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burgervan · Dec 7, 2013

mlarine said:
i think its just one of those things people put on their top 10s just because they see other people putting it on their top 10s, theres probably a lot of people putting james holden, ohneotrix point never, tim hecker etc. on their lists without having listened to the full albums

Or maybe a lot of people genuinely enjoyed it and just have different taste than you. That said, RAM sucks.

equippedwithtowel · Dec 7, 2013

Wynnebeck said:
The hell?

I have it on my list and they're more then a little right.

I can enjoy it nevertheless but it's not a top 10 album fo sho

Pickles the Firecat · Dec 7, 2013

mlarine said:
i think its just one of those things people put on their top 10s just because they see other people putting it on their top 10s, theres probably a lot of people putting james holden, ohneotrix point never, tim hecker etc. on their lists without having listened to the full albums

Astronomically more people have listened to RAM than anyone else you listed. It's not like any of them are flooding lists right now. RAM is just a popular album because Daft Punk is a popular artist.

PS Chrome Country was dope.

Morris · Dec 7, 2013

RAM is the only record I regret physically buying this year. So boring.

ScribbleD · Dec 7, 2013

The only album worth listing.

Fjordson · Dec 7, 2013

mlarine said:
i think its just one of those things people put on their top 10s just because they see other people putting it on their top 10s, theres probably a lot of people putting james holden, ohneotrix point never, tim hecker etc. on their lists without having listened to the full albums.
these lists should really be a balance between personal enjoyment and analysis of significance to music and culture as a whole (genre pushing, etc)

Eh, I dunno. I'm sure there's plenty of people out there who genuinely like it. Which is fine. Opinions and whatnot.

Personally I was really disappointed by RAM. Maybe I hyped it up too much, I dunno, but I've only listened to a handful of times and don't have any desire to ever hear it again.

Surface of Me · Dec 7, 2013

ScribbleD said:
The only album worth listing.

My mang.

CheesecakeRecipe · Dec 7, 2013

Wynnebeck said:
The hell?

For me personally, I think I enjoyed the media surrounding the release moreso than the final product. I got a bunch of spins out of the album before the 70s disco veneer wore off and I felt the disappointment in how little the album had legs for me. Still rocking a bunch of 2013 slabs fairly regularly, that one has dropped off almost completely.

I'm surprised to see Hesitation Marks on so many lists as well, I liked some of what Trent tried to do with it but I haven't listened to it more than once after release week. Different strokes 'n all. I know a lot of Stoner/Desert Rock dudes who were disappointed in ...Like Clockwork but I love it.

Oh bother, I need to get my list together.

Linius · Dec 7, 2013

mlarine said:
i think its just one of those things people put on their top 10s just because they see other people putting it on their top 10s, theres probably a lot of people putting james holden, ohneotrix point never, tim hecker etc. on their lists without having listened to the full albums.
these lists should really be a balance between personal enjoyment and analysis of significance to music and culture as a whole (genre pushing, etc)

That's a weird assumption. You don't have much faith in people if you think that.

omgkitty · Dec 7, 2013

mlarine said:
i think its just one of those things people put on their top 10s just because they see other people putting it on their top 10s, theres probably a lot of people putting james holden, ohneotrix point never, tim hecker etc. on their lists without having listened to the full albums.
these lists should really be a balance between personal enjoyment and analysis of significance to music and culture as a whole (genre pushing, etc)

How the hell is this possible? You either listen to someone like Tim Hecker or Oneohtrix Point Never, or you don't. I personally think Replica is much better than R Plus Seven, and won't have it on my list.

Speaking of RAM, I really enjoy it. I think the problem with most people is that they only listened to it once and then claimed it was boring. I listened to it 3 or 4 times before it clicked. I also think it suffers due to the fact that it's so different from their other albums (Reflektor seems to be getting the same flak). People went in expecting one thing and got another. "Oh well this isn't the Daft Punk album I wanted / expected, so I don't like it." Of course this doesn't speak for everyone, and I'm sure someone will try to break down my argument, but I think that speaks for the feelings of a lot of people.

Hell, I'll even admit I do it too. Most of the time my favorite album of the year is something I didn't even know about before I listened to it. Preconceived notions can ruin anything. It happens with me in music, movies, games, everything. I think Bioshock Infinite is one of the greatest games ever made, but a lot of people put it down because they had been hyped and had this idea of what they wanted it to do, and when it didn't live up to it or was different, they become disappointed.

Thursday War · Dec 7, 2013

Snuggles said:
Big ups to Thursday War. Didn't expect to see Mr Carmack's dopeness here. Gotta work that into my list. He's been posting some amazing shit to soundcloud lately.

*internet high-five*

Lv99 Slacker · Dec 7, 2013

omgkitty said:
I really want to talk about The Quietus' picks for their 100 albums of the year. Should I do it here or make a thread? Don't want to make a thread if there's no interest, but fuck their list is just so damn annoying, I need to vent about it.

http://thequietus.com/articles/13960-albums-of-the-year-2013

This site is made up of some of the former contributors of the now-gone The Silent Ballet, right? I don't see what the big deal is with their picks. Kanye, Nick Cave, Savages, Jon Hopkins, Haxan Cloak, etc made the top 20. To me, the only glaring omission was Colin Stetson's New History of Warfare Vol. 3. Brute literally made my jaw drop when I first heard it.

ZMangz · Dec 7, 2013

ThanksVision · Dec 7, 2013

omgkitty said:
I really want to talk about The Quietus' picks for their 100 albums of the year. Should I do it here or make a thread? Don't want to make a thread if there's no interest, but fuck their list is just so damn annoying, I need to vent about it.

http://thequietus.com/articles/13960-albums-of-the-year-2013

Don't agree with this list at all and tbh I've only heard about 60 of these. But I'm glad that i wasn't able to predict the top 5 like every other publication

Tunin · Dec 7, 2013

Am I the only one being bothered by the lists so far? I mean it feels like a rehash of one another.

I can understand people visit the same websites over and over again for new material but it feels like no one looks for new bands/albums for themselves.
Like Sunbather popin up so frequently and no other metal album, it's so bizarre that does not make sense at all.

omgkitty · Dec 7, 2013

Tunin said:
Am I the only one being bothered by the lists so far? I mean it feels like a rehash of one another.

I can understand people visit the same websites over and over again for new material but it feels like no one looks for new bands/albums for themselves.
Like Sunbather popin up so frequently and no other metal album, it's so bizarre that does not make sense at all.

It's because Sunbather was hyped up by sites that aren't traditionally into that kind of music, meaning that most of their readers aren't either. I've listened to Sunbather but haven't really listened to anything else in that genre this year.

Servbot24 · Dec 8, 2013

Tunin said:
Am I the only one being bothered by the lists so far? I mean it feels like a rehash of one another.

I can understand people visit the same websites over and over again for new material but it feels like no one looks for new bands/albums for themselves.
Like Sunbather popin up so frequently and no other metal album, it's so bizarre that does not make sense at all.

Well this isn't specifically a music enthusiast forum, so it's natural that a lot of people only going to hear the most hyped albums. And Sunbather is the metal album for people who don't actually listen to metal, so it gets a lot of votes for that.

Psychoward · Dec 9, 2013

Would Jai Paul's leaked collection of demos count as an album for this?

killertofu · Dec 9, 2013

Is there a film of a year addition?

My vote goes to Vampire Weeknd

Psychoward · Dec 9, 2013

killertofu said:
Is there a film of a year addition?

My vote goes to Vampire Weeknd

Or album art of the year, which would be White Lies' Big Tv for me.

Rekwest · Dec 9, 2013

Servbot24 · Dec 9, 2013

PsychoWARD23 said:
Would Jai Paul's leaked collection of demos count as an album for this?

Only counts if there is an official 2013 release
If you want to put it in your list you can, but if it's not official then it won't be counted in the results

equippedwithtowel · Dec 9, 2013

Tunin said:
Am I the only one being bothered by the lists so far? I mean it feels like a rehash of one another.

I can understand people visit the same websites over and over again for new material but it feels like no one looks for new bands/albums for themselves.
Like Sunbather popin up so frequently and no other metal album, it's so bizarre that does not make sense at all.

What does that tell you about metal?

markhimself46 · Dec 9, 2013

Servbot24 · Dec 9, 2013

equippedwithtowel said:
What does that tell you about metal?

It says the metal thread hasn't been voting, but that's about it...

WEGGLES · Dec 9, 2013

01 | Parenthetical Girls | Privilege (Abridged)
A compilation of most of the tracks off of their 5 ABSOLUTELY fantastic Privilege series of EPs released from 2010 to 2012. Strongly recommend you seek out the 5 full EPs, but the abridged version is also quite good.
I mean, for context. I'm on a tight budget and spent $250 without hesitation to own all 5 EPs on vinyl and do not regret it one bit.

02 | Moonface | Julia With Blue Jeans On
Solo piano from Spencer Krug. Very intimate. Just the piano and his voice.

03 | Eluvium | Nightmare Ending
Oh man, Eluvium does stuff to me that no other artist does...

04 | Queens of the Stoneage | ...Like Clockwork
I'm surprised to have this here as I've never been a fan of Queens of the Stoneage but this really grew on me.

05 | Frightened Rabbit | Pedestrian Verse
Easily their best since The Midnight Organ Fight

06 | Los Campesinos! | No Blues
Very enjoyable UK indie pop/rock.

07 | Vampire Weekend | Modern Vampires of the City
It's more Vampire Weekend. Won't win new fans, but won't alienate existing ones either. Enjoyable but kind-of safe.

08 | Thee Oh Sees | Floating Coffin
Fell in love with this biking over the summer.

09 | Danny Brown | Old
I enjoy the Side A/Side B concept going on with this album. I like the more serious side over the more "party" side B. A great album though.

10 | Kanye West | Yeezus

SeroTyler · Dec 9, 2013

10 | Death Grips | Government Plates

9 | Anamanaguchi | Endless Fantasy

8 | Lorde | Pure Heroine

7 | Tyler, The Creator | WOLF

6 | Justin Timberlake | The 20/20 Experience - The Complete Experience

justin_timberlake_20_20_experience_complete_package-500x500.jpg

5 | Kanye West | Yeezus

4 | Daft Punk | Random Access Memories

3 | Nine Inch Nails | Hesitation Marks

2 | Deafheaven | Sunbather

1 | Arcade Fire | Reflektor

Snuggles · Dec 9, 2013

Servbot24 said:
It says the metal thread hasn't been voting, but that's about it...

Metal's definitely a love it or hate it genre, generally speaking. Not as much crossover appeal as rock, hip hop, or electronic music.

equippedwithtowel · Dec 9, 2013

Servbot24 said:
It says the metal thread hasn't been voting, but that's about it...

I'm willing to plead ignorance but has there been another crossover metal album that got decent buzz this yea?

That's what I was getting at (poorly).

Servbot24 · Dec 9, 2013

equippedwithtowel said:
I'm willing to plead ignorance but has there been another crossover metal album that got decent buzz this yea?

That's what I was getting at (poorly).

Yeah, most genres have some kind of cross-over success in a given year. Often for metal it's a Mastodon album, this year for rap it's Kanye, Four Tet is the dub artist for people who don't like dub, etc.

Mission · Dec 9, 2013

7echnicolor · Dec 9, 2013

This is my top ten so far. There are so many more albums that I love from this year so it was hard to pick just a top ten.

1. Disclosure - Settle
Listen: Help Me Lose My Mind

2. London Grammar - If You Wait
Listen: Stay Awake

3. Moderat - II
Listen: Let In the Light

4. Beacon - The Ways We Separate
Listen: Drive

5. Chvrches - The Bones of What You Believe
Listen: Tether

6. Bonobo - The North Borders
Listen: Antenna

7. Kaito - Until The End of Time
Listen: Run Through the Road in the Fog

8. Young Galaxy - Ultramarine
Listen: Hard To Tell

9. Owl Eyes - Nightswim
Listen: Find Out

10. spazzkid - Desire 願う (Remixes)
Listen: Candy Flavored Lips (bo en イパネマREMIX)

HiResDes · Dec 9, 2013

I revisited Reflektor and Modern Vampires twice over and I have to say that although I was a bit disappointed with Arcade Fire this year I still found their album to be considerably more enjoyable and deep than Modern Vampires. The praise and the critical reception Vampire Weekend receives will always be baffling to me I guess. I see a real pattern with people picking all of these easily accessible, somewhat by the numbers albums like RAM, Modern Vamps, Settle, Chvrches, Justin Timberlake, Arctic Monkeys, etc.

K.Sabot · Dec 9, 2013

Modern Vampires isn't even as good as Contra, but I've went from not feeling it to tolerating it so I guess that's something. Nothing on it that I actively dislike, but nothing I really like. Reminds me of the last Walkmen or Wolf Parade records.

Cosmic Bus · Dec 9, 2013

Well, shoot. There was a new Kaito album this year?

XANDER CAGE · Dec 9, 2013

Pickles the Firecat · Dec 9, 2013

HiResDes said:
I revisited Reflektor and Modern Vampires twice over and I have to say that although I was a bit disappointed with Arcade Fire this year I still found their album to be considerably more enjoyable and deep than Modern Vampires. The praise and the critical reception Vampire Weekend receives will always be baffling to me I guess. I see a real pattern with people picking all over these easily accessible, somewhat by the numbers albums like RAM, Modern Vamps, Settle, Chvrches, Justin Timberlake, Arctic Monkeys, etc.

I don't think there's anything wrong with an album being accessible and lacking depth. Modern Vampires is a fun, easy record. Settle is a fun, easy record. Neither took a single risk, both were exactly what you'd expect given their prior material, and there wasn't an inkling of thought put into the construction of either. But sometimes you just want to put something straightforward and simple on and those albums fill that role. I have a genuine smile on my face when Unbelievers or Latch pop up on my playlist. My foot taps. I sing along. It's just a free listening experience.

The other records you listed I would say have problems beyond being simple (RAM was lifeless, The Bones of What You Believe was generic and manufactured, etc). I have actual quality issues with them. But a well made, concise, breezy album can be a really good thing.

K.Sabot said:
Modern Vampires isn't even as good as Contra, but I've went from not feeling it to tolerating it so I guess that's something. Nothing on it that I actively dislike, but nothing I really like. Reminds me of the last Walkmen or Wolf Parade records.

Whoa now. Wolf Parade had their ups and downs, but they had like a trillion times more ambition than Vampire Weekend and The Walkmen.

equippedwithtowel · Dec 9, 2013

XANDER CAGE said:
I'll come back and post my paragraphs for all these later, but for now:

1. Kanye West - Yeezus
2. Subrosa - More Constant than the Gods
3. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories (Sorry, Des!)
4. Danny Brown - Old
5. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City (Sorry!)
6. Arcade Fire - Reflektor (So sorry, Des)
7. Baths - Obsidian
8. Darkside - Psychic
9. Deafheaven - Sunbather

Servbot24 · Dec 9, 2013

we don't need to congratulate someone every time they include the three most popular records of the year, lol

equippedwithtowel · Dec 9, 2013

I'll celebrate conformity all day!

Jitters · Dec 9, 2013

People like VW simply because they make great songs. That make up a great album.

No experimentation is needed to be liked. Sometimes all we need is good music.

Joseca · Dec 9, 2013

To be honest, I haven't listened almost anything released this year and I feel kinda ashamed

I subscribed to this thread but damn, there are a lot of albums and even new bands I haven't heard of that I don't know where to start.

Mastadon · Dec 9, 2013

Jitters said:
People like VW simply because they make great songs. That make up a great album.

No experimentation is needed to be liked. Sometimes all we need is good music.

Exactly. There's been a shit load of great thoughtful, deep, pensive albums released this year, and a few of them made it on to my list.

But sometimes I just wanna dance, y'know?

Joseca said:
To be honest, I haven't listened almost anything released this year and I feel kinda ashamed I subscribed to this thread but damn, there are a lot of albums and even new bands I haven't heard of that I don't know where to start.

Start with Local Natives. Such a gorgeous album that isn't getting enough love here!

Local Natives - You & I

omgkitty · Dec 9, 2013

HiResDes said:
I revisited Reflektor and Modern Vampires twice over and I have to say that although I was a bit disappointed with Arcade Fire this year I still found their album to be considerably more enjoyable and deep than Modern Vampires. The praise and the critical reception Vampire Weekend receives will always be baffling to me I guess. I see a real pattern with people picking all of these easily accessible, somewhat by the numbers albums like RAM, Modern Vamps, Settle, Chvrches, Justin Timberlake, Arctic Monkeys, etc.

I feel like this is your reaction to about 95% of people's lists in here:

beato_angelico · Dec 9, 2013

mlarine said:
theres probably a lot of people putting james holden, ohneotrix point never, tim hecker etc. on their lists without having listened to the full albums.
these lists should really be a balance between personal enjoyment and analysis of significance to music and culture as a whole (genre pushing, etc)

why so smug?

HiResDes · Dec 9, 2013

omgkitty said:
I feel like this is your reaction to about 95% of people's lists in here:

I really like Dummy's top twenty list so far.

Sun Bear · Dec 9, 2013

beato_angelico · Dec 9, 2013

HiResDes said:
I revisited Reflektor and Modern Vampires twice over and I have to say that although I was a bit disappointed with Arcade Fire this year I still found their album to be considerably more enjoyable and deep than Modern Vampires. The praise and the critical reception Vampire Weekend receives will always be baffling to me I guess. I see a real pattern with people picking all of these easily accessible, somewhat by the numbers albums like RAM, Modern Vamps, Settle, Chvrches, Justin Timberlake, Arctic Monkeys, etc.

being accessible doesn't always mean to be straighforward and simple, and being straightforward and simple is not always a bad thing. Also, writing good songs has never been easy.
I'm not forcing myself to not like AM or modern vampires of the city just because they are too "easy".

marc^o^ · Dec 9, 2013

I'm surprised the 20/20 Experience is not on most lists, I found it amazingly good.

Modern Vampires of the City is quality stuff, but no track felt memorable to me. I should go back to it.

omgkitty · Dec 9, 2013

HiResDes said:
I really like Dummy's top twenty list so far.

I was about to ask who Dummy is until I realized you were talking about the website.

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