What a year, what a year. The world kept acting like Jay-Z and Beyonce's fecal matter doesn't stink, drugs taught us to love again, and blogs kept printing unsubstantiated Yeezus rumors. In the midst of these occurrences, there were a number of excellent EPs, albums, and singles that dropped suddenly, had lengthy rollouts, or were mentioned in ignored press releases. There's not much of a unifying thread that binds the best of 2013 together, except perhaps for a refusal to stick to a single type of music. I'll refrain from making a general statement about cultural convergence and the music world being flat, but - with the exception of Pusha T - these artists transcended genre labels. While Acid Rap might be categorized as a hip-hop album, there's more to it than just rap. Dream River is a great blend of country, folk, and Bill Callahan's almost-spoken singing. Yeezus is..... Yeezus. These albums achieved a perfect balance between playing to the artists' strengths and drowning in the experimental deep end. So, after sifting through major releases, independent albums, and 1/1,000,000,000,000th of the material up on Bandcamp, this site puts forth the following recommendations for the best albums of the year MMXIII.
Yeezus - Kanye West (Roc-a-Fella / Def Jam)
At the end of 2012, I was questioning my faith in Kanye West. The Cruel Summer compilation was (except for the great "New God Flow") pretty awful and the rumor was that Kanye was experimenting with some weird mixture of trap and electronica out in France. By the end of 2013, Kanye had given us Yeezus (the best album of the year) and the Yeezus Tour (probably the most impressive theatrical concerts since Pink Floyd's fabled The Wall Tour). Where '03 Kanye mixed conscious observations, designer boasts, and soul beats, '13 Kanye is all over the map, endowing Yeezus with a nervous mix of styles. On the same album that features the pounding drums of "Black Skinhead," we find Justin Vernon's sultry "I'm In It" vocal work and Charlie Wilson's sudden powerful appearance on "Bound 2." We hear Chief Keef's freezing hooks and the black ice beat of "Hold My Liquor," but we also enjoy the warm Ponderosa Twins Plus One sample that serves as the structure for "Bound 2." The sonic diversity is matched by a wide range of lyrical content, from self-referential moments and angry provocations to highbrow/lowbrow juxtaposition and borderline silly (but ultimately dope) lines (see: the closing verse of "I'm In It"). There's the frequently meshing of racial and sexual images in a way that's both offensive and daring. Some were quick to write off Yeezus based on isolated ridiculous images or the abrasive sound, but it's a great album that works best when viewed as a complete, envelope-pushing work. Read the Full Review Key Tracks: Blood on the Leaves, Bound 2, Black Skinhead, Hold My Liquor, I'm In It, New Slaves |
Water Wars - John Thill (Juniper Tree Songs)
Countless songs have propped up the mythological qualities of California, but singer-raconteur John Thill is quickly building up his own (more realistic) chronicle of the state and its peoples. In his quest to create an alternate California history, Thill examines one of the state's defining issues - water rights. Such a complex subject demands a unique lens, and Thill finds one in his close-ups on individuals. From "Ode to Fat Hank" to "Water World," he captures the reactions to a changing way of life and communicates disenfranchisement in human terms. Musically, he reminds us that being punk or lo-fi doesn't necessitate surrendering wit or lyrical precision. Thill still retains some of the catchy freak folk of his earlier releases, but also also adds variety through his incorporation of percussion and programming. While it's easy to get caught in Thill's Water Wars loops, the ending of "Wild Iris" suggests an exciting, wide-open future for the artist. Key Tracks: Water World, The Garage, Water Wars |
Repave - Volcano Choir (Jagjaguwar)
With Repave, Volcano Choir took some of All Tiny Creatures/Collections of Colonies of Bees/Bon Iver's best instincts and synthesized them into something both catchy and meditative. The occasionally near-incomprehensible lyrics don't come with a decoder ring, but the images they create (and the music that they're backed with) tell us all we need to know. The epic and defiant "Acetate" contains the declaration "I won't beg for you on acetate and I won't crawl on you to validate" followed by the exhortation to "shout it, say it louder now," turning it into a (possibly vain) attempt to get through a painful era. The wistful "Comrade" references . "Alaskans"'s delicate picking is matched with Justin Vernon's and Charles Bukowski's conflations of fading relationships with physical death. There's a beautiful ebb and flow between the anthemic and the intimate on Repave, as well as a focus that shows the band's progression from Unmap. Read the Full Review Key Tracks: Tiderays, Acetate, Comrade, Byegone, Alaskans |
Dream River - Bill Callahan (Drag City)
Bill Callahan conjures perfect images (a train's "whale song"), conveys observations in a unique way ("I've got limitations, like Marvin Gaye"), and communicates his realizations with powerful simplicity ("I have learned / When things are beautiful / To just keep on"). He recognizes the potential for horror or beauty in the world around him, be it a sleeping girlfriend in "Javelin Unlanding" or the dangerous, pretty, and white drive of "Winter Road." But Callahan's real strength is being able to feed these profound droplets into slightly-polluted instrumental tributaries like "Spring" or "Ride My Arrow" that flow downstream to create the terrifying and wonderful Dream River. Key Tracks: The Sing, Small Plane, Winter Road |
Acid Rap - Chance the Rapper (Self-Released)
Once you get past any initial negative reactions to Chance the Rapper's voice and trademark yelps, you'll find him inviting you on a colorful trip through his world. The journey twists and turns through melancholy meditations ("Acid Rain"), childish diversions ("NaNa"), fast-paced jams ("Favorite Song"), and anthems ("Chain Smoker"), but Chance's charismatic energy, eye for detail, and unyielding optimism are constants in the entertaining and compelling mixtape. There are moments where his hippie ideals and the occasionally soft rock beats feel a bit corny, but Chance's aforementioned skills keep Acid Rap from limiting itself to self-righteous preaching, conscious observation, or party soundtracking. Key Tracks: Good Ass Intro, Lost, Juice, Chain Smoker, Cocoa Butter Kisses |
Acid Rap - Pusha T (Def Jam / GOOD)
This was the year that Pusha T stepped out of the Clipse shadow for good. He'd turned in some fine features on recent Kanye albums, but his solo Fear of God series only produced two memorable songs. But then, while other rappers on this list were busy expanding the boundaries of hip-hop, Pusha planted his feet and defended his turf. And so we got an album's worth of relatively remorseless drug dealer rap, backed by some of 2013's rawest beats. There are a few songs ("Let Me Love You," "40 Acres") that feel a bit out of place, but when push comes to shove, My Name is My Name has a higher number of hits than almost any other 2013 album. Factor in some Wrath of Caine blockbusters like "Blocka" and "Millions," and it's easy to see why Pusha wins 2013's Ric Flair Award for Achievement in the Field of Excellence. Read the Full Review Key Tracks: King Push, Numbers on the Board, Hold On (feat. Rick Ross), Nosetalgia (feat. Kendrick Lamar), Pain (feat. Future), S.N.I.T.C.H. (feat. Pharrell) |
Fade - Yo La Tengo (Matador)
It's easy to take Yo La Tengo's consistently excellent discography for granted, but to do so would mean missing out on their beautiful mix of noisy noodling and catchy sounds. Fade, while considering some of life's most challenging questions, finds Yo La Tengo mostly in a quiet, pensive mood, though still ready to erupt with bygone pop instrumentation ("Is That Enough") or a slow-building finale ("Before We Run"). Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley's harmonies are as beautiful as ever, but their fragility also works to underscore the difficulty of staying sane while confronting injustice and mortality. In the request to stop "resisting the flow" during "Ohm" or settling on answers in "The Point of It," the trio seem to have found a hard-earned but honest acceptance that makes for an excellent and mature album. Read the Full Review Key Tracks: Ohm, Is that Enough, Before We Run, Cornelia and Jane |
Psychic - Darkside (Matador)
For a rock-raised electronic neophyte such as myself, Darkside's Psychic is the perfect mix of organic and digital. The variety of sounds produced - from 80s guitar tones to programmed percussion to ambient noise to disco riffs to Portishead style beats - all serve as a testament to what can be accomplished in melding guitars, drums, and computers. But they also attest to the constant evolution of Darkside's compositions as the songs continue to progress without looking back. The beat may change and different elements may drop out, but Darkside manages to keep effectively constructing songs (and the album as a whole) while switching its building materials. Key Tracks: The Only Shrine I've Seen, Paper Trails, Heart |
Rival Dealer - Burial (Hyperdub)
As a relatively inexperienced electronic/dubstep/ambient listener, the genres' music sometimes comes across as a bit unemotional or cold. Burial's Rival Dealer, however, is the rare electronic work that feels immediately inviting. Excerpts of Lana Wachowski's HRC speech and vocal snippets telling listeners that they're "not alone" echo the music's inclusive appeal, while reminding us of the difficult path to defining or defending personal identity. Burial still draws from the wide spectrum of electronic music, but he also goes for something triumphant that makes Rival Dealer more suited for a PA system than headphones. In its 29 minutes, Rival Dealer manages to be bigger than anything on the Arcade Fire's Reflektor and as minimal as anything on Jon Hopkins's Immunity. |
The Night's Gambit - Ka (Iron Works)
While Kanye was off carving Yeezus out of his past monuments and Chance was preaching hippiedom, Ka's experimentation altered the DNA of East Coast rap. The Night's Gambit is clearly indebted to 90s hip-hop, but his flow skews closer to spoken word and his beats feel more like minimalist rock. The variety of styles makes familiar rap settings and well-worn crime tales fresh, while it also converges to create a grim tone that adds further significance to Ka's survival stories. Ka's deadpan delivery and the album's darkness may be a bit alienating for even seasoned hip-hop listeners, but The Night's Gambit is the sound of an artist forging his own unique style from an amalgam of influences. Read the Full Review Key Tracks: Jungle, Our Father, Off the Record, Knighthood |
Further Aural Excellence
| We the Common - Thao & The Get Down Stay Down Idle No More - King Khan & the Shrines No Blues - Los Campesinos! Regions of Light and Sound of God - Jim James Immunity - Jon Hopkins Random Access Memories - Daft Punk Wakin' on a Pretty Daze - Kurt Vile Old - Danny Brown Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels Amok - Atoms for Peace |