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 Albums of 2013 (so far)

It's the 4th of July mid-way point of 2013.  Time to take a little look back at what music we are loving here.

Sorry, I've been out of touch...but with such limited releases at this time of year...I've taken some time off to finish my book (which is based on this blog) so it can be published this November.  More on that to come.

Here are the 11 Best Albums of 2013 (so far):

1. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
2. Empire of the Sun - Ice on the Dune
3. Capital Cities - In A Tidal Wave Of Mystery
4. Ra Ra Riot - Beta Love
5. The Strokes - Comedown Machine
6. Small Black - Limits of Desire
7. Pickwick - Can't Talk Medicine
8. Kisses - Kids in LA
9. Calexico - Spiritoso
10. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
11. Jim James - Regions of Light

Have a happy 4th!

The 11 Best Songs By Ra Ra Riot

For sports fans, this was quite an up-and-down weekend.  As big as the NFL playoffs and the return of the NHL were, the biggest event came when Lance Armstrong was interviewed by Oprah.  How is it bigger news and treated with more fanfare when someone fucks up and lies to cover their tracks...than it is when someone actually succeeds?  Syracuse upsets #1 Louisville in college basketball, the NHL returns to action after a lockout that almost ended the season, the 49ers and Baltimore win close games to advance to the Superbowl, it's announced that the NBA is returning to Seattle next season, and in the PGA last weekend's tournament ended in a thrilling  3-way playoff.  But somehow, real athletes accomplishing real athletic achievements pales in comparison to an asshole who cheated...then lied about it.

We should treat people like Lance Armstrong like we treat terrorists...we shouldn't give them any publicity.  We should ignore them and pretend (or acknowledge) that they don't exist anymore.  I know we live in a generation where everyone wants to look over the fence into their neighbor's yard to see their neighbor's dirt but that doesn't mean we have to succumb to it.

I could do a blog with the worst songs every single time...and as fun as it would be to see the band you hate the most get a "worst" treatment, it would start getting old, especially when I started bashing your favorite band.  Just like in sports, we watch for the amazing wins...not the abysmal losses.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Ra Ra Riot:

1. Dying Is Fine (The Rhumb Line)
2. Valerie (Record Store Day 7")
3. St. Peter's Day Festival (The Rhumb Line)
4. Too Dramatic (The Orchard)
5. Too Too Too Fast (The Rhumb Line)
6. Ghost Under Rocks (The Rhumb Line)
7. Boy (The Orchard)
8. Shadowcasting (The Orchard)
9. Each Year (The Rhumb Line)
10. Manner To Act (Daytrotter Session 2)
11. Do You Remember (The Orchard)

Buy Ra Ra Riot's new album, Beta Love...now!!! (only $5.00)

The 11 Most Anticipated Albums of 2013

I'll post the top 111 albums of 2012 on Friday.  So you still have time to get me your lists!!  Just send me your favorite albums of 2012 in the comment section.  Top 20...or whatever number of albums you liked.

With 2013 already .3% over, let's start looking ahead at what our year might look like musically...

This is a list of albums that have official release dates...or have been officially announced.  There might be a new Arcade Fire album, there might be a new Modest Mouse, there might be two new Beck albums...and we all know how long Kevin Shields takes to do anything so I'm not holding my breath about a new MBV album until 2015.  And honestly...why does everyone care so much about a new Cher album?

The 11 Most Anticipated Albums of 2013:

1. Phoenix (April)
2. Eminem (June)
3. Depeche Mode (March)
4. MGMT - MGMT (May)
5. Atoms for Peace - Amok (2/18)
6. Tegan & Sara - Heartthrob (1/29)
7. Kid Cudi - Indicud (March)
8. Natalie Maines - Mother (May)
9. Bad Religion - True North (1/22)
10. Ra Ra Riot - Beta Love (1/22)
11. Johnny Marr - The Messenger (1/26)

What albums did I leave off?  What are your most anticipated?

Buy the best of 2012 here!

The 11 Best Songs By Ra Ra Riot

Yesterday's big news about The Smiths having their songs turned into a comic book, left me with mixed feelings.  Of course, every time there is news about the Smiths, it's always a good day...but the more I thought about it, I became a little concerned.  I know it's "based" on Smiths lyrics...so are these little short stories or is this going to be an ongoing epic about Super Morrissey:  A mild mannered British lad with an affinity for crooning and inspiring Latin culture?  But the Smiths aren't the only ones jumping on the comic book trend.  The Hold Steady, Tom Morello, and Madonna all have comics in the works.

I feel the same about solo albums from band members as I do when I hear this comic news.  I'm excited to hear any news about my favorite band...but am usually letdown when I actually sit down to listen.  Mathieu Santos of Ra Ra Riot actually bucks the trend with a solid solo album.  But he's the exception...not the rule. That applies to other solo albums even within his own band.

Here are the 11 Best Songs by Ra Ra Riot:

1.  Dying Is Fine (The Rhumb Line)
2.  Boy (The Orchard)
3.  Ghost Under Rocks (The Rhumb Line)
4.  Too Dramatic (The Orchard)
5.  Each Year (The Rhumb Line)
6.  Shadowcasting (The Orchard)
7.  Too Too Fast (The Rhumb Line)
8.  Oh, La (The Rhumb Line)
9.  Foolish (The Orchard)
10.  Manner To Act (Ra Ra Riot EP)
11.  St. Peter's Day Festival (The Rhumb Line)

Buy Mathieu Santos new solo album, Massachusetts 2010, now!!

The 11 Best Albums of 2008 (Part 5)

At the end of the day, my decision on this top 11 came down to one thing...listenability. Which albums held up to repeat listens... Which albums didn't get dated by the 3rd spin... Which albums still sounded fresh a month after the novelty wore off... Which albums I felt confident recommending to friends...

Bon Iver's album became that one album that stood above the others. It's the one album I kept going back to...the one album I could listen to on repeat...the one album that reminded me why I love music so much...

The 11 Best Albums of 2008:

1. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (Flume - Daytrotter)
2. Beck - Modern Guilt (only $5.00)
3. Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
4. She and Him - Volume One (Get Free)
5. Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line (Dying Is Fine - Daytrotter)
6. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
7. TV on the Radio - Dear Science (only $5.00)
8. Coldplay - Viva La Vida (only $5.00)
9. Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy
10. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
11. Little Joy - Little Joy

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)