LilLioness
Lani
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Last Active 05-12-17 8:43 pm
Joined 08-05-12

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 Lists
12.23.23 A LilLioness 2023 ♦12.18.23 BM I'll check in 2024
01.23.16 Been a while03.30.15 Quarterly Reflection (Winter)
12.31.13 A Lanilioness 2013 ♦12.17.13 Hot December Jamz
10.27.13 Shameless Plug04.21.13 Shit Mood
04.17.13 2013 Likes (feb-april 17)02.17.13 2013 Likes (as Of Mid-february)
08.05.12 Top 20 Of 2012

A Lanilioness 2013

(credit to JudioRusso for the title of the list) It should be noted that isn't a best of, but rather ra year end list. The list is ordered based on my enjoyment of each entry. Many of these rentries aren't even LPs, but rather EPs and singles. Several artists who are present here rreleased numerous things this year. In the interest of fairness and keeping this from being rmonotonous, the entries are limited to one per artist. In addition, this is a very personal list, rcontingent on my personal tastes rand as such there are things present that you may not like rand things absent you may like or the order not necessarily be agreeable to your tastes. If rany of these are the case, you are welcome to feel so, but know that I feel my list is perfect ras is.
50John Zorn
The Mysteries

I haven't listened to this enough to parse out exactly how I feel about it. However,
I do know two things. First, it is John Zorn and he is one of the most prolific
American musicians. The second is that this is the only release out of the nine he
has released this year that I have heard in full. These reasons have earned but
confined him to spot number 50 on this list. Performed with harp, guitar, vibraphone
and bells, The Mysteries takes on a mischievous, childlike sound, particularly on
"Sacred Oracle". The compositions feel a bit restrained in scope and rather
repetitive but yet also take on a wondrous quality, like on "Apollo" and
"Yaldabaoth". Best track: "Dance of Sappho"
49Inter Arma
Sky Burial

This has been knocked down to my number 49 because I haven't really listened to
it since December. I know that I really liked it when it first came out (enough to
warrant consideration for this list), "'sblood" is one of the best metal songs of the
year no matter what anyone says, and the album needs to be listened to from
beginning to end to get the most out of it. Due to time constraints I wasn't able to
revisit it fully so I can?t justify higher placement. Best track: "'sblood"
48 Boris
Pr?parat

The best thing about Boris is that they keep playing with their sound, taking it new
directions regardless of what listeners might think. After playing around with stoner
rock and j poppy elements, they have combined numerous elements from their
career into a lo-fi vinyl that is a hodge podge of heavy, disturbing, catchy, weird,
nostalgia, boris, shoegaze, face-melting and Ascension. Okay, maybe it is business
as usual for Boris. Best track: "December"
47Evan Brewer
Your Itinerary

Even as I include this in my top 50 of the year, it is difficult to not feel a bit let
down by Your Itinerary. It opens with "The Adjacent Possible" an excellent prog
rocker that has the band working well together and Brewer spins out notes with
impressive speed and it makes you think you are in for a better album than what
Your Itinerary is. It is still a good album and the decision to expand the project into
a band has allowed for a fuller sound, though, even if it is at the expense of more
bass oriented passages. Best track: "The Adjacent Possible"
46Lord Snow
Solitude

Emoviolence just might be the greatest genre name ever, and the actual sound isn't
too shabby either. Avoiding many of the more annoying attributes of emo and
hardcore, namely the false emotion of emo and "Screaming means I am totally
emoting, guys" of hardcore, Lord Snow just relentlessly assaults your ears with the
skramz and feels. Best track: "The Background Static of Perpetual Discontent"
45Burial
Rival Dealer

Unlike many of the picks on this list, this has been well recognized by the media and
rightly so. I don't have much to add to what can easily be found elsewhere so I will
just say that I enjoy the sloppy transitions and atmosphere building on Rival Dealer.
Best track: "Rival Dealer"
44Steven Wilson
The Raven that Refused to Sing

This man wears his influences on his chest in big, bold letters and may or may not
be responsible for the decline of Opeth, but when something moves you, it moves
you. "Luminol" and "The Holy Drinker" are amazing pieces of prog rock with some
fantastic flute action. And need I say that the title track brought the feels to the
beginning of 2013? Initially coming off as "Drag Ropes" part 2, the climax of this
track is like a punch in the heart each time. Best track: "The Raven that Refused to
Sing"
43Close (UK)
Getting Closer

Close is a DJ from the UK and this LP is a wonderful assortment of moody electronic
instrumentals. "I Died 1000 Times" is a hazy song about betrayal with ethereal
vocals and "Wallflower" and "Future Love" are hushed, forlorn meditations on love.
Best track: "I Died 1000 Times"
42Matmos
The Marriage of True Minds

As many issues as I may have with Pitchfork, their Advance streams have brought
my attention to quite a few of my favorite albums of the year. Matmos is one of
those bands that instantly stand out to me. I love music in general that utilizes non
traditional instruments and everyday materials to augment and enhance the sound
of the music itself. The scraping of the spoons in "You", the clusterfuck of sampled
sounds in "Very Large Green Triangle" and throat singing in "Tunnel" all give the
music fully realized texture. Best track: "Tunnel"
41Gary Numan
Splinter (Songs from a Broken Mind)

Does this really need to be explained? Sure, not everything Gary Numan has done is
worth getting all excited over, but this album is really good and a solid step over
Dead Son Rising. The finale "My Last Day" is definitely on level with his moodier
songs like "Scanner" and "Prayer for the Unborn". Best track: "Splinter"
40Clap! Clap!
Gwidingwi Dema

I can't be entirely sure if this is a case of cultural appropriation or cultural
expression, but I do know that either way this electronic take on tribal dance and
rhythm is infectious and impossible not to be moved by. Best track: "Please Mother
Rain Wash Our Souls From Human Evil"
39Wolf Alice
Blush

While the back half isn't as strong as the front half, the tracks "Blush" and "She"
justify this EPs placement on the list. ?Blush? is a delicate song about being one's
self that hits you in the feels in ways that Katy Perry's "Roar" and Sara Bareilles'
"Brave" can't. "She" is a fiery rocker filled with longing. The music videos for the
two songs connect them into an overarching storyline about a transgender
individual which gives them that extra kick. Best track: "Blush"
38Future Bible Heroes
Partygoing

While some of the LP isn't necessarily up to snuff, "Sadder than the Moon", "Lets
Go to Sleep (And Never Come Back)" and "Living, Loving, Partygoing" completely
justify its placement on this list. "Sadder than the Moon", in particular, is goth
colored indie pop that makes my soul cry (it is such a common subject, but the
delivery is so spot on). Best track: "Sadder than the Moon"
37Nubilum
Tsantsa

Some dark ambient music I became aware of through Cvltnation back in February.
It is like uncomfortable music made for locations like the Everglades. All of its three
tracks are imbued with the moribundity of a previously lush landscape. Best track:
"Wetland Disease"
36Sudatsuga
Eeid Syrojh Suhn

formerly) Sputnik's own Sudatsuga has been quite the busy bee this year. On top
of 7 releases as Sudatsuga, he has also done a bunch under the Tak Suga moniker
and created and maintained the Solar Mass Collective project. Picking which one
would be on this list was quite difficult. Each album is its own beast and my favorite
tracks sprinkled across numerous albums. Eeid Syrojh Suhn won out in the end due
to how experimental it is. "Haenein" is unlike anything else I heard this year. The
first half is composed of distorted vocals sung in a very odd melody while the
second half is an instrumental in the vein of Ellen Meijers work. And anything that
reminds me of Abe's Oddysee is good in my book. "Sacred Suhn" is a headbangable
drone piece and the last two tracks are akin to an odyssey through some post-
nature forest. Best track: "Sacred Suhn (Sweet Eyes)"
35Fis
Preparations

This EP was released in mid November and the oddity of the sounds present and
persistent energy. Whatever the heavily distorted samples he is using are, they are
profoundly disturbing and consistently hit at the right moment. The opener,
"Magister Nunns" has quite possibly the oddest percussion I have ever heard, not
just in the shape of its sound, but also in how it is structured. Best track: "Magister
Nunns"
34Opul
Personnel

East of the Wall?s Matt Lupo is a busy man. Not only did his band return with a new
lp this year, but he also released two high quality eps under the moniker Opul.
January saw the release of Personnel, a 4 track ep with startlingly catchy rock
tracks in "Barbarians" and "Judges". Best track: "Barbarians"
33Kayo Dot
Hubardo

What is stunning about this LP is that it somehow manages to keep the listener?s
attention for night two hours. 1 hour can be excessive for most artists, let alone 2.
And sure, the vocals on the opener will make the listener want to quit altogether
(you aren't cute, Mr. Cookie Monster), but the instrumentation is a fine example of
just how good the Avant-garde metal genre can be. Seamlessly transitioning
between explosive death metal, proggy interludes and wailing woodwind instrument
tinged theatrics, Kayo Dot keeps the experience fresh and immersive. In particular,
"The Second Operation" has all of the wailing, creeping violin, dramatic a capella
and piano accompaniments and bouncing between one could ever want. And
"Floodgate" is fucking insane. Best track: "Floodgate"
32Black Alice (CA)
Nirrti

This project is a part of Sudatsuga's Solar Mass Collective, a free art and music
installation based on facebook and soundcloud. Black Alice has released three eps
this year and plans to release a new record in January. The project is mostly hip
hop instrumentals with samples from a variety of ethnic sources and can be quite
stunning in its execution, especially on the opener of Nirrti, "Chrome Harp
(Introlude)". While free music can often leave much to be desired, this release sets
the groove on max and the mood on chillin. Best track: "Chrome Harp (Introlude)"
31Oliver
Mechanical

While electronic groove based music isn't exactly a stranger to me, I honestly
wasn't expecting this ep to click with me as much as it does. There isn't a weak
track here and the eponymous track with its deliciously dramatic delivery. Best
track: "Mechanical"
30Tim Hecker
Virgins

This guy shocked me. Like James Blake, his name sounds very "white guy with
acoustic guitar" so naturally Blake and Hecker are electronic musicians that work
with some really bizarre and interesting sounds. Sure, I know now that Tim Hecker
has been very active in the last 13 years, the name really threw me off. The man
has a Phd in Urban Noise in addition to his output which is pretty impressive. When
it comes to Blake, my attention waxed and waned on Overgrown, much of the issue
being my disinterest in his shaky vocals and moody dance music in general. Tim
Hecker, on the other hand, creates ambient instrumentals that experiment with
sound and create a variety of textures and moods. Best track: "Prism"
29Akron/Family
Sub Verses

Now that we have reached year's end, I think it is safe to say that Sub Verses
tanked. The album isn't bad, it is actually pretty damn good, but it seems to have
to fallen short for most. A review for This is fake DIY claims that the extremes on
the album were too extreme ("heavy metal too heavy"). Personally, I enjoy that
the genre hopping the record does as it keeps things interesting. It opens with the
seemingly Animal Collective inspired folk rockers "No Room" and "Way Up" switches
gears with the serene sing-a-long "Until the Morning" and "Sand Talk" which sounds
like math rock filtered through indie pop and then gets menacing with "Holy
Boredom" and "Sometimes I". The album's constantly changing nature doesn't feel
forced or awkward, but rather varied and colorful. Also, it is just me or does Miles
Seaton kinda look like Jesse Pinkman with a full beard in the "Until the Morning"
video? Best track: "No Room"
28Nine Inch Nails
Hesitation Marks

Despite a couple releases as part of How to Destroy Angels that left much to be
desired and a lead single, "Came Back Haunted", that easily ranks among the worst
things he has ever done, Hesitation Marks is a genuinely good album. One thing
that really stood out for me is that this is the first thing he has done since Year
Zero that doesn't sound like Year Zero. I love the distorted guitars and shrieking
electronics as much as everyone else, but did we really need 7 different versions of
that album (including this year's Welcome Oblivion is essentially Year Zero with
female vocals). Instead, Reznor has crafted a spacious, hook driven album that
plays with genres in the way he did on Pretty Hate Machine and The Downward
Spiral. "Everything" sees him at his poppiest and "Running" and "All Time Low"
feature dancy hooks and funky vibes. Best track: "Copy of A"
27Yamantaka // Sonic Titan
Uzu

This Canadian group absolutely fascinates me. The stories of what Ruby Kato
Attwood and Alaska B did prior to forming the band and their sound which
fluctuates between epic moments like "Whalesong" and "Lamia" and anthemic noise
rock. My (semi-decent) review goes into detail, but I will say this: "One" brought a
lot of fun to 2013 for me. Best track: "One"
26IO Echo
Ministry of Love

This is the kind of band that simply isn't done justice when listened to one
headphones. A car or building with excellent acoustics is where this record really
comes to life and swallow the listener. In the right setting, the turbulent hook of
"Addicted" and anxious hymn of "Berlin Its All a Mess" are colossal slabs of indie
pop. Best track: "Stalemate"
25Blue Hawaii
Untogether

While the new Braids this year was a disappointment (the only excellent track was
the closer "In Kind" which has been around since the touring of Native Speaker),
Untogether manages to play to Raphaelle Standell-Preston's strengths. She has a
big, colorful voice that sounds best when she plays with it, which she does on "In
Two" and "Sweet Tooth". I am not given to describing sounds as sexy as I find the
practice to be rather ridiculous, but this woman?s voice does things to me. Very
good things. And I am still not sure why, but every time I hear the opening to
"Yours to Keep" I am struck with nostalgia for Orbital's "Halcyon + on +on". Best
track: "Yours to Keep"
24Cough/Windhand
Reflection of the Negative (split)

Given the comparatively little attention this got, it probably seems a bit ridiculous
to place this on the year end list instead of Windhand's september LP, Soma. Soma
actually left me a little cold and very bored (that final, 30 minute track simply does
not justify its length). "Athame", "Amaranth" and "Shepherd?s Crook" however, are
quite engaging. Cough trudges through its riffs in soul rending agony. Windhand,
despite their later, passable record really shine here. "Shepherd's Crook" is like little
demons gleefully dancing on your grave. ?Amaranth? is one of the catchiest sludge
metal songs I have ever heard and demands to be blared on repeat for hours. Best
track: "Amaranth"
23Leprous
Coal

Oh, look. There is a prog metal album in my year end list. How unpredictable given
my listening habits. The world must be ending or maybe it is just that vocalist Einar
Solberg turns my brain to sticky goo and all facilities that would cause my cynicism
to reject the prog are melted away. Then the rest of the band with drill a hole in
my head with their popping bass and melodious guitars and piercings drums which
they use to drain the gray slop. I guess I can't false if these Norwegians have
anything to say about it. I will just take my half filled skull and keep jamming Coal.
Best track: "Foe"
22Gustavo Santaolalla
The Last of Us OST

What I remember of The Last of Us is that the score was spaced out with many
periods of silence which would be broken by one of the games? five themes. Despite
the number of tracks on this release, there is really only a handful of songs with
numerous variations on each. These themes with their acoustic twang and
oppressive atmosphere do create an affecting listening experience marked by
desolation and futility. Best track: "The Last of Us"
21Pharmakon
Abandon

Listening to Pharmakon is like someone grabbing you by the hair and smashing your
face into the pavement over and over and over and over. Still not sure about that
album cover, though. Best track: "Pitted"
20Dale Cooper Quartet and The Dictaphones
Quatorze Pieces de Menace

For a website that readily recognizes Kayo Dot And Bohren & Der Club of Gore, this
French outfit is criminally slept on. Their debut, Parole de Navare, is a perfect
example of just how sinister and somber the darkjazz sound can be (which is what
made it my AOTY of 2007). While Quatorze Pieces isn't as immaculate as the
debut-the opener drags on for far too long and the closer is completely forgettable-
it is still a strong effort and should have gotten more attention than it did.
Quatorze combines the ambient and electronic elements of Parole and the more
orchestrated nature of Metamanoir. "Calbombe camoufle Fretin" is an unsettling
dream with its struck piano piano chords and obscured female vocals behind a layer
of strings and relaxed bass. The hypnotic "Il Bamboche Empereurs" has the same
vocalist melancholically droning over synth horn swells and popping percussion.
"Ignescence Black-bass Recule" begins with a soothing electric guitar which is
replaced by a plodding nightmare. Best track: "Ignescence Black-bass Recule"
19Grouper
The Man who Died in His Boat

I didn't check out this release until December, 10 months after it came out and
received its recognition due to the project being unfamiliar to me and the name,
Grouper, striking me as a rather ridiculous name. Fortunately, Liz Harris' music falls
into one of favorite genres: women who layer their vocals in nuanced ways to
create otherworldly sounds, or in simpler terms, shit like Enya. Some may find
comparing Harris to Enya an insult, but the fact is that it is the kind of comparison
that will actually be relevant to people who aren't music snobs, albeit a very moody
Enya. Either way, this is good stuff. Best track: "Being Her Shadow"
18 Eight Bells
The Captain's Daughter

Shout out to Wizard for digging these peeps as well. If I may borrow some of his
words from his shout, Eight Bells is a mostly instrumental band producing somewhat
lo fi progressive rock songs that are more journey-like than anything else. The title
track itself is like a voyage on the sea during a raging storm. Best track: "The
Captain's Daughter"
17Ishome
Confession

Despite its high placement, I really don't have much to say about this one. The two
"Tetra 94" is a wonderfully weird banger with a some funk drizzled throughout and
"Wildness" and "Ken Tavr" are delicate treks through the elements. Best track:
"Tetra 94 (Part 1)"
16 The Ruins of Beverast
Blood Vaults - The Blazing Gospel of Heinrich Kramer

It was a bit of a fluke that I actually listened to this. I am familiar with a few tracks
from Foulest Semen of a Sheltered Elite, but Blood Vaults popped up in September
almost completely under the radar and I didn't think much of it until late December.
I wasn't particularly excited for it and given I had many other things to listen to I
rather begrudgingly turned my attention one afternoon to the 80 minute release.
Despite metal in general leaving me in the cold this year, I found Blood Vaults and
easy listen. Between the Cookie Monster growls narrating the story of our fair
Heinrich Kramer, the old goof, the hymnlike quality of "Apologia", "Daemon", "Trial"
and "Ordeal" and some of the gloomiest evil riffage I have heard, this theatrical
experience is worth the time it takes. It is a glorious tale told in equally grand
bursts of metal and mournful choir. Best track: "Trial"
15Fallujah
Nomadic

Let's just call a spade a spade. "The Dead Sea" is one of the best metal songs of
the year. The track perfectly hits that delicate balance between technical
aggression, melodic instrumentation and implied atmosphere. The EP as a whole
alternates between violent and serene quite fluidly and never comes off as stilted
or self indulgent. Best track: "The Dead Sea"
14Black Mare
Field of the Host

Shout out to Cvltnation for being awesome and giving this project some press. I am
honestly not surprised that this has flown under pretty much everyone's radar, but
this release is worthy of attention. With Field of the Host, Sera Timms delivers
seven tracks of dark folk anchored by wispy vocals and echoing guitars. Her
approach take menacing shape in the ghostly echoes of "Cybele" and the driving
vocal melody of "Fighting Birds". Best track: "Fighting Birds"
13Lorne Balfe with Hans Zimmer
Beyond: Two Souls OST

It depends on who are you and how you define a game whether you see Beyond as
an overglorified wannabe movie or a genuinely damn good game. I fall somewhere in
the middle. This virtual installation has some things going for it: a couple well
developed sections (the Navajo and Homeless parts and to a lesser extent the
parts in the military) and a soundtrack that relentlessly tugs at your heart strings.
Divorced from the game, the soundtrack come across as a bit repetitive, but it is
just so damn in your face with its feels. Like during "Aiden's Theme" swelling
strings, Aiden writes out that little message to Jodie at the end, UGH JUST TEAR
MY HEART OUT ALREADY. Best track: "Aiden's Theme"
12Smohalla/Omega Centauri
Tellur / Epitome

Blackened Space Metal. That is really the only way to describe this split, or at least
it is the only way you would want to once you have had a chance to experience
this split between Smohalla and Omega Centauri. On the Smohalla side, they
crafted one of the best metal songs of the year with "Le main d? Abel", a rather
symphonic piece of black metal that is cosmic in scope in that it builds up to and
ends on a melody of solar proportions. To borrow fromtheinside's words, the video
for the track is "black metal as fuck". Tellur's synth heavy symphonic nature is
contrasted by Epitome's more reserved, titanic atmosphere. "Submission" sounds as
if it is echoing off the walls of a space station and "Desuetude", while only ambient
rain and a lone guitar, is ominous throughout. Best track: "O Deluge"
11Colin Stetson
New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light

If nothing else, let it be said that a truth of the world is that experimental
musicians like Hiromi Uehara and Colin Stetson are simply winners at life. They have
the true tiger blood. Where some people do whatever they can to fit in and get by,
these individuals do things others would never think to do. Not only does Colin
Stetson play one of the most insane standardized instruments there is and perform
in ways that would cause most people to black out, but he also releases a steady
stream a records manage to keep the listener in awe after the initial shock of "holy
hell, how is keeping that up for so long"?. The scope of this record reaches so far
into the heavens that the listener tends to forget that it is really just an hour of
some dude playing a big saxophone in a weird way. Best track: "Brute"
10The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation
Roadburn

Among the ranks of the mostly ignored releases of the year is the live recording of
this droney/ambient/whateverthefuck jazz group playing at the Roadburn festival in
April 2012 and it is one of the most immersive, colossal things I have heard in a long
time. For an hour of improvisational playing, they create and compound upon a
massive sonic titan. Best track: "III"
9Portal
Vexovoid

Somehow this wound up being one of the most overlooked metal releases of the
year. Whether it be due to unfair comparisons to the band's previous work or simply
the fact that February was 10 months ago and, beside the immaculate music video
for "Curtain", no one has listened to it since then due the mass of metal releases
keeping them otherwise occupied. However Vexovoid measures up to Swarth and
Outre, the experience of listening to this album is like simultaneously drowning in
mud, impaled head first and crushed by stone pillars while the band roars down at
you from the head of a mountainous daemon. Don't lose sight of that. Best track:
"Curtain"
8Fuck Buttons
Slow Focus

While the last two tracks do overstay their welcome by their midpoints, the
preceding five tracks are stunning in their aggression and sustained energy. The
drums that kick off "Brainfreeze" and the soundtrack to chaos and misery that is
"Sentients" (someone said it was playing when they were in a car crash which is a
very appropriate context for the track) are missiles of abrasive noise. Also, I
personally nominate the music video of "Red Wing" for sexiest video of 2013. Best
track: "Sentients"
7Palehound
Bent Nail

Without a Devin Townsend release this year, I was worried I wouldn't get my fix of
goofiness, but thankfully Ellen Kempner and her band Palehound came to my rescue.
With a jam about a pet carrot that don?t mind and another about playing hide and
seek with dogs and cats, this is an adorable, fun EP that gives no fucks. The
bouncy 90s vibe of the songs isn't a bad thing either. Best track: "Drooler"
6Slander
Magnets b/w Ghosts

This single has been my most listened to piece of 2013. From all the way back in
January, I jam this when I feel burnt out on other stuff and it revitalizes me. Both
tracks here are vibrant and yin to each others yang. The boisterous energy of
"Magnets" and mellow "Ghosts" are a fantastic way to spend 8 minutes. Best track:
"Ghosts"
5Julianna Barwick
Pacing

Yes, this is a single, not an album. Yes, she also released an album this year (that
some of you really like). No, I do not like the album as much as those of you who
do, but I really like this single. The title track evokes in me emotions as strong as
the eponymous track from The Magic Place. Both make me want to spend all day
listening over and over, alternating between the two, something of the like of which
that only a handful of musicians have accomplished. And that piano melody on
"Call"! Best track: "Pacing"
4Ulver
Messe I.X-VI.X

I already wrote a review of this so I won't repeat my thoughts here. What I will say
is that the always excellent Ulver have created a spectacular hymn with "Son of
Man" and 2014's collaboration with Sun O))) will probably be prime choice for the
top 10 of 2014 as well. Best track: "Son of Man"
3Shpongle
Museum of Consciousness

It is a bit disappointing to see how many neglected to include this year's Shpongle
on their year end lists. Maybe it is because as a genre Psytrance just isn't as sexy
as a tired marriage of black metal and shoegaze or a hip hop artist taking the road
traveled. Maybe it is because Shpongle has been around for a while and some think
their best effort already came a few years ago. For me, a Shpongle is a Shpongle is
a Shpongle and their work naturally gains high positions due to remaining so damn
excellent in their execution. This effort features ?How the Jellyfish Jumped up the
Mountain? a aquatic dance club banger that is easily one of their best so far. The
water theme is heavy throughout Museum of Consciousness and brings to mind
some kind of fucked up Atlantica. Under the sea, we be dancin. Best track: "How
the Jellyfish Jumped up the Mountain"
2Obscure Sphinx
Void Mother

I first became aware of this female fronted post metal group in 2010 when their
demos were available on their last fm page. Their 2011 debut was one of my year
end faves and features sprawling moody instrumentals and some of my favorite
female vocals in metal music. While a little more digressional than the debut, Void
Mother also plays more with vocal styles and brings much clearer production.
"Velorio" and "Void" are two such vocal oriented passages that have Wielebna
injecting some ethnic flavor into the album. "The Presence of Goddess" and
?Waiting for the Bodies down the River Floating? feature their usual crushing, widely
sprawling sound. "Lunar Caustic" in all its insidious glory is the finest track on the
album and is a beautiful blend of the quicker, more immediate impact of Void Mother
and the deliberate nature of "Nastiez" and "Eternity" from their debut. Best track:
"Lunar Caustic"
1Sevendust
Black Out the Sun

As noted in the list description, the key factor in my decisions of the ordering of list
is how much I enjoyed a given release. It may seem unconventional for someone
who has been exposed to the kind of artists that sites like sputnik expose one to to
pick Sevendust as their favorite of the year, but the fact is that Black Out the Sun
has been all year round the most enjoyable album of 2013 to listen to. Sevendust
stand out to me amongst the crowd associated with the nu metal movement,
because it is clear that they know who and what they are. They aren't the best at
being experimental or heavy or writing hyper complex riffs and that isn't even what
they shoot for. Sevendust is focused on being the best rock band they can be and
on Black Out the Sun, they accomplished not only that but their best album since
Home. From start to end, Black out the Sun is a supremely catchy, fun rock album.
Sevendust is all about taking aggression and making fun music with it, stuff you can
scream along to at shows. If it doesn't appeal to you, that is fine. I am jamming the
hell out of this either way. Best track: "Decay"
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