Records I Liked Enough To Type Up Something
I mentioned this on my twitter, but i slept on this record for a long time. Took me a pretty long time to wake up to it and, eventually, love it. Its like Veronica Falls' punk sister. It reminds me of some indie pop bands that definitely vanity search themselves and i'd be mortified if they saw my terrible blog.
Veronica Falls - Waiting for Something to Happen
Like Joanna Gruesome's saccharine sister. Depth of harmony, pop sheen, etc. Like Allo Darlin with more texture.
Shannon and The Clams - Dreams in the Rat House
Exactly what you would expect from a Shannon & the Clams album. Retro 60s beach punk with raucous vocals and shimmering guitar pumped through as loud and as low-fi as possible. another great record from that socal collective that gave us last year's Hunx record.
Wavves - Afraid of Heights
Like if Weezer made a Green Day album
Kanye West - Yeezus
Holy cow. This record. Kanye West is a certifiable genius and there is no better example than this record. I personally didnt like 808s and never really listened to the record power is off of [dark twisted fantasy?], but mannnnnn this is so good. ye makes it all seem so effortless and his vision makes the whole album coherent on some next level. its so great it almost made me kind of uncomfortable to listen to it.
Icona Pop - This is...
wowow crazy fun. relentless, brings you up and down and back up again in a stellar way. this is pop music. andrew wk meets helen love.
The Boy Least Likely To - The Great Perhaps
What a sincere record. Who else is making genuine, unpretentious love songs in TYOOL 2013? super self-referential as usual for TBLLT. Twee completely and entirely free of irony.
Miley Cyrus - Bangerz
Bangerz is shockingly not a bad album. Way better than anticipated. While her country southern twang doesnt exactly gel with the hip hop/party rock vibe she's trying to get across in the record, it doesnt hurt the album over all. the most important part imo is that, warts and all, i wasn't bored of Bangerz for one second of its 50 minute running length
Danny Brown - Old
Danny Brown. Funny, smart, crazy serious at times. Great beats, great flow, etc excellent rap album
Math and Physics Club - Our Hearts Beat out Loud
a more rockin math than we're used to. uses more traditional instrumentation as well.
Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels
as great as all of El-p and Killer Mike's collabs have been so far, this one-ups them. The dystopic, blown out beats emphasize the flows to a killer degree. great record.
Some Live Albums I Liked
Los Campesinos! - A Good Night for a Fistfight
I struggled with whether or not to put live albums on a year end list so who cares okay alright. this record is a fantastic retrospective of a seven year old career for these guys/gals. its exactly what you want from a live album, if a little overlong, and played with heart/intensity/recklessness/etc. it served to remind me how much LC! meant to me for so long, and how little they mean to me now.
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - In Cambridge
This album is less of a retrospective and more of a realization. This is Etiquette and Vs Children played with a full band, maybe the way Owen always intended it? I don't know I can't read his mind but this live album rules and CFTPA ruled, and I'm glad we got a reminder of that in 2013
Here Are The Big Runners Up That Are Also Kind Of Racist But I'm Not Gonna Get Into That Right Now
Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience
I only listened to the first half of his double album thing whatever this year and its pretty dang good.
Arcade Fire - Reflektor
Just a cool album. It overstays its welcome by a whole disc though and ends it feeling kind of flat. The first disc is stellar though.
MAJOR LAZER - Free The Universe
It isn't on the whole time, but when the music hits the right spot, it is awesome. V.danceable imho.
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
holy cow. disco disco disco incredible record. hits every note you could possibly ever want a dance album to hit and more. just astonishing, especially as someone who disliked daft punk prior to RAM
Now I Didn't Like This Record
Lady Gaga - ARTPOP
no no no no. What ever magic Lady Gaga channeled for The Fame/Fame Monster has run dry, marking two generally unlistenable albums. Artpop is so sincere. It is like next level sincere. It would probably be a good album if, big if here, it was done with some semblance of self-awareness and was also released in 2007. Where the Fame/Monster felt futuristic and definitive, Artpop feels reactionary.
Okay Here Are My Favorites At Last
Nobunny - Secret Songs: Reflections from the Ear Mirror
A lot of fun beginning to end. Nobunny does the Ramones filtered through the Brill Building and covered in sand and does it well. This record is no exception
Los Campesinos! - No Blues
This is going to sound a lot more negative than it probably should given that its on my Favorites List. I really wish Good Night for a Fist Fight was their last release. No Blues has its highs, but they never reach Romance is Boring levels of good, and it has its lows, but again they never reach how bad Hello Sadness was. The two singles off it are awesome though. Avocado Baby is a song of the year contender. Aleks' voice is missed, lyrically if not in sound. Straight up tho, this is an awesome record.
Tullycraft - Lost in Light Rotation
Tullycraft is my favorite band. I should probably be discounted from having an opinion about this record. It's very similar in sound to Disenchanted Hearts Unite, suffers maybe from its production, but man its tullycraft. New tullycraft even. After six years. Just as fun and referential as ever.
Parenthetical Girls - Privilege (abridged)
Disclaimer: This is technically a compilation of songs that were not all released in 2013. I don't care though, this is my favorite album in the year of our lord two thousand and thirteen. I don't even know how to write about Parenthetical Girls. Maybe something like the Magnetic Fields, maybe??? I don't know! Its overwhelming how good, how powerful, this album is. I can't recommend it hard enough.
I've Got A Lot More Opinions But You Should Probably Just Listen To Privilege
Seriously, do it.
Also here's a spotify playlist of every album i listened to in 2013 including the boring ones and the ones i didnt want to write about it (some of them are still very good like the helen love album)
Also here's a spotify playlist of every album i listened to in 2013 including the boring ones and the ones i didnt want to write about it (some of them are still very good like the helen love album)
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