Year-End Critics' Polls 2013

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.

shuanise's "mercy" off the eglo comp might be the most underrated song of 2013, it's just so immense

Really intrigued by Parrish's Black Jazz comp.

xpost I would imagine Uncut went to press before the Harper story broke – their poll was in a separate booklet, which would almost certainly have to be have been printed before the actual mag. And when I worked on glossies, it was 10 days from going to press to mag coming out, even leaving aside specials with earlier print deadlines.

Really like the Onyeabor and Hailu Mergia albums.

Really like the Onyeabor and Hailu Mergia albums.

Just heard the Hailu Mergia record for the first time tonight, really loved it.

I've been intrigued by that Mergia since it came out ... is it a new release of his material or a reissue of an old record? Haven't bothered reading up

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

get back on the bus lex

The Mergia is a reissue, from 1985. Details here: http://www.awesometapes.com/2013/05/hailu-mergia-and-his-classcal-instrument.html.

It's not much like the Walias Band, or much like anything else either.

http://crowwithnomouth-jesse.blogspot.com/2013/11/everyone-is-in-best-seat.html

The rest of Uncut's list:

11 Matthew E White - Big Inner
12 Prefab Sprout - Crimson/Red
13 Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
14 The National - Trouble Will Find Me
15 Julia Holter - Loud City Song
16 Thee Oh Sees - Floating Coffin
17 Kanye West - Yeezus
18 Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold
19 Endless Boogie - Long Island
20 Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires Of The City
21 Broadcast - Berberian Sound Studio: OST
22 The Knife - Shaking The Habitual
23 Jonathan Wilson - Fanfare
24 Unknown Mortal ORchestra - II
25 Caitlin Rose - The Stand-In
26 Jason Isbell - Southeastern
27 Atoms For Peace - Amok
28 Johnny Marr - The Messenger
29 Hiss Golden Messenger - Haw
30 Yo La Tengo - Fade
31 Neko Case - The Worse Things Get...
32 These New Puritans - Field Of Reeds
33 Richard Thompson - Electric
34 White Denim - Corsicana Lemonade
35 Mark Kozelek & Jimmy Lavalle - Perils From The Sea
36 Mark Kozelek & Desertshore
37 Eleanor Friedberger - Personal REcord
38 Haim - Days Are Gone
39 Earl Sweatshirt - Doris
40 Chris Forsyth - Solar Motel
41 Low - The Invisible Way
42 Arcade Fire - Reflektor
43 Okkervil River - The Silver Gymnasium
44 Fuzz
45 Manic Street Preachers - Rewind The Film
46 Factory Floor
47 Phoenix - Bankrupt!
48 Iron & Wine - Ghost On Ghost
49 Mazzy Star - Seasons Of Your Day
50 Houndstooth - Ride Out The Dark
51 Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoniba - Jama Ko
52 The Necks - Open
53 Linda Thompson - Won't Be Long Now
54 Rokia Traore - Beautiful Africa
55 Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Mind Control
56 Edwyn Collins - Understated
57 Frightened Rabit - Pedestrian Verse
58 Mikal Cronin - MCII
59 Luke Haines - Rock And Roll Animals
60 King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath The Moon
61 Connan Mockasin - Caramel
62 Jon Hopkins - Immunity
63 Pet Shop Boys - Electric
64 Anna Calvi - One Breath
65 The Civil Wars
66 Phosphorescent - Muchacho
67 Jim James - Regions Of Light And Sound Of God
68 Steve Mason - Monkey Minds In The Devil's Time
69 Autre Ne Veut - Anxiety
70 William Tyler - Impossible Truth
71 Don Cavalli - Temperamental
72 Emmy Lou Harris & Rodney Crowell - Old Yellow Moon
73 Laura Veirs - Warp And Weft
74 Lord Huron - Lonesome Dreams
75 Elton JOhn - The Diving Board
76 Suuns - IMages Du Futur
77 Cate Le Bon - Mug Museum
78 Hookworms - Pearl Mystic
79 Robyn Hitchcock - Love From London
80 Tony Joe White - Hoodoo

62 Jon Hopkins - Immunity

My find of this thread/year end lists so far.

Intro (Germany)

01 Daft Punk - Random Access Memories«
02 Haim - Days Are Gone
03 Moderat - II
04 My Bloody Valentine - m b v
05 Woodkid - The Golden Age
06 Casper - Hinterland
07 Arcade Fire - Reflektor
08 DJ Koze - Amygdala
09 King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath The Moon
10 Rhye - Woman
11 Darkside - Psychic
12 Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires Of The City
13 Washed Out - Paracosm
14 Chvrches - The Bones Of What You Believe
15 Turbostaat - Stadt der Angst
16 Jon Hopkins - Immunity
17 The National - Trouble Will Find Me
18 Daughter - If You Leave
19 Biffy Clyro - Opposites
20 Queens Of The Stone Age - ... Like Clockwork
21 Tocotronic - Wie wir leben wollen
22 Foals - Holy Fire
23 Die Goldenen Zitronen - Who’s Bad?
24 Drake - Nothing Was The Same
25 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away
26 Arctic Monkeys - AM
27 Prefab Sprout - Crimson/Red
28 The Knife - Shaking The Habitual
29 Mount Kimbie - Cold Spring Fault Less Youth
30 Thees Uhlmann - #2
31 Disclosure - Settle
32 Bill Callahan - Dream River
33 James Blake - Overgrown
34 Phoenix - Bankrupt!
35 Fuck Buttons - Slow Focus
36 KanYe West - Yeezus
37 Almut Klotz & Reverend Dabeler - Lass die Lady rein
38 Boards Of Canada - Tomorrow’s Harvest
39 Villagers - Awayland
40 MGMT - MGMT
41 Deerhunter - Monomania
42 Kate Nash - Girl Talk
43 Junip - Junip
44 Mano Le Tough - Changing Days
45 The Thermals - Desparate Ground
46 Bonobo - The North Borders
47 Forest Swords - Engravings
48 Bastille - Bad Blood - The Extended Cut
49 Kurt Vile - Wakin On A Pretty Daze
50 Jake Bugg - Jake Bugg

Woodkid - The Golden Age

This seems to have been really slept on given how good it is.

As mentioned up thread Dustin Wong seems to be getting lost in the mix. Bloody cloth-eared arbiters of bands!

so otm, Dustin is amazing

Mentioned upthread by me! I saw him at the end of his recent tour and he was not only a masterful shredder, but he seemed so happy and excited and it was infectious. It was nice to go to a show that was full of light and good vibes. Love that kid.

I too admire 30yo child dustin wong & his socks