Year-End Critics' Polls 2013

Drawing upon traditions from plainchant, mediaeval ars nova, Renaissance madrigals, 20th century vocal techniques and minimalism, Zorn’s music for a cappella voice is some of his most personal and beloved creations. This is the definitive recording of his sublime, transcendent and radiant work inspired by the seductive lyricism of the world’s oldest known erotic verse. Recorded by The Sapphites, the same all-star quintet that recorded Zorn’s first a cappella masterwork Frammenti del Sappho in 2004, and the soon to be released Holy Visions, this is a sensual evocation of King Solomon’s poetic aphrodisiac “The Song of Songs,” bathed in a gorgeous package replete with erotic drawings by Auguste Rodin.

which sounds amazing to me but which descs in their catalog don't sound amazing tbph

Masada Chamber Ensemble's Bar Kokhba and Eyvind Kang's Theater Of Mineral NADEs are my faves

― sleeve, Wednesday, December 4, 2013 2:14 PM (9 minutes ago)

since this appears to be a tangent w legs, bar kokhba is one of my straight favorite albums

And how come nobody is raving about After Dark 2?

Because it's a comp containing material that IDIB was leaking out track by track going back to fall 2012?

― Johnny Fever, mercredi 4 décembre 2013 18:56 (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Glass Candy's "Warm In The Winter" even came out in 2011.

I made a point of listening to Tap, but I wasn't into it. I guess I just don't like BoA that much, especially in its more jazz rock fusion representations. My favorite installments are by Uri Caine, Erik Friedlander, maybe Feldman/Courvoisier (in the right mood?), and to Koby Israelite (even though his is mostly in the fusion vein). The Caine recording doesn't quite sustain the same quality for the entire CD, but parts of it are fantastic.

Holy shit Mordy, Deveykus are awesome, fucking awesome.

(And I wanted to like Mycale, but didn't.)

i'm really happy u like it! i love it so much

Metacritic has started agregating various year end lists:
http://www.metacritic.com/feature/critics-pick-top-ten-albums-of-2013

for my money the Hookworms album is a solid-not-remarkable 7/10 effort but there's a lot more to latch on to, from an orthodox/rockist/etc pov, than Pinkunoizu, Master Musicians of Bukkake, Vision Fortune etc and yeah they are really good live. interviewed them a fortnight or so ago and asked them basically this question and their answer was "we had a better PR campaign"

That Metheny disc is really good - I reviewed it for Jazziz - but it's the only Book of Angels disc I've heard.

That Metheny disc is really good

Wrong.

but it's the only Book of Angels disc I've heard

Shame!

Beg to differ, heartily agree!

that metacritic list so far:

1 Yeezus by Kanye West 3 2 3 16
2 Modern Vampires of the City by Vampire Weekend 1 3 6 15
3 AM by Arctic Monkeys 2 0 6 12
4 Random Access Memories by Daft Punk 1 1 6 11
5 …Like Clockwork by Queens of the Stone Age 1 1 4 9
6 Push the Sky Away by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 0 2 4 8
Silence Yourself by Savages 1 1 3 8
8 Pale Green Ghosts by John Grant 1 0 4 7
9 Immunity by Jon Hopkins 1 0 3 6
Dream River by Bill Callahan 1 0 3 6
Light Up Gold by Parquet Courts 1 0 3 6
The Next Day by David Bowie 0 1 4 6
13 Soul Music by Special Request 1 1 0 5
m b v by My Bloody Valentine 1 0 2 5
Pearl Mystic by Hookworms 0 1 3 5
Pure Heroine by Lorde 1 0 2 5
R Plus Seven by Oneohtrix Point Never 1 0 2 5
18 Field Of Reeds by These New Puritans 0 1 2 4
Wakin on a Pretty Daze by Kurt Vile 0 0 4 4
Sunbather by Deafheaven 0 2 0 4
Trouble Will Find Me by The National 0 0 4 4
Surgical Steel by Carcass 1 0 1 4
Days Are Gone by HAIM 0 0 4 4
Big Inner by Matthew E. White 1 0 1 4

So, people really like that Kanye album huh? It felt incredibly mediocre to me.

have seen some critics talk about putting Yeezus at #1 on their year-end lists as an act of 'bravery' and i'm like wow Kanye actually convinced critics he's an underdog this time, amazing

Tabs Out Cassette Podcast Top 200 Tapes of 2013: http://www.tabsout.com/?p=4078

if u can ramp down from Kanye to hand-dubbed editions of fifty, this is a v. cool resource f/ lovingly smashed shards of noise/electronic/industrial/experimental/skronk + general freaknik ventures.

smh

lovingly smashed shards of noise/electronic/industrial/experimental/skronk + general freaknik ventures

did u not listen 2 teh kanye??

Not trolling here, serious question: What is it that is so brave or avant about Yeezus? The few people who have recommended it all try to sell it as such and the few times I gave it a try it just sounded like undercooked demos to me.

xp

i did listen 2 teh kanye but this is unvarnished horrible noise as opposed to immaculate horrible noise do u see

yeezus is a good album but i am disappointed that i somehow convinced myself that it wouldn't be hilariously overpraised come year-end :|

j. bruh I don't want u 2 sell out + fuk up yr hardman cred but if u can spare a little luv f/ some dreamy soft serenades then check my list

Haha I've just noticed that apparently everyone passed on the 1975 album.

have seen some critics talk about putting Yeezus at #1 on their year-end lists as an act of 'bravery' and i'm like wow Kanye actually convinced critics he's an underdog this time, amazing

Kanye's ability to write his own narrative and sell it to critics is remarkable - see also MBDTF: "This is a masterpiece!" "OK, it's a masterpiece."

v true. it fits in with what was touched on earlier, how the idea of [your ideal kanye] almost seems to replace the actual reality of kanye for many

i'm not really a fan of dismissing underperforming albums as flops but despite that being ludicrously commonplace nowadays it's telling that no one has lobbed that accusation at yeezus. because he's an ~artist

I like Daft Punk and VW but the Metacritic top six looks very drab in terms of new blood. Luckily some newer names taking up the rest of the list.

Drowned in Sound top tracks:
http://www.drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4147252-dis-does-singles--our-teams-top-40-tracks-of-2013

some weird writing there

In these days of the digital download storm musical careers are never certain. The investment in musicians and their development is not so much there. Arguably it makes for a free for all where the bestest will rear their head, eventually. And then there is Foals, almost 10 years into their career, with their 3rd album and suddenly they just went and got their greatest hit to date. Who knew they had it in them to run the gauntlet and push themselves to the front of the British guitar queue? The key seems to be their syncopated bust a move rhythms featuring almost electronic sounds, awash with dreamy vocals and lyrics of entropy.

The writing on DiS is almost always dreadful. New design is awful too.

British guitar queue

those crazy anarchists nominating every song on The National album

This year I followed the Lex line when it came to voting for tracks and didn't include any that featured on my Top 10 albums, otherwise it would have been GMF, Get Lucky, Step/Ya Hey, etc. It's an artifical distinction but it did allow me to mention more stand-alone tracks, or highlights from less-than-great albums. I like most of the DiS list but it feels like there are no surprises when almost everything is drawn from an acclaimed album.

Alternative Press - 10 Essential albums of 2013
http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/10_essential_albums_of_2013

10. Jimmy Eat World - Damage
9. Bring Me the Horizon - Sepiternal
8. Fall Out Boy - Save Rock and Roll
7. Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks
6. Frank Turner - Tape Deck Heart
5. Panic! At The Disco - Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!
4. The Wonder Years - The Greatest Generation
3. Touche Amore - Is Survived By
2. Paramore - Paramore
1. Twenty One Pilots - Vessel

we have a winner!

Frank Turner has been plucking away at his acoustic guitar since 2006, and this year quite a few more people caught on—including Interscope Records. Like his past work, the songs of Tape Deck Heart are about playing shows, drinking with friends and getting your heart broken, but it’s a little darker and more personal—and still just as poignant. Plus, who else used the word “fractious” in a song this year?

Drowninedsound is such a wasted opportunity given how prominent it is/was but the writing is usually appalling and as far as I'm aware no one outside the music industry takes it seriously at all. It's still after all these years a poorly cobbled-together fanzine with pretensions of being a proper music site.

Okay my jaw did drop a bit when I saw what DiS had put at #1. I don't know what I was expecting but certainly not THAT.

This year I followed the Lex line when it came to voting for tracks and didn't include any that featured on my Top 10 albums, otherwise it would have been GMF, Get Lucky, Step/Ya Hey, etc. It's an artifical distinction but it did allow me to mention more stand-alone tracks, or highlights from less-than-great albums. I like most of the DiS list but it feels like there are no surprises when almost everything is drawn from an acclaimed album.

― Deafening silence (DL), Thursday, December 5, 2013 11:01 AM (14 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

it never feels more artificial as when i end up thinking things like "is the quadron album gonna make my list because if it isn't i have to put hey love in the tracks list"

Rolling Stone Songs:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-best-songs-of-2013-20131204

50 Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharrell - Blurred Lines
49 Lucius - Tempest
48 Caitlin Rose - I Was Cruel
47 Yo La Tengo - Ohm
46 Britney Spears - Work Bitch
45 Young Thug - Picachu
44 Prince - Breakfast Can Wait
43 Superchunk - Me and You and Jackie Mittoo
42 Vampire Weekend - Unbelievers
41 M.I.A. - Sexodus
40 Kevin Gates - Wylin'
39 Natalie Maines - Free Life
38 Kurt Vile - Wakin on a Pretty Day
37 J. Cole - Crooked Smile
36 TNGHT - Acrylics
35 Jim James - A New Life
34 Kings of Leon - Supersoaker
33 Kelly Rowland - Dirty Laundry
32 Katy B - 5 AM
31 Wavves - Demon to Lean On
30 Beck - Don’t Act Like Your Heart Isn’t Hard
29 Thundercat - Oh Sheit It's X
28 Ashley Monroe - Two Weeks Late
27 Lonely Island feat. Adam Levine - YOLO
26 Avicii - Wake Me Up
25 Washed Out - All I Know
24 The Julie Ruin - Oh Come On
23 Elvis Costello and the Roots - Walk Us Uptown
22 Ciara - Body Party
21 Jake Bugg - Broken
20 Kanye West - Blood on the Leaves
19 Jay Z - Picasso Baby
18 Katy Perry - Roar
17 Lady Gaga feat R. Kelly - Do What U Want
16 HAIM - The Wire
15 Eminem - Rap God
14 Miley Cyrus - We Can’t Stop
13 Big Sean Feat. Kendrick Lamar - Control
12 Tegan and Sara - Closer
11 Arcade Fire - Reflektor
10 Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know?
9 Drake - Started From the Bottom
8 James Blake - Retrograde
7 Justin Timberlake - Mirrors
6 Parquet Courts - Stoned and Starving
5 Disclosure - When a Fire Starts to Burn
4 Vampire Weekend - Hannah Hunt
3 Kanye West - Black Skinhead
2 Lorde - Royals
1 Daft Punk feat. Pharrell and Nile Rodgers - Get Lucky

We should discuss the art of the grudging #50 slot: Lorde for Complex, Blurred Lines for Rolling Stone, James Blake for NME. It always feels driven by a need to recognise something significant that nobody at the mag is crazy about.

Why do people rate Drake's Started From the Bottom so highly btw? idgi

disclosure's US PR must be incredibly strong

Do people really rate "black skinhead" higher than "on site"?

I rate maybe 5-6 songs on the RS list but none will be on my top ten

So many of these brands/bands I haven't even gotten to hear!

Lorde for Complex, Blurred Lines for Rolling Stone, James Blake for NME

...Shitfucker for the Quietus

I know that was #100 but go with me on this

There was no way the Quietus could fail to mention Shitfucker, the band who defined 2013.

There was no way the Quietus could fail to mention Shitfucker, the band who defiled 2013.