2013 was a good year.
Sure, as I made it another full year in Brandon FLA, I became more of a
recluse, but we saw a really cool spider in
our backyard. I sold my condo with ease
which meant the end of paying a mortgage and a rent. My dogs had another fun year of doing dog
things. The Mrs. got a new job. The Seattle Seahawks look pretty good … and
if you’re gambling I think they’re going all the way, which I’ve never said
confidently about any Seahawks team my entire life. This one just looks better than every other
team, but I digress, this is not suppose to be Super Jimmy’s Lock of the Week
segment on Sunday morning sports talk radio.
Speaking of sports talk radio, I gave it up this year like
someone with a weak stomach gives up meat after touring a slaughterhouse. The non-talk radio gave birth to me trying to be somewhat relevant when discussing music
again. The last time I did one of these
lists was probably 2008, possibly even 2007.
That’s because I haven’t listened to nearly as much music over the
years. Gone are the days when my buddies
and I sit in front of the Late Short Circuit Studios boomin’ system and playing
knify spoony. Now I enjoy a 45 minute car ride to and fro work every day
which basically means I can listen to nearly 2 albums every day provided I don’t
have a super awesome happy fun time playlist ready. Trust me, if it’s Friday, I generally
do.
The Albums I Missed
And Regret:
BLOOD ORANGE – CUPER DELUX
BOMBINO – NOMAN
CHANCE THE RAPPER – ACID RAP
JAMES BLAKE – OVERGROWN
PUSHA T – MY NAME IS MY NAME
RUN THE JEWELS – KILLER MIKE & EL P
VALERIE JUNE – PUSHING AGAINSTA STONE
The Honorable
Mentions:
The Terror – Flaming
Lips
This is a fun psychedelic experience, but unfortunately not
too much more for a non-drug user. I
sort of wish college Zach could listen to this one under the influence of
different substances. Other than that,
when hearing an album like this, I worry a little about the band’s psyche. This album makes me worry more than any other
album ever has, which is not a compliment.
It’s almost like an episode of Game of Thrones where you think you’re
enjoying it, but all the while the worst stuff is happening and when it’s over
you’re in an emotional abyss even though your life is still exactly the same. Anyone whosever tried to record an album
knows it takes a toll on you (see: Sufjan Stevens works, post Illinois), so when an album is this far removed
from the reality of music, well, I’m sure the Lips went to a far off place
mentally to record this, just as I’m unsure if they’ll ever be able to come
back.
AM – Arctic Monkeys
Though I can’t say there’s any outstanding about this album,
the fact that there’s a pure rock ‘n roll record that came out this year that’s
seemingly relevant is good enough. I
love that they go “War Pigs” on one song and hell, “Mad Sounds” is great … they make you wanna get up.
Trouble Will Find Me
– The National
This is the first album by these guys that I’ve ever heard,
so it has that “fresh new band for Zach” thing going on. I’m guessing most National fans like this
album, but don’t view it as good as its predecessors. That notion is based on absolutely nothing
other than the fact that’s generally how album rankings go with hipster bands
like these. The first or second is the
best, then they generally become a little worse every time …
… upon further review this band has been around since
2001. There’s so much I don’t know. I try to learn so much in this world of music
and no matter how much I learn there will always be so much more. Every album of theirs is generally rated
positively and this is no different, but hipsters don’t care about
rankings. Okay, I’ve referenced hipsters
enough in this piece (and more may follow), and I have to say, my video game
highlight of 2013 was probably the Hipster rampage on Grand Theft Auto 5. I’d love to do a “Best Video Game Moments of
2013” but they’d probably be all from GTA5.
In terms of my history with The National, well, the songs I
have heard before this have always been perfect for my “Over-Dramatic Monday”
playlists on my ipod, and this album isn’t too much different. They were definitely goth kids growing up and
will always have that “just got out of acting class” sound.
Random Access
Memories – Daft Punk
This shouldn’t be my first Daft Punk album, but sadly it
is. It has a nice soothing electronic
robot thing going on. If Kanye is the
crazy, you never know what he’s going to do next spaz robot, Daft Punk is the
laid back, fun, definitely know what’s coming next robot. Much of it is repetitive garbage, it’s WAY
too long, but a lot of these songs are quite catchy and get in your head. Aside from the repetitiveness (I swear they say
“Lose Yourself to Dance” about 300 times), I don’t see what anyone would
dislike about this album but then again, they’re not exactly breaking any
boundaries either. This is a very
comfortable album.
10. Matangi – MIA
I’m not an impartial juror.
I can admit this album isn’t like her first two and I can also admit as
a whole, it doesn’t seem like an actual album it’s more of a mere collection of
songs. However, there are like 6 or 7
good songs on it, and rule # 5 of album making is that if an album has more
than 5 good songs, it’s a good album. So
here we are. MIA can be one of the most
obnoxious entertainers on earth, I get it.
Here, she’s finally made an album that’s similar to the way she
dresses. Loud, crazy, bright, sometimes
fun to look at, but not something that’d be in any of your friends closets for
sure.
9. Southeastern – Jason Isbell
I sincerely mean this as a compliment, but the mood of this
record reminds me of the Eagles.
Basically, if you can get past all the cheese and douchebaggery of the
Eagles sound, you may get something as good as what Isbell has done here. There are very few albums that come out that
I really care about the lyrics to the point where I’m following the story. Sure, I can recognize crappy lyrics right
away and that can make an album suck instantaneously, but when you hear an album
like this, that borders adult contemporary, it’s the lyrics that save it from
being involved in a shuffle with James Taylor and Paul Simon. This is by no means a rocker, or even edgy
Americana, this is a very laid back album (with a couple or mediocre rock
songs) that comes off crystal clear and something the Drive-By Truckers will
not be able to match in 2014 (Man, I
sure hope they prove me wrong). I am
excited for the next DBT album, and Broken Bells will have a new one, and who
knows, maybe that next Modest Mouse album will come out … you just never
know. Also, a highlight of 2013 I missed
was seeing Dr. Dog at the Gasparilla Music Festival. Jason Isbell (and the Flaming Lips) will both
be performing at the 2014 Gasparilla Music festival which has probably replaced
the parade as the best Gasparilla related event in Tampa.
8. Electric Lady – Janelle Monae
Not my type of music, but every time I listen to it I like a
new song on it. Sure, it’s waaaaaaaaaay
too long, but most of it is great. The
slow jamz are good, the wicked hardcore pop song, “Dance Apocalyptic” is too
much fun; “Ghetto Woman” and “Q.U.E.E.N.” would be perfect gems if they didn’t
have the unnecessary rap parts at the end of them and others are good too.
What surprises me most about this one is she’s actually
making an album. This isn’t just an
itunes collection of songs here. There’s
a theme, overtures, undertures, droids, a DJ … no rocks, no broken glass, just shake that ass. I wish more borderline pop stars had Prince
and Stevie Wonder influences like she does.
7. VII – Blitzen Trapper
I’m pretty sure I’ll be the only one ranking this album this
high. I love this band. I started with them on their 3rd
album, and like most, fell in love when they released Furr. I’ve grown to love the
two albums in between that one and this, but this one is special. It really makes me feel like I’m in a cabin
in the middle of the woods somewhere and everyone’s got banjos without being
bluegrass. Nothing personal against
bluegrass, it’s just that it’s only fun for about 10 minutes before it all
blends in. What’s great is this year I
started listening to a station that plays bluegrass until about 9 am on
Saturday morning which is perfect for my 5 minute drive to and fro Publix. PERFECT situation for bluegrass, but I’m
digressing here.
The Trap, Dr. Dog and Deer Tick have all become some of my
favorite bands lately, even though some could argue they’re all
digressing. Of the 3, The Trap is only
one whom released an album this year that didn’t seem like a regression, so
here they are.
6. We are the 21st Century
Ambassadors of Peace & Magic – Foxygen
If it weren’t for The Savages, this could’ve been my new
favorite band this year. When I first
got this album, I liked it, but thought it sounded a little amateurish, the
title alone is a god awful album title, in fact, its probably the 2nd
winner of the “Worst Album Name by Semi-Promising New Band” award which was
first won by Broken Social Scene with You
Forgot it in People in 2003. I put
the album down for most of the year then picked it up again a month ago and
loved it … listened to it again last week, and loved it more.
(take a deep breath and possibly come back later if you’ve
enjoyed this thus far)
5. Yeezus – Kanye West
Jimi Hendrix can be too noisy at times. Jim Morrison’s lyrics were nonsense. John Lennon was a heroin junkie. The Sex Pistols were just assholes whose only
talent was being obnoxious. All of
Johnny Cash’s songs sound exactly the same.
Elvis, was a hero to most but he
never meant shit to me, straight up racist, the sucker was simple and plain,
muthafuck him and John Wayne. Keith
Richards and McJagger should’ve died in the mid-70s. My point is, all of our greatest rock stars
have huge flaws. Kanye is no different,
but make no mistake about it, he’s the best rock star of the 21st
Century (and he doesn’t even play rock music!).
He’s our Black American Space Christ.
Getting away from his music, what’s the worst thing this guy
has ever done? Everyone acts like he’s
dropped a deuce on their front porch. To
my knowledge, the worst thing he’s ever done was interrupt Taylor Swift on an
award show? Really? This has people outraged? First of all, if you don’t think Jim Morrison
would’ve done the same thing, you’re foolish.
Jimbo would’ve probably interrupted someone much better too. Secondly, didn’t our beloved Beastie Boy MCA
interrupt a speech when “Sabotage” didn’t win best video? Yet, we’re proud of MCA for doing this aren’t
we? I’m sure the reason is because the
late Adam Yauch wasn’t the shameless self-promoter Kanye clearly is, but is
Kanye’s ego any bigger than Hendrix’ was?
Um, no. Nobody in the history of
life had a bigger ego than Jimi Hendrix.
Of course I know this because I partied so much with both of them.
Now let’s get to the actual music. Every rock critic in America is going to say
how great this album is, just like they’ve done for all of his albums. I agree with them, at least the first
half. For some reason though, that
doesn’t prevent it from being a classic.
When’s the last time anyone has listened to a song on the second half of
The Chronic? 1993? You
don’t need to have some flawless Dark
Side of the Moon to be classic, you just need to be original, and that’s
something Kanye always strives to be.
Every album is much different from the last and he’s constantly trying
to evolve music. This is what art fans
want artists to do, make something we’ve never seen before. Sure you can point to “Bound 2” and say, “oh
that song is so terrible. Kanye
sucks.” That’s like saying Abbey Road is terrible because you don’t
like “Octopus’s Garden”. Does a song
like that prevent this from being considered one of the best albums ever? Probably, and this album is not one of the
greatest ever, and I’m yet to hear a Kanye album is, but that’s the standard we
judge him by. He says he’s the best, and
we say he’s not and we act like we’re amazed that a rapper is bragging boasting
all the time. This is what rap’s all
about. Telling everyone how awesome you
are and seeing how many different things you can rhyme with your name. At least he’s constantly changing his name so
he can do new rhymes. Oh, and he’s funny
too. I’m glad we have him or pop music
would be completely useless and boring.
4. Muchacho – Phosphorescent
I love that what’s probably this year’s best slice of
Americana is entitled Muchacho. Though this is the band’s sixth release,
it their first release in my heart … and by that I mean, it’s the first one
I’ve heard. I get the feeling they’re
going to be one of those bands for me in a couple years that I have to go back
and get the entire catalogue. Like
Flannery O’Conner said, “A good Americana band is hard to find.”
What helps this album is the muddiness of the
recording. Sometimes when I hear these
indie bands, I often wonder how they’d sound if they were being engineered by a
major label, and if that would make them better or worse. For instance, in the year 2020 when our music
listening devices give us the option to listen to an album and we can push the
“Produced by” button, which changes the sound of an album to match a producer
of your choice, I wonder how much that will help or hurt bands. Sure, I’m just making this up as I go, but
this could happen. I for one am excited
to hear Abbey Road produced by Danger
Mouse.
3. Modern Vampires of the City – Vampire Weekend
This is my most listened to album of 2013, but due to when
it came out, it had more of a chance than others, so that’s not a good
measuring stick. It’s a classic though,
that’s for sure. It’s the hipster
version of Paul Simon’s Graceland. Until maybe the last couple tunes there’s
not a song less than great on it. Like
Max Power’s name, each song (letter) is as important as the next … no, MORE
important!
Some are down on Vampire Weekend, and I get it, I didn’t
really love them until this album, but one thing this band is great is their
songwriting skills. Nobody in this band ever
says, “Look at how awesome I am at playing my instrument!” They all just blend in together and make a
perfectly unique sound. If Arcade Fire
wasn’t around, they’d probably be the best hipster band out today, even though
the sheer title of “Best Hipster Band” would make one no longer a hipster band.
2. Reflektor – Arcade Fire
This should probably be #1, but I’m not ranking it that high
for two reasons.
Reason #1, is it’s still a little new to me. Arcade Fire released this like the Coen Bros.
would release a movie if they were trying to win an Oscar. Release something great, right before shit
like this is decided and the voters, well me anyway, will rank it higher
because it’s still fresh, unlike Vampire Weekend’s album which I’ve heard 10-20
times.
Reason #2, much like an LCD Soundsystem album, when the
experiments fall flat, they fall flat pretty hard. V-Week and Savages may have some lesser songs
on their albums but this album has actual bad songs on it, and I’m not even
referring to the” instant delete off the ipod” Track 1 or the “want to but won’t”
last track that are basically both just noise.
Why talk about the negative though with this album. This is now the 4th Arcade Fire
album and there hasn’t been one I’ve loved as much as this one. The first one started out good but was very
over-dramatic. The second one was even
more over-dramatic and didn’t have too many good tunes on it. The 3rd one I’m pretty sure won a
Grammy (won’t research) and gets all the accolades and what not, and it’s not
bad or anything, but I’m not all Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Spoon release a new album
already! I’m listening to the god damn Arctic Monkeys now!) over it. This one I am ga ga over.
1. Silence Yourself – Savages
I loved this rock album right away. In fact, I don’t think I’ve heard a band rock
this ferocious since I first heard Rage
Against the Machine. Sure, rock can
be harder, more punk, faster, more kick drums, whatever, but none of that
matters because albums either rock or they don’t, and this one is perfect.
Then I found out it was performed by ladies. This just made it better. People laughed, saying, “How the hell could
you think that voice came from a man?” Easy,
I thought this dude was influenced by Getty Lee. There’s not much of a difference between the
two voices, yet, one’s from a womanly man, and I’m guessing the other is from a
manly woman. The downside of this lady
rock band is that this could be their one and only album. Sure they’ll release one more at least, but
we all know 4 women can’t get along for too long without one being turned on,
and then another. I used to have a good
friendly debate on the best “all female band” of all time and there’s never
really been a great one. I mean, the
Bangles are involved in the conversation, and even though I love the Bangles,
they shouldn’t be involved in any “greatest” conversations unless it’s songs
about Monday or crazy ways to walk. I
can already proclaim the Savages the best all female band of all time. That’s how great this album is.
