2013 was a weird year for me when it came to music. The upside were the surprises, the bands I’d never heard of, whose albums blew me away. I also found myself really getting interested in Hip Hop for the first time since the 87-94 “Golden Age”. The weird part came from albums I was sure I would love, like Black Sabbath’s 13 and QOTSA’s Like Clockwork, only to end up being disappointed. No, these albums did not “suck,” but I found them lacking, which was a bum out.
Still, 2013 felt like the music never stopped coming, which is awesome. Right when I knew who would have my album of the year, something else smacked me right off my chair. It took a long time, but I finally managed to collect my Twenty Best Albums Of 2013. Have a gander, won’t you?
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20. Nails - Abandon All Life
Label: Southern Lord Records
Tie hand grenades to dynamite and then encase it in small daggers of steel shrapnel. Detonate. That is the new Nails album. You have been warned.
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19. Year Of No Light - Vampyre
Label: yearofnolight.bandcamp.com
With two brilliant, and different, releases in 2013, Year Of No Light has risen to one of the most respected acts in post-rock. While their recent release, Tocsin, was exceptional, Vampyre, for me, was the better of the two.
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18. Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels
Label: Fool’s Gold
Killer Mike and El-P unite create one of the most cohesive and talented Hip Hop duos around. Nothing lopsided here, both men attack their rhymes with equal viciousness, and the music is fbombastic to say the least.
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17. Perfume - Level3
Label: Universal J/Perfume
A wrecking ball of Japanese Synth-pop, Level3 is awash with catchy melodies, sing along choruses (even in Japanese) and beats that will make the most dance hating hater hit the floor.
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16. R.A. The Rugged Man - Legends Never Die
Label: Nature Sounds
The Rugged Man uses lyrics and beats in such a way as to make you think he’s sczophrenic. Caustic wit is suddenly biting sarcasm. Rage gives way to introspection. Rugged Man does all of this with ease, and does it against some sick beats.
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15. Ghostface Killah - Twelve Reasons To Die
Label: Soul Temple Records/RED Distribution
A concept album centered on a 1968 horror film idea where Ghostface Killah’s remains are pressed into vinyl that, when played, resurrects his spirit to take revenge on those who killed him? You need nothing more. Strap in!
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14. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Label: Columbia
Feel bad for all the bands influenced by Daft Punk’s electro-dance, funk based party jams, because Random Access Memories sets the bar so high it’ll have folks packing up their equipment and retiring for good.
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13. Dirtbombs - Ooey Gooey Chewy Ka-Blooey
Label: In The Red
No idea why so many people have slept on the Dirtbombs pop record. Mick Collins and crew deliver ten tracks of sixties bubblegum pop that oozes perfection to the point you might think this is a covers album.
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12. Bob James - Rhoades Scholar: Jazz-Funk Classics 1974-1982
Label: Soul Temple Entertainment
Legendary keyboardist, composer, and the man who wrote the Taxi theme song, Bob James is a major architect of the 70s Jazz-Funk era. This two disc collection is not only amazing, but also contains the origins of countless old school Hip Hop samples.
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11. Sigur Ros - Kveikur
Label: XL
After the departure of key member Kjartan Sveinsson, what was Sigur Ros to do? How about release one of the best albums of their career? Short on dull synth-drone, but heavy on drums, guitars and bass, Kveikur was Sigur Ros refreshed, and ready to rock.
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10. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires Of The City
Label: XL Records
Hate on them all you want, Vampire Weekend have yet to produce a bad record. After a hiatus, the band returned with Modern Vampires Of The City, an album that uses their world-beat sound in new ways without losing their pop sensibilities.
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9. M.I.A. - Matangi
Label: N.E.E.T./Interscope
A late comer to the party, M.I.A. bounced in and took it over. Part Hip Hop record, part noise album and part dance record, Matangi is an album you can move to, or just listen to, as the artist weaves in political ideology within the grooves.
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8. Pharmakon - Abandon
Label: Sacred Bones Records
A noise album like no other, Abandon is layered, rich with textures, and topped off by artist Margaret Chardiet’s gut-wrenching screams. Pharmakon is Chardiet’s work alone, and it is a powerful statement.
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7. Vinnie Paz - Carry On Tradition
Label: Enemy Soil
Master wordsmith Vinnie Paz brings in several newcomers to give fans an understanding of the future of hip hop. Not only is this a glimpse into who will be defining hip hop in years to come, this is also one of Paz’s most personal records to date.
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6. Julie Byrne - Rooms With Walls And Windows
Label: Orindal Records
Byrne has a remarkable voice, one that is completely unique. Her songs have a pastoral charm, but also resonate with something that could be argued as experimental. This album reminds me very much of early Leonard Cohen and Nick Drake.
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5. Inspectah Deck, Esoteric, 7L - Czarface
Label: Brick Records
Exceptionally brilliant Hip Hop framed by comic books, science fiction and Jack Kirby references? This is the direction the genre needs to go in, not Yeezus.
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4. Corrections House - Last City Zero
Label: Neurot Recordings
A blitzkrieg of noise and chaos, an atom bomb of soundscapes, buzz-saw guitar and frenetic poetry screamed with passionate desperation. All other heavy bands take notice; a new bar of excellence has arrived.
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3. Chelsea Wolfe - Pain Is Beauty
Label: Sargent House
Nothing comes close to Chelsea Wolfe’s vocals. Haunting and ethereal, her voice pours over you, and then carries you off to another world. Combine that with the experimental, primal music, and you have something incredibly special.
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2. Russian Circles - Memorial
Label: Sargent House
Russian Circles have yet to release something that is not wonderful. Memorial is an elemental album, a record that carries their post-rock instrumental talents to new heights. Not to be missed.
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1. Beastmilk - Climax
Label: Svart Records
Hands down the best album of the year. Not within its genre, but across the board. Goth, punk, metal, rock and a touch of new wave come together into an album that you only wish you were talented enough to write.
