Hello there, apologies once again for the lack of posts and the somewhat false promises I tend to make along the lines of 'I will return with something spectacular!'. I'm afraid not this time, I've got a pretty standard music related post that by the title I'm sure you're already tutting at my dull as heck transparency. Yep, its best albums of the year! Seeing as its a couple days before the very end, I thought I may as well mock a quick one up whilst I try and forget about the annoying food poisoning I've picked up this past week (damn buffets!), I've decided to spend my time worrying about music instead of my cruel desire for cake (wah) so enjoy the below list of albums I believe to have made a cracking 2013.
10/ Drenge - Drenge
Yes the Derbyshire duo of brothers Eoin and Rory Loveless seemed to spring out of nowhere this year after a reputation for rambunctious live shows. Whilst perhaps not as staggering as their concerts tend to be (seen them twice myself, good fun both times), the record is a charming affair with plenty of mean riffs ala Gun Crazy and I Don't Want To Make Love To You and equally as impressive yet bitter lyrical displays from Eoin, in the form of People In Love Make Me Feel Yuck and I Want To Break You In Half (sample lyric "If you had a soul I'd like to meet it"). Of course monster singles Dogmeat and Bloodsports proved to get the fiercest of crowd reactions and will probably be the signature tracks for most listeners, but the rest is definitely worth a look in.
9/ Arctic Monkeys - AM
This album actually wasn't an instant love of mine this year (shock horror/don't kill me). Though I still think the full marked review made by a certain popular music publication was hilariously cringeworthy, I actually came to rather like AM, the Sheffield band's fifth album that waved goodbye to shaggy hair and jangly guitars and said hello to Sabbathy riffs and teddy boy quiffs. Opening tracks Do I Wanna Know? and R U Mine?, possibly the band's strongest start since FWN, made sure everybody got their rock'n'roll fix whilst subtle numbers Fireside, No.1 Party Anthem and I Wanna Be Yours showed Alex Turner hadn't lost his penchant for eery ballads supplying a wonderful croon as always. Whatever you think about the band, you've got to give them credit for consistently pushing the envelope.
Wanna know more?
Have a look at Kayleigh over at Electragrrl's review on Renowned For Sound here
8/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II
After their incredibly adored self titled debut, New Zealander Ruben Nielson's latest project Unknown Mortal Orchestra felt the need to impress. By no means a drastic change, II was further exploration into Nielson's psychedelic tendencies but perhaps with a poppier refined edge as showcased on From The Sun and The Opposite Of Afternoon. Ever dabblers of Lo-fi, the band bought fuzzy guitar, groovy bass and crackly drums create a sound that loses itself somewhere between this century and the last with Nielson's soulful vocals, as seen on So Good At Being In Trouble, adding to this timeless hubbub. The swirling glory of Faded In The Morning and the Beatles influenced stylings of Swim And Sleep (Like A Shark) show the diversity of the group proving Nielson to be New Zealand's equivalent to Australian neighbour Kevin Parker. A tour together please?
7/ Kurt Vile - Wakin' On A Pretty Daze
A somewhat unlikely star of recent years, Kurt Vile finds himself once again, looking rather awkward, in the indie spotlight. Not to say it isn't deserved, after 2011's Smoke Ring For My Halo won over thousands, this year's Wakin' On A Pretty Daze was a suitably fresh record that saw Vile taking more risks than ever before. Opening with the somewhat daunting nine and a half minute Wakin On A Pretty Day, the record gives instant good vibes as we sway along on a trip of Vile's day-to-day. Many of the songs' lyrical content saw a rather revealing side of Vile with Shame Chamber a description of the singers dissatisfaction with his mirror image whilst Never Run Away serves as an ode to the comfort found when with his wife. However the lasting line comes from Was All Talk as Vile professes "There was a time in my life when they thought I was all talk, now I got the upper hand". The underdog turned out to be prize pooch.
6/ Phoenix - Bankrupt!
Wolfgang, Amadeus, Phoenix was a stomper of an album. Easily one of the greatest albums of the noughts, serving as quite the swan song to the decade in 2009. French wonders Phoenix knew their return would have to be delivered with a bang and Bankrupt! was a downright explosion. Singles Entertainment and Trying To Be Cool owned the year with poppier and more electronic decorations than the band had not previously dared to try. The catchiness of songs like S.O.S In Bel Air, Drakkar Noir and the super cheery Oblique City stick in your head for days with melodies so rich with hooks they'll have you humming along in no time. Elsewhere the band gave us wonderfully textured songs such as Bourgeois and title track Bankrupt! that deserve countless listens to get lost within. A triumph where many have fallen, Phoenix soar once more.
5/ Haim - Days Are Gone
The buzz surrounding Los Angeles sisterly trio Haim this time last year was at its ultimate peak, with a much anticipated debut album promised for release in Spring. The album actually didn't arrive until September and by then the buzz had only grown larger with fans lapping up available singles. Worth the wait, Days Are Gone featured some of the years best crossover music pleasing fans of rock, pop, dance and R&B. The super singles Falling, Forever and The Wire served as the opening tracks of the album, creating a definite feel of never ending hits. We weren't let down either as the record supplies the kind of never-ending hooks it puts most bands' greatest hit collections. Don't Save Me, the ultimate break-up song for an inattentive partner steals the show with its neighbours Days Are Gone and My Song 5, which both prove the sisters' diversity as they embrace the R&B stylings of heroines Destiny's Child. The debut album all pop artists dream to have.
Wanna know more? Read my review on Renowned For Sound here
4/ My Bloody Valentine - mbv
Twenty two years is an awfully long gap between albums two and three isn't it? Ok, ok in that time My Bloody Valentine suffered a 12 year break up after the fall-out of guitar guru Kevin Shields and shy singer Belinda Butcher's relationship. Regardless, 1991's Loveless is a classic album that has topped many a music lover's top albums (ever!) list. Mbv was not the Loveless Pt. 2 that many fans had wished for but in many respects that is what made it more special. With shoegaze in the public eye once more (thanks to revivalists such as The Horrors) songs such as Only Tomorrow and Who Sees You the bands trademark scuzzy wall of sound is as popular as ever. Experimentation of course was still in good display as Wonder 2 with its drum'n'bass rhythms proved a strangely pleasant surprise while the gritty buzzing of Nothing Is made it clear the band haven't gone stale with age. Middle track New You however steals the show with a funky bassline and the murmured melodies of Belinda Butcher making you thankful this band decided to come back, however long it took.
3/ Peace - In Love
B-Town, B-Town, B-Town. Yeah, I know, its the lamest scene name ever, but for those of us living in the West Midlands its a siren call to some of the best music the UK has to offer. Leaders of the pack, Peace, became the first group of the family to release an album, but thats not the only reason they won the most adoration. Their debut album In Love proved to be one of the most vital records of the year by one of the most promising new groups for years. Blending influences of Grunge, Brit-Pop, Madchester and more into one polished mish-mash songs such as the Nirvana meets Stone Roses swing of Follow Baby to the Oasis soaked ballads of Float Forever and Sugarstone. The somewhat more tropical sounds of Wraith fit nicely with the lovelorn grit of Delicious and stomper Toxic. Whilst the ten track version of the album is indeed a treat, those looking for a masterpiece can find more on the deluxe edition featuring one of the years greatest and easily underrated songs, Drain, worth the extra pennies I guarantee.
2/ Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold
Stubborn, uncompromising and often rude, Parquet Courts are more or less an interviewers nightmare. Every article to feature them this year has been met with lines such as 'four sullen faces' and 'the band members sigh'. Indeed the New York quartet do not care for interviews, music videos or even publicity shots and have confirmed themselves as the grumpiest band of 2013, but they also turned out to be one of the best with their ferocious debut album Light Up Gold. Opening track Master Of My Craft is a pacey song that rumbles and rumbles into the thundering masterpiece it is with the yelped line "Socrates died in the fucking gutter" adding a great sense of hilarity. The song's finishing moments immediately launch into next song Borrowed Time, an equally brash affair that sees singer Andrew Savage violently rasp words along to a riff straight from US indie boys' wet dreams. Furthermore songs like Yr No Stoner and Careers In Combat offer Pavement style twangy guitars hit the nail in lo fi indie rock on the head. Not so charming as people perhaps, Light Up Gold more than makes up for it.
1/ Queens Of The Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork
Six years since their last effort with a hell of a lot drama in-between (Them Crooked Vultures and Josh Homme's operating table resurrection to name but two!), Queens Of The Stone Age finally returned and by gum did they mean business. A collection of ten tracks with guests that range from past members Dave Grohl and Mark Lanegan to new friends Alex Turner and er Elton John. Steeped in dark times, ...Like Clockwork is the bands broodiest record to date with Josh Homme laying his soul on the line. The delicate piano ballad The Vampyre Of Time And Memory and the twists and turns of epic tune I Appear Missing show Homme exploring new musical directions and detailing some of his recent struggles that seem to spawn from a certain heartbreak, becoming a father and of course the previously mentioned event where he died on the operating table during routine knee surgery. Left in a coma for days and unable to walk for months, it would scar any man. Of course the savage stoner rock that we all know and love from the band was not missing from the album with the rambunctious tracks If I Had A Tail and My God Is The Sun offering rollocking tunes whilst the funky Smooth Sailing continues last album Era Vulgaris' penchant for the strange and sexy. What makes ...Like Clockwork the album of the year however is how listenable it is from start to finish. Never a bore it is easily one of the most exciting albums of the decade as well as one of the band's finest in an already spotless back-catalogue. Turning his pain into others pleasure, Homme can be proud of a record that is truly part of him.
And Thats It!
There you have it, thats my top 10 I decided to talk about this year, I should mention my list was changing all year round and to avoid any regret from my own end, if theres something you think should be on the list that isn't, let me know!
Honourable Mentions:
AlunaGeorge - Body Music
Atoms For Peace - Amok
Charli XCX - True Romance
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
David Bowie - The Next Day
Disclosure - Settle
Franz Ferdinand - Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action
James Blake - Overgrown
Kate Nash - Girl Talk
Savages - Silence Yourself
Sky Ferreira - Night Time, My Time
Smith Westerns - Soft Will
TOY - Join The Dots
Wavves - Afraid Of Heights
Yuck - Glow & Behold
