Year-End Critics' Polls 2013

but also yeah if Guardian readers had been able to comment at will in the 1950s it would probably be full of junior Ewan McColls decrying the idea of singing over instruments

I feel like people regard Fantasia as something of a joke

It's possible that's true. To me, she'll always be that last really interesting winner of American Idol (no offense Carrie Underwood).

I'm gonna play the Fantasia album brb

all the offense in the world to Carrie Underwood, tbh

disclosure's US PR must be incredibly strong

lex, can you elaborate? Do you think "White Noise" (which is mostly what I'm seeing on these lists) is that unworthy, or is it more a matter of the mainstream U.S. music press not normally including things along the lines of Disclosure in year end lists?

"white noise" is a great song, the US music press usually doesn't really care about UK dance though, the idea that disclosure are being used to represent UK dance is lol for many reasons

why have guardian writers failed to convince their readership - or commentship - of the uselessness of the rockist position?

why bother?

the idea that disclosure are being used to represent UK dance is lol for many reasons

Since I have fallen in love with UK dance this year (at least for now), I agree that there's plenty more going on that's equally good or better. (I don't know too much about how Disclosure fits in with the larger scenes involved.)

Magnet Magazine - Best Of 2013: Indie Roots
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2013/12/05/best-of-2013-indie-roots/

MAGNET’s Devon Leger picks the best indie-roots releases of the year.

1 Sam Amidon - Bright Sunny South (Nonesuch)
2 Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer - Child Ballads (Wilderland)
3 Luke Winslow-King - The Coming Tide (Bloodshot)
4 Various Artists - Inside Llewyn Davis (Nonesuch)
5 Valerie June - Pushin’ Against A Stone (Concord)
6 Blind Boys Of Alabama - I’ll Find A Way (Sony Masterworks)
7 Wes Tirey - I Stood Among Trees (self-released)
8 Blackbird Raum - False Weavers (Silver Sprocket)
9 Vikesh Kapoor - The Ballad Of Willy Robbins (Mama Bird)
10 Square Peg Rounders - Galax, NYC (self-released)

wtf is indie roots?

faux-Americana with a sheen of crusty punk? at least in the case of Blackbird Raum, who I have sen live and liked OK

It's "folk," but with a marketable name.

haha yes

elite folk

wtf is indie roots?

― rp boo bryson (NickB), Thursday, December 5, 2013 5:15 PM (4 minutes ago)

^^^

Though may I add - HOLY JESUS WHAT FRESH HELL IS THIS?

best hand-crafted artisanal mp3s

Sam Amidon is married to Beth Orton, I believe. They must be indie-roots royalty.

They're Johnny Cash and June Carter to Marcus Mumford's Woody Guthrie

wtf is indie roots?

the blind boys of alabama/bon iver record should have been the whole list

Yes. Although I am curious about this one song on that Coen Brothers Inside Llewyn Davis movie soundtrack

Please Mr. Kennedy – Justin Timberlake, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver (Ed Rush, George Cromarty, T Bone Burnett, Justin Timberlake, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen)

inside llewyn davis soundtrack is gonna be all indie roots crap. saw a trailer last week and it was just dreadful

I like Sam Amidon, but Bright Sunny South seemed kind of slight compared to his previous two releases. The good Tim McGraw cover at least makes up for the half-assed, ponderous Mariah Carey cover.

xpost to DL … If everyone who complained about the lack of Swans last year had bought the Swans album, they'd be headlining the O2.

"white noise" is a great song, the US music press usually doesn't really care about UK dance though, the idea that disclosure are being used to represent UK dance is lol for many reasons

Since my experience with UK dance is usually confined to ILM and related Internet tendrils, I was really surprised to encounter mentions of Disclosure twice IRL in 2013: 1) a kid talking excitedly on the train after a day at Lollapalooza (seemed like a fan rather than someone who'd just heard them for the first time); 2) my brother's girlfriend, tipped off by her own brother (who's gay and lives in NYC).

just listened to the oneohtrix point never album - wow, a lot of interesting ideas shoved haphazardly together

everything i've heard in the bleak/industrial/electronic end of the spectrum hasn't really touched prurient/vatican shadow

When worked at the Free Library of Philadelphia, I once got a ride home from a dinner party related to work (probably someone's retirement) with a middle aged African American Jehovah's Witness couple, one of whom I worked with (a really easy going and great co-worker). I had had way too much to drink (and they had had a fair amount as well). They were playing the most incredible live disco recording and instead of asking what it was, I lost my opportunity to find out what it was by joking about feeling like I was back in the 70s. Another strike against formulaic joking around. Not really into most of these so far, but the Jones Girls is more like it.

Oops thought this was the disco poll! Kind of OT even there.

Did Disclosure have a song in an ad in the US, or something? I ask because someone I know, who doesn't read music sites or blogs ever, and who mostly listens to classical radio in the car, bought the album.

Marcel Dettmann released one of the finest techno albums of the year for me, the only vocal-ish type track on it ft Emika is a masterpiece alone.

To use the old cliche, Oneohtrix Point Never gains some clarity and improves considerably over multiple listens. Seems much less haphazard to me now than the first couple of listens.

i think it's a beautiful record. i don't hear the haphazardness.

why have guardian writers failed to convince their readership - or commentship - of the uselessness of the rockist position?

lol at convincing pissed off commenters of anything. You'd have to pull some Jedi mind-control shit to get any of them to change their opinion on Miley Cyrus.

everything i've heard in the bleak/industrial/electronic end of the spectrum hasn't really touched prurient/vatican shadow

There's a new Shifted album out which I haven't heard yet but promises much on the strength of his previous records

FACT: The 50 Best Reissues of 2013

My initial thoughts on the new Shifted were it ain't quite as good as the last one, maybe I am being harsh and need to listen again.
xp

oh well, there goes that one

The FACT reissues list in full:

01. Craig Leon – Nommos (Superior Viaduct)
02. Various – Traxbox (Harmless)
03. Vangelis – Blade Runner (Audio Fidelity)
04. Mainliner – Mellow Out (Riot Season Records)
05. Hailu Mergia – Hailu Mergia And His Classical Instrument (Awesome Tapes From Africa)
06. Vox Populi! – Half Dead Ganja Music (Pacific City)
07. Eduard Artemiev – Solaris (Superior Viaduct)
08. Lee Hazlewood Industries – There’s A Dream I’ve Been Saving, 1966-71 (Light In The Attic)
09. Mike Ratledge – Riddles Of The Sphinx (Mordant Music)
10. Woo – Whichever Way You Are Going, You Are Going Wrong (Emotional Rescue)
11. Popol Vuh – Affenstunde / In Den Gärten Pharaos / Hosianna Mantra / Seligpreisung / Einsjäger Und Siebenjäger (Wah Wah)
12. Jorge Velez Mmt – Tape Series: Home Recordings 1996-1999 (Rush Hour)
13. X-Ray Pop – Pirate! The Dark Side Of X! (Finders Keepers)
14. Bernard Parmegiani – De Natura Sonorum (Recollection Grm)
15. Leven Signs – Hemp Is Here (Digitalis)
16. John Carpenter – Assault On Precinct 13 (Death Waltz)
17. Various – Kill Yourself Dancing: The Story Of Sunset Records Inc Chicago 1985-89 (Still Music)
18. Dwight Sykes – Songs Vol. 1 (Ppu)
19. Ohm – Tribal Tone (Unknown To The Unknown)
20. Natural Snow Buildings – Daughters Of Darkness (Ba Da Bing!)
21. Phill Niblock – Nothin To Look At Just A Record (Superior Viaduct)
22. Palm Highway Chase – Escape From New York (Spectrum Spools)
23. Data – 70 Space Loops: The Complete Sessions (Enraptured)
24. Various – Celluloid: The Celluloid Records Story 1979-1987 (Strut)
25. Maja Ratkje – Voice (Rune Grammofon)
26. Richard Band – Re-Animator (Waxwork)
27. Ü – Great Dose Of Monotonous Techno (Digitalis)
28. Half Japanese – 1/2 Gentlemen / Not Beasts (Fire Records)
29. Cabaret Voltaire – #8385 (Collected Works 1983-1985) (Mute)
30. N.A.D. – Dawn Of A New Age (Rush Hour)
31. Robbie Basho – Visions Of The Country (Gnome Life)
32. Frak – Alice In Acidland (Ideal)
33. Maurice Deebank – Inner Thought Zone (1972 Records)
34. Drexciya – Journey Of The Deep Sea Dweller Iv (Clone)
35. Gherkin Jerks – Alleviated Records Presents Gherkin Jerks (Alleviated)
36. Martin Rev – Martin Rev (Superior Viaduct)
37. Various – I Am The Center – Private Issue New Age In America, 1950-1990 (Light In The Attic)
38. William Onyeabor – World Psychedelic Classic 5: Who Is William Onyeabor? (Luaka Bop)
39. Parris Mitchell / Robert Armani – Project / Collection (Dance Mania)
40. Various – Music For Dancefloors:The Kpm Music Library (Strut)
41. Nirvana – In Utero (Universal)
42. Folke Rabe – What?? (Important)
43. Blancmange – Irene And Mavis (Minimal Wave)
44. A.K. Klosowski & Pyrolator – Home Taping Is Killing Music (Bureau B)
45. Laraaji – Celestial Music 1978-2011 (All Saints)
46. Joe Meek – I Hear A New World (Poppydisc)
47. Grouper – Dragging A Dead Dear Up A Hill (Kranky)
48. Four Tet – Rounds (Domino)
49. Gemini – In Neutral (Chiwax)
50. Don Muro – It’s Time (Flannelgraph Records)

Vox Populi! – Half Dead Ganja Music (Pacific City)

!!! did not know this had been reissued, great band

20. Natural Snow Buildings – Daughters Of Darkness (Ba Da Bing!)

Just about my favourite band at the moment but I just couldn't afford to buy this, it's an insane thing - a 8 x LP box set or 6 x CDs or something. But there was another reissue of their stuff this year called The Snowbringer Cult was just a 2xCD which is just the best thing ever if you like folky drone music, so fucking special.

Man I love that Night Coercion Into the Company of Witches one Nick, would that qualify as a 2013 release? I think it came out late last year.

Yeah that one is great too but it definitely came out in 2012. Kind of a more abrasive record than The Snowbringer Cult iirc which is nice and varied and has got some lovely delicate songs on it among the longform drone pieces.

02. Various – Traxbox (Harmless)
05. Hailu Mergia – Hailu Mergia And His Classical Instrument (Awesome Tapes From Africa)
22. Palm Highway Chase – Escape From New York (Spectrum Spools)
38. William Onyeabor – World Psychedelic Classic 5: Who Is William Onyeabor? (Luaka Bop)

These all brought me great pleasure in 2013. Still haven't got round to the Hazelwood box or I Am The Center.

Surprised not to see Saada Bonaire or Patrick Cowley, assuming they met whatever eligibility conditions there were.

The Cowley one is a lost treasure from the vaults rather than reissue.

http://www.avclub.com/article/the-23-best-albums-of-2013-106233

After people started talking about Paramore it's showed up a few times including this one. Locrian is their only unusual entry.

[View the selection as a single page text list – without audio, images, write-ups or guest blurbs – here.]

nice of them

It's cool to see Paramore in so many EOY lists. Was actually surprised to see it in the AV Club.

many xps - never heard Shifted prior to this new album but I was super impressed with it. powerfully stark/starkly powerful. use this info as you see fit

I need listen to that Shifted again, probably at higher volume than last time.

Regarding lists to come, here's when they came out last year:

5th - The Wire, Classic Rock
6th - Clash, Drowned In Sound
10th - Pop Matters 75, Stereogum Metal, That's How Kids Die Metal
14th - Resident Advisor, Kerrang!
15th - Consequence Of Sound
18th - Tiny Mix Tapes
19th - The Liminal, Rock-A-Rolla, Louder Than War
20th - XLR8R
21st - Pitchfork
29th - Terrorizer, Revolver, Rock Sound
31st - StonerHive (slow roll from 12th), Captain Beyond Zen
1st - The Obelisk