2014's 25 1/2 Best Albums

I think 2013 will stand as the best complete year of music that we got to experience, for some time. I admit that I'm approaching this year with SLIGHTLY less knowledge than I've had going in to analyzing past years. I got married in the spring, and so I had to go back and revisit all of the potentially great albums that I may have missed, which isn't always good. There were entire weeks where I just didn't spin anything new from about March until late May, and backtracking isn't always good for the ears. And so when I say that I felt like this year took a while to REALLY get going with some great albums, I think that is only partially true. I think the other part of that is my inability to absorb all of the great albums I could when they first hit. This is maybe the first year in a while where  I still find myself greatly satisfied, despite a couple of albums by artists I love truly letting me down (mainly The Gaslight Anthem's Get Hurt).

And so, I will aim to do this justice like I do every year that I can. I'll give the album, short bit on why I liked it, and two must-listen tracks. Notes:

There are a handful of mixtapes and EPs that aren't on the list due to not being full length and/or studio releases, but they're worth mentioning. Freeway and Girl Talk's Broken Ankles was a surprising jam this summer, Isaiah Rashad's Cilvia Demo is maybe one of the albums I spun the most this year, and I'm no longer ashamed to say that I haven't found a situation in my life that Migos' No Label 2  can't fix. On to the albums.

25.) Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues

Why: I definitely believe in the bravery of this album, perhaps so much that I've been able to overlook the (very few) glaring flaws inside the music. If we are to still rely on what's left of punk rock to be a jarring confessional space, then I believe that this album does the work. I think Laura Jane Grace takes us to an uncomfortable place, and I think that is necessary. More than anything, I think the album uses punk's anger, rebellion, and disgust towards the world to paint a glorious biography.

Must-Listen Tracks: "True Trans Soul Rebel", "Black Me Out"

24.) Trey Songz - Trigga
Why: Fully understanding that Trey Songz is fairly unremarkable in what he aims to do, I still really enjoy this album. Trey Songz has been making the same exact song for the better part of five years, and while I don't necessarily think he should be rewarded for that, I think this is the first time it has been effective over the course of a full body of work. I love this album in the same way I loved The Dream's Love Vs. Money in 2009, though I loved that album considerably more. There are so few flagrantly commercial R&B albums that don't apologize for their own skin. We get fewer and fewer each year. And so when one is done in a manner that does the balancing act of giving you slickly produced songs catchy enough to sing along to, but explicit enough to not do it in public, I celebrate that.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Dead Wrong", "All We Do"

23.) Grouper - Ruins
Why: This album doesn't really surround you, or fill up a room like Grouper's past efforts. There isn't the frantic need to keep up with every sound happening at once. On this album, it's almost like the sound is barely there at all. The album passes through you, like a ghost. This is Liz Harris' most accessible album yet, and she gets there by stripping down to pretty much just her voice, and a piano. Occasionally there are sounds of crickets closing out songs, or creaks in the background of an arrangement. There.There are parts of this album where I felt almost uninvited. And so, it isn't to be enjoyed without some level of discomfort, but see it through. This is the best Grouper effort to date.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Holding", "Lighthouse"

22.) Spoon - They Want My Soul
Why: It seems that I didn't like this album as much as most everyone else, which is surprising only due to how often I have championed the work of Spoon prior to this album. I say this still saying that it's one of the best albums of the year, but perhaps not the world beater that I was hoping for. Still, even in its most uneven moments, it is a marvel. The middle of the album, from "Do You" to "Let Me Be Mine" do the best work here, blending new wave and soul while still maintaining all of the band's pop music sensibilities.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Let Me Be Mine", "New York Kiss"

21.) Primordial - Where Greater Men Have Fallen
Why: There isn't any reinvention of the wheel here, as far as classic (or...basic...) metal imagery goes. There's smoke drifting through trees, there's some flames, the horizon is burning, etc and so forth. But I think  Primordial has always been able to succeed in the sometimes flailing metal genre by being so unafraid to embrace an evolution of their sound. This album marked a particularly huge leap forward for me, as someone who had become slightly bored with them over the past few years. The drawing of their Celtic roots is evident here, and they blend with various forms and sub-forms of heavy metal to create an album that dissects humanity's pain through a lens of genuine empathy. I can forgive them for leaning on some classic metal tropes in the process.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Come The Flood", "Babel's Tower"

20.) Freddie Gibbs & Madlib -  Piñata
Why: Madlib is Madlib, and will always be one of the most prolific and gifted producers in the game. No one really needs to be sold on Madlib. On the flipside, I had cooled a bit on Freddie Gibbs over the past year. Not due to his skill, but more due to his spotty and inconsistent output. Madlib is the ultimate teammate. He somehow manages to bring the best out of everyone on this album, even getting an incredible guest turn out of the criminally mediocre Mac Miller on the title track.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Supplier", "Shitsville"

19.) Tennis - Ritual In Repeat
Why: It's pretty simple. I'll stop loving Tennis album when their formula stops working so well. It's really simple. Alaina Moore's voice rubbing up against really dark arrangements that turn over into harmony packed choruses. Sometimes, when you have a band with 3 or less people, the formula is all that matters. I'm sure we'll get bored with Tennis' 70's influenced dream-pop, but it isn't boring for me yet. I don't need them to be the band that takes risks. I get fed that in almost every other musician I'm hearing. I just need them to keep going back to the well and doing what works until they have nothing left there. I'm not saying that they aren't capable of artistic growth, I'm just saying that I'm alright with them not exploring that. No one asked Shaquille O'Neal to shoot 3's.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Never Work For Free", "Timothy"

18.) Asher Roth - RetroHash
Why: I'm almost entirely sure that no one listened to or purchased this album except for me and ten other people. And how did this happen to Asher Roth, by the way? When are we going to let Asher Roth out of the doghouse for putting out a debut single (and album) that he clearly didn't want to do? He's since had an incredible career while wallowing in the deepest corners of the underground with weirdly long hair. RetroHash is the fun, and smart studio album that I think most people who have followed Roth for years expected. What's most exciting, for me, is the idea that this album is just a start when it comes to Roth's experimenting with sound, and bending genre expectations. It does suffer from being a bit inaccessible in spots. But, perhaps it's a middle finger to everyone who kept screaming "Why can't Asher Roth just grow up already?" He did, and no one cared to listen anymore.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Pull It", "Fast Life"

17.) Jenny Lewis - The Voyager
Why: In my post-college years, I was maybe the only one of my friends who had a Jenny Lewis poster in his apartment. It hung in my dining room for years, Lewis holding a bottle of wine in one hand, and 40 dollars in the other. The poster was torn in a move by a friend (I use the term loosely). All of this is to say, I have loved Jenny Lewis almost as long as I have loved albums produced by Ryan Adams, and to have a marriage of those two things made this an easy selection. Making it easier is how far Lewis reaches into her bag on the album, mixing together hints of the Bangles, the Eagles, and the writing of Randy Newman. I've never really had any doubts about Lewis' songwriting ability, but it hasn't been highlighted as freely as it is all through this album, and it is a pleasure to hear it being fully realized.
Must-Listen Tracks: "She's Not Me", "Late Bloomer"

16.) PUP - Pup
Why: This is kind of what would happen if we got a punk album out of Weezer before they started to make bad music, and if they first listened to Modset Mouse's Lonesome Crowded West. It is truly the realization of the shape of punk to come, with gang vocals, ripping guitar riffs, and infectious choruses. They're probably better songwriters than most of the punks chopping away at tunes right now, but that's not really something we should punish them for, right?
Must-Listen Tracks: "Reservoir", "Guilt Trip"

15.) Shabazz Palaces - Lese Majesty
Why: I don't know when, but somewhere along the way, we got into this idea of sonically complex and/or "conscious" hip-hop not being accessible to the "average" hip-hop fan (which is a term I hope dies off for good in 2015). I like this album more than most because I think it does what so many sophomore albums refuse to do. It sticks to the same blueprint as the first album, and then expands on it. This album, for me, was basically like their near-classic debut, but on steroids. Ishmael Butler isn't the easiest MC to track with, and hasn't been since his days with Digable Planets, but trying to keep up with him makes the album a bit more fun.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Dawn In Luxor", "Solemn Swears"

14.) Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness
Why: I was actually way higher on this album (like, top three high) earlier in the year. Like one or two albums each year, it suffered from simply coming out so early in the calendar that it watched a handful of albums pass it up, which is saying nothing of the music. Angel Olsen has maybe the most warm, engaging, and comfortable voice in pop music right now. Even through its flaws and occasional cracks, the voice is serving as an instrument, one that does not take away from any song. I don't know if there's an album that I've heard like this one in recent years. An album where a singer carries it in a way that feels like the voice is doing it all on its own.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Lights Out", "High And Wild"

13.) Cloud Nothings - Here And Nowhere Else
Why: This record serves as a full-on assault of the senses. A very brief one, only clocking in at about 30 minutes. The more I spun it, the more I realized that this is an album that showcases the work of a drummer better than any I heard this year, and maybe last year. Jayson Gerycz creates an absolute urgency in the groove, while also building a wall for Dylan Baldi's songwriting to break down over and over again.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Just See Fear", "Giving Into Seeing"

12.) Ought - More Than Any Other Day
Why: There are few things I understand less than all of the sub-genres of punk, except for art-punk. Because I grew up (in part) on Talking Heads. And so when I see a band touting itself as art-punk, I go in with high expectations. No one in Ought is as singularly talented or unique as David Byrne, but this album does a lot of the same work with tongue in cheek songwriting, infectious grooves, and some unsettling (but fun!) subject matter. It seems like a major sticking point of art-punk is being smart enough to be angry at the world, but not driven enough to tell people what they need to do about it. The legacy continues.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Habit", "Gemini"

11.) Iceage - Plowing Into The Field Of Love
Why: Here's easily my favorite album title of the year, and the record itself doesn't disappoint. I didn't find myself connecting with 2011's New Brigade or 2013's You're Nothing, and so I was about ready to write off the Danish punks for good, but this album does what those didn't. Maybe it's the more dialed down sound, or the abandoning of some of the overly hardcore elements that I didn't find to work, but on this effort, you can really hear the instruments coming together in unison. The risks like string arrangements, mandolins, and horns pay off in areas where they maybe wouldn't have before.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Against The Moon", "On My Fingers"

10.) Aphex Twin - Syro
Why: I actually think that if not for the work that Boards Of Canada's Tomorrow's Harvest did last year, the world would be less willing to buy into how good of an album this actually is. IDM albums crossing over into mainstream consciousness is becoming less and less rare with each passing year, with "genre" becoming a more and more disposable term. It's tough to say that this is a huge leap from the last proper Aphex Twin release (2001's Drukqs), because we've seen Richard D. James evolve pretty publicly over the last decade or so. Still, this album may shock some by how it frantically races from one sound to the next with almost no warning. A pleasurable listen, I'd say even for the IDM finger waggers.
Must-Listen Tracks: (I think it's best if this album is listened to as a whole thing/experience.)

9.) Big K.R.I.T. - Cadillactica 
Why: While fans of southern hip-hop spent most of 2014 fawning over Outkast's nostalgia-based money grab of a reunion (let's just call it what it was), and wondering what happened to "the good old days", K.R.I.T. released an album that sounds like it was molded in 1990's Atlanta. Largely a celebration of rims and speakers, K.R.I.T. does what he usually does. Thrives as a storyteller who is fearless in content and delivery. Unlike 2012's Live From The Underground, where he often times sounded clumsy and unsure, K.R.I.T. spends most of Cadillactica sounding entirely confident, as he should.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Soul Food", "Mt. Olympus"

8.) St. Vincent - St. Vincent
Why: The best thing that I think happened to Annie Clark the person, and then St. Vincent the musician was the confidence that seemed to come after 2011's Strange Mercy, and the collaborative effort with David Byrne that followed. It's almost like she gave herself the permission to bounce from one musical approach to another, sometimes within the same song. It suits her well on this album, which is kind of like a musical picstitch of her career to this point, topped off with one of her classic ballads thrown in at the end.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Severed Crossed Fingers", "Psychopath"

7.) Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 2
Why: I really cannot put this album any higher. I remember thinking before it came out that there was almost no way that any album could top it. Not just hip-hop album, any album at all. And so, it isn't like this album is a letdown by any measure, it just isn't perfect. "Love Again" is a song that shouldn't have made it on to any finished album. Without question. That song alone dragged this album down. Still, it is an album that was as timely as it was devastating. El-P continues to do some of the best production work of his career, and the album gets (for my money) the best guest turn of the year from Zach de le Rocha on the jarring "Close Your Eyes And Count To Fuck"
Must-Listen Tracks: "Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck)", "Angel Duster"

6.) Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything
Why: It's an album that is filled with equal parts joy and terror, and it doesn't try to reconcile the two at any point. That's the best selling point that I can make for this album, and that is to say nothing of the melodic dissonance, the inventive songwriting, or the incredible album title.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Little Ones Run", "What We Loved Was Not Enough"

5.) Flying Lotus - You're Dead!
Why: I think, more than any other FlyLo album, you may actually have to be willing to invest in jazz to connect with You're Dead! but, I think the payoff is worth it, even if you have no interest in jazz, or don't give a fuck about Herbie Hancock (which, like. That's an entirely different issue that I have with you.) It's a concept driven album, but that doesn't narrow down the range of music traveled throughout. Even Snoop sounds briefly resurrected during his guest spot.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Never Catch Me", "Tesla"

4.) YOB - Clearing The Path To Ascend
Why: Truthfully, I found Pallbearer's Foundations of  Burden to be a bit more boring than most people seemed to. YOB gives us what I think is the best metal album of the year, and I'm not sure how close it is. This thing is a monument to musicianship, and songcraft, something that metal snobs can never stop whining for. In one of the many "frontman puts out album in the wake of a divorce" records this year, it remarkably holds up better than the others. It gives us lyrics not concerned with life, but merely existence, which I understand isn't the most cheerful thing to turn up, but is sometimes the most necessary.
Must-Listen Tracks: "In Our Blood", "Country Down"

3.) Beck - Morning Phase
Why: It really feels like less of an album and more of a book. The settings move and change, the imagery remains sharp, and the journey you're on is very present. I understand and appreciate the criticism of Beck's later, post-Sea Change work. But I think he gets his mojo back on this one.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Blackbird Chain", "Oxygen"

2.) The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream
Why: It is entirely possible to get bored even with talking about and praising an album that you absolutely love, as I learned with The War On Drugs this year. The blend of Americana and shoegaze really works here, even though the guitar heroics (fantastic as they are) get a little tedious in spots. It is a masterpiece, even if it is one that you don't return to as much as you think you should.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Red Eyes", "An Ocean In between The Waves"

1.) FKA twigs - LP1
Why: In all honesty, the gap between #3 and the top two is pretty large. And I kind of think both of the top two albums are interchangeable, given the day. What pushes LP1 slightly over the edge is how it sustains and improves over the course of multiple listens. The War On Drugs made a great album, but I felt a very clear ceiling on it, as a listener. Re-listening to LP1, even late in the year, revealed new gems, each time. I have a hard time labeling the album as an R&B album, which I suppose it what it is at its core. It seems too inventive, maybe too cold and distant, and it doesn't fall back on any of the R&B tropes that we've come to expect. The beats are minimal, the album is subtle, chilling, and has relentless vision.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Pendulum", "Two Weeks"


THE 1/2 ALBUM:

Kelis - Food

The 1/2 album usually serves as an album that just missed, or an album that I liked a lot/maybe more than most people. Food is a little weird, a lot of fun, and really risky. We don't talk enough about how Kelis has continued to be effective in the reinventing of herself and her sound throughout her career. Much like the Asher Roth record, I really wish that more people listened to (and/or purchased) this album.

2013's 25 1/2 Best Albums, Part II.

Here are the top 12 1/2 albums of the year, without too much of an intro, which you can read in the first post, here.

SO, with that in mind, here are what I considered to be the remainder of the best albums in 2013, which was truly a fantastic year in music. After a short summary of the album, click on the title of the two must-listen tracks to get a glimpse of the music.

12.) The Foreign Exchange - Love In Flying Colors
Why: What I found myself enjoying most about this FE album, and what I enjoy about so much of their work, is the exploration of relationships, and not in the broad sense. Unlike the past two (fantastic) FE albums, this one seems a little more settled in it's airy, hypnotic atmosphere. A lot more sure of itself. Lastly, it goes without saying, but also cannot be said enough. Nicolay is incredibly, incredibly gifted.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Dreams Are Made For Two", "Listen To The Rain"

11.) Neko Case - The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
Why: I appreciate the embracing of age, especially as I find myself getting older. I've always thought Neko Case's work seemed to be honest about all but that, so this album holds a special place for me. It balances both a tender sound, with extremely tough content. In a year where women in music were as fierce and bold as they've ever been, I think Case wins out, in a lot of ways, by just finding yet another avenue, another way to keep her sound fresh. Even after all of her years in the game.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Wild Creatures", "Man"

10.) Death Grips - Government Plates
Why: I like Death Grips way better when they're making music, and find myself less concerned with what comes out of the times when the aesthetic of the group allows itself to be called into question. Mostly, by not putting a penis on the cover, if nothing else, so much of this album's appeal finally lies solely in the music itself. Both an expression and justification of paranoia, the sounds on the album are scattered, jarring, and almost comical, in some ways. It's kind of an ink splatter of an album, if nothing else, not only in sound, but in lyrical content, with MC Ride smearing together language and imagery, to leave the most pressing things up to the imagination of the listener. Which has kind of always been what we turned to these guys for, right?
Must-Listen Tracks: "Whatever I Want", "Big House"

9.) Savages - Silence Yourself
Why: Listen, I get it that no one believes in post-punk anymore as an actual thing, but here's a very real truth. Sleater-Kinney isn't walking through that door. At least not in 2013 (though 2014 looks promising), and there was a void, for me. Savages aren't necessarily a reheated version of S-K, though there is obvious influence, but they are somehow both quieter and more demanding with their messages and expectations. The title of the album, paired with the opening track ("Shut Up") send the clear message of listen, quit all of the bullshit and enjoy something artistic for once. I haven't heard an album this aggressive in a while, which is a major accomplishment considering the nuance of it, and the obvious care taken by the musicians. It doesn't sound like they just showed up and beat the hell out of their instruments, though I'm not sure I would have minded that, either.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Marshall Dear", "Strife"

8.) Boards Of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest
Why: This is an album I actually started the year incredibly high on, and then found myself cooling as more releases popped up. I think what I initially loved about the album, the claustrophobic sounds, the obvious sense of crisis, became too intense for my palette, but not so intense that I could drop this fantastic, fantastic album out of my top ten. It's down about six slots from my mid-year forecast, but it is still a triumph.
Must-Listen Tracks: "New Seeds", "Reach For The Dead"

7.) Thundercat - Apocalypse 
Why: I trended more towards intriguing and daring instrumental work this year, if it isn't evident by the choices at the top end of this. With that said, I found the universally hailed Settle (by Disclosure) to lack some of the free flying risk that I found consistently popping up on this album. Thundercat has done better than almost anyone at completely separating himself from any sort of barriers. The album is unpredictable, but also calming, in an odd way. You feel a call back to some of the influences that were previously tapped to, I'd say influences reaching as far as the Minutemen's Double Nickels On The Dime album. Criminally under-talked about album, this one.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Special Stage", "Tenfold"

6.) The National - Trouble Will Find Me
Why: I always enjoy watching what a band does on the album AFTER the album that made them popular. The National always had themselves a small following, but after 2010's High Violet, things got real, in a very big way. I would say with this release, the band finds themselves holding serve, if not topping the prior effort. When climbing the ladder, it's rare that a band gets a firm grasp on the rungs, and an effort like this must be rewarded.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Graceless", "Demons"

5.) The 1975 - The 1975
Why: And here lies the "surprise" pick of the year. I don't intend to do this annually, and this isn't even the most surprising, compared to the past three years (in 2010 I fought recklessly for The Dream's Love Vs. Money as the #1 album of the year. Which is reflects more on the year, and my desire to make a name for myself, at the time, as a music journalist willing to be "edgy"). The seemingly overnight success story of The 1975 generates plenty of sideeye, and perhaps rightfully so. When the mid-2000's found itself exploding with piano-rock bands, it was a good time, sure, but no one really expected anything would come out of it. We've all had flings. The 1975, however, amount to the fling that sticks around for a while, meets the parents, and remembers your birthday. The album is ambitious, just based off of numbers alone. After releasing a handful of quietly solid EPs, this is a debut indie pop album with 16 tracks. Which gives us maybe about four more tracks than most people have time for when it comes to such releases. But the genre jumping within those 16 tracks give listeners a taste of everything. And the way the genres are maneuvered, sometimes within the same songs. It finds itself being a pop album only in aesthetic, but more importantly, it finds itself being already timeless. Also, their cover of this One Direction song is pretty wild.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You", "Menswear"

4.) Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels
Why: In the interest of full disclosure, the gap between #5 and everything else, this year, is very, very wide.  I think the top four albums of this year stood out so far from the rest of the pack that it was hard to place them in order. Run The Jewels is so intriguing, if you're into hip-hop, because you have two guys who made two of the most interesting hip-hop albums of 2012 (Killer Mike's R.A.P. Music, and El-P's Cancer 4 Cure) joining forces. The fusion of Killer Mike's more foot-on-gas approach mixed with some of the daring/art-driven production of El-P creates an interesting mix of subtle, nuanced tracks that can also shut down the block when blared with the windows down on a slow drive. And if you have the time, the content is also challenging, refreshing, and unique in its approach. What's best is that, unlike the hype mountain of Watch The Throne, you don't get the vibe that either of these guys coasted here. And both come out of the project seeming more grown, as artists. This is the most complete hip-hop album of the year, by far.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Banana Clipper", "D.D.F.H."

3.) Deafheaven - Sunbather
Why: I saw Deafheaven in 2011, on the back of their debut album Roads To Judah, and I remember leaving a bit let down, due to the hype I'd heard about the group redefining and/or revolutionizing black metal. I heard a lot of unrealized promise, and a lot of risks left on the stage, and on the four track album. Two years later, Sunbather drops to widespread acclaim, and again, I was skeptical. But, then, I heard rumblings from the "metal purists" about how much they hated the record, which led me to believe I would enjoy it immensely. (Because, if I haven't said it enough throughout these things, there are no music fans in the world worse than metal purists. None. None. None. ICP fans, no matter what people may say about you, there are always worse people to talk music with. And it's metal purists. Anyway.) Sunbather doesn't necessarily LOOK like a black metal album, aesthetically, with its gentle title, and soft pink album cover. But it sounds like a band who finally found out that their lane was greater than a sub-genre. There are seven tracks. The album lasts an hour. Along the way, we're treated to some early Explosions In The Sky-like tricks, a bit of shoegazing, and entire walls and waves of noise. Where Deafheaven has always succeeded is in their incredible control of all of these sounds, of this dynamic. They are as close to metal's version of Phil Spector as we may see. Everything has its place, even the messiest of sections that stumble into a 14 minute opus like "Vertigo". Some metal is heavy from the start, and never slows down. What Deafheaven does here is slowly build it's weight, and it's a real treat when it finally crashes down. This album is a masterpiece. It is for those who like metal and those who do not. I like the two above it more, however, this is the album I most frequently found myself recommending this year.
Must-Listen Track (one due to length): "Dream House"

2.) Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady
Why: I still feel like there's a desire for Janelle Monae to fail, or at least a question of whether or not she will. I think whenever an act arrives as beloved by the "right" names as Monae did, there's a bit of curiosity that doesn't allow one to fully consume the music. It didn't help that at times, Monae's efforts, even at their most impressive, had a tendency to be disjointed, or hard to engage with for casual listeners. What this album brings together is a laser-like attention to detail which makes it sharp, and the realizing of Monae's sky-high ambition, and how to best make it work within the musical climate she exists in. It's a brave album. An incredibly brave album, and more importantly, every single leap of faith works.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Q.U.E.E.N.", "PrimeTime"

1.) My Bloody Valentine - m b v
Why: Maybe a bit unfair, since a portion of this album was recorded before the band's breakup in 1997, but the first full length release of original material from the group in over two decades warrants the number one slot here mostly due to how it, even after all of these years, was kind of an extension of 1991's Loveless, and not a dramatic leap, still maintaining the things that we loved about their sound. Loveless changed the way I heard music. It changed the way I listened to instruments. I heard it on the bedroom floor of a girl I was kind of interested in during my sophomore year of college. I put on headphones, and sat on her floor with that record for two hours, until she kicked me out of her room, and I knew my relationship with sound had shifted. This time around, I stayed up well after midnight, sitting up alone in my bed, listening to the album over and over, and imagining the madness that went into it. Allowing myself to get lost in that space. MBV has always allowed for the losing of one's self. Allowed for an almost forgettable passing of time. This album triumphs in that, and does so over a decade after its creators were written off for dead.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Is This And Yes", "New You"

THE 1/2 ALBUM
For those unfamiliar, I add a 1/2 album every year. This is an album I truly enjoyed, but enjoyed while understanding that it wasn't one of the 25 best pieces of music released in the year. Or, just an album by an artist I am a shameless fan of, and want to talk about. So, naturally, this year...

Fall Out Boy - Save Rock N' Roll
Why: I don't know how to tell 20 year old scene kids that the bands they love right now are going to get older, and it is often times going to be messy, unappealing, and potentially annoying, which is where Fall Out Boy were, for me, at the end of 2008, on the back of the album Folie A Deux. An album that I enjoyed, but most other fans of the band hated, but not nearly as much as they hated watching the group (quite literally) dissolving on stage. One hiatus and 4.5 years later, FOB came back with a mature, fun record that doesn't pretend to not care what people think while actually REALLY caring what people thing. It truly doesn't care. Pete Wentz's lyrics read less like diary/blog entries for the first time ever, and more like genuine meditations on guilt, aging, and failed relationships. The songs tackle the sometimes difficult realities behind being an adult, which is a far cry where the band was at when we last left them. The hardest thing for a band to do, especially when the band has a fan base rooted in youth, is to age gracefully, and take its fans with them. This album did as good of a job as possible in letting that happen. Patrick Stump steals the gold star on the album, however, with his voice much improved from his toe dipping in the waters of soul and funk during his solo endeavors. There are straightforward pop songs here. There are funky songs here. And there is genuine vintage soul here. But, for the nostalgic, there are still splashes of what worked way back in 2002, when I saw them play live for the first time as teenagers in a basement in Chicago with about 15 other people. I went to see them when they came through Columbus this year, and I was blown away by seeing the wide range of ages in the crowd. The new wave of teenagers. The slightly older hit-chasers. And, of course, those of us in our late 20s, who were there at the start, and are now wise enough to stay out of the pit and just take in the music.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Where Did The Party Go?", "Save Rock N' Roll"

I hope you were able to dig out a few good albums you were unfamiliar with through this. It's been a killer year, and while I don't think 2014 can keep pace, here's hoping.

2013's 25 1/2 Best Albums, Part I.

Another year, another decline in the actual purchasing power of music. A friend I know joked that by 2017, we'll be an album-free society, purchasing songs solely out of vending machines, the way we do Cheetos. While he and I don't share the same panic-button mentality, it can be argued the the idea of the complete album as a real, revenue-generating item gets drastically weaker by the year, which is mostly disappointing because, for someone who listens to nearly EVERYTHING, as I tend to do, 2012-2013 has seen a nice run of fantastic albums popping up in nearly every genre. So, if the album, as a realistic form of engagement, is dead, the afterlife is fantastic, and I can't wait to get there.

So, with that in mind, as I do at the end of nearly every year, I'll outline what I feel were the 25 best albums over the course of the calendar. I welcome any opinions, especially dissenting ones. If you're interested, my 2012 list can be found here, and my 2011 list can be found here. Also, my list from the halfway point of this year, which, as a fair warning, will be entirely shuffled, is here.

I'm doing this in two parts this year. Normally, I just give a short sentence as to why I liked an album, but I had more to say on albums this year. I think I'm starting to miss the journalist/critic part of my past, and I need to get those feelings out. So, with each album, I'll give a (hopefully) short bit of logic behind the selection, and then give you 2-3 must listen tracks. To be taken to video/audio of the tracks, click on the track title. First, albums 25-13. But first...

Six That Missed The Cut, That Are Still Worth Your Time

The Wonder Years - The Greatest Generation : Simply a result of being pushed out by better albums dropping later in the year, still, this is a triumph of an album in a genre that has been declared dead for years.

Charles Bradley - Victim Of Love : This is an incredible, incredible soul record. There aren't enough records like this being made anymore, which, through no fault of its own, makes the record kind of an oddity.

Danny Brown - Old : Perhaps the rangiest hip-hop album of the year, which makes for a slightly uneven listen, but still a fantastic one.

David Bowie - The Next Day : I loved this record, don't get me wrong. This album was #25 until last week.

Altar Of Plagues - Teethed Glory And Injury : Sadly, this masterpiece of an album is the final thing that this underrated metal band did, with their breakup making news last month. A diverse, unique album, and a fine send-off.

Paramore - Paramore : You wouldn't know it, because they are so easily dismissed, but whatever lineup changes took place really allowed for this band to click, and release one of the surprises of the year. It doesn't sell like their earlier efforts, but it is truly glowing.


25.) Beyonce - BEYONCE
Why: If nothing else, I know many, MANY purveyors of Beyonce Knowles as spectacle. And I've purchased their wares, from time to time, while also not particularly buying into the MUSIC itself. In January of this year, I took in the usually ignored (for me, since Prince) Super Bowl halftime show, and was really drawn in, which pushed me to revisit Beyonce's catalog. What her past albums lacked, for me, and where this album succeeds is in the saying of the previously unsaid. For so long, so many things Beyonce were assumed and not spoken, which, I think, added to the spectacle of it all, but left me wanting more from the music. Here, in songs that are loose in structure, and full, even jarring, in content, I think this album achieves, greatly, and repeatedly. I imagine this album may have been higher, at least here, had I not taken it in with such big gulps, as we all did, due to the nature of its release. I look forward to taking some smaller sips and swishing it around a bit in coming months.
Must-Listen Tracks:  "Partition" , "Mine", "Drunk In Love"

24.) Chvrches - The Bones Of What You Believe
Why: It's not as if Scottish synth-pop is exactly my wheelhouse, BUT in many ways, especially all ways related to sound, 80's nostalgia is. This album, for me, felt like what would have happened if Depeche Mode, at their peak, could have been fronted by Kate Bush, also at her peak. A danceable album, even for wallflowers, it's an incredibly worthy listen, and even in an era of indie music where women are moving more and more to the front, Lauren Mayberry is an absolute gift.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Gun", "Tether", "Lies"

23.) Drake - Nothing Was The Same
Why: Here's the thing. There are a lot of things about Drake that have nothing to do with him as a musician, that I simply cannot be bothered with. Even as I examine them, laugh at them, critique them from a distance. I don't really care how tough Drake is or isn't. To an extent, I really don't even care how "hip-hop" he is, as the definition of what that is/isn't has been pushed through a music fan meat grinder and processed beyond any reasonable recognition. What I care about, as with most artists, tends to revolve around what I can gain from them musically. Are they growing? Are they challenging themselves? Are they doing so while also giving me, the listener, something diverse, if not unique? I don't necessarily need GREAT music from Drake anymore. I think I've managed to get great from Drake twice now, with 2007's Comeback Season, and 2009's So Far Gone. This album succeeds where his previous studio efforts failed, in the embracing of all of his abilities, even the questionable ones. Even the ones people tell him he shouldn't do. I am so intrigued, from the jump, with "Tuscan Leather", the mini-suite of an intro that utilizes the same Whitney Houston sample in three different ways, with Drake showing an improved ability to catch a beat, and ride it effectively. Drake still has a fantastic ear for melody and structure, but will likely always struggle to pinpoint his limits, because, I'm sure, in his mind, he has none. So, with that in mind, there are some glaring misses here. It's front-heavy, no question. The few bad songs are VERY bad, but it's a product of Drake swinging at anything that comes even remotely close to the plate. Something that, for the first time, has good results.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Tuscan Leather", "Hold On, We're Going Home", "The Motion"

22.) Typhoon - White Lighter
Why: One of the biggest crimes in music this past year is the fact that this album was released and then largely ignored, except for a small section of people. Some of those people I had the pleasure of being surrounded by during one of the few live shows I took in this year (The others? Well, one was Fall Out Boy, because I only go see live music for ME now, so you scene kids can go to hell. Anyway.)...I think Arcade Fire blowing up may have turned people off to the brand of Orchestra-based choir pop that Typhoon drowns us in, but I think that is what draws me to them. The challenge of making one, quality sound, and have it sustain for a full album is a bigger challenge the more people you pile on top of each other. It's a sprawling effort that is almost overwhelmingly about death, from a lyrical standpoint. But, look! The horns! The cello! (See, you barely notice all the talk about dying.)
Must-Listen Tracks: "Artificial Light", "Hunger And Thirst", "Young Fathers"

21.) Laura Marling - Once I Was An Eagle
Why: I found this album to be incredibly heartbreaking, but also refreshing. It most reminded me of PJ Harvey's Dry, in tone. Every year, there's an album that is so stunning, brave, and startling in it's polish that I tell myself that I will never stop listening. But then I find it too haunting to revisit. I warn in advance that this is a sad album. A very sad album. Not an exploration of relationships like Tegan and Sara's upbeat The Con, more of knife's slow exit, if you will. And it doesn't even matter. It's still such a necessary listen.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Love Be Brave" , "Devils Resting Place"

20.) Inter Arma - Sky Burial
Why: I'm not necessarily sure what it takes to make a complete, engaging metal album in 2013. I still, even now, consider myself a metalhead, or as much of one as I can be while indulging all of my other appetites, however, I have had a hard time finding an album that I wanted to keep close and continue spinning. What Inter Arma does here, and does so well, is mix together multiple types of metal to create a cohesive sound. And it is loud. In spots, really, really loud. But not the "These guys can't play their instruments" loud. If Brian Eno stumbled into a metal band, this is what it would sound like.
Must-Listen Tracks: "The Survival Fires", "sblood"

19.) Chance The Rapper - Acid Rap
Why: This is a tough entry, because, technically, this is a mixtape. But, the lines within the genre between mixtape and studio album have almost blended, at this point. Not to mention, this release was so much better than so many studio releases, it was hard NOT to include it. As I find myself warming up more and more to Chance's music, I'm struck by how unafraid it is of itself. And, if I'm calling it like I felt it on first listen, it reminded me of Kanye West's earliest efforts. The fun, the soul-backing tracks. And through it all, you don't ever forget that Chance is, by today's hip-hop standards, still a kid. Even if he is one who is exceptionally skilled.
Must-Listen Tracks: "NaNa", "Smoke Again", "Favorite Song"

18.) HAIM - Days Are Gone
Why: HAIM is a band, not a group. I think, especially when it comes to the boy/girl band dynamic that they walk so dangerously close to, that has to be explicitly clear. These women are skilled musicians, writers, and arrangers. A fact that is often lost in discussions about the work they have given us here (most of it label-driven, I imagine. I apologize for being the messenger, but "girl-group" sells better than "girl-band", and I don't think that's lost on anyone at Columbia Records). Which is unfortunate, because this is a glorious debut. HAIM, at least as it seems, are nothing if not sponges. What works with HAIM, why they can prosper with the 20 and 30-somethings of today is simply because they're like so many of us. They had parents who played pop records around the house. All they have managed to do here is put their spin on those records, and spit them back out with a fierceness and beauty that I found refreshing. Here, they channel, sometimes in the same song, The Miami Sound Machine, Debbie Gibson, Blondie, Lindsey Buckingham, and Michael Jackson. Plus they trotted out maybe the best cover of a Miley Cyrus song all year. Listening to HAIM is kind of like walking down a thrift store aisle, and finding the coolest old shirts, perfectly in your size. Over and over.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Running If You Call My Name", "Honey And I", "Go Slow"

17.) James Blake - Overgrown
Why: This was kind of the album the mainstream needed after Justin Timberlake put up two bricks in the same year some slight letdowns in the department of soul-pop releases this year. The range shown by Blake, from Gospel, to Synth, to R&B, is alarming almost. And it's done in the most simple ways. Blake approached this album with no immense urgency to change the way we listen to what he does. Which, in pop music right now, should be rewarded.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Life Round Here", "Voyeur" , "Take A Fall For Me"

16.) Pistol Annies - Annie Up
Why: This may as well read as "The Best Reviewed Album Of 2013 That Has Also Been Largely Ignored By Award Establishments And End Of Year Lists". Pistol Annies, the brainchild of Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, and Angaleena Presley, do maybe the closest thing that we'll get to outlaw country in the genre's current state. Two years ago, I rode hard for their debut album Hell On Heels even (then, in officially capacity as a writer for a certain publication which will not be named) fought for it as a top three album of the years, and lost out. It wasn't a top 3 album, of course, but I approached it with the "Ask for 20, they'll give you 15" strategy. (it didn't make the list at all.) These three women are fierce, smart songwriters, and you feel that some of the pressure has been taken off of Lambert this time around, as some of the debut felt a little urgent, on her end, as the most widely known (and likely most talented) of the trio. And, much like the first effort, a lot of ground is covered, content-wise. The struggle here is that every now and then, you can feel Nashville with their hands around the neck of their ideas here, but there is still bite in every minute of this record.
Must-Listen Tracks: "I Hope You're The End Of My Story", "Damn Thing"

15.) M.I.A. - Matangi
Why: I am consistently skeptical when it comes to M.I.A.'s work. M.I.A. is fast food chicken nuggets. They're easy to consume, even if you're otherwise occupied, they're tasty, and we don't really want to know what goes into creating them. M.I.A. is mostly a product of production, simply put. This isn't to insult her as an artist, because the formula has worked, even if she has become less interesting in the past year or so (which is shocking, because the video for "Bad Girls" was fucking incredible), so any time an album of hers drops, I tend not to look at the nutrition facts, and just start to consume. She's not particularly as skilled as her peers in any particular category, but what I figured out a few tracks into this one is that she figured out what DIDN'T work on 2010's Maya, and got back in line with Switch and Danja (who, at this point, is pretty much Timbaland-Lite) And the result is the most cohesive release since her debut. M.I.A. has really embraced the idea that she's entirely capable of using her voice to push forward revolutionary thinking, or simply boast over waves of ever-changing drums. I mean, the aforementioned "Bad Girls" is just as much potentially empowering anthem as it is self-congratulatory shit talking. Like any M.I.A. release, this one is a little bit sonically exhausting, so it's best listened to in bits, which is a drawback. But the good stuff absolutely knocks.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Warriors", "Bad Girls" (Yes, still. Always.), "Y.A.L.A."

14.) Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires Of The City
Why: I figured out that this album was like my generation's Graceland during my first outdoor run of autumn, and I haven't been able to shake that feeling since. Also, before giving a ton of praise to the entire band, I wish more people would really give credit to Rostam Batmanglij for the work he put in really driving the bus here. At the risk of cramming two separate references into one summary, he took the role that Lindsey Buckingham took while directing Fleetwood Mac through Tusk, and the results are similarly satisfying. I think what is most pleasing about this album is the leap for the band. If there is any band that can throw their legs comfortably over the indie chair and dip their toes into mainstream waters without too much grumbling from either side, it's them. It'll be fun to get used to. Oh, also, Ezra Koenig's "review" of Drake's album earlier this year is a MUST READ.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Young Lion", "Obvious Bicycle", "Everlasting Arms"

13.) Kurt Vile - Wakin On A Pretty Daze
Why: This is the album that sounds most like the person behind it. I imagine Kurt Vile is potentially always high, and I even imagine I would enjoy this album more of I partook, but thankfully, I found this album fantastic without worrying about being popped for a random drug test. The album is definitely an undertaking, with songs stretching out over seven minutes in spots, but the moments of contemplative lyricism, beautiful images, and comforting melodies make the trip worth it. It feels like the best parts of an era that some of our parents grew up in. Something I found absolutely refreshing upon listening.
Must-Listen Tracks: "Girl Called Alex", "Wakin On A Pretty Day"


(Part II, later this week, will break down the top 12 albums of the year. Hopefully you discovered something new!)