The Young Folks’ Best Music of 2013

The Young Folks team has come together to list the very best in entertainment and pop culture for the year 2013!

From Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience to Arcade Fire’s Reflektor, our tastes in music may slightly differ, but there’s no doubt that 2013 gave us some of the most interesting albums in a long while. Click through the slideshow to see each writer’s list, and sound off in the comments with your favorite albums of 2013!

[tps_title]Cristina Moreano’s Top 10 Albums of 2013[/tps_title]

1. Arctic Monkeys – AM

2. Arcade Fire – Reflektor

3. The National – Trouble Will Find Me

4. Jake Bugg – Jake Bugg

5. The Strokes – Comedown Machine

6. Franz Ferdinand – Right Thoughts Right Words, Right Actions

7. The Strypes – Snapshot

8. Kings of Leon – Mechanical Bull

9. Phoenix – Bankrupt!

10. The 1975 – The 1975

[tps_title]Cachie Gonzalez’s Top 10 Albums of 2013[/tps_title]

1.     Demi Lovato – Demi

2.     Ellie Goulding- Halcyon Days

3.     Fall Out Boy – Save Rock and Roll

4.     Katy Perry – Prism

5.     Lorde – Pure Heroine

6.     Major Lazer – Free the Universe

7.     Jay Z – Magna Carta Holy Grail

8.     Miley Cyrus – Bangerz

9.     Avicii – True

10.  Lady Gaga – Artpop

[tps_title]Maxwell Haddad’s Top 10 Albums of 2013[/tps_title]

10. The 20/20 Experience by Justin Timberlake – While not as strong as his earlier solo records, this is still one of the best pop albums of this year and has a fun and diverse group of 70s inspired tunes.

9. The Electric Lady by Janelle Monae – Ms. Monae proves that her talent knows no boundaries with this album that exists in all genres while somehow feeling like a harmonious, funky, fresh adventure.

8. Once I Was An Eagle by Laura Marling – Ethereal, lyrical, moody, and sexy: a gorgeous combination.

7. Paramore by Paramore – I had written this band off until they returned with this self-titled confection of terrific pop rock songs that shows a newfound confidence and sense of fun.

6. mbv by My Bloody Valentine – Who knew that they would return in 2013 after 20 years? An incredible surprise and a beautiful, guitar soaked album.

5. The Next Day by David Bowie – As strange and thoughtful as you’d expect from Bowie, although this is a better album than he has produced in some time.

4. Modern Vampires of the City by Vampire Weekend – A fun, sweet, effortless pop album that was the perfect soundtrack for the summer.

3. Random Access Memories by Daft Punk – Incredible collaborations led way to great dance tracks that are still stuck in my head many months later.

2. Inside Llewyn Davis Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Is it cheating to put a soundtrack on here? I’d argue no when the soundtrack consists of all new recordings by the film’s cast and collaborators. Gorgeous, haunting folk tunes that accentuate the gloomy winter days with aplomb.

1. New by Paul McCartney – Sir Paul is, of course, an all time great. Yet I don’t love all of his solo records and I thought his best days were behind him. Wrong. This is a surprising, deft, masterful pop record that proves that there are no constraints on creativity and no ties on talent. Not only one of Sir Paul’s best solo albums ever, but my favorite record of the year.

[tps_title]Gabrielle Bondi’s Top 10 Albums of 2013[/tps_title]

I was surprised by how many albums I truly enjoyed listening to this year. It was hard narrowing them down to ten. So I decided to take a look at the 2013 albums I’ve listened to the most and/or found to be the most memorable and astounding.

1. Phoenix – Bankrupt!

2. Beyoncé – Beyoncé

3. Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience

4. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories

5. Kanye West – Yeezus

6. Haim – Days Are Gone

7. Lorde – Pure Heroine

8. OneRepublic – Native

9. Kings of Leon – Mechanical Bull

10. Miley Cyrus – Bangerz

[tps_title]Melissa Berne’s Top 10 Songs of 2013[/tps_title]

1. Tunnel Vision by Justin Timberlake

2. ***Flawless by Beyoncé

3. Work B*tch by Britney Spears

4. I Know What You Did in The Dark by Fall Out Boy

5. Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

6. Get Lucky by Daft Punk ft. Pharrell Williams

7. TKO by Justin Timberlake

8.  Tom Ford by Jay Z

9. Elastic Heart by Sia ft. The Weeknd

10. DUI by Ciara

[tps_title]Michaela Nardo’s Top 10 Albums of 2013[/tps_title]

1. Once I Was an Eagle by Laura Marling – Marling has a voice so unique and passionate that it’s hard to believe she’s only 23. Once I Was an Eagle is a strong album–many agree the best of her four records–and in my opinion, no other album of 2013 can touch Marling’s lyrics and heart.

2. Modern Vampires in the City by Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend add some maturity but never skimp on their poppy, afro-beat, indie-rock vibes, making for the perfect record for any time of the year.

3. The Complete 20/20 Experience by Justin Timberlake – JT’s back and better than ever. Soul, pop, R&B, and so much more, Timberlake shows off his ability to make an album appreciated by a variety of genres and loved by so many fans. Plus, he provided us with some of the catchiest hooks of the year. Never go away again, JT!

4. Days are Gone by HAIM – My love for Haim knows no bounds; these three sisters are effortlessly cool and musically talented to boot. “The Wire” stole our hearts and “Forever” never gave it back. A true indie-darling, Days are Gone is a must-have for 2013 and promises one of the biggest festival acts of 2014.

5. Pure Heroine by Lorde – Grammy-nominated and just 17, Lorde came out from nowhere as one of the most talked-about and anticipated artists of 2013. Her debut album delivers with smart lyrics and catchy tunes.

6. Vessel by twenty | one | pilots – Inspirational lyrics with a hidden message is what twenty | one| pilots are all about. Vessel, the sophomore album from the Ohio duo adds a techno twist to a hip-hop/spoken word performance and reminds you that everything will be alright, life is worth living, and love is most important. I dig it.

7. Let’s Be Still by The Head and the Heart – Folk remained prevalent in 2013. The Head and the Heart brought back their signature sound to make their sophomore album a beast. A lot of boot-stompin’ goodness.

8. The Catching Fire Soundtrack by Various Artists  – Hear me out, while complied by various artists, The Catching Fire Soundtrack is one of my favorite albums of the year. Why? It tells the story of the love and upcoming war prevalent in Catching Fire. Plus, the range of artists is amazing, from Christina Aguilera to The Lumineers, all the artists pull together to weave a lovely album for a powerful story.

9. Beyoncé by Beyoncé – I won’t lie, I haven’t had the time to listen to this whole album. But, the way Beyoncé struck the music industry with a surprise, video-laden Beyoncé experience added some spice to the growing and changing industry. Plus, Beyoncé is all about female empowerment, which is a good message to be preaching.

10. The Magpie and the Dandelion by The Avett Brothers  – A little bit of country and a little bit of rock-n’-roll, The Avett Brothers never fail to disappoint. With a heck of a live performance to back up their musical game, The Magpie and the Dandelion is a musical masterpiece and one that you should take the time to hear live.

[tps_title]Allyson Johnson’s Top 10 Albums of 2013[/tps_title]

1.       Laura Stevenson- Wheel

2.       Foy Vance- Joy of Nothing

3.       Justin Timberlake- The 20/20 Experience

4.       The National- Trouble Will Find Me

5.       Frightened Rabbit- Pedestrian Verse

6.       Tegan and Sara- Heartthrob

7.       Los Campesinos! – No Blues

8.      The Naked and Famous- In Rolling Waves

9.       Waxahatchee – Cerulean Salt

10.   A Great Big Pile of Leaves- You’re Always On My Mind

[tps_title]Jon Espino’s Top 10 Albums of 2013[/tps_title]

1. “Beyoncé” , Beyoncé
2. “Yeezus” , Kanye West
3. “Reflektor” , The Arcade Fire
4. “Modern Vampires of the City” , Vampire Weekend
5. “Random Access Memories” , Daft Punk
6. “Pure Heroine” , Lorde
7. “Bangerz” , Miley Cyrus
8. “Silence Yourself” , Savages
9. “The 20/20 Experience” , Justin Timberlake
10. “Magna Carta Holy Grail” , Jay Z

[tps_title]Luciana Villalba’s Top 10 Albums of 2013[/tps_title]

1. The 20/20 Experience – Justin Timberlake

2. Beyoncé – Beyoncé

3. Magna Carta – Jay Z

4. Random Access Memories – Daft Punk

5. Settle – Disclosure

6. Yeezus – Kanye West

7. Bankrupt! – Phoenix

8. AM – Arctic Monkeys

9. Nothing Was The Same – Drake

10. Long.Live.A$AP – A$AP Rocky

[tps_title]Alex Hanavan’s Top 10 Albums of 2013[/tps_title]

1. Get Wet – Krewella

2. 20/20 Experience – Justin Timberlake

3. Save Rock and Roll – Fall Out Boy

4. The Hands That Thieve – Streetlight Manifesto

5. True – Avicii

6. Intense – Armin van Buuren

7. Random Access Memories – Daft Punk

8. To Be Loved – Michael Bublè

9. Dear Miss Lonelyhearts – Cold War Kids

10. Yeezus – Kanye West

[tps_title]James Gilbert’s Top Music of 2013[/tps_title]

Which albums/songs were your favorites of the year?

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