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Red's Best of 2013: The YECA (Singles: 70-61/Hints #4 up!)
Member Since: 4/6/2007
Posts: 25,604
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CHVRCHES. 
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Member Since: 10/1/2011
Posts: 53,790
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Yeezus
You hit the nail right on the head with that description.
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Member Since: 11/17/2008
Posts: 28,694
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Good for CHVRCHES
Reflektor is my favorite from this set
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Member Since: 3/5/2011
Posts: 30,130
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I really like Paramore, so I'm glad to see them get recognised 
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 5/5/2012
Posts: 23,482
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#Justice4Paramore #Justice4PARAMORE #Justice4LastHope
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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Quote:
Originally posted by lovesong
In the case of Yeezus, I'm still working on that album. Gradually I find myself growing to enjoy some of the songs.... Bound 2  .... but I'll give it some time. |
It's a tough grind to get through, I can understand that. Once I got it, though, I GOT IT.
Quote:
Originally posted by THERihFan
YAAAAAAAAAAAAS CHVRCHES
Why not higher, tho?
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Because there were eight albums I liked more.  But really, this was an incredibly tough top 10 to rank. All ten albums in my top 10 are great to varying degrees.
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Originally posted by Mikal
I see we still share similar tastes in albums (although my list may be more convoluted than yours :-P)
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That's probably an understatement. 
Quote:
Originally posted by Dr. Spaceman
I also really love the NIN album. Very shocked that it didn't make your main list! I also agree with you on the Arcade Fire album. I liked it quite a bit, but it's definitely my least favourite they have done. I guess expectations played a part in it.
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Yeah, really, that's the issue with that Arcade Fire album. The title track just DESTROYED me when it first came out. I was ready to call Reflektor the album of the year based on one song. Of course, an album is not just one song. As for NIN...there were SO many great albums this year! I couldn't help it! 
Quote:
Originally posted by jomarr
Yeezus for me is kind of disappointing. The production is insane and will easily blow you away the first listen but when you listen to it again and again you will be able to realize how bad the lyrical content was delivered. It's probably his worst album lyrically.
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Yeah, that's why it's not higher on the list. The production is probably the best of the year other than maybe another album higher up the list, but the lyrics are not the best he's ever done.
On a side note, I'm actually surprised it took so long for the "Paramore should have been in the top 10" contingent to make themselves known! I was expecting much more of an early uproar. Okay, the next set, which is now albums 6-3 due to the length of the blurbs for the top two, will be up shortly!
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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The YECA: Top 10 Albums (6-3)
I fully expect this set of four albums to not be nearly as popular as the last set. But don't worry, I expect the top two will provide a better reaction.
 
 
| Pearl Jam
Lightning Bolt
Favorite Songs: Sirens, Lightning Bolt, Getaway, Infallible
Historically, Pearl Jam is one of my favorite artists. Actually, along with Korn, Pearl Jam had the distinction of being one of my first two favorite artists. As such, I'm not sure why this album surprised me the way it did. It shouldn't have surprised me. Pearl Jam's albums have been consistently solid for decades now, and I've enjoyed every album. The moment I first heard "Mind Your Manners", though, I was blown away. This is the single fastest and hardest song that the band has performed in over a decade. It calls back heavily to an old staple, "Spin the Black Circle", perhaps the son of "Spin". "Sirens" came next, and my interest in the album suddenly skyrocketed. I did finally check out the album, and, again, I was blown away by just how much I loved it.
It's perhaps the most cohesive and consistent album the band has released since maybe Yield, featuring some of the best songs the band have made in years. "Lightning Bolt" is Pearl Jam at their melodic best, while "Infallible" is five minutes of pounding heaven. "Let the Records Play" is a bluesy romp that surprised the hell out of me on first listen, and "Sleeping By Myself" is one of Pearl Jam's catchiest songs and a potential hit. I can't remember the last time a Pearl Jam album captivated me quite like Lightning Bolt. If this is the kind of output I can expect from the band in the future, I welcome it with open arms. When those sirens blare, I will answer the call. |
 
| AFI
Burials
Favorite Songs: Rewind, The Conductor, I Hope You Suffer, A Deep Slow Panic, Wild
As much as I was blown away by Lightning Bolt, NOTHING could have prepared me for Burials. And believe me, AFI TRIED to tell us what was coming. "I Hope You Suffer" is one of the darkest tracks AFI has released in years, a song that could have very easily fit on Sing the Sorrow. "`17 Crimes", the second leaked song, is a call back to their earlier days, driving fast through it's under-3-minute running time. But it's not until you listen to the opening track, "The Sinking Night", when it occurs to you that AFI has returned to the sound that gained them a huge audience in the early 2000's. Burials is all about atmosphere, creating a darkness that AFI has not created in ten years.
And yet, it's not just an album that harkens back to their most famous work. There's also quite a bit of a Crash Love influence to be found here as well, particularly in the booming and loud choruses and epic instrumentals that can be found throughout the album. Listen to the chorus on "The Conductor", for example. It's as if it was pulled straight from "Crash Love" and placed here instead. Basically, this is what happens when Sing the Sorrow and Crash Love make a baby, and that combination is surprisingly strong. It's the best AFI album since Sing the Sorrow, and I'm not sure I'll hear too much disagreement from AFI fans on that statement. |
 
| Volbeat
Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies
Favorite Songs: Room 24, The Hangman's Body Count, Doc Holiday, Black Bart, Lola Montez
Two years ago, Volbeat ensnared me with their many-faceted rock style. Sounding at the same time like Metallica and Elvis Presley, with a twinge of bluegrass and rockabilly, Volbeat was the most refreshing hard rock act I've encountered in the last half-decade. When they hit it big on rock radio, it felt like the rock scene was finally starting to change for the better. Volbeat, thus, had a LOT to live up to on this release. In some ways, I don't think they QUITE lived up to the hype I placed on the album. As good as the album is, there are a couple of hiccups. That was not the case with Beyond Hell/Above Heaven, which was just great song after great song. But it's possible that the best songs here are even better than the best songs off of their breakthrough album.
There's the fantastic cover of Young the Giant's "My Body", which I really do hope they release as a single, as it's just wonderful. "Doc Holiday" and "Black Bart" are two of the most epic rockers the band has ever made. "Lola Montez" is just...it's Volbeat. It is the definition of Volbeat. "The Hangman's Body Count" was the real choice for a first single (damn you, "Cape of Our Hero"), as it's Volbeat at their rocking best. But I'm going to single out "Room 24" here, because that is the song that continues to stand out to me on repeated listens. The hardest track on the album (though nowhere near as hard as, say, "Evelyn" on the previous album), it's also structurally more interesting than the hardest songs on its predecessor. Much of that has to do with the inclusion of the legendary King Diamond, who creates a terrifying atmosphere with his sheer presence. Lead singer Michael Poulsen proves to be a willing and able participant in the chaos, watching the world around them burn. It's one of the highlights of the entire year, and it's a big reason why Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies is a worthy successor to their most famous album. |
 
| Korn
The Paradigm Shift
Favorite Songs: Love and Meth, Prey For Me, Paranoid and Aroused, Spike In My Veins, What We Do
In most other years, I think this album would have been #1 without breaking a sweat. As much as I enjoyed The Path of Totality, it could not match the euphoria I felt when I listened to "Love and Meth" for the first time. This was the first time since Brian "Head" Welch returned to the band that I REALLY felt his presence. "Never Never" was an okay starting point, but it didn't really give you much of an impression that Head was even there. On "Love and Meth", it's impossible not to feel it. "Love and Meth" is, no joke, my favorite Korn song since Untouchables. It has so many of the Korn hallmarks: The groovy bass lines, Jonathan Davis growling, a sexy and brutal guitar riff, pounding drums...it's all there. And that is when I really got excited about The Paradigm Shift.
I get the album and listen to it from the beginning. "Prey For Me" is the first song. Oh. my. god. A huge wave of emotions came over me. This is KORN, the Korn I grew up with, the Korn that was my first favorite band, the Korn that made me a fan of rock music. Head's presence is not always felt in the way that it is on the first two songs on the album, but his presence made a bigger impact on his fellow band members. The band feels reenergized by their brother in arms returning, especially Jonathan Davis, who puts in his best vocal performance in years here. He growls, he sings, he emotes in a way I haven't heard from him in a long time...it's one of his best performances. It was fun to watch Korn experiment with new sounds, but this is what Korn was always meant to be. They are, first and foremost, a groovy, driving rock band. And they do it better than any of their peers. |
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Okay, I've saved the best two for last. It's a battle between albums from two artists returning from long breaks. It's a battle between a YECA staple and a legendary duo. It's a battle pitting rock against disco. Which album reigns supreme? (And can you guess the other album? Because I'm sure you've already figured out the one. ) I will likely post the top two sometime tomorrow, but it may go up earlier than that, I'm not sure yet. Whatever winds up being the case, I'll see you all then!
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 8/11/2007
Posts: 63,796
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Member Since: 3/3/2011
Posts: 23,567
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1. Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork
2. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
I haven't heard any of your 3-6, but your description of the AFI album made me want to give it a try. I haven't heard anything from them in years.
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Member Since: 3/22/2011
Posts: 26,525
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Not much else interests me in that Pearl Jam album except Sirens...maybe I'll give it another shot. Same goes with I Hope You Suffer and AFI.
Been meaning to take a listen to the Volbeat and Korn albums. I like Never Never.
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Member Since: 10/13/2003
Posts: 48,022
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AFI 
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/24/2009
Posts: 70,975
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Burials 
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Member Since: 4/7/2009
Posts: 34,961
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I've been meaning to check out Burials but didn't get the chance to. I will do so soon.
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Member Since: 6/2/2009
Posts: 7,105
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Lightning Bolt 
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Member Since: 6/24/2008
Posts: 21,950
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Burials was such and underrated album it's really good though
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Member Since: 1/26/2006
Posts: 17,384
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Albums: 4/8
Reflektor + The Bones of What You Believe being my favorite
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Member Since: 11/10/2005
Posts: 13,968
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CHVRCHES 
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Member Since: 5/18/2007
Posts: 18,745
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Burials  I need to check Korn's album
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Member Since: 8/10/2012
Posts: 11,988
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Lightning Bolt. Paradigm Shift and CHVRCHES. AMAZING choices
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Member Since: 8/1/2008
Posts: 52,761
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I havent listened to any of those albums in full but I gotta say I'm still in shock with how good Sirens is. I didn't expect it.
I might listen to the whole album soon.
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