I know it's been just under a year, but lets look back at the 2013 Countdown.
Starting with the songs that didn't make it, of course...
Amaranthe - The Nexus
Not to recapture their glory of 2011, where they placed #16, Amaranthe just slipped out with a similarly good track.
The Neighbourhood - Afraid
Still a garbage album, but it turns out that Sweater Weather was the song that stuck with me longer.
Youngblood Hawke - We Come Running
This is the kind of song that's really really good, but you can't listen to it too often. What a shame.
Soilwork - This Momentary Bliss
This song not being in the Top 20 should tell you something. Soilwork rule.
Shreddy Krueger - Hazel the Apparition
Still the most bad-ass band name in J1 history. This song still crushes. Dat breakdown.
Alright, let's do it!
20. Grouplove - Ways To Go
Grouplove are so bad! But they keep cranking out really good singles! What gives, guys? This song is catchy, and Hannah's voice is still the real deal. But man, I cannot stand the male lead. This song stands alone as it did at the time; something really great and terrible, all at the same time.
19. Relient K - PTL
Intriguingly, I was just asked yesterday if Relient K was still making music. The relevance of PTL is that it tells a tale about a girl I can't be in love with, that can't be in love with me. Surprisingly, I'll be hanging out with her in just over a month. Anyways, the more I listen to "Collapsible Lung", the more I appreciate the album that preceded it, "Forget and Not Slow Down". Also, I've spent a lot of time jamming to their "K is for karaoke" disc this year. The guys still have it, and are still kicking it live.
18. Biffy Clyro - Black Chandelier
I read an article last week about the best rock bands in Scotland. I can't remember where I saw it (I wish I could give the credit), but they ended up listing Biffy Clyro as their top rock band, ahead of Garbage and Primal Scream and a few others. I haven't looked back to this song much this year, but any time I do play it, I remember how much I loved it and how solid the album still sounds. It's hard to pinpoint other standout songs, because as a whole it just all comes together and works well.
17. Sevendust - Decay
Sevendust's 2010 album "Cold Day Memory" failed to produce any major splashes (despite being fairly solid) but 2013's "Black Out The Sun" was a thunderous comeback from years of decent-ness. Top tracks include "Murder Bar", "Faithless", and of course "Decay". I don't know when these guys are going to hang it up, but collectively they still know how to crush. I would put "Decay" at their best song released since 2007. They put out a lovely collection of acoustic songs including 5 new tracks this spring, but as good as it sounds, I still prefer them with their amps plugged in and cranked up to 11.
16. Colossus - Beacons
Arguably the most powerful lyric of 2013 came from "Beacons". "All I am is a broken promise; don't let me disappoint you again. Every sin is another nail in the cross - why do I do this to you? Why do I do this to myself?" Just wow. Even if it wasn't a throttling metal gem, it would make waves just for that line. Colossus got signed and released an album through FaceDown Records this fall, which I just recently picked up and hope to feature in either the 2014 or '15 countdown. Other crushing tracks from the 2013 release include "Transgressor" and "Approaching the Throne".
15. The Features - This Disorder
It took me a long time to get tired of this song. It's bouncy, it's fun, and it sings about a disorder. What's not to like about all that? Sadly, the rest of the album failed to live up to this song's strength, but I'm sure in a year or two they'll drop another disc with another big time since, and you'll be seeing them on this countdown again. Until then, I'll have the skippy bass-line of this little ditty.
14. Atlas Genius - If So
Where Maps & Atlases fell short, Atlas Genius nailed it with the song "If So". I remember listening to this album while walking a lovely nature trail on vacation in Michigan over the summer. I really only listened to it once, and got tired of their sound after 6 or 7 tracks. The first 3 tracks ("Electric", "If So", "Back Seat") show a lot of promise, but the album kind of falters after that. The voice doesn't really work, and it loses a lot of steam as it goes forward. But "If So" is a great track to pump your spirits up and get you moving.
13. The Mowgli's - San Francisco
Yikes. Talk about a sugar overload. This is another one of those 2013 catastrophes. File it under great song: terrible album. There seem to be too many of those in this countdown so far. I was actually watching a Star Trek movie with my parents last month and we were talking about songs from San Francisco, so this song came up. I really hadn't listened to it since 2013, and while it's still a really fun song, holy cow it's too much happy.
12 - Shining - I Won't Forget
Blackjazz. I don't know if I need to say anything else about Jørgen Munkeby and Shining. But I will, just the same. It's a beautiful genre fusion that includes fast-paced metal sounds with electronic elements and... a saxaphone. The sax solo on this song absolutely owns. I cannot wait to hear what this band sounds like on their next release. Other standout tracks include "Off the Hook" and "How Your Story Ends", which opens with a blistering sax solo as well.
11 - Vampire Weekend - Diane Young
Vampire Weekend's "Contra" was actually one of my favorite discs of 2010, despite not tracking a big hit. For one reason or another, I actually did not pick it up until well after it was released, after hearing the song "Horchata" on Pandora at work. It's a tremendous disc, and I was worried that "Modern Vampires of The City" wouldn't live up to it. I remember not being overly impressed at first, but it's a really good disc. "Young Lion", "Hanna Hunt", "Step", and of course the anthem to James Dean and living fast, "Diane Young". I brushed the dust off of the album after hearing the song "Step" be released as a single, and found that it truly was another gem from Ezra and the boys.
10 - The 1975 - The City
The most important thing I can say about this song is that it's probably going to be on the 2014 countdown. While I loved the Vampire Weekend CD the more I listened to it, I actually liked The 1975 disc less. But "The City" is a tremendous standout track and if the band can ever release anything near that caliber, then they should be fairly well set for the future. "If you wanna find love, you know where the city is" is almost an anthem for this year for me.
9 - Deadlock - The Arsonist
Boy, was I glad I picked up this disc after initially hesitating. Deadlock's previous effort, "Bizarro World" was a glorified pile of trash, and they recycled singers before releasing "The Arsonist". Right off the bat you're hit with the track "The Great Pretender", which let's you know that the band is officially back where they need to be. But it is the title track that truly kicks it to another dimension, if for no reason other than the chanting of "The Arsonist" in the background. But really, it crushes. The band released "The Re-Arrival" in August with 3 new tracks and 12 re-recorded songs, but I'm still living off of "The Arsonist" for now.
8 - Paper Route - Letting You Let Go
This is one of those "remember where you first heard it songs". I just happened to download the Radio U app for my phone and flip on the streaming to see if it worked on my phone as I was cleaning my apartment. This song was the first to come on, and it stopped me in my tracks. It's a great and wonderful track on an album that is plagued by lack of creativity. A lot of people in CCM circles were lauding Paper Route for their production values, but they vastly overshadow the lack of strong songwriting and, well, the singer's voice. He is quite whiny, and sings exactly the same on every song. Eventually I grew tired of his whine, and I really haven't picked this track up since. At the time, it was a massive hit, but over time it's not worth much to me.
7 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - If You Didn't See Me (Then You Weren't On The Dance Floor)
Bouncy, poppy, catchy, exciting. Maybe the best video of the year. This song is a lot of fun, and I'm surprised it took me a dozen listens to really catch on to it. In hindsight, there was no escaping this one, and it's popped up from time to time in my life; whenever I wanted a fun dance-and-sing-in-the-car track. I remember tossing this album not because it was bad, but because nothing else on it was quite like this song. I know they're still touring and they're actually coming to Columbus here soon. I feel like they'd be a better band to see live rather than over the radio. Either way, what a long title. Haha
6 - Tegan and Sara - Closer
This song is still tits, man. I haven't stopped listening to it since the first time I heard it in late 2012. It bounces around and makes every hot thing in your mind come true. Never have synths been so sultry. Never have such immature voices sounded so mature. I don't think I could ever consider myself a fan of T+S, but this song is the real deal. At the time I felt like this was a pretty good album, but I was looking at it objectively as an album as a whole, as opposed to a collection of songs I actually like. The voices are a bit much for me a times, but the music really is great.
5 - Born of Osiris - M∆chine
This. Album. Listening to it again reminds me that there is not a bad track off of it. Last year, I was slamming out "Exhil∆r∆te", "Im∆gin∆ry Condition", and "Mindful". This year it's "Divergency" and "Illusionist". Oh, and of course "M∆chine". I still haven't heard a deathcore song that sounds close to it, and it is by far my favorite metal album since Meshuggah's "Koloss". This song kills, smashes, and weaves solid keys between crushing guitars. This is one of the few 2013 albums still getting tons of play in 2014. I feel like those words are strong enough, and I will leave it at that.
4 - New Politics - Harlem/Goodbye Copenhagen
I don't think any one band was as big as New Politics for me in 2013. I listened to this album until I could no longer listen to it. If not for mp3 players, I would have worn this CD out twice. You get what I'm saying. Obviously, "Harlem" was the big single, and "Tonight You're Perfect" was another minor hit, but it's songs like "Goodbye Copenhagen", "Fall Into These Arms", and "Berlin" that kick this album to another sphere of sonic enjoyment. It truly is a great fun album, and I am very much looking forward to their next effort. Sadly, I was snowed in when they came to Columbus over the winter and am hoping to make it to their show this coming November. FWIW, it's actually "Fall Into These Arms" that I listened to the most this year. But this album is still great.
3 - The Airborne Toxic Event - Timeless
Two albums since the countdown started, and two top ten hits. Not a bad run for a band I never even liked before hearing 2011's "All At Once". Timeless is a woeful ballad that evokes all sorts of emotion and reaches the darkest and saddest parts of my soul. It's perfect, I know. The most gripping and hallowed line of 2013 had to be "I see how they run through the tall grass, such thoughtless minds; I wish I was thoughtless too...". Oof. This song will forever paint a wonderfully dark picture in my soul, if only for that. As far as the album "Such Hot Blood" goes, every time I've listened to is (since spin 1) has been better than the one before. "Elizabeth" is probably my next favorite track, with "The Secret" and "The Fifth Day" bringing up the rear. I feel like TATE take more than one listen to truly appreciate the complexity of their music. I am apprehensive yet excited for anything they bring in the future. They know how to rock through great alternative tracks and know how to slap you with emotion with the best of them.
2 - Aeon Zen - Warning
Where do I begin? I could consider this one of the greatest opening riffs I've ever heard. Usually I scoff at a 6:55 song, but how am I supposed to overlook the blistering two and a half minutes of pure atmosphere and guitar bliss? I enjoyed the first 4 songs on this album as I remember listening to it, but I had to stop and go back after hearing the opening on this track. Most listened to 2+ minutes of the year? Absolutely. Still something that I will drop everything and rock out with? 100%. I should probably give this album another spin, because it seems like every time I do, I find something else to love from it. Well done, Rich Hinks. Other standouts for me are "Downfall" and "Artificial Soul". Truly a diamond in the rough, this one. I think I only downloaded it because I figured with a name like Aeon Zen, how could it not rock?
Well, that's another metal runner up. But 2013 was a one horse race from the moment I heard #1 on. Numbers 6 through 2 are about as good as it gets for a top 5, but there was no denying the top track this year.
1 - Surfer Blood - Demon Dance
Amen to that, brother. Where their previous album left off with a strange amount of sound and pizazz, "Pythons" was a bonafide smash, with fun hits like "Gravity", "Say Yes To Me", and "Prom Song". You were missing absolutely out if you didn't get this one. "Demon Dance" opens with a big happy hook, a pounding snare and morphs into a clean soaring hook and anthemic chorus. It's as fun today as the first time I heard it, though I haven't given it a spin in a few months due to the fact that I absolutely played it to death in 2013. But really, who doesn't love a song that ends with "la di da di da"s? Make it 5 straight for alt-rock. Who knew?
Boom-ba-boom. November 30th will bring the songs that didn't quite make it for 2014. Hope to see you there!
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