I don’t even remember what month I started “directing” Aux.Out. I remember that it happened pretty quickly, under less-than-desirable circumstances, and now we are here at the end of the year. So, allow me a second.
I’m not going to say I’m proud of my work here, all I’ve done is encourage people to write. Sometimes I’ve been able to help guide the projects, other times people have turned in 3,000 words that hardly needed a comma added (Ryan Bort). I am proud, though, that it feels like a community could be forming out of this, that the section could have an identity that hinges on the talented people that write here. Everywhere on the Internet that is worth a damn has just that. Our parent site of CoS surely does, as does Pitchfork, Stereogum, Vice, The 405, and down to the labors of love, like Zach Hart’s We Listen for You.
When you’re growing up, and even after that, music is a big part our identity. And for those of us that maybe made it too big of a part, we latch onto the community of it, whether it’s a venue or a label or scene or a band that practices next-door. The Internet lets us do this without the confines of geography or space. If I didn’t feel like I was a part of something in doing this, I just don’t know what the point would be.
So, in order for us, the writers, to introduce ourselves further to you, the reader, I made up a little writer survey and told everyone to only answer the questions they wanted and they would be published completely. They could go on as short or long as they desired. They can promote themselves or others. They can make jokes or take it seriously. Whatever they write, though, the point is that the reader can get to know them a little better, and maybe it could bring our community closer together.
Now, even all these pages of answers to music and non-music questions only scratch the surface of who someone is, and a link to a Twitter or a bio blurb doesn’t tell you why these people are writing here (or editing, or podcasting). I know some of these folks really well, I know some of them hardly at all. I am not entirely sure if K.C. Libmen is a boy or a girl at this point. But, I thought I could at least give you a little insight into the people that filled out this poll.
There are a lot of them, so feel free to just go on to page two if this is boring.
Some of the names you will recognize from Consequence of Sound. Michael Roffman is the Editor-in-Chief there and it is my opinion that if one man doesn’t get his fair recognition in this music world, it is him. For years he has guided the reviews, live coverage, interviews, and features of what has become one of the biggest music destinations on earth. He works tirelessly and still is the easiest editor I have to get in touch with. He’s my boss, and we’ve had fights and disagreements over the four years since I first wrote an article for him (it was on Japandroids’ Post-Nothing), but there’s a reason I’m here and a reason he’ll have me. My reason is the respect and fairness he shows me, something I can always count on him for. Not sure what his reason has been for having me around, he probably lost a bet or something.
Also from CoS is Matt Melis, who copy edits most everything that goes on Aux.Out., because I am not to be trusted with this kind of work. He’s good at it, and he’s in charge of the Book Club, which he does a fantastic job at. I’m lucky to have his help. Sasha Geffen wrote one of my favorite pieces and I think she is about as special of a thinker and writer as they come. She’ll be my boss somewhere someday, I hope. Henry Hauser also is in Book Club, and he has been working with me back since One Thirty BPM days. He has found a niche in this music writing universe, and has a distinct taste that I trust. And he’s just a super good and smart guy. And rounding out the CoS’ers is Nick Freed, whom hasn’t written for Aux.Out. since I’ve been here, but I invited past writers to participate and I’m happy he took me up on that. So, pitch me Nick!
Paula Mejia I guess is also from CoS, but she’s from so many places these days it is hard to think of her that way. Paula is a writer that seems to continually be improving, and when you see where she is already writing for (Rolling Stone, A.V. Club, Spin), you wonder how good she is going to end up. I’m excited to see.
Speaking of former Aux.Out. writers, Jeremy “don’t forget the ‘D’” Larson was kind enough to participate, despite his heavy load at Pitchfork and Radio.com. He founded Aux.Out. and, if you recall, was just awful at it. But in seriousness, my goal coming in has been to maintain the vision he had, or at least maintain the quality, and when I failed at that, at least look like I tried really hard so he would pity me rather than loathe me. If it weren’t for Jeremy, I honestly would have quit writing a couple years ago, but that’s a story for another time. I’m just really happy that Jeremy participated in this.
Many of the writers that freelance here have a background at Paste Magazine, which I also write for, and probably made it easy for them to hear about this and/or find me. Rachel Bailey actually predates me at Aux.Out., but I’ve been trying to get here to write regularly and maybe we can harass her somehow until she does. Ryan Bort was an intern at Paste when I started freelancing there, and it became clear fairly quickly that he was one of those special interns that is going places. A little more than a year later and he is not letting anyone down with the work he turns in. Hilary Saunders was also a Paste intern I believe, but I only knew her writing a little when she pitched me on Aux.Out. I couldn’t be more happy that she has written here, as she brings a compassionate perspective towards the humanitarian side of music that is refreshing amid all the bullshit people talk about incessantly. Nathan Huffstutter is someone I knew from his album reviews and a few exchanges we have had and was easy to say yes to when he expressed interest. He’s a pro through and through, someone that I can exchange emails about whatever album is on my mind and have a pretty good dialogue with. And, even when I don’t agree with him, I always leave his writing with more to consider than when I arrived, which as a writer, is all we hope.
Robert Ham and Laura Studarus both write for Paste, too, but they have special roles in Aux.Out. Robert (or Bob) just began the first new recurring column under this phase of the site. We got off to a horrible start in our relationship, too. When I took this job, he had an assignment in flux, and it wasn’t handled with the care it deserved on my end, but, you know, shit was going down. It was just bad luck more than anything for him, and it took a good while for us to mend that incident, for me to gain his trust and convince him that he should work for us again. It sounds like way more work than an editor would normally do to keep a freelancer, but, as more and more people seem to be realizing, Robert Ham is a special writer and a guy we should all be rooting for. As best as I can tell, anyway.
And Laura will be joining him with a new column launching next month (hopefully). You’ll see what that is about later, but we’re so excited to have her working with us. If you read Under the Radar, you know her work, as well as with MTV Iggy. We shared the same city for a long time before we finally met a couple months back, but I am happy to call her a friend and think she is one of the brightest and most devoted writers I have met. Her passion comes through in her work, and yeah, I’m excited for contributions to come. (Now I just jinxed it and she’s probably gonna bail.)
Also here in SoCal is Daniel Kohn, who I met through covering shows (he writes for LA and OC Weekly). I’ve enjoyed building a friendship with him, and value the scope of his ideas, and his willingness to go the extra mile for a good story. Lots of people fancy themselves “music journalists,” but Daniel actually grasps what that entails.
Not all of the writers had an “in” to begin with, and we’ve published some awesome stories because of that. Cameron Wolf, Justin Wesley, Nathan Matisse, and K.C. Lipmen I know just through a few emails or the occasional Twitter interaction, so anything I could say about them would be more speculative. Hopefully next year that is different and I can give them the sentence or two they deserve.
Alyssa Pereira, well, I don’t know where this woman came from, but somehow she was in my Twitter feed and soon we met in San Francisco and I am happy to have made a friendship out of a weird internet paths-crossing. She is smart as all hell (far smarter than I am), and just needed a bit of encouragement to realize how good of a writer she can be, or at least in this realm. She’s got academic writing on lockdown. Now she’s a force, consistently landing better gigs, and soon will be a success in this industry in any sense of the word.
David Greenwald and Zach Hart are already successes in this industry. Lord knows we’ve had our differences of opinions, and I think it has taken a few years, but I consider myself lucky to have their writing and opinions on my radar. Their willingness to come on our podcast and be the interesting, passionate, and brilliant thinkers they are is invaluable not just for the show, but for anyone that immerses themselves in their world. They consistently challenge my view on the most fundamental beliefs I have in music, and they both have good hearts underneath it all. Thanks guys.
Last, and by no means least, Will Ryan, whom I have worked with for years, at BPM, at Diffuser, and now here. I think the world of Will and that’s the best way I can sum it up. I can’t wait to see where our work together will go next year.
So, thanks for indulging me on introducing everyone to you. And thanks to all these contributors and the other great writers who are jerks and didn’t fill out a response, particularly Alex Young, Chris Bosman, Chris Coplan, Sam Lefebvre, Gary Suarez, Hilary Hughes, Max Bell, Luke Winkie, and anyone that I might have forgotten. We’ll hopefully have many of these folks returning in 2014 as well as some prime new contributors.
For now, enjoy the opinions of 25 writers on just about everything in music. It’s Philzz Jop.
–Philip Cosores
Christmas, 2013
Photography by Philip Cosores. Artwork by Steven Fiche.
What was the most important moment in music for 2013?
Rachel Bailey
Lou Reed, duh.
Philip Cosores
I think maybe the Yeezus projections, that first night of those was pretty nuts, or even the M B V album release. I think this year I’ll think of those moments that people weren’t experiencing together in a physical sense, but a community felt together in the figurative sense. We are still learning how to do this through technology, and it seems we are getting better at it. Lindsay Zoladz has been exploring this in her Pitchfork column and in her Arcade Fire review, and I can’t think of anything that speaks more to modern music listening that this phenomenon, and these instances of it.
Sasha Geffen
Probably Lou Reed’s death.
David Greenwald
Kanye West’s Zane Lowe interview. One hour of Yeezus speaking truth to power, even if power is busy making $5,000 leather pants.
Robert Ham
The death of Lou Reed. It opens up a gigantic hole in the musical universe that won’t be filled anytime soon.
Zach Hart (We Listen For You)
The uncovering and release of Molly Drake’s reel-to-reel parlor recordings. It revealed itself to be the most important window into understanding the music of Nick Drake, the greatest folk musician of all time.
Henry Hauser
R. Kelly + Phoenix mashup at Coachella.
Nathan Huffstutter
Reclaiming the term “emo” from all the assholes who’d been using it to ghettoize a diverse and talented range of bands.
Daniel Kohn
Daft Punk reinventing the album roll out. By building hype in the way did, they were seemingly impossible to ignore yet never made a public appearance to support the record. Pretty amazing.
Jeremy D. Larson
The Jay Z/Samsung rollout, buying a platinum album, and having a glib, fully transparent transaction between art and commerce.
K.C. Libman
HAIM’s breakout in everything. Whether it was the release of Days Are Gone, selling out a series of stops on their headlining tour, or the plethora of press they did, it was all done with relatable, straightforward grace by three wildly talented girls who could have easily been your neighborhood crushes. They’re guitar-driven pop music for everyone, without making pop a four-letter word for anyone. Danielle also plays guitar better than you.
Nathan Mattise
As music continues to become less important to mainstream culture (just look at its coverage compared to TV or film) and the artform itself is further niche-ified, true icons will be harder to come by. Lou Reed is a musician who everyone from Kanye West to Wes Anderson would nod towards as an influence. If the communal outpouring for his passing inspired even a handful of music fans to try the Velvet Underground for the first time, chances are it’ll stick with them more than any individual 2013 album.
Paula Mejia
When MBV released their follow-up to Loveless 20 years after the fact.
Matt Melis
Bowie, The Replacements, and Mark Mulcahy all returned in one way or another. Here’s to old friends.
Alyssa Pereira
Yeezus “leaking”—it reiterated where we are as music consumers and demonstrated what lengths labels will go to to shake things up and drive a conversation. Maybe it seemed more epic to me because I was stuck at the Philadelphia airport waiting for a connecting flight when I turned my phone on and it blew up with tweets and messages about the leak. In any case, Yeezus was an incredible album, and I think it was a moment that really solidified a change in the way music marketing will work going forward.
Michael Roffman
The death of Lou Reed.
Will Ryan
I’m not much of a news hound, so I can’t account for every event, but Lauren Mayberry’s piece for The Guardian in September after the release of her band’s debut LP tackling the (casual to very explicit) online misogyny she’s faced as a part of Chvrches was a highlight of 2013 for me. Sadly, the stuff contained in the letter wasn’t a surprise. But the piece resonated in its specificity and modernity and I think it sparked a discussion about sexism that needs to be more commonplace in all corners of the music world. Especially in regard to smaller bands who establish themselves in online spaces.
Hilary Saunders
Arcade Fire (who already has a well documented relationship with the country of Haiti) performing in the marginalized Miami neighborhood of Little Haiti was the most important moment for music…for me.
Laura Studarus
Am I allowed to say that there was no most important moment. Miley twerked, and we all had Britney/Madonna flashbacks. Yawn.
Justin Wesley
Lou Reed’s death.
Cameron Wolf
Despite being instantly labeled as the guy who can’t stop talking about Kanye West, Kanye’s performances on SNL were the first broadcasts of songs and an album that have set the tone for music this year. Every rap release this year has been compared to Yeezus, and Kanye has dominated headlines and conversations.
What was the best album of 2013?
Rachel Bailey
Hiatus Kaiyote’s Tawk Tomahawk. These white kids from Australia took hip hop, soul, jazz, IDM, opera and more and wove it into something new, while honoring the black traditions a lot of their influences generate from, and it’s wonderful.
Ryan Bort
Kanye West – Yeezus
Philip Cosores
Kanye West’s Yeezus. It challenged me more than any other, and still does, and allowed for as much engagement as the listener wanted to give.
Nick Freed
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Push the Sky Away. This album was understated perfection. The music and lyrics are dark but not overwhelmingly sad. It’s exactly the level of darkness someone like Nick Cave can make.
Sasha Geffen
I’m so torn between Yeezus and R Plus Seven and I think it’s because they’re addressing the same zeitgeist in vastly different ways. they’re both extremely anxious albums that don’t shy away from moments of euphony but R Plus Seven is abstract and elusive while Yeezus is direct and abrasive. so it’s a tie for me.
Robert Ham
The Haxan Cloak’s Excavation
Henry Hauser
The National – Trouble Will Find Me
Nathan Huffstutter
Phosphorescent, Muchacho
Daniel Kohn
Yeezus – Kanye West. Hate to say it, but the man deserves the respect.
Jeremy D. Larson
Kanye West – Yeezus
K.C. Libman
Justin Timberlake, The 20/20 Experience Vol. 1 was one of the most triumphant returns to pop music. The song shifts, the Timbaland production, the fact that “Mirrors” sounds like something N*Sync should have made the first time around, how ubiquitous “Suit & Tie” became — just a real gem and a hell of way to make a comeback.
Nathan Mattise
Acid Rap—Chance The Rapper
Matt Melis
MCII by Mikal Cronin. Nobody did what they set out to do any better than this guy. Perfection achieved. One of only a couple 5-star albums this year.
Alyssa Pereira
(Not in any particular order)
Disclosure – Settle
Deafheaven – Sunbather
Killer Mike & El-P – Run the Jewels
Kanye West – Yeezus
Michael Roffman
Kanye West – Yeezus
Will Ryan
The Knife’s Shaking The Habitual is probably the album I’d point to for the “objective” best of 2013, even though that’s not a thing. Adventurous, questioning, and explorative are the record’s default modes and the subjects are both musical and cultural, touching on gender, economics, and, by design, music, in a sweeping show-don’t-tell depiction of the album’s title. Its inversion of dance music tropes has a kind of disassociate feel — music that forces you to think about what it’s doing and saying while you can’t help but dance. It’s music for the head, the heart, and the body working in tandem. And I don’t think there was anything else in 2013 quite like it.
Laura Studarus
I’m going to go with HAIM’s Days Are Gone. I get the same emotional high from it as I did from rocking to Ace of Bass as a kid. (Not that the two sound alike.) May 2013 be the year that cynicism finally died.
Justin Wesley
Phosphorescent, Muchacho
Cameron Wolf
Yeezus – Yeezus. Kanye continues to make genre-shaping rap that also appeals to mainstream audiences.
What was your favorite album of 2013?
Rachel Bailey
Kurt Vile’s Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze. Easy listenin’.
Ryan Bort
King Khan & The Shrines – Idle No More
Philip Cosores
Tegan & Sara’s Heartthrob. I never really listened to much of them before this year and this opened them up for me. It’s light pop music, but it seems to come from a really genuine love of what they are doing, and smart as can be. Never get tired of the songs on it.
Nick Freed
The National – Trouble Will Find Me: I have no more superlatives left for this album. It hit me in all of the right musical erogenous zones.
Sasha Geffen
see above…I don’t believe in objective opinions so I can’t claim that an album is “better” than the ones I like most.
Robert Ham
The Haxan Cloak’s Excavation
Henry Hauser
Mikal Cronin – MCII
Nathan Huffstutter
If I made a personal distinction between best/favorite I wouldn’t be able to write honest criticism.
Daniel Kohn
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
Jeremy D. Larson
Dawn of Midi – Dysnomia
K.C. Libman
Toro y Moi, Anything In Return cemented Chaz Bundick as one of rap’s most influential producers in recent memory. It’s easy to see why guys like Tyler, The Creator are so enthralled with his sound. He transcended the chillwave label this year and put out of the most listenable records I own.
Nathan Mattise
No Regerts—Chastity Belt
Paula Mejia
Speedy Ortiz’s Major Arcana
Matt Melis
Dear Mark J. Mulcahy, I Love You by Mark Mulcahy. “The Rabbit” alone is worth the price of admission. He’s the best singer on the planet and not a bad songwriter either.
Alyssa Pereira
(Not in any particular order)
I really liked:
Chance the Rapper – Acid Rap
Cayucas – Bigfoot
FIDLAR – Fidlar
Kanye West – Yeezus
Runner-ups
Local Natives – Hummingbird
Drake – NWTS
Michael Roffman
Kurt Vile – Wakin on a Pretty Daze
Will Ryan
The Haxan Cloak’s Excavation was my album of the year. I naturally gravitate to dark ambient for its ambiguous and haunting atmospheres. And if the music creates a sense of place to get lost in like Excavation does then all the better. But The Haxan Cloak’s exploration of death and the afterlife has a physicality and an emotional arc that few albums in the ambient/minimal music realm manage to execute.
Hilary Saunders
Lucius: Wildewoman
Laura Studarus
Speaking of cynicism, I had mine eradicated by CHVRCHES’ debut, The Bones of What You Believe. Maybe I was jaded enough to believe that band that wrote a song as good as “The Mother We Share” couldn’t follow it up. Either way, I’m a believer.
Justin Wesley
The National - Trouble Will Find Me
Cameron Wolf
Yeezus – Yeezus
What album surprised you in 2013?
Rachel Bailey
Tawk Tomahawk
Ryan Bort
Portugal. The Man. Felt like they’d kind of flattened out in recent years but Evil Friends was incredible. Thank you, Danger Mouse.
Philip Cosores
Los Campesinos! made the best album of their career and I didn’t see that coming. It’s called No Blues.
Nick Freed
The Uncluded – Hokey Fright. The combination of Kimya Dawson and Aesop Rock didn’t seem like a good fit on paper, but this album was a solid combination of fun, playful lyricism/music and honest adult reflection.
Sasha Geffen
lots! maybe Sky Ferreira’s. she really made strides from her first EPs/singles. that record is so solid
David Greenwald
Fear of Men’s Early Fragments. It’s a pre-album singles collection/appetizer that hangs together better than any debut set I heard this year.
Robert Ham
The Flaming Lips – The Terror
As much as I loved Embryonic, I was sure that they were going to turn around and do more of those arms akimbo, singalong numbers custom made for their live performances. Little did I know they’d unleash a dark slab of motorik creepiness.
Zach Hart (We Listen For You)
Zomes – Time Was – Had been a casual listener for years but their live show and new album stunned me. Grows with every listen and definitely one of the biggest sleepers of 2013.
Henry Hauser
Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City
Nathan Huffstutter
Rhye, Woman
Daniel Kohn
Arcade Fire – Reflektor
Jeremy D. Larson
Mutual Benefit – Love’s Crushing Diamond
K.C. Libman
Katy Perry’s Prism actually came through. It wasn’t just all varnished, radio-ready pop confections like her last album — it was nice to hear her taking some risks.
Nathan Mattise
M B V —My Bloody Valentine
It’s incredible to think that the most highly anticipated follow-up album in 20+ years was released without any notice or pre-marketing. Kevin Shields uploaded tracks to a website and the Internet did the rest. As a Deerhunter diehard, it was a pleasure to see that the band who fathered whatever shoegaze has become still has it.
Paula Mejia
Vampire Weekend’s Modern Vampires of the City
Matt Melis
Muchacho by Phosphorescent. How did I just stumble upon Matthew Houck in 2013? Beautiful and, for me anyway, out of nowhere.
Alyssa Pereira
I was really struck by the critical success of Run the Jewels and Acid Rap as MCHG floundered. So much about the industry today is about how much money goes behind projects to ensure success through marketing and whatever else—and yeah, looking at the numbers, MCHG was commercially successful I guess, but it was not a remarkable album by any stretch of artistic standards. We won’t be talking about this one as an artistic movement. On the other hand, Chance the Rapper and Killer Mike & El-P released a couple of the best rap albums of the year, free to everyone. There’s hope for the industry yet.
Michael Roffman
Disclosure – Settle
Will Ryan
Autre Ne Veut’s Anxiety was a big surprise for me. Mostly because before 2013 I forgot the artist’s first album existed all. But despite still lacking classic R&B chops, singer Arthur Ashin makes up for it by giving some of the most emotionally exhausting (in a good way) performances on record this year.
Hilary Saunders
Autre Ne Veut: Anxiety
Laura Studarus
Pure Bathing Culture’s Moon Tides. It’s a super simple, Cocteau Twins-leaning album with voice, synth, and woozy guitar lines. Admittedly, much of my love for this album probably steams from it having soundtracked a month and a half in Europe this summer. But I’m decidedly a new convert to the less is more school of thought.
Justin Wesley
Elvis Costello & The Roots – Wise Up Ghost
Cameron Wolf
Settle – Disclosure. Their output has always been solid, but this album far exceeded anything I could have hoped for.
What album disappointed you?
Rachel Bailey
The Arcade Fire bullshit. Chris Richards captured it so well in his Washington Post review. “It’s fraud.”
Ryan Bort
Arcade Fire – Reflektorzzzzzz
Philip Cosores
The National’s Trouble Will Find Me. I think it is okay, but not nearly as good as their previous few albums, or as good as people are making it out to be. Take the five best songs on any of their last three albums and it would be the best on TWFM.
Nick Freed
Arcade Fire – Reflektor: I wanted to love this album more, but something about it felt as if they were trying too hard. Also, for some reason, the whole “no we’re The Reflektors…but also Arcade Fire” thing left a bad taste in my mouth.
Sasha Geffen
I found Wondrous Bughouse really disappointing after totally losing myself in Year of Hibernation two years ago. It felt like Trevor got overwhelmed by all of the production options that suddenly opened up for him. I loved the weird palette he scraped out on the first record…sometimes limitations are great. Now Youth Lagoon sounds way too scattered for me.
David Greenwald
The National’s Trouble Will Find Me. The imaginative, engaging rock band that made “Alligator” and “Boxer” continues to sink into the lukewarm bathwater of their last two albums and no one is unhappier about it than me.
Robert Ham
The Dismemberment Plan’s Uncanny Valley. A great band kneecapped themselves with a half-hearted reunion album.
Zach Hart (We Listen For You)
Arcade Fire – Reflektor
Henry Hauser
Devendra Banhart – Mala
Nathan Huffstutter
Christopher Owens, Lysandre
Daniel Kohn
Sound City Soundtrack. Had the potential to be great, but instead was sloppy and haphazardly done.
Jeremy D. Larson
Pusha T – My Name Is My Name
K.C. Libman
Too easy of a target, but Jay Z, Magna Carta Holy Grail broke my heart. Where’s the Hova that spits fire, that doesn’t rest on his laurels, that came from slinging rocks? The album was overstuffed and the only moment that sounds like the Jay Z that I love was “Somewhereinamerica” and it was only two and a half minutes. Why, Jay, why?
Nathan Mattise
Bankrupt!—Phoenix
Beta Love by Ra Ra Riot should be mentioned, but it didn’t carry the same expectations as Bankrupt. Fresh off the heels of arguably the biggest indie rock album of the last five years, Bankrupt saw Phoenix error on the side of over production and pop sensibilities. It lacked the quirkiness and urgency of both Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix and It’s Never Been Like That, but perhaps this band just works better off the radar.
Matt Melis
A lot of the biggies, actually. Albums by Arcade Fire, The National, Kurt Vile, Bowie, and Pearl Jam all fell short of my expectations. That being said, sometimes you can be disappointed and still love a lot of things about an album.
Vampire Weekend, on the other hand, absolutely nailed it. So, you can live up to the hype. It can be done.
Michael Roffman
Pearl Jam’s Lightning Bolt. Woof.
Will Ryan
The Weeknd’s newest full-length, Kiss Land, was kind of a mess in this writer’s opinion. Abel Tesfaye’s abilities as a singer and vocal hook writer are still there, but without the stirring and explorative left-field production found on his impeccable trilogy of 2011 mixtapes, the whole tortured hedonist thing (something I had mixed feelings about to begin with) sort of falls flat, with a few notable exceptions (“Wanderlust,” “Tears In The Rain”).
Hilary Saunders
The Head and the Heart: Let’s Be Still
Laura Studarus
Moby’s Innocents. Every time I hear a track from the album on the radio I get super excited. But as a whole the album simply doesn’t hang together. Despite not really having loved a Moby album since Hotel (what can I say, I love bombast), he remains on of those people I still like on principle, and would probably drop everything to have a cup of tea with him on a moment’s notice.
Justin Wesley
Phoenix – Bankrupt!
Cameron Wolf
Bankrupt - Phoenix
What album did you love in 2013 that was new to you, but came out earlier?
Rachel Bailey
Inner Revolution by Adrian Belew. 2013 — year of dad rock.
Philip Cosores
Waxahatchee’s American Weekend. Which, I got into for obvious reasons.
Sasha Geffen
this was the year I found Grouper so Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill and Alien Observer got a lot of play.
David Greenwald
I spent a few weeks diving into the Glen Campbell catalog and came out with a cowboy hat and a new appreciation for By the Time I Get to Phoenix.
Robert Ham
The reissue of the Neo Boys’ EP Crumbling Myths [as part of the K Records collection Sooner or Later].
Zach Hart (We Listen For You)
Mac DeMarco – 2
Liked it when it came out…but fell in love with it this year.
Henry Hauser
Sixth Rodriguez – Cold Fact
Nathan Huffstutter
Linda Perhacs, Parallelograms (1970)
Daniel Kohn
Jake Bugg – Lightning Bolt
Jeremy D. Larson
Parquet Courts – Light Up Gold
K.C. Libman
Manchester Orchestra’s Simple Math. I know, I know, I’m two years behind the times, but it’s rare that I find myself missing some of the bigger moments in indie rock, I promise! The title track and its accompanying video quickly became one of my favorite songs of the past few years, don’t know how I overlooked this.
Nathan Mattise
For The Whole World to See—Death
For those (like me) who weren’t fortunate enough to learn of this band’s reemergence in 2009, the A Band Called Death documentary was a godsend. This is blistering proto-punk with exceptional riffs and rhythms. If this LP was eligible for Best Of 2013 honors under some soundtrack provision (we can call it the Drive rule?), it’d be my top pick by a mile.
Paula Mejia
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers’ Live Messengers
Matt Melis
Surfer Rosa by the Pixies. It only took me 25 years to get around to it, but I did. Also, it syncs up in meaningful ways with the original Muppet Movie. Try it.
Alyssa Pereira
This year I listened a lot to Lord Huron’s Mighty EP, which came out in 2010. I’m not really sure why, but it just grabs me as a listener. Every song on that album is so evocative, especially “The Stranger”. I could listen to that song over and over again.
Michael Roffman
SONGS: OHIA – THE MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO.
Will Ryan
After spending a great deal of time with Chelsea Wolfe’s excellent 2013 record, Pain Is Beauty, I returned to her also great 2011 album, Apokalypsis. That then lead me to Wolfe’s other two album’s, her static covered debut, The Grime and The Glow, and her beautiful acoustic collection, Unknown Rooms, both of which I’d never heard before this year. The whole discography kept me busy in the back half of 2013. Wolfe’s music is beautiful and haunting and hugely yet understatedly emotional. She has such a specific voice that I can understand why she seems to exist all on her own, away from indie music’s more trendy and hyperactive circles. Maybe it’s me projecting a little bit, but her fan base feels a little cultish. The people who like her music don’t do it casually and I count myself among them.
Hilary Saunders
Jens Lekman: I Know What Love Isn’t
Laura Studarus
I am having a serious Patrick Wolf infatuation which has manifested itself in driving around late at night listening to Lycanthropy. Save me from myself–send absinthe and tissues.
Justin Wesley
Dan Mangan - Oh Fortune
Cameron Wolf
Drukqs – Aphex Twin
What album is overrated from 2013?
Rachel Bailey
Probably pretty much all of them. Also, that new one from of Montreal. It’s catchy, but it’s not exactly bringing anything new to the table, musically, and all Kevin Barnes’s toxic shit-talking in his lyrics is really starting to get old.
Philip Cosores
That David Bowie album. Really forgettable stuff.
Nick Freed
Kayne West – Yeezus: Hands down.
Sasha Geffen
Reflektor and Random Access Memories. sorry
Robert Ham
HAIM’s Days Are Gone. A few good songs surrounded by a whole mess of boring ’80s style fluff.
Zach Hart (We Listen For You)
Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires Of The City
I’m exhausted trying to explain why I don’t like this band…I’ve moved on…don’t get why people like them.
Henry Hauser
Drake – Nothing Was The Same
Nathan Huffstutter
Deafheaven, Sunbather
Daniel Kohn
Justin Timberlake — The 20/20 Experience
Jeremy D. Larson
Paramore – Paramore
Nathan Mattise
Random Access Memories—Daft Punk
Pharrell had a moment in 2013 and the highs are truly, truly high—we’ll be hearing “Get Lucky” at stadiums, bars, and house parties for years to come—but it’s tough to think Daft Punk’s disco period will have legs for the foreseeable future. Friends were reaching for copies of Discovery after a month.
Paula Mejia
Kanye West’s Yeezus
Matt Melis
Trouble Will Find Me by The National. Between you and me, I fell asleep a couple times.
Michael Roffman
Autre Ne Veut – Anxiety
Laura Studarus
Are we even done rating Bangerz?
Justin Wesley
Kanye West – Yeezus
Cameron Wolf
Anxiety – Autre Ne Veut
What album do you not understand?
Rachel Bailey
Swans. Every year. Always Swans.
Ryan Bort
*sigh*…Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
Philip Cosores
I don’t dislike Drake, and I even understand the appeal, but I don’t understand the enthusiasm. It seems a bit much for music that isn’t really that interesting to me.
Sasha Geffen
Deafheaven’s Sunbather I guess. don’t get the hype. there’s so little textural variation; it’s all dips and crescendos and the vocals just sound like static. the guitar work is so 2003 explosions in the sky…idk I found it boring
Robert Ham
David Bowie’s The Next Day. Still trying to wrap my head around it months later.
Zach Hart (We Listen For You)
Anything Death Grips. Appreciate it…but don’t get it.
Henry Hauser
The Knife – Shaking the Habitual
Nathan Huffstutter
Justin Timberlake, The 20/20 Experience
Daniel Kohn
Magna Carta Holy Grail - Jay Z. Was this really necessary?
Jeremy D. Larson
Jimmy Buffet – Songs from St. Somewhere
K.C. Libman
Falling in Reverse, Fashionably Late. There’s a Zumiez in Ohio that’s missing its employees. Stop labeling these guys as post-hardcore, too. No one else who subscribes to that title is rapping about “shitting on rappers.”
Nathan Mattise
Sunbather—Deafheaven
Indecipherable lyrics don’t necessarily bother me (see M B V), neither does metal. However, something about the inscrutable screams of Deafheaven lose me before I even have a chance to determine if the sonic landscape is a place I want to hang. It’ll be a Top 10 album for many outlets, but I can’t get through it on an uninterrupted listen.
Paula Mejia
Miley Cyrus’s Bangerz
Matt Melis
Overgrown by James Blake. I don’t understand that album at all, but that album understands me. Does that make any sense?
Michael Roffman
Death Grips – Government Plates
Will Ryan
Yeezus. Less that I don’t understand it and more that I don’t understand its appeal. But let’s not dwell.
Hilary Saunders
Kanye West - Yeezus
Laura Studarus
Sky Ferreira’s Night Time, My Time. Ferreira is someone I’m really desperate to like. Her 2012 EP was a master class in all things dark, hazy, and afterhours, ran through a pop filter. (And like so many other women I identify with “Everything is Embarrassing” to an extent I’m almost ashamed to admit.) But Night Time, My Time, feels so all over the board that it’s difficult to see the artist behind the art. I’m not opposed to singers working with songwriters/producers (Charli XCX is brilliant at it) but there needs to be a sense of cohesion.
Justin Wesley
Deafheaven – Sunbather
Cameron Wolf
Jai Paul’s weird leaked album. I still don’t understand what happened, but the songs–despite them being alleged illegal, rough cuts–still make up one of the more interesting records of 2013.
What album does no one else understand?
Rachel Bailey
I don’t know. Probably Mozart.
Ryan Bort
Dirty Beaches – Drifters / Love Is The Devil
Philip Cosores
Not no one else, but I think that Majical Cloudz is one of the more misunderstood artists and that people judge Impersonator to much on the spelling of the project’s name, and the directness of the lyrics, that they fail to see a lot of beautiful, brave art that is presented there.
Sasha Geffen
haha, I don’t know…I can’t claim that there’s any one album that I alone have the key to. I do think that some critics didn’t spend enough time with Mister Lies’ Mowgli though
David Greenwald
Jessy Lanza’s Pull My Hair Back was produced by half of Junior Boys and does everything everyone liked this year — female-fronted, electronic, minimal — and couldn’t get enough attention to hail a cab. It’s great!
Zach Hart (We Listen For You)
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – II
Henry Hauser
Dawes – Stories Don’t End
Nathan Huffstutter
Parenthetical Girls, Privilege
Daniel Kohn
Kings of Leon – Mechanical Bull
Jeremy D. Larson
Foxygen – We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic
Nathan Mattise
This answer was initially Destroyer’s Five Spanish Songs EP, as Dan Bejar continues to be devises among music fans (you’re either an absolutely devotee or believe he’s crummy elevator music). However, Ben Ratliff at the New York Times recently nailed this essence when briefly reviewing Five Spanish Songs.
Matt Melis
The entire Backstreet Boys catalog is criminally underestimated and misunderstood.
Michael Roffman
Oneohtrix Point Never – R Plus Seven
Hilary Saunders
La Vida Bohéme: Será
Laura Studarus
Trentemøller’s Lost. So many amazing collaborations .(The Drums! Low! Lower Dens! Blonde Redhead!) Why haven’t we all lost our minds over this?
Justin Wesley
The Burning Hell – People
What song from 2013 should more people know?
Rachel Bailey
“Platoon” by Jungle. It’s so catchy, it makes me want to fall to the floor and convulse.
Ryan Bort
Jonathan Wilson – “Dear Friend”
Philip Cosores
Ellery James Roberts – “Kerou’s Lament”. It is the dude from WU LYF and it sounds like a great WU LYF song and feel like it got ignored by many.
Nick Freed
“Delicate Cycle” – The Uncluded
Sasha Geffen
the first song on Money’s debut album The Shadow of Heaven technically was out in the world a while ago but I still think it’s a beautiful track that never got a ton of circulation. it’s called “So Long (God Is Dead)” and it’s sort of like if the Antlers wrote about theology.
David Greenwald
Fifth Harmony’s “Miss Moving On”. Athletic, unapologetic pop.
Robert Ham
“Summer 720″ by Bored Spies
Zach Hart (We Listen For You)
Young Hunting – “Baby’s First Steps”
Just listen:
http://soundcloud.com/goldrobotrecords/08-babys-first-steps-mp3″
Henry Hauser
Okkervil River – “Pink Slips”
Nathan Huffstutter
“Why” by MAS YSA
Daniel Kohn
Anything from the Queens of the Stone Age album
Jeremy D. Larson
Protomartyr – “Jumbo’s”
Nathan Mattise
“Dropla”—Youth Lagoon
Reflective songs about mortality will always have an audience, but few prove to be as beautiful as “Dropla”. From the ambient four-note refrain to his repetitive chorus of “you’ll never die,” a dark song has never been so damn charming.
Paula Mejia
Laura Marling’s “Master Hunter”
Matt Melis
“Song for Zula” by Phosphorescent. The quiet intensity is absolutely pulverizing. It’s in my DNA now, like The Graduate or “The Dead” by James Joyce or a handful of Dylan Thomas or Wilfred Owen poems. I couldn’t be without this song now that I’ve heard it.
Alyssa Pereira
This song came out before 2013, but Mom + Pop re-released it once this band signed with them earlier this year so I’m including it here. Wild Cub’s “Thunder Clatter” is incredible. I fell in love with this song. It so sweetly describes falling in love and all the spinning, earth-shattering confusion that comes with it.
Michael Roffman
Ducktails – “Under Cover”
Will Ryan
Moderat’s “Let In The Light”
Hilary Saunders
Big Harp: “Waiting For Some Drunk”
Laura Studarus
Connan Mockasin’s “I’m The Man, That Will Find You”. Between him and Blood Orange, this is the year Indie rediscovered sex appeal. (Who do I need to talk to about getting the two of them to tour together?)
Justin Wesley