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RYB's Best of 2013
Banned
Member Since: 6/23/2012
Posts: 4,290
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I checked out that THR!!!ER bc of this thread & I'm bopping, it doesn't seem to have a song that really packs a punch tho.
Then again I've only heard the first 3 songs so far
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Member Since: 5/23/2007
Posts: 65,087
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Pure Heroine!!! That's an amazing album, one of my favorites from 2013
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 12/7/2008
Posts: 87,284
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Pure Heroine was a GREAT offering by the amazing Lorde, Greatness is over beyond her years!
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Member Since: 10/31/2011
Posts: 16,937
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Lorde? We're better than this.
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Member Since: 4/22/2012
Posts: 33,490
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not Lorde making the top 10 over AM or even Heartthrob
I do think there is something innovative about AM, when you look at their discography it does not sound like any of their previous albums so they did bring something new to the table. Also, compared to other 'indie' bands that are out there, I don't think any of them sounds like Arctic Monkeys. This album is a good mixture of some of their old sass but also a more mature, sophisticated rock n roll vibe that uses influences from various genres. You're right, it is a bit simple, but I think that is what makes it so great, because the songs are so raw that nothing takes away from their essence and appeal.
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Member Since: 10/3/2009
Posts: 35,844
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Not a big fan of Lorde. I'll be waiting for the next set.
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Member Since: 10/31/2011
Posts: 16,937
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Lorde’s music is quietly wise to a particular modern irony: Beneath every #DGAF there’s a person who secretly gives a **** about something, and behind every anti-pop song there’s a singer who—just like everybody else—knows what it’s like to feel happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time.
Wtf was this cut and pasted from a Red review by accident.
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Member Since: 8/1/2012
Posts: 8,021
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Pure Heroine, eh? I've never really been big on Lorde, but I just might give that album a listen if it's as good as you say it is.
Also, I really wish I could write as well as you
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Member Since: 3/3/2011
Posts: 23,567
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Quote:
Originally posted by Great Username
Wtf was this cut and pasted from a Red review by accident.
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Pitchfork low-key stans for The Lord.
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Member Since: 4/7/2009
Posts: 34,961
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Days Are Gone, Heartthrob, AM a shame.
Pure Heroine though >>>
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Member Since: 12/9/2007
Posts: 9,007
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Loved both Lorde and Savages this year. Ouststanding start!
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 56,234
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Pure Heroine.
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Member Since: 3/3/2011
Posts: 23,567
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Quote:
Originally posted by Red
I have to check out that Arctic Monkeys album. I do not need to do the same for Heartthrob. It's very cute.
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I meant to mention that Josh Homme supposedly had quite an impact on their new record (which explains why it's so good).
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Member Since: 3/3/2011
Posts: 23,567
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Quote:
Originally posted by nicklada
I checked out that THR!!!ER bc of this thread & I'm bopping, it doesn't seem to have a song that really packs a punch tho.
Then again I've only heard the first 3 songs so far
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Yeah, I felt similarly. Nevertheless, it was one of the first albums I enjoyed this year and it still packs a bop today.
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Member Since: 3/3/2011
Posts: 23,567
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BEST ALBUMS OF 2013
| 8. Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady
With The Electric Lady, Monae finally delivers Suite IV (and a surprise Suite V) of Cyndi Mayweather’s “e-motion picture.” From a distance, the record is typical Monae, an elegant fusion of hip hop, jazz, rock, gospel, and more. You won’t find any tracks like “Cold War” or “Tightrope” on your first play-through here. In that sense, the record is less immediate than The ArchAndroid, both in terms of instant pop appeal and the big-picture ambition of the album. But repeated listens turn these weaknesses into strengths, revealing a new maturity and sense of scope. The songs are more studied in their execution than on The ArchAndroid, solid from start to finish, absent the moments that some might refer to as overly ambitious.
That’s not to say the album doesn’t have highs. Following the album-opening Suite overture, Monae and Prince team up for “Givin’ ‘Em What They Love”, an album highlight and made-in-heaven matchup that just works. Not to be shown up, Erykah Badu teams up with Monae for another captivating duet on the very next track, the sprawling “Q.U.E.E.N”, which sports a mercurial song structure reminiscent of “Many Moons”. “We Were Rock & Roll” marks an emotional peak for the album, and little sound-bites sprinkled throughout the album offer the same sort of story-time immersion that characterizes Monae’s previous work.
In short, The Electric Lady is a work of love, crafted with care by an enormously talented woman who just loves music and the emotion it can convey. It’s just a really good R&B album. And it’s more. Monae’s influences peak out at every turn, but they’re always fused into such a fluid and convincing whole. The album flows so smoothly from beginning to end, and we’re left with something that feels more like a journey than a collection of individual tracks.
Listen to: “Givin’ ‘Em What They Love”, “Q.U.E.E.N.”, “We Were Rock & Roll”
| | 7. Beyoncé - BEYONCÉ
Let us just throw the year of hype, anticipation, and expectations out of the window now. BEYONCE is a fantastic album.
Pretty much everything I dislike about Beyoncé as a musician is fixed or improved upon here. Beyoncé’s vocals are expertly dispensed: the howling is gone, the acrobatics are present and in just the right dosage and method on every track. The production on every track is top-notch. And I mean really good. “Haunted” instantly strikes me as one of the best produced tracks of the year. Every second of it is expertly handled. It never gives in to excess, it never gets boring, and it never stops surprising, continuously morphing into something increasingly beautiful. By the time the drums kick in at about the 3:30 mark, Boots has removed all doubts from my mind: this album is the real deal.
In fact, you’ll be hard-pressed to find even a single bad track. “XO” is the transcendental pop anthem that I’ve been waiting for from Beyoncé. It’s irresistibly anthemic and uplifting. “Partition” is one of the best tracks Beyoncé has ever released. “Blow” is a blast. “Drunk In Love” is a testament to the Carter-Knowles union that’s nearly as enjoyable as “1+1”.
Everywhere on the album, we see Beyoncé learning from and surpassing her peers. The concept of the video album and the videos themselves are reminiscent of peak Gaga, but show remarkable restraint and precision. The production is reminiscent of Lorde’s Pure Heroine (and the increasingly popular alternative sound in general), but it’s even more diverse, subtle, and surprising. The song structures are complex, reminiscent of Timberlake, but trimmed, precise, and several times as effective in their execution.
But there are weaknesses. “Pretty Hurts” really pushes the cliché too far. The use of the Challenger disaster in “XO” seems a bit misplaced, to say the least. At times, it seems like the album is so aware of its own quality and the statement it constitutes at this point in Beyoncé’s career that the insides seem vacuous. Is the album really sincere enough in its feminist message to justify Chimamanda Ngozi’s epic monologue in “***Flawless”? Is this album really such an intimate look into Beyonce’s life that Blue Ivy’s album-closing solo performance is appropriate? I don’t know, but it’s pretty damn convincing.
Listen to: "Haunted", "Drunk In Love", "Partition"
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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Not Beyonce coming in and beating down so many albums at the last moment.
That's the only time you'll see me make that kind of post.
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Member Since: 11/5/2005
Posts: 29,791
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Great picks! Love both albums!
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Member Since: 3/3/2011
Posts: 23,567
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10. Lorde - Pure Heroine
09. Savages - Silence Yourself
08. Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady
07. Beyonce - BEYONCE
06. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
05. Disclosure - Settle
04. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
03. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
02. Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork
01. Kanye West - Yeezus
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 8/1/2012
Posts: 15,668
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No paragraphs?
Love Pure Heroines
Electric Lady
Beyoncé
Vampire Weekend
Daft Punk
KANYE WEST
Worthy #1
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Member Since: 8/17/2013
Posts: 17,307
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bey and kanye
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