2013 Recap: Craig's Top Albums

Here we are at the end of 2013, which means it is time for another annual compilation of my favorite records I listened to this year. This year features one of the strongest crops of Album of the Year contenders I can remember, and as such I had a really difficult time putting my list together. If your favorite record isn't represented here be sure to tell me why and try to convince me to give it another shot, or give it a shot for the first time. I can't possibly listen to every album that comes out in a year so I may possibly have missed it. For those readers who want to check out an album I talk about below, but don't have time or energy to listen to the each of the records, I have provided key tracks for each album. These key tracks are represented in the handy Spotify widget below, where you can give each album a quick two song preview. Enjoy!

Best of the Rest

30. Alcoa- Bone and Marrow
29. Saves The Day- Saves The Day

28. Citizen- Youth

27. The Neighbourhood- I Love You

26. Tegan and Sara- Heartthrob

25. The Story So Far- What You Don't See

24. The World Is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid To Die- Whenever, If Ever 

23. The National- Trouble Will Find Me

22. Touche Amore- ...Is Survived By

21. Senses Fail- Renacer

The Top 20:

20. AFI- Burials

In the four years since AFI released Crash Love, an uneven but promising experiment that attempted to answer the question, "What would an AFI album sound like if it ventured even more into mainstream rock?" the band returned with the aptly-titled Burials, a dark, occasionally ambient, occasionally in-your-face record, that has the band sounding downright pissed off. The lead single "I Hope You Suffer" is vintage, angry AFI, while 17 Crimes wouldn't be out-of-place on the band's breakthrough album Sing the Sorrow.

Key Tracks: "I Hope You Suffer", "17 Crimes"

19. Vampire Weekend- Modern Vampires in the City 

The indie darlings Vampire Weekend released their third full-length album, Modern Vampires in The City, and it's the first of their albums that has taken me by the throat and made me care deeply. While I found the band's first two albums a little too scatter-shot and unfocused to catch on with me, Modern Vampires seems to take the band's already great songwriting and refine it to perfectly mesh with vocalist Ezra Koenig's unique lyrical perspective.

Key Tracks: "Hannah Hunt", "Diane Young"

18. Kanye West- Yeezus 

In a year where many hip-hop albums were very impressive, this was by far the very best of them all. The production is top-notch, as one of the world’s top producers enlists an A-list crew of producers including Rick Rubin, Daft Punk (who truly ruled the music world this year), and frequent collaborator Hudson Mohawke. Kanye’s wild, sometimes unfocused ramblings may not be the best of his career, but his perspective on racial relations is wildly interesting to track over the course of Yeezus’ running time, from the high octane “On Sight” to the Nina Simone-sampling “Blood on the Leaves.”

Key Tracks: "Black Skinhead", "Blood On The Leaves"

17. Hands Like Houses- Unimagine
Saosin fans take note: Hands Like Houses may be your new favorite band while you wait for that next Saosin album that’s never coming. Rise Records continues its hot streak over the past two years, as Hands Like Houses shows tremendous growth on their sophomore release.  To continue the Saosin comparisons, the band seems equally adept at “Sleepers”-like driving post-hardcore (See the devastating “Introduced Species”) as they are emo ballads like “You’re Not Alone” (the stunning album closer “Fire on a Hill”).

Key Tracks: "Introduced Species", "Weight"

16. Bastille- Bad Blood
This maybe looked back on in a few years as the album I put way too low on here.  The arena-ready indie rock (as my co-host Donald Wagenblast has termed it) follows in the footsteps of Imagine Dragons and AWOLnation on the path to mainstream success. But the band retains a unique sound and tremendous vocal harmonies on the way to one of the best pop releases of the year.

Key Tracks: "Pompeii", "Laura Palmer"

15. Paramore- Paramore

All year, I have been inundated with people telling me how bad the new Paramore album is, but I don’t give a damn. This is an album, though inconsistent, full of some of the most powerful, and well-written pop-rock songs of Paramore’s career. Sure, it is basically a glorified Hayley Williams solo album, but to me there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. She has never sounded better in her career than she does on the bridge of “Still into You,” while the riotous “Ain’t It Fun” is a giant send-off the Farro Brothers-era of the band in the most tongue-in-cheek way.

Key Tracks: "Still Into You", "Daydreaming"

14. The Dangerous Summer- Golden Record 

The third-best album by a band that has three albums, but notice that I didn’t say “worst” album. Golden Record is still a tour-de-force in emotional songwriting, vocalist AJ Perdomo puts together a heart- and throat-shredding vocal performance, and there are still those defining climactic moments which make for such great sing-alongs (See “the chorus right after the big, drum fill in “Miles Apart” for one particular moment.) 

Key Tracks: "Catholic Girls", "Knives"

13. Lydia- Devil 

Those readers who read my favorite albums of all-time feature know the potential this band has for creating an album that hits me in a particular way. Devil is not that album, and Lydia may well never come close to achieving that same potential again. But it is the second best album by Lydia, and that is, in this particular case, good enough. The album is carried by the powerhouse voice of Leighton Antelman, which can make even the most droll musicianship seem evocative and emotionally-gripping (see his other band The Cinema for reference.) Devil luckily combines this vocal prowess with a refreshed lyrical approach. Whereas the band’s last two releases have gotten stale overtime, Devil proves itself to be a grower.

Key Tracks: "Knee Deep", "Devil"

12. Cartel- Collider

Cartel proved on Chroma that a pop-rock band that new exactly what it wanted to be could find success without interference from outside parties. Their subsequent release, a self-titled album, was tarnished by a massive major label budget and the tampering of one Dr. Pepper-sponsored bubble. But 2013 gave us a marvelous thing, a Cartel album free from expectation. And boy did it deliver. Collider is pure pop-rock gold. Hopefully, this is the album that revitalizes Cartel’s fading career, although initial sales projections do not seem to indicate such a resurgence.  If this is the last album we get from Cartel, then Collider is a damn good way to go out. 

Key Tracks: "Uninspired", "Sympathy" (*Collider not available on Spotify*)

11. Silverstein- This Is How The Wind Shifts 

Struggling band leaves label that only cares about them as a money-making entity instead of an artist, joins a label that allows the band to maintain their artistic vision and releases their best album in a number of years. Stop me if you’ve heard this script before. Though this very well could’ve been the tale of All Time Low’s 2012, instead it is their Hopeless Records labelmates Silverstein who return to form with the pseudo-concept album This is How The Wind Shifts, a dynamically heavy master stroke in lyrical storytelling.

Key Tracks: "Stand Amid The Roar", "Massachusetts"

10. A Day To Remember- Common Courtesy 

Speaking of bands who left Victory Records for greener pastures, here comes the surprise of the decade. A Day To Remember looked dead in the water, their single, debuting almost a full-year before the album, was an atrociously generic bungling of the band’s metalcore roots, the band was embroiled in a nasty legal dispute, and the release of the new album seemed inevitably distant on the horizon. Yet somehow, A Day To Remember found a way to release Common Courtesy- and what’s more, somehow it was really, really good. Not only does Common Courtesy build on the band’s previous three albums in almost every conceivable way, it keeps the band's momentum moving upwards- an idea no one thought possible before the album's improbable and sudden release. 

Key Tracks: "City of Ocala", "Sometimes You're The Hammer, Sometimes You're the Nail"

9. Balance and Composure- The Things We Think We're Missing

I’m not sure exactly what it is I love so much about Balance and Composure. It seems near impossible to explicate what it is that draws me to their music. Vocalist Jon Simmons doesn’t have the most objectively appealing or commanding voice, though his vocal delivery did improve drastically on this release. The musical backing is greatly indebted to the grunge stylings of Nirvana and other like-minded bands- yet here they are in 2013 having released their second eviscerating release in a little over two years. There doesn’t seem to be another band out there making music that I can connect to spiritually in the same way I do with Balance and Composure. They get me.

Key Tracks: "Reflection", "Tiny Raindrop"

8. Jimmy Eat World- Damage 

This may well be Jimmy Eat World’s most straightforward release in their history. It may not have the same spark that the band’s classic Clarity or fan favorite Futures have that make them connect with new audiences so many years later, but what it does have is a decidedly focused lyrical narrative. Jim Adkins described the record before its release as an “adult breakup record,” and that description proves stunningly accurate for the record's sub-38-minute run time (the shortest of their career). The band’s lyrical approach continues to be its greatest strength, balancing adeptly along the delicate tightrope that is writing about heartbreak.  

Key Tracks: "Damage", "I Will Steal You Back"

7. Letlive. The Blackest Beautiful

Initially, I had written a write-up for this album that included the line “If it wasn’t for the production issues, this could perhaps have been a top 5 release.” However, I have decided to completely expunge that line of thinking from my perception of this album. Yes, the production is muddled, yes the drums sound like they were recorded underwater, and yes, it is not as clean or “produced” as the band’s previous album Fake History. But the question I am now asking myself is, “Why would I want it to be?” Letlive. is not widely regarded as the most “tight” live band, but I would venture to say they are among the two or three most energetic and entertaining bands I have ever witnessed live. That same liveliness courses through the tracks on The Blackest Beautiful, and it is electrifying.

Key Tracks: "Banshee (Ghost Fame)", "White America's Beautiful Black Market"

6. Moving Mountains- Moving Mountains

In case you, dear reader, did not hear the news, Moving Mountains announced shortly after this album was released that they would be going on an indefinite hiatus.  Those who are long time viewers of the blog or long time listeners to the show know that Moving Mountains know they are among my favorite bands. It is with a heavy heart then that I write this album write up. But I, for one am thankful that we got one last release before the hiatus, however long it lasts. Their self-titled release is one that is worthy of carrying the band’s name as its title, as it is absolutely the definitive record to sum up the 8 year career of a band that was constantly innovating. It, in and of itself, charts the course of an evolution, an evolution from a band that was unsure of themselves and the band that they could be- one that would lean on their collective inspirations too heavily at times- into a band that was so self-assured that it eschewed all those inspirations in favor of a sound that is uniquely suited to them.

Key Tracks: "Eastern Leaves", "Swing Set"

5. twenty.one.pilots.- Vessel

On the second of three occasions that I saw twenty.one.pilots perform live this year, vocalist Tyler Joseph said a very peculiar thing on stage. He said, “Thanks for buying into these weird songs we make.” Joseph may have been speaking from the perspective of a self-aware artist, but he has a fair point. The music twenty.one.pilots makes defies classification. While it is undoubtedly a pop album, it also displays elements of dance, hip-hop, punk, screamo, emo and countless other genres. The deeply introspective lyrics would not be out of place on a Jimmy Eat World album, yet here they are on an album that also contains the lyrics “lean with it rock with it, when we gonna stop with it.” And somehow, even with all this contradiction and binaries, it all just works.The band successful eschews the ideology that all pop music must exist in a neatly defined box to find success, and I hope more bands follow suit.

Key Tracks: "Car Radio", "Holding On To You" 

4. The Wonder Years- The Greatest Generation

The best album by a band that once released my Album of the Year 2011, and it doesn’t even make the top 3? 2013 was rough like that. This is nothing against The Wonder Years, who crafted the most well-written pop-punk album since the genre’s heyday in the early 2000s (In fact, in a tweet, I believe I called it the greatest pop-punk album since Tell All Your Friends), it is just a simple testament to how strong the Album of the Year candidates were this year. On The Greatest Generation, an album that vocalist Dan Campbell has called the “third in a trilogy about growing up” the band takes on the difficult tasks of setting a bildungsroman to music, and do so in a way that would make even the master of the form, Charles Dickens, proud. Whether it is the understanding of parents doing anything they can to provide a child a better life than they themselves had (“Teenage Parents”,) or the difficulties associated with battling depression (“The Devil In My Bloodstream”), or even the simple inevitability of dealing with death and tragedy (“Dismantling Summer”), The Wonder Years convey the experience of the human condition in such visceral and acute detail that it’s a wonder they became musicians and not psychologists.

Key Tracks: "I Just Want To Sell Out My Funeral", "The Devil In My Bloodstream"

3. The Front Bottoms- Talon of the Hawk

I mistakenly failed to listen to The Front Bottoms debut full-length, a self-titled album released in 2011, until 2012, resulting in the album not being included in my countdown the year it came out. I would like to apologize for that mistake and offer this album write up as a sort of apology. However, little did I know that my love for The Front Bottoms would only grow with the release of their second full-length, Talon of the Hawk- an album that arguably contains the band’s two best song “Twin Size Mattress” and “Funny You Should Ask.” The band has always had a penchant for releasing catchy, quirky anthems (see the single on their first album, “Maps”), but on Talon of the Hawk they add to that quirk, adding an even deeper dimension of heart and sentiment to the at times chaotic nature of their lyrics. This isn’t the same band that released the self-titled two years ago, they have grown both in maturity and in number (the band has added two more members to their lineup), but all the same characteristics that made listeners, including myself, fall in love with The Front Bottoms in the first place are present on this release in spades. And if it continues to grow on me just as much as their first record has, I may one day regret putting Talon of the Hawk even this low on this list.  

Key Tracks: "Twin Size Mattress", "Funny You Should Ask"

2. Fall Out Boy- Save Rock and Roll 

Fall Out Boy wins reunions forever, end of discussion. But in all seriousness, who could possibly have seen this coming? February 4^th was the fateful day, and on that day they could’ve just announced a Take This To Your Grave tour/show and been done with it, but instead they came back with a bang. Three reunion shows right away (one which Don and I were lucky enough to attend), a full tour playing a selection of songs from their full discography, a new song, and most importantly and album announcement. That album was Save Rock and Roll, and it opened up the discussion of what Fall Out Boy’s best album is. Hopping from hip-hop influenced rock with arena flare, like “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark,” to campfire sing-along-esque tracks like “Young Volcanoes,” to poignant, piano-led ballads like the title track, Save Rock and Roll is a diverse and unique pop album from a band that has diverted further away from their pop-punk roots with each subsequent release, with great success. This is, in essence, a perfectly written pop-rock album. Yes, it doesn’t have the same straightforward “intensity” as the band’s debut, the aforementioned Take This To Your Grave,” but it replaces it with scathing lyrics hidden under pop-song exteriors, such as the biting gem hidden within the seemingly 80s style jocking “Miss Missing You”: “Sometimes before it gets better, the darkness gets bigger. The person that you’d take a bullet for is behind the trigger.” It is this toying with conflict and binaries that makes Save Rock and Roll so interesting to analyze, and what makes the album one of the year’s best albums.

Key Tracks: "The Phoenix", "Save Rock and Roll"

1. The 1975- The 1975

In a year full of surprises, a year in which Fall Out Boy not only reunited and toured, but released a new album, a year in which Cartel and Silverstein released their best albums in seven years, a year in which Relient K and Transit disappointed us all with surprisingly atrocious releases, while A Day To Remember did the reverse with their album, perhaps the biggest surprise of them all is how a little band from Manchester, England that I had never heard of before when 2013 kicked off ended up releasing my favorite album of the year. The band’s self-titled album is as good a debut as I’ve heard since I heard Moving Mountains’ Pneuma, or perhaps even earlier than that. Never has a band’s debut record struck me as so self-assured in vision and aesthetics as The 1975. Perhaps this is a product of the band’s extensive pre-the 1975 history (it has gone through several lineup and name changes in years past) or perhaps it is a product of their release history (with four EPs preceding this album release over the past two years), but The 1975 know exactly who they are, and they do what they do better than anyone else.

Key Tracks: "Sex", "Chocolate"
 

Donald's Top 10 Albums of All Time

Greetings, friends. After a brief yet memorable stint over at propertyofzack.com, an opportunity I will forever be grateful for, the prodigal son has returned. In a move I can only see as punishment for leaving, Craig and Madison have doted upon me this dubious task of listing and talking about my favorite 10 albums of all time. This list is essentially impossible and practically pointless to make. What I mean by that is this: music is always evolving and changing. Therefore, if the music itself changes, the way we listen to it changes, the way we interpret it changes. Bands come and go, albums fade in and out of our lives at certain times, and we even forget about how great some of them are at times. That being said, the ten albums that comprise the list you are about to (hopefully) sift through have each provided a spark or emotion in me that few things in life (let alone other albums) ever have. It's a testament to the power of music, and the individuality that we bring in to the listening experience. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it; here are the 10 best albums of all-time, according to this one person.

10. Coheed & Cambria - Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Vol. 1: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness: Coheed & Cambria are a band that I accidentally fell in love with. After hearing Claudio Sanchez's high-pitched delivery in "A Favor House Atlantic," my middle school self was a little too proud to give the band a fair chance. And then the band released "Welcome Home," the six-minute epic that took the band's career from clubs to arenas, and I realized the mistakes of my past. What makes Good Apollo 1 so great, however, is how consistent the album remains after its monster single. Tracks like "Ten Speed (Of God's Blood and Burial)" and "The Suffering" were excellent choices for follow-up singles, while the deeper cuts like "Crossing the Frame" and "Mother May I" have become gems I keep coming back to after all these years. Throw in the Willing Well series, a four-song set at the end of the album, with every song clocking in over seven minutes long, and it becomes clear by the end of this album that Coheed & Cambria are some of the most intelligent, talented, and forward-thinking bands in rock music.

9. The Dangerous Summer - Reach for the Sun: While the debate can certainly be had that this isn't even The Dangerous Summer's best albums (and it could very well be their worst), Reach for the Sun secures a spot here thanks to AJ Perdomo's youthful energy, mixed with his introspective lyrics and the fabulous drumming by Tyler Minsberg. Leadoff track "Where I Want to Be" and ender "Never Feel Alone" bookend the album perfectly, but it's the gripping, powerful tracks like "Surfaced," "Northern Lights," and "Weathered" that set Reach for the Sun far above so many other albums.

8. Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This to Memory: They were quirky, catchy, unique, and relatable. In other words, Motion City Soundtrack were just too easy to like. With such huge choruses like the ones found on "Everything is Alright," "When 'You're' Around," or "Resolution" mixed in with the dark, self-loathing lyrics on "Time Turned Fragile," "L.G. Fuad," and "Hold Me Down," the band set themselves up for a long and rewarding career, but the highs they reached on Commit This to Memory have yet to be topped.

7. Underoath - Define the Great Line: Screamo music nearly reached the mainstream in the early 2000s, thanks in large part to the melody and sheer force behind Underoath's (They're Only Chasing Safety). But when the band came back with Define the Great Line, they went from the next big thing in the scene to its undisputed champion. Now fully immersed in the songwriting process, Spencer Chamberlain wears his demons on his sleeve, and it pays huge dividends in "You're Ever So Inviting" and "In Regards to Myself." Aaron Gillespie's clean vocals supplement Chamberlain's screams stupendously, especially seen on lead single "Writing on the Walls" and "There Could be Nothing After This." After synths powered many of the Chasing Safety tracks, Chris Dudley opted for a more subtle effect on the tracks, providing atmospheric tones for the evolution of lead guitarist Tim McTague to take the spotlight. This album was the perfect storm for Underoath, catapulting them from the Main Stage of Warped Tour to a top 5 debut and gold-selling album that still is yet to be topped in metalcore (except maybe by Underoath's other albums, of course).

6. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: In 2010, Kanye West's popularity was still reeling over the whole Taylor Swift "I'mma let you finish..." fiasco. So what did Kanye West do about it? What Kanye West always does about it: use his turmoil with critics, paparazzi, and the American public to fuel his passionate drive towards hip-hop perfection. On Twisted Fantasy, he gave us what may ultimately end up being his most revered masterpiece of his illustrious and controversial career. An album whose lead single is a full 9 minutes long, features a comedy bit from an over-the-hill Chris Rock, and features that include RZA, La Roux, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, and a rap verse from Fergie (I'm still trying to wrap my head around that), and it all comes together masterfully thanks to the mad scientist behind it. I've always been a fan of hip-hop and headcases, and no one person puts both of those things together as spectacularly as Kanye West.

5. Transit - Listen and Forgive: The pop-punk Renaissance that occurred in 2011 was no small feat: it gave us albums from bands like Fireworks, The Wonder Years, and Into It. Over It. that changed the way everyone saw the genre and shattered any pre-conceived notions about how powerful the songs could be. That buzz swelled into a perfect storm for Transit, who used their early 2000s emo leanings to create Listen & Forgive, an emotional force that created an immense amount of buzz around the band. Paced by catchy single "Long Lost Friends" and cemented in fans' hearts with soul-crushers like "Skipping Stone" and "Over Your Head," Listen and Forgive has cemented itself as an album with lasting impact for years to come.

4. Jimmy Eat World - Futures: Jimmy Eat World had literally just saved their career with Bleed American, thanks to the unexpected success of "The Middle." So what did they do for a follow-up? Make their best album ever, of course! While there is a legitimate argument to be made for Clarity, Futures makes this list for me because it took the energy and emotion from Clarity, and combined it with a stellar piece of production by the acclaimed Gil Norton. Plain and simple: on Futures, Jimmy Eat World sounded like the biggest and best rock band in the world, and they had the talent, drive, and creativity to pull it off. Don't believe me? Take a listen to "23" and try to tell me that song isn't perfect.

3. The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten: Coming off of a bit of a letdown in terms of how American Slang was received, The Gaslight Anthem recorded with Brendan O' Brien, and ended up at least starting the conversation amongst fans as to which album was better: The '59 Sound or Handwritten. Obviously, you know which side I'm on by now. To me, Handwritten was chosen because of the gigantic, arena-ready feel to the album. With so many anthemic choruses (like the ones on "45," "Handrwitten," "Mulhollan Drive," and "Mae") and just enough allusions to the band's sweaty basement show roots (the dynamic 1-2 punch of "Howl" and "Biloxi Parish"), there's something for every Gaslight Anthem fan here, and maybe even more. On The '59 Sound, we saw how big The Gaslight Anthem had the potential to become, and on Handwritten, they became that band.

2. Circa Survive - Blue Sky Noise: Circa Survive have been my favorite band since I was 16 years old, and this is my favorite album from them. The major-label jump they made on Blue Sky Noise added a certain flair to the songs, and the progressive-minded band benefitted greatly from adding a little more structure to their sound, which allowed frontman Anthony Green to shine while his bandmates created the band's most talented effort to date. Thanks to the chaos of "Get Out" and Glass Arrows," the melodic excellence of "Imaginary Enemy" and "Through the Desert Alone," and the pure unadulterated creativity of "Fever Dreams" and the instrumental track "Compendium," Circa Survive put it all together for an effort that only a band with their unique set of skills could create.

1. Brand New - The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me: From the time we heard about the scrapped Fight Off Your Demons demos, we knew Brand New was onto something big. But somehow, the band found a way to shatter any and all expectations, and exceed them in unimaginable ways. Dark, heavy, and profound, The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me is the rare album that followed up a classic (Deja Entendu) and was so good it makes the classic that came before it seem like a child made it. Jesse Lacey was revered before The Devil and God, but after this album came out, he was officially a cult hero. But when you pen a track like "Sowing Season (Yeah)," that's to be expected. What's more impressive, however, is how the album carries you through its long-ish runtime effortlessly. Tracks like "Degausser," "Jesus," "Luca," and "You Won't Know" all cross the 5-minute threshold, but the songs take such a hold over you that it feels like no time has passed at all. Throw in the 7-minute epic "Limousine" and the fast-paced "Not the Sun" and "Archers," and you have an album the spans a spectrum very few other bands would even dare to attempt, but Brand New were able to perfect. It simply doesn't get any better than The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, and I have serious doubts anything will ever top it in my lifetime.

And in a flash, my Top 10 Albums of All-Time is complete. This list is so difficult to make, and there are so many albums that could have been here, and I'm sure there are even ones I've forgotten about. What did I leave off? What did I rate too high or too low? Leave your thoughts in the comments, and let's get a conversation going.

Maddy's Top 10 Albums of All-Time

             

     When I was ten or eleven years old, I started listening to the albums my older brother liked.  Nine years later, I haven't been able to step away from music he unknowingly got me into.  I was lucky enough to be totally immersed in this genre when some of the greatest albums burst into the scene.  Several of my favorite albums have been a staple in my music library growing up and have yet to lose their luster.  Others, however, had such an impact after their releases only a few years ago that they couldn’t be ignored when making this list.  After lots of thinking, re-ranking, and rewriting, here is my list of my favorite albums of all time.

First off, some honorable mentions: Title Fight- Floral Green (2012); Bayside- Bayside (2005); Chiodos- All's Well That Ends Well (2005)


10.  Modest Mouse- We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (2007): It’s not easy to make a fun album to chill out to rather than dance along with.  Big thanks to Modest Mouse for not only accomplishing this feat, but for the album being really freakin’ good on top of it all.  Quirky yet relatable, Modest Mouse couldn’t be kept out of my top ten. 

 9.  Atmosphere- God Loves Ugly (2002): It didn’t take long for my list to get weird, huh?  But in all honesty, Atmosphere is simply incredible and you have to appreciate the music whether it’s your scene or not.  The beats are unique and even when other rappers try to recreate the sound, they just can’t pull it off as well.  Plus, this shows the impact my friends from back home in North Jersey have had on my taste in music.  These kids appreciate straight-up good music without remaining within the boundaries of any genre.  Gotta respect that.

 8.  Senses Fail- Let it Enfold You (2004): This album just doesn’t get old.  It actually freaks me out that it's almost 10 years old because it forces me to realize just how quickly time passes.  It has some of my favorite Senses Fail songs and I still listen to the album in full several times a month.  It’s just one of those staple albums that I can’t seem to shake through all these years.  I’ll also always have a place for NJ bands in my heart and Senses Fail holds thar top spot.

 7.  Fall Out Boy- Take This To Your Grave (2003):  It’s the album that started it all.  At one point, Fall Out Boy was the emo band that made all the girls love guys wearing skinny jeans and straightened hair.  Although the band has since grown up, broken up, come back together, and dropped their punk sound for a pop influence, you have to pay homage to the album that jumpstarted FOB’s career.  Out of their entire discography, this album has the strongest collective set of songs and hasn’t lost its charm with age.

 6.  Balance and Composure- Separation (2011):  Balance and Composure just gets it.  This album is their first LP and from lyrics to instrumentals to overall vibe, they got it so right.  Give it some time and this album will probably move up a couple spots on this list.  It might even be replaced by their sophomore LP The Things We Think We’re Missing, which was released earlier this year.  I can’t wait to see where these guys go and what they have in store.  As far as I’m concerned, they are THE band to watch as they are only beginning to tap into their artistic abilities, with both full lengths being the one of the best releases of the year.

 5.  Taking Back Sunday- Louder Now (2006):  Talk about a classic.  The loud drums and heavy guitars make this the ultimate album for the angsty middle schooler (aka me circa 2006).  Just like so many albums on the list, it has withheld the test of time and the songs continue to make you bang your head and sing along.  It’s widespread popularity makes it an old favorite for many, which I learned after I put it on at a party and had a whole bunch of girls screaming the lyrics along with me.  This album may not hit a deep emotional chord like other albums on this list but man, does it make you want to dance.

 4.  The Dangerous Summer- Reach for the Sun (2009):  The Dangerous Summer has never disappointed me.  From the release of this album to their most current release Golden Record, the band proved their consistency over the years, continuing to reinvent themselves without losing the sound that I feel in love with as a freshman in high school.  Needless to say, Reach for the Sun started it all.  

3.  Listener- Wooden Heart (2010):  I really wish more people knew about this album.  Although I am already a big proponent of spoken word, Dan Smith’s “talk music,” as he calls it, bring it do a new level.  Forget some of the more well-known, overproduced stuff in the genre that gets more media attention.  Smith makes no effort to hide his rough southern accent, immediately setting Listener apart from the typical band in this genre.  Brutally honest and raw, Dan Smith’s lyrics come straight from the heart and makes the title-track of this album my absolute favorite song of all-time. Woah.

 2.  Brand New- The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me (2006):  Dude, it’s Brand New.  That should be all I have to say.  This album and my top album are nearly equally my favorites because they are both the perfect band making the perfect album.  There is not one negative thing you can say about this album and if you do have something negative to say, you’re probably wrong.  I went there.

 1. Circa Survive- Blue Sky Noise (2010): In my eyes, Anthony Green is the greatest artist of our generation.  Blue Sky Noise is the embodiment of Circa Survive, my favorite band, making the perfect album.  It’s not just that nothing is wrong with the album; it’s the fact that everything is so good.  From the emotional hushed moments that make you think to the booming sounds that give you goose bumps, Circa Survive hit the emotional core of what makes an album be more than music.  Besides it being Green’s best writing, the entire vibe and sound of the album is a cohesive effort between each band member to create an album that is just so right.  Listen to it yourself and you’ll understand.