We say it every year, but 2013 really was an incredible year for music. Running the gamut from garage rock to hip-hop to electronic, there was a tremendous amount of great music released this year—too much to whittle down to a Top 10. So instead we decided to gather a few from each of our music writers for a loose collection of our 25 favorite records. Here they are, in no particular order.
Deap Vally – “Sistrionix”
There was only one album that absolutely knocked me on my ass in 2013, and this was it. The pulsing, thumping rhythms all across the record are something beyond addicting, and when you add in the ripping guitar lines with a perfect amount of fuzz, it’s everything a true rock fan wants in their music. The duo of Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards bring all the attitude you could possibly want, and nearly every song leaves you wanting to play the next one even louder. Whether you’re looking for a balls-to-the-wall drinking anthem or a lust-riddled stomping groove, this record delivers from every angle. Strong, talented women playing hard, catchy power-rock? What more do you want from life?
-Joel Friemark
Deerhunter – “Monomania”
I can tell that I still haven’t listened to “Monomania” enough to take from it all that I can. Soaked in effects pedals and echoes but still mercilessly catchy and accessible, Deerhunter probably rock harder than ever this year. It’s a rich and textural record from a band that’s evolving with every release.
-Dan Turkel
Danny Brown- “Old”
Detroit MC Daniel Dewan Sewell aka Danny Brown channels his inner ADHD for what has to be one of the most overlooked albums of the year. “Old” sees Brown maturing into one of the slickest MC’s in the game. Diversity is the name of the game in “Old” with killer collaborations with Purity Ring on “25 bucks” and A$AP Rocky on “Kush Coma.” However, it is on his solo tracks such as “Woderbread” and “Side B [Dope Song]” where Brown ultimately shines, shaping his ADHD flow into a work of art.
-Kevin Camps
Savages – “Silence Yourself”
Driven by a fierce imperative to emancipate the masses and “never let the fuckers get you down,” UK’s Savages are a symbol of something that goes beyond their post-punk influences. In just a year, this monochromatic four-piece has managed to take a sense of purpose and turn it into an aggressive record loaded with pogoing bass lines, smash-mouth drumming, atmospheric guitars, and the vocal presence of a bewildering vampire queen from France, Jehnny Beth, who screeches with the purpose of banshee, and the furious anger of a warrior swinging a blade into an enemy combatant’s chest.
-Art Tavana
HAIM – “Days Are Gone”
After what seemed like a half a career’s worth of lead-up singles and EPs, HAIM finally did it in 2013—they released a full-length album. Much of “Days Are Gone” had been heard in the form of advanced singles before the record came out, but that didn’t detract from its impact. The sisters Haim made indie-pop cool again this year—”Days Are Gone” was one of the most listenable records of the year that somehow still hasn’t gotten tired. It may have been the “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” of 2013.
-Alex Moore
Blanche Blanche Blanche – “Breaking Mirrors”
Vermont-based Blanche Blanche Blanche took me by surprise and blew me away with “Breaking Mirrors.” It doesn’t sound like a single rock record I’ve heard this year: an incredible balance between weird and fun. Imagine a poppy blend of Speedy Ortiz, GBV, and maybe even Battles.
-Dan Turkel
Maya Jane Coles – “Comfort”
It is fitting that “Comfort’s” first and title track opens up with a sample straight out of a Mob movie; she is killing the scene right now. While she did not invent deep-house, she sure deserves credit for being one of if not the sole artists behind its revitalization and its leak into mainstream electronic music in 2013. In-fact, many deep-house luminaries should be cutting her checks for all the gigs they have recently gotten. “Comfort,” her first true cosigned release” see’s Coles evolve into a true force to mess with creating some of the most beautifully crafted tracks in recent years. Emotionally charged and catchy as hell, “Comfort” is truly a gem to be cherished.
-Kevin Camps
Vampire Weekend – “Modern Vampires of the City”
This is the album that converts all the former nonbelievers. With Graceland-inspired melodies and soulful touches that combine gospel-tinged vocals, groovy organ spells (the keys being the heart soul of the record), and Buddy Holly guitars (and hiccup-vocals), “Modern Vampires” is the most musically advanced record by the New York four-piece to date — who seem to have completely torched their nerdy college band beginnings from “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa,” for something deeper — a bit more Lennon than McCartney, and God bless them for it! “I feel it in my bones,” lyrics written by their frontman Ezra Koenig, and perhaps the best description of how I feel about this record.
-Art Tavana
Blood Orange – “Cupid Deluxe”
Having spent years trying different styles with mixed results, Dev Hynes’ Blood Orange moniker hits out of the park with the melancholic Cupid Deluxe, the delivered promise of his two excellent singles with Sky Ferreira and Solange last year. Every song on this album perfectly balances previous heartache with a hope for the future,, presented in widerscreen New York City.
-Doug Bleggi
Daft Punk – “Random Access Memories”
Daft Punk had gigantic expectations to fulfill with “Random Access Memories,” their long-awaited follow up to 2005′s “Human After All”—and they hit it out of the park. They both kept themselves current by collaborating with a who’s who list of influential current-day artists and managed to bring back Giorgio Moroder. And they had everyone tapping their feet along to “Get Lucky”—perhaps the most-played song of the year.
-Alex Moore
Chance the Rapper – “Acid Rap”
In a year of Yeezuses and Holy Grails, “Acid Rap” is so easily my hip-hop record of the year. Chance is a young voice with a lot to say and is showing no signs of slowing down. Fresh production, unstoppable flow, biting lyrics—why are you still listening to 2 Chainz? Download it here.
-Dan Turkel
Kiki Pau – “Pines”
Finding its way to market all the way back in February, there is no 2013 release I’ve played as often as this year, as each time you spin it, new layers of the music is uncovered. The record moves to something beyond a spiritual experience, as the group completely envelops the listener in the almost trance-like grooves, yet at the same time keeps enough of a sense of melody and structure that even pop fans will find themselves captivated even as the songs push past the ten-minute mark. There has rarely been as perfect an example of how to use vocals only when necessary, and whether you’re burning out after a long day, taking a road trip, standing on a mountain or sitting on the beach, this record provides the ideal accompnment for any and every occasion.
-Joel Friemark
Mount Kimbie – “Cold Spring Fault Youth”
Arguably the purveyors of the term post-dubstep, the British duo Mount Kimbie excel at making beautifully crafted tracks. With Disclosure getting all the hype and press, Mount Kimbie’s sophomore album “Cold Spring Fault Youth” somehow fell between the cracks which is unfortunate because it is, in fact, a better record. “Cold Spring Fault Youth” is not only a great standalone record but their collaborations with King Krule fast-tracked the young singer songwriter into the limelight. Give it another listen as I am sure it will not disappoint.
-Kevin Camps
King Krule – “6 Feet Beneath the Moon”
If 2013 is the year of the precocious musical wunderkind, no one proves it like the 19-year-old Archie Marshall, aka King Krule. I was blown away from first listen: the slow tracks are deep and brooding, the faster ones jazzy and smooth. Can’t wait to see what else he has in store in the coming years.
-Dan Turkel
Krill – “Lucky Leaves”
I was nuts about Krill’s latest album back in the summer and I’m just as obsessed today as I was then. “Lucky Leaves” is fun but sincere, catchy but smart, pop but not. Dripping with self-awareness and yet also unafraid to be genuine, “Lucky Leaves” is a unique record in so many ways. Stream it here.
-Dan Turkel
Kanye West – “Yeezus”
In Kanye’s seventh solo studio record, the producer turned post-modern MC attacks the pretentious fashion industry he despises so much, yet embraces like a freshly unboxed pair of retro Air Jordan kicks or black leather jogging pants. For the first time in his career, Kanye doesn’t seem interested in proving he’s talented. He is, and he’s also batshit crazy. Gritty, at times confusing, wacked-out, and lacking anything close to real hip-hop lyricism, Yeezus is perfectly wacky and a loose-cannon of a record. It abandons any shred of self-control Kanye might still posses, and vaporizes current pop music trends with a ferocity that corners listeners for ten rounds of blistering techno-rap and hate-fueled recording fury that doesn’t give a fuck about what came before it.
-Art Tavana
John Digweed and Nick Muir – “Verses”
In these scary times where big room house is bigger than ever (pun intended) and Hardwell is the world’s number 1 DJ I can sleep well knowing that great house music is still, indeed, being produced. House dignitary John Digweed combines forces with his longtime label mate Nick Muir for “Verses;” an upbeat 20 track journey featuring some amazing remixes as well as original material. Never letting up from start to finish, “Verses” gives us hope for house music.
-Kevin Camps
Eleanor Friedberger – “Personal Record”
Eleanor Friedberger one ups herself on her second solo album with an effortlessly great singer songwriter record. Her band is as tight as ever and her observations on open relationships, teasing new friends, and art imitating life are an irresistible combination.
-Doug Bleggi
Paramore – “Paramore”
Hayley Williams fronted pop-punk group Paramore finally hit it out of the park with their self-titled fourth LP. While many cool points will be lost by this choice “Paramore” is a really fun album putting Williams’s maturity front and center. After the loss of two original members it could have been easy for Williams to phone it in, but instead we got a record that reminds us why we loved pop-punk so long ago.
-Kevin Camps
So So Glos – “Blowout”
When one thinks of pop punk, it’s hard to separate the sound from its checkered past in backwards hatted parking lots and Warped tours — but when you think about it, was that really that bad? The So So Glos have very little in common with the Blink 182 crowd, but their sound is unarguably punk, and inarguable punky, that it makes the case for the genre big time on the hook-filled Blowout, which continuously breathes new life into the concept of hard, fast rock songs delivered with a smile rather than a fist.
-Doug Bleggi
Tanya Donelly – “Swan Song Series”
Releasing a handful of tracks on numbered EP’s each month since August, the collection is perhaps the most bittersweet music to appear this year. As you’d expect from one of the finest writers and singers of the past three decades, the EP’s are filled with blissfully exquisite melodies and hooks, as she teams up with a wide range of other performers, showing every corner of her extraordinary talents. From the wonderfully catchy “Mass Ave” to the heartbreakingly beautiful “Salt” to the mysterious “The Law,” the understanding that this is her formal “send off” from the music industry is the biggest tragedy of these songs. Taken as a whole, the series stands as one of the most outstanding outputs of 2013, and the fact that it was all done through BandCamp shows exactly where the future of music resides.
-Joel Friemark
Deltron 3030 – “Event 2”
The long-awaited return of the mythical duo of Deltron 0 and Automator was absolutely worth the wait, and for those who truly love and appreciate hip-hop music, it easily stands alongside their classic debut. Most of the time, waiting 13 years between records makes it impossible to capture the same magic, but they did that and more all across the sixteen tracks. Bringing the ideal balance of mind-bending rhymes and a steady dose of sci-fi and humor, there’s a reason Deltron 3030 have garnered such a rabid following over the years. This album easily surpassed everything else in the genre this year, as the level of originality and sheer intellect in every aspect of the music was leaps and bounds ahead of the rest.
-Joel Friemark
The Velcro Lewis Group – “Open The Sky”
Landing somewhere between Sly & The Family Stone and Blue Cheer, this album ran away with the “best of” award for the second half of 2013. This is one of those records that just explodes through the speakers, and you can feel the swampy steam coming off of these deep grooves. The guitar takes on a wide range of personalities throughout, allowing the album to have an extraordinary sonic diversity, and the grit and growl on the vocals make it impossible to wipe the smile from your face. Every single note on this album will have you shaking it all over town, and the only disappointment is that this record ends. You might wear out your “repeat” button…you’ve been warned!
-Joel Friemark
The Knife – “Shaking the Habitual”
Borrowing its title from Foucault, the Knife’s first real record since 2006′s Silent Shout swings the pendulum between electro masterpiece and manic marathon of artful noise. Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer have gone rogue on Shaking the Habitual (as if that was possible), abandoning any notion of traditional songwriting and verse-chorus structure into an eerie ambiance that carries on, fluidly, for over an hour on a genre and gender-bending record that’s trippy, noisy, and ultimately, completely psychedelic down to the creepy tribal horror-tinged track that closes the album, “Ready to Lose,” and CD 2′s, “Raging Lung,” which tortures the senses, draws you in, and creates a brain-tingling feeling that cannot be described in words.
-Art Tavana
Parquet Courts – “Light Up Gold”
Stoner-punk is a genre Bart Simpson would have appreciated. Brooklyn’s Parquet Courts, who’s members grew up in the ’90s, sound like stoned philosophers who can quote the Simpsons, while at the same time, create a grinding punk sound that’s catchy, throwback, and booger-nosed cool. Light Up Gold, their full-length debut, is gratifying to start, languid in the middle, and smart throughout. It’s a surprisingly addictive sounding 30-minute garage-rock gem, especially from a Swedish Fish-chomping four-piece that has a track called “Stone and Starving,” and why not, they are, for now.
-Art Tavana
Bonus:
Was Queen Standard, “Honey Tongue” (single)
I felt obligated to bring special notice to this single (the bands’ first), as it is rare that I am so completely taken by a single release, let alone from a band just finding their musical feet. There is an attitude and drive that comes through every instrument in the mix all across the song that you just can’t get enough of. The track slides and sways in a hard-hitting, yet somehow sensual manner that has been sorely missing from most rock bands over the past few decades. The vocal line is truly inspired, and they are absolutely the up-and-coming band I am keeping my eye on throughout 2014.
-Joel Friemark