Top Albums of 2013

10. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

I know, I know...I'm still sick of hearing the hits overplayed. On Every. Single. Station.

That being said, think back to when Discovery came out. One More Time was played over, and over...and over. Enough to be SO sick of it. But look in most people's record collections now. It's in there. Play it at any party, everyone will light up. I have a strong feeling the same thing will happen with R.A.M. 

Overplays aside, this is just a great album. From the early teases of having Nile Rodgers on Get Lucky, to the eventual release of everything. R.A.M. is full of fun, disco tunes - but all with that Daft Punk feel. The robots really know how to draw on talented folk to big up a song. Pharell, Julian Casablancas, Panda Bear. No surprise either, if Daft Punk asked me for the sandwich I was eating, I would gladly fork it over. 

The last album on this list is always just as difficult to decided on. Almost as much as figuring out the order of my top five. R.A.M. almost lost its spot to Austra's Olympia. An extremely enjoyable follow-up by the operatic group that always makes you dance. It actually came down to a final listen between the two, and in the end, as they often do, Daft Punk prevailed. 

Top Tracks: Get Lucky, Instant Crush, Doin' It Right


9. The National - Trouble Will Find Me

The National have been on a roll for few albums now. Since Boxer began gaining momentum, they've really gone from being a well-kept secret, to international starts. After the huge success of High Violet, it would be so easy for them to sit back and coast, or even lay off for a while. Things are good at home, they have some neat side projects on the go, why keep it up? Probably because they love what they're doing. 

At Bonnaroo this year, lead singer Matt Beringer did a Q&A before a screening of their doc "Mistaken for Strangers." Someone asked him if it was harder to write because things were so good. He shut down that notion by explaining how there's always something to draw on. That's why this record isn't a let-down. And, like others by the National, it has that tendency to grow on you over time. It also happens to have one of the best record covers of the year.

Top Tracks: Sea of Love, Don't Swallow the Cap

8. Phoenix - Bankrupt!

It's hard to believe it took this long for a new Phoenix record. It really shouldn't though, Wolfgang Amadeus was for many, the first appearance of the band. It's only because it was so good that you can forgive the Parisoners for milking it for so long. The other reason, is because Bankrupt! is a worthy follow-up.

Called by many a "natural-next-step" - Bankrupt! is a continuation from where they left off from Wolfgang Amadeus. The last four records by Phoenix really did shift in feel as they moved onto the next. This one really carries on with everything they were doing right. In a good way.

Infectious, dance-able, pop music is what Phoenix have made a name for themselves in performing. On this one however, you get a real sense that touring in Japan rubbed off on them. Where it could be a little hokey to have that eastern sound though, they again manage to pull it off. 

Top Tracks: Trying to Be Cool, Chloroform


7. Arcade Fire - Reflektor

Yeah, yeah...why isn't this number one? Whatever. It's a great record, but not the best of the year. Deal. Arcade Fire could have probably put out anything this year and gotten on someone's top ten. Luckily, they actually put the work into Reflektor. 

James Murphy and Bowie's involvement always helps give it an extra push, but the talent of the band always shines through the most. I like that they decided to up the beat and let people dance around a bit. Ignore all the pomposity that they've been accused of lately and simply pop this record on. If you don't dance around or even nod your head, you have no soul.

Top Tracks: Reflektor, Porno



6. Still Corners - Strange Pleasures

This was my go-to day dreaming record of the year. With the absence of a good moody, synth-pop record to the tune of Purity Ring, Strange Pleasures filled a great void. I'll be brief with this record, simply because my mind is usually blank when it's on. I turn it on, gap out, and usually feel something around the general area of my heart. 

Top Tracks: The Trip, Fireflies, Berlin Lovers


5. Deerhunter - Monomania

This is one of the most accessible Deerhunter albums in years, all while still keeping on with 
Bradford Cox's bizarre, and genius mind. Case in point; the spine of the Monomania says "File under: Nocturnal Garage." What other band can get away with making up an obscure genre like that? And for their own band! The reason why Deerhunter gets away with it, is because it perfectly defines the sound of this record. 

Monomania is rough, grungy, and moody. Even in its most chaotic moments, the band is as centred
as ever. Anchored by their strong bassist and drummer, who never let anything go off the rails. 

Every track on Monomania gets better as the record progresses. It could have made "Nocturnal Garage" may be my new favourite type of music. At least when someone asks me what it is, I can smugly reply: "Deerhunter." 

Top Tracks: The Missing, T.H.M 



4. Arctic Monkeys - AM

If you were to tell me last year, that I would be listening to an Arctic Monkeys record on repeat, I would have laughed you out of the room. The band was always just so...juvenile, sophomoric, even predictable. I just didn't get what was the big deal. It didn't help that on their debut, people were heralding them as the next Beatles.

Finally, I think (some of) the praise is merited. Partly I think because the band finally grew up. Maybe it took some life experience, perhaps even a few shitty relationships. Maybe hanging out with Josh Homme has finally rubbed off on them.  Or giving the band credit where it's due, maybe they just grew into themselves a lot more. 

Whatever it is, they've created a hell of a record with lyrics you can actually relate to. I hope this reinvention is something they stick with. The fear I have is that praise they've received for straying from the original formula, will drive them back to it. 

Top Tracks: Do I Wanna Know,  I Wanna be Yours, Why'd you only call me when you get high?


3. Beach Fossils - Clash the Truth

The eight tracks on What a Pleasure was never enough. It hit all the buttons, made you dream, and think, and then it was gone. It was a record that made you miss it, while it was still playing. Luckily Clash the Truth sticks around for so much longer. 

This was my go-to surf rock record of the year. While keeping the dreamy elements of their debut, this entry has a lot more energy and even more attitude. With a refrain on the title track where the band begins chanting "Dream, rebel, trust, youth, free, life, clash, truth" by the time they finish with "Charge, train, hate, proof, nothing real, nothing true" I already had an anthem for my summer.

Top Tracks: Taking Off, In Vertigo, Shallow


2. Grizzly Bear - Shields

Trying to top Veckatimest would be a pretty hard task. So Grizzly Bear went a step further than that. Shields is a near-perfect record, one which I found myself comparing to a Pink Floyd album quite a bit. Not because of siliarities in its sound, but because of its presence. 

To start, this is a record that sounds very BIG. Multi-layered songs shift midway through, becoming something completely different, before tying it all together. Once again, they prove themselves to be quite the wordsmiths with lyrics full of imagery while remaining mysterious. One of my favourites of the year, is how they begin Speak in Rounds; "If I draw you upside down, I can't let go."

Shields is a record that pushes the listener to the point of almost being overwhelming, before it's gone. You're left almost exhausted by the end of it, but still yearning for more. 

Top Tracks: Yet Again, Speak In Rounds, Sun In Your Eyes


1. Local Natives - Hummingbird

It's hardly irrational to cringe before a second album is released from a band riding high on success. Is this going to be the next step in an amazing career, or was the debut a fluke? In Local Natives' case, Gorilla Manor was no fluke.  Within the first hum of a synth on Hummingbird, any fear of a let-down evaporates. 

The magic of everything they did so well before with harmonies, is still there. Lyrics so vivid, drawn out in three, sometimes four parts at a time. "Stare down my nose, watching. Colour drained from my eyes" sounds almost haunting. And then there's the toms. So much TOMS! 

If only more bands were as much of a sure thing as Local Natives. Record executives would sure breathe easier. And more importantly, fans wouldn't have to worry so much. But then again, that's part of the fun. 

Top Tracks: You and I, Ceilings, Breakers, Black Balloons

#1 - Beach House – Bloom

#1 - Beach House – Bloom

Beach Housealways know how to deliver dreamy music that you feel deep in your heart. While some of their earlier work had the tendency to get bogged down in moodiness, they've outgrown that in their last two records.

Bloom has the whispery vocals that are standard to a Beach House album. Like they're telling you a secret. But it has a brighter tone to it than Teen Dream did. It always feels like there's something going on in the subtext that only they know. Because of that, this is a record that evokes a sense of loss and gain at the same time. It really just depends on the mood of who is listening.

The thing that always stands out is how the lyrics are arranged. Victoria Legrande is a master of phrasings that are no more than a few thoughts per breath. What she accomplishes by doing that are a few words that get trapped in your head at a time. That makes all the songs stay with you well after they’re done. 

I once described Beach House as what I would imagine listening to a cloud would be like. Bloom is no different. It’s what I thought was the most beautiful music of the year – and for that reason, my favourite record of 2012. 

Top Tracks: Lazuli, Myth, New Year, Irene (this is a record worth listening start to finish each time)

#2 - Grizzly Bear – Shields

#2 - Grizzly Bear – Shields

At times, this record feels like something a band like Pink Floyd would have put out. It does that in the way it carries your mood both up and down. With Shields, Grizzly Bear drifts each song into the other in a way that makes it flow unlike any other record this year.

This was the record that made me the most nervous this year. The band's last release Veckamatist was so good, topping it almost seemed impossible. The Fleet Foxes had a similar problem with Helplessness Blues; how do you follow up an amazing record while still pushing the band forward? Unfortunately for them, it didn't work out.  Shields however, does not not fall victim to the same trap.

It's a new record that feels like the band has grown, but not like they have started over. I've always felt it was important for bands to move forward, but remain the same band. In this instance, Shields feels like a natural progression for a band to take. 

Top tracks: Sleeping Ute, Yet Again, Sun In Your Eyes, Speak in Rounds

#3 - Grimes -Visions

#3 - Grimes -Visions

While Madonna pranced around arena shows in a cheerleader outfit - Grimes was tearing up small gigs with little more than her synth set-up.

Why invite the comparison between the two? Well there is the obvious juxtaposition of one act struggling vainly to stay in the spotlight, while another career takes off. But, if you listen closely, you can hear the early Madonna influence inside Visions. It’s a record built on strong vocals and incredibly catchy songs. But that's ultimately where the comparison ends.

I'll admit that more than half of the time, I have no idea what the lyrics are. In fact, I've been guilty of singing along "meow, meow, meow" during some of the higher pitched sections. Despite that lyrical ambiguity, this is an album that makes you want to sing along with the words you don't know.

From all accounts I've seen and heard, Grimes is one of those perfectionists that wants you to hear what she does. I’d like to think she accomplished that with most of us.

Top Tracks: Genesis, Circumambient, Oblivion 

#4 – Father John Misty – Fear Fun

#4 – Father John Misty – Fear Fun

 

J. Tillman is the funny one. I once spoke to him after a solo gig in between Fleet Foxes albums, and he claimed he didn’t do it intentionally. But whether he likes it or not, he's hilarious.

That sense of humour doesn’t appear to be showing any signs of letting up either. Found inside the best looking album cover of the year, where you would typically look for the lyrics, is something completely different. Two massive posters containing what is best described as a short story called “Mostly Hypothetical Mountains.” Amazing.

Once you get through all of that, there’s the music. Fear Fun knocks the socks off anything Tillman ever did with Fleet Foxes. It’s full of bright and often strange tales that are only appropriate after the small novel that accompanies them.

It’s great to hear Tillman’s voice on the entire record too. The main reason Helplessness Blues ended up being so boring, was that it didn’t feature enough of him singing behind the drums. Back in the spotlight on his own project once again, he shines. 

I almost wore out a Sub-Pop sampler on record store day this year thanks to a sneak peak of FJM. Luckily there wasn't too much time in between it and the full record.

Top Tracks: Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings, Misty's Nightmares 1&2, This Is Sally Hatchet, Well, You Can Do It Without Me

#5 - Japandroids – Celebration Rock

#5 - Japandroids – Celebration Rock

From the first crackle of fireworks, to those that fizzle out at record’s end – this album starts and ends with a bang. 

Vancouver’s Brian King and David Prowse have pulled-off what is easily the best rock album of the year. Managing to work in light and shade some two-piece backs just can’t. Celebration Rock does it with an energy that doesn’t quit, but never tires you out. With lyrics revelling in the ability to take whatever you love out of life - it’s classic, but never overindulgent. 

I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to hear a slower paced song on a rock record that isn’t a power ballad. In the year of Chavril, these guys are may be the glue holding Canadian rock music together. I can’t wait to hear what they do next. 

Japandroids are the real deal. And that is something worth celebrating.

Top Tracks: The House That Heaven Built , The Nights Of WineAnd Roses, Fire’s Highway, Continuous Thunder , Evil’s Sway

#6 - Purity Ring – Shrines

#6 - Purity Ring – Shrines

It’s a good thing this album came out when it did. In a year when I was looking forward to the fellow-up to Passion Pit’s Manners, only to be immensely disappointed, Purity Ring gave me what I was looking for. Shrines is full of melodic and infectious songs that leaves you yearning for more.

This album shares only a portion of the levity Manners did. While upbeat, the tracks are quite dark. Like dancing with your shadow, it’s cheerful, but not overwhelmingly so. It also manages to be contain some of the sexiest music of the year.   

What really makes Shrines stand out though, is how it feels like it’s breathing. Waves of cascading synth could easily become annoying, but instead it links each song to one another.  The lungs on the front of the album cover are well placed. 

As far as album art goes, Shrines contains some of the year’s best . Bewilderingly cute and haunting characters – not unlike those found in the music.

Top Tracks: Crawlersout, Ungirthed, Lofticries, Grandloves, Belispeak, Saltkin