Top Albums of 2013

1. Yeezus by Kanye West
2. Reflektor by Arcade Fire
3. Modern Vampires of the City by Vampire Weekend
4. Silence Yourself by Savages
5. Random Access Memories by Daft Punk
6. Acid Rap by Chance The Rapper
7. Anxiety by Autre Ne Veut
8. Settle by Disclosure
9. Wonderous Bughouse by Youth Lagoon
10. Excavation by The Haxan Cloak
11. mbv by My Bloody Valentine
12. Long.Live.ASAP by ASAP Rocky
13. Days Are Gone by Haim
14. Psychic by Darkside
15. Trouble Will Find Me by The National
16. Paracosm by Washed Out
17. Shaking the Habitual by The Knife
18. Cupid Deluxe by Blood Orange
19. Impersonator by Majical Cloudz 
20. Nothing Was The Same by Drake
21. Obsidian by Baths
22. Tomorrow's Harvest by Boards of Canada
23. The Bones of What You Believe by CHVRCHES
24. You're Nothing by Iceage
25. Muchacho by Phosphorescent
26. Slow Focus by Fuck Buttons
27. The 20/20 Experience by Justin Timberlake
28. Amok by Atoms For Peace
29. Night Time, My Time by Sky Ferreira
30. We are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic by Foxygen

Albums of the Year 2012

25. Fin by John Talabot
24. Moms by Menomena
23. Fragrant World by Yeasayer
22. Nocturne by Wild Nothing
21. A Thing Called Divine Fits by Divine Fits
20. Intersteller by Frankie Rose
19. Open Your Heart by The Men
18. Mature Themes by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
17. Attack on Memory by Cloud Nothings
16. Shrines by Purity Rings
15. Metz by Metz
14. The Money Store by Death Grips
13. Confess by Twin Shadow
12. Something by Chairlift
11. Devotion by Jessie Wear
10. Shields by Grizzly Bear
9. Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! by Godspeed You! Black Emperor 
8. Bloom by Beach House
7. Visions by Grimes
6. Kill For Love by Chromatics
5. (III) by Crystal Castles
4. Lonerism by Tame Impala
3. The Haunted Man by Bat For Lashes
2. good kid, M.A.A.D city by Kendrick Lamar
1. Channel Orange by Frank Ocean (Best Debut Album since Funeral by Arcade Fire)

Albums of the Year For 2011

Let me just say that this has been the best year in music since 2005 in my opinion. It actually may even be a bigger in music this year than any since my inception into the underworld that is Indie Music, which was around 2001 (my Freshman year in High School). I decided to just do a Top 50 in one shot instead of doing tracks too and releasing it over the period of a week. So here it is!

50. Sepalcure - Sepalcure

49. TV On the Radio - Nine Types of Light

48. SBTRKT - SBTRKT 

47. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo

46. Tom Waits - Bad As Me

45. Toro Y Moi - Underneath The Pine

44. Adele - 21

43. Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise

42. Battles - Glass Drop

41. Smith Westerns - Dye It Blond

40. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong

39. Radiohead - King of Limbs

38. Fucked Up - David Comes To Life

37. Jay-Z and Kanye West - Watch The Throne

36. Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica

35. The Antlers - Burst Apart

34. The Horrors - Skying

33. Future Islands - On The Water

32. Zola Jesus - Conatus

31. Yuck - Yuck

30. Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow

29. Drake - Take Care

28. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

27. Washed Out - Within and Without

26. Real Estate - Days

25. Cults - Cults

24. Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

23. Atlas Sound - Parallax

22. Destroyer - Kaputt

21. Tyler, The Creator - Goblin

20. Beirut - The Rip Tide

19. EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints

18. Iceage - New Brigade

17. Panda Bear - Tomboy 

16. Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation

15. Wild Beasts - Smother

14. Cut Copy - Zonoscope

13. Neon Indian - Era Extrana

12. The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient

11. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues 

10. Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact

9. Tune-Yards - WHOKILL

8. The Weeknd - House of Balloons 

7. Austra - Feel It Break

6. James Blake - James Blake

5. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

4. Bon Iver - Bon Iver

3. John Maus - We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves

2. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

1. Girls - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

Review Session: The Big Blitz

I have fallen very behind on this blog and I apologize for that. But the reason is because of my drinking. Not that I am an alcoholic, but I have started a new blog in which I drink and review a beer everyday for a year! It's called The Beer Year. You should check it out if you haven't already. But I am about to make up for it in a big way! These are albums I have really liked this summer so they are going to have good scores. 

Bon Iver - Bon Iver

After a hugely successful debut album, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon decided to take his soft three piece and turn it into a big band with a big sound. He pretty much knocked it out of the park on this one. It is epically beautiful. It's was like seeing Paris for the first time or watching my wife walk down the aisle at my wedding. The tracks "Perth", "Michicant", and "Calgary"are gorgeous. However they are nothing compared to the gleaming spectacle that is "Holocene". It is one of the best tracks of the past few years.  And if you take a look at the track list and wonder where the hell are all of these places, just know that Vernon named the songs after places in his mind when he listened to the song, not actual places that exist. That is pretty cool to me.

Rating - 9.0

Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact

I really didn’t understand or like Gang Gang Dance’s debut album a couple of years ago, but they manage to grab my attention this go around with their more accessible, yet expansive sophomore album, Eye Contact. They are really the only band in the world that makes music like the do. It is all over the place, but so together at the same time. It is remarkable the number of sounds they use to create a single track. Just check it out for yourself.


Rating - 8.4


 

Cut Copy - Zonoscope

This is the third album from the Australian electronic dance group. Each of their albums have been well critiqued and successful in sales. So clearly they have the formula down. But sometimes this can lead to a stagnate album, but Zonoscope seems to be the most creative and grand album of the lot. Tracks like "Need You Know" and "Where I'm Going" are completely new to Cut Copy's style. They even finish the album with the mountainous 15 minute "Sun God". If you are looking to dance it up right, give Zonoscope some attention.

Rating - 8.5

The Antlers - Burst Apart

The last album The Antler's released in 2009 was a concept album about two people's journey to death by cancer while they lay in Hospice together. It was the most emotional, heart-breaking album that I have ever heard. It ripped my insides out during parts of it. This album is completely different. It is more of a rock album, no concept and less serious. While it does examine the individual as Hospice did, it is a living self. There are some great tracks on here and totally worth a listen or two.

Rating - 8.0

Beirut - The Rip Tide

-       Beirut is one of my favorite bands in the world and I think Zack Condon can do no wrong. I know it is a fault and that my score is biased, but his music really hits with me. He does it again on his mature, relaxed third album, The Rip Tide. It is less globally influenced and more concentrated on one’s self, whether that is Condon’s or someone else’s that is unclear. This is best enveloped in the beautiful track “The Peacock”. I loved the uplifting feel to this album and I hope you will like it too.

Rating - 8.1 

tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L

Despite the gimmicky type with which tUnE-yArDs spells their name, this is a pretty special artist. Merrill Gabrus has one of the most dynamic voices in music right now. She can sound powerful and determined or beautiful and complacent. There is a huge difference between those sounds and she can sing anywhere in between as well. She uses a multitude of instruments, loops and sounds to create a funky, wild album that is truly unique.

Rating - 8.5

John Maus - We Must Become The Pitiless Censors of Ourselves

This is my surprise album of the year. John Maus had spent most of his music career unfocused and lost within himself and behind his best friend Ariel Pink. While Ariel Pink was making ground-breaking albums and partying his life away, Maus was complacent to make simple music and party along with Pink. Then Maus broke free from his self constraints and made this album. It is fervent, fanatical, fathoming and at times frenetic. So far, this is my favorite album of the year. From top to bottom the track list is unstoppable. I feel that Maus has made one of those albums that people like my look for. It has character, great tunes, originality and a slight of hand that is tough to describe. You may not get what I am saying, because I barely do, but just listen to the damn thing. 


Rating - 9.1 

Review Session: New Artists

Here are some new artists that have been making waves in the music world. A couple of these albums may crack my Top 10 at the end of the year.

The Weeknd - House of Balloons

The Weeknd is the stage name of Toronto- based R&B singer Abel Tesfaye. To get his music out he created 3 mix tapes: House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence. So far, the first two have been released to wild success, but House of Balloons is of up most importance because it may be the greatest R&B record of all time! Not even kidding with that statement. I am not an R&B aficionado, but can you name three great albums of the genre? Didn’t think so, but now you can name House of Balloons!

 P.S. – This is BABY-MAKING MUSIC!!!

Rating - 8.9

EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints

-       The debut album from Erika M. Anderson, EMA, comes after she to California and lived in the Oakland Ghetto. She is a skinny white girl from South Dakota. I have to be honest. I don’t see the logic there. But hell, it worked well. She found herself and her sound. She sounds like Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth and creates these intricate post grunge-rock tracks that are introspective and profound. A helluva an album here!

Rating - 8.3

Iceage - New Brigade

-       Stereogum has made the profound statement that Iceage are the saviors of punk rock. Well, Ladies and Gents they may be right. New Brigade rips holes in your ear drums, kick starts your adrenaline rush, and will start many a mosh pit. It is exciting to here a punk rock album that people from all walks of music can like and relate to. Rock out with your Cock out to Iceage's New Brigade!

Rating - 8.4 

Cults - Cults

-       Of all the artists on this blog post Cults have gained the most attention for their fun indie pop ambiance. The duo from Manhattan has been labeled as a crossbreed of Phil Spector and The Kills (Ironic since Phil Spector is a killer). Their self-titled debut album was labeled Best New Music from Pitchfork, a top pick from NME and Under The Radar, and their song “Go Outside” has been labeled “The best Summer Song of 2011” by me. The definitely have what it takes to be great, and they started with this debut album. 

 Rating - 8.4

Washed Out - Within and Without

I was able to see Washed Out in concert last Winter as he opened up for Beach House. Despite the fact that he had not released a full LP he was gaining a lot of momentum in the music world. All of the time and travel came to a culmination on this album. It's ghostly, effervescent sound is slightly limiting, but on this album it is challenging enough to provoke immediate and grand feelings. Of the 5 New Artists I have talked about this is the hardest album to wrap yourself in, but somehow it really draws me in. 

Rating - 8.2