st. tropez Albums of the Year 2013

These days I know I don't make it around as much as I once did. Work keeps me pretty busy, but I still manage to check the site and read the posts from time to time, even if I am unable to contribute on the message boards or in the updating of new posts. However, as has become customary over the last few years, I still compile a EOTY list of my favorite albums. Being the member of n-a-r that has quite an eclectic taste in music, mostly stuff few people have heard of, I look forward to sharing with you yearly. Below you will find my top 20, with a more detailed message for the top 10. Enjoy.

EPs of the year: American Authors S/T EP, Magic Man You Are Here EP, Sir Sly Gold EP, Bear's Den Without/Within EP, Smallpools S/T EP, and Little Children Falling EP.

20. James Blake "Overgrown" (electronic downtempo singer)
19. Jason Isbell "Southeastern" (blues americana, former lead singer of drive-by truckers)
18. CHVRCHES "Bones of What You Believe" (electropop from Ireland)
17. Tunde Baiyewu "Diamond in a Rock" (singer/songwriter adult alternative from England. Imagine Aloe Blacc meets Tracy Chapman)
16. Air Review "Low Wishes" (indie rock)
15. Bastille "Bad Blood" (alternative/indie rock)
14. Andrew Belle "Black Bear" (singer/songwriter with moments of intertwined electronic sounds)
13. Justin Timberlake "The 20/20 Experience" (mainly part I)
12. Sleeping at Last "Atlas" (indie singer/songwriter)
11. Kacey Musgraves "Same Trailer Different Park (country/grammy winner)

10. Penny & Sparrow "Tenboom"

Easy listening folk duo from Texas. Reminds me of The Swell Season minus the accent, but deep, honest, and hurting lyrics. Great listen, and a band that is on the rise within the industry. 

9. Green River Ordinance "Chasing Down the Wind"

Americana, almost borderline country with some of their tunes, GRO is a band i've been fans of for some time, and as their sound keeps evolving, I continue to be infatuated with their sound. Nothing amazing about this album, just very well written and an album I can turn on during most any mood and connect with. 

8. John Mayer "Paradise Valley"

Mayer is Mayer. I love everything he puts out, and while i'm still waiting for another album to hold a light to the powers of Continuum, I welcome the grassroots change he's brought about. You look at musicians he admires like Clapton, and you see the growth and change during their career, and Mayer is experiencing that now. Before long, I think we all will get a revisit from the Mayer that made him great. 

7. J. Cole "Born Sinner"

I never claim to be a rap connoisseur, but I can usually listen to a rap album and tell if it's good or not in the context of flow/lyrics/etc. Born Sinner blew me away, mainly with the first track "Villuminati". All around, I thought this was the best rap album of the year.

6. Vampire Weekend "Modern Vampires of the City"

This album got a ton of love this year from everyone, and I agree with the love. I never touted myself as a VW fan, not really understanding the hype of the first albums, but I understood it with this. Infectious indie pop rock with hooks that are just great. Enjoyable album, and I think I am buying into the bands hype now. 

5. There Will Be Fireworks "The Dark, Dark Bright"

The bands first album was a top 10 album for me a few years back, and the sophomore album did not disappoint. From the second I heard the song/saw the video for "Youngblood", I knew this album was going to hit me just as well as the first album.

4. Gabrielle Aplin "English Rain"

Again, nothing special here. English singer/songwriter who broke out this year, touring with John Mayer and the likes . Infectious songwriter with crazy well written pop songs. This album came along to me at the right time and at the right place. Can't argue with fate. 

3. Volcano Choir "Repave"

I never really was a huge Bon Iver fan, but I enjoyed the first VC album. Not enough to become a huge fan, but enough to be excited about Repave. My excitement was blown away by this album, and I personally think it's better than anything Bon Iver ever released. Call me a cynic, or just call me someone who thinks Justin Vernon is great at his craft, but better when I can actually understand what the hell he is singing and saying.

New band on the block

2. The 1975 "S/T"

New band on the block, and I was absolutely blown away by the album. I'd been following their progression from EP to EP, but put them all together with a more polished sound and you hit a wonderfully mastered disc. "Success is brittle." Wise words spoken from a young man who, at the age of 18, was addicted to cocaine. The battle of life, love, drugs, rock & roll, and teenage angst shine through in the bands debut S/T, the band was given tour dates with Bastille and were even hand-selected to open some dates for The Rolling Stones. For a group of youngsters, that is a huge thing -- and for their overly enjoyable brand of pop rock, it's something that will take them a long way. 

1. Foy Vance "Joy of Nothing"

I realized this year that I pretty much love everything Glassnote Records puts out. From Mumford and Phoenix, to Two Door Cinema Club and CHRVCHES. Foy is another. Irish singer/songwriter just hit it out of the park in my opinion with this release. I caught wind of the first single, "Joy of Nothing" probably in March, and since that day I became obsessed with it. Once the album as a whole was released, I realized how much heart and soul this album had. Lots of outlets have been getting behind Foy and pushing him as the next big thing, with iTunes declaiming him of the best albums of the year for his genre, to websites saying he is a "must watch" in 2014. The album didn't really take off upon release, but thanks to songs appearing in movies and TV shows (namely "Feel for Me"), he continues to slowly climb the charts. Eerily similar to the road that The Fray took when they first launched their major label debut, and how it wasn't until 4-5 months after the release that they just blew up everywhere. 

That is all for now. I hope you enjoyed this little rundown, and I hope you check out some new music. Best to you all in 2014.

100 influential albums 20-1

We've made it to the end. It's been a fun week, sharing my most influential albums  with you all and hearing your thoughts/reactions to them. My boss, on the other hand, probably doesn't like the 30 minutes I take out daily this week to post all of these. Luckily for him, I wrote this up last night and just have to push submit, so I gave him back 28 extra minutes of the work day, which i'll inevitably tack on to my lunch hour for good measure. And yes, I know you all are thinking it... st. tropez does have a 8-5 day job at a desk with a big fancy window. I wear ties to work sometimes too. Anyway, without further adieu, here are the top 20 influential CDs on my life up to this point. Maybe in 10 years, when we're all getting old(er) and still listening to hip new music, i'll revisit this list and give it the 'ol update.

20. Dishwalla "Opaline"

I was always a casual dishwalla fan ever since the days of the one-hit wonder, "counting blue cars". Well, from 1996-2002, I did very little to advance my liking of the band, until they released the wonderful 'Opaline'. I always remembered their early stuff being pretty raw, borderline rock borderline alternative. I was in high school, and was caught in-between a fascination of new rock bands like Trapt and TRUSTcompany, and Dishwalla singlehandedly brought my back to my 90's alternative style with this release. It was fresh, it was different, and it was chilled out. "Somewhere in the Middle" had very mild radio success, but it was the emotional songs like "Every Little Thing", "Home", and "Candleburn" that captured me. And years later, after digging it out of the archive, I rediscovered gems I use to skip over, like "Nashville Skyline" and "Mad Life". 10 years later, it is still I CD I spin and can find a lasting freshness with. 

19. Augustana "All the Stars and Boulevards"

Surprisingly, it was not due to "Boston" that I discovered this song. It was actually the title track. I loved it. I was a freshman in college, and I remember listening to this song on a road trip with my roommate and two other girls. While there wasn't any romance between any of us, I saw right away that this CD was special. As we drove the long and winding country roads of Missouri one night to reach our destination, this CD was our listen of choice. The girls instantly fell in love, had me burn them CDs, and this band kind of became "our" band for our friendship over the years. A year later, once my girlfriend graduated high school in Oklahoma and joined us in Missouri for college, her and I, along with the two girls, took a road trip to Arkansas one weekend to see Augustana and Goo Goo Dolls, and I just remember how fun that experience was. And I remember watching the connection everyone, including me, had made with this band. Everything released since, I always contact those people, my now-ex, and the two girls, and we discuss our thoughts. Nostalgia often times lends itself to impact your mood, your likes and wants. And the nostalgia attached to this album does just that.

18. The New Frontiers "Mending"

It really took me awhile to fully understand this disc. It was strange. Alternative country was the genre they chose to go with back in 06 when they launched, and in 08, after two EPs, they finally released 'Mending'. Shortly after the release and a small tour in support of This Will Destroy You, the band called it quits. They went their own ways, some members joining another Texas band called The Rocketboys, and others kind of did their own thing. I credit this CD with really getting me into folk. You say, "well, Alt Country isn't really folk..." and I agree, but in 2008 and my adult alternative induced state of mind, this CD ushered me into liking what would come in 2010 with the folk explosion in the music scene with the likes of Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver, and others. That bit of twang, the sound of the acoustics, and the laid back approach mixed with a Copeland/Alive In Wild Paint feel ushered me into what I listen to now. That and "Walking On Stones" is still one of my all time favorite songs.

100 influential albums 100-21

Recently, I sat down on a rainy Saturday afternoon looking for something to do outside of work, drinking a cold carlsberg and watching Cast Away. I began to look back at my 25 years of living. I looked at what I was currently listening too, being the resident indie/unknown band/90s styled adult alternative guru of this site, I wanted to revisit my youth and discover where my love for these styles come from. Through the haze of poor memory, of childhood stupidity, and through the four carlsbergs I cracked back during this process, I tried my best to encompass my musical journey and upbringing in 100 discs that, to this point in my life, have impacted not only who I am as a person, but the direction of my musical taste. After pitching the idea to Memphis, he encouraged me to post it on here for all to read and reflect on. I agreed.

So, for the next five days, I will be posting, in chunks of twenty, the 100 most influential albums in my life. Understand, please, this is not my take on the 100 best albums ever, or the 100 most influential albums in the world ever. This is strictly albums that have impacted me. I'm sure there will be surprises for everyone, bands you wouldn't imagine from me, and surely the typical disc you've never even heard of. I will not comment on the discs directly until I hit the final twenty, aside from a small snippet about the entire cluster, but if anyone wants to ask why on a certain disc, please do so in the comments, and i'll tell you my connection with it. So, here we go, time to learn about st. tropez and where my musical influence comes from.

The first 20 are pretty random. Things from rap to 90s pop and alternative. This section really encompasses me to the upmost. It has stuff that my parents introduced me to, to stuff from my childhood, to high school, and even a few modern day releases.

100. Will Smith "Big Willie Style"
99. The Rolling Stones "Forty Licks"
98. Blessid Union of Souls "Walking Off the Buzz"
97. Steel Train "Twilight Tales from the Prairies of the Sun"
96. Gym Class Heroes "The Papercut Chronicles"
95. Prime STH "Underneath The Surface"
94. Silverchair "Neon Ballroom"
93. This Will Destroy You "Young Mountain"
92. The Killers "Hot Fuss"
91. New Found Glory "Self-Titled"
90. Dr. Dre "Chronic 2001"
89. Sublime "Self-Titled"
88. Counting Crows "This Desert Life"
87. Smashing Pumpkins "Mellon Collie and the infinite Sadness"
86. Lucky Boys Confusion "Throwing The Game"
85. Ryan Adams "Love is Hell"
84. Savage Garden "Self-Titled"
83. Parachute "Losing Sleep"
82. SR-71 "Now You See Inside"
81. Peter Bradley Adams "Leavetaking"
80. Red Hot Chili Peppers "Californication"


The second set of twenty-ish, 79-60, really draws a lot from my high school years with a lot of punk rock and pop punk, along with the lone radio-friendly crap rock of the late 90's-early 00's.


79. Limp Bizkit "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water"
78. The Jealous Sound "Kill Them With Kindness"
77. Sugar Ray "14:59"
76. Lydia "Illuminate"
75. Nine Days "The Madding Crowd"
74. The Midway State "Holes"
73. Mat Kearney "Bullet"
72. Mae "Destination: Beautiful"
71. Sugarcult "Start Static"
70. Mumford & Sons " Sigh No More"
69. July For Kings "Swim"
68. Stone Temple Pilots "Thank You"
67. Better Than Ezra "Closer"
66. The All-American Rejects "Self-Titled"
65. Paper Route "Absence"
64. Tonic "Lemon Parade"
63. Oasis "What's The Story (Morning Glory)"
62. Thursday "Full Collapse"
61. Kimone "The Mill"
60. Radiohead "Kid A"


Halfway there. 59-40 provides the pivotal turning point in my musical exploration. Influence is as vast as you'll see in the list on these twentyish discs, from christian to rock, brit rock to rock, rap to classic rock/oldies, and punk/emo to unknown. This is truly the epitome of the list, and the widest array on the list.


59. Minus The Bear "Highly Refined Pirates"
58. Switchfoot "The Beautiful Letdown"
57. This Is Me Smiling "Self-Titled"
56. We The Kings "Self-Titled"
55. There Will Be Fireworks "Self-Titled"
54. Puff Daddy and the Family "No Way Out"
53. Kings of Leon "Only By The Night"
52. Dashboard Confessional "The Places You've Come to Fear the Most"
51. Vertical Horizon "Everything You Want"
50. Snow Patrol "Final Straw"
49. Matchbox Twenty "Yourself or Someone Like You"
48. Blink-182 "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket"
47. The Juliana Theory "Emotion is Dead"
46. Death Cab for Cutie "Transatlanticism"
45. Jimi Hendrix "Experience Hendrix"
44. Foo Fighters "The Colour and Shape"
43. Linkin Park "Hybrid Theory"
42. The Spill Canvas "Sunsets & Car Crashes"
41. Jackson Browne "Solo Acoustic"
40. Lifehouse "No Name Face"


The final set of songs before we hit the top 20. As we creep closer to the top, it's fairly evident that these discs hold a lot of meaning to me. Just to name a few, Aerosmith's "Young Lust", albeit a greatest hits album, really got me into the back catalog of the band and formed an unhealthy obsession with songs like "Dream On", "Girls of Summer", "Sweet Emotion" and "Jaded". Kanye's '808...' was the CD I spun constantly while living in London, and Springsteen's 'The River' was one of my dads favorite records and one I grew up with. Jars of Clay was the first CD I ever owned that wasn't a jock jams mash up, and P.O.S. caught my attention on 'Audition', but redefined what hip-hop was to me on 'Never Better', as Frank Ocean did with R&B. Name Taken was a CD I bought on a whim, but after months of spinning it, realized it was something special and still something I spin regularly today. As for JEW, I couldn't really decide on what disc impacted me more, because both did at different times in my life. Flickerstick was the best live show I saw growing up in middle school until I saw Elton John, and has since been passed by numerous other shows, but it's still a band (winner of VH1's Bands on the Run) that I hold close to my childhood.
20-1 I will comment on each disc and it's importance to me, and will feature in an entirely separate post. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, and to revealing my top 20 most impactful albums on my life to this point tomorrow.


39. Acceptance "Phantoms"
38. Justin Kings and the Apologies "Self-Titled"
37. Aerosmith "Young Lust"
36. Incubus "Morning View"
35. Kanye West "808's and Heartbreaks"
34. Trapt "Self-Titled"
33. Bruce Springsteen "The River"
32. Jars of Clay "Self-Titled"
31. City & Colour "Sometimes"
30. Feeder "Pushing The Senses"
29. P.O.S. "Never Better"
28. Last Days of April "Angel Youth"
27. Frank Ocean "Nostalgia, Ultra"
26. Eve 6 "It's All In Your Head"
25. Name Taken "Hold On"
24. MuteMath "Self-Titled"
23. Jimmy Eat World "Clarity / Futures"
22. Emerson Hart "Cigarettes & Gasoline"
21. Flickerstick "Welcoming Home the Astronauts"

Presenting: The Tower and The Fool

It's not often a disc comes along that moves me from start to finish. As I sit here trying to recall, I am hard-pressed to think that the last CD that struck me this hard was The Dangerous Summer's Reach For The Sun. Sure, other releases like Frank Ocean's Nostalgia, Ultra strike me for awhile, but the lasting value in minimal and the songs became just that, songs. They don't carry their emotion from listen to listen throughout the days/months/years.

The Tower and The Fool released their first EP in 2010. Drawing influence from artists like Wilco, Ryan Adams, and Counting Crows, the band pushed forth in 2011 to record their first full-length with ex-Hot Rod Circuit member Mike Poorman on drums, and a few other members covering everything from slide guitar to the ivory. Over the year, they wrote, recorded, and produced what would become their first full-length, How Long, released on Run For Cover Records. With a week of listening under my belt, I can't promise that it will be one of those long lasting CDs like The Dangerous Summer, but after first listen, my heart felt like it did when I first heard Reach For The Sun, which is a good indication that this CD has lasting value for me. So, for clarities sake, I will pencil it in as a lasting listen, but due to time restraint and minimal time with the disc, I won't ink it yet. 

With a dose of Ryan Adams-indie-twang mixed with the feel of The Horrible Crows, lyrical content that is heavily influenced by Adam Duritz, and vocals, at times, reminiscent of AJ from The Dangerous Summer, this disc has won me over. It is one hell of a sad record, but sad in a good way. It's not depressing, it's just heartbreaking. Songs of lost love, songs of anguish, songs of brokenness, songs of relationships. The band has started to gain a notice on absolutepunk, being featured as an ABSOLUTExlusive, gaining praise from staff members and reviewers, and threads filled with listeners who are blown away by the bands work and claiming to as a early candidate for many AOTY lists. I encourage everyone to give this disc a listen from front to back, then again and again and again. It is powerful, and it seems like every new spin, I discover something else golden. Below is a stream of the CD, available courtesy of Bandcamp.

Personal favorites: "Dive Bar", "How Long", "Breach", "Scoliosis", "My Heart is Dead in NYC"

Revisiting: Lights Action

Amidst a week of work travel, I was given time to rediscover some bands that had seen the graveyard that is my iPod. While I constantly load it full of music, i'd estimate only 25% of the stuff actually gets listened too. While sitting on a plane scrolling through my rolodex of lost albums, I stumbled upon one that hasn't been listened too in quite some time. And that feeling of memories flooded back. And I remembered how much Lights Action debut (and to this date only) album impacted me.

The 5-piece British band got their start in the early 2000's, but didn't set the final lineup that would make Lights Action until 2007. In 2007, they released a mini album on British Sony imprint label, Xtra Mile. The early sound of the band never really caught my attention, and only had an average rating from Kerrang! After some time off, enhancing and adjusting their overall direction and sound, and deciding not to release their new work on Xtra Mile, the band started to write and record what would become Welcome to the New Cold World, with a budget of £15k. They sought out help from other recording artists, including Dallas Green (city and colour) and the boys of Canadian fan favorites Moneen. They produced a disc chock full of sound with varying Influences, but there is something for everyone. The band uses anything from piano to organ, to mellotrons, to live strings. With a sound of alternative indie rock in the styling of Death Cab, to stadium rock, to moments of Kings of Leon-esque country rock twang, the band covers it all.

Slowly, the band began to see benefits of their new sound, being hailed the British Arcade Fire by NME, The Daily Record calling their style "epic" and songwriting style along the lines of U2 and Coldplay. The CD was well received by the media, gaining 7/10 from NME, 4/5 from AU Magazine and Narc Magazine, but never really reached the masses as it should have. Here is the opening track, "Moscow", from the 2009 release.

Revisiting: Abandoned Pools

While I do not post often, I have decided the majority of my posts for NAW will be revisiting bands from my past that I really enjoyed, but maybe didn't take off like planned. Previously, I took a look at the tremulous career of one Alpha Rev, dubbed one of the next big acts by numerous music biz people, but never got the push they deserve. For this post, i'll revisit the climatic sounds of Abandoned Pools.

The first time I heard Abandoned Pools was in the summer of 2001. Born from the ashes of Tommy leaving his perviously well-known band, The Eels, due to creative differences, Tommy formed a few short-lived bands before focusing on his solo work, later named Abandoned Pools. Humanistic was released in 2001, with the song "The Remedy" being pushed heavily in rotation at rock radio stations around the US. While it was classified as a solo project, many friends of Tommy often helped in the recording and touring process, including Bryan Head (worked with Foreigner, Live, Eddie Vedder, Dave Navarro, and others).

After falling in love with the darkness of "The Remedy", fans were starved of new music for 4 years. Abandoned Pools eventually signed with Universal, released the progressive rock gem Armed to the Teeth. The album had little push from the label, so a few months after its release, Tommy walked away from the label, went on hiatus from Abandoned Pools, and worked on two side projects - alt-rock band Glacier Hiking with Ryan Teddar (of onerepublic fame) and electronic band oliver the penguin - all while working at an Apple Store in California to pass the time and pay the bills. In 2011, he picked Abandoned Pools back up, signed a record deal with Tooth & Nail Records, and is planning the release of a new CD, his first release in 7 years, entitled Sublime Currency. Below are a selection of songs from his two previous LPs, as well as one new song. While Tommy has yet to hit the success many thought Abandoned Pools were capable of, there is one last shot of hope on the horizon for Abandoned Pools, Tommy, and his career under the moniker.

"Waiting To Panic" off of Armed to the Teeth

"Lethal Killers" off of Armed to the Teeth

"The Remedy" off of Humanistic

"Marigold" off the upcoming album Sublime Currency

Introducing: Alpha Rev

After months of wondering what to post about, trying to find the right band and the right amount of time needed to post something, I have finally figured out who to share with you guys. I figured from time to time i'd drop in with a band I enjoy that I hope you guys will enjoy as well. Some you may have heard of, others of them you won't know anything about. So, here is the first installment of st. tropez section titled "introducing".

Alpha Rev: In 08, during the myspace boom, they were ranked as one of myspace's top unsigned bands, and were even given the crown of top unsigned band in all of Texas. In 2010, Alpha Rev released their first major label CD, New Morning, to critical praise. The lead single, "New Morning" saw success on VH1, peaking at 7 on the countdown, and peaked at 100 on the Billboard Top 100. However, due to horrible push from their record label, Hollywood Records, the disc went unseen by many, even though a number of the songs were picked up by American television shows, and even the computer game The Sims. The band, since the release, has opened up for acts like Pete Yorn, The Script, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Staind.

"New Morning"


"Phoenix Burn"