Top 5 Albums Of 2013
...music has become an oddity for me. I love it as much as I ever have in an auditory sense. The participation that it requires on some level is where I find myself making my exit. Now, I have spent more time away from the innards of the music scene than I had spent inside. Honestly, I don't miss it much. I miss playing music, but I don't miss any of the antics surrounding making that happen. Still, the art of simply listening to a great album on a mediocre stereo is divine. Here are the top 5 + 1 alternate (should one fail to live up to its crown) that showered divinity upon me in 2013.
* Red Fang Whales & Leeches (Relapse)
By the time I actually had Murder The Mountains in my hands, Whales & Leeches was a few months away. Seeing as though both albums found themselves in my collection so close together, it was hard not to hold one directly up against the other. Standouts like DOEN and Dawn Rising will do well in time to give Whales & Leeches it's own identity. For now, I am more than happy to bathe in both albums as one giant collection of Sabbath-tinged rifftastic-ness.
5. Doomriders Grand Blood (Deathwish Inc.)
For some reason, I had it in my head that Doomriders were yet another stoner rock attempt by former hardcore luminaries. With Nate Newton from Converge on guitar and vocals, it was merely laziness on my part. In fact, Doomriders is not even in the ballpark of stoner metal. There is a classic heavy metal wiring to Doomriders underneath the hood. Where they standout in crowd are the details that flesh out what are essentially straight-forward metal songs. The factors of infectuous, pounding riffs and Nate Newton's bellowing vocals give formidable weight to these songs. When you delve into some of the heavier lyrical content, the beast that is Grand Blood emerges and forms one of the best albums of 2013.
4. Clutch Earth Rocker (Weathermaker)
It didn't feel like such a long time between albums for Clutch for some reason. In reality, it had been 3 or 4 years since Strange Cousins From The West. I suppose it felt differently because of how instantly comfortable I felt upon hearing these new tracks. The familiarity was that of reuniting with old friends after a decade apart. You get together for what seems like a mundane afternoon of mere hanging out. Your reunited group has grown a little older, maybe added a little unsightly weight to go with the advance in age. And yet, nothing feels awkward or out of place. The laughs come frantically and as hard as they did in your youth. The conversations are flowing as if not a day apart had occurred. When the day is over, you reconcile that it could be months or even years before another day like this occurs. But deep down, you sense that you will pick it right up once again when that day comes. For me, a new Clutch album feels the same. No amount of time apart damages the least bit of familiarity.
3. Queens Of The Stone Age Like Clockwork (Matador)
Unlike with the new Clutch album, it was starting to seem like Queens Of The Stone Age were never coming back. When Era Vulgaris came out, it was met with what felt like a collective "meh" from most people. For my money, it was as exciting as any of their prior triumphs, but it was not easy to convince anyone else of this. Whether by design or by happenstance, Queens Of The Stone Age seemed to do only as much supporting of Era Vulgaris as necessary before disappearing. Like Clockwork, after 7 years away, was coming out with a buzz not seen since Songs For The Deaf. iTunes was streaming the album a week in advance. I could not wait. I fired up the stream in my office and sat here waiting so badly for....this? Seven years and this was what I waited for? My first run-through felt like a severe misfire. One week later, I saw the disc staring back at me on the racks. Was I going to actually walk away? Not a chance. I was determined to figure this album out. By the end of the second week, I saw the layers and levels of different sounds, tones and moods that went into this comeback triumph. Like Clockwork pulls from many bins of influence and molds a collection of songs that feel organic and real. Looking back, there was nothing to figure out. Its brilliance is on display at all times.
2. Ghost Infestissumam (Universal Republic)
Of any or all bands to ever make the leap onto a major label, Ghost would have been amongst the last I would have picked. Heavy metal's less-than-stellar relationship with majors over the years aside, the blatantly Satanic imagery of Ghost makes them an easy target in many parts of the world. Then again, I suppose having James Hetfield and Dave Grohl championing your debut can make others take notice. Making Ghost a more intriguing major label roster addition is the surface level accessibility of their songs. Shirking traditional black metal brutality, Ghost goes even a notch softer from Opus Eponymous with their second album. While still heavy and dark, there is a clear pop sensibility in mind throughout. Secular Haze is an organ-driven waltz while Ghuleh sets sail on a surf rock transition halfway through the song. While the riffs are the main focus, there are electronics peppered throughout with an abundance of choir backing vocals. What you end up with here is a fully realized musical journey as opposed to a sophomore heavy metal album. Ghost manages to pay homage to their roots while gleefully exploring different instrumentation. Time will tell how far this takes the band as they simultaneously seem to turn off fans of the first album while slowly attracting new people to their unique sound.
1. Intronaut Habitual Levitations (Century Media)
Recently, I have been listening to Death Spiritual Healing, noting how the album was the beginning of a major turning point for the bands musically. They were still coming out of their cocoon, but the signs of blossoming were evident. For Intronaut, that album was Valley Of Smoke. The main difference is that they took a far greater leap forward from Prehistoricisms. Habitual Levitations finds Intronaut on seemingly an entirely new plane of existence. The throaty low end vocals are almost completely removed, replaced with a duo of smoky sounding clean vocals. The guitars retain much of their heaviness, but the blatant pounding rhythms are spread further out and sewn together with heaps of dual melody, proggy atmospherics and subtle, jagged odd-time measures. What might seem bare bones to the listener is married with Danny Walker's intentionally confounding percussive mastery. The entire album feels like a series of minimalist segments conceived of very complex wiring hidden below the surface. On repeat listens, it is easy to get lost in the journey because it is so mesmerizing. If it sounds like I am downplaying any portion of this recording, I can assure that I am attempting anything but. This record is an epic achievement, satisfying my palette while leaving me feeling parched for more. It was a short walk to decide this as my favorite record of the year.
By the time I actually had Murder The Mountains in my hands, Whales & Leeches was a few months away. Seeing as though both albums found themselves in my collection so close together, it was hard not to hold one directly up against the other. Standouts like DOEN and Dawn Rising will do well in time to give Whales & Leeches it's own identity. For now, I am more than happy to bathe in both albums as one giant collection of Sabbath-tinged rifftastic-ness.
For some reason, I had it in my head that Doomriders were yet another stoner rock attempt by former hardcore luminaries. With Nate Newton from Converge on guitar and vocals, it was merely laziness on my part. In fact, Doomriders is not even in the ballpark of stoner metal. There is a classic heavy metal wiring to Doomriders underneath the hood. Where they standout in crowd are the details that flesh out what are essentially straight-forward metal songs. The factors of infectuous, pounding riffs and Nate Newton's bellowing vocals give formidable weight to these songs. When you delve into some of the heavier lyrical content, the beast that is Grand Blood emerges and forms one of the best albums of 2013.
It didn't feel like such a long time between albums for Clutch for some reason. In reality, it had been 3 or 4 years since Strange Cousins From The West. I suppose it felt differently because of how instantly comfortable I felt upon hearing these new tracks. The familiarity was that of reuniting with old friends after a decade apart. You get together for what seems like a mundane afternoon of mere hanging out. Your reunited group has grown a little older, maybe added a little unsightly weight to go with the advance in age. And yet, nothing feels awkward or out of place. The laughs come frantically and as hard as they did in your youth. The conversations are flowing as if not a day apart had occurred. When the day is over, you reconcile that it could be months or even years before another day like this occurs. But deep down, you sense that you will pick it right up once again when that day comes. For me, a new Clutch album feels the same. No amount of time apart damages the least bit of familiarity.
Unlike with the new Clutch album, it was starting to seem like Queens Of The Stone Age were never coming back. When Era Vulgaris came out, it was met with what felt like a collective "meh" from most people. For my money, it was as exciting as any of their prior triumphs, but it was not easy to convince anyone else of this. Whether by design or by happenstance, Queens Of The Stone Age seemed to do only as much supporting of Era Vulgaris as necessary before disappearing. Like Clockwork, after 7 years away, was coming out with a buzz not seen since Songs For The Deaf. iTunes was streaming the album a week in advance. I could not wait. I fired up the stream in my office and sat here waiting so badly for....this? Seven years and this was what I waited for? My first run-through felt like a severe misfire. One week later, I saw the disc staring back at me on the racks. Was I going to actually walk away? Not a chance. I was determined to figure this album out. By the end of the second week, I saw the layers and levels of different sounds, tones and moods that went into this comeback triumph. Like Clockwork pulls from many bins of influence and molds a collection of songs that feel organic and real. Looking back, there was nothing to figure out. Its brilliance is on display at all times.
Of any or all bands to ever make the leap onto a major label, Ghost would have been amongst the last I would have picked. Heavy metal's less-than-stellar relationship with majors over the years aside, the blatantly Satanic imagery of Ghost makes them an easy target in many parts of the world. Then again, I suppose having James Hetfield and Dave Grohl championing your debut can make others take notice. Making Ghost a more intriguing major label roster addition is the surface level accessibility of their songs. Shirking traditional black metal brutality, Ghost goes even a notch softer from Opus Eponymous with their second album. While still heavy and dark, there is a clear pop sensibility in mind throughout. Secular Haze is an organ-driven waltz while Ghuleh sets sail on a surf rock transition halfway through the song. While the riffs are the main focus, there are electronics peppered throughout with an abundance of choir backing vocals. What you end up with here is a fully realized musical journey as opposed to a sophomore heavy metal album. Ghost manages to pay homage to their roots while gleefully exploring different instrumentation. Time will tell how far this takes the band as they simultaneously seem to turn off fans of the first album while slowly attracting new people to their unique sound.
Recently, I have been listening to Death Spiritual Healing, noting how the album was the beginning of a major turning point for the bands musically. They were still coming out of their cocoon, but the signs of blossoming were evident. For Intronaut, that album was Valley Of Smoke. The main difference is that they took a far greater leap forward from Prehistoricisms. Habitual Levitations finds Intronaut on seemingly an entirely new plane of existence. The throaty low end vocals are almost completely removed, replaced with a duo of smoky sounding clean vocals. The guitars retain much of their heaviness, but the blatant pounding rhythms are spread further out and sewn together with heaps of dual melody, proggy atmospherics and subtle, jagged odd-time measures. What might seem bare bones to the listener is married with Danny Walker's intentionally confounding percussive mastery. The entire album feels like a series of minimalist segments conceived of very complex wiring hidden below the surface. On repeat listens, it is easy to get lost in the journey because it is so mesmerizing. If it sounds like I am downplaying any portion of this recording, I can assure that I am attempting anything but. This record is an epic achievement, satisfying my palette while leaving me feeling parched for more. It was a short walk to decide this as my favorite record of the year.
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