Yesterday we brought the focus back to local music with Shannon Cleary’s Top 10 RVA Releases of 2013. Today, Shannon continues the festivities with his Top 15 individual songs released in RVA in 2013.
Yesterday we brought the focus back to local music with Shannon Cleary’s Top 10 RVA Releases of 2013. Today, Shannon continues the festivities with his Top 15 individual songs released in RVA in 2013. Check it out–and don’t forget to take a look at our staff’s Top 25 Albums of 2013 if you haven’t already!
15. My Darling Fury – “The End of The World”
Danny Reyes is one of the strongest vocalists this city has ever seen. His work with Gills and Wings was unprecedented. When word of My Darling Fury came about, I immediately desired to see what his new project was all about. “The End of The World” is the sort of anecdote about the apocalypse that could only be perfectly enunciated by someone like Reyes. Amazing instrumentation and stellar voices help us all cope with how it might all turn out if our end of days arrived before we were prepared. The harmony-filled finale is enough to leave you not only impressed but ready to see what My Darling Fury has in store for us for 2014.
14. Dead Fame – “My Body My Fool”
Dead Fame has always found a beautiful way of blending their unique personality with a beloved fondness for their influences. “My Body My Fool” takes this to a new level by engaging their desires and personal pleas into the mix. With a repeated refrain of “you make me want to live,” one can’t help but ponder the fact that this is the dream we all seek and hope to achieve someday. If it’s foolish to want to live for these moments, then perhaps you’re at the wrong party.
13. The Milkstains – “Intimidator (You’re Dale To Me)”
When listening to the new Milkstains jam, one commentator mentioned that the reason it sounds so good is because they are that good. I can’t really argue with that. “Intimidator (You’re Dale To Me)” proves this premise in every way imaginable. Take the loud guitar riffs and blow them through an incredible rhythm section and you have a quintessential Milkstains tune. It doesn’t hurt that the production is ideally suited to the nuances of the group.
12. Everyone Dies In The End – “We Bears Are A Proud Race”
This band feels like a group of dudes who realized something was missing in Richmond. Building on a foundation of drone instrumental jams that can translate in any capacity, Everyone Dies In The End kill it. My heart warms with all of the wonderful cinematic references, but it’s their natural talent that wins me over time and time again. “We Bears Are A Proud Race” is a musical thought in which the band pinpointed a perfect moment and let the percussive finale do the rest of the talking.
11. Zac Hryciak and the Jungle Beat – “Pale Flower”
“Pale Flower” begins with a musical altar. The flowering glow sparks into a sentimental, harmonious lullaby. It’s a remarkable trait of many Jungle Beat songs, and this one is no exception. It’s also a great example of a songwriter enabling his understanding of personification and incorporating his outstanding ability to engage his pop sensibilities. This song knows no bounds in its effects on audiences, nor in how adored it will truly become.
10. Kid is Qual – “Mono to Stereo”
Kid is Qual is unlike any other band in the city. Every year, their songs, full of sleaze and pop gems, continue to defy expectation. “Mono to Stereo” is no different. The melodies are catchy as hell and its rising crescendos hit with tenfold power. When main conspirator Jon Sullivan takes to the helm with an incredible solo, it’s hard to deny how incredible this song is. It may reveal itself in the subsequent music video as being the longing lament of a lonely musician on the road. And yet, when you hear the track independently, it’s truly special and has a chorus worthy of epic singalongs.
9. Jordan Tarrant – “Baby I’m Here”
My heart yearns for songwriters like Jordan Tarrant–the guys who cut to the bone and let the flesh speak for itself. “Baby I’m Here” is a song that feels removed from generations past, but also expresses a true penchant for devotion. It’s a contemplative song, related to nights spent at bars with knuckles unbruised but livers sore due to pleasurably but perhaps unwisely satisfied cravings. It’s a song that reaches out to anyone that sees the light in the distance and finds comfort in knowing that there is always a home for us all.
8. Those Manic Seas – “Headache/Heartache”
This song hit me in the most interesting way imaginable. My firsthand experience with Those Manic Seas was through hearing tracks online. I didn’t truly grasp what made the group so special until catching them live. When they released the single that this track is included on, the song made me come to a complete halt. To call “Headache/Heartache” catchy is an understatement. It’s brilliant and imaginative. It fulfills everything one could desire in a perfect summer pop song. You either end up tapping your knee distinctively while listening on the Internet or you find yourself exhausted from dancing to the point of no return during one of their live sets. This is what pop dreams are made of.
7. The Snowy Owls – “All Summer Long”
What happens when you take one of the champions of shoegaze and leave them determined to write a blissful summer jam? Behold the greatness that arrives. The Snowy Owls celebrated a year of reputable evolution while demonstrating a penchant for experimentation. “All Summer Long” is the easy standout from their Summer EP and it’s no surprise that it’s oozing with optimistic shine.
When Record Store Day comes about, all of Richmond takes notice. That’s obviously why Hoax Hunters and The Snowy Owls decided to put out a very exclusive seven-inch for the occasion. While The Snowy Owls side is an excellent accompaniment, the Hoax Hunters contribution is what caught my attention. A perfect glimpse into the current incarnation of the band and a heavy dose of what makes them so great, “Orbit” is that instance where you see the creative energies of an eclectic trifecta executed so well it leaves you with a lingering sensation.
5. The Nervous Ticks – “Rat Brat”
If you aren’t operating like The Nervous Ticks, you’re probably doing it wrong. They celebrated the year with several tours and releases that helped to champion the stellar song “Rat Brat.” How the band achieves a level of distress, rowdiness, infectious melody, and grand dissonance is a mystery to me. All I know is that when you find the perfect medium between profane and noisy pop mastery, then I have to imagine you are doing it right.
4. Hypercolor – “Told You Once”
If my dreams were set to psychedelic jams and freak-outs, Hypercolor would be my soundtrack. “Told You Once” hits all the right notes and is a great introduction to the wonderful talents of Alexandra Spalding. Her voice showcases the true haunts and beauties of the world, which can entail everything from spiraling sunsets to modest reservation. The song is rich in its texture and feels like a hidden treasure buried with its only purpose to be discovered in this day and age.
3. Negative Gemini – “Ghost World”
Lindsey French gained notoriety for fronting Les La Brittanica, which implemented the perfect soundtrack for a weekend night full of eclectic club jams. There was no doubt she showed tremendous strength in command of a stage. When she eventually decided to begin a solo endeavor, Negative Gemini wasn’t a surprise so much as it was incredibly enlightening. With her proven confidence, she decided to venture into the world of dream pop and noise while incorporating a tender vulnerability that has been a strong attribute for her art. “Ghost World” is a testament to the power in this approach. It’s in the way she can set her vocals against a transcendent noisy background and find the soul to reveal something that comes across as optimistic, yet full of heartache. In these strengths, she has created a strong identity for herself within the noise community, as well as several other scenes.
A song can be made or broken by the dynamics between the players involved. This truth is even more evident when you look at the most raw forms of rock and roll. Not only is Hot Dolphin an excellent band, they’ve found a way to be an outstanding projection of garage rock’s noisiest elements. “In Between” has been a standout for me from first listen. There is a lyrical drive to every beat, and the drop-off towards the end is a moment that I adore. This is the perfect beat for a band like this and the way it showcases each member is elaborate and fitting. Also, how can one top the uproars of a frontwoman like Lindsey Spurrier? I said it earlier this year, but the garage rock influences and the temper tantrums on hand here don’t only make Hot Dolphin great–it makes them one of the best around.
I shouldn’t be surprised at this point, but White Laces always find a way to make my heart sway a particular way. They did it with “Hands in Mexico” and they were successful once again with Moves. As a tease for the direction the band was headed, they released a cassette single. Along with “Deep Moves,” they included what might be their greatest achievement to date–“Ascend.” It’s a song that executes itself beautifully, with patience and an electronic atmosphere indicative of what the band has always been destined to achieve. Some songs merely explain a musical movement in a particular scene, but then there are songs that go beyond that, setting a mark for a group’s legacy. “Ascend” is that kind of song for White Laces, and I couldn’t imagine it sounding any less brilliant.
