5 Albums that Should’ve Made Rolling Stone’s Top 50 But Didn’t (and Why They Should’ve, Darnit)

When some people think of December, their minds go to Christmas, finishing up finals, and rotating through hanging out with friends from home and eating your way through at least 30 of your grandma’s cookies (no shame I actually did this). However, for others (like myself), December signifies the pinnacle of all music related news: Rolling Stone’s Top 50 Albums of the Year. Even though my heart gushed with pride at four of my favorite bands cracking this year’s top 20 (Laura Marling, The National, Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire), I noticed after reading that there were a few albums that seemed to be missing and definitely deserved recognition (or at least a better shot at the top 50 than Yeezus). I digress. Here are five albums that I believe deserve a shout out from the big people in charge, or at least have a little more artistic integrity than a music video of you and your girlfriend riding a motorcycle in front of a green screen.

1.     Spreading Rumours – Grouplove

This album is hands down one of my favorites of 2013. Not only because of the musical content, but what that content represents about Grouplove. If you’ve ever seen Grouplove live, you know that their shows are basically 45 minutes of non-stop dance party with apparel that varies from bathrobes to sequened leotards, barreling toward an explosion of a finale (usually a cover of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”). To me, this album represents the honing in of what sets the band apart from every other 15.5 piece hippie outfit coming out of California right now; organized chaos. Where Never Trust a Happy Song came at you with simplistic, calculated singles thrown together into a clean, polished album, Spreading Rumors is like accidentally slipping into the jumbled brain of Grouplove and discovering new talent and mind blowing complexity at every turn. Quite frankly, I think the reason I like it so much is because it sounds like 5 friends in the studio improvising and banging on instruments and not giving two fleurs about song structure or their label. Party on, crazy kids. I expect more 8 minute songs with 3 rhythm changes on the next album.

2.     Static – Cults

The mystique that was Cults’ first self-titled album and the almost Daft Punk-esque emphasis on personal privacy made the band one of the most talked about and intriguing bands of 2011. The fact that Cults didn’t care about you just made you love them that much more, and made them that much greater to brag about. However, Static seems to have fallen through the cracks of most notable music publications. What made fans and critics alike fall in love with their self-titled album seamlessly continues into Static, with an even more defined sound and catchier riffs. Where the first album lacks in overall depth and dimension, Static delivers and then some. As a whole, Static is Cults’ progression of what made them so successful in the first place – combining vintage R&B with girly indie pop to create a record that all hipsters can dance to and still feel validated that yes, they still know more about underground music than you.

3.     Glow – Royal Teeth

Do they really belong on this list? Probably not, but they’re from New Orleans and their live shows are infectiously optimistic and make me remember why I chose to come to school here in the first place. Support local music yo.  

4.     Cave Rain – Crystal Fighters

I like these guys for basically the same reasons as Grouplove – insanely infectious California indie pop that you can’t help but smile at mixed with random instrumentals that make them unique enough to become stuck in your head for days. Everything about this album screams their band philosophy to live life as freely and optimistically as humanly obtainable. If this genre is just a trend, then I want to hang on to it as much as possible, preferably longer than the pop-punk phases of yesteryear (RIP My Chemical Romance).

5.     Hummingbird – Local Natives

In a similar ascension to Cults, Local Natives became a household name in the indie world in 2010 with Gorilla Manor. Natives take their signature style of intricate percussive elements and harmonies that could melt even the most hipster hating heart and totally shatter the glass ceiling of what was expected of them with Hummingbird. With even more haunting vocals, Hummingbird represents a departure from the excited urgency that marked their first album and takes the listener into a world of melodic calm and songs that build seamlessly from simplistic chords to intricate percussion, harmonies, and instruments. Local Natives is not a surface band, which they make perfectly clear in Hummingbird. Every listen brings out a different side and a new realization, which makes me wonder if it’s possible for the world to actually stop spinning if more people don’t listen to this album.