The 13 Best Albums of 2013: Short N Sweet, and Late!
1. Queens of The Stone Age
…Like Clockwork
Just a great solid rock album from start to finish. I will be listening to this for years.
2. Obits
Bed & Bugs
The sleeper hit of the year, and the best cover of the year by a mile. There are some weird fucking songs on this album. Go check out the lyrics. There is something wrong with you, Rick Froburg. And this album is your best one, so keep it up.
3.Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Mosquito
I have to take a minute to bring up the cover, which is the visual equivalent of rape. It is a crime agaist aesthetics, and probably killed album sales. It’s a shame because it is a great record, probably their best one.
4.Wire
Change Becomes Us
It’s easy to love new/old Wire, this was just a freebie.
5. Suuns
Images Du Futur
Autolux-y, enigmatic and depressing. Great songs and vibe.
7.Flaming Lips/Tame Impala
Since everyone seems to think including a reissue on your list is somehow acceptable, I thought I would insert this incredible pressing you could only buy at the Halloween show as a form of protest. Every music critic that included The Postal Service reissue this year in their “Best of 13” should seriously quit writing about music immediately.
8.Charles Bradley
Victim of Love
Heartbreaking, soulful and gorgeous. The title track is a killer, and probably the best one on the record.
9.Daft Punk
Random Access Memory
I think this will age well, and I certainly got plenty of mileage out of four of these great tracks.
10.Jessie Ware
Devotion
I think I finally get Madonna now! A cool, 90’s pop inspired soul/pop/electronic record that will blow your hair back (and make you double check what year you’re in). I’m probably not super proud of how much mileage I got out of this record, but here we are. It’s beautiful.
11. MF Doom
Key to the Kuffs
I guess it’s a little bit disingenuous to include this since the “bonus album insert” of “covers” is what I really think is a work of art. But both are high quality rap albums.
12. Wise Blood
Id
If Daniel Johnston and The Chemical Brothers had a baby, it would be Wise Blood. For all of you doubters and snobs out there who think you have heard everything, Wise Blood might just prove you wrong. It took me several tries/listens to even figure out what’s going on here. It’s like he’s never heard music before, or something. Or maybe he has heard music, but his interpretation is totally dyslexic, like a fun house mirror reflection. I love this record and I will be exploring it with new ears for years to come.
13. Shannon And The Clams
Dreams In The Rat House
I love every song on this record. It’s a raw, vintage oldies sound that rocks hard, swings, and tells a story. Poetic, catchy and off beat to keep the kids coming back for more. A Burgerama mainstay, Shannon And The Clams have become my favorite band this year. Do not miss this band live! Shannon’s pipes live are as gorgeous, huge, raunchy, and epic as her sound on the record.
Participation Trophy/Honorable Mention:
Pixies
4 Track EP
You kind of hope they will go down in flames like the dogs that they are. That one song is just awesome.
Smoota
Fetishes
Just go see Smoota live. This is performance art. You might walk out pregnant, but it is worth it. I will only bring out this record at parties to show off, but do not miss the man live.
Washed Out
Paracosm
A fun, sexy splash of sound. Definitely a flash in the pan, but a bright and vastly entertaining one.
Tyler, The Creator
Wolf
One vibrant, exceptionally great song, just like the other one.
Run The Jewels
S/T
I. Love. Killer. Mike.
My Bloody Valentine
MBV
Oh, My Bloody Valentine put out a record this year.
Holograms
Forever
I would be lying if I said I didn’t have a huge emotional investment in this record being at least as good as the last one (S/T), which I think was in the top ten albums of the decade. I should also mention I’ve mostly been disappointed with their live performances, but that’s something I need to work out with my boyfriend and my local pastor.
Savages
Silence Yourself
This is one of those emperor’s new clothes records. How the fuck Christ it got so much attention is beyond me. But I love seeing a challenging record rocket a bunch of bad bitches to critical glory. The cover was half the battle.
Pissed Jeans
Honeys
Fun. Flipper-y.
A$AP Rocky
LongLiveA$AP
I am not thrilled about being white and enjoying this record, it’s a little on the nose. Fun couple of tracks mixed in with all the crappy ones.
Ghostface Killah
12 Reasons To Die
Really, really great for listening right now. Really great. I defy you to remember a single track tomorrow.
Go Fuck Yourself And Stop Taking a Shit on My Ears Category:
David Bowie
The Next Day
The fact that this record made it on anyone’s 2013 list either means they didn’t even bother to listen to it, or the entire music industry is giving Bowie the slow clap non-ironically.
The Dirtbombs
Ooey Gooey Kablooie
The recording quality of this album is so poor that I wonder how it left someone’s computer and made it into my car stereo.
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Unvarnished
Wow, I should have seen that coming, but I took some bad advice and lost upwards of 90 minutes of my life.
Justin Timberlake
The 20/20 Experience
More like a 5/20 experience. I should have used the money for something less awful, like mailing Justin Timberlake 3 pounds of bees.
Reflections on 2013:
What an interesting year/couple of years for rap. I think almost every record that got huge attention was mostly crap (when we’re in a rap desert, any glimmer of hope will do), but it seems like rap is coming back as an artform by the sheer quantity of new talent. Besides Killer Mike/R.A.P. Music though, I haven’t heard a great rap ALBUM (not like three songs) in years. It’s time for the rap drought to end, and I’ve certainly been waiting patiently for it!
Okay, now is the time to admit to ourselves honestly that last year was a way more important year for music. The sound that was churned out of 2013 will hardly be echoing throughout the halls of greatness for all time. But I happen to love these little “off season” years, when almost everyone with talent is off at rehab/back in Mom’s basement re-tooling so that I can catch up on what’s going on in music.
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