A music-related Best of 2013 list for those who don't particularly care much for My Bloody Valentine, Kanye West, or the latest Arcade Fire album

The Dillinger Escape Plan. Photo: Sumerian Records

I bought a lot of records in 2013. A number of them happen to have been released this year. I liked 10 of them enough to write about them here. And though I can't help but roll my eyes at end-of-the-year lists posted in early December, I also realize that I probably won't pick up any more records between now and January 1st, unless I'm pre-ordering something new from Dillinger Four. Note to Dillinger Four -- we're now approaching six years of waiting. Again.

10) The Flatliners - Dead Language (Fat Wreck Chords)

Three years ago, Cavalcade cemented The Flatliners as one of punk rock's best active bands. Dead Language, their fourth full-length, doesn’t quite reach the heights of its predecessor, but the songwriting is equally solid in most places. This is a brighter-sounding, mid-tempo punk record reminiscent more of Dead to Me than of peak-era NOFX.

9) Tegan and Sara - Heartthrob (Warner Brothers)

Heartthrob has grown on me since its release in January. It still can’t compete with Tegan and Sara’s better work, but for an unabashed pop album, it’s acceptable. I applaud Tegan and Sara for at least being so upfront about their current musical preferences, even if those aren’t perfectly aligned with my own. And while I’ll defend their live duet (or whatever term describes the three-singer equivalent) with Taylor Swift, I do remain apprehensive about their fondness for Miley Cyrus. There's a potential collaboration I won't endorse.

8) Balance and Composure - The Things We Think We’re Missing (No Sleep)

Balance and Composure is a post-hardcore-leaning indie rock band with some additional emo and grunge elements. Those are all various dimensions of alternative music, sure, but they pull it off without being remotely derivative. 2011‘s Separation was similarly impressive, but The Things We Think We’re Missing is musically and emotionally heavier, and more cohesive as well.

7) Alkaline Trio - My Shame is True/Broken Wing (Epitaph)

The full-length and EP, having been released simultaneously, are inseparable for me. Broken Wing is a four-song extension that should have comprised a deluxe version of My Shame is True. Better yet, the Broken Wing songs should have been squeezed into and sequenced within the full-length, perhaps replacing the weaker album tracks. Regardless, this year brought 16 new Alkaline Trio songs, and the b-sides among this collection stand alongside their best, most well-written work. A solid pair of releases from a band I’ll always love dearly, despite their $60 ticket prices on tour with New Found Glory.

6) Deafheaven - Sunbather (Deathwish, Inc.)
There’s little to be said about Sunbather that hasn't already been reiterated by countless publications. This is Deafheaven’s breakthrough album, and the success is well-deserved (I feel compelled to remind newcomers that the band’s debut, Roads to Judah, was flawless). Furthermore, it’s exciting to see a hardcore-oriented album — especially one as abrasive as this — have such transcending appeal. I can’t wait to see what’s to come from a band who’s already writing hour-long opuses.

5) A Wilhelm Scream - Partycrasher (No Idea)

Punk bands, take note. Uptempo, melodic, technical punk trumps most other variations of punk. Then again, it helps to have a voice as good as Nuno's and lyrics as good as Trevor's. Those lyrics, by the way, are the best I've read this year. Partycrasher is fun to listen to and smart at the same time -- and this is a record called Partycrasher. Now, Career Suicide is practically unbeatable, but this one is a suitable and very strong comeback album. Honestly, the state of punk rock isn’t nearly as good when AWS is inactive. The same is true of Dillinger Four.

4) Touché Amoré - Is Survived By (Deathwish, Inc.)

I feel privileged to watch these guys grow from album to album. This is as passionate and sincere as the hardcore genre gets. Bands often write about fan expectations, but never before have I heard one so candidly admit to writer's block and then relate the two. Jeremy even sings, on this followup to the band's much-acclaimed sophomore full-length, "I won't fake what is expected to succeed with album three." There's a lot of growth here, personally and musically. Songs are longer but hit just as hard emotionally as those that are a minute long. And being 23, it's reassuring to have a band in my life that articulates most of my own anxieties. Also, I've seen them perform 13 times in four-and-a-half years, so they're my buddies.

3) Allison Weiss - Say What You Mean (No Sleep)

Allison is funny, quirky, and the kind of person you want to high-five all the time. She also writes some heartfelt and damn catchy breakup songs. Say What You Mean embodies everything I love about Tegan and Sara, but it also has its own lovable personality. I had the pleasure of interviewing Allison this year.


2) AFI - Burials (Republic)

I sincerely love every post-Very Proud of Ya album. Burials is no exception. It's even the most cohesive record they've done, absent of filler and out-of-character singles. It's atmospheric, layered, and dark. Davey's not at his best, lyrically, but he's at his most vulnerable, and it surely shows. "The Face Beneath the Waves" is more desperate than the most desperate Taylor Swift song (I did not intend to reference her twice in this post), and it's haunting.

1) The Dillinger Escape Plan - One of Us is the Killer (Sumerian)

Mathcore played by experts. These guys write the most jarring tempo shifts, but still piece them together with coherent structure. The first Dillinger LP, Calculating Infinity, is the fan favorite, but I think even that one failed in the latter. OOUITK is among their best records, easily. For every straightforward, melodic rock song ("One of Us is the Killer"), there's a demented hardcore epic ("When I Lost My Bet"). On one lengthy stretch of the album, there's a well-timed pattern to this dynamic. Simply put, every aspect of One of Us is the Killer, from Greg Puciato's vocal range to the beyond-technical guitar work, is bar-raising. This is truly innovative and exciting music.