10. Lorde - Pure Heroine
Love the atmosphere and the production on this album. Well, the production can feel a little samey sometimes and you could easily replace one song's lyrics with another's without actually affecting how it sounds. Goes without saying that the lyrics are also good, especially for her age. Plenty of strong hooks. Royals remains a lessor nonetheless. Good, solid record overall.
Highlights: Tennis Court, Buzzcut Season, Team, Ribs, White Teeth Teens
9. HAIM - Days Are Gone
Another solid record. Great, somewhat bouncy pop-rock arrangements. One of the best acts to breakthrough this year.
Highlights: Forever, Don't Save Me, The Wire, Falling, Days Are Gone
8. Chvrches - The Bones Of What You Believe
Hmm... this was my most anticipated record of 2013. Don't get me wrong, it's great, but, to be fair, I expected more after the stunning The Mother We Share & Recover. There's just no other massive standouts. And ye, this is not the official cover, it's the one I use cause it ***** on the original.
Highlights: The Mother We Share, Recover, Science / Vision
7. Rhye - Woman
What a beautiful beautiful album. Like a softer version of Sade. The type of music you'd enjoy on a sunny afternoon. The title may seem odd at first, but it's actually very fitting. Everything sounds and feels like a gentle touch.
Highlights: Open, The Fall, Last Dance, Shed Some Blood, Hunger
6. Janelle Monáe - The Electric Lady
Although weaker than her previous album, this one still packs quite a punch. Lots of great collabs as well as solo tracks. It's also overly long like The ArchAndroid and could have been a whole lot better without a couple of unnecessary tracks, cause it becomes very taxing as an experience, but hey... she doesn't release music that often, so it's ok.
Highlights: QUEEN, Primetime, What An Experience, We Were Rock & Roll, Givin Em What They Love, Ghetto Woman