The 111 Best Albums of 2013

Here it is, the 111 best albums of 2013...as voted on by YOU.  If you don't like the list...change your listening habits.  Have a great 2014.

1. Arctic Monkeys - AM
2. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
3. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
4. The Arcade Fire - Reflektor
5. Kanye West - Yeezus
6. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
7. Haim - Days Are Gone
8. David Bowie - The Next Day
9. Jason Isbell - Southeastern
10. CHVRCHES - Bones of What You Believe
11. Foals - Holy Fire
12. My Bloody Valentine - m b v
13. Paul McCartney - New
14. Burial - River Dealer
15. Phoenix - Bankrupt!
16. Lorde - Pure Heroine
17. The Strokes - Comedown Machine
18. Queens of the Stone Age - Like Clockwork…
19. Okkervil River - The Silver Gymnasium
20. Said The Whale - Hawaii
21. Danny Brown - Old
22. Phosphorescent - Muchacho
23. Volcano Choir - Repave
24. Empire of the Sun - Ice on the Dune
25. The Field - Cupid’s Head
26. Foxygen - We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors
27. White Lies - Big TV
28. A$AP Rocky - Long Live A$AP
29. Sky Ferreira - Night Time My Time
30. Drake - Nothing Was The Same
31. Savages - Silence Yourself
32. Olafur Arnalds - For Now I Am Winter
33. James Blake - Overgrown
34. Deerhunter - Monomania
35. Paramore - Paramore
36. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP 2
37. Frank Turner - Tape Deck Heart
38. Local Natives - Hummingbird
39. Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks
40. Peace - In Love
41. Small Black - Limits of Desire
42. Superchunk - I Hate Music
43. Caitlin Rose - The Stand-In
44. Disclosure - Settle
45. The Civil Wars - The Civil Wars
46. Chance The Rapper - Acid Rap
47. Charli XCX - True Romance
48. Mikal Cronin - MCII
49. Fall Out Boy - Save Rock N Roll
50. Atoms for Peace - Amok
51. The Naked And Famous - In Rolling Waves
52. Earl Sweatshirt - Doris
53. Sleigh Bells - Bitter Rivals
54. Autre Ne Veut - Anxiety
55. Skylar Grey - Don’t Look Down
56. Ra Ra Riot - Beta Love
57. Nils Frahm - Spaces
58. Cayucas - Bigfoot
59. Eels - Wonderful Glorious
60. Everything Everything - Arc
61. Front Bottoms - Talon of the Hawk
62. Kisses - Kids in LA
63. King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath The Moon
64. John Moreland - In The Throes
65. The O’s - Thunderdog
66. Panthu Du Prince and Bell Laboratory - Elements of Light
67. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - S/T
68. Calexico - Spiritoso
69. Tedeschi Trucks Band - Made Up Mind
70. Lonely Forest - Adding Up The Wasted Hours
71. Streetlight Manifesto - The Hands That Thieve
72. Pearl Jam - Lightning Bolt
73. Neko Case - The Worse Things Get
74. Avicii - True
75. Beyonce - Beyonce
76. Bill Callahan - Dream River
77. M.I.A. - Matangi
78. Hookworms - Pearl Mystics
79. Franz Ferdinand - Right Thoughts Right Words Right Action
80. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away
81. The Beatles - On The BBC Volume 2
82. The Knife - Shaking The Habitual
83. J. Cole - Born Sinner
84. Frightened Rabbit - Pedestrian Verse
85. Shearwater - Fellow Travelers
86. Gov’t Mule - Shout!
87. The Deer Tracks - The Archer Trilogy Pt 3
88. Deafheaven - Sunbather
89. Yo La Tengo - Fade
90. Tegan & Sara - Heartthrob
91. New Order - Lost Sirens
92. Eisley -  Currents
93. Panic! At The Disco - Too Weird To Live,Too Rare To Die!
94. Half Moon Run - Dark Eyes
95. Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe
96. Jay-Z - Magna Carta Holy Grail
97. Juliana Barwick - Nepenthe
98. The Lone Below - The Lone Below
99. Lanterns on the Lake - Until The Colours Run
100. Renaissance - Grandine Il Vento
101. Patty Griffin - American Kid
102. Bells> - Fundamentals
103. Anna Calvi - One Breath 
104. Leagues - You Belong Here 
105. Night Beds - Country Sleep 
106. Hiss Golden Messenger - HAW 
107. Lights - Siberia 
108. Daughter - If You Leave 
109. Air Marshal Landing - You Used To Be Me 
110. Austin Lucas - Stay Reckless 
111. Tom Morgan - Orange Syringe 

The 55 Best Albums of 2013 (1-11)

Here they are...my 11 best albums of 2013.  Up next will be your top 111.  Last chance to send in your favorite albums now.  I will compile everyone's picks and publish the super list next week.  Just in time to start our chronicling of 2014.  Have a happy and safe new year!

Here are the 55 Best Albums of 2013 (1-11):

1. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
2. Haim - Days Are Gone
3. Empire of the Sun - Ice on the Dune
4. Small Black - Limits of Desire
5. The Strokes - Comedown Machine
6. Ra Ra Riot - Beta Love
7. Kisses - Kids in LA
8. The Arcade Fire - Reflektor
9. Calexico - Spiritoso
10. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
11. Arctic Monkeys - AM

Buy these albums and more now!!

Don't forget to check out our blog's awesome new book The 111 Best Lists of the 2000s.  Available now!

The 11 Best Reasons To Buy The 111 Best Lists of the 2000s

 It's been one week since the release of our first book and the reception has been incredibly unexpected.  I thank everyone who has purchased the book...and am giving the stink eye to everyone who has not.  If you haven't picked up a copy yet...here are some amazing points at why you should.

 The 11 Best Reasons to Buy The 111 Best Music Lists of the 2000s:

1. There are 111 lists - where most books go to 100 ours does them 11 better and goes to 111.
2. It features many good artists including: Arctic Monkeys, Beck, The National, Wilco, and Radiohead
3. It features many bad (ass) artists including:  The Black Keys, The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and the Foo Fighters
4. It features unknown artists including: The Dirtbombs, Jay Reatard, Assemblage 23, Mr. Lif, and the Great Lake Swimmers
5. It cost less money ($12.95) than a concert ticket and it lasts longer
6. Reading makes you smarter.  This book will make you 111 times smarter.
7. It makes for a great Christmas gift and a belated Hanukkah gift for all your Jewish friends
8. It is proven to kill flies if you hit them hard enough with it
9. It is a great conversation starter for a boring New Year's party (or any party for that matter)
10. It is the perfect guide for making a '00s playlist for a '00s-themed party.
11. There's a secret ending just like in the Marvel movies which hints at a bigger story.  Sorta.

Buy The 111 Best Music Lists of the 2000s...now!!!

The 11 Best Songs By The Arctic Monkeys

When the Arctic Monkeys closed the Olympic games in London a couple years ago, most Americans had no idea who they were.  They all asked why did this no name band get to go on an international stage with Paul McCartney and play at one of the biggest events in the world?  Where were the big English bands that everyone knew?  The Led Zeppelins?  The Elton Johns?  What most Americans didn't know and still don't is that the Arctic Monkeys are one of the biggest English bands of all time.  In England, they are the equivalent of Nirvana in the states.  They expected England to entertain the world with what the world wanted instead of England had to offer.

This week, we enter week 2 of the NFL season.  For years, Dallas had been America's team.  But over the last decade, the Patriots took the reigns.  Though the Pats are now 2-0, it's obvious their time is limited.  Who will represent the NFL to the world this decade?  The Niners? The Colts?  The Seahawks?  Whoever becomes the NFL's supreme team will be America's team, no matter what the rest of the world thinks.

The Monkeys are England's bread and butter, just as the NFL is America's.  Both are exceptional, unpredictable, and something we can't live without.


Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Arctic Monkeys:

1. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor (Whatever People Say I Am)
2. The View From the Afternoon (Whatever People Say I Am)
3. Dancing Shoes (Whatever People Say I Am)
4. Brainstorm (Favourite Worst Nightmare)
5. Old Yellow Bricks (Favourite Worst Nightmare)
6. Still Take You Home (Whatever People Say I Am)
7. If You Were There, Beware (Favourite Worst Nightmare)
8. The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala (Suck It And See)
9. Fluorescent Adolescent (Favourite Worst Nightmare)
10. When The Sun Goes Down (Whatever People Say I Am)
11. From The Ritz To The Rubble (Whatever People Say I Am)

Buy The Arctic Monkeys new album, AM...now!

Record Store Day Recap (only a month late)

As I jump back into the world of blogging (I promise, baby, this week I'll be different), I figure I need to address the biggest music event of the past few weeks...Record Store Day.  I've been going every year and when I used to get to the store about 30-minutes prior to opening, I was upset that I was 5th or 6th in line.  But every year the line has been getting longer, forcing me to get there earlier.  This year I arrived earlier than I had ever been there...almost 3-hours prior to opening and I was 20th in line.  As alarming as that was, by the time the store opened, there were over 250 people in line...which made me a little less bitter about my placement.  I got just about everything I wanted.  Of the three items I didn't get (The Civil Wars 7", the Brad 7", and the Flaming Lips - Heady Fwends) only CW and Brad were sold out. I was bummed about the CW...and less about the Brad.  Although I was most upset about the Flaming Lips, which never even got shipped.  Even stranger...in LA, the three stores I checked out didn't get copies.  What's even stranger is that the Flaming Lips was the widest release of any Record Store Day release...over 10,000 were made.  That's close to the actual sales figures of their last album...so why in the world was it so hard to find?

That said...the rest of the day and the following two weeks began a scavenger hunt of about a dozen stores...all in hopes of finding the one gem I overlooked.  And yes, I found a few.  Overall, the 7" dominated this year with the longer album being bigger let downs (Flaming Lips production included).

So here are my 11 favorite releases of the Day...and I've heard quite a few.

My 11 Favorite Releases of Record Store Day 2012:

1. Jeff the Brotherhood - Upstairs 10-inch - Strangely, it's probably one of the few albums that didn't even come close to selling out.  I've seen it at dozens of stores...yet it might be the most enjoyable and best vinyl capture of the day.  It's really just a great underrated band jamming the fuck out...but captured on vinyl it's like being in the room with them.  This is what exclusive releases should be all about...something that would never make it as a usual release because it's so up close and intimate it's unplayable except to the people who actually give a shit.

2.  Chris Robinson and the Brotherhood - Blue Suede Shoes 7" - I bought this two weeks after RSD as an impulse buy because it was half off.  The two new songs (not on the new album) are as rocking and raw as anything Chris has done in decades...a definite find.

3.  Feist & Mastodon 7" - A release that should have never happened.  But it's so weird, raw, unlistenable but unresistable...it's a collector's dream.  Can't listen to this one enough.

4.  Arctic Monkeys - R U Still Mine 7" - Where the fuck did this come from?  Maybe the best release by the Monkeys since their debut.  Hopefully this is a good sign that we should expect other great things by them.

5. The Electric Anthology Project of Dinosaur Jr. LP - It's going to be released normally in the coming weeks...but this has to be the most fun of any of the releases.  It's Dinosaur Jr. meets the Breakfast Club.  It's fucking odd...and great at the same time.

6.  Horrible Crowes - Live At Amoeba 7" - This was another album I bought a couple days after RSD.  I was not a huge fan of the actual HC album...it was tolerable.  But these live couple of songs capture the band ripping it up live that is fantastic and deserves many repeat listens.

7.  Ryan Adams - Heartbreak 7" - After last year's super boring album...Ryan at least shows he still has something still in the tank.

8.  Ra Ra Riot - Valerie 7" - Though their are two covers on this record...the Valerie cover is so exceptionally good...it's worth the price of admission all on it's own.

9.  The Flaming Lips - Heady Fwends LP - I never actual got a physical copy...but I have heard this release.  I can't say I'm blown away...or even that upset that I didn't get a copy.  But it's just that crazy that it's worth seeking out to listen to...just once.

10.  Jay Farrar - New Multitudes 10-inch - A companion to possibly one of the best actual albums of the year.  These four songs feature a couple of demos that rock as hard as anything on the album.

11.  Animal Collective - Traverse Temporal Gyrus LP - I don't know if I liked this...or love this...or hate this.  Again, this is what is great about RSD...they can feature album that should never be released in any other fashion except to hardcore fans.  Sure it's experimental bullshit...but I have a copy and you don't.

The ones that got away...

1.  Flaming Lips - Heady Fwends - I have it digitally...but sure wish I had a physical copy.

2.  Brad - Waters Deep 7" - had no idea this would sell out so fast.  Had no idea anyone knew who they were.

3.  Civil Wars - Covers 45 - I've heard the Billie Jean cover...but have sleepless nights dreaming about hearing that Portishead cover.

4.  Mike McCready/Star Ana - A co-worker got a copy and I have to say I'm quite jealous...heard it's pretty good too.

5.  Atmosphere & Aesop Rock - The album had a freaking C-side!  Yes, it had 3 sides!!  That's just epic.

6.  Shabazz Palaces - Live - Just wish I had it.

The 11 Best Songs By The Arctic Monkeys

With all the problems in the world this week, it’s no wonder that America focused on one of the most trivial…that of Andrew Weiner.  It amuses me how we all act so offended from what he did…but we all have friends who have done this.  And we’re still friends with them.  What’s possibly the most troubling about this situation isn’t that he did it or that he got caught…but he’s more than likely not the only one doing it.  I’m sure if we probed all of our politicians…at least 50% of them would resign from sex scandals.  Yet, they still act so offended like they would never do the same thing…until the next week when they’re caught for something worse.

This week, the Arctic Monkeys have come under fire for the cover of their new album.  It’s crude and it’s offensive.  What is it?  It’s a plain white cover.  Off-white really.  But it’s not the picture per se, it’s the picture coupled with the title “Suck It and See.”  Angered people with too much time in their lives argue it infers male semen.  It infers?  It’s rock n roll.  Everything in rock n roll is an inference of sex.  Do you know how many songs in the top 100 Billboard songs refer to or infer sex?  All of them!  Why pick on the Arctic Monkeys when everyone is “doing it?”  That’s an inference to sex.  

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Arctic Monkeys:

1. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor (Whatever People Say I Am)
2. Still Take You Home (Whatever People Say I Am)
3. Do Me a Favour (Favourite Worst Nightmare)
4. Fake Tales of San Francisco (Whatever People Say I Am)
5. Dancing Shoes (Whatever People Say I Am)
6. Brainstorm (Favourite Worst Nightmare)
7. The View From The Afternoon (Whatever People Say I Am)
8. Crying Lightning (Humbug)
9. From The Ritz To The Rubble (Whatever People Say I Am)
10. Too Much To Ask (Flourescent Adolescent B-Side)
11. Catapult (Cornerstone B-Side)


Buy the new Arctic Monkeys' album, Suck It and See...now!!!

The 11 Best Albums of 2009: 45-55 (Part 1)

Happy Holidays everyone!

It's that time of the year again...time to make our own "Best of…" list. As you all know, every year I compile a list of the best music albums released during the year. And, I ask all of you to help out.

So, if you haven't done this before or need a quick refresher, it's very simple. Send me your 20 Favorite Albums that were released during 2009. Remember, the only rule is that the album had to be officially released during 2009. If you can't think of 20...send 10...or even 5...if you only like 1, then just send 1.

Once I get all the votes...I'll compile an uber list of 111 of the best albums of 2009.

Here are the 11 Best Albums of 2009: 45-55 (Part 1):

45. Cracker - Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey
46. Here We Go Magic - Here We Go Magic (Fangela)
47. The Bravery - Stir The Blood
48. Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
49. Memory Tapes - Seek Magic
50. Volcano Choir - Unmap (only $5.00)
51. Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk
52. Weezer - Raditude
53. St. Vincent - Actor
54. The Big Pink - A Brief History of Love
55. William Elliott Whitmore - Animals in the Dark (There Is Hope For You)

The 11 Best Arctic Monkeys Songs

What? Did you think I would reveal the top 11 albums of the decade without a little suspense? I'm taking a pit-stop for a couple of days to focus on some new releases this week. First up...the new Arctic Monkeys album, Humbug, produced by QOTSA melody maker, Josh Homme. It's a much darker turn for the AMers...sounding like Josh had a big influence on the sound. Is it a good direction for the band? Hard to say...still giving it some spins before I lay out my verdict.

What are you thoughts on the new album?

The 11 Best Arctic Monkeys Songs:

1. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor (Whatever People Say I Am)
2. Still Take You Home (Whatever People Say I Am)
3. Fake Tales of San Francisco (Whatever People Say I Am)
4. Do Me a Favour (Favourite Worst Nightmare)
5. Dancing Shoes (Whatever People Say I Am)
6. Brainstorm (Favourite Worst Nightmare)
7. The View From The Afternoon (Whatever People Say I Am)
8. Too Much To Ask (Favourite Worst Nightmare B-Side)
9. From The Ritz To The Rubble (Whatever People Say I Am)
10. If You Were There, Beware (Favourite Worst Nightmare)
11. Settle For a Draw (Whatever People Say I Am B-Side)

Buy The new Arctic Monkeys, Humbug, right 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 Unknown: Arctic Monkeys - Live at KCRW 2005

Lately, the Arctic Monkeys have been stirring up a lot of excitment on the live front. Just a few months ago, the band previewed new songs in concert, prompting rabid anticipation that a new album would be just around the corner.

Now, this week, the band releases a Live CD/DVD to very little fanfare. How little? Well, I'm sure most of you are learning about this as your reading my blog...and the album's already been out for a few days. The DVD chronicles a spectacular show at the Apollo in Manchester, which was getting rave reviews when it was released last month in England. But now in the US version, the band has added a bonus 10-song live CD from Austin, Texas. And anything musical that comes out of Texas has to be good.

Arctic Monkeys - Live on KCRW

1. A View From The Afternoon
2. Dancing Shoes
3. Fake Tales of San Francisco
4. You Probably Couldn't See For the Lights
5. Perhaps Vampire is a Bit Strong But
6. From The Ritz to the Rubble
7. A Certain Romance

Buy the Arctic Monkeys' new CD/DVD combo, Live at the Appollo.

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

The 11 Best Arctic Monkeys Songs You Haven't Heard

A couple days ago I looked at the arsenal of B-sides from Trent Reznor's 17 year career. Not counting instrumentals...the number tops out at around 13. Today's artist...the Arctic Monkeys had 14 B-sides before their second album even hit the store shelves. My old boss always told me you can judge a band's longevity by their B-sides. And it's somewhat true. Bloc Party had great B-sides and delivered a smashing good new double-album. The Killers had mediocre B-sides and their second album was lukewarm at best. With 14 Bees...you have some really good ones and some rather forgettable ones. But you can't deny the band's hunger to feed our hunger for great music.


Here are the 11 Best Arctic Monkeys Songs You Haven't Heard:

1. 7 (When The Sun Goes Down EP)
2. You Know I'm No Good (Amy Winehouse Cover) - BBC Radio
3. Settle For A Draw (When The Sun Goes Down EP)
4. Cigarette Smoking Fiona (Who The Kcuf are the Arctic Monkeys?)
5. What If You Were Right The First Time? (Brainstorm)
6. Stickin' To The Floor (When The Sun Goes Down EP)
7. Leave Before the Lights Come On (Leave Before the Lights Come On)
8. Despair in the Departure Lounge (Who The Kcuf are the Arctic Monkeys?)
9. Put Your Dukes Up, John (Leave Before the Lights Come On)
10. Who The Kcuf are the Arctic Monkeys? (Who The Kcuf are the Arctic Monkeys?)
11. Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts (I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor)