This article marks the halfway point in my countdown to reach the best album of 2013, aka the deserved winner of the Classy Award! In this branch, we will go all over the musical map, but keep up, and we’ll be one step closer to the end. Let’s just jump right in, then!
#15: Justin Timberlake: The 20/20 Experience
Released: March 15th and September 30th
So, by now, I’ve probably beaten this album into the dust. Is this album a genre-buster? No, not at all. Is it the best material Justin Timberlake has ever released? Hardly. But it (and when I say it, I mean both of the albums) is actually a solid release. Timberlake just needed a better team around him to tell him when he was biting off more than he could chew.
I’ve gone to great lengths to determine what I don’t like about both installments of JT’s The 20/20 Experience, but let me reiterate why I like them so. Throughout about half of each album, there are some brilliant examples of everything that makes Timberlake and Timbaland the new Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones. “Pusher Love Girl,” “Mirrors,” and “Tunnel Vision” all combine these production techniques that make Timberlake into more of an instrument than a singer, something that the former King of Pop used to excel in. Experimental songs, like “Only When I Walk Away” and “Blue Ocean Floor” allow for JT to expand and grow as most pop artists fail to do in their tenure.
But it’s the more realistic, instrumental songs that really stand out. “That Girl” still stands out as one of his best tracks, with an excellent R&B vibe to it that just sells Timberlake’s sex appeal. “Drink You Away” is just as musically inclined, but with more grittiness that makes apparent Timberlake’s more rockstar persona. And “Pair of Wings,” the hidden track after “Not a Bad Thing,” is the most heartfelt song Timberlake has ever produced, with a simple production and an even simpler rhythm structure. Is Timberlake at the top of his game? I don’t think so, but if this is him at standard, I can’t wait to see what he does when he tries to raise the bar.
#14: Panic! At the Disco: Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!
Released: October 8th
I’m really glad that I’m getting to write this. When their last album, Vice & Virtues was released, I didn’t have much hope for Panic! as a concept any more. But Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! sets the standard for exactly what Panic! is – a Vegas party band with gigantic 80’s influences. Like their first record, this new one capitalizes on the drugs, sex, and rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle that has sort of vanished from the current musical world. That, and Brendon Urie’s persona is at the forefront of Too Weird to Live, making it one of the more bombastic albums in Panic!’s catalogue.
Kicking things off in style, “Miss Jackson” is the song of the album. Fitting a dirty sexual encounter with a prostitute alongside the intro of “The is Gospel,” an anthem for Panic! fans, is only possible on an album like this. In fact, most of the album plays out like “Miss Jackson,” with the flashy guitars, killer synth riffs, and auto-tune flavored high notes. “This is Gospel” and the album’s closer, “The End of All Things,” stand out as the different songs, those that fit the oeuvre by grounding the album. Without this grounding, the album would probably be a repetitious one-trick pony, repeating on and on for half an hour.
But boy, what a half an hour it would be! The big songs, like “Nicotine” and “Collar Full” are the stuff of Panic! legend; the more electronic songs like “Girl That You Love” further emphasize the band’s mission to move towards a more pop, less alternative sound. And Butch Walker’s production technique is heavily felt, especially on the bigger numbers and the track he penned for the album, “Vegas Lights.” The new single, “Girls/Girls/Boys” sounds like a follow-up to “Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off.”
Most of the album may sing like A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, but the “love” theme is straight off of Pretty. Odd., which makes me happy, since I really thought that Urie and drummer Spencer Smith were trying to distance themselves from that older material. I think that Too Weird to Live, too Rare To Die! will stand out as one of Panic! At the Disco’s most definitive works.
#13: John Mayer: Paradise Valley
Released: August 20th
John Mayer is sort of a mainstay on my year-end lists, ever since the release of Continuum. Paradise Valley, once again, sets the standard for what Mayer can do with his voice, his songwriting, and his guitar. Stemming from Born and Raised, Paradise Valley continues the folksy-electric sound that Mayer has switched to ever since his premier pop record, Battle Studies. The smooth guitar chords, the relaxing atmosphere, and Mayer’s stress-free vocals all provide for a great record for those relaxing rainy days at home.
Like always, Mayer sticks close to what he knows best: himself. On tracks like “Dear Marie,” “Waitin’ On the Day,” and “Badge and Gun” all recall the Mayer that has tended to speak out of turn in public. In short, it all reminds us how much of a jackass Mayer can be, but how his songwriting sort of brings him back down to Earth. Even “Paper Doll,” which is supposedly his call-out to ex Taylor Swift, comes across as a believably sad track, even though most people would probably think that Swift was the better partner in the relationship.
The rootsy electric feel of the album brings a unique sound here, something that he began on Born and Raised but really brought to fruition here. “Wildfire,” “You’re No One ‘Til Someone Lets You Down,” and his cover of J.J. Cale’s “Call Me the Breeze” are all excellent examples of this. And his duet with current girlfriend Katy Perry is sweet and cute, but it really doesn’t demonstrate the romance that Mayer has previously put to record. All in all, this is a very solid release from John Mayer. I’m looking forward to what artistic direction he comes up with next.
#12: Tegan & Sara: Heartthrob
Released: January 29th
When this came out in January, I knew that this was going to be one of my favorite albums of the year, regardless of what came after it. Tegan & Sara have always made really catchy alternative music, but Heartthrob has taken them all the way into the pop world. And boy, did it work. Their normal crunchy guitars combine with great electronic riffs, giving their music just a little extra edge to keep them relevant in 2013.
The album’s lead single, “Closer,” is probably the happiest song on the record, considering it’s about the successful sexual life of a couple, while the rest of the album deals with the remnants of a bad break-up. Even now, “Closer” stands out as one of the best singles of Tegan & Sara’s career, as does the album track “How Come You Don’t Want Me,” which is so catchy that it usually gets stuck in my head every time I listen to the album.
Most of the album mixes the catchiness of pop with the catchiness of alternative music, making for a really eclectic album. Of the alternative bunch, stand out tracks include “Love They Say,” “Now I’m All Messed Up,” and “I Couldn’t Be Your Friend.” Their best attempts at pop music, like “Closer,” “I Was a Fool,” and “Goodbye, Goodbye” are better than I would’ve thought possible, with excellent harmonies, poignant lyrics, and excellent musicianship combined with excellent production. This is the type of record that I never expected these twins to make, but I am so glad that they did. In interviews this past year, Tegan & Sara have hinted at sticking to the pop sound for a little bit longer and I certainly don’t see that as a bad thing.
#11: The Virginmarys: King of Conflict
Released: February 4th
Another of those really random early year releases when I scramble to find decent music, the Virginmarys’ King of Conflict became my go-to punk record for the entirety of 2013. No band had the heavy-hitting, guitar-shredding, violent lyric singing that the Virginmarys did on this, their official debut album. Combing through old EP’s and old singles, while recording a few new tunes, King of Conflict is sort of like a “greatest hits” for their early career. And it really does play like a selection of a rock band’s best songs.
Starting out with “Dead Man’s Shoes” was the best possible choice the Virginmarys could’ve made. Undeniably, this is one of the best punk tracks I’ve heard in a really long time. The guitars are crunchy, yet rollicking like an old school rock song. The lyrics are pure and unequivocally imaginative: “I want you more than happiness but need you like the plague/ I wear my heart on a broken arm/ I’m like a rusty razor blade/ I want you more than happiness so I guess I’ll do what I choose/ Hey girl lay off my dead man’s shoes.” I mean… Right? That’s just top-notch songwriting!
The rest of King of Conflict plays just as well, but it surprisingly balances slower songs with the faster-paced, more punkish material. Of the faster ones, “Portrait of Red” and “Bang Bang Bang” stand out as the best, with violent lyricism and thundering rhythm. “Just a Ride” is another great example of a punk band willing to jump genre lines. But it’s the love songs that truly stand-out as exceptional, since “love songs” are not normally the type of music bands like the Virginmarys make. “My Little Girl” and “Dressed to Kill” are the keys examples of this type of music. “Stripped,” the hidden track at the end of “Ends Don’t Mend,” is even more surprising, given the preference for acoustic over electric guitars on that one track.
King of Conflict is an excellent album, one worth owning for any fan of the punk rock movement. Johnny Rotten may have believed that Green Day aren’t true punk rockers because of their public image and lazy songwriting, but the Virginmarys are the perfect answer to that complaint. They have a public image, sure, and they’ve received some excellent critical acclaim with this release. But the attitude, musicianship, and lyricism they embody is extremely punk. This album comes highly recommended from yours truly.
And so, Wastelanders, we go yet another step closer to discovering who will be the recipient of the 2013 Classy Award. Check out next week to get even closer as we cover the next best albums of 2013! Until then, stay classy!
The Classy Wasteland 