The 55 Best Albums of 2013 (45-55)

 It's that time of the year...time for the best of lists.  Here at GBU it's been a big year.  We had a book come out...and the music this year was worlds better than last year. As usual we like to put together a list of the best music that you loved and compile it into one big uber list of 111 albums.  So it's time for you to vote.

 We want your 20 favorite albums of 2013.  You can email us...or just post it in the comment section of the blog.  And if you can't think of 20...list as many as you liked. If you liked just 1 album...then tell us that.  We collect everyone's responses and tally them up. So let us have them.  And as always...we will start off the voting with our own list.  Enjoy!

  Here are the 55 Best Albums of 2013 (45-55):

45.  Kings of Leon - Mechanical Bull

46.  Noah and the Whale - Heart of Nowhere

47.  Pearl Jam - Lightning Bolt

48.  HBS - In Deep Owl

49.  Junip - Junip

50.  Disclosure - Settle

51.  James Blake - Overgrown

52.  Earl Sweatshirt - Doris

53.  Andrew Stockdale - Keep Moving

54.  Avicii - True

55.  Fitz and the Tantrums - More Than Just A Dream

Buy these albums and more...now!!!

The 11 Best Songs By Kings of Leon

The new TV season is finally upon us.  Thousands of new shows will debut and we will pick a lucky handful to survive through-out the season.  Even less will be renewed.  And only a couple will become our new collective crushes.  Like a great song, a great show can unite us as a people.  The most conservative Republican and the most liberal Democrat will find some common ground if they both watch Breaking Bad.  A Boston Red Sox fan and a Yankee fan will have at least one hour of solitude if they both watch Game of Thrones.  The hardest gangster and the nerdiest scientist will share a laugh over the Big Bang Theory.  At the end of the day, with all our hardships, our life struggles, our fights, our disagreements, our debts, and our losses, we all have a need for escape.  And no, we don't all like the same shows.  But the same shows are the common thread that hold us together at the water cooler.  And for one minute, your least favorite co-worker will become your best friend when you both share a mutual distaste for the series finale of Dexter.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Kings of Leon:

1. Sex On Fire (Only By the Night)
2. Knocked Up (Because of the Times)
3. The Bucket (Aha Shake Heartbreak)
4. Closer (Only By the Night)
5. Four Kicks (Aha Shake Heartbreak)
6. Use Somebody (Only By the Night)
7. California Waiting (Youth And Young Manhood)
8. On Call (Because of the Times)
9. Happy Alone (Youth And Young Manhood)
10. Velvet Snow (Aha Shake Heartbreak)
11. My Party (Because of the Times)

Buy The Kings of Leon new album, Mechanical Bull...now!!

The 11 Best Black Friday Record Store Releases

Every April...us old dudes who still own record players crowd around record stores to pay a lot of money for limited edition colored vinyls with one extra track.  But Christmas has come early this year.  The wonderful folks at RSD have a new day for us...like a teaser trailer for spring's epic event.  Black Friday features a much smaller amount of releases but some exclusive and exciting ones none-the less.  Here's some of the most interesting releases...and click here for the the full list.


Here are 11 of the Best Releases for Black Friday:

1. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Kiss My Amps Live (No one has made a bigger effort to support vinyl than Tom Petty...so this live EP with songs from the Mojo tour promises to sound amazing.)
2. Wilco - Speak Into The Rose (a 4-song EP with two unreleased tracks from the Whole Love Sessions)
3. Janis Joplin - Move Over 7-inch box set (4 7-inch singles with unreleased tracks and versions)
4. Iron & Wine - Morning Becomes Eclectic (An collection of live tracks recorded for the show)
5. The Kings of Leon - The Early Vinyl (The first three albums on vinyl with a 4th album of unreleased material)
6. The Byrds - Eight Miles High & The Times They Are A-Changing (Two singles that were never released)
7. Ryan Adams - Do I Wait/Darkness (two songs from the Ashes & Fire sessions)
8. Silversun Pickups - Seasick (Unreleased Tracks from the Swoon Sessions)
9. The Civil Wars - Tracks in the Snow (Two new holiday tracks and two live tracks unavailable anywhere else)
10. Craig Finn - Honolulu Blues (The first single with solo material from the Hold Steady frontman)
11. Sea Wolf - Song of the Magpie (Two unreleased tracks produced by Mike Mogis)

Check out Black Friday here.

The 11 Best Songs By Kings of Leon

Let's just get one thing straight.  There are two versions of the Kings of Leon.  There's the diry south, grungy unwashed version that delivered the first three albums.  Now we have the second incarnation of the band that has gone for a smoother, grander sound in the vein of U2.  Most of the fans that have been follwing the band since the Youth and Aha days, curse the new version of the band.  They're sell-outs.  They're knock-offs.  They just all out suck.  But do they?  Are they?  Let's for a minute imagine if the first 3 Kings albums didn't exist.  Imagine if their first album was Only By The Night.  Would they still suck?  Or would people have a different view of them?  I'll be the first one to say that I like their early albums better than their recent offerings...but that doesn't mean the new albums are bad.  Sex On Fire is still one of the best songs of the past decade.  And Caleb Followill has one of the best rock voices out there.  His voice is so good it could be and r&b...and isn't that what Sex on Fire really is...an r&b song?

I honestly wish there were more bands out there who sold-out like the Kings of Leon.  How much better would the world of music be if that was the case?

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Kings of Leon

1. Sex on Fire (Only By The Night)

2. Knocked Up (Because The Times)
3. The Bucket (Aha Shake Heartbreak)
4. True Love Way (Because the Times)
5. Closer (Only By The Night)
6. McFearless (Because the Times)
7. Soft (Aha Shake Heartbreak)
8. California Waiting (Youth And Manhood)
9. Use Somebody (Only By The Night)
10. Spiral Staircase (Youth And Manhood)
11. Velvet Snow (Aha Shake Heartbreak)

Buy the Kings of Leon's new album, Come Around Sundown now!!

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (12-22)

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (12-22):

12. Coldplay - A Rush of Blood To The Head (2002)
- If Viva La Vida is this generation's Joshua Tree...A Rush would be this generation's Unforgetable Fire.

13. Ryan Adams - Gold (2001)
- If charting was based on most material released...RA would win by a landslide. But Gold feels the most personal...that the most time went into crafting this one. (La Cienega Just Smiled)

14. Jay-Z - The Black Album (2003)
- Jay-Z turned the industry on its head when he allowed the public to freely remix and distribute his momentary swan song.

15. The Strokes - Is This It (2001)
- The Jam who? The Strokes tight and underplayed debut was a snub in the face of the loud and obnoxious music of the day. (Soma)

16. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am (2006)
- The Jam who? The AM's loud and obnoxious debut was a snub in the face of the quiet and mopey music of the day.

17. Bright Eyes - Lifted Or The Story is in the Soil (2002)
- This is the album that earned him the nickname: "the next Bob Dylan" or "the next Bob Dylan until the next Bob Dylan comes along." (You Will.)

18. Zero 7 - Simple Things (2001)
- If there was ever a soundtrack to this decade...Zero 7 did it first.

19. Interpol - Antics (2004)
- 20 years later...Ian Curtis is cool again.

20. Death Cab For Cutie - Plans (2005)
- The emo masterpiece from a band who has done everything in their power to be anything but... (Someday You Will Loved)

21. Bruce Springsteen - The Rising (2002)
- In the wake of 9/11, it was Bruce who came to the rescue to lead us out of the darkness. No album has ever said more about the strength and resolute nature of our country than the Rising.

22. Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak (2004)
- The Kings emerged this decade as the last true patriots of American rock n roll. And no where is that more clear than on their second effort.

Buy these albums now.

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (34-44)

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (34-44):

34. TV on the Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain (2006)
- No album felt as obscure as TV's sophomore release. And no obscure album ever rocked this hard. It was like the band knew that rock was growing stale and they were going to show us all how it was done...the right way.

35. Feist - Let It Die (2005)
- Feist's debut played like a classic album. With one half original work and one half covers, Feist followed in the footsteps of her vocal idols who commonly did this on their albums. The result was an emotionally rich tapestry that had as maturity as it did youth.

36. Jack Johnson - Brushfire Fairytales (2000)
- Since JJ's break into commercial success, I think everyone has forgotten how much indie cred he scored on his debut. This was one of those albums that spread through word of mouth...in the way good music is supposed to succeed. Years after its release it was still gaining momentum. none of his other albums are as true as this one...and the reason why this one lands so high on this list.

37. Coldplay - Viva La Vida (2008)
- If the 80s had Joshua Tree...then the 00s get Viva La Vida. Yeah...that's right, I'm comparing the epic 80s U2 album to Coldplay. Like JT, VLV was a statement. It was Coldplay thinking big and not holding back. One million people logged into the website at 4 in the morning to grab the first song, "Violet Hill." If you get that much buzz doing anything, you're doing something right.

38. Amy Winehouse - Back To Black (2006)
- There's no argument that Amy is a trainwreck and maybe she's one of those people who shouldn't be a star. That doesn't mean her album sucked. Quite the opposite. Most people were blown away after first hearing her...especially when they found she was a Jewish kid from England...and not some songstress from the Bronx. Her vocal range puts to shame anyone who has stepped on the American Idol stage. Folks...this is how it's done.

39. The Frames - The Cost/The Once Soundtrack (2007)
- This is the only true cheat on the list. It was hard to choose between the two since The Once Soundtrack is really just a recreation of The Cost. And without the strength of the Cost...the movie Once would have never been as good or as successful...they would have never won an Oscar...making the Soundtrack more notable, which in turn helped the original album. Get it? (People Get Ready)

40. Danger Mouse - The Grey Album (2004)
- A true landmark album. Was it proof that the Beatles were the greatest rock band of all time...or that Jay-Z was the best rapper? Or was it a combination of a brutal one-two musical punch? It took balls for Danger Mouse to be so confindent to use the Beatles...and it took a lawyer to keep him from getting his pants sued off. It was one of those albums that everyone had to hear...and there was no way to hear it. But if you were lucky enough to find a friend of a friend who could burn it for you...you were not disappointed. (Encore)

41. Kings of Leon - Because The Times (2007)
- The Kings third album feels like a wild party. It starts off mild enough...but with every track, it escalates to a new level of rowdiness. There's a definitely drunken stupor that permeates through the tracks...and an uncertainity of which song will be coming up behind the next corner. This isn't just an album...it's an experience...and one that leaves you with a great feeling just like a wild party worth remembering.

42. Gorillaz - Gorillaz (2001)
- Though the brainchild of Damon Albarn of Blur...the truth is the band doesn't really exist. In fact, they are a purely virtual band...and the best selling virtual band of all time. (19-2000)

43. Weezer - The Green Album (2001)
- Very few bands are ever able to come back from the dead. But no one did it with more style and more pure kick ass lightning in a bottle than this Harvard alum. The whole album clocks in at a mere 28 minutes...shorter than most Timo Maas remixes. But it's not the size that matters...it's how you use it. (Photograph)

44. Spoon - Kill The Moonlight (2002)
- Spoon really became indie rock's little brother over the decade. Though they came out of the underground...more than anyone. They've spent most of the deceade flirting with big time commercial success...but staying just under the surface. All the while, Britt Daniel continued writing rock solid songs. This second album on Merge exhibits the evolution of their style...that wouldn't stop here.

Buy these albums now...yes...right now!!

The 111 Best Albums of the 2000s (78-88):

May get the next 11 out tomorrow...if not...off on a mini-vaca...will continue on Monday.

The 111 Best Albums of the 2000s (78-88):

78. Jose Gonzalez - Veneer (2005)
- JG's first solo album since his Zero 7 years is a haunting yet beautiful folk record.

79. Beck - Modern Guilt (2008)
- Beck drafts super-producer Dangermouse (whose impact is felt through this list)...to create an album suited for radio play in the 70s on AM...but somehow feels fresh and new for this decade.

80. The New Pornographers - Mass Romantic (2000)
- The indie supergroup featuring Neko Case, A.C. Newman, Ban Bejar (Destroyer) may be the best release any of them have done. Just a solid example of what happens when great minds think alike.

81. Pete Yorn - Musicforthemorningafter (2001)
- Pete Yorn's debut literally came out of nowhere. There was a very little buzz about this guy prior to the release...and being on Sony...there was very little thought that this might be anything more than a major label's attempt at woeing the indie crowd. But over the past decade...Pete has remained diligent about his craft, keeping it his own. And over that period...his debut has only ripened with age. (Lose You)

82. Jurassic 5 - Quality Control (2000)
- Possibly the release that legitimized the underground hip-hop movement. Though none of their other releases...solo or as a group...came close the originality or personality of this debut, the album continues to be a heralded landmark on the hip-hop landscape. (Lausd)

83. Kings of Leon - Only By Night (2008)
- Six months ago...I may not have included this...but the album has fought and clawed its way in critical and commercial success. Something that is no small feat in today's music industry. But that aside, it's just a good rock record. Not as strong as maybe their last release...but their music has matured as they have.

84. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (2007)
- Though it lacks in life and "fire" that the debut had...it's still a collection of intensely constructed songs...dark but vibrant...morid but alive. Even when they're a half-step off their game...they're still a full step in front of everyone else. (Antichrist Television Blues)

85. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges (2008)
- The one thing severely lacking from the 2000s are the pure old fashioned rock records. A few bands tried to carry the rock n roll torch...but very few came close. But on MMJ's release from last year...it was like the band was harnessing the past and everything that made them what they are. It may be too early to tell how great this record is...and who knows...a couple years down the road...I could see this album hanging out near the top. (The Librarian)

86. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion (2009)
- This year's front-runner is a ecclectic mix of the future of music. Many people are struggling to grasp this album, which only means it's one that takes time. And any album with that kind of attention needed is one that is usually worth the time invested.

87. Kanye West - Graduation (2007)
- Maybe the weakest of KW's non-autotune releases...is still a masterful hip-hop album and a scolding lesson of what can be accomplished with smart production. And any album that samples Daft Punk should always get an honorary listing.

88. Elliott Smith - Figure 8 (2000)
- ES' last official release before his death shows the singer growing and expanding. He may have conquered on tunes that were simple bare bones kid & and a guitar folk...but Elliott wasn't satisfied being just that. He was ready to challenge what he was capable of doing and where he could go...too bad we'll never know what he could do. (Somebody That I Used To Know)

Buy the best of the 2000s now!

The 11 Best Albums of 2008 (Part 3)

Maybe I'll just make this a trend...every day I'll screw up my list a little bit further adding another new entry to the list. Today finds Peasant (#24) slipping in after downloading the album off Emusic last night. Check out their session on Daytrotter...his bare bones style is quite mesmerizing.

The 11 Best Albums of 2008 (Part 3):

23. Kings of Leon - Only By the Night (Use Somebody - SNL)
24. Bloc Party - Intimacy

24. Peasant - On The Ground
25. Ezra Furman & The Harpoons - Inside The Human Body
26. Cold War Kids - Loyalty To Loyalty

27. Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
28. The Killers - Day & Age
29. Tapes N Tapes - Walk It Off (Hang Them All - Daytrotter)
30. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - Cardinology
31. Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
32. Travis - Ode To J. Smith
33. Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark

Another reminder to visit my Amazon Store...I get a percentage...a very small one. but if I can make enough off it...I'll invest in a better archiving site than savefile...so we all benefit.

The 11 Best Songs of 2008

I'm excited to try out this Amazon Widget a bit more...so I'm jumping the gun on the Best albums of the year and moving forward to the Best Songs of the year. I've installed all the songs on the widget...so take a listen. The widget is the app in the right side bar that says "Best Songs of 2008." Just click it to listen.

Here are the 11 Best Songs of 2008:

1. Kids - MGMT (Oracular Spectacular)
2. Dancing Choose - TV on The Radio (Dear Science)
3. Grapevine Fires - Death Cab For Cutie (Narrow Stairs)
4. I Stand Corrected - Vampire Weekend (Vampire Weekend)
5. Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon (Only By The Night)
6. Ghosts Under Rocks - Ra Ra Riot (The Rhumb Line)
7. Sequestered in Memphis - The Hold Steady (Stay Positive)
8. Discipline - Nine Inch Nails (The Slip)
9. That Was Just Your Life - Metallica (Death Magnetic)
10. Everybody Here Is A Cloud - Cloud Cult (Feel Good Ghosts)
11. Viva La Vida - Coldplay (Viva La Vida)

I never do this but...Honorable Mentions:

Chemtrails - Beck (Modern Guilt)
Wreck My Flow - the dirtbombs (We Have Your Surrounded)
Hearts on Fire - Cut Copy (In Ghost Colours)
Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur - Sigur Ros (Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust)
Prostitute - Guns N Roses (Chinese Democracy)

I've also created my own MP3 store on Amazon...so check it out. I should have the widget up shortly. Many of the albums are only $5.00 right now (like Beck, Ra Ra Riot, Death Cab, Vampire Weekend, TV on the Radio, Metallica, Killers, Fleet Foxes, Coldplay)

The 11 Best Kings of Leon Songs

I'm starting to becoming a little suspicious of the Presidential Polls. All the polls are showing McCain and Obama are either tied...or McCain is up a point. There is no way this can be accurate. I'm not saying that there's no way McCain can be winning. Actually, quite the opposite. The thing is, there is no way you can conduct a random poll everyday and come up with the exact same result every time. That's not the way randomness works. If the polls were truly accurate...there should be polls that show Obama up 15 points or McCain up 20 points. They shouldn't be common...in fact, they should be very rare...but they should still exist.

Here's a very easy exercise to try to show how randomness works on a very basic level. Grab a deck of cards and pull ten cards at random. How many red and how many black cards did you pull? 5 and 5? Do it again...and again. Try it 20 times. How many time did you get 5 black and 5 red? I tried it this weekend. Out of 20 tries...I only got 5 black and 5 red 4 times...that's barely 20%. That means 80% of the time...I got inaccurate readings. I know this isn't exactly how polling works...but the polls are still supposed to be random. So how can all the "random" calls come out exactly the same every time. If you don't know who you're supposedly calling, then there should be occasion where you call 70% Obama supporters...or 90% McCain supporters. Again, these should be rare...but they should still occur. If the results come out the exact same every time...then they can't be random.

The 11 Best Kings of Leon Songs:

1. Knocked Up (Because the Times)

2. The Bucket (Aha Shake Heartbreak)

3. Slow Night, So Long (Aha Shake Heartbreak)

4. True Love Way (Because the Times)

5. McFearless (Because the Times)

6. Spiral Staircase (Youth And Manhood)

7. Soft (Aha Shake Heartbreak)

8. California Waiting (Youth And Manhood)

9. Four Kicks (Aha Shake Heartbreak)

10. On Call (Because the Times)

11. WooHoo (B-Side)

Pre-Order the new Kings of Leon, Only by the Night.

The 11 Best Bands at Coachella

Festivals suck. All of them do. We think that they are great because a lot of great artists play at them. And sure, once in awhile a good performance is heard. But for the amount of money you pay, it's never worth it. Coachella is the bastardization of the music festival. More expensive to go for three days than to buy a used car. The drive out there is hellacious. The toilets are decorated with feces on the wall. It's hot. The food costs more than a dinner a Spago and tastes worse than a dinner at Del Taco. The crowd is usually filled with people you would never even invite over to your house. And 99.9 % of the time...the sound system is awful. If you're in the back of the crowd, you're lucky if you can understand every fifth word of the singer. So what's the point? There is no point. Good marketing and an awesome line-up sucks you in every time.

But if you already have tickets...then have a great time!

Here are the 11 best Bands at Coachella 2007

1. Rage Against the Machine (Freedom live)
2. Rodrigo y Gabriela
3. Kings of Leon
4. Ozomatli (Como Ves - Live at the Filmore)
5. Gogol Bordello
6. Arctic Monkeys (I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor - Reading)
7. The Roots (Mellow My Man live)
8. The Decemberists
9. Arcade Fire (Age of Consent - New Order Live Cover)
10. Tokyo Police Club
11. Amy Winehouse