Best Of 2013
Friday, December 27, 2013
25.
The Ocean Blue – Ultramarine: The band that
everyone always thought was British but weren’t are back with a new release
full of lush guitars and dream pop.
Swirling melodies layered with soft vocals build to create a haunting
yet pleasant wall of sound.
24.
The Polyphonic Spree – Yes, It’s True: The Spree
were one of those bands that I liked but would grow bored of quite quickly due
to their gimmick. This time around they
produced a record full of songs that had some substance and could hold up after
repeated listens. The acid house church
choir have honed their skills and focused the sound into a tighter package that
wasn’t so open and free.
23.
Tanya Donnelly – Swan Songs Vol 1-3: After a 7
year hiatus, Tanya returns with Swan Songs a collection of songs spread across
3 EP’s featuring her trademark melodies and various guest musicians. According to Tanya she plans on retiring from
music and this was her way of controlling her exit. The songs are more organic with heavy
elements of country and folk.
22.
Stereophonics – Grafatti On The Train: The
Stereophonics have been one of those bands that I had a love/hate relationship
with. With the different genre
experiments, Kelly Jones has produced some amazing releases and some big
duds. This time around the Stereophonics
gave up on the trends and did what they do best. Other than the awful duet with the late Amy
Whinehouse the whole cd is amazing.
21.
My Bloody Valentine – MBV: It only took 22
years but it was worth the wait. MBV
returned with a sonic assault on your mind.
The fuzzy and layered guitars drenched in feedback envelop the
whispering vocals that meander around looking for a home. 2012 saw a return of some Trip Hop
heavyweights while 2013 welcomed the pioneers of Shoegaze back.
20.
Bleached – Ride Your Heart: Ramones punk, 60’s
sunshine, fuzzy guitars, a bit of surf and attitude is a good way to describe
the Bleached debut. These sisters write
simple songs but they are catchy and have some longevity to them. They pay homage to the fun lovin boy/girl
themes of the 60’s but add a level of grime to bring it up to modern
times.
19.
Widowspeak – Almanac: I really didn’t want
to like this record. They are just
another Brooklyn Hipster band that all the idiot bloggers raved on about a
couple years ago. The 70’s throwback
Fleetwood Mac rip off was enough to make me walk away but I just couldn’t. They took the best of shoegaze and blended
it with American folk something I wasn’t expecting. So yes while the bulk of Brooklyn is full of
wankers and pretentious music snobs there are some hidden gems such as
Widowspeak and The National.
18.
Amanda Shires – Down Fell The Doves: Amanda and
her fiddle have returned with a collection of songs that are deeper and more
personal than before. Amanda channels
Nick Cave for a murder ballad and with the help of Jason Isobell adds a bit of
grit to the underlying sound.
17.
Houndmouth – From The Hills Below The City:
Boozy saloon and southern charm is a good way to sum up Houndmouth. The male/female vocals over a mix of country/folk
melodies written about a bygone era stood out and kept me interested all
year.
16.
Kitchens Of Distinction: Folly: After 18 years KOD return with a complex
release full of tension, atmosphere and shoegazing melodies. Deeply personal lyrics drag you into Patrick
Fitzgerald’s mind and take you on a trip thru ones life as they age and face
the world and all it has to offer.
15.
David Bowie – The Next Day: 10 years later and
with no warning David Bowie dropped ‘The Next Day’ onto us. It caught everyone off guard but it was well
worth the wait. David reminded us that
he wasn’t dead and that he just operates on his own schedule. The songs wade thru his many styles and sum
up what makes David such an amazing musician.
After the last R.E.M. record, which took their 31 years and packaged it
up into a nice retrospective of sounds, I wonder if Bowie is doing the
same. Lets hope not and I would love to
have more from the man himself.
14. Tricky – False Idols:
I had given up on Tricky over a decade ago but when he decided to
essentially remake ‘Maxinquaye’ I decided to give it a listen. This is the Tricky from the 90s, well minus
Martina and replaced with a new sultry lady.
The songs are layered with hazy beats, smoky vocals and everything great
about Trip Hop.
13.
Suede – Bloodsports: After a short hiatus, Brett
Anderson brought the band back together to make a proper release and something
worthy of Suede. All the glam, tight
production, swooning vocals and melancholy melodies one needs to relive the mid
90s Brit Rock scene.
12.
Moby – Innocents: After a couple of cold, dark and
downtempo releases, Moby returns with an eclectic mix of songs featuring
amazing guest vocals. With his knack for
pulling obscure people into the spotlight Moby did it again with Al Spx a.k.a.
Cold Sparks. Her songs expand the
electronic soundscape breathing life and warmth into a chilly experience. Moby also recruits Mark Lanegan and Wayne
Coyne to join the fun.
11.
The Editors – The Weight Of Your Love: I have always
enjoyed The Editors the UK’s answer to Interpol many years ago. They layer their sound with heavy keys, toned
down guitar, dark and brooding vocals and thick atmosphere. The Editors add more orchestration to this record,
which adds to the complexity of their sound.
10.
The Head & The Heart – Let’s Be Still:
I loved their debut release, fun Americana songs full of sunshine and
bits of quirkiness. I was worried that
they would have some issues with their sophomore release but was gladly proven
wrong. The songs have a similar style
but have taken a softer and deeper approach focusing more on the
instrumentation than the vocals.
9.
Beady Eye – BE: Liam and the gang return with
their sophomore release and do their best to differentiate themselves from
Oasis. They do a better job at keeping
the songs tailored to a single style and not so all over the place like their
debut. You still have tons of 60s
influences mixed with Gallagher charm.
8.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Push The Sky Away:
Air, space and atmosphere are not things you think of when listening to
Nick Cave but this release is all of that.
It catches you off guard but draws you in and makes you part of Nick’s
world. The preacher Nick has been
replaced with the fireside Nick who just wants to tell you a story. I am curious to see how these songs sound
live and have no doubt that Nick won’t disappoint.
7.
Tired Pony – The Ghost Of The Mountain:
The first time I heard them I had no idea it was Gary Lightbody of Snow
Patrol. The vocals sounded familiar but
the sound was much different. Gary
pulled in some amazing musicians for this record Scott McCaughey, Peter Buck,
Lisa Hannigan and Richard Colburn to name a few. It’s a supergroup of Scottish and West Coast
musicians. The styles range from Alt
Country to Americana and keep your toes tapping from song to song.
6.
Josh Ritter – The Beast In Its Tracks: Josh strips
it down and plays softly with his latest release. The introspective songs sound great on
headphones and put you in the head of an amazing singer songwriter. They are quiet, humbling and full of melodies
that calm and put you at ease.
5.
Morcheeba – Head Held High: Morcheeba took a
break from their signature Trip Hop and decided to pick up the tempo and
experiment with Dub step, House, Rock and Steady. For the purists you may not enjoy but listen
carefully to the beats to understand how good the styles flow together. Morcheeba does bring it back home with some
amazing downtempo peppered throughout.
4.
Travis – Where You Stand: After a few subpar
releases, Travis find their stride and put together a solid release that rivals
‘The Man Who’ and ‘The Invisible Band’.
This release is Brit Rock at its finest.
It still amazes me how Coldplay became as big as they are and Travis
lagged behind. Fran Healy can write
circles around Chris Martin yet no one seems to notice.
3.
Josh Rouse – The Happiness Waltz: Josh returns to the
soft AM 70s sound with his latest release ‘The Happiness Waltz’. His great melodies get your toes tapping
while you sing-along. Josh has played
around with many styles throughout the years and is willing to experiment with
his sound. He does a great job of
blending elements from his back catalog without going too retro.
2.
Jagwar Ma – Howlin: Parts Happy Mondays and Stone
Roses, this Australian band took on the music world with addictive songs that
pay homage to the glory days of the Madchester scene. Backwards loops, heavy keys, and whispering
vocals add to this late night chill escapade.
First time I heard “Come Save Me” I was hooked. They remind me of Kasabian and how those guys
crafted modern sounds from the late 80s’ 90’s and made it their own.
1.
The National - Trouble Will Find Me: After ‘High
Violet’ the best cd of the decade, I wasn’t sure if The National had it in them
for a proper follow up. I expected a few
years between releases since they had embarked on a multiyear tour but they
surprised me with this. While its not as
strong as their previous CD it’s not a dud either. The songs are a bit lighter, more airy and
easier on your mind. It’s as if the guys
let out a huge sigh and said “Wow that weight is gone now its time to have some
fun”. This release grows on you and
gives you a new side of The National, one that can laugh and not be so serious.
Posted by mardenhill 12/27/2013 09:39:00 AM
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