Year-End Critics' Polls 2013

I like a few off the boombox list but it is still one dry-arse list. What no Juicy J, Vic Mensa, le$, Ka in there ? just to name some from memory that shined very brightly.

Saw Charles Bradley at a festival in Bilbao this summer and was blown away by his mic-stand humping and his strained wail. He was great. Went to the VIP section after and saw him sat alone, drinking a small beer and smoking a rollie, looking utterly depressed. Bit of a bummer really.

I was not criticizing Bradley. I like him too. I was just being less than clear in pointing out that Bradley prefers to sing old-school '60s style soul rather than the slightly more contemporary feeling Southern soul/chitlin circuit soul that XChuckx and I talk about on the Chitlin Circuit soul thread (that uses synths and such)

Another shop one:

Resident Records / Brighton - top 100 albums of 2013
http://www.resident-music.com/

01 Matthew E. White - Big Inner
02 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away
03 Savages - Silence Yourself
04 Daughter - If You Leave
05 Valerie June - Pushin' Against A Stone
06 Jon Hopkins - Immunity
07 John Grant - Pale Green Ghosts
08 Laura Mvula - Sing to the Moon
09 Hookworms - Pearl Mystic
10 Melt Yourself Down - Melt Yourself Down
11 Follakzoid - ii
12 Mazzy Star - Seasons of Your Day
13 Forest Swords - Engravings
14 Charles Bradley - Victim Of Love
15 Fuck Buttons - Slow Focus
16 Public Service Broadcasting - Inform - Educate - Entertain
17 Dirty Beaches - Drifters / Love is the Devil
18 Rokia Traore - Beautiful Africa
19 Ghostpoet -Some Say I So I Say Light
20 Devendra Banhart - Mala

Good shop, kinda boring list

I guess Mojo and Uncut will be out shortly, wonder what they'll do about the Roy Harper situation?

That Melt Yourself Down Album bangs. I have no idea what people are seeing in Daughter though.

x-post to me --I think Charles Bradley fans would like Southern soul singer Mel Waiters 2013 album "Poor Side of Town" but since its on a small label, uses programmed rhythms and was not marketed to indie, NPR, and such related outlets, they'll likely never hear it.

Need to give it another go, but I couldn't get along with the sax playing on that Melt Yrself Down. Bit too much Pigbag and not enough unrestrained skronk for me.

That's wareham, right? I meant to check that out & never got round to it.

Yes, Brit sax player Pete Wareham. Never heard it either, but I liked Pigbag back in the day.

daughter literally the boringest album i heard all year. their cover of "get lucky" was soul destroying

They cover Loverboy?! That shoulda been awesome.

I was not criticizing Bradley. I like him too. I was just being less than clear in pointing out that Bradley prefers to sing old-school '60s style soul rather than the slightly more contemporary feeling Southern soul/chitlin circuit soul that XChuckx and I talk about on the Chitlin Circuit soul thread (that uses synths and such)

― curmudgeon, Wednesday, November 20, 2013 6:52 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Valerie June also Af-Am but she makes bluegrass or something. Definitely capturing the zeitgeist of black America.

I should make clear that's a shot at Rough Trade, not at June, who I have no beef with.

Damn, I'm listening to the title track from the Mel Waiters and it's a total jam. I feel like ILM's R. Kelly fans would dig this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XXSlH8Y-wM

17 Dirty Beaches - Drifters / Love is the Devil

standout album, but probably will be largely overlooked in year-end polls.

Haha so I've been listening to melt yourself down for the last 30 seconds and the sax is immediately recognisable as wareham, can see where the pigbag comparison comes in kinda (not a prob for me tho), also I basically love this already

Popmatters' Best Mainstream Pop Singles of 2013
http://www.popmatters.com/post/176599-the-best-pop-singles-of-2013/

1. One Direction - “One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)”
2. Paul McCartney - “Queenie Eye”
3. Hanson - “Get the Girl Back”
4. Kelly Clarkson - “Tie It Up”
5. Hunter Hayes ft. Jason Mraz - “Everybody’s Got Somebody But Me”
6. Backstreet Boys - “In a World Like This”
7. Keith Urban - “A Little Bit of Everything”
8. Ariana Grande ft. Mika - “Popular Song”
9. Yvlus - “The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?)”
10. Justin Timberlake - “Mirrors”

You can’t deny the effervescent charm of its performers. It sounds like the boy band had a blast recording it. And for all those who dismiss this as mere bubblegum teen pop: remember that “One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)” was a Red Nose Day charity single, raising funds to help poverty-stricken people all over the world.

Watertight case.

jesus christ what in the fuck?

that mel waiters track is sick!!

normally I hate it when people do this but jesus christ there is no way that list isn't trolling

Hey it's Pop Matters, they know what they're talking about

From Manchester's finest indie record store: the Piccadilly Records Top 100 Albums of 2013

1. Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold
2. Fuck Buttons - Slow Focus
3. Steve Mason - Monkey Minds in the Devil's Time
4. Factory Floor - Factory Floor
5. Bill Callahan - Dream River
6. Gramme - Fascination
7. Föllakzoid - II
8. Ducktails - The Flower Lane
9. Fuzz - Fuzz
10. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II
11. Hookworms - Pearl Mystic
12. Matthew E. White - Big Inner
13. Crocodiles - Crimes of Passion
14. Jon Hopkins - Immunity
15. Jim James - Regions of Sound and Light of God
16. The Oh Sees - Floating Coffin
17. Quasimoto - Yessir Whatever
18. Mazzy Star - Seasons of your Day
19. Kurt Vile - Wakin on a Pretty Daze
20. Dirty Beaches- Drifters/Love is the Devil

(British) people are way overrating that Public Service Broadcasting album imo, btw.

yeah, i didn't like that record at all. it's a clunky concept played in a really clunky way

The Piccadilly Top 20 is a symphony of overrating.

gramme is kinda cool

Pretty much. They're a good shop but I could never rep for that list. xp

Never heard (of) Gramme - qu'est-ce que c'est?

idk this track is nice tho

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP_Ro3OiCq8

kinda like esg sounding slow disco

That's cool, kind of Escort-y I guess. xp

Amazon's "Best Albums of 2013"
1. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
2. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
3. Chvrches - Bones of What You Believe
4. Jason Isbell - Southeastern
5. Tegan and Sara - Heartthrob
6. Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork
7. Lorde - Pure Heroine
8. Bastille - Bad Blood
9. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
10. Kacey Musgraves - Same Trailer Different Park
11. Drake - Nothing Was The Same
12. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
13. Haim - Days Are Gone
14. The Civil Wars - The Civil Wars
15. Neko Case - The Worse Things Get...
16. Deafheaven - Sunbather
17. Foals - Holy Fire
18. Miley Cyrus - Bangerz
19. Fitz & The Tantrums - More Than Just A Dream
20. Icona Pop - This Is... Icona Pop

drake, huh

How did Chvurches happen? Seriously people.

Glad to see it!

These are Picadilly's Top Compilations of 2013. There's some really good ones there and it's nice to see Psychemagik and Originals placing so highly

http://www.piccadillyrecords.com/shop/feature.php?feature=721

that popmatters list proves why its embarrassing to be an adult into pop music really doesn't it

actually i didnt even read the list properly but im still happy to maintain that poptimists are the worst people

It's all pop music ya big dummy

Rate Your Music Top Albums of 2013

1 Gorguts  - Colored Sands
2 Boards of Canada  - Tomorrow's Harvest
3 Run the Jewels  - Run the Jewels
4 Sigur Rós  - Kveikur
5 Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds  - Push the Sky Away
6 Tim Hecker  - Virgins
7 My Bloody Valentine  - m b v
8 Steven Wilson  - The Raven That Refused to Sing
9 Kurt Vile  - Wakin on a Pretty Daze
10 Jon Hopkins  - Immunity
11 Haken  - The Mountain
12 Dennis Johnson  - November (R. Andrew Lee)
13 Queens of the Stone Age  - ...Like Clockwork
14 Vampire Weekend  - Modern Vampires of the City
15 Inquisition  - Obscure Verses for the Multiverse
16 Julia Holter  - Loud City Song
17 The National  - Trouble Will Find Me
18 Bill Callahan  - Dream River
19 Summoning  - Old Mornings Dawn
20 Anathema  - Universal
21 Deafheaven  - Sunbather
22 Danny Brown  - Old
23 Gris  - À l'âme enflammée, l'äme constellée...
24 Carcass  - Surgical Steel
25 Blood Ceremony  - The Eldritch Dark
26 The Drones  - I See Seaweed
27 Peter Brötzmann  - Long Story Short
28 Satan  - Life Sentence
29 Earthless  - From the Ages
30 Cult of Luna  - Vertikal
31 Arcade Fire  - Reflektor
32 DARKSIDE  - Psychic
33 Prefab Sprout  - Crimson/Red
34 Leprous  - Coal
35 David Bowie  - The Next Day
36 Riverside  - Shrine of New Generation Slaves
37 Clutch  - Earth Rocker
38 The Dillinger Escape Plan  - One of Us Is the Killer
39 Fire! Orchestra  - Exit!
40 The Ocean  - Pelagial
41 Kanye West  - Yeezus
42 The Kniφe  - Shaking the Habitual
43 Ulver With Tromsø Chamber Orchestra  - Messe I.X–VI.X
44 Neko Case  - The Worse Things Get…
45 Chelsea Wolfe  - Pain Is Beauty
46 Grateful Dead  - Sunshine Daydream: Veneta Oregon 8/27/72
47 Kayo Dot  - Hubardo
48 Roy Harper  - Man and Myth
49 The Field  - Cupid's Head
50 Orphaned Land  - All Is One
51 Nails  - Abandon All Life
52 Ulcerate  - Vermis
53 Janelle Monáe  - The Electric Lady
54 Soilwork  - The Living Infinite
55 Laura Marling  - Once I Was an Eagle
56 Alter Bridge  - Fortress
57 Persefone  - Spiritual Migration
58 Oranssi Pazuzu  - Valonielu
59 Forest Swords  - Engravings
60 Fuck Buttons  - Slow Focus
61 Omnium Gatherum  - Beyond
62 James Blake  - Overgrown
63 Eluvium  - Nightmare Ending
64 Stara Rzeka  - Cień chmury nad ukrytym polem
65 Alameda 3  - Późne królestwo
66 Enforcer  - Death by Fire
67 Wardruna  - Runaljod – Yggdrasil
68 Vàli  - Skogslandskap
69 Big Big Train  - English Electric (Part Two)
70 Primal Scream  - More Light
71 Goldfrapp  - Tales of Us
72 Matana Roberts  - Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile
73 James Holden  - The Inheritors
74 The World Is a Beautiful Place… - Whenever, If Ever
75 In Vain  - Ænigma
76 Blindead  - Absence
77 Amorphis  - Circle
78 Oneohtrix Point Never  - R Plus Seven
79 Windhand  - Soma
80 Mazzy Star  - Seasons of Your Day
81 Scale the Summit  - The Migration
82 Melt-Banana  - Fetch
83 Thee Oh Sees  - Floating Coffin
84 Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge  - Twelve Reasons to Die
85 Altar of Plagues  - Teethed Glory and Injury
86 Fates Warning  - Darkness in a Different Light
87 Fuzz  - Fuzz
88 Enshine  - Origin
89 Àrsaidh  - Roots
90 Black Sabbath  - 13
91 Shade Empire  - Omega Arcane
92 Cass McCombs  - Big Wheel and Others
93 Tribulation  - The Formulas of Death
94 Progenie Terrestre Pura  - U.M.A.
95 Immolation  - Kingdom of Conspiracy
96 Touché Amoré  - Is Survived By
97 Richard Thompson  - Electric
98 Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle  - Perils From the Sea
99 Altars  - Paramnesia
100 Motörhead  - Aftershock

i think that popmatters list is surely trying to shade poptimism but fails completely because who cares

the ariana grande choice is the giveaway really

Where's the love for Dream River in these? Kinda thought it might be a consensus choice for top 10s.

Not a single mention for These New Puritans yet, which makes me sad. Likewise the low number of Holden mentions.

The Hopkins record is pleasant but I'm baffled that it's been picked-up as this crossover critical consensus.

London and Brighton indie shop staff not picking much hip hop or pop isn't really a surprise, is it? It's called demographics. Went in Sister Ray the other day and reminded myself why I don't like it. Rise in Bristol is my favourite indie shop by far.

I've not heard Dream River but I bet it's suffering from 3-in-a-row fatigue as far as Callahan's discography goes; he's just consistently good at what he does so another new album isn't going to make any waves.

The John Grant record is both really good and really awkward; something about his lyrics and phrasing occasionally puts me off but by and large I really like it.

Nice to see Matthew E White getting lots of props; it's a lovely record, really beautifully arranged and recorded.

Melt Yourself Down is awesome. Sons Of Kemet might be a little bit better, though.

Agree with everything Sick says here. I'm still waiting for my local to get me in a vinyl copy of the TNP album but they're taking ages. Is it out of print?

Hopkins album is unremarkable, 'nice', but a lot of the more piano-y bits were employed better on his collab with King Creosote and the rest, as mentioned before, does sound awfully reminiscent of mid-2000s minimal/micro house.

John Grant one has some awesome moments and I think the awkardness is part of it. That last song, Glacier, kills me whenever I hear it. Prob EOY songs for me that one.

Checked out Sons of Kemet on your recommendation and I think I like it. although part of me hears it as a sort of analogue of 'gypsy-punk' but for a hipster crowd.

My lack of enthusiasm for the Melt Yourself Down record is possibly due to having experienced the Ex with Brass Unbound absolutely burn the venue down with their fierce version of the post-punk grooves + jazz thing, which tbh most bands would pale in comparison to.

i think that popmatters list is surely trying to shade poptimism but fails completely because who cares

other thing about that popmatters list is that people were bitching about the lack of african-american artists on the rough trade list and well um

xpost Completely agree on Public Service Broadcasting. Went to see them the other night, and my companion said it was like a Mike Myers parody of hauntology.

although part of me hears it as a sort of analogue of 'gypsy-punk' but for a hipster crowd.

When you type things like this I honestly fear for you sometimes, dude.

I enjoy the Public Service Broadcasting record but in an entirely non-committal way. It sounds nice and I enjoy the tunes, but I'd never make any claims for it.

wtf is 'hauntology'?