Big ass image, new ass track. I’m bringing you something that is so new that the ink hasn’t even set yet. Drake just dropped a new track from his personal label October’s Very Own as a shout out to Johnny Football. And, I got to admit. This shit is bangin. Fresh flow, throwback beat, smooth track. Don’t take my word for it, pop the music into your ear and just enjoy the track.
Taste the music-
The time has come to reveal the 8th edition of “The List,” my ranking of the top ten albums of the past year. The List has grown in terms of scope, design, and credibility since it’s inception, but it still serves essentially the same purpose: it is my way of sharing the music I found to be the most impressive and to have the most impact on me over this past year. That’s really all there is to it when you get down to the basics. Ranking music is always going to be somewhat subjective, so tastes will vary, and just because we disagree, it doesn’t mean that one of us is wrong about the quality of an album. I do try to use some objective means to rank these albums, but in the end a lot of it still comes down to the feelings I have in my gut. I would imagine that most music ranking lists work the same way, and if they don’t I think it might be worth questioning their legitimacy. After all, is not the most important aspect of music the effect it has on its listener?
To give you an idea of what I look for in an album, I will list a few of my qualifications. First, I think that popular music genres such as those represented on this list should be judged not only upon the quality of the music, but also on the quality of the lyrics and the message put forth by the album. Because this is a music list and not a poetry list, the music element weighs more heavily in my decisions than the lyrics do, but it is never the only quality by which I appraise an album. Furthermore, I appreciate cohesiveness. The lyrics should match the music in terms of feeling, and the songs should preferably be related to each other to make the album feel like a connected work. This second idea is not necessary for a great album, but it does make it much easier for the album to be considered great in my mind. Another common tool used for judging the quality of albums is their uniqueness. While uniqueness can affect my rankings, it is not automatically considered a good thing, nor is it considered the most important thing. I think people often fall into the trap of giving more points to something just because they have never heard it before. While this is fine and good if it is something truly great, new ideas can be unimpressive just as easily and ideas that were good before can remain good.
Hopefully that gives you guys some insight into my thought process. Now, it’s time to present the albums of the year. I love commentary, so if you like what I put on the list, comment and tell me why. If you don’t like it, tell me that too! Just make sure your comments are thoughtful. Don’t just say something is stupid. No one wants to read that.
2013 was a solid and surprising year in music for sure. Most of the albums that made this list were not on my radar to begin the year. Hopefully, if you haven’t heard them already, this will be a great introduction for you. Without further adieu, here are this year’s choices:
Yo, we’re here for day 2. Apparently I still don’t know what the fuck tomorrow means. This time we’re going to be hearing a track that Ratatat is featured on. With Kid Cudi and MGMT on the album Man on the Moon, here’s “Pursuit of Happiness”
(c) Chance the Rapper
Good Evening. Back to school time is back up. Works gonna suck. The soundtrack is getting drowned by the noise of the corporations. I’ve been sitting on this track for three weeks. Tried to think of something really awesome to say about it. But, the song itself is too awesome and nothing I can say will give it real justice. I’m probably gonna come back and give you guys a full Record Coating later because the whole mixtape might be the best thing that came out this year so far. But, that’s all for later. Here’s the song for the day:
Chance the Rapper, “Lost” ft. Noname Gypsy
Welcome back to another edition of the Soundtrack of my life. How’s life been on the other side? Heard anything new? You can always drop me a line in the comments, or on twitter or shoot me a line the the email@13andXIV@gmail.com and I’ll get back to ya. Or I might even make a post about it if the song touches the right part of my eardrums. But, back to the topic at hand. I told you last time that I would make the next post about something that came out a great deal sooner than some of my previous posts. That’s why tonight I’m bringing you a couple of tracks from this mixtape:
(c) Datpiff.com
If you like rap music, hit the jump. If you like comedy, hit the jump. If you don’t like either of those, we’ll have something for you after the break anyways. You might like the songs anyway. Well, let’s jump in friends: Continue reading
Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for the 7th annual edition of The List, or my ranking of the top ten albums of the year. I have been doing this in some form since 2006, when all I did was post a simple list which was headed by My Chemical Romance’s classic The Black Parade. Since then my list has grown to be a full-on review with commentary, which I have posted each year* to my blog on MySpace, or more recently Facebook. This year The List will realize it’s best presentation yet, as this blog on WordPress gives me the opportunity to include pictures, video, and other formatting wonders (welcome to last decade, huh?). Actually, as excited as I am to have The List finally looking both thorough and official, the best part to me is that it’s now public, and people who don’t know me in any other way than through this blog will be able to peruse it and maybe find some great new stuff, as well as discuss why or why not the albums I pick should be here, and what might have deserved a place instead.
Yes, I love to talk about these things. If you disagree with my list, tell me! Comment below the article. Tell me why you didn’t like what I picked, or what is out there that was better. (But please, make the comments thoughtful. Don’t just tell me something sucks. No one cares to read that.) Likewise, if you like something I picked, comment about that too. I love talking about my reviews about as much as I like giving them, so bring it on.
The year 2012 was a good one for music. Unlike some years, I had no trouble filling out this list. So without further adieu, here are this year’s choices:
Christmas is my favorite time of year. Always has been. I know that as many people get older and start having to worry about more things, like last-minute Christmas shopping and money and kids and commercialism and careers and bills and everything else, Christmas starts to lose its joy, but that hasn’t happened for me yet, and I hope it never will. I love that this holiday is one in which we can remember the birth of our Savior by thinking about others instead of ourselves. Yes, I realize that’s not why everyone does it. But Christmas is still a great time of year, as long as you are putting others before yourself, remembering and spending time with family and friends, and looking at the world in a more loving way.
In the spirit of all that, I offer up this song by tobyMac and Nirva Dorsaint. “This Christmas” is a great song about adopting a kid from an orphanage for Christmas. It’s really catchy and it makes your heart feel good:
Since today is Christmas Eve, I’ll be returning with a bonus post later today, so be sure to check back. It’s going to be a really special one. Until then, Merry Christmas everyone 🙂
-13
13 & xiv 