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Léo's Best of 2013 | Singles: TOP 10 REVELEAD!!!
Member Since: 10/8/2009
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Demi, Britney Jean and Art Pop 
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Member Since: 8/18/2013
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Get Wet, Artpop and Britney Jean  
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John Mayer, Gabrielle Applin and OneRepublic 
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Random Access Memories, Get Wet, and Native 
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I really like "Ice on the Dune" (the song).
Haven't heard most of the others, but I like Mechanical Bull and Random Access Memories too.
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Member Since: 8/27/2010
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5.5 | 10
In 2009 Empire of the Sun was my #01 of EVERYTHING, in my opinion Ice on the Dune is VERY disappointing 
Native and Mechanical Bull
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Member Since: 4/22/2012
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I just downloaded Big TV and so far I've really been enjoying it 
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We need an update, sis 
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Member Since: 6/25/2008
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BEST ALBUMS OF 2013
#25. Arctic Monkeys
AM
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AM is the fifth studio album by the English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys. It was produced by James Ford and co-produced by Ross Orton at Sage & Sound Recording in Los Angeles and Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, California, and released in September 2013 through Domino. The album was promoted by the singles: "R U Mine?", "Do I Wanna Know?", "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?" and "One for the Road". It features guest appearances by Josh Homme, Bill Ryder-Jones and Pete Thomas. The album received widespread critical acclaim. It was nominated for the 2013 Mercury Prize for best album, hailed the Best Album of 2013 by NME magazine, and featured at number 449 on NME's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Commercially, AM has become Arctic Monkeys' most successful album to date, topping charts in several countries, and reaching top 10 positions in many more. In the United Kingdom, Arctic Monkeys broke a record with AM, becoming the first independent-label band to debut at number one in the UK with their first five albums. In an interview with Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1, Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner said that the album title was inspired by the Velvet Underground's 1985 compilation album VU. "I actually stole it from the Velvet Underground, I'll just confess that now and get it out of the way. The 'VU' record, obviously," he said. "Did we cop out? Yeah! Summat about it feels like this record is exactly where we should be right now. So it felt right to just initial it." Turner later revealed that the band has nearly titled the album The New Black, after a guitar amp they used in the recording process: "I got this old Rickenbacker thing that we recorded a lot through. There's no knobs, just two holes. And this little black amp that became known as The New Black. Crossed me mind to call the album that." The album draws inspiration from various musical genres, including psychedelic rock, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, desert rock, R&B, soul and hip hop. Alex Turner described the album as sounding "like a Dr Dre beat, but we've given it an Ike Turner bowl-cut and sent it galloping across the desert on a Stratocaster", adding that it "sound less like four lads playing in a room this time. Essentially, that's what it is, but if you can find a way to manipulate the instruments or the sounds to the point where it sounds a bit like a hip-hop beat that'd be boss in your car, then I think there's something quite cool about that." Turner also cited Outkast, Aaliyah and Black Sabbath as influences. What an unexpected album for me. I used to love "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" and Favourite Worst Nightmare" but Humbug was a mess for me, their worst album. Suck It And See is ok, better than Humbug but not great as their first albums. Been a while (since 2007) that I didn't like an album like this. I thought the Arctic Monkeys was lost but finally they're back to my life with a great record, AM.
Genre: Indie Rock
Favorite Tracks:
1. Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?
2. Snap Out of It / Fireside / Knee Socks / R U Mine?
3. One For The Road
4. Do I Wanna Know? / Arabella |
#24. Lorde
Pure Heroine
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Pure Heroine is the debut studio album by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde. It was first released on 27 September 2013. Recording for the album began in 2012 with producer Joel Little after being signed to Universal Music at the age of twelve by A&R scout Scott Maclachlan, with several songs being originally released on the The Love Club EP, which was released in early 2013. After the critical acclaim of her EP and its lead single "Royals", the two eventually re-entered the studio and began co-writing and producing more material. "Pure Heroine" consists of ten tracks. Musically, "Pure Heroine" is an art pop and electronica album, combining ambient, dark wave, indietronica, synthpop genres with minimalist production, lyrically thought-provoking song structure and striking vocals. Lorde revisits her common theme of "youth", with the album primarily being inspired by her youth and critiques of mainstream culture. Lyrically the album explores previous themes of social anxiety, romantic yearning, debilitating ennui and booze-soaked ragers. Pure Heroine received critical acclaim upon its release, with many commending Lorde's vocals and songwriting, as well as Little's production. Lorde also received comparison to notable singer-songwriters such as Adele and Lana Del Rey. The album achieved excellent sales in several countries, reaching number one in her home country and Australia, as well as debuting at number two in Canada and number three in the United States. Within a month of release, it achieved gold and platinum statuses with the ARIA and Recorded Music NZ, respectively.
Genre: Indie Pop
Favorite Tracks:
1. Tennis Court / Royals
2. Ribs
3. Glory and Gore / A World Alone
4. Buzzcut Season / 400 Lux |
#23. MS MR
Secondhand Rapture
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Secondhand Rapture is the debut studio album by American duo MS MR, released on May 14, 2013 by Columbia Records. The album was written and produced by MS MR with additional production and mixing done by Tom Elmhirst. The album features the singles "Hurricane", "Fantasy" and "Think of You". One of the best new artists of the year and they released an awesome debut album. MS MR singer Lizzy Plapinger is exactly what you want in a frontman/woman. She has pink hair, or sometimes blue. She has an unconventional voice, husky and noir-ish. Most importantly, she has a keen ear for pop: as co-founder of Neon Gold Records, she released early singles from acts like Passion Pit, Ellie Goulding and Icona Pop. But that cool factor looms large over her project with Max Hershenow, giving skeptics a ready-made argument: that MS MR’s success is built on blind faith from a Neon Gold-loving Web. The most effective way to dispense with any potential buzz-economy ********, though, is to put together a debut album as strong as Secondhand Rapture. With this full-length, MS MR have crafted a collection of glossy dirges and high-drama doom-dances that operate in the pop world, but aren’t entirely of that world. Rather than neon synths and guitar crunch buttressing the melodies, it’s strings and pianos — but not in the Lana Del Way. Instead, MS MR opt for beauty through weirdness, constructing a record full of spectral echoes, wobbling organs and orchestral maneuvers in the dark.
Genre: Indie / Alternative / Dream Pop
Favorite Tracks:
1. Hurricane
2. Think of You / Ash Tree Lane
3. Fantasy / Dark Doo Wop / Twenty Seven
4. Head Is Not My Home / Bones |
#22. HAIM
Days Are Gone
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Days Are Gone is the debut studio album by American rock band Haim. It was released on September 27, 2013 by Polydor Records. The album includes the singles "Forever", "Don't Save Me", "Falling", and "The Wire". Upon its release, Days Are Gone received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 79, based on 34 reviews. Ann Powers from NPR stated "HAIM's thoughtful, playful music is good for the radio, good for rock, and good for music lovers of all ages who need to carve out a little space to dream."Becca James of The A.V. Club gave the album a very positive review: "It could be an overstatement to say that if Days Are Gone is any indication of what's to come for Haim, the band is set." Matt James of PopMatters complimented all overall production "It'd be hard to truly dislike Haim. They're an eminently likeable, albeit slightly kooky, trio whose story already bears the frisson of legend. Great debut as I was expecting, what a trio powerful. Days Are Gone is solid and lovely.
Genre: Indie Pop / Alternative
Favorite Tracks:
1. Forever / The Wire / Running If You Call My Name
2. If I Could Change Your Mind / Don't Save Me
3. Go Slow
4. Let Me Go |
#21. Tiago Iorc
Zeski
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Zeski is the third album by Brazilian singer-songwriter Tiago Iorc, released on July, 2013. After his album Umbilical (2011), Tiago Iorc is back in a big way. For the first time Tiago sings in portuguese. Half of the album consists of portuguese language and english language. Zeski is a perfection of subtle beats and rhythms, the lyrics are golden. Tiago Iorc is like the brazillian John Mayer. Despite having no musical background in his family, Tiago started playing the acoustic guitar at age 8. His English is flawless, seeing as how he spent a great deal of his childhood in the UK and the US. He's not yet known worldwide and is currently touring throughout his native Brazil, so global fans, have patience.
Genre: Singer-Songwriter / Acoustic / Alternative / Pop
Favorite Tracks:
1. Skin Deep / What Would You Say / Forasteiro (feat. Silva)
2. Life of My Love / Um Dia Após o Outro (feat. Daniel Lopes) / It's a Fluke
3. Shelford Road
4. Música Inédita (feat. Maria Gadú) |
#20. Foals
Holy Fire
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Holy Fire is the third studio album by British band Foals, released on 11 February 2013 in the United Kingdom on Transgressive Records. The album managed to chart at number two on the UK Albums Chart in the UK and charted across the world including the number one spot on the Australian Albums Chart in Australia and number eighty six on the Billboard 200 in the US. The album also received widespread critical praise and was nominated for the 2013 Mercury Prize for best album. Eventually, the band stockpiled various sound loops and samples, old synthesizers and drum machines for using on the recording of the album. The album received an average rating of 76/100 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favourable reviews". NME gave the album a rating of 9/10, praising the fact that it "is a record that bursts out of the speakers" and adding that although the album is energetic, "it's the way that the album as a whole unravels and blooms through repeat listens that marks it as Foals' finest moment to date". Drowned in Sound stated that "not only is Holy Fire utterly sublime, it's a record that's been six years in the making. A record where Foals have focussed their many triumphs and missteps into one cohesive statement". Ian Cohen of Pitchfork Media called Holy Fire an "ambitious record, one that operates on an artistic economy of scale, where the lustrous production and singles like "My Number" and "Inhaler" do the heavy work of confirming Foals' headliner status". Unbelievable how Foals is growing every album. Holy Fire is one of the biggest surprise this year for me and also their best album so far. I'm so happy to see Foals here, flawless album 
Genre: Indie Rock / Alternative Rock / Art Rock
Favorite Tracks:
1. My Number / Bad Habit
2. Late Night
3. Out of the Woods / Everytime
4. Stepson / Milk & Black Spiders |
#19. Disclosure
Settle
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Settle is the debut studio album by English electronic music duo Disclosure, released on 31 May 2013 by Island Records. The album includes previously released singles "Latch", "White Noise" and "You & Me". A deluxe edition of the album contains four bonus tracks including Disclosure's remix of Jessie Ware's song "Running". Settle debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, selling 44,633 copies in its first week. The album received widespread critical praise and was nominated for the 2013 Mercury Prize for best album. Settle received acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 81, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 31 reviews. Robert Copsey of Digital Spy gave the album a positive review stating: "Despite the list of vocalists reading like a who's who on the Hype Machine chart, Guy and Howard's presence is felt strongly throughout, although the featureless tracks 'Second Chance' and 'Grab Her' are the weaker on the collection. Regardless, much like Daft Punk's latest effort, Settle is an album that brings some sorely needed intelligence back to joyous dance-pop."
Genre: Eletronic / UK Garage / Deep House
Favorite Tracks:
1. Latch
2. Help Me Lose My Mind / You & Me
3. F for You / Defeated No More
4. When A Fire Starts To Burn / White Noise / Confess To Me / January
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#18. Birdy
Fire Within
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Fire Within is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Jasmine Van den Bogaerde, best known as Birdy. It is her first album of predominantly original compositions, her eponymous début album consisting largely of covers. Fire Within was released in Europe and Oceania in September 2013. A North American release is planned for 2014 – meanwhile, several album tracks and live versions of past songs were released as an EP titled Breathe on 24 September 2013. I don't have much to say about Fire Within because I already knew Birdy would do something great. Love at first heard.
Genre: Indie Folk / Indie Pop / Acoustic
Favorite Tracks:
1. All About You / Standing in the Way of the Light
2. Heart of Gold / Light Me Up / Shine
3. Wings / Words As Weapons
4. No Angel |
#17. Jessie J
Alive
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Alive is the second studio album from British singer-songwriter Jessie J, released on 1 October 2013. The album features collaborations with the likes of Becky G, Brandy Norwood, Big Sean and Dizzee Rascal. The album debuted at number three with first week sales of 39,270 sales in the UK. "Alive" was recorded over a twelve month period between June 2012 and May 2013 in London, New York and Los Angeles. The title derives from the "Wild" lyric "Am I asleep, no I'm alive." Writing partners on the album include the likes of Australian singer-songwriter Sia Furler and writer Diane Warren. Jessie tweeted her excitement, saying she was "living the dream". Throughout the year, Jessie made several announcements suggesting that she was recording her second album, including saying: "For the seven years before I signed my record deal, I was in a bad place, and I was scared that I couldn't get out of it. That’s why I wrote such upbeat music, as a way of trying to escape how I felt. Now that I am happier, I won’t be afraid to explore my pain. But in a good way; it’ll be me saying that it’s OK not to feel OK." Upon its release, Alive received mixed reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 57, based on 4 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews." Some critics widely complimented Jessie J's vocals and self-confidence, while others dismissed the album as "generic" and "overwrought". Gigwise rated the album six stars out of ten and wrote: "The second studio album by Jessie J certainly showcases her singing talent, but while Alive is a mix of good tracks and powerful lyrics - a lot which is too similar to what's been before, or even what is plainly out at the moment". Virgin Media also gave the album a mixed review, saying that "Jessie J has overcome the hurdles of being a moderate singer, bogstandard songwriter and not having an original musical idea in her head to become a bona fide A-list pop star", adding that she "has risen to the occasion and then some. Alive is a better album than its predecessor, with marginally fewer banal four-to-the-floor beats and more chance for Jessie's personality-plus charisma to shine." Digital Spy also reviewed the album positively, writing that "Alive as a whole is an accomplished pop record by an undeniably talented singer-songwriter that results in a natural progression from her debut - and one that can hopefully win some of those 'haters' over", adding that "There's no escaping the fact that Alive does have a tendency to switch genre throughout its course, but the overall thinking does feel much more cohesive than her debut." I don't much to say about Alive. Good album, amazing lyrics as expected and I love Jessie J voice, her vocals are awesome she's one of my favorite girls.
Genre: Pop / R&B
Favorite Tracks:
1. Gold / Square One / Thunder / I Miss Her
2. Breathe / Sexy Lady / Wild (feat. Big Sean)
3. Excuse My Rude (feat. Becky G)
4. Conquer the World (feat. Brandy) |
#16. Daughter
If You Leave
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If You Leave is the debut album by Daughter released under 4AD on 18 March 2013. In anticipation of the album, a music video for the promotional single "Still" was released on 24 January 2013. Daughter formed in 2010, originally it was meant to be the solo work of singer Elena Tonra she was joined by guitarist Igor Haefeli and drummer Remi Aguilella. They released the Demos EP which started word of mouth on the band, Daughter self-released their debut EP, His Young Heart, on April 20, 2011. Later that same year, they released another EP, The Wild Youth, on October 2 through artist-led Communion Records. The latter EP earned praise from British website For Folk’s Sake who described Daughter as "one of the most unique sounds in the pop landscape today." BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens also invited them to perform a Maida Vale Session for his show. In 2012 the band were signed to 4AD and began work on their debut album. The album was positively reviewed by BBC Music, who described the sound as "instantly enchanting of design", "wholly hypnotic" and "more engaging than many a peer's offerings." The Guardian, who rated the album a six out of ten, offered a mixed review, characterizing the sound as "atmospheric, but...calculatingly so, especially set against [Tonra's] overwrought poetry." I don't have much to see about If You Leave. I was expecting so much for this debut album because this year I was so addicted with their eps I love bands like Daughter, I can feel good vibes with "If You Leave", the album makes me very relaxed and is perfect for late night. I can't forget to say about Elena Tonra, her voice is a bless.
Genre: Indie / Acoustic / Indie Folk
Favorite Tracks:
1. Youth / Amsterdam / Still
2. Tomorrow
3. Smother / Shallows / Winter
4. Lifeforms |
#15. Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
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Avril Lavigne is the self-titled fifth studio album by Canadian singer Avril Lavigne, released on 1 November 2013 by, Sony Music Entertainment. The album is a follow-up to her 2011 effort Goodbye Lullaby. Lavigne collaborated with numerous producers including Martin Johnson of Boys Like Girls, Peter Svensson, David Hodges, Matt Squire and her husband Chad Kroeger of Nickelback. In both musical and lyrical aspects, the album represents a departure from her previous production, including a more pop and upbeat sound, but not dropping her "bratty" or "immature" image, which was heavily criticized. Avril Lavigne received generally mixed reviews from music critics, with some critics commending it as one of her best albums in recent years. Fender described the album saying that "...proves that the reigning pop-punk princess can still rock the line between hard-edged skate punk and heartfelt ballads with ease.". Generally the involvement of husband Chad Kroeger on the album wasn't well received by critics. Nick Catucci of Entertainment Weekly said that "The irresistibly zippy, perceptive and, on two (possibly three) occasions, deeply weird Avril Lavigne reminds us that maturity sometimes means doubling down on what’s expected of you." Jason Lipshutz of Billboard also gave a positive review saying "For the most part, Lavigne's fifth full-length encapsulates everything worth loving about the 29-year-old's long-running artistry." Billboard also praised the tracks "17" and "Hush Hush". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide gave a rating of three and half stars out of five, saying "This ultimately winds up as one of Avril's livelier and better albums; it's all about the good times, no matter how temporary or illusionary they may be." Gary Graff of Santa Cruz Sentinel almost panned the album, giving 1 out of 2, saying "This is Avril Lavigne as her fans want her — upbeat and playfully rebellious, sounding more teenage at 29 than she has on her last couple of albums." Robert Copsey of Digital Spy gave a mixed review with three stars, saying "For the most part though, Avril seems content staying in the same lane, singing about the same things to pretty much the same tune. She may have self-titled the album because she didn't know what else to call it, but truth be told, nothing could sum it up better." I don't have much to say about AL, the album is really good but I was expecting something different, I don't know. She's one of my favorite singers but I'm tired of the same ****. I prefer Goodbye Lullaby.
Genre: Pop Rock / Pop
Favorite Tracks:
1. Hello Heartache / Falling Fast
2. 17 / Hush Hush
3. Bitchin' Summer
4. Give You What You Like |
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Member Since: 6/25/2008
Posts: 15,884
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#14. Paramore
Paramore
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Paramore is the self-titled fourth studio album by the American rock band Paramore. It was released on April 5, 2013, through Fueled by Ramen. It is their first album without co-founders Josh and Zac Farro. The album was released to critical acclaim and became Paramore's first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. Paramore received critical acclaim from critics. The album holds a score of 81/100 on Metacritic based on 20 professional reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". AbsolutePunk gave Paramore 8/10, saying "Instead of pursuing all things epic or intentionally moving to a specific sound, the band had a blast pursuing every genre under the sun, creating a damn good album in the process. [...] You never know whether a throwback, pop hit, ukulele interlude or country jam will appear, which is half the fun. Chances are you won't dedicate undivided attention to Paramore, but you'll regularly queue the whole record, go about your day and sing along as your favorites pop up." They conclude with "As a full record, Paramore certainly isn't for everyone but there's certainly something for everyone. If you're not having fun at some point of the album, you're probably not trying." AllMusic gave the album a 4.5/5, stating "The record's collaborative foundation crackles on every track, but Hayley Williams, a ballsy, extroverted frontwoman with a voice big enough to stop time, proves unequivocally to be the cunning talent of the band, no matter how vital York and Davis may be" and calls it their best album. Alternative Press gave the album a 5/5, praising the diversity of the album, calling the album "a sprawling, 17-song, 64-minute monster that is without a doubt the finest music these three artists vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and bassist Jeremy Davis have ever made." At the USA Today, Brian Mansfield found that on the album the band "has super-sized its sound", while featuring "new-wavey synthesizers, girl-group castanets, even a gospel choir are added to its signature punk-pop. Williams' sarcasm seems less forced than her enthusiasm, still, Paramore shows a band determined to get out of the misery business." I was expecting nothing from Paramore but I'm glad they did something really GREAT. I used to love All We Know is Falling and especially Riot!. When they released Brand New Eyes was kinda a letdown for me because I was expecting something like Riot!, but ok, the album is not bad, just not good enough as their first albums, that's why I was not excited for "Paramore". Anyway, when I heard "Paramore" was a fantastic surprise for me, I thought the album would be more like Brand New Eyes but I'm glad they did something really different. I think "Paramore" is a mix of their best pop rock songs and their best alternative songs. I can hear a little All We Know is Falling, Riot! and Brand New Eyes together on the new album.
Genre: Alternative Rock / Pop Rock
Favorite Tracks:
1. Ain't It Fun / Hate to See Your Heart Break / Daydreaming
2. Last Hope / Anklebiters
3. Future / Part II
4. Still Into You |
#13. Katy Perry
PRISM
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Prism the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Katy Perry, released by Capitol Records on October 18, 2013. While the album was initially planned to be "darker" than her previous material, Prism ultimately became a prominently Swedish dance music-inspired record. The singer worked with several past collaborators, while enlisting new producers and guest vocals. Much of Prism revolves around the themes of living in the present, relationships, and self-empowerment. Prism also includes some elements of Contemporary Christian music. Critical response to the album was generally mixed to positive: many of the critics highlighted its "maturity" and "vulnerability", while some journalists considered Prism a disappointment compared to her previous material, describing its songs as "formulaic" and "forgettable". It debuted atop of the US Billboard 200, with Perry's best opening week to date (286,000 copies sold). The album also peaked at number one in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.Upon release, Prism received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 61/100 based on 26 reviews. Jon Dolan from Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars, writing that "Perry and her longtime collaborators Dr. Luke and Max Martin often go for a darker, moodier intimacy à la high-end Swedish divas Robyn and Lykke Li. Perry has always done a great job of letting us know she's in on the joke of pop stardom. Sadly, she doesn't always bring that same sense of humor and self-awareness to the joke of pop-star introspection. The album's raft of ripe-lotus ballads is larded with Alanis-ian poesy she can't pull off". Nick Catucci from Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+ and stated that "Katy's superpower, now more than ever, is minting songs so relatable that their insights quickly scale up to inspirational..... Now she grasps that she's making the mainstream, not just swimming in it". One of the biggest/best surprise of the year for me. Took a while for me to hear PRISM, as usual I was lazy for some albums. Everything started when I heard "It Takes Two" randomly and then I decided to hear the whole album. The first time was ok, I thought: nothing new for this era, the same Katy Perry. In the second time I paid more attention and I fell in love with "Choose Your Battles", to be honest everything started with Choose Your Battles because after CYB I was more excited to hear the album. After this the full album started to grow on me, maybe the only weak song for me is "This Is How We Do". The album deserves top 10, I'm sorry Katy. :weeps;
Genre: Pop / Dance
Favorite Tracks:
1. Choose Your Battles / It Takes Two
2. Unconditionally / Dark Horse (feat. Juicy J) / By the Grace of God
3. Double Rainbow / Walking On Air
4. This Moment / Love Me |
#12. Tegan and Sara
Heartthrob
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Heartthrob is the seventh studio album by Canadian rock duo Tegan and Sara, released on January 29, 2013. Heartthrob debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 49,000 copies in its first week and securing the band's highest chart position to date. It is also the first Tegan and Sara record to chart in New Zealand, the UK and Ireland. On July 4, 2013, Heartthrob was certified Gold in Canada. As of December 2013, Heartthrob has sold 165,000 copies in the United States. "We didn't want to take a small step. We wanted to take a big step. We felt like we closed out our decade with Sainthood. We turned 30 at the end of that album and we had officially been in the industry making music professionally for a decade. This is the time to say, 'What is Tegan and Sara now? What is the future gonna look like for this band?' Some of the answers were really boring....We went through numbers: 'How much do we want to sell? What kind of venues do we want to play? What's our dream size of venue? What countries do we want to play that we haven't played before?' We took all that information and said to ourselves, 'OK, we can't make another record that sounds like what people expect from Tegan and Sara. We can make a record that maybe marries what we've done with the band in the past and then work with a producer who is going to help us embellish and sort of amp up the sound a bit.' I honestly didn't know what to expect from this process. Tegan and I work extensively, independently on our own, writing and creating full demos with bass drums, programming, the whole thing. We're used to keeping a little bit of that, and adding other musicians into it. Within a day or two in the studio with Greg Kurstin, I was like, 'Oh my God, this is amazing.' It was very obvious he wasn't going to take gentle, slow steps towards something. He was just going to throw it out. If we didn't like it, he would throw it out, but he wasn't going to fool around." The record was produced by Greg Kurstin, Justin Meldal-Johnsen and Mike Elizondo. The artwork was designed by the band's longtime art director Emy Storey with photos taken by Lindsey Byrnes. Heartthrob received largely positive reviews from music critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 75, based on 31 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" feedback. Jason Lipshutz of Billboard stated: "Most impressively, both Quin sisters maintain their sense of identity amidst the ear candy" and called it "one of the best LPs of this young year." SPIN's Jon Young said: "they've largely ditched the guitars and cast their lot with slick mainstream hooks. Fortunately, they're quite good at it." Writing for Drowned in Sound, Marc Burrows gave the album 9 of 10 rating and also stated that "they may have churned their sound into something new, but their heart and their character is still very much in the right place, and that’s what makes Heartthrob more than just a brilliant pop album, it's unarguably a brilliant Tegan & Sara album and it's very, very close to being perfect".
Genre: Indie Pop / Synthpop
Favorite Tracks:
1. Goodbye Goodbye / Closer
2. I Was A Fool / Drove Me Wild
3. How Come You Don't Want Me / Love They Say / I Run Empty
4. Guilty As Charged |
#11. Vampire Weekend
Modern Vampires of the City
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Modern Vampires of the City is the third studio album by American indie rock band Vampire Weekend, released on May 14, 2013, by XL Recordings. After releasing their 2010 album Contra, the band toured and wrote new material during sound checks. Following a period in which the quartet pursued different musical projects, they regrouped and began work on their third record in 2011. Working with no deadline in mind, the band brought in an outside record producer for the first time, Ariel Rechtshaid. Recorded in various locations, including New York City, Los Angeles, Martha's Vineyard and apartments, Modern Vampires of the City is an attempt to distance the band from the sound they became heavily associated with following their 2008 debut and Contra. Broadly experimental, the sound featured on the record is the result of a variety of unconventional recording assets, including pitch shifting. The cover art is a 1966 photograph by Neal Boenzi of the smoggiest day in New York City history, on which the air pollution killed at least 169 people. Announced in a New York Times classified in February 2013, two singles have thus far been released: "Diane Young"/"Step", and "Ya Hey". Modern Vampires of the City received universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 84, based on 51 reviews. In his review for The Independent, music critic Simon Price called it Vampire Weekend's "most outwardly straightforward" and "most cohesive and convincing effort yet." Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, each lyric and musical element is "pleasurable in itself and aptly situated in the sturdy songs and tracks, so that the whole signifies without a hint of concept." Nathan Brackett of Rolling Stone said that the album has a "precise craft and soul that speaks to the heart of city life."Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork Media wrote that the "vocals and music interact with each other in an effortless flow" and that "there's more air in these songs, more spontaneity, more dynamics."
Genre: Indie Rock
Favorite Tracks:
1. Step
2. Unbelievers / Ya Hey / Obvious Bicycle
3. Worship You / Diane Young
4. Everlasting Arms |
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Avril Lavigne and Heartthrob ♥
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Prism, Avril Lavigne and Alive
Pure Heroine is ok.
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11 | 15
Heartthob & Paramore
Holy Fire is incredible  
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So many amazing albums
Pure Heroine, Days Are Gone, Paramore, Heartthrob, Modern Vampires of the City 
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DEMI should be #1
Prism and Britney Jean
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Heartthrob and Paramore.
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8/15, Avril and Lorde!!! Prism was cute too!
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Paramore.
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Pure Heroine , AM, Holy Fire, Settle, Modern Vampires of the City
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AM + Holy Fire + Paramore + Heartthrob.
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