Year-End Critics' Polls 2013

it's mostly death metal.

Listening to Holden for the first time right now. It's good.

I have no idea what the fuck most of these records you guys are talking about are.

Some of this stuff is sounding like dance music you don't actually dance too anyway.

I had no idea there was a Secret Circuit album, their tracks have been popping up on Balearic/disco mixes for years and I've always enjoyed them.

two albums in the last two years, i think? haven't heard the one from this year but i liked last year's (tropical psychedelics? or smthg)

that black deer album is one of my favorites too, not sure i'd compare it to holden tho

the first track on that black deer album is a real stunner, 16 minutes veering all over the synth spectrum from crunchy drone to kraut to cosmic to acid

black deer is willie burns, right? I think I need to hear that.

sure is. here you go:
http://open.spotify.com/album/0WcTTrJW4N5rrka5CnQKbO

Laut - Die Metal-Alben des Jahres
http://www.laut.de/News/Best-Of-2013-Die-Metal-Alben-des-Jahres-22-11-2013-9985

Im Jahr eins nach der Apokalypse bekommt Edele Gesellschaft: Erstmals richten mehrere Redakteure die Hartwurst-Schlachtplatte an. Evil!

01 Motörhead – Aftershock
02 Black Sabbath - 13
03 Carcass – Surgical Steel
04 DevilDriver – Winter Kills
05 Ghost B.C. – Infestissumam
06 Immolation – Kingdom Of Conspiracy
07 Purify – Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
08 Watain – The Wild Hunt
09 Suicidal Tendencies – 13
10 Korn – The Paradigm Shift
11 Amon Amarth – Deceiver Of The Gods
12 Haken – The Mountain
13 Fates Warning – Darkness In A Different Light
14 Killswitch Engage – Disarm The Descent
15 TesseracT – Altered State
16 Dark Tranquillity – Construct
17 Hacride – Back To Where You've Never Been
18 Ancient VVisdom – Deathlike
19 Heaven Shall Burn – Veto
20 Leprous – Coal
21 Hybris – Heavy Machinery
22 Sparzanza – Death Is Certain, Life Is Not
23 Nero Di Marte - Nero Di Marte
24 Buckcherry - Confessions
25 Shining - One One One

I called you after midnight
Then ran until my Hartwurst

I had no idea there was a Secret Circuit album, their tracks have been popping up on Balearic/disco mixes for years and I've always enjoyed them.

two albums in the last two years, i think? haven't heard the one from this year but i liked last year's (tropical psychedelics? or smthg)

that black deer album is one of my favorites too, not sure i'd compare it to holden tho

― akadarbarijava (psychgawsple), Wednesday, November 27, 2013 12:53 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

really surprised you haven't heard the secret circuit album yet! there was mention of it on the balearic revival thread, it's fantastic, kinda odd to see discussion of it here, though. two other great nu-balearic-ish albums (though in very different styles) that might have some "crossover potential" are pharoahs' replicant moods and almunia's pulsar.

i've been lazy lately and haven't been able to find it through the usual channels, i should probably just suck it up and buy the thing

pharoahs' replicant moods

This is really good FYI

So I'm guessing The Wire will go in heavily on The Knife and Laurel Halo and Oneohtrix. The first two are incredible and gorgeous and wonderful and will be in my own picks. The Oneohtrix is kinda clever but sterile, in the same way that Ferraro LP was last year. Was that last year?

I'm finding myself not wanting to listen to the Oneohtrix Point Never album, even though I like parts of it quite a bit. I like the previous two best of what I've heard.

It's - okay. I'm having much more fun with the last Laurel Halo cd. It's really really good.

Ferraro was the year before last - Laurel Halo was their #1 in 2012.

Apparently this is Uncut's top ten?

10. Tomorrow's Harvest - Boards of Canada
9. AM - Arctic Monkeys
8. Wakin On A Pretty Daze - Kurt Vile
7. Dream River - Bill Callahan
6. Man & Myth - Roy Harper
5. Once I Was An Eagle - Laura Marling
4. Pale Green Ghosts - John Grant
3. Push The Sky Away - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2. The Next Day - David Bowie
1. MBV - My Bloody Valentine

some kind of mythtake

yeah it's an awkward situation that

bad puns aside, I suppose kudos for taking the "innocent until proven guilty" line- or at least not gaming the results to re-write history.

agree with that but also perhaps the news came out too close to the deadline?

I like the new Halo, but I was introduced to her stuff via Quarantine (which I know a lot of people hate but I really really like) and I miss the vocal presence. Always had trouble giving much of a hoot about Oneohtrix for some reason (outside of Ford & Lopatin/Games), I never found this style of electronic music very exciting and yeah, this new album sounds a lot like a retread of Far Side Virtual). I should go back to the Holden album - was disappointed by The Idiots Are Winning all those years back but I heard it's much better. The Hopkins record is just okay but nothing new and the nice piano bits are practically a reprise from his collab with King Creosote.

Not making much headway with the Laurel Halo here, thought it would grow on me like Quarantine did, but nope. Also kind of disappointed that it wasn't more like the two 12"s that came before it, those had some of the most beautiful music of the last year or so on them imo.

I found it instantly appealing, tho it isn't really anything too original, just... techno.

The Black Deer record is good. Worth seeking out the 12s if you like that one. He's been so prolific this year with all the Willie Burns stuff too.

I gave it a go this morning but had to turn it off because at that time of day my brain just wasn't ready for techno that austere. Only made it three tracks it but I can see it working for me at night. Am I right in assuming there are no vocals this time round? If so, yes!

but her vocals are often really lovely :(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPz-LPbIbQE

"Throw" from behind the green door was good seems to have been disappeared from the internet

that was the fabulous wonky piano house one right?

yep. Best thing she's done this year for def

still trying to make nyman house happen

Is ilx the only music forum whose posteurs regularly boast about not having heard most of the music on year-end critics' lists?

No.

In fact I would imagine that's pretty much every music forum going.

Love the vocals on Quarantine etc.

avoided the latest halo because quarantine was so laughably bad but lack of vox might be a good sign?

I like the new Halo, but I was introduced to her stuff via Quarantine (which I know a lot of people hate but I really really like) and I miss the vocal presence.

I loved Quarantine but found the new one kind of a letdown on first listen, I think the lack of vocals is a large part of it.

The James Holden album is perhaps a bit too long but there's some really great stuff on there.

As far as that sort of late-night electronica stuff goes, anyone a fan of Natasha Kmeto's Crisis? Not seen it mentioned on ilx, parts of it are really good.

I gave it a go this morning but had to turn it off because at that time of day my brain just wasn't ready for techno that austere. Only made it three tracks it but I can see it working for me at night. Am I right in assuming there are no vocals this time round? If so, yes!

lol I enjoyed this at 0745 this morning on my commute. I like the final piano track too, like a nice little "that's all folks".

xpost it's basically just techno, I can't imagine there's anything to hate, at least.

xpost It's really strange 'deep' techno-y stuff. I say 'deep' in the way that it reminds me (like a lot of her stuff) of that moment when you're just about to conk out on the train but the movement of the carriage keeps you from quite falling asleep. There's something very tangible about it. No vocals so Quarantinophobes should check.

Crisis is good and I'm sure it's been mentioned here

crisis was alright but it never really clicked with me

Crisis is in my top 5 this year. I keep meaning to make a Kmeto thread.

Kmeto album is dece, it is more appealing to me than Devotion

I really like the new NYPC album, as well but I think I'm just a superfan at this point

Supajam - Best Albums of 2013
http://www.supajam.com/news/story/The-Best-Albums-of-2013-5---1
http://www.supajam.com/news/story/The-Best-Albums-of-2013-10--6

1. The Revolution Is Never Coming by The Red Paintings
2. The Lost Art of Living The Doppler Shift
3. Trouble Will Find Me by The National
4. AM by Arctic Monkeys
5. In Love by Peace
6. …Like Clockwork by Queens of the Stone Age
7. The Little We Know by Yossarian
8. The 1975 - The 1975
9. Holy Fire by Foals
10. Smile That Won’t Go Down by Filthy Boy

7. The Little We Know by Yossarian
The band raised over £15K to make their first album, and when they delivered it even we were taken by surprise. From the anthemic opener of Arrow Part 1 to the introduction of a second vocal style, it was superbly programmed and grew from repeated listening.

Sounds of the Universe top 10 albums of 2013:

Dean Blunt - The Redeemer
Hailu Mergia - Hailu Mergia and his Classical Instrument
Psychemagik - Magik Sunrise
Eglo Records - Volume 1
Bea Benjamin with Dollar Brand - African Songbird
Theo Parrish - Black Jazz Signature
Four Tet - Beautiful Rewind
Horror Inc - Briefly Eternal
Rodriguez - Searching for Sugarman
William Onyeabor - World Psychedelic Classics 5: Who Is William Onyeabor?

http://www.soundsoftheuniverse.com/releases/?id=34928

I hope memory of the Bowie album falls into a deep abyss

Lots of good stuff on that Sounds of the Universe list.

Was Searching for Sugarman OST really this year? Do like his songs.

The Eglo comp's got some really nice stuff. I don't understand Dean Blunt's music at all.