ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2013

tattmaylor

Dreeke said:
Here's my list:

10. Anouk - Sad Singalong Songs
9. James Blake - Overgrown
8. Lorde - Pure Heroine
7. Chvrches - The Bones Of What You Believe
6. Charlie Jones - Love Form
5. Sumie - Sumie
4. Caitlin Rose - The Stand-In
3. John Grant - Pale Green Ghosts
2. Emma Louise - Vs. Head Vs. Heart
1. Goldfrapp - Tales Of Us

A LOT of bubbling under this year. Will post some of those later...

I await your bubbly list. Always a few Gems I missed, usually scandanvian ladies ;-)

tattmaylor · Post edited by tattmaylor at 2013-12-20 05:21:29

subrussian said:

Outfit - Performance

... at last somebody else acknowledges it's existence! :-)

Stranger · Post edited by Stranger at 2013-12-20 06:35:11

VV Brown - Samson&Delilah (YOY)

Breaking with Island and going independent in favor of a more authentic artistic expression paid off.

Nils Frahm - Spaces (Erased Tapes)

Deciding to do field recordings and improvisations for his second album was genius and delivered a contemporary masterpiece.

An Pierlé - Strange Days (PIAS)

Finally a new solo album by Pierlé, channeling a bit of Kate Bush and delivering a sublime dark take on Talk Talk's Such a Shame.

Jon Hopkins - Immunity (Domino)

He finally made the transition from ambient soundscapes to more uptempo dark dance. Immaculate.

Woodkid - The Golden Age (Green United)

Called pretentious by many, but I like it. Maybe I am a pretentious pr*ck who finally found a soundtrack to go with that. Who knows? (Seriously: don't answer that question). (Ever).

Fenech Soler - Rituals (Warner)

A dream follow up to their debut.

R.Roo - Hydref (Tympanik)

Originally just a bonus album (!) to his 2013 Innerheaven record but a contemporary classical masterpiece nonetheless. This should have been the main release: Innerheaven should have been the bonus disc. Breathtaking.

Goldfrapp - Tales of Us (Mute)

Doing a concept album that doesn't deliver singles but delivers a ridiculously well executed and emotive narrative as a whole is something I'd like to see them explore more in the future. Its authenticity is beautiful.

Also nice but not quite list material:

Ólafur Arnalds - For Now I Am Winter (Ditch the singer, really!) (Or re-release it as an instrumental edition)

Grafton Primary - Neo (Nice but it feels like more of the same but poppier: it lacks 'I Can Cook' oomph)

Tesla Boy - The Universe Made of Darkness (More of the same)

Vivid Green - Nobody (Weird in a good way but also very random: it fails to come together as an album)

Letherette - Letherette (What Daft Punk should have done)

Holy Ghost - Dynamics (The debut was a lot better)

...and the cd release of iamamiwhoami's Bounty years after its digital debut yet still without any of the infamous preludes or outtakes anywhere. (Seriously: wtf were they thinking. Oh and the Sandbag dvd f*ck up didn't help either).

Dreeke

Bubbling under:

Wende - Last Resistance
Bell X1 - Chop Chop
Young Galaxy - Ultramarine
Trentemøller - Lost
Emiliana Torrini - Tookah
Agnes Obel - Aventine
Little Boots - Nocturnes
Lanterns On The Lake - Until The Colours Run
Mister & Mississipi - s/t
Lissie - Back To Forever
Jonathan Wilson - Fanfare
Pet Shop Boys - Electric
Pien Feith - Tough Love
MONEY - The Shadow Of Heaven
Alice Russell - To Dust
The Knife - Shaking The Habitual

From 2012 but very much worth mentioning:
Maya's Moving Castle - s/t

(As you can see, there's not that many new scandinavian ladies, Matt....)

KatRobin

I see London Grammar are getting some votes. I'd never heard of them until Alison posted about them several months ago. Now I'm hooked and hoping to get to see them next year. It was because of this "discovery" that I enlisted with Spotify and have found a few new artists that I like. But nothing compares to you know who.

Border_Mind

Goldfrapp Tales of Us

Bowie The Next day

Anna Calvi One Breath

Tricky False Idols

Emika DVA

Adam Ant Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter

tattmaylor

Dreeke said:
(As you can see, there's not that many new scandinavian ladies, Matt....)

:-(

You keep looking! :-)

Sartori · Post edited by Sartori at 2013-12-21 05:35:10

My 2013 likees are more driven by individual tracks , as artists I like deliver them more track by track than as collective albums . On any particular day , my desire for a vocal driven melody or the heartfelt emotion of sweeping pads is on a whim .

Andrew Bayer - If It Were You , We`d Never Leave

Mat Zo - Damage Control

BT - A Song Across Wires

Chvrches - The Bones Of What You Believe

Mord Fustang - Something Music Related EP

Lemaitre - Relativity 3 EP

London Grammar - If You Wait

Mitis - Born EP

Empire of the Sun - Ice on the Dune

Goldfrapp - Tales

cookiee_munster

well obviously Frapp's album goes right to the top of the list, not just because they're a band i love but because the record has pretty much been the most played in terms of new music ive brought this year. just love it.

im trying to think of other new albums ive brought this year that ive enjoyed. reflektor is a good album, artpop is certainly not... and yet to hear the whole of beyonce's new album...

The_Carpathian

I've come here to post my list three times but I'm still finding some truly amazing stuff out there. I've three albums, a film soundtrack and a live album to get through yet!

I share some choices with some of you lot but a pile more to add. Might make it something to compile during the Crimbo to 2014 break.

2013 is going to keep me in soundwaves for bloomin ages :)

Hells_Bells

2013 not been a bad year for music so heres my choice with the definites being the top three in order:-

1. Public Service Broadcasting - Inform, Educate, Entertain. Hands down winner as I heard them by chance on BB6 Music and was hooked. Its just a fun, eccentric, funky, dancey, British album.

2. Anna Calvi - One Breath - I didnt think she could top her debut album but she surpassed it instead. Fantastic gig at Wiltons Music Hall which I shall remember for a long time. Looking forward to her 2014 tour. Slightly lost me heart to Anna this year over Alison. Sorry.

3. Goldfrapp - Tales Of Us - beautiful album but for me not their best. Seeing them in Bristol, Somerset House, Manchester etc re-awakened my absolute passion for them and looking forward also to 2014 tour. I even forgive them for Lisa's "dodgy" videos that I did not like!

The rest are bloody good albums in no particular order:-

Savages - Silence Yourself. Should have won the Mercury Prize but alas... Turn it up loud and make your ears bleed.

Daughter - If You Leave. Should have been nominated for a Mercury. Unfair!!

Lorde - Pure Herion. Another great New Zealander.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs - Mosquito. Godd stuff indeed

KT Tunstall - Invisible Empire//Crescent Moon. Very easy listening and actually sounds better live. Saw her twice this year. Nice lady.

Empire of The Sun - Ice Of The Dune. Another Aussie band who i wish would play here more in the UK instead of just doing the festivals.

The Naked and Famous - Rolling in the Waves. New Zealand again! Pretty much the same as furst album but still really good anyway.

Miles Kane - Dont Forget Who You Are. Such an up album. Another one to play loud.

Marnie - Crystal World. Like Ladytron then you'll like this from the Ladytron chanteuse.

Suede - Bloodsports. Hooray, their back.

White Lies - Big TV. Grim but good.

Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of The City.

MS MR - Secondhand Rapture.

Manic Street Preachers - Rewind The Film

Kodaline - In a Perfect World

James Blake - Overgrown

Disclosure - Settle

Bastille - Bad Blood

Dreeke

Small addition, my fave EP's of 2013:

1. Frida Sundemo - Indigo

2. Kate Boy - Northern Lights

3. Annie - A&R

4. Chvrches - Recover

5. The Deer Tracks - Epilogue

6. Lorde - Tennis Court

7. Thumpers - Unkinder (A Tougher Love)

(that nr.1 is the Scandinavian name you were looking for, Matt...)

hunter · Post edited by hunter at 2013-12-24 04:10:46

Fun to see everyone's lists...good for discovering some lesser known albums that I may have missed as well. I'm working on my top 10 for 2013 but I know a few for sure...need to revisit some others to make sure they still belong but

Rhye - Woman
Goldfrapp - Tales Of Us
Darkside - Psychic
Disclosure - Settle

are all deffinately going to make the cut.

hunter

The_Carpathian

I've divided mine into three lists - the absolute must-haves, the really rather greats and the still rather excellents. They're in no real order other than when I thought of them and the 'best' one changes with each listen. It's by no means an exhaustive list - I'm sat at work and I *know* I've forgotten some really obvious things I'll add over the next day or two from home. It just seemed more fun than working to start it now.

Juana Molina - Wed 21
My discovery of the year and only in the last week thanks to Mary-Anne Hobgoblin on 6Music. An insanely infectious mix of sharp guitar rhythms, Spanish lyrics and twisted electronica. Not a bad track on the whole album and a really pleasant surprise. If this is the sort of stuff coming out of Argentina then I really need to have a search for more.

Rovo & System 7 - Phoenix Rising
What's that? A sprawling Japanese prog rock group teams up with a legendary pair of European ambient techno pioneers? How on earth could that ever work? Well, as it turns out, extremely well. Huge tracks of powerful building riffs and bubbling electronics that soothe one minute and head for the stratosphere the next. Steve Hillage's glissando guitar work for System 7 is a joy at the best of times but added to Rovo's strong backbone it takes both to new highs.

Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)
Emotional, spacious and the sort of album that gives and gives. Epic unashamedly progressive rock that runs from flute solos to crunching guitars, all woven into short stories of the human condition. One of the best production jobs of the year too but that's to be expected from Wilson.

Goldfrapp - Tales Of Us
I wanted a step off the gas, something for the Dancing Deers to be able to curl up under a duvet to and big, big strings. I got all this in abundance and oddly it's making more sense now in the cold rainy end of the year than it actually did when released. It has lyrical moments in the classic Goldfrapp oeuvre and holds together perfectly as an complete album rather than a series of things thrown together. You probably would have expected me to have this on the list but happily it's here on it's own merit.

Daughter - If You Leave
It's the album that won't go away. Loved it on first listen and as each single has been released it's surged back round again. Tough subjects handled with beautiful lyrics and a shimmering sound as suited to a home listen as it was to the live circuit. Soft yet spiky and a quiet triumph.

Carcass - Surgical Steel
Charlie Jones - Love Form
Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld - Still Smiling
Holden - The Inheritors
Tricky - False Idols
The Flaming Lips - The Terror
Nils Frahim - Spaces

James Blake - Overgrown
Emika - DVA
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away
Sigur Ros - Kveikur
Gary Numan - Splinter
Juno Reactor - The Golden Sun Of The Great East
Ulver - Messe I.X-VI.X
Queens Of The Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork
Scott Walker - Box Set
Carl Craig - Masterpiece 3: Meditation
Perc & Einsturzende Neubauten - Interpretations

Kiyuri

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