My Top 5 Albums of 2013...

So with the new year passing by and re-solutions starting to falter in the minds of, well everyone, I felt in only fitting to now assemble my top 5 list of albums from 2013. Now I know you be thinking, "But Decoder, you already did a top 5 last month! Were you lying to us? Why play with our emotions?" To that I say, hold on. My last top 5 was to congratulate albums that were lesser known or that I personally "missed" in my year of listening. This list is in fact my opinion of those albums that went above and beyond the normalcy we saw this year, crafting songs that were not only awe-inspiring, but also non-traditional in their execution. Now, before we get started there are a few ground rules we should cover

1. Albums must have been released between January '13 to December '13

Sadly, this means that we will not be seeing any nominations for bands like Fun or The Killers as their albums were released the year before the time frame.

2. I shall only be choosing from albums I have listened to completely.

This means that albums such as Common Courtesy by  A Day To Remember, Yeezus by Kanye West, and Random Access Memories by Daft Punk will not be appearing as I have not listen to them in their entirety.

3. This is MY PERSONAL OPINION

If you disagree (which I'm sure a few of you may), please leave a comment stating what ones I may have list since this is a top 5 list of my own personal selection the amount of "axing off" albums has been tremendous.
With all of those out of the way let's begin with....

NUMBER 5: THE AFTERMAN: ASCENSION/DESCENSION  by COHEED AND CAMBRIA

Now, I may be cheating just a little on this first entry as yes, Ascension was released in September of 2012 but, the main reason for it appearing is purely semantics. The first half of this two-part album is a necessary listen to fully grasp the amazing pay off in the second. I would have put this higher on the list had this not been the case as the tale of Sirius Amory is as tragic as it is mesmerizing, showing Coheed and Cam




bria show no signs of slowing down after "finishing" their long-running storyline between albums. For the curious, you can find the full in-depth review available here:
Ascension
Descension
Notable Songs Include: Key Entity Extraction V: Sentry the Defiant, The Hard Sell, Away We Go, Iron Fist, and Dark Side of Me

NUMBER 4: SWAY by BLUE OCTOBER

My 1st pick for the top albums missed only ranks 4th on the list sadly, which should tell you how wondrous the rest of the albums on this list are. It's always great to hear from Blue October, it's like that friend you never really noticed you missed until they walk back in the door and start telling stories of their amazing adventures. That is if these amazing adventures took you an emotional roller coaster take you from solemnly calm, to sad, then happy, and everything in between. When Blue October takes the time to write an album they nearly every time release something of wonder and this album is no exception.
Notable Song Include: Sway, Bleed Out, Fear, Hard Candy, Things We Do At night, and Not Broken Anymore.

NUMBER 3: NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND by HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD

This band and I have a rocky history. To be honest I was incredibly hesitant to listen to their work in the first place as Swan Songs did not resonant with me in the slightest and while I found American Tragedy to be a step in the right direction, it did not convince me they were worth a round three. But, do to some pestering from a friend I gave the album a listen, and then another, and another, and... Dear god have I not been album to set this album down. While I did not cover this album on the website I do feel it is worth mentioning that the direction taken in the album is miles better that what I had come to expect from these guys. Yes, they still have their silly songs where they talk about "getting fucked up, put on your helmet and knee pads" but after listening to the heart-wrenching slower songs, it just blows my mind it took me this long to listen to it. I humbly apologize to Hollywood Undead for doubting their ability to craft well written songs and writing them off as immature wannabe-gangsters as the maturity in the lyrics of this album know no bounds.
Notable Songs Include: From The Ground, Lion, Rain, Believe, Up In Smoke, Outside, Medicine

NUMBER 2: BECAUSE THE INTERNET by CHILDISH GAMBINO

Ah yes, this was the album we just covered a week ago by the "rich kid asshole" we should all "paint as a villian." Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino) had a lot to prove after his first major release Camp back in 2011. Now for those fans that thoroughly enjoyed the sound of Camp I can sympathize that Because The Internet took you through a jumbled mess of emotions as it is not what a lot of people were expecting from full-time comedian Donald Glover. This though is what works in its favor as the album itself starts out quite arrogant in its sound, painting the picture of a person who would be cool to hang out with but really not too deep of a human being. That is until the midway point when Gambino spins not only the album, but his whole style on its head, delivering an album that is both deeply philosophical and experimental in its story telling. You can check out the full review here
Because The Internet
Notable Songs Include: The Worst Guys, Telegraph ave, 3005, No Exit, Flight of the Navigator, Zealots of Stockholm, Pink Toes, Earth: the Oldest Computer, and Life: The Biggest Troll

NUMBER 1: VESSEL by TWENTY ONE PILOTS 

Now the list is coming to an end (hoo-ooo-ooo-oo oh oh ooo). In all seriousness though, this album blew my mind upon first listen. From the dark atmospheric tones, to the real-world storytelling lyrics Tyler Joseph paints across every song he rights, this album is a masterpiece upon masterpieces. If you have not had the great pleasure of listening to this album in its entirety I urge you take a good long car ride and just listen to how every song builds off of another, never truly repeating itself in what it is offering to the listener. I knew this would be my number 1 album of the year off the of the first listen and I'm glad to say that was the truth as nothing has been on the same scale this year. This album has something for everyone from the pop music listeners all the way to the EDM scensters, there is not a single bad song on this whole album running time. Pick it up in stores or load it up on Spotify yourself to experience the wonder that has become Twenty One Pilots.
For those interested the full review is located in the link below
Vessel
Notable Songs Include: Ode To Sleep, Migraine, House Of Gold, Car Radio, Screen, Fake You Out, Guns for Hands, Trees, and Truce


Alright for now that will be the end of the 2013 talk as a new year is upon us and is promising quite the eclectic taste of amazing music. I hope you enjoyed the list and as stated if I missed any please inform me in the comments section below. Next time we'll be back-to-basics with a ROCK D3C0D3D review. Till next time, stay beautiful and have a wonderful time!

As always please like, share, and comment below!

All the music covered above is available on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify for your listening pleasure.

*As with all things, the opinions expressed our purely that of the author and should be taken as such. ** All images, music, and information used are for entertainment/review purposes. No copyright infringement intended.