My 2013

[Tray73]

Well I thought everything was working ok today but I only managed two and a half songs until YouTube stopped playing and now this is being displayed:



I'm on a different computer to yesterday too. Getting a bit hacked off with it :mad Anyway Soot I will catch up with your thread when I am given the chance!!

 

[Sharp Dressed Man]

It must be as they all look good on this end!

Same here!

 

[Soot and Stars]

Well I thought everything was working ok today but I only managed two and a half songs until YouTube stopped playing and now this is being displayed:



I'm on a different computer to yesterday too. Getting a bit hacked off with it :mad Anyway Soot I will catch up with your thread when I am given the chance!!

I'm sorry for your frustration!

 

[Tray73]

It will not beat me

 

[Soot and Stars]

Arrows

Polly Scattergood was one of my last stops on the electronic pop groups that were scattered throughout 2013. For that reason I've saved it to be towards the end of my list so I could listen to it with fresher ears. I liked something about it from the start but I couldn't give it as fair of a listen after hearing all the other groups. To be fair, it's not fair to lump Polly (actually her real first and last name) in like she just jumped on as this British Songwriter dropped her debut EP in 2005 and album in 2009 and has been remixing and creating music professionally for nearly a decade. In School she already had 800 solid songs written. What I like about Polly Scattergood is she is the closest to having the Tori Amos/Kate Bush style mixed with the modern electronica that I've reviewed all year. In this regard she reminds me of other worthy contemporaries like Charlotte Martin, Sia (in her early years) and most recently Bat For Lashes. If you compare her to all the other popular acts the past year then you miss the fact that it's one of the few acts that didn't get their blend to include 80's pop. The closest to 80's are darker pastiches like the Tori and Depeche Mode mix of Falling. You could possibly name Daughter as a non-80's influence of the year who I did like but while Daughter was a dull sweet enchantment of an album this is spritely and sparkling feel. This is pure ethereal pop with deeper songwriting. Unfortunately two tracks I like amongst the top aren't properly repped on youtube: Machines and Colours Colliding but that just shows that the album was good enough where finding replacements wasn't an issue. Anyway, this act should not be written off. I definitely won't be guilty of that for sure!

Cocoon, Wanderlust, Miss You & Falling

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[Soot and Stars]

Out of all the pop giants Lady Gaga is both one that you can't leave off a comprehensive list for any year she releases music but she was also the best album out of all her competitors imo. I'm including her among the established like Katy Perry and Avril Lavigne who she annihilated and not my favorite pop solo from newcomer Lorde. For me, this is the most varied and complete album in Gaga's catalog. Part of this is I think that she released something a little more cabaret with the dance pop and stretched enough to show the pipes she has. There's a real grit to her vocals even in a lot of the louder dance tracks. I'm not even close to being a huge Gaga fan when it comes to my core likes but she interests me enough to keep up on and purchase her material. I don't even come close to rating her as a personal top artist for my generation or even any year. What she is is a respectfully accomplished, skilled and creative artist in the pop genre. Will the music be shiny and polished and made for those who largely like dance and pop beats. Of course! Don't be stupid and even pretend you can look past that if you hate the genre. Will she always be compared to Madonna which will be a comparison that any artist in their first five years would never live up too? Yeah, but only by idiots! Lady Gaga is an artist that is simply using both parts of music to stay interesting which is both audio relevancy and visual show(wo)manship! I think she's accomplished that! BTW, that R. Kelly duet maybe the most earwormy top 40 song of 2013. Other songs like "Manicure" have a cool rock edge that beat anything Avril did to rock and "Swine" may be the best electropop track by a mainstream artist! I love the vocal on it! Lady Gaga delivered both the art and the pop in 2013!

Do What U Want, Swine, Manicure, Dope & Gypsy


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[Mistral Wind]

she has skills, and I like her.
I hope she will try to be more eclectic in her music.
It would be a shame for her to be chained to dance-pop

 

[Soot and Stars]

she has skills, and I like her.
I hope she will try to be more eclectic in her music.
It would be a shame for her to be chained to dance-pop

I would like to see more eclecticism as well as long as she doesn't forsake dance-pop altogether! I think she started branching out with Artpop!

 

[Soot and Stars]

High Rise

Chester Bennington and Stone Temple Pilots? That's one of those combos that may be dispelled as a cash in and a strange one off that definitely has no right to work! Chester Bennington is a great frontman and vocalist but since he's fronted one of the biggest nu-metal bands ever and every project he's been connected to has been a more electronic based project this may be the most rock thing he's ever been a part of. Fans of the straight forward rock sound of STP may think it's sacrilege but if one listens this is a great EP and it's seamless. It's the best batch of songs since STP's 4 imo. First off, Bennington is a much more melodic vocalist and it makes for a more fleshed out rock meets psychedelia than Weiland could ever accomplish as much as he wanted too. The sounds here are very dynamic and varied pulling melodies from everywhere from Nirvana (Same On The Inside definitely is an homage to Heart Shaped Box) to the Beatles (Black Heart). Still one of the greatest things is with Weiland removed you get to hear how strong the bands signature sound is. Without Weiland the players here make all this sound like STP and for once the frontman is the replaceable one. I'm not knocking Weiland. I like his style but he's had all his outside ventures and now the band is getting to do that in spite of juvenile lawsuits. If you are an STP fan and had your doubts then you should change your mind and try this recent effort!

Same On The Inside, Black Heart & Out Of Time
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[Soot and Stars]

Talking Dreams


On my last stop before my official top 5 for 2013 I leave off with this true gem. This family band of four siblings brings what sounds to my ears sounds like Taylor Swift fronting The Smiths (a noted top influence). Granted the depression is more of a bummer than a suicide with considering the everything's so tragic when you are young age of the young group. Unlike Taylor Swift and her brand of teen countrified pop these aren't all break up songs but deal with themes of fitting in and more of a John Hughes look at coming of age. That's where they are more Smiths thematically but also musically they hit that nail with darker ambiance on Cool Kids or the brighter side on Talking Dreams. It's when they do their acoustics that they have the most sweetest, earwormy pop Country I've heard and I don't think it's intentional (hear "Tell Her You Love Her", the verses in "Cool Kids", "Bright" and "Surround You"). I think this is a good lead in to some very tough choices with my top five! It's definitely a sweet closure from a great year of runner ups!

Cool Kids,Tell Her You Love Her, Talking Dreams and Bright

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