It's time for a graduation, bitches!...and a super update.
Page One: How did I not hear that Moroder remix OR the "Fragments" remix? Jesus, self.
Page Two: CHVRCHES! "Despair"! The best video of 2013! (If you can't figure out what I'm referring to, it's Bob Dylan. )
Page Three: We're doin' it right, but where are we now? In the land of good music, I guess.
Page Four: Other than Kanye and Tegan and Sara, this page makes me feel woefully inadequate in my ability to listen to music. Ugh. I missed out on so much this year.
100 **** Buttons, "The Red Wing"
99 Daft Punk feat. Panda Bear, "Doin' It Right"
98 Todd Terje, "Strandbar (disko)"
97 Mariah Carey feat. Miguel, "#Beautiful"
96 Youth Lagoon, "Dropla"
95 Kurt Vile, "Wakin' On A Pretty Day"
94 Grouper, "Vital"
93 Cassie feat. Wiz Khalifa, "Paradise"
92 Postiljonen, "Supreme"
91 DJ Koze feat. Milosh, "Amygdala"
90 inc., "The Place"
89 Heterotic, "Bliss"
88 Lorde, "Tennis Court"
87 Autre Ne Veut, "Ego Free, Sex Free"
86 Tinase, "1 For Me"
85 Sohn, "Bloodflows"
84 David Bowie, "Where are We Now?"
83 Unknown Mortal Orchestra, "So Good At Being In Trouble"
82 Courtney Barnett, "Avant Gardener"
81 Jessie Ware, "Imagine It Was Us"
80 Waxahatchee, "lips and limbs"
79 Forest Swords, "The Weight of Gold"
78 Baths, "No Eyes"
77 Majical Cloudz, "Childhood's End"
76 Ben Khan, "Eden"
75 The Preatures, "Is This How You Feel?"
74 Jon Hopkins, "Open Eye Signal"
73 Friends, "The Way"
72 Chance The Rapper, "Chain Smoker"
71 Vondelpark, "California Analog Dream"
70 Katy B, "5 AM"
69 Sky Ferreira, "Heavy Metal Heart"
68 Pusha T feat. Kendrick Lamar, "Nosetalgia"
67 Darkside, "Golden Arrow"
66 Sophie, "Bipp"
65 Iceage, "Ecstasy"
64 Blood Orange, "Chamakay"
63 James Blake, "Overgrown"
62 M.I.A., "Y.A.L.A."
61 The Belle Game, "River"
60 Phosphorescent, "Ride On, Right On"
59 Danny Brown, "Side B (Dope Song)"
58 Tegan and Sara, "Shock To Your System"
57 The Juan Maclean, "You are My Destiny"
56 Drake feat. Sampha, "Too Much"
55 Death Grips, "Whatever I Want (Fuc* Who's Watching)"
54 A$AP Ferg feat. Shabba Ranks, Busta Rhymes, & Migos, "Shabba" (Remix)
53 Kanye West, "I'm In It"
52 The Knife, "Full of Fire"
51 Disclosure feat. AlunaGeorge, "White Noise"
50 LOCAL NATIVES Columbia
49 JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE Mirrors
So what if the song can be construed as highly egotistical? “Mirrors” was Justin Timberlake’s crowning achievement in a year full of them. And honestly, who wouldn’t want to hear that they look like a reflection of JT? Well, besides Jessica Biel.
48 DEERHUNTER Monomania
It wouldn’t have been an overreaction if someone were to call 911 during Deerhunter’s debut performance of “Monomania” on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, as lead singer Bradford Cox appeared on stage with a bandaged and bloodied middle finger, along with looking completely disheveled. Thankfully, he was just taking performance art to mutilated places so far unseen by man, and the title-track from the band’s 2013 release channeled all the manic hysteria raging inside of Cox’s head.
47 ARCADE FIRE Afterlife
46 THUNDERCAT Heartbreaks + Setbacks
Thundercat and Flying Lotus teamed up for the Thundercat’s stunning 2013 album Apocalypse, and that album’s highlight comes in the form of “Heartbreaks + Setbacks.” The musician born Stephen Bruner treats those emotional failings as an opportunity, not only to grow as an artist, but to set his priorities in life.
Jeremih has flirted with mainstream success off the strength of singles such as “Birthday Sex” and the 50 Cent-featuring “Down On Me.” It’s his 2013 collaboration with producer Shlohmo, though, that signals the biggest growth for the R&B singer. It’s minimalist production fits in perfectly with 2013′s predominate sound, but there is plenty of improvisations on the parts of the two collaborators to highlight their precise strengths, making a name for themselves in a cluttered field.
44 MUTUAL BENEFIT Advanced Falconry
Seemingly from another time period, the stunning, ethereal “Advanced Falconry” from artist Mutual Benefit does not have a worry in the world. Its ability to find comfort in observing its surroundings, basking in the glow of love, is something we should all aspire to.
50 Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Mature Themes
49 Sweet Lights, Sweet Lights
48 Animal Collective, Centipede Hz
47 Menomena, Moms
46 Slow Magic, Triangle
45 The xx, Coexist
44 Schoolboy Q, Habits & Contradictions
43 El-P, Cancer 4 Cure
42 ∆, An Awesome Wave
41 TNGHT, TNGHT EP
40 Death Grips, The Money Store
39 Perfume Genius, Put Ur Back In 2 It
38 Scissor Sisters, Magic Hour
37 Porcelain Raft, Strange Weekend
36 The Antlers, Undersea EP
35 Hot Chip, In Our Heads
34 Majical Cloudz, Turns Turns Turns EP
33 Jack White, Blunderbuss
32 Passion Pit, Gossamer
31 Spiritualized, Sweet Heart Sweet Light
30 Foxygen, Take The Kids Off Broadway
29 Matthew Dear, Beams
28 Dirty Projectors, Swing Lo, Magellan
27 Divine Fits, A Thing Called Divine Fits
26 Burial, Kindred
25 Purity Ring, Shrines
24 Wild Nothing, Nocturne
23 Killer Mike, R.A.P. Music
22 Pacific Air, Long Live KoKo EP
21 Lotus Plaza, Spooky Action At a Distance
20 John Talabot, ƒin
19 Solange, True EP
18 Japandroids, Celebration Rock
17 Dan Deacon, America
16 Flying Lotus, Until the Quiet Comes
15 Beach House, Bloom
14 Andy Stott, Luxury Problems
13 Crystal Castles, (III)
12 Father John Misty, Fear Fun
11 The Walkmen, Heaven
10 Ty Segall Band, Slaughterhouse
9 Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Chords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
8 Grimes, Visions
7 Jessie Ware, Devotion
6 Miguel, Kaleidoscope Dream
5 Tame Impala, Lonerism
4 Grizzly Bear, Shields
3 Frank Ocean, channel ORANGE
2 Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d. city
1 Chromatics, Kill For Love
50 MAJICAL CLOUDSImpersonator
Atmospheric pop is taken to gut-wrenching heights thanks to Devon Walsh’s gorgeous, haunting vocal clarity.
49 MIKAL CRONINmcII
Undeterred by the decline of rock ‘n roll, Mikal Cronin puts his time spent touring with Ty Segall to good use with a heaping dose of rock (you know, that thing with guitars!) that is so far out of the mainstream musical tendencies it can only be endearing.
48 FOXYGENWe are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
They left Broadway for the California sun, and the move pays immediate dividends with their psychedelic third LP, and by far their most high-profile release to date.
47 THE NATIONALTrouble Will Find Me
Somewhat unceremoniously devalued when it was released, The National’s latest offering of melodramatic indie rock sounded better and better as the year went on. From the masterful “Pink Rabbits” to the affirmative “Sea of Love,” The National are still more than capable of producing worthwhile records.
46 JAMES BLAKEOvergrown
More structured than his airy self-titled debut, Overgrown does more than a good job of positioning James Blake as one of the UK’s most blossoming, forward-thinking young singer-songwriters.
45 A$AP ROCKYLong.Live.A$AP
From star-studded posse cuts (“****in’ Problems,” “1 Train”) to hip-hop with crossover appeal (“Wild For The Night,” “Fashion Killa”) to ambitious hip-hop tracks (“Long.Live.A$AP,” “Suddenly”) A$AP Rocky’s debut seemed to have it all, and the rapper appeared deft at handling any terrain.
44 KEVIN GATESStranger Than Fiction
Kevin Gates followed up with The Luca Brasi Story with the major-label Stranger Than Fiction. While both are worth your listen, his grizzled major-label release shows one how to make an album for a large audience without alienating your most ardent supporters.
43 THE WEEKNDKiss Land
His string of 2011 mixtapes remain the best thing Abel Tesfaye has recorded thus far, yet his official debut LP, Kiss Land, was ambitious and uncompromising in a way R&B seldom seems to be. It’s not always pretty, but, more importantly, it’s never dishonest.
Now that they don’t have to deal with meddling record labels, Death Grips are free to release music however they want. Their (surprise!) 2013 album was a clear step up from the instigating No Love Deep Web, and showed that this noise-pop collective is far more than just shock and awe.
41 VARIOUS ARTISTSAfter Dark 2
Chromatics, in this one humble man’s opinion, released the best album of 2012 with Kill For Love. Chromatics member and Italians Do It Better founder Johnny Jewel followed up that stunning release with a sequel to the highly influential After Dark, released in 2007. After Dark 2, like its predecessor, is composed of compositions from a house of Italians Do It Better artists, including the aforementioned Chromatics, Glass Candy, Symmetry, and Desire. Altogether, the acts create a remarkably cohesive sound, with each artist bringing something different to the table.
Overgrown is an amazing album I agree with your write-up even though I also loved his debut.
Mirrors, Body Party and Water Me are all amazing songs too Former two in my top 100, latter I never
really got into enough but probably should have because it's an amazing song. Video gives me Björk's
"Hidden Place" teas, though. They're almost exactly the same which throws me off.
100 **** Buttons, "The Red Wing"
99 Daft Punk feat. Panda Bear, "Doin' It Right"
98 Todd Terje, "Strandbar (disko)"
97 Mariah Carey feat. Miguel, "#Beautiful"
96 Youth Lagoon, "Dropla"
95 Kurt Vile, "Wakin' On A Pretty Day"
94 Grouper, "Vital"
93 Cassie feat. Wiz Khalifa, "Paradise"
92 Postiljonen, "Supreme"
91 DJ Koze feat. Milosh, "Amygdala"
90 inc., "The Place"
89 Heterotic, "Bliss"
88 Lorde, "Tennis Court"
87 Autre Ne Veut, "Ego Free, Sex Free"
86 Tinase, "1 For Me"
85 Sohn, "Bloodflows"
84 David Bowie, "Where are We Now?"
83 Unknown Mortal Orchestra, "So Good At Being In Trouble"
82 Courtney Barnett, "Avant Gardener"
81 Jessie Ware, "Imagine It Was Us"
80 Waxahatchee, "lips and limbs"
79 Forest Swords, "The Weight of Gold"
78 Baths, "No Eyes"
77 Majical Cloudz, "Childhood's End"
76 Ben Khan, "Eden"
75 The Preatures, "Is This How You Feel?"
74 Jon Hopkins, "Open Eye Signal"
73 Friends, "The Way"
72 Chance The Rapper, "Chain Smoker"
71 Vondelpark, "California Analog Dream"
70 Katy B, "5 AM"
69 Sky Ferreira, "Heavy Metal Heart"
68 Pusha T feat. Kendrick Lamar, "Nosetalgia"
67 Darkside, "Golden Arrow"
66 Sophie, "Bipp"
65 Iceage, "Ecstasy"
64 Blood Orange, "Chamakay"
63 James Blake, "Overgrown"
62 M.I.A., "Y.A.L.A."
61 The Belle Game, "River"
60 Phosphorescent, "Ride On, Right On"
59 Danny Brown, "Side B (Dope Song)"
58 Tegan and Sara, "Shock To Your System"
57 The Juan Maclean, "You are My Destiny"
56 Drake feat. Sampha, "Too Much"
55 Death Grips, "Whatever I Want (Fuc* Who's Watching)"
54 A$AP Ferg feat. Shabba Ranks, Busta Rhymes, & Migos, "Shabba" (Remix)
53 Kanye West, "I'm In It"
52 The Knife, "Full of Fire"
51 Disclosure feat. AlunaGeorge, "White Noise"
50 Local Natives, "Columbia"
49 Justin Timberlake, "Mirrors"
48 Deerhunter, "Monomania"
47 Arcade Fire, "Afterlife"
46 Thundercat, "Heartbreaks + Setbacks"
45 Shlohmo & Jeremih, "Bo Peep (Do U Right)"
44 Mutual Benefit, "Advanced Falconry"
43 Ciara, "Body Party"
42 FKA twigs, "Water Me"
41 Mount Kimbie, "Made to Stray"
40 DOC DANEEKA (FEAT. RATCATCHER) Walk On In
This thumping house number does its job extremely well. Its incessant beat creates a Pavlovian-esque response from the listener, and the thrilling vocal sample carries the load the rest of the way.
39 PHOENIX Trying To Be Cool
38 FOXYGEN No Destruction
37 BIG BLACK DELTA Side of the Road
Mellowdrone vocalist Jonathan Bates’ solo project as Big Black Delta is responsible for one of 2013′s best electro-pop tracks in the form of “Side Of The Road.” The song hits a lot of great notes, with its electronica drone recalling the masterful work of Chromatics, and its overall aesthetic is similar to one crafted by Anthony Gonzalez and his M83 project.
36 KEVIN GATES Paper Chasers
Baton Rouge rapper Kevin Gates had his best year yet professionally, as his two releases, The Luca Brasi Story and Stranger Than Fiction captivated large audiences across the country. If I were to pinpoint an individual moment to highlight his fantastic 2013, it would be hard to not acknowledge “Paper Chasers” as one of hip-hop’s best singles this year. He is able to come across as both a hardened product of his environment and as a person overcoming his difficult surroundings to achieve greatness. It’s a difficult line to toe, but Gates does so with remarkable stability.
35 HAIM Falling
34 YEAH YEAH YEAHS Sacrilege
Yeah Yeah Yeahs decidedly uneven fourth album Mosquito wasn’t entirely a failure. It has its moments of brilliance, with prerelease single “Sacrilege” standing out as one of the year’s best singles. The song is a welcome return to the guitar rock that made them so famous out the gate, albeit wholly different than any of their past recordings. For one thing, there’s a freaking choir that makes “Like a Prayer” seem like a quite folk tune. But it is one of the most thrilling, exhilarating musical moments of 2013. I still remember where I was when I first heard that choir come in for the first time, with Karen O leading the charge, and thinking, “It doesn’t get much better than this.”
33 RUN THE JEWELS Sea Legs
32 ARCTIC MONKEYS Do I Wanna Know?
Any discussion of Arctic Monkeys’ “Do I Wanna Know?” must begin with that incredible guitar riff that opens the track, by far the best riff in rock ‘n roll this year. For a band that many thought should have peaked years ago, “Do I Wanna Know?” is a surprisingly vital and inspired track, one of the best in their canon.
50 Majical Cloudz, Impersonator
49 Mikal Cronin, mcII
48 Foxygen, We are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
47 The National, Trouble Will Find Me
46 James Blake, Overgrown
45 A$AP Rocky, Long.Live.A$AP
44 Kevin Gates, Stranger Than Fiction
43 The Weeknd, Kiss Land
42 Death Grips, Government Plates
41 Various Artists, After Dark 2
40 PUSHA TMy Name Is My Name
Pusha T was finally able to release an album this year, and instead of showing us why his label waited so long to release the album, it made the numerous delays even more confounding. How could Def Jam sit on this confident and compelling release for so long? Whatever the case, My Name Is My Name is a definitive statement from the Clipse member, one that demands to be heard.
39 CHARLI XCXTrue Romance
After writing for some of the biggest females in pop, Charli XCX somehow had enough in the vault to produce this stunning collection of electo-pop gems.
38 BATHSObsidian
The artwork says it all. It’s a brooding image of a cloaked man hunched over, trying to escape the heavy, clouded sky. Throughout Obsidian, Will Weisenfeld tries to escape from the darkness, both external and internal, with the album crucially leaving the verdict up to the listener.
37 THE KNIFEShaking the Habitual
There’s no “Heartbeats” or “We Share Our Mother’s Health,” but what there is is some of the most cinematic, visual music The Knife has ever produced. It can surely be a difficult pill to swallow, what with a 19-minute cut spliced in smack dab in the middle of the thing, but if you can get through it, the rewards will be numerous.
36 TY SEGALLSleeper
Us people rarely welcome change with open arms. So a round of applause is in order to Ty Segall, who traded in his electric guitar for an acoustic, but didn’t trade his work ethic or musical superiority over his peers.
35 JUSTIN TIMBERLAKEThe 20/20 Experience
In case I need to be clear, I’m only referencing part one of The 20/20 Experience, which ignored Top 40′s most popular sounds (most of which JT helped create due to FutureSex/Love Sounds) to better fit suit the singer’s current frame of mind. From the opening “Pusha Love Girl,” JT is on some classic ****, with each track flowing meticulously and without any rush. Sometimes it’s nice to sit back and let the man of the year do the talking.
34 MUTUAL BENEFITLove's Crushing Diamond
By recording an album that sounds as if it came from another time period, Jordan Lee unintentionally stumbled upon 2013′s major musical motif.
33 EARL SWEATSHIRTDoris
Now that Earl’s free, he can get back to doing what we all love him for; being the best thing about Odd Future. “Chum” showed us Earl Sweatshirt’s infinite talents, and his follow-up singles only further cemented his place among the best of hip-hop’s younger generation.
32 THE CHILD OF LOVThe Child of Lov
It hardly seems possible that he’s gone. Cole Williams tragically passed away last week, leaving behind his fully idealized and fleshed out debut self-titled LP. Even though he’s gone, the music he graciously left for us remains full of vitality. May his freak flag always fly high.
31 WAXAHATCHEECerulean Salt
It was a pretty good year for women in rock ‘n roll. When we look back at 2013, and its collection of female rock albums, Waxahatchee’s Cerulean Salt will certainly stand among the best.