Zane Dec 4, 2013
While we still have a little time left in the year, I felt called to post a thread to invite people to share their favorite non-VGM releases of from this year. I'm going to limit myself to a top 3, plus one honorary mention, but please feel free to list as many good ones as you'd like!
#3 - Foals, "Holy Fire"
I was just introduced to this band in June, and immediately fell in love with this album. "My Number" was my anthem for the summer. This is just real, honest songwriting, and I've been captivated with it ever since. Also, random VGM side note: the very beginning of "Bad Habit" reminds me of one of the PCE Drac X songs (can't think of which one).
#2 - Coheed and Cambria, "The Afterman (Deluxe Set)"
Technically, part one of this album was released in 2012, but I'm nominating the 2013 release, double-pack album as my #2 pick of the year. I've enjoyed some of their earlier stuff (Good Apollo IV, in particular), but both of these discs really show what kind of band Coheed can be. Every song has something to offer, and I feel like the balance between hooks and creativity are spread out really well throughout both albums. I've been a huge fan of "Number City" since I first heard it, but that's just one dimension of the music here. "Gravity's Union" and "Sentry the Defiant" also stand out as some of my favorite tracks. Love this whole set.
#1 - Cloudkicker, "Subsume"
Ben is one of my favorite songwriters of all time, so I always look forward to whatever he releases. "Subsume" is his greatest achievement IMO, blending some of his older styles with new innovation and a whole lot of heart. This dude is totally living his dharma through the music he writes, and when I listen to it I can just feel this dude's purpose. The first time I heard this album it felt like coming home, and that's saying a lot. Easily my favorite album of the year, and my favorite album in Ben's catalog.
Honorable mention - Palms, "Palms"
Chino from Deftones meets ex-ISIS members for some lounge-y dreamgaze that I imagine is what life sounds like when the world slows down to a gentle crawl. Sad, but not depressing, uplifting, but not exciting; this is one emotional ride.
