To start off, I'd like to list, in no particular order, a few albums that I enjoyed this year, but didn't make the top ten. Some of them caught my attention but never became anything more than a passing fancy. I stumbled upon other albums too late in the year, and didn't have enough time to fully delve into them.
Honorable Mention:
RJD2 - More Is Than Isn’t
Turntable-styled hip-hop instrumentals from the year 2269.
Kurt Vile - Wakin On A Pretty Daze
Dreamy instrumentals with Kurt's typically hazy vocals. I could have used more time with this one.
Jonathan Wilson - Fanfare
A man with impeccable influences makes a great album. Sounds like Pink Floyd on some songs, The Beatles or Neil Young on others.
Cut Copy - Free Your Mind
Psychedelic disco grooves from down under.
Cults - Static
A decent follow-up to their self-titled debut. Indie female vocals driven by heavy distorted bass.
Bombino - Nomad
Jimi Hendrix was reincarnated in the Sahara desert. Non-english vocals help you appreciate the unique guitar work. Produced by Dan Auerbach.
Starfucker - Miracle Mile
I didn't know this album was released until last week. Given how much I enjoyed their previous brand of indie-psychedelic-electronica, this album could have made a run at my top ten.
MGMT - s/t
Like Miracle Mile, I didn't hear about this album until recently. I tend to need more time to appreciate MGMT's brand of aural weirdness. Apparently, this album comes with accompanying visual elements.
Minus the Bear - Acoustics II
Menos el Oso once again proves that when you strip away the effects loops and samples, they are still one of the tightest bands around today.
I wouldn't be shocked if in a year's time, I enjoy one of the albums from the above list more than the albums that are listed below (or an unlisted album for that matter). Regardless, these are my top ten albums from 2013, as I feel about them in 2013.
My Top 10:
10. Jason Isbell - Southeastern
I didn't find out about this album until a few weeks ago (from someone else's top 10 list). I was immediately drawn in by the former Drive By Trucker's mature brand of alternative country. If you're like me, and the nauseatingly corny brand of country that gets played on the radio makes you lose faith in the genre, do yourself a favor and check out Southeastern. Suggested tracks: "Traveling Alone" and "Elephant"
9. Foxygen - We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
IronFishLantern and Hobo Keith both suggested this album to me on separate occasions, and with good reason. Foxygen's blend of superb classic rock influences in a modern wrapper is right up my sweet, sweet alley. Suggested tracks: "On Blue Mountain" and "San Francisco"
8. Boards of Canada - Tomorrow’s Harvest
You have to be in the right mood for this one. It's dark, foreboding, and menacing at times. The Scottish duo are at their best here, evoking strangely creepy nostalgic sounds out of vintage electronic instruments. Suggested tracks: "Reach for the Dead", "Jacquard Causeway", and "Split Your Infinities"
7. John Frusciante - Outsides
Full disclosure: John could release an LP of himself farting through a wah-wah pedal and it would likely make my top ten list. No matter what type of music he's making, his music always has an ethereal, soulful quality. Continuing down his psychedelic/rock/trip-hop path, John makes my dreams come true on the opening track "Same", a ten minute guitar solo set to an ever-modulating rhythm track of his own creation. The rest of the album ends up being something an afterthought. Suggested tracks: "Same" and (to a lesser extent) "Shelf"
6. The Strokes - Comedown Machine
I almost forgot this album came out this year, which is odd because I was pleasantly surprised by it when it came out. Though not exactly a return to form, Comedown Machine is a much straighter album than Angles (ba-dum-bum). I was one of the weirdos that really liked Angles and Comedown Machine is almost as good, if a tad forgettable. Suggested tracks: "Welcome to Japan" and "Tap Out"
5. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Almost a guilty pleasure for me. This album made it so high on my list due to the duo's use of real life 70s session musicians to create one of the funkiest albums to come out in years. It has some skip-able songs, but I listened to this album straight through for a month after it came out. Submit yourself to the groove and shake dat cracker ass. Suggested tracks: "Instant Crush", "Giorgio by Moroder", and "Give Life Back to Music"
4. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
Their previous album The Suburbs was my top album of 2010. I had a particularly revelatory experience listening to it repeatedly while on mushrooms (portobellos, officer). As a double album, Reflektor is much more expansive and not as tight, but still has a few instant classics. Mostly recorded in Jamaica, the album pairs Caribbean musical elements with the bands usual brand of ensemble, anthemic, nostalgia pop. Suggested tracks: "Joan of Arc", "Reflektor", and "We Exist"
3. Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork
If you told me in December 2012 that one of my top 3 albums of the following year would be by Queens of the Stone Age, I would have opened your mouth, stepped into your throat one foot at a time, and proceeded to squirt diarrhea on your tonsils. In other words, I would have found it highly unlikely. Well, ...Like Clockwork proved that even the staunchest musical prejudices can be challenged. The album combines modern cock-rock with sludgy, Zeppelin-esque funk. An A-list cast of contributors makes many songs instant classics. Suggested tracks: "If I Had a Tail", "Fairweather Friends", and "Smooth Sailing"
2. Superchunk - I Hate Music
A pitch-perfect follow-up to 2010's Majesty Shredding, Superchunk's I Hate Music was basically the soundtrack of my summer. The perpetually teenage vocals from Mac McCaughan pair perfectly with upbeat pop punk instrumentals and nostalgic lyrical content. My love of this album is well-documented and it reached its zenith when I saw them perform many of the tracks live with IronFishLantern. I Hate Music rarely left my car stereo or earbuds. It is a perfect ode to a lifelong love affair with music and the people you enjoy it with. Suggested tracks: "Overflows", "Low F", "Trees of Barcelona", and "What Can We Do"
1. Portugal. The Man - Evil Friends
I was a fan of this band's previous albums. Their unique brand of psychedelic soul and indie rock captured my attention with songs like "So American". But even I didn't see this coming. Paired with the sublime production talents of Danger Mouse, PTM unleashed their masterpiece Evil Friends upon my unsuspecting ear drums. Endlessly catchy, lyrically deep, all over a rhythmic backdrop that only Danger Mouse could summon. Evil Friends combines indie pop, soul, and psychedelic rock in the most ridiculously listenable way possible. Suggested tracks: "Modern Jesus", "Purple Yellow Red and Blue", "Plastic Soldiers", and "Atomic Man"
If you're interested, here's the full list of albums that I considered for this list. I'm sure I still omitted some good ones.
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