ADELE had two great pop songs. The rest of the album is the producer trying bring out as much of her limited talent as possible.

7 and 12 are great albums in the true sense of the word.

35 and 44 should have been in the top ten. The artists have real talent and real songwriting ability.

The country albums were all nothing more than a bunch of pop artists trying to being Gillian Welch and Ray LaMontangue, who both had great albums out this year.

FriarReb98: A bandmate of mine who's also a voice teacher put it best: If she would've just hit transpose down a key or so on her keyboard in "Someone Like You," it'd be a great song and she wouldn't squeal the high note every goddamned time. Oh, and she needs to lose five pounds, all from her fake eyelashes or mascara, whichever it actually is.

Exactly. If anyone should win an award for that album it should be the producer. "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You" are the kind of songs you trade off of for the rest of your career. "Look what I was able to do for her. Now pay me lots of money."

Wait. People take Rolling Stone seriously?

People still look to Rolling Stone to decide what music they should listen to? huh

I don't have any of those.

That means I won, right?

What's an album?

Have #41, heard #38, suck it mainstream

My favourite album of the year is Nightwish's "Imaginaerum". I've had it a week, and barely listened to anything else, so I suppose I might be biased by its newness.

Only thing I'd change about it is to turn the loudness down, but that could be argued for most recently produced albums. If I want it loud, I've got a volume knob, and I know how to use it, Mr Producer.

I'm a huge Radiohead fan and King of Limbs is almost unlistenable. I liked Wild Flag, Wilco and I just discovered Jessica Lea Mayfield this year.

Sarcastica75: I like the lady, and think she has a very beautiful voice. But number one? No.

Well it was a weak year for music. And I would expect that kind of a pick from Rolling Stone.

i'm going to take a stab in the dark here and guess that there are no heavy metal albums, or even mainstream hard rock albums, in this entire list. why? because experience has taught me that "serious" music critics completely ignore heavy metal music. every other genre, from country to hip hop to jazz to pop rock, will be mentioned and considered, but for some reason heavy metal is completely ignored by the vast majority of music critics.

#1 on this list is probably something by radiohead or kanye west or u2. music critics can't seem to get enough of those guys. and i'm not trying to imply that those musicians are bad. but if you took all of their greatest albums and put them in a blender, the end result would not be 1/100th as amazing as machine head's new album.

i would rather listen to a terrible megadeth album (their new one comes to mind) than the greatest album by kanye west or radiohead, or whatever other pop and hip hop albums are in their top ten.

MagSeven: I'm a huge Radiohead fan and King of Limbs is almost unlistenable.

This

enderthexenocide: i'm going to take a stab in the dark here and guess that there are no heavy metal albums, or even mainstream hard rock albums, in this entire list. why? because experience has taught me that "serious" music critics completely ignore heavy metal music. every other genre, from country to hip hop to jazz to pop rock, will be mentioned and considered, but for some reason heavy metal is completely ignored by the vast majority of music critics.

#1 on this list is probably something by radiohead or kanye west or u2. music critics can't seem to get enough of those guys. and i'm not trying to imply that those musicians are bad. but if you took all of their greatest albums and put them in a blender, the end result would not be 1/100th as amazing as machine head's new album.

i would rather listen to a terrible megadeth album (their new one comes to mind) than the greatest album by kanye west or radiohead, or whatever other pop and hip hop albums are in their top ten.

Hey your taste is your taste. If you don't like Radiohead you don't have to listen to them. The problem I have is that metal is kind of like pop: shallow for the sake of being shallow. There's nothing wrong with that but it's probably why critics don't like it. Of course it doesn't explain why pop music is usually taken seriously, but I imagine that's just for commercial reasons.

Not sure if trolling.

enderthexenocide: i would rather listen to a terrible megadeth album (their new one comes to mind) than the greatest album by kanye west or radiohead, or whatever other pop and hip hop albums are in their top ten.

So instead of attempting to listen to other types of music and judge their quality independently of your own taste; you'd rather rant about how heavy metal is not loved by music people.

Perhaps the reason you don't see hard rock acts with good albums anymore is because they suck as musicians and have not evolved beyond power cords and screaming into a mic. Making white males angry is easy, making quality music that does more than make white males angry isn't.

BOOGNISH!

Sorry Rolling Stone.. like pretty much all of your other 'top 50' lists.. this one is pure fail.

Where the fark is:



????????

LewDux: Have #41, heard #38, suck it mainstream

Own #5, have accidentally heard bits of #6, most of #20, one track off #38.

I need to get out less I think.

Underwater Bystander: MagSeven: I'm a huge Radiohead fan and King of Limbs is almost unlistenable.

This

I don't call it unlistenable, but it's borderline forgettable, with the exception of Codex, which is amazing. The last disc had to 'grow' on me (as did Eraser), this one seems unable to... though the tunes are actually better live, which is nice to hear.

Opeth's "Heritage" is in the same category. I see what they're trying, but by and large it's less thought out than previous efforts.

Gunny Highway: [www.lmlyp.com image 400x400]

BOOGNISH!

Don't caress the weasel.

I met Watt on this tour. Couldnt be a nicer guy. Signed a copy of the album for me and took a picture. It was a pleasure.

/make sure you have tea for the guy

I recognize maybe a third of those artists. Fark, I'm getting old.

enderthexenocide: i'm going to take a stab in the dark here and guess that there are no heavy metal albums, or even mainstream hard rock albums, in this entire list. why? because experience has taught me that "serious" music critics completely ignore heavy metal music. every other genre, from country to hip hop to jazz to pop rock, will be mentioned and considered, but for some reason heavy metal is completely ignored by the vast majority of music critics.

Mastadon is on the list.

It's sad that Cormorant - Dwellings isn't, however. (new window)

kab: Mastadon is on the list.

Solid album.



This was a fun live album. The Melvins also released a live box set. I am thinking about asking Mrs. Highway to get it for me for Christmas.

Gunny Highway: kab: Mastadon is on the list.

Solid album.

[ihrtn.com image 500x500]

This was a fun live album. The Melvins also released a live box set. I am thinking about asking Mrs. Highway to get it for me for Christmas.

Ah, I miss seeing Buzz at Astroburger.

I really wanted to like the new Beastie Boys, but i'm done with them after this album. Their backing tracks are sharp, and there's a certain novelty to hearing their voices after all these years, but their lyrics are TERRIBLE. None of their songs are.... about anything. Every lyric is just some variation of "yo, i'm cool, we have skills, party to the break of dawn, i am [insert random classic TV reference] and then party to the break-a-break-a dawn!"

I can't take that crap anymore. Anyone can fling out meaningless rhymes. Look, watch me...

Yo, yo!

Yo.

You biatch. I hate your face.

I'll knock you down and kick

you in the farking dick.

You're an ineffectual

homosexual

gayer than a Draco Malfoy fanboy

smearing topical cream on his hemorrhoids

and these droids?

There are the ones you're looking for

but you'll never fit them through the door

unless you widen it.

Why you hiding it?

Can't you criticize my plan without deriding it?

Do it for your mother's sake

she needs to get inside and stuff her farking face with cake

because she's bigger than the biatch from Norbit

and Dom DeLuise

you can track that ass from orbit

if you please.

But i still love her.

We come together

under the covers

like two butt cheeks,

but whenever we're together, i'm like,

dude

what reeks.

Eddie Murphy knows what to do

with that butt-naked zebra biatch that he has

back at his pad

named Oomfoofoo.

shiat against the bricks, just to see if it sticks

that's what you're throwing

floating along in your cloud of unknowing.

If you try to fly, you'll die

but you might just make it

if you stand in one place

flap your arms and fake it.

Seek your freedom!

Like the lemmings headed for the cliff, do you see 'em?

Ignore the warnings of the bipolar

high rollers

and race past Vegas on a skateboard

attached to the back of a Porsche

with the pedal floored

and head north

past Carson City, Reno, into Idaho

and vanish into Challis National

...wait, why'd you go?

I dunno.

Now there you go again, down into your hidey-hole

running from my flow which is fresher than the Ty-d-bol Man,

and sweeter than the liquid that you find inside a cola can

am i gonna have to mention Mola Ram

again before you feel this in your heart?

Can you appreciate that orange before you peel it all apart?

Don't throw your loyalty to the vicious rogues

who are just in vogue for the moment;

nay, stay true to the royalty

and the wielders of the keen swords

who guard the deep forests and the green swards

and they will teach you how to wield a blade and sword fight

even if they make you sleep inside the courtyard for a fortnight.

That's a wart, right?

On your mother's left tit?

I'm sick of sifting through the civet cat shiat

just to find the seasoned beans i need to make my morning coffee

so one last time, Draco, get the fark up off me!

See?

Heh.

WTF Indeed: So instead of attempting to listen to other types of music and judge their quality independently of your own taste; you'd rather rant about how heavy metal is not loved by music people. Perhaps the reason you don't see hard rock acts with good albums anymore is because they suck as musicians and have not evolved beyond power cords and screaming into a mic. Making white males angry is easy, making quality music that does more than make white males angry isn't.

hey, i've listened to other genres before. i've tried to understand what people like about them. i listened to one of radiohead's albums (i think it was hail to the thief, but it was a long time ago) and i hear pop songs on the radio at work all day long. i've heard some of lady gaga's new album. i just think it all sounds boring.

how can anyone with working ears say that the guys in machine head or dream theater or trivium or even in flames say that they "suck as musicians"? the whole reason i listen to metal is because the music is so amazing and unpredictable and challenging. and i could flip your comment about "making white males angry" to pop music and say all it does is make teenage girls happy. how is that any different?

i know music is subjective. what i don't understand is how music critics can apparently disregard an entire musical genre that is otherwise very popular. heavy metal albums debut in the billboard top 40 as often as any other genre. it's a valid musical style with hundreds of respected artists and millions of fans, and yet mainstream critics apparently ignore it when it comes to "best of" lists like this.

thamike: Gunny Highway: kab: Mastadon is on the list.

Solid album.

[ihrtn.com image 500x500]

This was a fun live album. The Melvins also released a live box set. I am thinking about asking Mrs. Highway to get it for me for Christmas.

Ah, I miss seeing Buzz at Astroburger.

I would imagine he is a pretty cool guy. I saw them twice this year and it was freaking awesome. The drumming is out of this world.

Speaking of the drumming I also saw Big Business this year at a pretty small club. Those guys released an EP this year (Quadruple Single (new window)) and I would definitely recommend checking them out if any of you ever have the chance.

WTF Indeed: enderthexenocide: i would rather listen to a terrible megadeth album (their new one comes to mind) than the greatest album by kanye west or radiohead, or whatever other pop and hip hop albums are in their top ten.

So instead of attempting to listen to other types of music and judge their quality independently of your own taste; you'd rather rant about how heavy metal is not loved by music people.

Perhaps the reason you don't see hard rock acts with good albums anymore is because they suck as musicians and have not evolved beyond power cords and screaming into a mic. Making white males angry is easy, making quality music that does more than make white males angry isn't.

Hey now, don't place Radiohead and Kanye together. I'm a huge fan of metal music, and I like a lot of Radiohead's stuff, though some of it is a bit too out there for my tastes. At any rate, they are far better than Kanye will ever be.

And for the second person, stereotyping much? There are a lot of good rock/metal artists out there. I'm not going to think really hard, but Dream Theater, Symphony X, and Clutch come to mind if I take two seconds to think about it.

WTF Indeed: Perhaps the reason you don't see hard rock acts with good albums anymore is because they suck as musicians and have not evolved beyond power cords and screaming into a mic.

Maximum trolling, or just blatant ignorance?

I can't decide.

WTF Indeed: enderthexenocide: i would rather listen to a terrible megadeth album (their new one comes to mind) than the greatest album by kanye west or radiohead, or whatever other pop and hip hop albums are in their top ten.

Perhaps the reason you don't see hard rock acts with good albums anymore is because they suck as musicians and have not evolved beyond power cords and screaming into a mic. Making white males angry is easy, making quality music that does more than make white males angry isn't.

#1 - Please see my prior post regarding Dream Theater's latest offering. Now please click Link (new window) and listen all the way through and maybe you'll rethink your last statement. Far better than anything I've heard from Kanye, for example. If you need a second option, try this Link (new window). Long songs, both.. but also both unique and exceptional creations, and yet are both entirely within the 'metal' genre.

#2 - For the most part, I agree with enderthexenocide's comment regarding the pop and hip-hop 'top ten' drivel.. although I must admit that I don't really like Megadeth's latest offering.

enderthexenocide: WTF Indeed: So instead of attempting to listen to other types of music and judge their quality independently of your own taste; you'd rather rant about how heavy metal is not loved by music people. Perhaps the reason you don't see hard rock acts with good albums anymore is because they suck as musicians and have not evolved beyond power cords and screaming into a mic. Making white males angry is easy, making quality music that does more than make white males angry isn't.

hey, i've listened to other genres before. i've tried to understand what people like about them. i listened to one of radiohead's albums (i think it was hail to the thief, but it was a long time ago) and i hear pop songs on the radio at work all day long. i've heard some of lady gaga's new album. i just think it all sounds boring.

how can anyone with working ears say that the guys in machine head or dream theater or trivium or even in flames say that they "suck as musicians"? the whole reason i listen to metal is because the music is so amazing and unpredictable and challenging. and i could flip your comment about "making white males angry" to pop music and say all it does is make teenage girls happy. how is that any different?

i know music is subjective. what i don't understand is how music critics can apparently disregard an entire musical genre that is otherwise very popular. heavy metal albums debut in the billboard top 40 as often as any other genre. it's a valid musical style with hundreds of respected artists and millions of fans, and yet mainstream critics apparently ignore it when it comes to "best of" lists like this.

Mastodon's about as close as you're going to get. No Cormorant, no Hammers of Misfortune, nor Path of Totality or YOB.

I don't think anyone with any credibility will say that Dream Theatre sucks, but I will say that they and many other metal bands have been choking the same proverbial musical chicken for far too farking long.

You say metal is "amazing and unpredictable and challenging". Well, so is the new classical - have you picked up an album by Max Richter or Nico Muhly? Try the Icelandic composer and musician Olafur Arnalds (not his cousin Olof, who's a pop singer). That genre is neither about making "white males angry" nor "teenage girls happy".

I've figured out as I've grown older that the reason that I don't like metal is that I prefer my music on the minimal side. I'd rather stripped down, an austere examination of the sonic space rather than trying to play every conceivable note in the space of one song. But, that's a personal preference of mine, just as metal is a personal preference of yours.

WTF Indeed: FriarReb98: A bandmate of mine who's also a voice teacher put it best: If she would've just hit transpose down a key or so on her keyboard in "Someone Like You," it'd be a great song and she wouldn't squeal the high note every goddamned time. Oh, and she needs to lose five pounds, all from her fake eyelashes or mascara, whichever it actually is.

Exactly. If anyone should win an award for that album it should be the producer. "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You" are the kind of songs you trade off of for the rest of your career. "Look what I was able to do for her. Now pay me lots of money."

I think she's remarkably overrated. I still contend that people see a fat woman and attribute a depth to her voice that just isn't there.

Also, Rolling in the Deep is great song that was badly overproduced.

Man, I sure did make lots of white males mad at me...

Listen fellas, first none of you obviously read the article. Otherwise you would have realized that of the 50 albums on that list, very few get played on Top 40 stations. Many of those artists can still only be heard on large college radio stations. If you judge all non-metal music by what you hear when you turn on the teenie bopper station, then you really have no idea what kind of music is out there.

From my perspective, heavy metal, hard rock, and rock in general is suffering from the same problem that Rap is, lack of talent and inspiration. Kanye is terrible, but when compared to the rest of the pop-rap out there, he's f*cking Mozart. Gaga is terrible, but when compared to the rest, she's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

bgflores: Well, so is the new classical - have you picked up an album by Max Richter or Nico Muhly? Try the Icelandic composer and musician Olafur Arnalds (not his cousin Olof, who's a pop singer). That genre is neither about making "white males angry" nor "teenage girls happy".

No, but thanks for the recommendations... last "new" disc I had acquired in this vein was by Sebastian Currier.

WTF Indeed: Man, I sure did make lots of white males mad at me...

Listen fellas, first none of you obviously read the article. Otherwise you would have realized that of the 50 albums on that list, very few get played on Top 40 stations. Many of those artists can still only be heard on large college radio stations. If you judge all non-metal music by what you hear when you turn on the teenie bopper station, then you really have no idea what kind of music is out there.

From my perspective, heavy metal, hard rock, and rock in general is suffering from the same problem that Rap is, lack of talent and inspiration. Kanye is terrible, but when compared to the rest of the pop-rap out there, he's f*cking Mozart. Gaga is terrible, but when compared to the rest, she's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

You didn't make me mad. I'm in agreement with you. The difference is, I think that most music (sort of by necessity) is kind of shallow and produced simply for entertainment.

Most metal that I've run across has been vapid and lacking emotional depth or musical complexity. It could be said of most things, it's just the best response I've ever given metal is "that sounds cool."

I really liked The Decemberists album. I liked Radiohead when they made Rock Music. I reckon Radiohead #10 is the oft rumoured return to "old Radiohead". So one more electronic album I can appreciate as being good music but not really enjoy listening to first.

No love for the Black Lips or Atlas Sound?

bgflores: I'd rather stripped down, an austere examination of the sonic space rather than trying to play every conceivable note in the space of one song

You should f*cking love Von then.

Anyways, back to the topic at hand. I've seen a bunch of these end of year lists, but I keep noticing that nobody seems to be acknowledging Rome's absolutely amazing album Die Aesthetik der Herrschaftsfreiheit (ignore sh*tty fan-made video), and I'm seriously wondering why. Would it have something to do with it's limited release? The internet really does fix that problem, so I don't see why it isn't showing up on any of these lists.

Because there are people as lazy as me out there, here you go (new window):

50 The Lonely Island - Turtleneck & Chain
49 Wavves - Life Sux
48 Charles Bradley - No More Time For Dreaming
47 PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
46 White Denim - D
45 Tedeschi Trucks Band - Revelator
44 Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin
43 The Kills - Blood Pressures
42 Destroyer - Kaputt
41 Little Dragon - Ritual Union
40 Gary Clark Jr. - The Bright Lights
39 Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo
38 Mastodon - The Hunter
37 Panda Bear - Tomboy
36 Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks - Mirror Traffic
35 Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong
34 SuperHeavy - SuperHeavy
33 Josh T. Pearson - Last Of The Country Gentlemen
32 Big K.R.I.T. - Return Of 4Eva
31 Miranda Lambert - Four The Record
30 Tom Morello, The Nightwatchman - World Wide Rebel Songs
29 Pistol Annies - Hell On Heels
28 Das Racist - Relax
27 Florence & The Machine - Ceremonials
26 St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
25 Beyoncé - 4
24 Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra.
23 Tom Waits - Bad As Me
22 Drake - Take Care
21 Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
20 Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
19 Eric Church - Chief
18 Feist - Metals
17 TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light
16 R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now
15 Cage The Elephant - Thank You Happy Birthday
14 Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2
13 tUnE-YarDs - w h o k i l l
12 The Black Keys - El Camino
11 My Morning Jacket - Circuital
10 Robbie Robertson - How To Become Clairvoyant
09 Wild Flag - Wild Flag
08 Wilco - The Whole Love
07 The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
06 Lady Gaga - Born This Way
05 Radiohead - The King Of Limbs
04 Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
03 Paul Simon - So Beautiful Or So What
02 Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch The Throne
01 Adele - 21

SharkTrager: Rolling in the Deep is great song that was badly overproduced.

What in the hell are you talking about? That was best produced pop song in at least the last decade.

That list is farking terrible. Any top 50 list that doesn't include Wye Oak or F*cked Up is awful.

On the other hand props for including Tuneyards.