazy but I still think the chorus of Blue Mountain reminds me of Suspicious Minds. I got to see these guys live twice and I’ll gladly go again. The good thing about this album is that they’re getting their own distinct sound. Don't get me wrong, I love the Stones, VU, Kinks sound that was all over the first album but it's nice to hear a band start coming into their own. Let's just hope they don't break up.
- David Bowie – The Next Day
Much like McCartney, when I heard Bowie had a new album coming out I didn’t exactly get excited as I hadn’t been a huge fan of anything he put out after the 70’s. “Where Are We Now?” came out as the first single and I was even less interested. I downloaded the album when it came out just for the hell of it to check it out and I’m really glad I did. Turns out the first single ended up being one of my least favorite songs on the album. Definitely the best thing he’s put out in a long time. I listened to it all year and I’m still not sick of it. Also worth mentioning is that there is a whole disk of bonus tracks, most of which are good. I have 23 total songs for this album (14 album, 9 bonus tracks) so there’s a lot to get into here. Maybe I’m out of line but I think this definitely fits right in with the best of his material. I haven’t ranked my favorite Bowie albums but this would definitely be in the top 10, possibly in the top 5. Worth noting is the song with the best title is also probably the best song on the album (I'd Rather Be High). Yea, I know that it's some anti-war protest thing but I just like the idea of 60 something year old Bowie singing about how he'd rather be high than dealing with shit. Yes, the song itself is great, not just the title.
Hello mate, nice blog
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