This song is the perfect example of just how to execute a good dynamic buildup. The song starts pretty quiet, and instruments come in one at a time, then some instruments go into double time, then we suddenly go back down for this new section, etc. Aspiring arrangers take notes.
Impossibly sugar-sweet, forever major key, San Francisco is just a great pick-me-upper. How can one be sad listening to this? The lyrics are meaningless but just fun to sing along to, especially in the happy-go-lucky refrain ("I left my love in San Francisco / That's okay, I was born in L.A."). Winter entry.
Before the album whence this came, Ships, Sweet Baboo's songs were all acoustic and honestly rather dreary outside of a choice few. On this album Sweet Baboo decided not to be so scared of adding more and the instrumentation on this song is more wonderful than anything he's done before it. Not to mention, who knew a grown man could look so cute as a cat? Spring entry.
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Although this song feels much less amazing than it did initally, it still is a total bop. Disclosure pulled all the stops on this on, and Aluna Francis' voice is like the missing puzzle piece that fits perfectly over the slick, danceable instrumental. This song rightfully did very well in the UK and currently has over 10 million views on the YouTube. Winter entry.
Daniel is most famous for songs such as Gonna Get Through This but in my opinion his best work is on his 2012 EP Stop The Traffik - Secret Fear. O.V.E.R. U, my favorite track, represents everything good about the EP bundled into one neat little song. Daniel's voice is front and center, and sounds beter than 99.9% of your faves (including Natasha). Winter entry (*2012).
Conceptual hard-rockers Coheed & Cambria went for a more commercial, power-pop sound on this single from their 2013 album The Afterman: Descension, and boy did it pay off. Try staying still listening to this; I dare you. Claudio's falsetto is spot-on around the 1:50 mark in the video and the hook is, well, hook-y. Winter entry.
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My first Dirty Projectors song, I first heard this when AlunaGeorge posted their smooth remix of the song on SoundCloud in May. This compelled me to listen to the original, which I initially hated vehemently. However, the song grew on me, and so did the band. Amber's vocals sound innocent and vunreable, the perfect combination. The arrangement is... well... funky... but it's the Dirty Projectors, you just gotta embrace it.
*this is the EP version, not the album version. The album version is like 10x better, I suggest listening to that
Last Rubblebucket song, I promise!!!!! So Rubblebucket pulled some really cool **** with the rhythms here. It's totally subtle but really cool. During the main part, the keys are playing a block chord every 5 beats, while the melody part repeats every 6 beats. Then the two singers break off and one of them sings an echo 1 beat off, and klfjasd. Summer entry.
Has there ever been a beat smoother than this? This was my first AlunaGeorge song, and I remember hearing it for the first time on ATRL out of all places. As soon as Aluna cooed "Some people want me to be heads or tails" I knew this was going to be my JAM. My JAM on toast. My peanut butter and JAM sandwich. It came out two years ago (I think????) and it still sounds fresh. Winter entry (*2012).
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Sweet Baboo originally had a more acoustic arrangement of this song as the swan song for one of his previous albums, but for 2013's Ships he redid it and released it as the second single, unlocking the song's full potential with ebullient drums, cheery horns and a synth solo. Spring entry.
If someone asked me what my song of the summer was, it's Fresh, no question. Upbeat and danceable, Fresh is such a summer song it's hard to even listen to it in any other season without a longing for sunny 80ºF weather and the promise of no homework due tomorrow. Let's just ignore this mess of a video and how ****** the rest of this album is.
The second song I ever heard from AlunaGeorge. I feel like I've lived with this song for my whole life. Listening to it makes me feel oddly nostalgic since I only started listening to this a year ago. The song itself just feels one big journey throughout all of life's ups and downs. Don't comment on how pretentious that sounded please, it's true!!!!!!! Winter entry (*2012).
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There's not really any point in trying to make this suspenseful, it's not like anyone knows either of these songs.
So this song got tons of backlash from Anamanaguchi fans, who said that having a vocalist was betraying his ideals or something? They said it was too poppy and hated it, which scared the balls off of Anamanaguchi and is probably why it never got released, because it could've done much better than any of the other songs on the album. The chip-tune production is over the top in the best way possible and this song is so fun to just dance around to. Bianca Raquel matches the song's upbeat energy and thrill, but at the end of the day it still is Anamanaguchi's production that garners the spotlight. Anamanaguchi has previously done the soundtrack for the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, which you all need to see because yeah. Oh, and this song was a late spring entry.
0:41 to skip past the string section intro which I know 90% of ATRL will want to do. No judgement here, I skip it a lot too.
Back when I first heard this in December of 2012, it slayed the life out of me. It was a fun pop tune but it stood out from the rest. Whether it be the gold-covered video or the lovely arrangement or the unique vocalists OR all of the above, the song had an overwhelming magic that put it at the top of my "Top Songs of 2013" playlist I've been keeping all year in iTunes. Unlike Prom Night, this song isn't all in your face and you listen to it as background music or as something up-front. It keeps things simple but still keeps them interesting. I'm ashamed in the universe because not only did this song not really do anything anywhere but it isn't even the group's biggest hit (both Dust Clears and Mozart's House have more views).
Thank you so much for checking out my Best of 2013! Whether you've just arrived now or have been watching since the beginning it means a lot. I hope you found some new songs that you like from this countdown! Have a great 2014!
Thanks to everyone who paid attention to this. I honestly just don't really have a) enough time to remember to keep updating this and b) enough time to be constantly commenting in a bunch of other people's best ofs. But hopefully there's some songs you might enjoy in this 1/2+ update.
14 through 12
It's grown on me a lot.
If I had remembered it when making my list it probably would've made my top 80. 
nice list
Adem, patience is key, but great exposure anyway 
