I love a good list and years end always brings out plenty of "best of" collections. So here is my contribution to the yearly navel gazing. My best of choices in music, movies, books and TV shows. Let the lists begin...
2013 in MUSIC
1 Love Lust Faith + Dreams - 30 Seconds to Mars
2 Loud Like Love - Placebo
3 Burials - AFI
4 13 - Black Sabbath
5 Lightning Bolt - Pearl Jam
Thirty Seconds to Mars keep delivering great music and even better music videos. And their live concert from Malaysia in 2011 was my go to concert for 2013. Usually after listening to Love Lust Faith + Dreams. Definitely my favorite album of 2013.
Placebo knocked it out of the park with Loud Like Love (with the title track being my highest iTunes playcount). And the music video to "To Many Friends" has to be seen to appreciate it's.... uniqueness (as does the lyrics). For mind the best Placebo album ever.
My computer thinks I'm gay
What's the difference anyway
When all the people do all day
Is stare into a phone
AFI's followup to Decemberunderground was very average and I thought that would be if for these guys but Burials comes out swinging. Happily sits along side the black rabbits cover and though no track will probably ever beat Love Like Winter and Miss Murder. 17 Crimes, I Hope You Suffer, and No Resurrection can feel no shame being listed alongside them.
Pearl Jam and Sabbath both proved you can keep making epic music despite the many years since their birth. Not just nostalgia trips for resurrection tours, both albums are fine pieces of work from sublime performers and rank amongst their best works.
Honorable Mentions to March Fires from Birds of Tokyo and the debut album Silence Yourself from the Savages. March Fires got a flogging for a few weeks there and hence went a little "James Blunt" for me afterwards. And the Savages debut is just too new in my collection to really judge it's worth (though I suspect it will have serious legs).
Best music video would have to go to AFI 17 Crimes. Not only is it a fracking brilliant song but the film clip captures that "forever young" vibe to perfection.
If you had a day would you give me a moment?
Would you allow our play to leave no bone unbroken?
Let's love like seventeen
2013 in MOVIES
1 Rush
2 Gravity
3 Oblivion
4 Pacific Rim
5 World War Z
Rush was just that, an epic rush of music, action, pretty girls and fast cars. Easily the most fun at the cinema this is year. Endlessly re-watchable, a new Top Gun for a new decade. Gravity was a wonderful once off experience. Visually breathtaking on the big screen but probably not a repeat view event. Oblivion was the surprise gift for the year. A great yet simple script and gorgeous cinematography made for a rewarding movie experience. One I've already repeated four times.
BRAAAM! What can you say about Pacific Rim other than it delivered what it promised in spades. Massive mother fracking mechas known as Jaegers fighting monstrously huge beasts called Kaiju to the best sound track of the year. Seriously, the title track composed by Ramin Djawadi (who also wrote the Game of Thrones theme) is the stand out theme for many a year. And the guitar work of Tom Morello combined with that BRAAAM sound effect. EPIC!
Lastly, World War Z. Given the well reported script re-writes and multiple re-shoots this should have been a disaster. That it was very watchable and even entertaining was a pleasant surprise. Swarming human zombie pyramids even added something to the zombie genre lexicon.
2013 in BOOKS
1 The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman (2013)
2 Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding (2009)
3 Black Lung Captain by Chris Wooding
4 House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds (2010)
5 Doc by Mary Doria Russell (2011)
6 Blood Eye by Giles Kristian (2009)
7 Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey (2012)
8 World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks (2006)
9 Christian Nation by Frederic C. Rich (2013)
10 Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes (2009)
I got through 50 books in 2013 the majority being a pretty decent read (and thank you goodreads website for collecting such excellent stats). I cannot articulate enough though, how magical Neil Gaiman's Ocean at the End of the Lane was. A book for all readers of any genre taste. Truely magical, and a worthy winner of goodreads people's choice award.
2013 in TV
1 Orphan Black S1
2 Vikings S1
3 Breaking Bad S5
4 Person of Interest S3
5 Game of Thrones S3
Games of Thrones stayed solid with season 3 (though the creation of Reek dragged a little). Emilia Clarke was again the standout in a excellent cast. Person of Interest continues to grow in quality. For a show I rated a "B" at best in it's debut season, it just keeps growing in strength. And the cast is superb, and you look forward to spending time with them each week (much like LOST).
Breaking Bad finished brilliantly (and given how many show finales totally tanked it, thank god). A truly great show destined to go down as a high point in a "golden age" of TV. Heisenberg will most likely never be forgotten.
The real highlight of 2013 though was the debut of two new shows. And by the gods how good were they. Tatiana Maslany deserved every award everywhere for the greatest acting ever in the history of the craft (she actually got ten awards just not an Emmy, for shame). That so many of my favorite characters ever on TV are all played by the same actress. And that they all interact, converse, fight, plot and try to kill each other... makes your head hurt. Who could ever forget the madness of Helena, the sass of Sarah, the smoking hotness of Cosima and the mad, soccer mum and best clone ever, Alison. CLONE CLUB RULES!
And not only did Vikings rock as hard as Thrones but it delivered the greatest show title in the history of TV. And Ragnar Lodbrok's half smile and genuine joy at the death and mayhem of the viking world... will linger long.
