Albums of the Year - #8: Nine Inch Nails - "Hesitation Marks"

Rating: 8.3/10

Editor's Note: Check out my earlier, more in-depth review of the album here:

http://factsforwhatever.blogspot.com/2013/09/album-of-week-nine-inch-nails.html

Arriving half a decade after The Slip and just under four years past Nine Inch Nails' last live show, Hesitation Marks is technically a comeback record. Though the period between records wasn't nearly as lengthy as, say, the gap between My Bloody Valentine albums, Trent Reznor did declare his decade-spanning project to be over back in 2009, at least for a little while. When he eventually did decide to return as Nine Inch Nails, Reznor came back with Hesitation Marks, a lengthy, fourteen-track album full of some of the group's heaviest and most jarring tracks since the turn of the century.

When I first reviewed Hesitation Marks upon release, I gave it a rating of 7.8. As you can see above, my opinion of the album has only improved since. The standout tracks I wrote about back in September remain among the best. "The Eater of Dreams" is still relentlessly creepy, "Came Back Haunted"'s bleeps and bloops sound more cohesive and thought-out, and "Copy of A" is one of the few tracks in FIFA 14 that I haven't grown tired of yet. (For the record, "Worship You" and "We Sink" are still amazing). "Everything" made my top 20 songs of the year, thanks to its harsh production and torrential mood swings. That said, some tracks which I liked back in September, I now love in December.

Albums of the Year - #9: The National - "Trouble Will Find Me"

Rating: 8.3/10

I'll be honest with you; I'm not crazy about the second half of Trouble Will Find Me. After four amazing tracks packed into the top half of the line-up, the album unfortunately drops off in quality a bit. With the major exceptions being the electrifying "Graceless" and pitter-patter of "Pink Rabbits," the tracklist starting with "Heavenfaced" is somewhat lacking. There's nothing inherently bad about any of the songs, but there also isn't anything to pull you in either. Devoid of any kind of earth-shattering moments and leaning too heavily on Berninger's melancholy vocals, songs like "Slipped" and "Hard to Find" merely stretch out the record longer than it needed to be.

That being said, I still gave the album an 8.3. Why's this? Well, though the second division of Trouble Will Find Me is disappointing, four of the first five songs are awe-inspiring. "I Should Live in Salt," "Demons," "Don't Swallow the Cap," and "Sea of Love" more than make up for the rest of the album's shortcomings. All possess that trademark sound all of The National's best tracks do, except maximized to new heights.

Albums of the Year - #10: My Bloody Valentine - "m b v"

Rating: 8.2/10

Perhaps the most exhilirating album release this year was My Bloody Valentine's stellar comeback record, m b v. Unsigned to any major record label, the Dublin-based band and unchallanged kings of shoegaze felt it best to simply make the album available for digital download or physical purchase on their website. Evidently, they either underestimated how much traffic they would receive or overestimated the strength of their servers, as the site crashed within minutes. Considering it was the group's first release since 1991's legendary Loveless, and had been rumored to be in production since 1992, m b v was easily one of the most highly-anticipated indie releases of all time. So, naturally, when the group came out of the blue with a whole new record, thousands instantly tried to purchase it. Think of it like shoegaze's Detox, except it actually saw the light of day and isn't destined to be a disappointment. The site's crashing produced some pretty entertaining reactions online as excited fans were teased by the knowledge that there was new My Bloody Valentine music out there which they were unable to hear.

Albums of the Year - #11: HAIM - "Days Are Gone"

Rating: 8.0/10

HAIM have had quite the year. After generating buzz last year with their three-song EP Forever, this band of sisters took 2013 with the hook-laced Days Are Gone. Melodious harmonies, plucky guitar riffs, and skittish drum beats characterized the indie-pop record that landed on numerous year-end lists. Several fesitval shows and an SNL appearance later, HAIM have been labeled by many as the best new artist of 2013. (Though they missed out on a Best New Artist nod at the upcoming GRAMMY Awards thanks to a confusing nomination process.)

Over the two months between my original review of the record and this one, my love for Days Are Gone has only strengthened, thus the jump up from a 7.1 rating to a flat eight. Songs like "Forever" and "The Wire" are undeniable pieces of pop-rock gold. On "Forver," the start-stop coordination between the bass and drums give the song a nervous feel as main vocalist Danielle is joined by sisters Este and Alana for the chorus.  "The Wire" rides on the backbone of a riff that could've been plucked straight from Rumours, incorporating keys and thundering drums for the hook. "Always keep your heart locked tight/don't let your mind retire," urges Danielle. A miniture guitar solo takes prominence right at the track's conclusion.

Albums of the Year - #12: Lorde - "Pure Heroine"

Rating: 7.7/10

Editor's Note: This review will be more "big picture" analysis than track-by-track descriptions. If you want a more direct look at this album's music, read my review of the record from earlier this year at the link below.
http://factsforwhatever.blogspot.com/2013/10/albums-of-week-lorde-haim-and-yuck-new.html

Two months ago, I gave the newly-released Pure Heroine the same rating you see above. In my review, I emphasized how mature Lorde sounds for her age. Now 17, the teenage Kiwi singer has so far stood by her message of avoiding over-indulgence and hasn't let the fame get to her head. Some feared her down-to-earth quality might evaporate once she reached the level exposure she's currently at, but there haven't been signs of that happening to date.

Albums of the Year - #15: Daft Punk - "Random Access Memories"

Rating: 7.4/10

Today, I'm beginning the countdown of my top albums of 2013, starting at number fifteen and working all the way up to my favorite record of the year. The first entry on the list is Daft Punk's highly successful dance-pop monster Random Access Memories. The album had plenty of hype surrounding it pre-release, with the group hinting at the upcoming CD in a commercial during SNL before officially announcing the album to much fanfare.

The most instantly recognizable track off Random Access Memories is lead single "Get Lucky," a summertime smash hit which featured Pharrell Williams on vocals. Built around a funky guitar riff and Pharell's falsetto, the single went triple platinum in the United States and sold over seven million copies worldwide. However, unlike other recent chart-toppers, "Get Lucky" had critics raving, and the so-called "return of disco" was declared perhaps over-optimistically.

Top 75 Songs of 2013

With very little music expected to be released this December, and as other music blogs beginning their 2013 round-up processes, I figured I'd do the same. To start, I'll be ranking (though not reviewing) my seventy-five favorite songs of this calendar year below & embedding a Spotify playlist containing each song listed descending from #1 down to #75. Feel free to post your top 10's/20's etc. in the comments below, and expect a more in-depth countdown of 2013's best records over the course of December.

75. Vampire Weekend - "Hannah Hunt"

74. Nine Inch Nails - "Various Methods of Escape"

73. Deerhunter - "Back to the Middle"

72. Pearl Jam - "Mind Your Manners"

71. Sky Ferreira - "24 Hours"

70. CHVRCHES - "The Mother We Share"

69. Washed Out - "Weightless"

68. Balance and Composure - "Reflection"

67. HAIM - "Forever"

66. Washed Out - "Entrance"