This year, we’re asking the Elmore staff to pick their favorite albums of 2013. We start with staff writer/festival correspondent Melissa Caruso.

Neil Young – Live At The Cellar Door

A chance to revisit 1970…with Neil Young…just as his solo career begins to take flight? Duh. This one’s a given. Check out the full review and album stream HERE

Pearl Jam – Lightning Bolt

Eleventh studio album and they’ve still got it. Eddie Vedder may not be stage diving off 80-foot rafters anymore, but that ferocious grunge spirit remains intact on Lightning Bolt. There’s a reason why Pearl Jam fans brag about seeing Pearl Jam live….because they can.

The Orwells – Who Needs You

Within months, the Orwells went from playing Tomorrow Never Knows — Chicago’s festival for up-and-coming bands — to Lollapalooza, Chicago’s festival for the GREATEST bands. They pledge allegiance to no one but themselves and the gritty garage rock they were so lucky to have been raised on. Who Needs You invites you to check out of the world’s bullshit and live a little. The hard part is coming back.

Jake Bugg – Shangri La

He’s nineteen, has already opened for the Rolling Stones, and called Mumford and Sons a bunch of “posh farmers with banjos.”  Jake Bugg has got nerve. Good thing his music does, too. 

Gringo Star – Floating Out to See

Released on their My Anxious Mouth record label, Floating Out to See finds two brothers exploring a colorful palette of psych-rock that effortlessly bridges the gap between Brian Jonestown Massacre and Sam Cooke. Keep this one on repeat and watch how less the world seems to suck.