Good morning! 2013 was an excellent year for music with a many records released by both established acts and those who are a bit out of the mainstream. Unfortunately, for brevity's sake, I can't rank every single album I enjoyed in 2013, so, here is a list of honorable mentions, in no particular order, of albums that were undoubtedly excellent, but for whatever reason, didn't quite make my personal cut.

☆ HONORABLE MENTIONS ☆

Deptford Goth - Life After Defo
Woodkid - The Golden Age
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Holy Ghost! - Dynamics
Goldfrapp - Tales Of Us
Twenty One Pilots - Vessel
Daughter - If You Leave
The Limousines - Hush
Los Campesinos - No Blues
San Cisco - San Cisco
London Grammar - If You Wait

I'll be posting albums 21-25 as the day goes on, so keep checking back!

☆☆☆ 25: Young Summer - Ultramarine ☆☆☆



As the name of the band would suggest, Young Summer's music has an effervescent, light feel to it, like a July evening on the beach as the sun begins to set over the water. Crisp synths, syrupy beats, and Catherine McCandless' lilting voice evoke images of white sand, blue pools, soft linen towels, and cold mojitos. The record's high points are moments of pure bliss where everything melts away into a pastel fog, unfortunately, the low points on the record simply feel boring and like they stretch on forever. This is definitely a record to be enjoyed while relaxing-and patiently-so open a book, lay back, and fall into the sound of Young Summer.

Songs To Check Out: "Pretty Boy," "Fall For You," "New Summer"

Originally posted by Ricardo505 Can't wait! RAM, If You Wait Don't judge me, but I still need to listen do Vessel, The Golden Age and If You Leave.

☆☆☆ 24. Hurts - Exile ☆☆☆



Lots of artists have tried their hand at moody, grim pop music, and many have failed simply because they do not understand how to properly pull off the dark aesthetic, that is, many artists who aren't Hurts. Hurts, a British synth band composed of two friends, Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson, not only manages to make high quality, dark pop music, it does so with an air of mystery, class, and dare I say, sexiness. What sets them apart from all the others who have dabbled in the macabre side of pop music isn't only Hutchcraft and Anderson's undeniable musical prowess, but also their commitment to play brooding, morbid, sophisticates. They don't play a couple darker songs and then move on to club bangers, they work hard to cultivate an air of despair that remains consistent through their albums, live performances, and fashion. It is because of their musicianship and artistic drive that they are able to consistently create quality art.

Exile is a slight departure from their debut LP, 2010's Happiness. Where their debut was almost exclusively synthpop, Exile blends anthemic rock choruses, booming drums, loud guitars, sleek synthesizers, and the occasional hip hop beat to create something more visceral, more raw, more human. Hutchcraft's voice roars and whispers over Anderson's instrumentals which pummel the listener, creating a very emotional, very powerful listening experience. Unfortunately, there are points on the record where Hutchcraft's despair drifts into the realm of melodrama and bad MySpace poetry, coming across less like a man struggling with sex, love, and other worldly pains, and more like a suburban teenager. Overall, this is still an incredible record, the highs offered by songs such as "Blind," and "Somebody To Die For" are worth the sometimes eye-roll inducing lyrics.

Songs To Check Out: "Blind," "Heaven," "The Road," "Somebody To Die For," "The Rope"

Originally posted by lovesong I love your writeups, they're so informative! Hurts are great

☆☆☆ 23: White Lies - Big TV ☆☆☆



When I was a young kid the first kind of music my parents exposed me to was eighties rock and pop, everything from Madonna and Wham!, to Poison and Van Halen, so it's no surprise that even today as a nineteen year old sophomore in college, I still have a soft spot for both eighties classics and modern takes on the era of neon, classic synthpop, and big hair. White Lies, an indie rock band from England, would seem to be the most unlikely candidate to draw inspiration from the eighties, given the great importance indie places on authenticity, since the eighties were a celebration of excess and ridiculousness in all aspects of culture, yet, with no sense of irony, the band created an album that is equal parts modern alternative rock music and classic 80's style.

Big TV feels like what would happen if a time traveling eighties popstar found himself dumped into the modern alternative rock scene, and it is truly a wonderful experience. Synths and guitars work together to create music that has a real feeling of depth and space, while dramatic, powerful vocals draw a listener into a world of neon lights, young love, and heartbreak. The album does become slightly repetitive after a while, however, and the production occasionally eclipses the vocals, but on the whole, the album is excellent and deserves to be listened to.

Songs To Check Out: "Big TV," "First Time Caller," "There Goes Our Love Again"