How 2013 Panned Out
I went into 2013 with a lot of high hopes for a lot of albums. It ended up being a great year for music, with a lot of surprises thrown in. This is how it all turned out. |
| 1 | | Expectations From 2012
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| 2 |  | State Faults
Desolate Peaks
This was an eye-opening album for me for a lot of reasons. It was one of the first modern scream/post-hardcore bands that really caught my attention in a good way. While it ended up wearing off me a little (though I still consider it a very good album) I was pumped when I heard they signed to No Sleep and were releasing a new album in the summer of 2013. Leave it to record labels to get me excited way earlier than I should have. |
| 3 |  | State Champs
Overslept
Pure Noise is an incredible label. It seems almost every band they sign is at the top of their respective scene. The singer from State Champs has an incredible voice, and after Overslept came out, I was instantly anticipating the full-length album. |
| 4 |  | Citizen
Young States
Citizen is one of those bands that releases songs that you either love or hate. Young States is one of my favorite 7" records to spin, and when I heard Citizen was recording a full-length, I was ready to pre-order at a moment's notice. "Right Through" is probably my favorite Citizen song to-date. |
| 5 |  | Mansions
Dig Up the Dead
It took me a lot longer to listen to Mansions than it should have. They have a cult fan base from whom I had heard only great things about, but because of their talent to stay off-the-radar as much as possible, it was a long time before I finally listened to "Dig Up the Dead." Into the first minute of the title track, I was hooked, and I wondered which direction they would be heading in on their next LP. |
| 6 |  | Hands Like Houses
Ground Dweller
Ground Dweller is one of my all-time favorite albums. Everything from Trenton's voice to the cleverly-used electronic parts was just perfectly executed, which made it almost torture to wait for the next release. And no, I didn't think the production on this was that bad. |
| 7 |  | Sed Non Satiata
Sed Non Satiata
One of the first bands that got me into the classic screamo genre. Their use of clean singing and post-rock elements made it an easy band to get into at the start, and I had been waiting long enough for new music from them. |
| 8 |  | I the Mighty
Karma Never Sleeps
It would've been the best EP of 2012 hands-down if Acres hadn't had something to say about it. (Seriously, that band owns). "Escalators" is one of the best songs to come out of Equal Vision in a long time, and that's saying a lot. |
| 9 |  | Search the City
A Fire So Big The Heavens Can See It
After my obsession with Anberlin started to wane, I found this band and their debut album. I still remember jamming out to "Bigger Scars Make Better Stories" on a regular basis back in seventh grade. I thought this band had long broken up, so when I saw an announcement on "Flight," I was admittedly stoked. |
| 10 |  | Transit
Young New England
Seriously, there's nothing wrong with this album. Probably one of my favorite pop-punk albums ever. I thought 2013 was their year. |
| 11 |  | No Omega
Metropolis
Great, great hardcore album. I thought their signing to Throatruiner was a perfect fit for them, and hopefully would clean up some of the muddy production that plagued some parts of this album. |
| 12 |  | Moving Mountains
Foreword
The first two releases Moving Mountains put out are two of my all-time favorites. I wasn't a fan of "Waves" really at all, and it put me off from the band for a while. Acquiring this album on first press vinyl and Pneuma subsequently after that got me back into them, and the announcement of this album wasn't too long after that. |
| 13 |  | My Ticket Home
To Create a Cure
Yeah, sure I'll admit it. I really enjoyed this album when it came out and I still think it was one of the best "scene-core" releases in a while. Both vocalists were top-tier here, so when I heard they had kicked out the clean singer, I was a little uneasy about the band as they lined up to record their sophomore record. |
| 14 |  | Defeater
Empty Days and Sleepless Nights
No explanation needed here. While Empty Days & Sleepless Nights wasn't as good as it could've been, it was still pretty awesome and I thought nothing could slow this band down. |
| 15 |  | Gatherer
Postcards
A real diamond in the rough. If you're a fan at all of underground post-hardcore/skramz, you'll understand that a band releasing a full-length album is hard to come by. "Postcards" wasn't my favorite album when it was released - not by a long shot - but I thought the band had a lot of potential. |
| 16 |  | The Story So Far
Under Soil and Dirt
Another pop punk album that I couldn't help but love. A couple of my friends and I went down to Cleveland early 2012 to see these guys live and they put on a hell of a show. We were all hooked after that, and this album still gets regular rotation. |
| 17 |  | Barrow
Being Without
Barrow is a band that refuses to stick to a specific genre. They love to create songs topping six-minutes fusing drone, hardcore, post-rock, post-metal, and screamo together like it's nothing. "Though I'm Alone" was as eagerly anticipated as it could get. |
| 18 |  | Fit For A King
Descendants
OK, let me just say that I was not a fan of this album whatsoever when it came out, nor am I a fan of it right now. However, when I heard they ditched their lead singer and listened to the new guy on an video late 2012, I couldn't help but wonder if these guys would break out on their second album. |
| 19 |  | Old Gray
Everything I Let Go & the Things I Refuse To
*sobs* |
| 20 |  | Turnover
Turnover
Yet another pop punk EP that got me out of my seat. Their self-titled was as good as an EP a band as young as this one was could have ever hope for, and while "Magnolia" ended up sounding nothing like this, it still set them on the path they're on now. |
| 21 |  | Built on Secrets
Reflections
A band I told myself to watch out for in 2011. I found their particular brand of experimental post-hardcore appealing, and so I awaited a full-length throughout 2012. They hyped it so much for so long that the bar was raised pretty high for the release of "the Disconnect." |
| 22 | | How They Turned Out
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| 23 |  | State Faults
Resonate/Desperate
Just as I had hoped, the production on this was cleaned up immensely with this album. His high-pitched screeches that had initially put me off were a lot more tolerable this time around. Not to mention the vinyl sounds incredible. That solo on "Stalagmites" gets me every time. A huge step in the right direction, and hopefully they'll keep progressing like this. 4/5. |
| 24 |  | State Champs
The Finer Things
Just like Overslept, except there's more of it. Songs like "Nothing's Wrong" and "Elevated" are the catchiest this band has written yet. My only complaint is that after a while certain songs tend to blend together. "Hard to Please" and "Mind Bottled" are, for lack of a better word, boring songs, and coupled with re-recorded versions of "Critical" and "Remedy" (which, mind you, were very good) this release ended up feeling like a glorified EP. Still, though, it doesn't keep me from loving it. 3.8/5. |
| 25 |  | Citizen
Youth
Tied for my biggest disappointment of the year. As I said, I pulled the trigger on a pre-order before I had even heard the first single - in general, not the best idea. Immediately when I heard "the Summer" I was worried; the Citizen I loved on Young States was full of energy and exuberance, and this was, well, not the same band. As it turned out, the rest of the album was actually worse. "Sleep" was aptly titled, as it was definitely a tough one to get all the way through. Luckily I was able to sell my first press for a good price on Discogs, but that didn't make me any less sad that this didn't pan out like I had hoped. 2.1/5. |
| 26 |  | Mansions
Doom Loop
Unlike for Citizen, change for Mansions was a good thing. In this case, Chris Browder manufactured a fuzz-pop masterpiece very different than the indie, largely-acoustic-rock album "Dig Up the Dead." Songs like "Out for Blood" and "Flowers in My Teeth" are some of the catchiest tunes he's written; in the case of the former, some of the catchiest of the year. 4.2/5. |
| 27 |  | Hands Like Houses
Unimagine
Well, it turns out Rise Records may have finally tackled Hands Like Houses. The experimentation and quality of Ground Dweller was nowhere to be seen on Unimagine. His voice sounds much more forced this time around, and the instruments rely more on the same, tired patterns over and over again, save for the closing "Fire on a Hill." It's not a bad album by any means, just too generic, which is a shame. 3.3/5. |
| 28 |  | Sed Non Satiata
Mappo
I stated sometime ago that if these guys had given this album a quarter of their potential than they would've had a top-5 AOTY spot no problem. That might've been a bit of an exaggeration. Mappo is chock-full of good songs, but unfortunately nothing comes out as memorable as anything from the self-titled. Fingers-crossed for 2015, then. 3.4/5 |
| 29 |  | I the Mighty
Satori
Having 13 tracks on a debut full-length really can't be a bad thing for a lot of bands, though it does allow for songs to become bland as the album wears on. Fortunately for I the Mighty, they managed to keep the album fresh throughout, and while none of the tracks touches those found on the 2012 EP, it proves not to matter very much, as these are all top-tier, too. 4.2/5. |
| 30 |  | Search the City
Flight
Good old Search the City came through on this album. When the old singer left (and presumably the band, too) I thought they were done for. Turns out the new guy is just as good, maybe even better, than Frost was, which is a special case if I've ever seen one. Every song is catchy as ever and never lets up, proving for a roller-coaster ride of solid alternative rock. |
| 31 | | Transit
Young New England
The album that tied Citizen for biggest disappointment. I don't know where it all went wrong, but everything did. Tim's voice is strained, the production downright blows, and the guitarist sounds like he's just tired. Nothing can save this album, other than the fact that it is Transit. If this album had been released before L&F, I wouldn't even have given L&F my time of day. 2/5. |
| 32 |  | No Omega
Shame
No-nonsense hardcore right here. Throatruiner polished these guys up for their label debut and it shows. Really not much to complain about. 4/5 |
| 33 |  | Moving Mountains
Moving Mountains
Moving Mountains made a triumphant return to form with their S/T. That's not to say it's better than Pneuma or Foreword, 'cause it still doesn't come close, but it's miles ahead of "Waves." Unfortunately the band broke up a few weeks after its release, which bummed me out, 'cause I never got to see them live. Nevertheless, it was a good way to go out. 3.8/5. |
| 34 |  | My Ticket Home
Strangers Only
I don't really know what I was expecting from this album, but it wasn't this. Nick's screams are still great, but the replacement singer is no good at all. Often times his voice is downright cringe-worthy, which doesn't exactly make for a pleasant listening experience. They went with a more nu-metal sound on this record, which didn't do anything for me. A few good songs, but a very forgettable album. 2.8/5. |
| 35 |  | Defeater
Letters Home
I don't know what everyone's talking about when they hate on this album. This is some of Defeater's best work to date, and "No Faith" is one of their best songs. Granted, "Blood in My Veins" is painfully bad, but it's an anomaly in an album otherwise filled with memorable tracks. 3.9/5. |
| 36 |  | Gatherer
Caught Between a Rock and a Sad Place
Easily the best album I anticipated for this year. It ended up being a very sad release, and Christian's pain shines through on his vocal work. The production is absolutely killer here, and songs like "I Have Seen Mountains" and "Death Bed" will be played for a long time to come. 4.5/5 |
| 37 |  | The Story So Far
What You Don't See
The perfect follow-up to USAD. I don't want to go too far here, but I think it's actually better than the debut. So many awesome songs, and the closer "Framework" is without question the pop punk song of the year. 4.5/5. |
| 38 |  | Barrow
Though I'm Alone
This is definitely an album that took a while to get used to. Like I said before, this isn't a band for the faint of heart. It took five or six listens to get the full effect of the album, and once it did, I was hooked. It's definitely better than Though I'm Alone, and with the tear-jerker "Clawhold" thrust smack in the middle of the album, it wasn't one that went without its share of emotions. 3.9/5. |
| 39 |  | Fit For a King
Creation | Destruction
I had no expectations going into listening to this album. Noting how bad "Descendants" was, I figured it would end up being an improvement no matter how you flipped the coin. "Creation | Destruction" took me completely by surprise. Everything is executed so well for such a popular metalcore band (two words that never seem to equate to good music) that I couldn't help but like it. 4.1/5. |
| 40 |  | Old Gray
An Autobiography
*sobs harder*
But seriously, Old Gray know how to write songs. "Coventry" and "I Still Think About Who I Was Last Summer" tug at the heartstrings, and it sounds like Cameron had to go through a lot in his life. Fortunately that seems to often lead to good tunes, which is what this album brings. 3.8/5. |
| 41 |  | Turnover
Magnolia
Definitely not the release I was expecting. It may be listed as a pop punk album in a lot of places, but don't be mistaken, this isn't the same band of teenagers that wrote the EP. The full-length shows a lot of maturity that's evident from the first minute of "Shiver." It worked out great for them, and it was my favorite RFC release of the year. 4.3/5. |
| 42 |  | Built on Secrets
The Disconnect
All the high hopes I had for this album were cast into doubt once I finished listening to the album for the first time. Upset, I listened again to see if I missed something. Save for the awesome "Is Anybody Listening?" there are no songs to redeem this album from mediocrity. It's not bad, and I have no doubt that the guys in the band can be proud of the album, but the songs are just really, really forgettable. 3/5. |
| 43 | | 2013 Surprises
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Every year has its share of break-out releases that draw in listeners. Here are mine from this year. |
| 44 |  | Have Mercy (MD)
The Earth Pushed Back |
| 45 |  | Calvaiire
Forceps |
| 46 |  | Mutevoice
Heritage |
| 47 |  | Home Ties
Detours |
| 48 |  | The Wonder Years
The Greatest Generation
I feel this one deserves some kind of explanation. I was never a fan of these guys AT ALL before the release. I felt that every release prior to this was just a cliché of what almost every other band was doing. They just didn't appeal to me. However, I felt that I had to give "Passing Through A Screen Door" a listen just to see if this was going to be an album I should give a listen to. Man, was I caught off-guard. It was one of the best pop punk songs I had heard in a long time, and it totally made me re-evaluate my stance on the band. The next single, "Dismantling Summer" only made my hopes get higher. |
| 49 |  | Young Lions
Burn
Probably my AOTY |
| 50 |  | Colossus (SD)
Time and Eternal |
| 51 |  | Touche Amore
Is Survived By
Another band that finally caught my attention with this release. Nothing prior stood out. |
| 52 |  | Gillian Carter
Lost Ships Sinking With the Sunset |
| 53 |  | Frameworks
Small Victories |
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