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
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!)
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