Musically, 2013 was an interesting year. Some strong albums from older, more established artists (David Bowie, Daft Punk, Johnny Marr) coupled with a decided 80's influence in the sound of a lot of younger bands (Ducktails, High Highs, Savages) made me wonder if I was listening to new releases from 2013 or 1988. Not a bad thing.
A few things that went into consideration when I put together this list: Hip-hop makes up a very small percentage of what I listen to (Deltron 3030 being the only representative here), so while I'm sure Kanye/Drake/Danny Brown/M.I.A./Eminem/whoever made some amazing music, they won't be on my list. Neither will Robin Thicke, Miley Cyrus, or anybody not wearing robot helmets who played the VMA’s. There were also quite a few albums from names I would usually jump on, but for whatever reason, I just didn't spend enough time with their new stuff for them to be part of the list (you'll find them at the end of the post). Finally, outside of Tegan and Sara, Ducktails, and Kurt Vile, there were no obvious standouts for me this year, so rather than try to rank a lot of albums that were all equally interesting, I went with quantity: What follows are the 20 albums released in 2013 that I listened to the most. In these days of being able to listen to whatever I want whenever I want, if an album pulls me back for multiple listens, it makes my list for the year. Here's what I've had in heavy rotation for the past 11+ months:
Tegan and Sara, Heartthrob
My hands-down album of the year, as evidenced by more than double the listens of anything else on the list. Tegan and Sara albums have always been a little hit-or-miss for me, but the production makes Heartthrob their strongest one to date. It was a surprise to discover that the emotionally heavy lyrics one expects from Tegan and Sara benefit greatly from being wrapped in danceable, synth-heavy, new-wave hooks that veer well into sugary pop territory. Some of their fans are calling this their sellout record, but for me, it only added another dimension to their music, one that made it a lot more fun to listen to.
David Bowie, The Next Day
Superchunk, I Hate Music
Ducktails, The Flower Lane
Daft Punk, Random Access Memories
Kurt Vile, Wakin on a Pretty Daze
Deltron 3030, Event 2
High Highs, Open Season
Johnny Marr, The Messenger
Arctic Monkeys, AM
Volcano Choir, Repave
Har Mar Superstar, Bye Bye 17
Caitlin Rose, The Stand-in
The Thermals, Desperate Ground
The Mary Onettes, Hit the Waves
Savages, Silence Yourself
Arcade Fire, Reflektor
White Denim, Corsicana Lemonade
Dawes, Stories Don’t End
Mount Moriah, Miracle Temple
If you're on Spotify (and if not, do it), listen to all of these albums for yourself:
Also, here's 20 more albums from this year that I enjoyed:
Local Natives, Hummingbird; Kate Nash, Girl Talk; Chris Thile, Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1; Camper Van Beethoven, La Costa Perdida; Mogwai, Les Revenants; Yo La Tengo, Fade; Dinosaur Jr., I Bet on Sky; Shearwater, Fellow Travelers; Night Beds, Country Sleep; The Men, New Moon; Jimi Hendrix, People, Hell and Angels; Marques Tolliver, Land of Canaan; King Khan & the Shrines, Idle No More; Toad the Wet Sprocket, New Constellation; Julianna Barwick, Nepenthe; The Joy Formidable, Wolf’s Law; Josh Rouse, The Happiness Waltz; Foxygen, We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic; The Deep Dark Woods, Jubilee; Deerhunter, Monomania
And finally, the albums that for whatever reason, I haven't spent enough time with to have an opinion on them yet. If you know who I usually listen to, you'll recognize a lot of names here:
Andrew Bird, I Want to See Pulaski at Night; Jason Isbell, Southeastern; Kings of Leon, Mechanical Bull; Janelle Monae, The Electric Lady; Sigur Ros, Kveikur; Forest Swords, Engravings; Yuck, Glow and Behold; The National, Trouble Will Find Me; Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City; Steve Earle & The Dukes, The Low Highway
