Local pop-punk band Stickup Kid made headlines when they were given a last-second gig opening up for Green Day at SXSW this year. But the reality is, these guys have been out in the Bay Area punk scene for years, DIY touring and self-releasing albums when they were just out of high school. They released their second LP, Future Fire, this year on Adeline Records and will no doubt be on the road again in no time. Lead singer Tony Geravesh shars his top eight albums of 2013.

A Wilhelm Scream – Partycrasher
Wilhelm Scream is a band I’ve loved since I was 15 years old. They’re the type of band that you have to see live before you really understand what they’re all about. The energy they bring to their live shows is unlike any other band I’ve seen. They have a way of one-upping themselves with every release and Partycrasher follows suit. This record is fun; It really gives you a vibe that makes you feel like you’re crashing a party. It goes through a variety of emotions and shreds your face off simultaneously.

Monday night is typically the deadest night of the week for night clubs, yet DJ Casp3R has managed to build a loyal following over the past three years with his Monday Night ReToXx dance parties, originally at the Cardiff Lounge in Campbell, now at Johnny V’s in downtown San Jose.

He also hosts TH3RMAL on Thursdays with ViLLAN at Fahrenheit. Here are his his favorite dance tracks of 2013:

The Bangerz – “Stars”
By far, one of my favorite high-energy rager tracks of the year. It’s catchy, melodic and just an explosion of energy after the buildup. Personally, I’m a big fan of songs that can change into a down-tempo beat and then bring the energy right back up seamlessly, and this one has that in spades. The whole album is fantastic, and I really can’t wait to see the live show in Vegas.

Daft Punk delivers its first official album, Random Access Memories, in eight years after the Grammy award-winning electronic duo fanned the flames with endless teasers suggesting a return to music.

(This article appears courtesy of SFstation.com, an affiliate of Metro Newspaper)

With Random Access Memories, the most anticipated album of the year to date, French house musicians Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo set out to bring the human soul back back to dance music. To reach this altruistic goal, the two elected to produce the majority of the album using live instrumentation, innovative recording techniques and various collaborations with session musicians.

After dropping numerous hints of funky new material through media outlets, high-profile ads and a teaser at Coachella, the release arrives as a distinguished collection of robotic disco beats and mellow jazz fusion heavy on drum machines, modular synthesizers and vintage vocoder, and some surprisingly moody themes. The album pays tribute to music of the late 1970s and early 80s with help from pioneer Nile Rodgers, front man for multi-platinum hit R&B band Chic.

The album begins with “Give Life Back To Music,” a slow building digital guitar introduction climaxing with a familiar android voice droning prescriptive poetry. After a rocking instrumental guitar solo steers toward a slow fade out, “The Game of Love” leads us into melancholic cosmic journey that tailored more for a subdued VIP room than an all-night dance party.

“Giorgio By Moroder” begins as a musical monologue on the life of Italian disco musician and proficient synthesizer innovator Giorgio Moroder that unexpectedly turns into nine minutes of rhythmically pulsating star guitar. “Within” features android confessionals and self-reflection with a light metered beat, followed by similarly styled “Instant Crush” with Julian Casaablancas of the Strokes. “Lose Yourself To Dance” introduces adept hip hop creator Pharrell Williams, a welcome addition with simple soft chants paired with a steady funk beat, while “Touch” celebrates the half-way point of the album’s voyage with Paul Williams’ charming ballad vocals, vintage disco piano and trumpet decorated with whimsical noise effects.

Following a smooth transition, the instant the first single “Get Lucky” sneaks in eight tracks deep with the return of Pharrell’s money vocals. The pleasure-enduing song that broke Spotify streaming records to become the unofficial single of the summer clearly ranks as the brightest gemstone of Random Access Memories. “Beyond” starts the dilatory decline of fun, continued by “Motherboard” with odd space effects.

Todd Edwards provides one last lift with a reflective yet surprisingly upbeat melody on “Fragments of Time” but by the penultimate track “Doin’ It Right” featuring Panda Bear, the album’s energy dramatically begins to fade. “Contact,” the the only track that uses sampling on the album, serves as the epic orchestral conclusion with explosive drum beats .

Commendation for artistic merit feels warranted but not without slight confusion toward the generally downbeat and melancholy tone of
Random Access Memories. Dance enthusiasts patiently waiting for the release might wonder why their patience is rewarded with such somber vibes.

Although not structurally top heavy, it’s hard to believe that any tracks on the record other than “Get Lucky” will ever get steady play in clubs without a remix. Nonstop party seekers will have to look elsewhere for more inspirational rally music.

Claudeo come from San Diego with one purpose in mind—to get people on their feet to dance. In the process, they’ve chosen some unusual places for dance parties. Here in San Jose, they selected the local dive-bar of choice, The Caravan, where they are playing this Thursday, September 13th. But Claudeo—who are Ivan Deyoung-Dominguez and Chris Changchien—are determined to get some feet moving no matter where they go.

The duo met in 2011 while working together on a project for UCSD and realized they both shared a mutual passion for making crowds shake their booties. But underneath the surface of their interest in pounding drum beats and screeching synthesizers, they also shared a passion for indie-pop songwriting, inspired by bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Coldplay.

They mix keyboards and guitars while trying to employ elements from the rock and electronic world in a pop setting. The end result is a mishmash that falls somewhere between Daft Punk and the Killers. For a dance band, they have a fair amount of variety in their songs with even a few sappy acoustic ballads for the slow dances.

Claudeo plays The Caravan on Thursday September 13th at 10pm. The show is free.