Looking back, this was a pretty solid year as far as music was concerned. Here are some of my favorites to come out of 2013.
#21 Mood Rings – VPI Harmony
Eerie yet captivating, VPI Harmony bounces all over the place. Instruments drenched in reverb and served with a side of creepily endearing vocals make this one of the more interesting listens of the year.
#20 Washed Out – Paracosm
It was very neat to see Ernest Greene move away from the sample-based music he had became known for and move towards a more rounded organic sound, but still keep that bedroom-esque aesthetic.
#19 Their / They’re / There – Their / They’re / There
I probably have the order of the “theres” mixed up here, but oh well. “They’re” a math-y emo rock band made up of Evan Weiss from Into It. Over It., Mike Kinsella from American Football and Matthew Frank of Loose Lips Sink Ships. Picture the perfect tunes these three would be making together, and you have Their / They’re / There.
#18 John Frusciante – Outsides
I was particularly enthralled by John Frusciante this year. This was his only release in 2013, and despite only being 3 songs of some of the most experimental material he has put out, it was able to hold my attention longer than a lot of other releases this year. Read my review here.
#17 Weerd Science – Red Light Juliet
The fact that Weerd Science is Josh Eppard, the drummer from Coheed and Cambria wasn’t the only reason I was drawn towards this EP. Listening to Eppard’s telling of various childhood and drug related rants via rhyming was intriguing to say the least. Plus he’s from my hometown of Albany, New York, so naturally I had to give it a listen.
#16 Boyfrndz – Natures EP
Mixing serene vocals with chaotic, math-y instrumentation, Boyfrndz found their way into my music rotation a whole lot more than some may have thought. I don’t know what it was about second track “Moving Parts” that planted it in my head so heavily, but it stuck. The fact that Ikey Owens makes an appearance on this EP makes it even better.
#15 Blank Banshee – Blank Banshee 1
Seapunk and vaporwave are very broad terms these days as far as the music that accompanies the genres. With that being said, I really can’t put a genre on Blank Banshee 1. At any rate, this is nostalgia at it’s greatest for anyone who grew up around computers and video games. Blank Banshee 1 includes ambience, Rihanna, iPhone, AIM, Donkey Kong, and Windows 95 samples then wraps it all up into one fine package, complete with 6 music videos.
#14 True Widow – Circumambulation
Shoe gaze meets stoner rock, or as True Widow calls it, “stone gaze”. You can read my full review of this album here.
#13 Ghost – Infestissumam
A friend of mine turned me onto Ghost’s tunes at the beginning of the summer, and the rest you can say is history. I was reluctant to listen to Ghost simply because of the satanic themes they are associated with, but after one listen I never looked back. Read my review here.
#12 Balance & Composure – The Things We Think We’re Missing
Balance & Composure brought a way heavier sound with their second album The Things We Think We’re Missing. Not only were the lyrics fun to scream along to, but they were also slightly relatable, which is what made their first album one of my favorites as well.
#11 Toro y Moi – Anything in Return
Super danceable and relaxing to listen to at the same time. Jon captured the essence of this album perfectly in his interview/review of the album with Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees.
#10 Death Grips – Government Plates
I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a normal day at work, that is until I caught wind that Death Grips had, yet again, unexpectedly released a full length album of new tunes. I had to suffer through the rest of my shift knowing new Death Grips was out there and I hadn’t heard it yet. Needless to say once I finally did get my hands on the album I went absolutely nuts. A whole lot more focus was placed on the production and drumming on this album, a welcomed change after the majority of No Love Deep Web focusing on MC Ride’s vocal. You can read my review here.
#9 TTNG – 13.0.0.0.0
I wasn’t sure I could continue to listen to TTNG (at the time they were still called This Town Needs Guns) after their original vocalist Stuart Smith left the band. I was proven wrong one hundred times with the release of 13.0.0.0.0. The bouncy vocals of Henry Tremain quickly grew on me.
#8 Daylight – Jar
The most solid debut record of the year, and one of the best 90’s grunge throwback bands ever. Fuzzy guitar riffs, memorable lyrics and head bang worthy start-stop moments pretty much describe Jar in a nutshell.
#7 The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid To Die – Whenever, If Ever
There was about a month out of the year where I listened to this album almost exclusively. You can read my full review here, because if I get going on Whenever If Ever again I likely won’t stop. It was that good.
#6 Native – Orthodox
A very refined Native returned with their second full-length and it couldn’t have been better. I was able to review this album as well as get an awesome interview with vocalist Bobby Markos that you can listen to here.
#5 Portugal. The Man – Evil Friends
The soundtrack of the summer. From the first track “Plastic Soldiers”, it was clear that PtM was going in a little different direction with their music. More alt-rock-y than In the Mountain, In the Cloud but not as electronic-influenced as American Ghetto, Evil Friends found a nice fit somewhere in between. That’s one of the things I love so much about the band: none of their albums have sounded the same.
#4 Kanye West – Yeezus
Kanye doesn’t give two shits about what anyone thinks about him. He has always been abrasive, highly opinionated and brutally honest. Not only has the man created one of the best albums of 2013 with Yeezus, he’s created one of the best albums of this decade. You’re lying to yourself if you say this album did not turn heads, not only because of the ridiculous media portrayals of a man that’s message may better be portrayed through his music than by speech, but because of the sheer experimentation and innovation that is behind this record. We’ve never heard anything like it, and it’s going to leave a mark for a long, long time to come.
#3 Tera Melos – X’ed Out
Obviously X’ed Out wasn’t Tera Melos’ most chaotic record, and it is easy to see why long time fans of the band may have passed this album up. It’s no where near as “math rock-y” as their first two albums, making it more palatable to a wider audience, but it still retained that unconventional wackiness that the band became known for.
#2 Coheed and Cambria – The Afterman: Descension
Coheed and Cambria are one of my favorite bands, so it’s natural that the second half of their Afterman saga made it’s way onto my Best of 2013 list. This album stomps all the way through. Even if you just listen to the music and pay no attention to the underlying story (which for the record is a lot more intense than the music itself), there’s still the sky high level of musicianship that Coheed has become known for on every track.
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#1 Deafheaven – Sunbather
Sunbather has made it’s way onto yet another year end list. The album has been receiving unrelenting praise from outlets all over, and Deafheaven more than deserves it. Ever wondered what black metal would sound like if you threw it in a blender and added some elements of post-rock, shoegaze, and ambience in there? Well here you have it, and Sunbather met all these together beautifully.