Top 3 albums of 2013 (by Debora Pereira)
So here we go!!
1. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – …Like Clockwork (released in June by Matador Records)
No presentations needed for QOTSA ladies & gentlemen! The guest appearances made this a special album: Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys), James Lavelle (UNKLE), Dave Grohl, former drummer Castillo, a new drummer Jon Theodore (ex-The Mars Volta, One Day as a Lion), Elton John, Trent Reznor (NIN), Mark Lanegan, Nick Oliveri & others.
First single was “My God Is The Sun“. If you’re a QOTSA fan you’ll recognize the QOTSA’s swing and the (almost) anarchic solos. SUPER BOCK SUPER ROCK (a Portuguese Summer Festival made them a headliner and let me tell you the concert was AWESOME!).
Curiosity: “I Appear Missing” is about the personal experience of Josh Homme: “I had surgery on my leg and there were complications and I died on the table.”
2. ATOMS FOR PEACE – Amok (released in February by XL Recordings)
Atoms For Peace is a kind of super band: Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, and piano), Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich (keyboards, synthesizers, guitars), Beck and R.E.M.’s Joey Waronker (drums) Forro in the Dark instrumentalist Mauro Refosco (percussion).
Formed in 2009 in Los Angeles (CA), Amok is their debut album.
The genre? Well it is dead right? So this could be described as experimental rock or electronic or anything in between. The energy is huge and the voice is superb. The natural evolution of Radiohead’s electronic vein, I would say, but with such a quality that it makes us believe rock is ALIVE on electronic shoes. Close your eyes and try on “Before Your Very Eyes“.
3. BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB – (released in March by Vagrant Records)
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (BRMC) is an American rock band from San Francisco (CA) coming to the scene in 1998. BRMC live from those good and old influences such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Oasis, The Velvet Underground, Jesus and Mary Chain… Pure quality rock’n’roll!
The single “Let the day begin” is a cover of The Call (1989) and it is my favorite. Maybe because it reminds me of the good American “motard” rock! Though there’s a smoother side of the band in this album, even the renown critics recognized its quality.
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Others in my mind: Artic Monkey’s AM, STP’s EP High Rise, Nine Inch Nails’ Hesitation Marks, Joe Satriani’s Unstoppable Momentum, 30 Seconds to Mars’s Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams, Pearl Jam’s Lightning Bolt, Placebo’s Loud Like Love, Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories.
