Back to 2013 (Re-Ranking the Best of Lists) • Page 2

This year, musically and otherwise, meant so damn much to me. I'll never be able to articulate it all.

Thanks @Jason Tate for always including Holy Ghost, those guys rule.

 

I remember 2013 being a weak year of music for me personally. I know Andrew Mcmahon kicked off the In The Wilderness years with his Pop Underground EP that year but I wasn't blown away by that either.

 

1. The Wonder Years- Greatest Generation
2. Story So Far- What You Don't See
3. Silverstein- This is How the Wind Shifts
4. Broadway Calls- Comfort/Distraction
5. Have Mercy- The Earth Pushed Back
6. Alkaline Trio- My Shame is True
7. Frank Turner- Tape Deck Heart
8. Seaway- Hoser
9. Off With Their Heads- Home
10. The Swellers- Light Under Closed Doors

 

The 2013 editions of Lollapalooza and Riot Fest were two of the best festivals I've ever been to as well. What a fortunate summer.

 

2013 was the year I graduated college, student taught and got my first job. Weird transition year for me. Moving back to Philly and getting used to the neighborhood again after college, teaching 7th grade, coaching softball lol. Lot of stuff going on.

1. Kanye West - Yeezus
2. Chance the Rapper - Acid Rap
3. Deafheaven - Sunbather
4. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
5. The Front Bottoms - Talon of the Hawk
6. Shad - Flying Colors
7. Vampire Weekend - MVOTC
8. Autre Ne Veut - Anxiety
9. Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe
10. Kurt Vile - Wakin on a Pretty Daze
11. Action Bronson - Blue Chips 2
12. Rhye - Woman
13. ASAP Rocky - Long. Live. ASAP

 

pics or it didn't happen

 

Also graduated college this year and moved to the city for grad school. I had split time between home and dorms during undergrad, so it was my first time really "on my own" and I learned a lot about adulthood for better or worse.

My Bloody Valentine - m b v
Jon Hopkins - Immunity
Daylight - Jar
Power Trip - Manifest Decimation
Classixx - Hanging Gardens
Mark Kozelek/Jimmy Lavalle - Perils from the Sea
Disclosure - Settle
Earl Sweatshirt - Doris
Nails - Abandon All Life
Pity Sex - Feast Of Love

 

hmm i forgot m b v was 2013 lol

 

In 2013 The Wonder Years were probably my most played album. It's actually surprising how many of these albums I didn't discover until 3+ years after they came out. This also was the year I got really into Game of Thrones (tv series and books). A surprisingly ska heavy release year too. Here's my present day rankings:

1. The Wonder Years - The Greatest Generation
2. Golden Youth - Quiet Frame; Wild Light
3. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
4. Frightened Rabbit – Pedestrian Verse
5. Paramore - Paramore
6. Balance & Composure - The Things We Think We’re Missing
7. Portugal the Man - Evil Friends
8. The 1975 – The 1975
9. Streetlight Manifesto - The Hands that Thieve
10. Five Iron Frenzy - Engine of a Million Plots
11. Fall Out Boy – Save Rock and Roll
12. Hellogoodbye - Everything is Debatable
13. Relient K - Collapsible Lung
14. Shad – Flying Colours
15. CHVRCHES – The Bones of What You Believe
16. John Mayer – Paradise Valley
17. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City
18. Haim – Days are Gone
19. Jimmy Eat World – Damage
20. I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business - Enola
21. The Almost - Fear Inside Our Bones
22. Less Than Jake - See the Light
23. Falling Up - Midnight on Earthship
24. Falling Up - Hours
25. Aaron Sprinkle – Water & Guns
26. Schematic - Color Inside the Lines
27. August Burns Red - Rescue & Restore
28. The Last Bison - Inheritance
29. States - Paradigm
30. Sleeping with Sirens - Feel

And an honorable mention for Anberlin's "Devotion" which wasn't really a new album but gave some good b-sides and remixes from 2012's "Vital."

 

One of the things in 2013 which enabled me to listen to so much new music was I got my first part-time job in night-fill, and we were allowed to listen to music after customers left. Maybe that was my bosses never liked me much...

 

Not a fan of that original list. Only two I still listen to are Moving Mountains and Balance and Composure. All the previous lists I've been pretty close to when it comes to musical tastes.

Other 2013's I still listen to regularly:

Great Big Pile of Leaves
Portugal. The Man
Turnover
Kevin Devine
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Cage the Elephant
Phoenix
Daughter
Dangerous Summer
Head and the Heart
Local Natives
Mansions

 

Captain, We're Sinking - TFIC
Dave Hause - Devour
Iron Chic - Constant One
Elway - Leavetaking
Flatliners - Dead Language
Front Bottoms - Talon of the Hawk
Mixtapes - Ordinary Silence
Modern Baseball - You're Gonna Miss It All
OWTH - Home
Red City Radio - Titles
State Lines - For The Boats
Streetlight Manifesto - The Hands That Thieve
The Wonder Years - Greatest Generation
Worship This! - Tomorrow, I'll Miss You

 

2013 was a transition year personally. It marked the end of high school, coinciding with a certain amount of special albums that came out in the first half, and the start of college. A year of changes in some sort. I legally turned into an adult, leaved home for the first time and got my first apartment, made new friends, discovered the "student life" with all the clichés it entails etc.

Music wise, a few all time favorites came out that year, with the most obvious being Charli XCX who would end up becoming one of my favorite artists since.

It's also the year my brother and a friend got me into Kpop and I've been obsessed with the genre since. Also got back to Jrock / Jpop a lot from that year onwards too.

Once again, in no particular order after a certain point:

Charli XCX - True Romance
Tinashe - Black Water
Girls' Generation - Love & Peace
Beyoncé - Beyoncé
Bring Me The Horizon - Sempiternal
Cartel - Collider
Bad Rabbits - American Love
Perfume - LEVEL3
The National - Trouble Will Find Me
Yuna - Nocturnal
CHVRCHES - The Bones Of What You Believe
Tricot - T H E
Sevendust - Black Out The Sun
Miss A - Hush
Touché Amoré - Is Survived By
Norma Jean - Wrongdoers
No Joy - Wait To Pleasure
Paramore - Paramore
Soilwork - The Living Infinite
Brown Eyed Girls - Black Box
Fall Out Boy - Save Rock And Roll
Sky Ferreira - Night Time, My Time
Glasperlenspiel - Grenzenlos
Ling Tosite Sigure - I'mperfect
IU - Modern Times
Natalia Kills - Trouble
AlunaGeorge - Body Music
Funeral For A Friend - Conduit
Nine Muses - Prima Donna
Silverstein – This Is How the Wind Shifts
Senses Fail - Renacer
Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience Part 1 (let's pretend Part 2 never existed)
Little Boots - Nocturnes
Daughter – If You Leave
My Epic - Behold
HRVRD - From The Bird's Cage
Night Verses - Lift Hour Existence
AFI - Burial
The Color Morale - Know Hope
Conditions - Full Of War

Letlive's album remains the most botched I've ever heard sound wise. It could have been so much more with a better mix.

 

Was about to say that I couldn’t believe I forgot about that Norma Jean record, but remembered that I was actually not that into it in 2013 for some reason. It took me returning to it like 2 years later for me to be like “oh wow wtf this is incredible”

 

Totally forgot about Burials coming out in 13. There are a few stinkers on there but by and large it holds up really well, better than crash love and blood (which I also enjoy).

 

That AFI record was whatever, but “17 Crimes” might be my favorite AFI track period

 

It’s high on the list for me too. Absolutely perfect song.

 

I'm a bit late coming back from a short break off work, so I'll only add that this finally a year where I started ranking stuff, and so my AOTY was TTWTWM by Balance & Composure.

Also, thanks to that 2013 ap.net list I got myself to check out The National and Frigthened Rabbit, which are huge bands for me now!