10. Common - "The Dreamer The Believer"
Common is back. I knew he always had it in him. His last couple records were plagued by production from producers who weren't meant for Common. This album was exclusively produced by Kanye West's mentor, No I.D. Common and No I. D. knocked it out of the park with this album. Every track was made for Common, and he sounded as hungry as he did on "Be".
9. Mastodon - "The Hunter"
I really was looking for some heavy music I could latch onto this year and I found it in Mastodon's latest effort. The metal core scene at this point as been almost completely played out, so I started looking at bands that took the genre to new heights, this is what you find in "The Hunter". They display all the things we have come to love about Mastodon, but keeping it as fresh as ever. This album is for Mastodon what "Diamond Eyes" was for Deftones: It was a combination of everything that makes this band great.
8. The Roots - "Undun"
The Roots by most at this point are known for being Jimmy Fallon's backup band on "The Jimmy Fallon Show", but they are way more than that. This concept records takes rap to places that most artists don't dare to go. It can be bleek and brooding, but they also hit you with some great hooks (see "One Time). The guest spots on this album aren't the typical choices you'd see on a mainstream rap album. They take on up and comers like Big K.R.I.T. and Dice Raw and let them shine. This is one of the most musically interesting and cohesive hip hop albums you'll find this last year.
7. Kye Kye - "Young Love"
This was the blind buy of the year. This indie-eletro four piece brings to mind the best parts of both Eisley and The Postal Service. Not to mention, this album is Kye Kye's DEBUT record. I was stunned to find a band that was this musically tight on their first record. They are truly a gem among most of the stale bands of this genre.
6. Bon Iver - "Bon Iver, Bon Iver"
This is everything I wanted and little bit more out of Bon Iver's second release. While I was a little late on his first record, this proved to be a bit more up my ally. The first song "Perth" is probably the best song he's ever recorded. This album is brilliant the whole way through. It was my number one record at once point, but dropped down because of my lack of emotionally connecting with it as much as the other top 5
5. Foo Fighters - "Wasting Light"
The Foo Fighters know how to make a rock record. This record is just a blazing rock record from start to finish. They, like Common, proved they are BACK, and here to stay. This record never lets up but also has some of the most emotional songs they've ever penned (see "I Should Have Known"). FUN FACT: this entire album was recorded in Dave Grohl's garage (with the producer for Nirvana's "Nevermind"), which if that isn't rock n roll, I don't know what is.
4. Drake - "Take Care"
I wanted to try and sound cooler by putting a more "mature" rap album like The Roots or Common as my number one rap album of the year, but I had to be real with myself and admit that Drake's album was probably my most listened to album of the year. I never stop with this. He made a DRAKE album. A real drake album is not one that is going to brag about bitches, money, clothes, and cars...all the time. It also had a very real, raw, emotional side that is becoming some what of the norm in hip hop today. "Marvin's Room" is probably the best example of this, and one of the best tracks on the album.
3. David Bazan - "Strange Negotiations"
The last time David Bazan released an album, it was my number one album of that year. This album almost was. SN is a little bit more political and a little less "heart on the sleeve" than the last record. There is still the signature Bazan sound to the record (gritty lo-fi guitars, starflyer 59-esque keyboards), but that is nothing to be sad about. He even penned a couple jams with the Starflyer 59 frontman, which turned out to my favorites from the record. Those looking for more of a curse your branches type of song can look no further than "Virginia", and any Pedro the Lion fan should be very pleased.
2. Glassjaw "Our Color Green/The Coloring Book"
Glassjaw FINALLY released new material this year. The first was an EP called "Our Color Green", which was released on January 1st. This was a collection of songs that were put out on 7" singles over the last few years, but there was no digital copy/proper release. This EP was just glassjaw doing what Glassjaw does best. They showed everyone who had been ripping them off for years who is the champion of the genre. The second EP "The Coloring Book" was given out to the people who attended their tour in the spring. This EP was much more experimental, and kind of a turn off for a lot of die hard GJ fans. I though thought it was an exceptional work. They really pushed the limits of what they could do, and their was no screaming, which is certainly a departure for the band. Glassjaw just put out the most creative body of heavy music this year. That is why people wait on pins and needles for years to hear new material.
1. Owen - "Ghost Town"
I got completely snuck up on by this album. Going into December, I normally have one album that I have that is the definitive number one album of the year. This December, I didn't have that album. So i scrambled to try and hear some of the albums I hadn't heard yet, "Ghost Town" being among the few. As soon as the heard the first notes to "Too Many Moons", I just knew I had stumbled onto something great. I had always been a fan of American Football, but I didn't follow Owen very closely. This album blew me away. It is part etherial and adorable, both peculiar, but tangible. One of the best examples of this is on the love song on the album "Oh Evelyn". Kinsella has a line that says "Don't let your shyness define you, don't lie down with salesmen". It is adorable, but it also makes you think. There are a lot of religious undertones as well. Some could say that a song like "I Believe" is blasphemous, but when I listen to it I can relate to lines like "I offer up my humble song/my broken spirit/all those things I can't control/the intangible bullshit/to you my Lord". I see a line like that and think that this man is really looking for something, not trying to downplay it. To anyone seeking out a new great record to really put some time into discovering, you need not look any further.
Honorable Mentions:
Childish Gambino - "Camp"
Death Cab For Cutie - "Codes & Keys"
Explosions In The Sky - "Take Care, Take Care, Take Care"
Radiohead - "King of Limbs"
Mogwai - "Hardcore Will Never Die. But You Will."
M83 - "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming"
The Applseed Cast - "Middle States" EP
Gold Panda - "Companion"
Jawbone - "Loss of Innocence" EP
The Ember Days - "Emergency"
