Finally, it’s time for the annual playlist that caps off my countdown. Rather than do a ranking of favorite songs, I choose to compile what I think is a good representation for the year in music, all on an 80 minute CD-R. Per the norm, plenty of my favorite songs couldn’t find their way on here due to length, or production techniques of the track, so in some cases I’ve got songs on here that aren’t even my favorite from its respective album.
Other notes: I managed to squeeze 20 tracks onto this years mix, same as last year. This is a very top 25 heavy playlist, as only two songs show up from albums outside my top 25. Those songs being The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die’s “Gig Life” and Tegan and Sara’s “Closer” from their very nice album Heartthrob, my #35 album of the year, which is the lowest ranked album to find a song on my playlist in 2013. Of the remaining tracks, 10 come from albums in my #11-#25 range, and 8 from albums in my top 10. The only top 10 albums that don’t have a representative on my mix are Sunbather and Reflektor. As always, the order of the Mixtape is not a ranking, but rather an order based on how the song appears on its respective album.
Below, you’ll see the tracklist, and after the jump you can listen to every track if you so choose. I’ve also created Rdio and Spotify playlists, the latter of which is embedded below. (Note, “new you” isn’t available on either service.) There’s also my Amazon.com list which has my entire top 25 albums of the year, nice and neat in a one page form (and access to my all my lists since 2001). And last but not least, this is the 6th straight year Amy Boyd has stepped up to provide me my album art. She actually spent part of her birthday working on this, but that’s why she gets paid the big bucks. (Disclaimer: there are no bucks being transferred, much less big ones.)
2013 was a great year for music, and a very tough act to follow. Let’s see what you got, 2014.
1) “Closer” – Tegan and Sara :: Heartthrob
2) “You & I” – Local Natives :: Hummingbird
3) “The Mother We Share” – Chvrches :: The Bones of What You Believe
4) “KV Crimes” – Kurt Vile :: Wakin On a Pretty Daze
5) “Backyard Skulls” – Frightened Rabbit :: Pedestrian Verse
6) “Counting” – Autre Ne Veut :: Anxiety
7) “Song for Zula” – Phosphorescent :: Muchacho
8) “Borrowed Time” – Parquet Courts:: Light Up Gold
9) “Royals” – Lorde :: Pure Heroine
10) “Step” – Vampire Weekend :: Modern Vampires of the City
11) “The Wire” – Haim :: Days Are Gone
12) “Byegone” – Volcano Choir :: Repave
13) “Sea of Love” – The National :: Trouble Will Find Me
14) “Dropla” – Youth Lagoon :: Wondrous Bughouse
15) “new you” – My Bloody Valentine :: m b v
16) “Hold On, We’re Going Home” – Drake :: Nothing Was The Same
17) “Avocado, Baby” – Los Campesinos! :: No Blues
18) “She Will” – Savages :: Silence Yourself
19) “Gig Life” – The World Is A Beautiful Place… :: Whenever, If Ever
20) “Doin’ It Right” – Daft Punk :: Random Access Memories
#5) Haim – Days Are Gone [Columbia; released 9/30/2013]
“Because I’m sorry what I did, but it came naturally.”
“The Wire”
Perhaps the year’s most addictive album belongs to Haim, the trio of sisters hailing from Los Angeles whose brand of pop is played with such spirit and sincerity that it’s impossible not to be wrapped up in its genuine enthusiasm. Often, when a girl rock/pop group is introduced, there’s an expectation of jaded angst, and I certainly wasn’t expecting something so polished and mature, but these girls are having fun and aren’t afraid to show it these 11 not-a-clunker-in-the-bunch pop songs, played with a spunky arrogance evident in their live shows and day to day escapades. Frequently compared to Fleetwood Mac, there are clear 90’s soft rock and R&B influences that come to the forefront that I liken more to an Amy Grant, most notably on tracks “If I Could Change Your Mind” and “Honey & I” which follow possibly the best trio of songs to open an album all year long. When they do venture out in different directions like on “My Song 5” and its disjointed beats, the results are no less stunning. But what’s most impressive about these ladies, in addition to showing excellent songwriting prowess, is that even with their influences all over their sleeves, the songs have a distinct Haim flavor brimming with confidence making Days Are Gone the year’s best and most auspicious debut.
[“Falling” – Days Are Gone]
#4) The National – Trouble Will Find Me [4AD; released 5/21/2013]
“I am secretly in love with everyone who I grew up with.”
“Demons”
Consistency isn’t exactly considered a sexy quality when it comes to a band’s discography and rarely moves the needle from release to release, which is what makes The National’s steady stream of excellent albums such an impressive, but overlooked, feat. What The National do so well is create songs with elaborate structures and production techniques all contained in an easily accessible package. Here we have Trouble Will Find Me, as Nationally as The National get, but perhaps their most refined record with complex time signatures and subtle tweaks – the harmonica on “Sea of Love” is possibly my favorite moment of any song in 2013 – and a production value that is quickly making Aaron Dessner one of the most sought after producers in indie rock. Yet this is all stuff that can go completely unnoticed and have no effect on the casual listener enamored by the powerfully warm anthems and all their majesty. This is largely why The National’s albums are considered such growers, as the nuances rise to the surface upon repeated listens to allow for a deeper appreciation. With Trouble Will Find Me, the Brooklyn five-piece has released their 4th straight stone-cold classic album, as relatable and fixated on life’s mundanities as anything in their repertoire, but in no way routine in and of itself.
[“Demons” – Trouble Will Find Me]
#3) Deafheaven – Sunbather [Deathwish; released 6/11/2013]
“I want to dream.”
“Dream House”
Not in a thousand years would I have thought a metal album would ever crack my Top Albums list, but here we are. Deafheaven is a black metal band from San Francisco featuring all the shrieking and double bass pedals one would expect from the genre, and it’s perhaps the most immediately striking and visceral album released in 2013. The vocals are of course the most polarizing part of any black metal band, but Deafheaven does a nice job with the mix by blending George Clarke’s vocals quite well with the backing music so they’re not too overwhelming, while still managing to come across passionate. Though it’s musically where Sunbather truly shines, by fusing metal, post-rock, hardcore and shoegaze all into a mind-blowing end product that most importantly gets the listener to feel something, anything, about life. Each song is a journey, but none better than album opener and song of the year contender “Dream House”, a 9-minute masterpiece featuring Explosions in the Sky type musicianship paired with Clarke’s screams that build to a breathtaking climax shocking in how moving it is. With many of Deafheaven’s metal peers, the music is so dense that all’s to be done after listening is to close yourself off and contemplate life, whereas with Sunbather, you want to press repeat and go live it.
[“Dream House” – Sunbather]
#2) Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City [XL; released 5/14/2013]
“Though we live on the US Dollar, you and me, we got our own sense of time.”
“Hannah Hunt”
It may seem simple, but there is actually a pretty involved process for making this list. The most basic thing I do, of course, is to listen to every single album again starting sometime around Thanksgiving. In listening to each album, I keep a running playlist in iTunes of the best songs of the year. When it came time to spin Modern Vampires of the City, Vampire Weekend’s third – and best – album, it took every part of me to not just grab the whole damn album and drop it in that playlist. No album in 2013 has the amount of pure pop bliss displayed in Modern Vampires – and considering Days Are Gone, that’s quite impressive. But this album is so much more, with an added depth that hasn’t really ever been present on Vampire Weekend albums, at least not in as cohesive and thoughtful of a manner.
I’ve always thought Vampire Weekend was underrated in the lyrics department, perhaps off-putting to some in their cleverness, so it’s no surprise to me to see the songwriting abilities of Ezra Koenig finally grab the listener in ways previous albums just couldn’t quite do. Paired with Koenig’s vocals is the music of Rostam Batmanglij, who’s the real star of the show with songs as sophisticated as anything in the New York quartet’s catalog, which is saying something considering the group has been one of the torchbearers for sophisticated chamber pop since their inception. Supposedly, this album wraps up the trilogy that was the band’s first three releases, so it’ll be interesting to see what the future holds, but with songs as expertly crafted as these, Vampire Weekend has earned our trust.
[“Unbelievers” – Modern Vampires of the City]
#1) Phosphorescent – Muchacho [Dead Oceans; released 3/19/2013]
“Then I saw love disfigure me into something I am not recognizing.”
“Song for Zula”
You’ve heard the story before: guy loses girl, retreats into solitude, and emerges with a cathartic release that results in an accomplished album of profound proportions. Such is the story of Matthew Houck, the Brooklyn by-way-of Georgia by-way-of Alabama singer/songwriter who with Muchacho has released the best album of his career, an impassioned juggernaut which will go down as 2013’s lyrical masterpiece and for me, album of the year. But there’s more to this story than just getting over a breakup. After a grueling tour in support of 2010’s Here’s to Taking Easy, Houck returned to New York hoping to recharge only to find he was being evicted from his recording space and in a relationship beyond repair. Houck withdrew, debating his future as Phosphorescent, and retreated to Mexico for a sabbatical of sorts. So much of Muchacho is inspired by those events, not only in lyrics but also the backing music which is at times folk, at times alt-country, and at times southwest americana, but never not gorgeous.
I shouldn’t get ahead of myself though, because nothing about this album can be said without first mentioning the stunning track “Song for Zula”, which while not the album opener, thanks to bookends “Sun Arise (An Invocation, An Introduction)” and “Sun Arising (A Koan, An Exit)”, serves as the best introduction to what Houck is doing with Muchacho. The honesty and heartbreak is palpable on “Song for Zula”, which despite having no real chorus doesn’t merely plod along, but rather is a beautifully crafted song with flavors of Tom Petty at his peak. It’s my song of the year, as chill inducing as anything I heard in 2013, with its staggering imagery and wounded lead performance.
From there the album moves on to more upbeat and immediate tracks like “Ride On / Right On” and “A Charm / A Blade” which despite their subject matter convey a little bit of hope and joy with their spontaneous hoots and hollers, a welcome sight for an album that could be considered too bleak and sorrowful. Throughout all the tracks, Houck employs pedal steel, strings, piano, and horns to give a Mexican-cantina sound, as Houck likes to put it, all with a tinge of experimentation which is a testament to the songcraft on display here. But plenty of artists have the ability to create music this enjoyable, though very few have the heart to take it to transcendent levels, which is why it all comes back to “Song for Zula”, a track so magnificent and resonant that it elevates everything around it to heights few albums can ever hope to achieve.
#10) Daft Punk – Random Access Memories [Columbia; released 5/21/2013]
“We’re up all night to get lucky.”
“Get Lucky”
Daft Punk’s first studio album in 8 years (let’s just ignore the Tron: Legacy Soundtrack), is a group of addictive dance songs inspired by the last four decades, particularly the sounds of the 70’s and 80’s making Random Access Memories a retro listen paying tribute to pretty much anyone the duo wanted to. The songs are impeccably produced, yet remain loose making this album one that could be used as a party mix just as easily as a headphone listen, especially since the songs are so melodically rich but still provide value for a deeper listening experience. It’s a modern record with a nostalgic appreciation for the past, which succeeds in using those influences to make something indelibly Daft Punk.
[“Get Lucky” – Random Access Memories]
#9) Lorde – Pure Heroine[Republic; released 9/30/2013]
“I’m kinda over being told to throw my hands up in the air.”
“Team”
As with any musician discovered at a young age only to be molded by a record label (as is the story of Lorde), there’s concern of a manufactured pop star quality that appears once the artist is released into the wild, if you will. This ultimately doomed Lana Del Rey’s coming out party, someone who New Zealand teenager Ella Yelich-O’Connor has often been compared. However, with Pure Heroine, O’Connor’s debut as Lorde, we have as bold a statement from a young artist that we’ve seen in quite some time. Forget the monster hit “Royals” (well, don’t, it’s an amazing song), the other 9 songs here are just as exquisite pop gems with a staggering amount of depth coming from a 16 year old. (Yes, O’Connor writes her own lyrics and co-writes her songs.) Musically, the minimalism of these tracks gives a restrained quality much like The XX, allowing enough blank space for the listener to become fully enveloped. There is such a unique charm to Lorde, thanks to O’Connor’s confidence and attitude that makes Pure Heroine is as vital as anything released in 2013.
[“Tennis Court” – Pure Heroine]
#8) Youth Lagoon – Wondrous Bughouse [Fat Possum; released 3/5/2013]
“You’ll never die.”
“Dropla”
The sophomore effort from Youth Lagoon is a weird listen, certainly not for everyone, but has enough melodic achievement to intrigue and perhaps entrap those that might otherwise be turned off to a more experimental version of avant-garde pop. However, for those fully on board with the quirky sound of the Idaho native, this is one of the most affecting and beautiful albums of the year. Trevor Powers has followed up his well received debut with a stirring collection of lush and haunting dream-pop that immediately reminds me of The Antlers’ magnificent album Hospice (my #2 album of 2009) thanks to Powers’ tender and vulnerable vocals paired with dark and eerie tunes. Wondrous Bughouse is a masterful album, an intimate record, uplifting at times and devastating at others, displaying the gravitas required of such a listen.
[“Mute” – Wondrous Bughouse]
#7) Chvrches – The Bones of What You Believe [Glassnote; released 9/24/2013]
“I’ll be a thorn in your side until you die.”
“We Sink”
The Bones of What You Believe is the highly anticipated debut from the Glasgow trio and does not disappoint, introducing an arresting new voice in stunning fashion. Coming from a Scottish music scene dominated by male lead groups (Frightened Rabbit, We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Twilight Sad) it’s refreshing to hear a female voice emerge, and even moreso when the tunes still pack the emotional punch of her regional peers. Lauren Mayberry is that voice, and her backing band members have certainly hitched their wagon to the right star, although their input should not be overlooked. Ian Cook and Martin Doherty (Doherty is a former touring member of the aforementioned The Twilight Sad) are creating some shimmering electro-pop behind Mayberry’s voice that contains enough sweeping melodrama to fit seamlessly alongside M83’s best work. (For real, just listen to the synthesizer explosion that closes out “Tether”.) But Chvrches will only go as far as Mayberry’s voice allows, and her voice is a revelation, not only pitch perfect but also able to evoke a multitude of feelings effortlessly – vengeance seems to be her go-to – to create emotionally resonant songs all contained in a pristine crystalline package. This is catchy, intelligent synth-pop with just the right hint of darkness to set Chvrches up for a very long shelf life.
[“Recover” – The Bones of What You Believe]
#6) Arcade Fire – Reflektor [Merge; released 10/29/2013]
“We know there’s a price to pay for love in a reflective age.”
“Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice)”
Much was made of the marketing leading up to Reflektor, the 4th album from the Canadian rockers, what with a viral marketing campaign, an SNL special, papier-mâché masks, and requesting concert attendees to be in costume, but not enough attention has been focused toward the fact that this bizarre, ambitious and over the top album is the freakin’ follow up to a Grammy winning album of the year. Not that I expected Arcade Fire to rest on their laurels – they were as surprised as anyone with their Grammy win – but I don’t think anyone quite expected an epic double album with songs rarely under 5 minutes featuring Caribbean dance themes and schizophrenic songwriting styles. To be clear, this is a massively bloated and indulgent listen, but in fairness so has everything this group has done to this point in their career. The Suburbs was excellent of course (my #2 album of 2010), but despite being 20 minutes longer (if you include the have-to-search-for hidden track), Reflektor actual feels like a shorter listen. Part of that is thanks to the record’s two distinct sides, a welcome quality found on any double album released these days, which split the songs into a more rough around the edges first half and its textural grandiose counterpart. Producer James Murphy’s (LCD Soundsystem) fingerprints are all over Reflektor as the band employed the go-to guy for dance rock to create an album of spontaneously joyous tunes that’s a brilliant reflection of the Haitian Carnival atmosphere that inspired it into being.
The Countdown can now begin with my 15 albums that make up #11 through #25. There’s really no logic governing which albums I chose to do a write up for here. I didn’t want to write something about all of them, but felt like a few deserved a little blurb.
#25) Parquet Courts – Light Up Gold
Initially self-released in 2012, Light Up Gold was picked up by New York based label What’s Your Rupture? and rereleased in 2013 to rather great critical praise, so yeah technically a reissue, but barely, so I’m breaking my own rules here. This is the proper debut for the Brooklyn-based quartet and it’s an infectious group of clever punk-rock songs. 15 tracks are crammed on to this LP, and fly by at 34 minutes. The style is youthful, yet smart, garage band rock sung with a loose and free exuberance that’s about as self-assured a debut as you’ll find.
[“Stoned and Starving” – Light Up Gold]
#24) Drake – Nothing Was The Same
#23) The Flaming Lips – The Terror
#22) Volcano Choir – Repave
The second album from the Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) side project is a much more straightforward release eschewing the spacey atmospherics of Volcano Choir’s debut, and it’s all the better for it. Not to say Unmap didn’t have its moments, or was even failure, far from it. It was an avenue for Vernon, along with collaborators Collections of Colonies of Bees, to experiment with the ethereal and create a unique listening experience. However, Repave is much more accessible and consists of gorgeous songs more in line with the Vernon repertoire that could easily fit on his most recent Bon Iver effort, most notably back to back tracks “Comrade” and “Byegone”. This is an album that acts as an expansion of the Bon Iver sound, which is what many fans hoped for when this project was announced.
[“Comrade” – Repave]
#21) Laura Marling – Once I Was An Eagle
#20) Okkervil River – The Silver Gymnasium
No stranger to concept albums, Okkervil River returns to the craft with their seventh album and ATO debut, The Silver Gymnasium, which was inspired by frontman Will Scheff’s hometown of Meriden, New Hampshire. Taking place in the 80’s, this album is a nostalgic look at adolescence during that era and an ominous, yet reverent take on youthful naivety transitioning to cynical adulthood. Scheff captures the time and place perfectly with songs that while not quite displaying the manic energy of previous albums, in some ways are as smart and well written as anything in the band’s catalog.
[“Down Down The Deep River” – The Silver Gymnasium]
#19) Deerhunter – Monomania
#18) Los Campesinos! – No Blues
#17) Kanye West – Yeezus
#16) Kurt Vile – Wakin On A Pretty Daze
#15) Autre Ne Veut – Anxiety
Autre Ne Veut is the stage name of Brooklyn musician Arthur Ashin, an artist so private, largely thanks to a social anxiety disorder, that he didn’t even reveal his identity until two years after his 2010 debut album. His appropriately titled follow up, Anxiety, is an emotional juggernaut, yet refuses to let its heaviness get in the way of some damn good alt-R&B songs. These are accessible and immediate tunes making the album an enjoyable and rewarding listen thanks in no small part to the opening two tracks, each respectively song of the year contenders. Trying to decide if I prefer “Play By Play” and its explosive chorus or the dark, yet catchy, anxiousness of “Counting” more is a debate just not worth having when they’re both done this well.
[“Play By Play” – Anxiety]
#14) My Bloody Valentine – m b v
#13) Savages – Silence Yourself
In a year for very successful female pop debuts, consider Savages the antithesis of all those groups, not in success, but in sound. Silence Yourself isn’t marketable polished pop, but rather loud abrasive post-punk done in such a forceful way to create a refreshing listen full of genuine angst and intensity. Savages is a female quartet from London, whose debut album was one of the more highly anticipated releases of 2013, thanks in part to their song “Husbands” which emerged in the summer of 2012. “Husbands” appears on Silence Yourself, but it’s “She Will” that emerges as the best track here displaying the confidence and swagger of these girls.
Let’s get things started with my Honorable Mentions for 2013. These are not necessarily albums 26-30, but rather just some albums that I think deserve extra attention for one reason or another. I’m also doing things a bit differently this year, by including my most underrated album of 2013 (that doesn’t appear in my top 25), as well as taking a look at a reemerging genre.
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Waxahatchee – Cerulean Salt
The second album from Birmingham, AL native Katie Crutchfield as Waxahatchee is an exquisite collection of alt-folk songs showing off Crutchfield’s impressive songwriting abilities. The songs are intimate like the Mountain Goats, sweetly charming as Kimya Dawson, beautifully sweeping as Cat Power, yet retain some of the feminine angst of a Liz Phair. It’s a pretty impressive fusion of influences that ushers in a new engaging voice in indie rock.
[“Lips and Limbs” – Cerulean Salt]
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Neko Case – The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
And then on the flipside, you have an established voice, and boy do I mean voice, with her latest collection of folk songs, this time as honest and personal as anything she’s ever penned. Neko Case’s mouthful of a 6th album (now Grammy nominated) is Case at her most confident with her voice impeccable as always and musically the tightest she’s ever been, but this time there’s a darkness to her songs that give a glimpse of the enigmatic psyche within.
[“Man” – The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You]
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Foxygen – We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
One of 2013’s breakout acts was the L.A. psych-rock duo Foxygen, due in large part to their sophomore album, We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic, as well as their notoriously crazed live shows. It’s a retro album, full of psychedelic songs that retain enough pop sensibility to never veer towards druggy jam band tropes. It’s a pleasant listen that while not doing anything revolutionary, is an example of a band coming into their own as fine songwriters.
[“No Destruction” – We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic]
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Rhye – Woman
The debut album from Mike Milosh and Robin Hannibal is a supergroup album of sorts, as both members were busy with their own work before initially meeting in 2010 and reconnecting after they each moved to L.A. separately. Woman is a lush group of sexy R&B songs highlighted by an opening trio of tracks as strong as any to open an album all year. The rest of the album doesn’t quite reach those heights, but it’s still a mesmerizing listen thanks to Milosh’s entrancing vocals and Hannibal’s minimalistic instrumentation.
[“Open” – Woman]
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Washed Out – Paracosm
Considered one of the founding fathers of the chillwave genre, Perry GA’s Earnest Greene is now one of its lone remaining members holding strong to the sound as his musical peers veer in other directions. Paracosm is the follow up to his fine 2011 debut and continues down the path of Within and Without and its proceeding EPs. Greene’s patented dreamy soundscapes are in full force here complete with melodies that show off Greene’s songwriting abilities serving as an example of Greene’s progression from producer to full-fledged musician and singer/songwriter status.
[“All I Know” – Paracosm]
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Most Underrated Album: Cults – Static
Now, my actual most underrated album is probably up in my top 25 somewhere, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least give a shout out to the sophomore effort from Brooklyn pop duo Cults. This album came and went with barely a whimper and coming off their very successful self-titled debut (my #9 album of 2011), that was a bit surprising to me, because it’s a very solid follow up. It’s not quite as immediate as their debut and doesn’t really have a standout track, but much of this album is centered around the breakup of Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion making for an immensely personal album that I have a hell of a lot of respect for. It’s a wonder these two were able to remain professional enough to write and perform these songs side by side, and listening to the album can almost be an uncomfortable experience, but it’s hard to deny its honesty.
[“I Can Hardly Make You Mine” – Static]
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Emo Revival
An interesting development in 2013 was the reemergence of emo as a viable genre of music. Now, when I say emo I’m not talking about the Fall Out Boys or My Chemical Romances who co-opted the genre when it gained mainstream attention about a decade ago. Before that dark time, emo was a subset of indie rock, and really was what started me on my musical journey in my late high school days. In those days, emo was evolving into what became known as the Midwestern Emo sound featuring bands like The Promise Ring, American Football, Mineral, Braid and even early Jimmy Eat World and Death Cab For Cutie among many many others. This grew out of the early D.C. underground hardcore scene which is considered the birthplace of emo and really it’s 1st wave.
In the last few years, there’s been bands trying to rekindle the Midwestern Emo sound with varying success in what is now considered the 4th wave (or 5th depending on who you talk to). Top Shelf Records came along as a home to many of these groups and is largely responsible for the attention the genre has garnered. In 2013 many of these bands have surfaced from the underground by releasing some damn good albums that feature the sounds of emo’s glory years, and many more bands have albums on the horizon. It’s something I’m looking forward to in 2014. Below, I’m featuring three of the groups who released albums in 2013 that helped legitimize this new wave’s emergence.
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The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die – Whenever, If Ever
The best of these emo-revivalists is Connecticut band The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die (often shortened to TWIABP), whose debut album Whenever, If Ever is a collection of passionate and tight songs filled to the brim with melody reminiscent of some of the best emo bands of the 90s. The first thing that jumps out about this group is of course that ridiculous name, which is taken from the lyrics of excellent album closer “Getting Sodas”, but if you’re able to get past how off-putting that is you’ll find some exhilarating tunes that evoke musicianship as deep as Explosions in the Sky while capturing the youthful exuberance similar to that of a Los Campesinos!, all in a nice emo package.
[“Heartbeat In The Brain” – Whenever, If Ever]
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Into It. Over It. – Intersections
Now here’s an album that probably has the most emo feel for those casual listeners of the genre dating back to right before bands started finding mainstream success. Into It. Over It. is the brainchild of Evan Weiss who is one of the forebears to this emo revival having been a part of numerous Midwestern emo bands the last few years, but with Intersections he’s put together his best group of songs which at times harkens back to Death Cab For Cutie or Hey Mercedes. Lyrically, this is certainly the most emo of the bands I’m featuring here, which isn’t necessarily a good thing, as it highlights the juvenile characteristics of the genre, which is one of its worst tendencies. But the songs are good enough that those lyrics can be overlooked, and heck for some people, it might actually strike that perfect balance. (Note: Into It. Over It. and TWIABP are heading out on tour this Winter along with fellow emo revivalist, A Great Big Pile of Leaves.)
[“A Curse Worth Believing” – Intersections]
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Crash of Rhinos – Knots
By far the best example of how Midwestern Emo isn’t really a regional identifier comes from British band Crash of Rhinos. The Derby, UK five-piece has created a very American sounding album touching on the more abrasive side of the genre; think Fugazi or Braid. If there’s an example among these revivalist of the emotional hardcore aspect of emo that actually spawned the genre, Knots is it. It’s more on the screamo side of the genre, but more Thursday than Touché Amoré (who released an excellent album this year, but can’t quite be called emo). For longtime fans of emo, this may actually be the most nostalgic listening experience, but should be enjoyable enough for those with no preexisting knowledge of the genre.
[“Luck Has A Name” – Knots]
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Dishonorable Mentions
For this year’s dishonorable mentions, I’ve added a Most Overrated Album, which shouldn’t really be called dishonorable, but I didn’t have anywhere else to put it. However, the other two albums mentioned fit this section quite well.
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Most Overrated Album: Disclosure – Settle
Now I’m no expert on dance music, so perhaps I’m not the best judge, but I really just don’t get what’s so special about this album, the debut from English duo/brothers Disclosure. Maybe it’ll eventually click with me, but I listened to Settle a good bit, and save a song here or there, nothing really jumped out at me. It seems like very generic electronic music, that isn’t really doing anything particularly original or interesting. The beats come across rather formulaic and bland to form an enjoyable, but mediocre listen, one not worthy of the critical praise it’s getting.
[“Latch” – Settle]
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Yuck – Glow & Behold
Oh my, what a massive disappointment this album was. Part of me wants to give them a pass due to the ugly departure of frontman Daniel Blumberg right before recording of this album, but no. I feel like many bands have survived similar situations, but Yuck just couldn’t recapture what it had on that self-titled album in 2011 (a top 15 album for me then), and regressed mightily on Glow & Behold. Rather than find a new lead vocalist, the group decided to promote from within, and Max Bloom just doesn’t have what’s required of a frontman. He seems so disinterested in these songs, creating a passionless and just plain boring listen. And it’s not all his fault; the songs themselves are uninspired and devoid of any ambition. It’s a purposeless album with no direction that seems to have no reason for existing. In a year of numerous disappointing follow ups to breakout albums (Smith Westerns, Surfer Blood, Free Energy, Christopher Owen’s post-Girls solo debut) this one makes those look like masterpieces.
[“Middle Sea” – Glow & Behold]
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The Avett Brothers – Magpie and the Dandelion
When Rick Rubin teamed up with The Avett Brothers to produce their 2009 breakout album I And Love And You, I thought the results were actually quite good. Sure, it was polished to a mirror sheen, but the songs showed maturation and an improved songwriting that made the album a success, while still retaining the energy that gave the songs so much of their charm. The returns weren’t quite as successful on 2012 follow up, The Carpenter, as Rubin’s style started to rob the band of that patented energy, and on Magpie and the Dandelion, the band’s 8th studio album, that energy is completely gone.
Now, part of the problem with this release is that these songs are essentially b-sides that have no business being on a proper album. These tracks were recorded during the same studio session that spawned The Carpenter, and while I’m not against using such songs to build another album (Heck, Timberlake did it this year, and Radiohead did it very successfully with Kid A & Amnesiac), when they feel so much like leftovers, it comes across a rather large miscalculation. Yes, these are songs that have been part of The Avett Brothers’ setlists at live shows over the years, and I’m sure hardcore fans of the band are excited to have these recorded, but there’s just not enough heft to warrant a brand new album. Make it a b-side or rarities release for those fans to complete their collection, but it’s pretty insulting to the casual fan to package these songs and call it a new LP.
However, what really cements this album as the worst I heard in 2013 is the inexplicable inclusion of a live version of “Souls Like The Wheels”, a song that already appeared on The Second Gleam EP back in 2008. Make it a bonus track, and that’s perfectly fine. Heck, I could maybe even forgive it if it was the final track on the album, but to place this song in the middle of its second half is as jarring and bizarre a moment I can remember on any album in quite some time. It has absolutely no place on this album, or any album that a band is trying to bill as their latest studio release and renders what was already a failure, an absolute disaster.
To start off this year, I wanted to take a quick moment to talk about exactly what this list is. You’ll notice I call this, and always have, my “Top Albums” of the year, not my “favorite” or “best” albums. This is done intentionally, as I find it a very important distinction. Calling something “the best” is very hard to do, especially when it comes to something as subjective as music, and even moreso when there’s so much of it out there. However, I do think there are characteristics that can place a song or album ahead of others in an objective manner, such as songwriting, musicianship and innovation. On the flip side, calling something “favorite” is pretty much subjective, and comes across as more of an enjoyment factor while perhaps ignoring aspects of an album that make it a more artistic achievement. So my list has always been a hybrid of the two, and calling it “Top Albums” is the best I could come up with. I’m not necessarily telling you the albums I enjoyed the most in 2013, just as I’m not telling you the albums that were critically thought of as the best releases of the year. Rather, this is a look at the albums I came across in 2013, that I enjoyed immensely which also have value in ways that should set them above others as a fantastic works of art. I suppose that’s my intro for this year’s list, so let’s get to it.
This past year I purchased, in some form, 84 albums…all of which are eligible. I do not include EPs, Reissues, Soundtracks, Live Albums, Holiday Albums, or B-Side/Rarity type releases as albums eligible for my list, but this year I don’t have any of those. As always, there’s plenty of albums that I never got around to procuring, so yes, there’s going to be very worthy albums that don’t make my list. So if you have a question as to why your favorite album isn’t on my list, well it’s because I either didn’t get it, or just plain didn’t care for it as much as you…simple as that. After the jump, you can see the list of all albums I purchased, in order of release date. Also, over to the right, you can see the schedule over the next few days as I continue the countdown.
Posted by Hawkins 
By far the best example of how Midwestern Emo isn’t really a regional identifier comes from British band Crash of Rhinos. The Derby, UK five-piece has created a very American sounding album touching on the more abrasive side of the genre; think Fugazi or Braid. If there’s an example among these revivalist of the emotional hardcore aspect of emo that actually spawned the genre, Knots is it. It’s more on the screamo side of the genre, but more Thursday than Touché Amoré (who released an excellent album this year, but can’t quite be called emo). For longtime fans of emo, this may actually be the most nostalgic listening experience, but should be enjoyable enough for those with no preexisting knowledge of the genre.
A Round of Sound 