13 for 2013
13. Little Lights - 4 Song Demo
I discovered this band randomly one day on the internet. When I have spare time I like to go to bands Facebook pages and see what bands they "like" or recommend and I can't quite remember what band lead me to Little Lights Facebook page, but I am sure glad that I stumbled across them. Their sound is so dreamy and smooth that it almost makes you want to cry tears of joy. They are the kind of band that just puts the listener in their happy place. I became so enthralled with their demo that I decided to do a write up on Bearded Gentlemen Music in hope of gaining them some more exposure. They have a full length album hopefully coming out next year, which I am really excited for.
12. Coheed & Cambria - The Afterman: Descension
I had been a casual fan of the prog-rock sounds of Coheed & Cambria since they have been a band, but ever since they released their fourth album Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow I have been a huge fan of the band. This album The Afterman: Descension is the second part of a two album series. Both this album and its predecessor The Afterman: Ascension are both really great albums and with the addition of new bassist Zach Cooper the band sound has become more solid then they ever have before. B.G.M. co-founder Isaac Atencio and myself were lucky enough to meet up with Cooper for an interview earlier this spring before a Coheed show in Salt Lake City.
11. Caveman - Self Tilted
This is another new band that I hadn't listened to up until this year. I found Caveman while cruising around on YouTube and upon seeing their video for "In the City" which stars actress Julia Styles (10 Things I Hate About You, Save The Last Dance, Bourne film series, and Silver Linings Playbook). The video has an amazing concept of two love birds visiting New York City, but when strange things begin to happen to the women at night while she is sleeping she begins to fall out of love. The album and the rest of the songs are just as superb as the video, great keys and mid tempo songs that almost invoke an 80's Tears for Fears vibe.
10. The Dillinger Escape Plan - One of Us Is the Killer
The only way I can truly describe The Dillinger Escape Plan is that they are straight up bananas. These guys are the dudes credited for creating the mind scrambling genre of math-core metal. Listening to TDEP is like taking a trigonometry test, it straight up exhausts your brain with their super technical instrumentation and crazy vocals on top. Well the band toned it down a bit with their fifth full length album One of us Is the Killer, a heavy and technical album that also pauses from time to to time to let you catch your breath. I was able to do a phone interview with founding member and guitarist Ben Weinman earlier this year to talk to him about his bands stylistic change.
9. Chelsea Wolfe - Pain is Beauty
Seeing Chelsea Wolfe live is pretty much like going to church. Her voice is flawless live and the way her amazing backing band is able to convert her electronic goth type jams into something more organic on stage is something to behold. Listening to her latest album Pain is Beauty is a total spiritual experience from start to finish. Plus it was released on one of my favorite record labels of all time Sargent House so I knew I would love the album before I even listened to it.
8. O'Brother - Disillusion
Speaking of live bands O'Brother is also another band that puts on an awe inspiring, spiritually moving live show. We were able to catch of theirs this summer and it was down right spectacular. This band is like the Radiohead of alternative metal. The way O'Brother is able to create song structures that ebb and flow from meditative slow passages to heavy heart pounding destruction is truly fascinating. If you listen to the title track "Disillusion" and aren't moved emotionally, then their might be something wrong with you. This band continues to become more and more creative with every album and being as Disillusion is only their second full length I am insanely excited for what O'Brother has in store for the future.
7. Annacondas - Self Titled
United Kingdom's Anacondas was a band that was recommended to me by a friend of mine. On the surface Anaconda's may sound like your typical hardcore band, but if you actually take sometime and listen to their debut album you'll hear something magical. The way the trio of Timothy Newman (Drums/Vocals), James Hunter (Bass/Vocals), and brother Stuart Hunter (Guitars/Vocals) are able to create the sub woofer pounding jams is amazing. However, thing that stands out the most about Anacondas is their smart and creative use of vocals. the majority of the time they are half barked screams, but every once while they bring in the some really cool three part clean harmonies. The heaviness of the music combined with these original sounding vocals is truly what make Anacondas a special band.
6. Antwon - In Dark Denim
In Dark Denim is the only hip-hop album that was able to crack my top 13 of the year. There were other hip-hop albums that I enjoyed this year, but none as much as Antwon's Valentines Day release. For me hip-hop is all about the beats, I love beats that are original sounding and hit hard. I really don't care if you are a good rapper just as a long as you are good enough not to annoy me, but with Antwon it's the best of both world's quality beats and entertaining well versed lyrics on almost every song on the album. Antwon may be a bit of a pervert when it comes to describing his sexual adventures, but that's to be expected with most hip-hop and it almost kind of fits with the majority of the R&B inspired beats. Another great release from one of my favorite hip-hop artists.
5. Cloakroom - Self Tilted
Cloakroom is like a perfect summer day. You know those days that are hot, but not to hot and you spend the day relaxing on the back porch starring up at the clouds well that's basically the best way I can describe Cloakroom. Their debut release is only five songs, but literally every one of the five songs is perfect. At the end of the summer I was so enamored with the band that I decided to review their album for B.G.M., which I think gives a really great description of how I feel about the band and what I think they sound like. B.G.M. contributor Quinten O'Neal got together with their bassist Bobby Markos to talk about Cloakroom and his other amazing band Native.
4. Alpine - A is for Alpine
Now for my favorite electronic indie pop album. I have to credit Isaac for the discovery of this band. Alpine is sextet from Melbourne Australia led by the dual female vocal action of Phoebe Baker and Lou James. These women's voices are like two fairytale like pixies crooning in your ear, the ways these two intertwine their voices and harmonies is like straight uncut pixie dust to the ears. There is an overabundance of electro indie bands out right now, but Alpine is for sure on top of the heap as far as I am concerned.
3. True Widow - Circumambulation
I have never heard a band that sounds quite like the slow stoner sludge of True Widow. This band is truly unique in the way they are able to keep things so slow and haunting yet engaging. I fell in love with the band earlier this year when I heard the band's 2011 release As High As the Highest Heavens... and the band has endeared themselves to me even more with this years Circumambulation. The way bassist Nicole Estill's vocals interact with guitarist D.H. Phillips gruff voice is killer. I caught up with their bands drummer Slim TX earlier this year to get the details on True Widows awesomeness.
2. Light/Black - Self Titled
This is the first time ever that I have included a Salt Lake City local band in my favorite albums of the year list, but I absolutely had to when I heard the ominous heaviness of Light/Black's song "The Gift". This band is everything that I liked about female fronted noise rock from the 90's, but with a more updated relevant sound. Every song on their debut self titled album is great. I love the way Carrie Wakefields off kilter vocals combines with the bands pile driving pummeling distortion. I wrote an extensive review of their album for B.G.M. earlier this year.
1. Palms - Self Titled
I never in my wildest fantasies did I think that two of my favorite bands (Deftones and Isis) would some day combine forces and make six tracks of tear jerking dream metal, but apparently the things that you think will never happen sometimes do. The miracle of Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno combined with former Isis band members Jeff Caxide (bass), Aaron Harris (drums), Clifford Meyer (guitar / electronics) has come in the form of the supergroup Palms. Moreno is hands down my favorite vocalist of all time and for the better part of a decade the "thinking man's post-metal" of Isis has been on constant rotation on my stereos. I was so obsessed with Palms debut album that I had B.G.M. writer Phil Maye get in touch with Harris via email to get more details on my favorite album of 2013.
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