TOP 5 ALBUMS OF 2013

#5. Danny Brown - Old

Full Album

Danny Brown - Lonely

Well it's December and that means time to reflect on the past year in music. This year saw highly anticipated releases from household names such as Kanye West and Justin Timberlake, brilliant introductions from the likes of Jake Bugg and Chance the Rapper, and grizzled vets proving they still have what it takes to compete in the music biz in 2013 including David Bowie and Paul McCartney. All of these albums were great but they still could not make the cut (you'll see some in the honourable mentions section to come). So without further adieu I begin Some Strange Storm's Top 5 Albums of 2013.

Old finds Danny Brown at an introspective point in his career. The rapper is known for his crazy antics and wild partying which are illuminated on tracks such as "Blunt After Blunt" and "Die Like a Rockstar" from his 2012 LP XXX. On Old Danny takes a more serious look at his life and questions what he is doing. On "Clean Up" he raps about being in "hotel rooms crushing pills and menus / daughter sending me messages saying 'Daddy, I miss you' / but in this condition I don't think she need to see me." This brutal honesty proves that Danny can be an intelligent rapper and that he understands the consequences of his lifestyle. This sentiment is echoed during the hook when he proclaims "it's time for me to clean it up / I came too far to fuck it up." It's refreshing to hear an artist admit that their lifestyle is damaging to themselves as well as family and friends.

The album is split into two halves, side A and side B, with side A being more focused on introspection and personal feelings. In the opener "Side A (Old)" he laments how fans and critics want the 'old' hair-braided and dope selling Danny Brown back, telling the listener that this album is going to be different and you're gonna have to deal with it. Highlights of side A include "25 Bucks" which features vocals and production from Montreal duo Purity Ring and is about how Danny and his parents grew up without much money, the ridiculously awesome hook of "like open wide ho" from "Dope Fiend Rental" which features ScHoolboy Q, and the aforementioned "Clean Up" with its deep lyrics and excellent, haunting production.

But the brightest light of this half has to be today's song "Lonely". This song finds Brown opting to rap in a deeper voice, foregoing his higher pitched, unique style. What this does is allows the listener to really listen to his lyrics as he tells of his past and how he's lonely "'cause don't nobody really know [him]." A funny voice also states in French in the intro "well, maybe the bird / the bird sleeping inside of each of us / will rise up", alluding to his desire to change. This deeper style of rapping is brilliantly complimented with the production; gorgeous chiming guitars over a solid back beat and piano flourish plus the gospel break in the middle make for a truly beautiful song.

Side B definitely begins to stray back to Danny Brown's wild, party side as the production gets heavier and angrier. I like to compare this half to Kanye West's brilliant Yeezus which I call his angry workout album. I personally don't like this half as much and it is the main reason why it is #5 and not higher (had the album just consisted of side A it would rank as high as #2 on my list). Highlights include "Dubstep" featuring Scruffizer and some womp womp production, the after party/sesh anthem "Kush Coma" featuring A$AP Rocky and some great spaced out vocals, and the lush closer "Float On" featuring the beautiful vocals of British chanteuse Charlie XCX.

So Danny Brown's style and sound change definitely worked and I can't wait to hear what he has to come in the future. Stay tuned for #4...