Your Favorite Albums of 2013
Decatur Metro | December 10, 2013 | 8:45 amDo people even think of music in terms of albums anymore?? Well, I’m open to other ways of looking at it, but “album” still sounds better than “Favorite Pandora Music Channel of 2013″.
And as always, if you require a few gentle reminders as to this year’s releases, feel free to check out Paste’s Top 50 Albums of 2013. But of course, this isn’t all about stuff that was released this year. It’s all about music that you discovered this past year.
Civil Wars. Wish they could work out their stuff. Also The Heist. That might’ve come out last year, though.
+1
Haven’t heard the entire album, but really like the tracks I’ve heard from Haim.
Alison Moyet’s *The Minutes* — best comeback album I’ve heard in a long time.
Love her.
“The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You” by Neko Case
“Random Access Memories” by Daft Punk
“Repave” by Volcano Choir
“Muchacho” by Phosphorescent
The ones I bought and liked?
Lorde: Pure Heroine
My Bloody Valentine: m b v
Janelle Monáe: The Electric Lady
Queens of the Stone Age: Like Clockwork
Chvrches: The Bones of What You Believe
Didn’t Chvrches recently do a show at the Uariety Playhouse?
Yep, and it was amazing.
I was very pleasantly surprised by Black Sabbath’s “13.” Much better than I expected from a group of guys who should have been dead decades ago.
Also liked Anthrax’s “Anthem,” which is an EP of eight covers from the 70’s bands that influenced Anthrax. Check out their version of Boston’s “Smokin.'”
And yes, I fully get that my musical tastes mesh with a vanishingly small number of DM readers. I am also a huge fan of LVB, but he hasn’t released anything since the Ninth Symphony in 1824, so I can’t really count that as a favorite 2013 album.
FM Fats gonna be very upset that nobody has mentioned Jason Isbell’s Southeastern.
Everyone should have mentioned “Southeastern” by Jason Isbell.
oh, yes. Can’t help but memorizing the lyrics. Or trying to memorize them. And singing in the car.
“…Then a big boy busted in
Screaming at his girlfriend
Waving around a Fungo bat
Bass player stepping up
Brandishing a coffee cup
Took it in the baby fat”
Pure poetry.
Drive-by Truckers member, Patterson Hood, is at Eddie’s Attic tonight. Wonder if any of his friends might drop in?
Did you go to the show on Friday?
The Buckhead Theater show was great. Also saw him at the Fall Waverly Boogie. The Truckers are diminished by Jason’s departure and he has grown immensely since leaving. We got the bonus of his wife, Amanda Shires, fiddling and singing backup on Friday.
LeAnn Rimes’ album “Spitfire” is a great fairly traditional country album.
This was the year I made big strides in becoming a jazz fan. I watched the Ken Burns doc. I bought albums by artists other than John Coltrane. I attended my first Atlanta Jazz Festival.
It was the festival that led me to my favorite album of the year, albeit by a performer not categorized as jazz. Me’Shell NdegeOcello’s set at the festival was more art rock than jazz, but she played several cuts from her 2012 album “For a Sovereign Soul–A Tribute to Nina Simone” (the album that justified her presence there, I suppose). I thought the songs were too art-y and headphone-oriented for an outdoor concert, but I liked them enough to pick up the album. Since then I’ve become a fan and bought several of her older albums (Me’Shell’s, not Nina Simone’s ). Jazz, then, led me to an artist whose music I was previously unfamiliar with, an artist whose music is difficult to categorize. I think that is in keeping with the spirit of the genre.
Alabama Shakes “Boys & Girls” they rock, wish they would have an Atlanta concert. Strange choice for a 76 yo aging hippie.
The Shakes show at Masquerade this year was very disappointing. Their set was less than an hour and included a break. I think someone might not have been feeling well.
I was there and thought the show was great, but it was short. I think they did everything they had and were done.
I also had that thought.They could have padded it with some choice covers, though. Perhaps they just weren’t quite prepared to headline. The break in the middle of the set made me think someone might have had a health issue.
Got to see Brittany duet with Charles Bradley at Standard Deluxe last spring. Now there was some joyful noise!
I remember joking at the time that I thought Brittany had to pee, cuz she just disappeared and then came back.
Completely agree.
Two favorites I discovered this year:
1. Toure-Raichel Collective, “The Tel Aviv Session” (thank you NPR for introducing me to this mesmerizing work) I always listen to this when cooking anything from the cookbook Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi.
2. Armik, “Romantico” and “Reflections” (thank you car service driver in San Francisco for introducing me to this Russian artist playing fantastic Spanish guitar) Wonderful music to enjoy on a quiet morning sipping coffee and reading.
Southeastern by Jason Isbell
Out Here by Christian McBride
Only Slightly Mad by David Bromberg
Keeping a Record Of It by Lonnie Holley
Stay Reckless by Austin Lucas
From the Hills Below the City by Houndmouth
Same Trailer, Different Park by Kacey Musgraves
Buddy and Jim by Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale
Dream River by Bill Callahan
I ain’t much up on new music, but Same Trailer, Different Park by Kacey Musgraves is a damn fine album. Like Brianc said, she’s one of the few real “country” acts out there now. And the album title is classic!
And of course, Southeastern is phenomenal.
But I can’t believe that not a single person has yet mentioned One True Vine, a collaboration between Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy. What are They Doing in Heaven Today would be song of the year if such things were actually based on merit.
Don’t Look Up My Skirt Unless You Mean It, by Lurleen
There was another pretty nice distaff country debut this year, Like a Rose by Ashley Monroe. And I left two great NYC homeboy records that came out this year off my list somehow, Truth Serum by Garland Jeffreys and Another Life by James Maddock.
“Same Trailer, Different Park” has to be one of the greatest titles for a country album. And what I’ve heard of the album sounds like a fine rejoinder to the “bad rock with a fiddle” (to quote Tom Petty) that dominates the country genre, a genre that seems to be mostly about lifestyle affirmation.
Butch Walker, “Peachtree Battle”
The Lumineers self-titled
Family of the Year, “Loma Vista” (2012, but too good not to share)
The 20th anniversary reissue of In Utero.
Jason Isbell- Southeastern
Gregory Alan Isakov- The Weatherman
Tyler Lyle- Expatriates Ep
Phosphorescent- Muchacho
The National- Trouble Will Find Us
Cayucos- Bigfoot
David Ramirez- The Rooster EP
+1 on Cayucas – Bigfoot. My 7 yo always asks about the meaning of their name when I play them in the car.
To add –
The Naked and Famous – In Rolling Waves
Bastille – Bad Blood
Atlas Genius – When It Was Now
Fitz and The Tantrums – More Than Just A Dream
I was let down by The National’s new album (it’s actually “Trouble Will Find ME”). I’d had their superb “High Violet” in either my car’s changer or near the top of my stack at home for nearly two years. I was similarly disappointed in the new Arcade Fire album. Maybe both will grow on me.
Oh how I loathe typos. Yes, trouble will find me. Love the National record, but completely agree as to the Arcade Fire record.
I liked Trouble Will Find Me right off, but it certainly grew on me as well. I love Reflektor. I was not into at all at the first listening, but now I can’t stop putting it on. I suggest giving it another go!
This may qualify as oldest new find: Finally got around to seeing “Searching for Sugar Man” this year which introduced me to Rodriguez which introduced me to his early 70s albums, “Cold Fact” and “Coming from Reality” which introduced me to the fact that they kick massive ass.
Drake–Nothing Was the Same, hands down best album.
Runners up:
A$AP Rocky–Long Love A$AP
Four Tet–Beautiful Rewind
A question while we are on one of these Best Of…. lists: Will there be a best TV list this year (forgive me if I’m forgetting that there was one last year)? Given the mostly crappy state of American movies (for adults anyway), it will be a lot easier for me to compile a TV list than a movie list, at least at this point when several titles I’m looking forward to haven’t been released in Atlanta yet (particularly “Inside Llewyn Davis”, the new Coen Bros. movie).
Like everyone else, I’ve been watching Orange is the New Black, and American Horror Story. I watched all the new Extreme Cheapskates on Netflix in one afternoon, families having a community “wiping” rag in the bathroom, and couples sharing their toothbrush and peeing in bottles so as not to run up the water bill flushing. It was vomit inducing to say the least. I must be getting old, or just not plugged in at all this year because honesty I haven’t heard of many of these groups in this music list.
Can’t wait to see “Inside Llewyn Davis”. Love the Coens…
The “album” is a lost concept on today’s youth.
There is an art to it. The sequencing of the songs, sometimes a theme or implicit storyline, sometimes associated cover art. Think Queen. The Beatles. Probably more recent artists I’m just not tuned into.
Today, songs are marketed and sold piecemeal, everything is a playlist or shuffle. My kids can barely listen through one song in the car before they have to grab their iPod and select a new one.
I wonder about online sales of individual songs vs entire “albums” noawadays.
I believe that as the record companies die if they don’t adapt, so will the CD/album concept. New formats/collections/ideas will take their place. I already notice that some of the indie artists I follow seem to release more EPs (which today simply means “smaller number of songs than a CD/album”)
I saw Kristian Bush at Eddie’s a couple weeks ago and he talked about what he thought was some of his finest work. It was an album he did when part of Billy Pilgrim and he said they only pressed like 1000 copies but that it was designed so that each song simply flowed into the next one.
I agree…the art of the album is gone. Every record I bought as a kid and young man was experienced the same way. I went home, put on the headphones, listened to it from beginning to end while reading every last liner note (and lyric if included) and then listened to it again.
The other issue that goes along with the decline of the album and the rise of MP3s (or whatever digital downloads are called now) is one of sonics. I have yet to hear an MP3 that sounds nearly as good as a CD over high-quality headphones. Of course, CDs had their sonic problems early on too, so maybe downloads will see a similar improvement. But for now, we are experiencing a step backward in audio quality (and the same is true for video quality with streaming replacing DVD or Bluray).
This tangent about format reminded me of the book that I somehow forgot to mention in the Best Books I Read in 2013 poll: David Byrne’s “How Music Works”. He’s very insightful on how format (and other context) shapes the music that gets produced. He also provides some details about the business end that you don’t often get from rock stars.
Neil Young talks about this a lot. He is actually developing a new music format. Just google “Neil Young MP3″. He hates the compressed nature of todays music.
Walrus, you and I have some similar interests — Neil puts on a hell of a show and is an interesting character to boot.
If you want quality for downloadable music, get it in FLAC format…
So far as albums/LPs are concerned, I second what Aging Metalhead says above. Used to find tons of great tunes I liked that were not the original reason I bought the album… Miss that when it is so easy to get a single or just skip the next song when you’ve heard the first 15 secs…
Finally went to one of Neil’s Bridge School Benefit outdoor shows in Bay Area in late October. CSNY, Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Tom Waits (highlight of show), My Morning Jacket, Queens of the Stone Age. Neil did at least one song with each of them. Great show and venue — as long as sun was out. But, it got VERY cold after dark. As the gap between sets grew considerably longer and temps dropped, people began to leave. And then David Crosby complained how cold it was, after we’d waited 40 minutes for CSNY to come out to wrap up the show.
Have we met? Because I swear I said these same exact words recently!
Like Keith F mentioned, when I had $7 to plunk down on a record (you know, that huge black vinyl disc thingie?), I took it home and played it over and over on my AM/FM/8-track/turntable combo unit. I read or learned every lyric, pored over every square inch of the album cover, and rejoiced when goodies were included (remember the poster that came with the Eagles Live double album?).
One iron-clad rule about the album format: I ALWAYS found better songs buried in the album than the one(s) I originally bought it for. The non-single “Plainsong” is SO much better than “Lovesong” on the The Cure’s “Disintegration.”
Add tracing the Van Halen, Ozzy or Iron Maiden logo and we had the same experience!
And arguing over who had the coolest record covers; Molly Hatchet or Iron Maiden. I always went with MH.
Best goody in an album ever? My Vote: Giant rolling paper in Big Bambu.
A natural extra for an album since the covers themselves were good substitutes for a coffee table in a bedroom…
😉 Got that right.
I am stuck in the ‘Cant find any new music that is any good since the unfortunate demise of Morphine’ rut, still trying to claw my way out.
I did buy my first ‘Electronica’ album this year on the advice of an NPR host — Fat Freddy’s Drop, “Blackbird”… It is good, check it out.
I was just talking about Morphine! I actually attended the last US show they did before his ill fated Italian show.
I would just like to take a moment to reflect on the fact that in 43 comments, nobody has yet mentioned Toby Keith’s Drinks After Work. Thank you, and that is all…
The best for alternative pop music is Valley Lodge’s “Use Your Weapons.” Love, love, love them.
I re-discovered Phoebe Snow this year. I hadn’t listened to her music since she passed back in 2011, but I plonked my “Very Best of…” and “Something Real” CDs into my player back this summer, and was struck anew at what a marvelous instrument she had. Her voice brings on so many things, from bittersweet reverie to joy to melancholy to righteous indignation. Hearing her again also fills me with regret that there will be no more new offerings from her, but I’m very grateful for what she left us. If any of you aren’t familiar with her, I urge you to make her acquaintance posthaste–you’ll be so glad you did!
Thanks to everyone for some great, diverse recommendations! I think conversations like these are one of the things we’re missing in today’s music world. There isn’t really a shared musical experience for the masses – the music business has never been more disjointed than it is today. The average person on the street who listens to radio on the way to work, sees the occasional award show or reads a popular magazine every now and then might be fooled into thinking Miley Cyrus is a legitimate artist. The amazing thing though is that there are a huge amount of talented artists out there making fantastic music, probably more than ever, but you really have to search out music from multiple sources these days to find the good stuff. Some of my favorite spots to check out live performances online and see if a new artist catches my fancy are KEXP, NPR Tiny Desk concerts, KCRW, Later with Jools Holland, Black Cab Sessions, Bonnaroo, Pitchfork and Dectur’s own Paste.
Vampire Weekend “Modern Vampires of the City” is a great 2013 album that hasn’t been mentioned yet.
Lissie “Back to Forever” also gets a lot of play around our house, mainly by my daughter but I’m enjoying it as well.
Best live show I saw this year was Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros at Candler Park. Completely, unexpectedly mind blowing.
Delta Rae – Carry the Fire
Bob Dylan – The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969–1971)
Alternate takes, live tracks and demos from what was arguably a weaker album from his discography but somehow this 2013 release surpasses the original and really works. There is some stellar music on this album.
here here — BD Bootleg V.10 tops my list – been listening to it for weeks — fantastic music
So I find my faves represented on several disparate lists on here: Jason Isbell, Phosphorescent, Daft Punk. Kudos to the mention of the very fine Garland Jeffreys–and for hipping me to the fact he has a new record out. Did “Temple Beautiful” by Chuck Prophet come out in ’12 or ’13? ‘Cause if it was ’13, then that’s on there too.
I disagree with the disappointment expressed regarding “Trouble Will Find Me.” I think it continues an ascendant path from the great “High Violet.”
But not mentioned here: “The Ballad Of Boogie Christ” by Joseph Arthur. Let me commend it to you all! It’s currently my fave of the year, but it’s also a recent release, so it hasn’t settled into its final place, maybe. An estimable work at any rate.
Another good new one out of that NYC scene is Willie Nile’s American Ride. He’s way beyond the “new Springsteen” brand he got saddled with years ago. Yet one worth mentioning is Frank Turner’s Tapedeck Heart.
I imagine Joe Arthur is sold out at Eddie’s tonight. Might hit the patio for a beer around showtime and check out the CCTV.
This year was really an embarrassment of riches when it comes to music. Same for last year. It’s really an amazing time to be a music fan.
My favorite album from last year is Savages, Silence Yourself. The live show at Vinyl was even better. An amazing debut album.
Other favorites, in no particular order:
Chelsea Wolfe, Pain Is Beauty (though her 2012 album Unknown Rooms is even better)
Austra, Olympia
Lucius, Wildewoman
Wavves, Afraid of Heights
Upset, She’s Gone
And I’ll also throw in, mostly because I’m a huge Kathleen Hanna fan, The Julie Ruin, Run Fast.
Just like EVERY year since time began, there is wonderful new music to be had/found/listened to. Mix of older artists with new. Alphabetical order.
Besnard Lakes “Until In Excess”
Boards Of Canda “Tomorrow’s Harvest”
David Bowie “Next Day”
Edwyn Collins “Understated”
Crocodiles “Crimes Of Passion”
Daft Punk “Random…”
Eisley “Eisley”
Flaming Lips “The Terror”
House Of Love “She Paints…”
Mavericks “In Time”
Meat Puppets “Rat Farm”
Minks “Tides End”
Sam Phillips “Push Any Button”
Prefab Sprout, “Crimson/Red”
Smith Westerns “Soft Will”
Washed Out “Paracosm”
One band I’m falling hard for is Haerts. They only have an EP and two cuts on that thing contain two of my favorite songs of the year. It’s straight on pop music with a slight 80’s feel. Love ’em:
Haerts “Wings”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk52XHSpmF4
Haerts “All The Days”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ-XtBvPj0I
In addition to many mentioned here (Wavves, Washed Out, Kurt Vile, Kacey Musgraves)….my most listened to album is probably Disclosure’s “Settle” –fabulous dance record……also love the amazing Swedish rock band Junip (their single “Line of Fire” got them some notice when it was played on the Breaking Bad finale) and local-ish (well she lives in Nashville now) songstress/songwriter Liz Longley Kickstarted her new release –she’ll be back at Eddie’s Attic in February –catch her before she gets big and you have to drive to see her! Also, largely ignored here but a really dreamy choral pop record is The Polyphonic’s Spree “yes, it’s true”…..oh, and the new Brendan Benson just came out and will soon be on my most played list (sadly, I will miss his show at The Ryman Auditorium w/ a cast of power pop faves on next Wed.)……lots of great music this year to be sure