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ManDown's Best Of 2013 | #4-#1 ALBUMS
Member Since: 11/11/2010
Posts: 28,420
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The Electric Lady by Janelle Monáe
I've loved Janelle ever since The ArchAndroid was first released and I stumbled upon it on one of those shady illegal download blogs. I didn't care for "Q.U.E.E.N." all that much at first (what was I thinking?), but it grew on me. "Dance Apocalyptic" is what really got me excited for the album. After it was released, I found myself replaying it more than her previous albums. I appreciate the fact that it isn't an obvious concept album in comparison to her others.
HIGHLIGHTS: "Electric Lady", "PrimeTime", "Q.U.E.E.N." |
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Matangi by M.I.A.
I've been so anxious for new M.I.A. for a couple of years. Though it was a little late, I instantly fell in love with Matangi. It's a perfect blend of all her previous albums. I like that the subject matter was more upbeat than her previous albums. I hope to hear more music like this from her in the future.
HIGHLIGHTS: "Bad Girls", "Bring The Noize", "Y.A.L.A." |
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ARTPOP by Lady Gaga
ARTPOP was surprisingly one of my most anticipated albums of the year. I stanned for Gaga up until the end of The Fame Monster era. I hated the Born This Way era at first, but ended up loving the album over time. Swinefest made me even more excited for ARTPOP. It's such a weird album, and you either really love or really hate each song on the album.
HIGHLIGHTS: "Do What U Want", "Fashion", "Sexxx Dreams" |
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Yeezus by Kanye West
I've been a casual fan of Kanye's for years. I didn't really take him or his music too seriously. I decided to go into stan mode with Yeezus, and that included listening to and buying it the second it became available. I was shocked by how much I enjoyed it upon first listen. It's such a cocky, eclectic album. I love that he sampled many different genres including industrial and electronic. I had a newfound appreciation for the album after I saw him in concert in November.
HIGHLIGHTS: "Black Skinhead", "I Am A God", "New Slaves" |
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Member Since: 10/5/2009
Posts: 137,162
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ARTPOP + Yeezus!!! 
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 4/24/2011
Posts: 8,547
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'MATANGI' and 'Yeezus'.
Perfection.
Honestly, TRF.
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Member Since: 5/23/2007
Posts: 65,087
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ARTPOP is a great album, better than BTW for me, great one  and M.I.A 
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Member Since: 4/7/2009
Posts: 34,961
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The Electric Lady + Matangi 
I also liked some Gags tracks and Yeezus
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 27,248
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Matangi, ARTPOP, Yeezus 
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Member Since: 11/11/2010
Posts: 28,420
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Trouble by Natalia Kills
I discovered Natalia Kills a few years back on a music blog; back when we only had "Wonderland", "Mirrors" and "Zombie", and a few demos. It was love at first listen. Perfectionist was all I listened to for several months, and I've been so excited for new music ever since. "Controversy" was one of the weirdest songs I had ever heard, but I ended up loving it and overplaying it. Each single and performance made me more excited for the album. She didn't disappoint. Trouble is her most consistent and personal album.
HIGHLIGHTS: "Controversy", "Rabbit Hole", "Saturday Night" |
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Beyoncé by Beyoncé
Beyoncé had the industry, fans and haters alike unexpectedly shaken. I've always been a Beyoncé fan, occasionally a stan when she releases new music, but Beyoncé had me salivating and crying, and just experiencing a weird range of emotions that I never expected from her. I'll never forget the way that I felt when I clicked on the iTunes link expecting a compilation and saw a dozen titles I hadn't heard of before. Beyoncé is her most solid album, and I hope that she makes more music like it in the future.
HIGHLIGHTS: "Drunk In Love", "Haunted", "XO" |
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Pure Heroine by Lorde
Thinking back to my first impression of Lorde as I watched the "Royals" video for the first time after seeing multiple posts on ATRL about her, it's amazing how much she's grown on me. I hated her music at first, and shrugged her off as another trend that would be forgotten in a matter of weeks/months. The Love Club EP didn't do much for me, but I still downloaded Pure Heroine when it was released because she deserved a second chance for some reason. I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed the album. I found myself humming and singing the lyrics, and was in denial for several days about just how good it really was. Within a matter of weeks, it became one of my most played albums of the year (and all time on Last.fm).
HIGHLIGHTS: "A World Alone", "Team", "Tennis Court" |
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Night Time, My Time by Sky Ferreira
Anyone who knows me knows that I have been a Sky stan for years. I discovered her music on Myspace shortly after "17" was first released, and right before "One" was. I downloaded her demos, and quickly fell in love with her music and personality. After years of setbacks, frustrations and brief EPs (that I thoroughly enjoyed), we finally got the album that had nearly a dozen different titles, themes and tracklistings. It was released while I was mid-move; I was literally staying in a hotel in Columbus when I downloaded it. It was the only thing that I listened to for the remainder of my 7 hour drive. It was such a surreal experience, since I never expected to actually hear the album after all of the delays. I like that she took some risks and went with a sound that is a combination of grunge, surf pop/rock and electropop.
HIGHLIGHTS: "24 Hours", "Ain't Your Right", "Night Time, My Time" |
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Member Since: 4/26/2007
Posts: 15,585
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 4/24/2011
Posts: 8,547
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Trouble, BEYONCÉ, PH, Night Time My Time, all perfection.
Honestly, TRF.
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Member Since: 10/3/2009
Posts: 35,844
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Matangi + BEYONCÉ.
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Member Since: 10/5/2009
Posts: 137,162
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BEYONCE + Lorde Glad that both of those amazing albums got into the top 3. 
Nice Best Of!!! Hopefully you'll be back for later this year 
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