Welcome to Day 7 of Listmas ’13. Thank you for reading Ranting About Music here in its third year, and I hope you had as much fun reading as I did writing. At the end of today’s entry is a hub for the links to the rest of this year’s Listmas. Have a wonderful holiday, and I will see you again in the new year!

Albums That Just Missed the Top Ten
Queens of the Stone Age – …Like Clockwork
Grown Up Avenger Stuff – Sparkleton
David Bowie – The Next Day
Drake – Nothing Was the Same

Album I Would Have Liked More if I Listened to it More: Deafhaven – Sunbather

Album I’m Not Sure I Like Because I Do or Because I’m “Supposed” To: HAIM – Days Are Gone

Album I Know I Don’t Like, Even Though I’m “Supposed” To: Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City

Most Disappointing Album: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Moquito

Most Underrated Album: Janelle Monae – The Electric Lady

Favorite Pop Album: Sky Ferreira – Night Time, My Time

Favorite Pop Album (Top 40 category): Lorde – Pure Heroine (disclaimer: I’m still stewing on Beyonce)

“Sleeper” Album of the Year: The National – Trouble Will Find Me/Savages – Silence Yourself–neither wowed me at first, but grew on me in the last few months.

Least Essential Album of the Year: Fall Out Boy’s hardcore pose on PAX AM Days

Album of the Year (Pop-Punk Division):
5. Mixtapes – Ordinary Silence
4. Lemuria – The Distance is So Big
3. Paramore – Paramore
2. Allison Weiss – Say What You Mean
1. The Wonder Years – The Greatest Generation

Favorite Hot 100 Hits That Didn’t Make the Year-End:
Kendrick Lamar – “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”
Lady Gaga ft. R.Kelly – “Do What U Want”
Kanye West – “Black Skinhead”

Honorable Mentions (Considered For Ten Best Hits):
Justin Timerlake and Jay-Z – “Suit & Tie”
Zedd ft. Foxes – “Clarity”
Capital Cities – “Safe and Sound”
Lana Del Rey – “Summertime Sadness” remix
Bruno Mars – “Treasure”

Dishonorable Mentions (Considered For Ten Worst Hits), Brought to You by the Letter M, Apparently:
Katy Perry – “Roar”
will.i.am ft. Britney Spears – “Scream & Shout”
Maroon 5 – “Love Somebody”
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Mary Lambert – “Same Love”
Miley Cyrus – “Wrecking Ball”

Best Number One Hit: “Locked Out of Heaven” (hard choice)

Worst Number One Hit: “Blurred Lines” (easy choice)

Most Baffling Number One Hit: “Just Give Me a Reason” (I still don’t get how this one happened)

Most Boring Number One Hit: “Roar”, my God “Roar”

Pop Career Least Likely to Recover from 2013: Britney Spears. Her Smurfs 2 soundtrack single was a flop, but even it looks like a wild success compared to Britney Jeans‘ abysmal sales.

Pop Career I’m Most Curious to See in 2014: Lorde. Pure Heroine holds together well enough as an album; time to see if she has anymore big singles in her. Should be exciting.

Listmas 2013
December 16th: Favorite Albums
December 17th: 10-6 Worst Hits of the Year
December 18th: 5-1 Worst Hits of the Year
December 19th: 10-6 Best Hits of the Year
December 20th: 5-1 Best Hits of the Year
December 21st: The Gibby Fifty–My 50 Favorite Songs of the Year
December 22nd: Odds and Ends