Welcome to RVA Magazine’s Top 25 Albums Of 2013! This is our first year doing an end of the year list, and hopefully not our last. Before we get into our top 25 albums of the year, here are five albums that didn’t quite make the cut, but are still worth your time and then some.
Welcome to RVA Magazine’s Top 25 Albums Of 2013! This is our first year doing an end of the year list, and hopefully not our last. Before we get into our top 25 albums of the year, here are five albums that didn’t quite make the cut, but are still worth your time and then some. Although they aren’t ranked, these are definitely albums we feel should be getting praise regardless:
Fitz And the Tantrums – More Than Just A Dream
Fitz & The Tantrums tackle their sophomore record by exploring a new dimension to their sound. While normally this can be a recipe for disaster, here it works out beautifully as they don’t sacrifice the pure soul that got them noticed in the first place. The result is a record that’s filled with wonderful melodies backed by powerful energy and intense instrumentation. (Video: “Out Of My League”)
Juicy J – Stay Trippy
The Three 6 Mafia’s founder first record since departing from the group just so happens to be his finest work yet. With his self-produced beats filling up most of the record, he lays down the track himself for not only some of his best rhymes to date, but some of the best rhymes of the year by anyone. In a land of introspective and sensitive raps, Juicy J shows that ganstga club rap still has a place. (Video: “Bandz A Make Her Dance”)
Kacey Musgraves – Same Trailer Different Park
Considering the doldrums country music has been in for the past fifteen years, Kacey Musgraves might just be the best thing about 2013. It’s almost an insult to call her album the best country record of 2013–it only dilutes the album’s overall worth. While a Southern backdrop is clear, Musgraves’ genuine message can be truly felt no matter where you come from. (Video: “Merry Go Round”)
Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks
Music has changed a lot not only since Trent Reznor’s debut in 1989, but also in the five years since his last Nine Inch Nails record. The good thing for us is that the industrial mastermind clearly still has a relevant place in music today. On Hesitation Marks, the minimalist approach to each song opens up the sonic landscape for an overall feeling that is certainly brighter than any of the band’s past records. (Video: “Came Back Haunted”)
Washed Out – Paracosm
Washed Out was not the first chillwave band to pop up, but with their Life Of Leisure EP and debut album Within And Without, they quickly came to define the genre. In 2013, the band doesn’t seem too eager to stay within the borders of chillwave. Rather, they open up to the genre to a much bigger sound that may seem different, but still soundtracks those “do-nothing” days everyone needs in their life. (Video: “It All Feels Right”)
—-
We’d like to thank all the contributors who helped us out by putting their musical hearts through the wringer of ranking their favorite albums this year. Here is a list of all the contributors who helped make this list possible:
Laura Bitner
Black Liquid
Shannon Cleary
Andrew Cothern
Alex Criqui
Joseph Genest
Kristina Headrick
Davy Jones
Matt Klimas
Sarah Moore Lindsey
Rebecca Maguire
Samuel McClelland
Andrew Necci
Doug Nunnally
John Reinhold
Graham Scala
Chris Suarez
Stay tuned tomorrow as we start with the first ten albums in our countdown!
