20 Best Albums - 2013

2013 was a strange year in music. Hardcore/heavy/screamo music made a surprising comeback; several established artists released, to much hype and gimmickry, bloated, self-indulgent bore-fests; indie rock was strong at the top, but otherwise very uninspiring; hip hop said, "let's get weird" to the whole affair. It was summarily difficult to get a good read on what I liked and didn't like this year, much less narrow it down and order it 20-1. But try I must, and list I shall. Onward and upward or whatever.

(By the way, if you missed my Best Moments of 2013 post, read it here.)

Honorable Mention

The Airborne Toxic Event - Such Hot Blood
Beach Fossils - Clash The Truth
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Specter at the Feast

California X - California X

Childish Gambino - Because the Internet
The Flaming Lips - The Terror

Ghostface Killah - Twelve Reasons to Die

Jim James - Regions of Light and Sound of God

The Shouting Matches - Grownass Man

Tyler, The Creator - Wolf

Top 20

20. My Bloody Valentine - m b v

I had never listened to My Bloody Valentine before this album came out; I had a cursory knowledge of Loveless and its impact on indie music throughout the 90s, particularly Radiohead. I was able to listen without expectations, and came to the same conclusions as everyone else: My Bloody Valentine makes strange and beautiful music and Kevin Shields does strange and beautiful things with a guitar and sound board.

19. Deltron 3030 - Event 2

Unlike m b v, I had very high expectations for this album, and it (mostly) did not disappoint. Deltron Zero and Automator remain sharp, and though there are two or three clunkers and bad skits, the finished product is well worth the 13 year wait.

18. Dawes - Stories Don't End

Dawes parrot Jackson Browne and The Eagles on this album, but remind me when that's a bad thing? Solid songwriting carries the day on this modern take on Laurel Canyon's classic sound.

17. Drake - Nothing Was the Same

I like this album better than Take Care, if only because Drake seems to get out a bit more on Nothing Was the Same. That is to say, it's slightly less introspective than Take Care, which was a difficult slog to listen to after the initial wonder wore off. Nothing Was the Same has many similar themes; the difference is Drake has decided to leave his memories behind instead of obsessing over them. 

16. Air Review - Low Wishes

Air Review is a local band here in DFW that gets a ton of play on local and independent radio.  They make pretty, indie music and are very good at it. Buy their music here.

15. The Joy Formidable - Wolf's Law

A wee lass called "Ritzy" fronts The Joy Formidable, a Welsh power-pop-rock trio built on thunderous riffs, plenty of bass fuzz and the big voice of their frontwoman.

14. Various Artists - Sound City: Real to Reel

This is the soundtrack album to the Dave Grohl produced documentary Sound City, which chronicles the life of the famous studio and it's one of a kind Neve console. Grohl bought the console and installed it in his house, then he recorded an album on it and invited some friends over to jam. All of sudden tracks featuring Steve Nicks, Rick Springfield, Lee Ving, Josh Homme, Trent Reznor and Sir Paul McCartney among others appear. God's gift to Rock'n'Roll. 

13. Local Natives - Hummingbird

Local Natives released the best album of 2010, and were such a novelty at the time that I didn't know what to expect from the follow up record.  Would they double down on what made them so good on Gorilla Manor and continue crushing the world in three part harmony? Or would they change direction and try something new? Hummingbird is firmly in the "kind of both" middle ground, as songs like "Breakers" and "Heavy Feet" draw directly from the Gorilla Manor template, while others are less reliant on harmony and rhythm and more focused on fullness of sound and emotion. Hummingbird is a sight darker than its predecessor; each song seems sad. The music is beautiful, and Local Natives have settled down from their kinetic debut, to our benefit.

12. Crash of Rhinos - Knots

Crash of Rhinos is loud. Not only are they loud, the play fast. Now, if fast and loud isn't your thing, consider this the point in the list where you will start saying, "seriously?", because there's a lot more fast'n'loud to come. Crash of Rhinos' hook for me is their ability to play difficult patterns, time signatures and riffs in such a locked in but fluid way that it sounds completely effortless.

11. The National - Trouble Will Find Me

The National are alarmingly consistent in their excellence. Trouble is another A+ effort from our friends in Brooklyn, who might as well buy a condo in the Metacritic 80s, since they'll be chilling there as long as they keep putting out music this good.

10. Kanye West - Yeezus

Many tunnels have been carpal'd over Kanye West and his sixth LP. All I can say is that it is highly unpleasant to listen to at first; it is vulgar, twisted and gross; it is the sound of a man in deep need of private therapy who insists on the public variety to his detriment and our entertainment; it is utterly engrossing; I always play it twice.

9. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City

I remember seeing Vampire Weekend when they were but young Ivy League nerds, sweltering under the hot sun at ACL 2008. Hearing them grow into this band, with a clear musical leader in Rostam, an electric frontman in Ezra, and a wondrously eclectic sound has been a joy. 

8. Paramore - Paramore

Wasn't super into Paramore during their previous heyday (~2006-2010), since their pretty homogeneous emo wasn't in my wheelhouse at the time (given several of the albums on this list, it seems I have pro[re?]gressed).  I heard the lead single "Now" on alternative radio and was stunned. This album is diverse, loud, emotional, and just plain fun to listen to. It's risky to fire (part ways/have creative differences with/move on from/what have you) your main songwriter, but in this case it paid off in every way. 

7. Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels

Killer Mike had one of the best hip hop albums of 2012 in R.A.P. Music, produced by El-P, and this year El-P decided to hop on the mic as well. The result is the best duo album since Stankonia. It is a lean, muscular, force of nature rap assault, and it is excellent. It also happens to be available for FREE.99 here. 

6. Silverstein -  This Is How the Wind Shifts

Silverstein is a band that I have had no interest in, whatsoever, before this year. Literally. I have not listened to any of their music before this. But this caught my attention for some reason (perhaps its high metascore, though only 4 reviews) compelled me to listen. Wind is an almost textbook example of post-hardcore music, down to the way the drums are tuned. The album soars above the unwashed, emo masses in its lyrical and conceptual content. Each song on the front half of the album has a brother on the back half, and the song titles form phrases ("Stand Amid the Roar"-"In a Place of Solace"). The pairs sometime have similar musical and lyrical themes, sometimes opposite. It's as if each side of the album is one side of a story. This was a slow burn for me, but once I got it, I couldn't stop listening to it.

5. Lights & Motion - Reanimation

I wrote many blubbering words about Lights & Motion in my "Best Moments" post the other day week, so I'll spare you the double cry-fest. Reanimation is click-track precise, but it is so, so beautiful, uplifting, empowering, soul-baring, adrenaline-rushingly good, and THERE AREN'T EVEN WORDS until the last song. (Buy it here.)

4. The Wonder Years - The Greatest Generation

Pop punk is dead. We watched it die. A successful pop punk album hasn't been released in years. And yet, here The Wonder Years are trudging along as if Take Off Your Pants and Jacket wasn't released 12 years ago. Generation is driven by the raw emotion of the lead singer with excellent songwriting and musicians behind him.  The Wonder Years give everything they have on The Greatest Generation. Choruses soar, verses rage, bridges burn. Drums are beaten, guitars shredded, vocal chords worn. The end result is excellent music. So what if it's 7 years too late?

3. Touché Amoré - Is Survived By

The silver medalist in 2013's Year of Hardcore Olympics, Is Survived By is an exercise in free flowing ideas fed through several layers of distortion. It eschews traditional melodies and song structure for a more linear approach, if your line sort of goes all over the place. It's slightly controlled musical chaos, with vocalist Jeremy Bolm rapidly expelling his thoughts as if they were poison to his mind. 

2. Frightened Rabbit - Pedestrian Verse

Frightened Rabbit's brand of indie rock has always been unique. Alternating rock numbers with soft sadness, they are able to synchronize the feel of the song to the mood of the music, which makes their records remarkably consistent in evoking an emotional response. Pedestrian Verse is no exception, as the instrumentalists in the band have made another musically dynamite record, but as always it is Scott Hutchinson's vocals and lyrics that make the album.  Soaked in Laphroaig and dripping with self-contempt, Hutchinson melts you into puddles of sympathy, even as he describes himself as the arse (often). Perhaps it is the thickness of his brogue, never softened by singing, that makes his plight so relatable. Pour a dram and drink it in. 

1. Deafheaven - Sunbather

Deafheaven is a black metal band. This is a black metal record. There is screaming, blast beats, tons of distortion, screaming, and also screaming.  The thing is, it is unlike any music that I've ever heard or will ever hear. Sunbather evokes more imagery than any music since...ever. It is an hour long aural and emotional assault; it is brilliant; it is devastating. It is also utterly hard to explain if you haven't listened, because there is no reference point. It is completely unique, genuinely excellent, and has totally changed the way I hear music (it is very likely the reason there are six other hardcore albums mentioned in this list). It was the best music of the year when it came out in June and was untouchable from that point. 

Nothing this year came close to Sunbather, so maybe it was easy to get a read on 2013. There was Sunbather, and there was everything else. Have a great 2014, listen to good music, see you next year.