10. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
Death, taxes, and The National putting out fantastic albums. They'll probably never top the one-two punch of Alligator and Boxer, but I'll continue to buy their albums and listen to them try.
9. Postiljonen - Skyer
Why this album has gone mostly under the radar while everyone gushes about CHVRCHES, I'll never understand. I love both bands, but Skyer is clearly the superior album.
8. Moonface - Julia With Blue Jeans On
Maybe my judgement is clouded by my fandom for all things Spencer Krug, but this is another record that is severely underrated in the landscape of 2013 albums of the year. It's just Spencer at a piano, but the songs are utterly sublime.
7. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
Many bands kiss of death is when they decide to switch up styles and try something different. That might be a problem for lesser bands, but Arcade Fire didn't have that problem. The Talking Heads influenced 4th album gets better with each listen.
6. Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience 1 of 2
I feel the need to clarify that my number 6 album of 2013 is only the first volume of Justin Timberlake's 20/20 Experience. Like many others volume 2 feel flat with me, but this one has so much pop goodness it's hard to understand how the second volume could sound so much worse.
5. My Bloody Valentine - m b v
Of all the comeback albums of the year, none had more potential for disaster than the followup from My Bloody Valentine to the brilliant Loveless album. This album has been 20+ years in the making and defies expectations by being really, really great.
4. Ha Ha Tonka - Lessons
How bands like The Lumineers and The Head & The Heart are popular while Ha Ha Tonka still is relatively obscure baffles me. I wouldn't compare them very closely with the aforementioned bands, but they have a similar vibe to them. Ha Ha Tonka's newest album, Lessons, absolutely blows anything those bands have done away by a long shot.
3. Iceage - You're Nothing
I don't dig too deep into obscure punk rock & hardcore enough, but there seems to be a serious lack of anything sounding as remotely dangerous as Iceage does on their second LP You're Nothing. I got to see them in KC this year for Middle Of The Map and it was an absolute shit-show in the best way possible.
2. Jason Isbell - Southeastern
I said to someone recently on twitter that I didn't think there was a better songwriter around right now than Jason Isbell and I believe it. Cleaned up and going full force on Southeastern, it's by far his most cohesive album with some of the best songs he's ever written.
1. Deafheaven - Sunbather
Never in a million years would I have expected my favorite album of the year to come from the black metal genre. Some metal nerds will argue this isn't black metal, but they're wrong. If you get past the high pitched, unintelligible black metal-esque vocals and view his voice as another instrument it's such a beautiful album. The music sounds like a post-rock heaven somewhere in between Explosions in the Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor which is what drew me in initially. I should also mention the lyrics are really amazing but most likely you'll have to look them up online to understand what they are.
12.13.2013
12.12.2013
Favorite Albums of 2013 (50-11)
50. Midlake - Antiphon
49. The ACBs - Little Leaves
48. Low - The Invisible Way
47. Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe
46. Savages - Silence Yourself
45. Twin Peaks - Sunken
44. Disclosure - Settle
43. Crocodiles - Crimes of Passion
42. Cut Copy - Free Your Mind
41. Iron and Wine - Ghost On Ghost
40. Mutual Benefit - Love's Crushing Diamond
39. Cowboy Indian Bear - Live Old, Die Young
38. Dawes - Stories Don't End
37. Hospital Ships - Destruction In Yr Soul
36. Sigur Ros - Kveikur
35. Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels
34. TV Ghost - Disconnect
33. Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady
32. The So So Glos - Blowout
31. Phoenix - Bankrupt!
30. High Highs - Open Season
29. CHVRCHES - The Bones Of What You Believe
28. The Appleseed Cast - Illumination Ritual
27. Local Natives - Hummingbird
26. Okkervil River - The Silver Gymnasium
25. King Khan & The Shrines - Idle No More
The garage rock phenom's best album in my opinion, Idle No More, expands the usual King Khan sound with flourishes of R&B and especially classic rock like The Stones.
24. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away
Although I'm not sure this album would crack my top 10 favorite Nick Cave albums of all time, it's still one of the better albums of 2013. A bit mellow for Cave, but the songs are so good that you hardly even notice.
23. Jim James - Regions of Light and Sound Of God
There are always a few albums that don't stick with me immediately, but will after I see them played live and Jim James first solo album falls under that category. Jim James always seemed to be the soulful influence in his mostly rock focused band My Morning Jacket, and here he got to fully express that.
22. David Bowie - The Next Day
It had been over a decade since David Bowie had released a solo album and arguably even longer since he'd released a good solo album, so it was a nice surprise when The Next Day came out earlier this year.
21. Mikal Cronin - MCII
Few genres sound as good to me as a really good guitar pop/rock album and the Mikal Cronin album MCII delivers in full.
20. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires In The City
I've gone back and forth previously with my feelings on Vampire Weekend. My wife can attest that at one time I thought they were the most overrated band around, but I've come around with their third LP. I can't deny how great this album is.
19. Kurt Vile - Walkin On A Pretty Daze
Kurt Vile continues to put out great album after great album. His last album was my favorite album of 2011, so any follow up was likely to be a bit of a drop off, but Walkin On A Pretty Daze is still a really solid album.
18. Palma Violets - 180
I first heard about Palma Violets when someone described them as a British version of The Replacements. Since The Mats are one of my all time favorite bands, that's a tough comparison to stomach, but I was pleasantly surprised when I checked out their debut album 180.
17. Deerhunter - Monomania
I don't think I need to write anymore about how brilliant I think Bradford Cox is and how almost everything he puts out by Deerhunter or Atlas Sound is worth your attention. But I guess I just did....
16. Volcano Choir - Repave
It's interesting to think Justin Vernon only contributed vocals to this album because in reality it sounds like a third Bon Iver LP.
15. Neko Case - The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
I wasn't in love with the last Neko Case album. Don't get me wrong, any Neko Case album is going to be good because it's got her singing on it, but the songs seemed weaker to me. She comes back this year with one of her strongest albums ever.
14. The Men - New Moon
I'm sure there are a ton of fans of The Men that despise this album. From a band that's previous work was loud, abrasive and messy it might be tough to stomach them settling down on their new album. For me, however, the flashes of classic rock and Crazy Horse are enough to almost push this into my top 10.
13. Diarrhea Planet - I'm Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams
The best description I've read of any band this year belongs to Diarrhea Planet. Their bio describes them as "The Ramones holding Van Halen hostage with an arsenal of fireworks and explosives", which is something I needed to listen to immediately. I really really hate their band name, but dammit I love this album.
12. Phosphorescent - Muchacho
I've been following Matthew Houck's band Phosphorescent for a while now and have liked a lot of stuff he's done. However, I've been waiting for him to put out a great album and he's done so with Muchacho. Now if he would just come through KC to play a show sometime.
11. The Grisly Hand - Country Singles
What is my 11th favorite album of 2013 would also be classified as my favorite local album of 2013. Kansas City based The Grisly Hand put out an absolutely delightful country album that in a just world, would catapult them to stardom. It will be a goddamn shame if it doesn't.
Stay tuned for my top 10 favorite albums of 2013.
49. The ACBs - Little Leaves
48. Low - The Invisible Way
47. Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe
46. Savages - Silence Yourself
45. Twin Peaks - Sunken
44. Disclosure - Settle
43. Crocodiles - Crimes of Passion
42. Cut Copy - Free Your Mind
41. Iron and Wine - Ghost On Ghost
40. Mutual Benefit - Love's Crushing Diamond
39. Cowboy Indian Bear - Live Old, Die Young
38. Dawes - Stories Don't End
37. Hospital Ships - Destruction In Yr Soul
36. Sigur Ros - Kveikur
35. Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels
34. TV Ghost - Disconnect
33. Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady
32. The So So Glos - Blowout
31. Phoenix - Bankrupt!
30. High Highs - Open Season
29. CHVRCHES - The Bones Of What You Believe
28. The Appleseed Cast - Illumination Ritual
27. Local Natives - Hummingbird
26. Okkervil River - The Silver Gymnasium
The garage rock phenom's best album in my opinion, Idle No More, expands the usual King Khan sound with flourishes of R&B and especially classic rock like The Stones.
24. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away
Although I'm not sure this album would crack my top 10 favorite Nick Cave albums of all time, it's still one of the better albums of 2013. A bit mellow for Cave, but the songs are so good that you hardly even notice.
23. Jim James - Regions of Light and Sound Of God
There are always a few albums that don't stick with me immediately, but will after I see them played live and Jim James first solo album falls under that category. Jim James always seemed to be the soulful influence in his mostly rock focused band My Morning Jacket, and here he got to fully express that.
22. David Bowie - The Next Day
It had been over a decade since David Bowie had released a solo album and arguably even longer since he'd released a good solo album, so it was a nice surprise when The Next Day came out earlier this year.
21. Mikal Cronin - MCII
Few genres sound as good to me as a really good guitar pop/rock album and the Mikal Cronin album MCII delivers in full.
20. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires In The City
I've gone back and forth previously with my feelings on Vampire Weekend. My wife can attest that at one time I thought they were the most overrated band around, but I've come around with their third LP. I can't deny how great this album is.
19. Kurt Vile - Walkin On A Pretty Daze
Kurt Vile continues to put out great album after great album. His last album was my favorite album of 2011, so any follow up was likely to be a bit of a drop off, but Walkin On A Pretty Daze is still a really solid album.
18. Palma Violets - 180
I first heard about Palma Violets when someone described them as a British version of The Replacements. Since The Mats are one of my all time favorite bands, that's a tough comparison to stomach, but I was pleasantly surprised when I checked out their debut album 180.
17. Deerhunter - Monomania
I don't think I need to write anymore about how brilliant I think Bradford Cox is and how almost everything he puts out by Deerhunter or Atlas Sound is worth your attention. But I guess I just did....
16. Volcano Choir - Repave
It's interesting to think Justin Vernon only contributed vocals to this album because in reality it sounds like a third Bon Iver LP.
15. Neko Case - The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
I wasn't in love with the last Neko Case album. Don't get me wrong, any Neko Case album is going to be good because it's got her singing on it, but the songs seemed weaker to me. She comes back this year with one of her strongest albums ever.
14. The Men - New Moon
I'm sure there are a ton of fans of The Men that despise this album. From a band that's previous work was loud, abrasive and messy it might be tough to stomach them settling down on their new album. For me, however, the flashes of classic rock and Crazy Horse are enough to almost push this into my top 10.
13. Diarrhea Planet - I'm Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams
The best description I've read of any band this year belongs to Diarrhea Planet. Their bio describes them as "The Ramones holding Van Halen hostage with an arsenal of fireworks and explosives", which is something I needed to listen to immediately. I really really hate their band name, but dammit I love this album.
12. Phosphorescent - Muchacho
I've been following Matthew Houck's band Phosphorescent for a while now and have liked a lot of stuff he's done. However, I've been waiting for him to put out a great album and he's done so with Muchacho. Now if he would just come through KC to play a show sometime.
11. The Grisly Hand - Country Singles
What is my 11th favorite album of 2013 would also be classified as my favorite local album of 2013. Kansas City based The Grisly Hand put out an absolutely delightful country album that in a just world, would catapult them to stardom. It will be a goddamn shame if it doesn't.
Stay tuned for my top 10 favorite albums of 2013.
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