2013 in Review

I think one thing we can all agree on is that 2013 has certainly been an interesting year for music. With Working Bitches Roaring whilst swinging on Wrecking Balls to great Applause; Rap Gods sampling classic rock riffs and lyrics, and Daft Punk once again proving that nobody else on the planet should make electronic music, it’s easy to forget that its actually been a pretty good year for rock n’ roll.

True, the elder statesmen of the Seattle Sound are looking a little rough around the edges, but when the tired 40-something rockers of Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden, all put out albums within a 12 month period, its going to make you want to break out the pogs and inject some 90s style angst straight into the heart, Tarantino style. On the whole this was a year for dance beats and headline whoring performances I need not link here. 

                                   Featured above: Tarantino style angst injection.

In all the commotion generated by artists’ antics (rather than their art) this year, we’ve all probably missed a few things. Don’t worry, though, I’m here to catch you up because, god knows, I’ve got nothing better to do then sit in a dark room and learn the stupid minutia about bands only 12 people on the planet have heard of.

In no particular order, here are my picks for the 10 best albums of 2013. I’ve written about a few of them before, and others have had some pretty decent media coverage. A couple might be new to you though, so if you get the chance, check them out.

…Like Clockwork, Queens of the Stone Age

Surprise, Surprise, death seems to suit Queens front man Josh Homme. Since coding on the operating table during surgery in 2010, Homme has put together the most haunting Queens of the Stone Age album yet with the help of his rotating crew of virtuosos. It may not be as metal as Songs for the Deaf, but with guest appearances from Foo Fighters Dave Grohl, Arctic Monkey’s Alex Turner, and yes, even Sir Elton freaking John, you know it’s going to be good.

The Bones Of What You Believe, Cvrches

So I lied earlier, Daft Punk isn’t the only group that makes good electronic music. I can’t remember how I stumbled onto these guys EP earlier this year but I’m really glad I did. The Cvrches’ full length debut came out in November, and I gotta say, I dig it. Not usually a big fan of synthesizers and sound effects, but Lauren Mayberry, a former journalist with a law degree, fronts this Irish trio. So their lyrics have a certain amount of depth and social relevance to them. Oh and it doesn’t hurt that she looks like this…

                                                          I call this look Hipster Bait.

AM, The Arctic Monkeys

When I was 17 some kids from northern England released an album called Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not. It featured tracks about juvenile mischief, teen angst and urban decay. As an American kid attending a missionary school in a third world city, to say the album resonated with me would be an understatement. And I wasn’t the only one. For the better part of a decade, fans have waited patiently through 3 objectively excellent yet arguably lacking follow-ups. Finally in 2013 the Arctic Monkeys release AM an inky, sleek, glimpse into the mind of an insecure and neurotic protagonist as he navigates a world where it’s always 3 a.m. and the drugs have taken a bad turn. Alex Turner probably didn’t intend to write an opera, but that’s the way I’m hearing it.

Sisteronix, Deap Vally

 I’ve sung the praises of these queens of California before, but I never get tired of it. This two piece rocks like the White Stripes would have if they liked Led Zeppelin more than Led Belly. Honestly I’m surprised I haven’t heard more love for these guys from the big rock n’ roll press, but I guess they haven’t kissed the right asses yet. If I could pick one show to go to this year, it would be Deap Vally.

 

Specter at the Feast, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club  

I wrote this when the album came out, so I’ll keep things short. My favorite band released an album of dark and beautiful rock n’ roll. These guys have been grinding away for 12 years now and in the wake of tragedy put this gem out there. You should listen to it. 

Tape Deck Heart, Frank Turner

How in the bloody hell did I not know about Frank Turner before this year? With his heart wrenching acoustic anthems you might think turner is more Mumford and Sons than The Clash; but this disillusioned punk, who made his bones playing with the post hardcore outfit Million Dead, packs a hell of a harder punch then his banjo loving buddies. Tape Deck Heart is a great place to start, but I’d recommend this guy’s entire back catalogue. You won’t be disappointed.

 

Sound City Soundtrack, Various

Again I’ve made mention of this one before. It's got Stevie Nicks, It's got Trent Reznor its got Paul Freaking McCartney. The movie’s great, the album’s better, Dave Grohl has apparently developed into the friendliest workaholic on the planet.

Red Gold Green, RDGLDGRN

My God! An electronic album and a rap album on one list? My 18-year-old self would throw a brick at my head! In fairness though, this Resdon, VA, trio refuses to confine themselves to one simple genera, as they are fond of mentioning. Some tracks come across more Vampire Weekend then Yezy, and even in his hardest rapping moments their primary front man, known only as Green, shouts out to DC hardcore heavies like Bad Brains and Minor Threat. Oh and Dave Grohl (See friendliest workaholic ever) also put down beats for the entire album. I’ve already got my ticket for their upcoming show in Denver!   

Mechanical Bull, Kings of Leon

Maybe I’m a bad American, but I haven’t dug into this album as deeply as I would like to yet. One things for sure though, the Followill clan is back with a vengeance. The new tunes bring back a bit of the tongue in cheek punchiness of the southern boys early stuff, without abandoning the more textured vulnerability of Only By The Night. Again, this is just coming off a couple listens, but it sounds like the Kings finally found a happy middle between southern punk and successful sap.

Trouble will Find, Me The National

The national are another new band for me, but these sad bastards have quietly crept into my heart like the slow burn of good whiskey. A look at my iTunes most played will show nearly 20 listens for this album, and I don’t even remember when I got it. That being said, it’s one of the most addictive pieces of depressing art out there, It’s also a great album to put on when your trying to convince your girlfriend that you really do have deep, deep feelings. 

Dozens if not hundreds more fine albums were released this year, so if your personal favorites were not shared on this list, light me up in the comments section. If you think Haim or Tame Impala deserve more attention the The National, fair enough, tell me off. Should I have given Yeezus or Slim Shady their due, call me a delusional rock n’ roll dinosaur freak. Your negativity only makes me stronger!

Happy New Year everybody! May 2014 bring us even more great tunes!

Lou Reed

Life has been busy lately and my blog has had to take a back seat to real world events, still when I opened up Facebook (any good writers source for fast and accurate news) and saw that Lou Reed, singer and creative force behind The Velvet Underground’s best work, champion of freaks and weirdoes everywhere, died this morning, I knew I had to write something.

            Immediately I tried to nail down a title. “The king is dead” came to mind first, because apparently I’m a terrible writer who loves overwrought clichés. Quickly realized, not only is that headline completely lame, but wasn’t even close to accurate.

Lou wasn’t a king. Brilliant as he was, the poor bastard seemed to get overshadowed a lot, be it with the Velvet’s as Andy Warhol’s sideshow, or later, during his glam days, as David Bowie’s right hand... Person? Alien? Androgynous life form? 

                                              The 70s were weird, man.

That being said, Reed seemed to relish the shadows. Probably, I think, because as his songs so often demonstrated, in the shadows, in the gutter, you can do whatever the fuck you want.

He could write songs that rival Leonard Cohen or Neil Young in their dark beauty, but so often he went in the opposite direction simply out of spite it seemed.

I tried to listen to Reed’s 1975 feedback opus Metal Machine Music this morning with my speakers on full blast. I only made it 17 minutes and 12 seconds into the hour and a half long album, but I defy anybody reading this to listen to 5 minutes of that thing without developing a major headache.

In the coming days and weeks, journalists, bloggers, musicians and artists all over the world will weigh in on Lou’s impact in the fields of music, art and culture. I’m sure others will be able to articulate the man’s value far better then I ever will, so this is all I’m going to say: Lou never did anything predictable and he never did anything the easy way.

That stubborn, self-destructive ethic earned him the moniker “The Godfather of Punk,” and while you couldn’t ask for a cooler title, I don’t think Lou Reed ever properly fit into that box either. No trite analogy or half-assed classification could ever define the man or hint at the impact his art left on the world.

No, Lou Reed is simply Lou Reed, no title necessary.   

Avril Lavigne reveals herself as the Ed Wood of Rock n' Roll

Have you ever seen a train wreck? Remember how you can't look away from the carnage? well I just watched Avril Lavigne's  music video for her new song Rock n' Roll… It was the same thing. Here’s a link to it. I want all of you to watch and listen to it, because thanks to Avril, I now hate the world and want all of you to be unhappy.

I have tried really hard this past year not to dish out too much judgment to musicians I don’t like, because I recently learned that girls don’t like it when you call their favorite “artists” vapid, Protools abusing, attention whores, but this particular crime against the senses clocked me like a surprise haymaker to the ear. So I just had to share that wonderful experience with you, my faithful readership of 6. 

You see, I expected it to suck. I watched it with the express intent of rolling my eyes and telling my buddies how bad I thought it was later. Wow… when I write it out that sound awful… Maybe I’m a bad person… but that isn’t really the point right now.

My point is; this song and it’s video are worse then awful. They are an abomination against rock, and I cannot stand by silently!

The music itself is standard Avril. Happy little pop punk guitars are drowned under a sea of electronic base and topped off by her trademark, “I’m a punk rock gurl, really, I promise!” whiney vocals.

It’s the same troupe she’s been using since whenever that Skater Boy song came out, and I can’t blame her, 'cuz it’s a formula that’s made her rich.

It’s just everything else about this song that pisses me off.

If you’ve clicked the link above and watched the video, you already know it starts with a couple of pointed jokes about the futility of pop songwriting and product placement.

At this point, in a tiny corner my mind where hope still lived, a small voice, barley perceivable, is whispering, “that was sort funny and self conscious, maybe this won’t suck after all.”

And then the hope center of my brain died.

What followed should have been glorious: a verbal assault pop music, an homage to rock n’ roll tradition and a comic book themed montage of bounty hunting babes with saw blade battle axe guitars.

HOW COULD THAT SUCK?

Oh, right. Its an Avril Lavigne video. It has all of the smarminess and self-righteousness of punk rock without any of the substance.

I'm not sure my heart could take it if I did a word for word analysis of her lyrics, but it was like she couldn’t even see the contradiction between the themes she wanted to address in this song verses her catty lyrics and soulless delivery.

I think Avril, or whomever writes her music, thought, “I’m going to turn the idea of the rock n’ roll anthem into a something terrible and pathetic and evil... like a sharkbear.”

The video even has a lesbian kiss… because of course there’s a lesbian kiss. After the incredibly self aware opening sequence, she says, "To hell with that crap, I want to be a pop tart again."

In the end, Avril Lavingne singing a rock anthem is a bit like Ed Wood film. She tried really, really hard, but there just no soul in the work and no ability to grasp the irony of her terrible creation.

A finial thought: I will be listening exclusively to Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and The Rolling Stones for the next 24 hours just to get the feeling of auditory excrement from my ears and remind me what the hell this Rock n’ Roll stuff is supposed to be.