albums

Best Albums of 2013

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Music Blown Away

The first nine months this year were just ok for me, but some late year discoveries bridged the gap. I bought less albums this year. As always, I found some real gems. Some you know about. I hope a few that you don't. Music discovery through year end lists is a joy for me and I hope for you. For my favorite compilation of year end lists check out Metacritic.

I'll given a lot of thought to my top 20. The honorable mentions are many, and all worth checking out. Also check out Greg Thornbury's year end list. There are albums there I'm just getting to know.

Buying Through Amazon: Some albums are pretty cheap right now, so if it looks interesting click through to Amazon to check prices and listen to samples. Clicking through my links and buying music (or anything) helps me to buy books & music as my family has no budget for either. And it costs you nothing extra to use my links! Thanks for your support. 

Previous Years -- My Best Albums

2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 

Now, on to the good stuff from 2013...

2013 Honorable Mentions (no particular order): Danny Brown: Old | Deerhunter: Monomania | Derek Webb: I'm Was Wrong, I'm Sorry, and I Love You | Disclosure: Settle | The Lone Bellow: The Lone Bellow | Laura Marling: Once I Was An Eagle | Kanye West: Yeezus | Local Natives: Hummingbird | Low: The Invisible Way | Neko Case: The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You | Phantogram: Eyelid Movies | Pusha T: My Name Is My Name | Boards of Canada: Tomorrow's Harvest | The Avett Brothers: Magpie & the Dandelion | Okkervil River: The Silver Gymnasium | Woodkid: The Golden Age | Frightened Rabbit: Pedestrian Verse | Justin Timberlake: The 20/20 Experience | Chance the Rapper: Acid Rap (free) | Kurt Vile: Wakin On A Pretty Daze

20. Burial: Rival Dealer EP | I'm cheating as I don't put EPs on my best albums of the year list, but Burial is always amazing and this is remarkable. Hear the culture speak to us.

19. Foxygen: We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic | A lot of fun with throwback sounds and harmonies. Playful music but not childish. 

18. The National: Trouble Will Find Me | These guys can do no wrong, but that can do better. A lot of the sound you love from The National, but it just doesn't have that handful of amazing. Still, it's really good. Oh, that all bands would miss like this.

17. Phosphorescent: Muchacho | "Song for Zula." Nuff said.

16. Junip: Junip | An early contender for a top list album, but the second half of the album just didn't hook me for long. Still, some great stuff here from Jose Gonzalez. "Line of Fire" is the bee's knees.

15. Chris Thile: Bach: Sonatas & Partitas | It's classical music with a mandolin. Love. I listen while working, reading, or doing nothing but listening. 

14. Savages: Silence Yourself | Grinding, growling, rocking, rolling, loud, aggressive without jumping in your face. In lots of ways, I think this is where punk music now resides.

13. Gregory Alan Isakov: The Weatherman | Gorgeous. Gentle & calming. Solid songwriting. 

12. Autre Ne Veut: Anxiety | An emotional trip, but not without fun. The whole thing is good. Falsetto R&B, pop, electronic. Head bobbing will happen.

11. Forest Swords: Engravings | A sonic wonderland. Cinematic. Walking in slo-mo in your own movie scene. I can work to it, and I can just sit alone and let myself be swallowed up in the wonder.

Buke10. Buke & Gase: General Dome | Prolly not for everyone. But holy cow, one listen through "Hiccup" (though the video might make you sick) had me hooked. I agree with Exclaim, "The pair are making strummable instruments sound new again, and it sounds like redemption. Proceed frantically and without caution."

WaterLiars9. Water Liars: Wyoming | It's similar to some music you may already love (Fleet Foxes, Pedro the Lion, Band of Horses). It feels lonely, and you will be thankful for it. One of the best lonely albums I've heard. I like what the New York Times says, "This duo’s dark, lonely, roots-minded indie rock is affecting, all the more for its sparseness." (HT: Kevin Cawley)

Sunbather8. Deafheaven: Sunbather | The best reviewed album on Metacritic. I think it's the first metal album I've listed in my years of doing this. I like what Crash Music said, "A record everyone with half an experimental ear should experience, even if they run from it, screaming."

Arcade7. Arcade Fire: Reflektor | For all the Arcade Fire backlash on the one end and thoughtless love on the other, this is a great album. Building on where they came from and adding epic length dance songs, disco ball included. These songs swell and it's fun to get lost in them. But don't check your brain with the bouncer. The ideas here are thick.

MCII6. Mikal Cronin: MCII | Throwback pop music that is ridiculously current and joyful. This has set a lot of my mood this year with playful melodies occasionally over some power chords. It's a sock-hop with growl. The appeal of the music is immediate as well as lasting. I keep coming back to it.

Immunity5. Jon Hopkins: Immunity | One album I'd love to make everyone sit and listen to. It's a sonic masterpiece. It's an album trying hard to push toward the top. Remember when I picked Four Tet for album of the year a few years ago? It's in that realm of awesome. Could have been my album of the year.

Isbell4. Jason Isbell: Southeastern | Packed with great songwriting. Heartfelt and genuine. This sounds like home, a safe place to admit you are a mess. The Independent: "brilliant: vivid, multi-faceted tales of souls adrift." Could have been my album of the year.

Arctic3. Arctic Monkeys: AM | Don't miss "No. 1 Party Anthem." For an album that really rocks out, that song is a great change of pace and just amazing. If you like The Black Keys, you will dig this album. If you like just cranking it up, yeah, that's a reason to get it. Could have been my album of the year.

Chvrches2. Chvrches: The Bones of What You Believe | Most played album of the year in my house. Hook-filled fun. Head-bobbing, foot tapping, energy-rich. And yet the songwriting is solid. It's not just fun, it's serious music. My discovery of the year. Could easily be my album of the year.

Vampire1. Vampire Weekend: Modern Vampires of the City | Breaking from the sound that made them great, this is their *beyond category* album. Some of the most creative, earworm music of the year with some of the best thought through lyrics of the year. Catchy but not at all cutesy. Massive, complex hooks. The most thought-provoking album of 2013.

Lots-o-Links 12.14.13

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Tim Challies - Evernote Owns Me - Here are his four key points. Go to his post for his explanation.

  1. I Take It Everywhere
  2. I Tell It Everything
  3. I Use It To Eliminate Paper
  4. I Use It To Collaborate

6 ways to serve your pastor's wife on Sunday by Ryan Huguley

Instead of enslaving the pastor's wife with expectations, we should seek every opportunity to love and serve her; this is especially necessary on Sunday mornings, as she doesn't have the help of her husband. So here are six simple ways you can serve your pastor's wife on Sundays when your church gathers for worship:

How to write a book review - see both Aaron Armstrong & Tim Challies posts

Ansel Adams and the art of framing

“Photography is really perception,” Adams once wrote. “As with all art, the objective of photography is not the duplication of visual reality, but an investigation of the outer world and its influence on the inner world.”

Best albums of 2013 lists are being gathered in one place - Metacritic

9 thoughts on writing from Madeleine L'Engle - Here's one of the nine...

7. Who should write? “In a very real sense not one of us is qualified, but it seems that God continually chooses the most unqualified to do his work, to bear his glory. If we are qualified, we tend to think that we have done the job ourselves. If we are forced to accept our evident lack of qualification, then there’s no danger that we will confuse God’s work with our own, or God’s glory with our own.”

New Music Tuesday 9.4.12

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Tuesday is when new albums come out, and here are some worth checking out this week...

Animal Collective: Centipede Hz | Their 2009 album, Merriweather Post Pavilion ($5 right now!), earned the #2 album of 2009 spot for me. It's getting good reviews.

Two Gallants: The Bloom & The Blight | Forgot about this one too! Loved it while it was streaming. Now buying it. It's like Jack White & Nirvana & The Black Keys created a band.  

Deerhoof: Breakup Song | Some of the quirkiest music out there. It won't be your favorite album for reading a book, but these guys are clever and interesting and cool. You are getting an experience with this album. And the reviews are good too.

Stars: The North | Hip indie band. Catchy and fun!

Cat Power: Sun | Her 2006 album, The Greatest ($5), is an enduring favorite of mine and it was my #7 album of 2006. Solid reviews and a new edge to her music. 

Lecrae: Gravity | If you haven't found Lecrae yet, you should. Christian rap & hip-hop, the way it should be done. Stream it free here if you need an introduction.

Derek Webb: Ctrl | Oops! Forgot one. Check it.

Cheap Albums 6.1.12

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A bunch of cheap and amazing albums out there right now. Don't miss these! Some deals will end at any time.

$5 Albums | June 2012

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Loud-speakers

$5 albums this June are solid. Several are new, a couple are gems from the last couple years. Enjoy!

Music Tuesday - Memorial Day Edition

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Well, I ignored my Music Monday post in order to be with family and friends yesterday. Here's some stuff you need to know about music this week.

STREAMING FREE

CHEAP - tons right now, so go get 'em!

NEW - some great albums out this week!

BURNING UP MY iPOD

  • Vespers: The Fourth Wall - Wow, I am loving this. So is my family. I catch my kids singing it through the day. It's as if the Avett Brothers were sisters & believers. I've had the first track, "Better Now," on repeat.

$5 Albums for March 2012

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Headphones460

Another month full of great $5 albums. Here are my favorites. Check out all of Amazon's $5 albums for March.

Dirty Three for $4.99

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Dirty three

Dirty Three is some of my very favorite, go-to music for reading and concentration-based study. It's beautiful and different: violin, guitar, and drums. It's like a post-rock classical style, but you have to hear it to understand. So cool. A bunch of albums are $4.99...

TONS of Good & Cheap Music 12.24.11

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Music brain away

Amazon is having a massive sale on MP3 albums. All are $5 or cheaper. Nearly all of my Best Albums of 2011 & honorable mentions are super-cheap! And there are many more great albums for sale beyond my list. Check these out!

NEW = Recently found & added to the original list

From my Best Albums of 2011 list...

Honorable mentions...

 Other recommended albums for $5 and under...

Best Albums of 2011

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Time for my Best Albums of 2011 list. I don't listen to everything out there (who has the time? or money?), but I listen to a lot. I hope my list will help you discover some new music. I'll give comment to the higher picks and I'm happy to discuss any of the albums, why I liked them, why some albums are not on my list, etc. Please list your favorite album(s) in the comments. Love to hear'em.

See my Best Albums of 2010|2009|2008|2007|2006

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Atlas Sound: Parallax | The Black Keys: El Camino | The Low Anthem: Smart Flesh | Other Lives: Tamer Animals |  Panda Bear: Tomboy | Radiohead: The King Of Limbs | Sepalcure: Sepalcure | Smith Westerns: Dye It Blonde | Gillian Welch: The Harrow & The Harvest | Youth Lagoon: The Year of Hibernation

ARGUMENTATIVE

tUnE-yArDs: W H O K I L L | As creative as it gets, but not as good of a listen as some say. When I listen, it stretches me but leaves me somehow unsatisfied. I want to both celebrate this accomplishment and punch it in the face.  

ALBUMS 35-21

35. Girls: Father, Son, Holy Ghost

34. Cults: Cults

33. Real Estate: Days

32. Okkervil River: I Am Very Far

31. Washed Out: Within or Without

30. My Morning Jacket: Circuital

29. Explosions in the Sky: Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

28. Ryan Adams: Ashes & Fire

27. Crystal Castles: (II)

26. War On Drugs: Slave Ambient

25. Dolorean: The Unfazed

24. Ha Ha Tonka: Death of a Decade

23. Wilco: The Whole Love

22. The Pains of Being Pure In Heart: Belong

21. Glasser: Ring

ALBUMS 20-11

20. Joy Formidable: The Big Roar | Running through thorn bushes at full speed.

19. Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues | Dancing through willow branches in slow motion.

18. Middle Brother: Middle Brother | Love these three guys. Love what they created. But I still like what they do separately better than collectively. That said, it's a great album.

17. The Horrors: Skying | Eerie flight. Bending notes. Worthy of both their name and the album's name.

16. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins: Diamond Mine | Fragile Scottish lullabies. Delicate & delightful. Pipe smoking. Peat beneath my feet.

15. The Roots: Undun | Concept album well conceived. Arrived late, but deserves much attention. Looking forward to more listens.

14. Beirut: The Rip Tide | Not sure they can make a bad record. Distant world flavor. Horntastic. Seasoning for a bland day. 

13. The Antlers: Burst Apart | Please keep making music! They are doing amazing things, first through Hospice and now with Burst Apart. A wonderful follow-up to a crazy-good album.

12. James Blake: James Blake | Audio playground. A sonic dance. Ear candy...that's good for you. A blend of a powerful voice and eclectic editing and creative processing. It continues to grow on me.

11. Dawes: Nothing Is Wrong | Opening song, "Time Spent in Los Angeles," is one of my favorite songs of the year. I think I once listened to it 5 times in a row. Songwriting excellence. Lyric-driven rock'n'roll. 

TOP 10

December

10. Decemberists: The King Is Dead | Their best-ever album. So many good songs. Thoroughly enjoyable. Completely accessible, yet it's well-crafted art and deserving of high praise. "Bear your neighbors' burden within reason." Singable. If you are weirded out by indie music, let this album invite you in.

Frank

9. Frank Turner: England Keep My Bones | Passionate. Straight-forward = says what he means. Atheistic worship songs, but don't let that discourage you. Redemptive themes throughout. It's incredibly informative, enjoyable, and artistic. Loud, but acoustically controlled loud. Sing-along with beer in hand. Punk sensibilities. Masterful. At times it's old-school Avettastic screamishness.

Low

8. Low: C'mon | Some of the most memorable lyrics of the year are here. Some because of word choice, and some because of how they are presented. The critical calling out of "all you guys out there tryin’ to act like Al Green, y'all are weak." "I'm nothing but heart" repeated for 6 minutes in a slow, heavy, glorious swell. "Try to sleep" and "don't look at the camera" on the opening track captured by a wonderful, memorable melody. As a whole this album is a slow crawl... beautiful, often delicately heavy, and always unsettlingly moody. A haunting album that won't leave you alone.

Wyeoak7. Wye Oak: Civilian | Moaning. Longing. Power on the edge of letting go. Back-n-forth between cleanly crafted & fuzzy heaviness. Dark. Haunted. A sense that something isn't quite right in the world. Uneasy. Wonderfully disjointed at times. What you create after a disturbing dream brings you to your knees.

Field

6. The Field: Looping State of Mind | It is looping, ambient soundscapes. Perfect for work, reading, etc. Or, and maybe more important, it's perfect for putting the headphones on, laying down, turning it up, and riding along. These steady slow builds and gradual descents are a joy to navigate. And beyond mere ambient sounds without structure, that can be a pleasure as well, these tracks are guided by heavy beats and basslines. So while the music soars, it also stomps, stomps, stomps along. 

Garrels

5. Josh Garrels: Love & War & The Sea In Between | Listened to this album more than most. Poetic. Rhythmic. Completely Christ-haunted and distinctly Christian, yet some of the best music of the year Christian or otherwise. I can't believe how little buzz I've seen about this album. It's really wonderful. And it's 100% FREE, which means everyone should be checking out and loving this album. And then you'll want to check out Josh's other albums.

Bon

4. Bon Iver: Bon Iver, Bon Iver | I wanted to rate this lower simply because I loved For Emma, Forever Ago so much. I need objectivity! Stupid me. While losing the romance of discovery of Justin Vernon's falsetto and magical soundscapes that came with For Emma, this album establishes his genius as a lasting force. I ranted last year on Twitter that Vernon should stop making side projects and stick to Bon Iver. My goodness. He did.

M83

3. M83: Hurry Up We're Dreaming | I enjoyed M83's 2008 album, Saturdays = Youth, though I seem to remember finding it late. I was interested when I hear a new album was coming. I didn't know I should be this interested. It adds more soar, more lift, more joy to 80's shoegaze. It also adds more epic views of despair. It really is a masterpiece that I, so far, haven't been able to stop listening to. The first five songs alone are worth the price of the album. I wish John Hughes was around to hear this.

Pj

2. PJ Harvey: Let England Shake | A remarkable album. Disturbing. Poignant. WWI, war-time, yet universal at all times to the war-torn everywhere. Quirky. Odd. Rare. PJ's voice is a perfect kind of shrill (if there is such a thing) for these creative arrangements. On deck during a colossal battle, the siren of the ocean sings beyond view through the storm & cannons. The guts of dead soldiers are clearly in view.

Poison

1. The Poison Tree: The Poison Tree | Lovely & subtly massive. Cinematic. Baritone vocals. Literary. Charming. Moody. Introspective. Wistful. Barely wet city streets. Black and white. Hands-in-pockets. Collar pulled tight. Good penmanship, elegant words, antique fountain pen on an antique journal on an antique table in a sparsely decorated and lonely room. Life...experienced. Calmly dramatic. This album is almost completely and shamefully neglected. It's a rarely reviewed 2011 masterpiece. It's not #1 because it's neglected. It's #1 because it's gorgeous and brilliant. Please buy it...and be moved.

Some Lists | Best Albums of 2011

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Some year-end lists of the best albums of 2011 are coming out. Some are right up my alley and some challenge, uh, my alley. Best of lists aren't only good to compare your own favorites, but to discover albums you may not have found otherwise. I'm already listening to a couple of albums I would have ignored if not for showing up on a respected list. Check some of these out (several compiled by the excellent Stereogum).

M83 | "Wait"

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I don't talk much about my favorite songs. I talk about songs I like, and there are many. But one new song that I've just completely fallen for is "Wait" by M83. It's off their new 22 track double album, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, which is sure to be high on my list of best albums from 2011. This isn't an official video, just a picture, but you get to hear the song. If you want to really digest it, close your eyes and crank it up. It builds and soars. Enjoy!

Best of 2011: Albums I'm Considering

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Tim Casteel asked me a great question in a comment on a recent post: "I'd be interested to know: what else is on your potential 'best albums of 2011' list?" 

There are a bunch that will get my consideration and I can't list them all, nor recall all of them. I expect some to pop up high on the list that just haven't come to mind as I post this. I give each album a good, fresh listen as I work on my list. So don't quote me when my list comes out in December and there are some new names high on the list and listed albums not on the list. :) Here are some I expect to compete for the top albums, in alphabetical order.

What isn't on my list that should be?

$5 Albums for October

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2795042241_0f37875786 Another month, another 100 $5 albums from Amazon. My favorites & some greatest hits albums...

GREATEST HITS

Arcade Fire | Two New Songs

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Check out two new Arcade Fire songs, "Speaking in Tongues" and "Culture War" (via). These will be on a reissue of The Suburbs coming in August. By the way, The Suburbs & the rest of Arcade Fire's albums are $5 right now.

Arcade Fire - Speaking In Tongues by ListenBeforeYouBuy

Arcade Fire - Culture War by ListenBeforeYouBuy

Albums Streaming Free | 5.16.11

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Here are a few soon-to-be-released albums streaming free I think are worth checking out.