ILM's Top 77 Albums of 2013

Never convinced by Marling but Master Hunter hooked me so this might be the one.

this one and "devil's resting place" were as close as the album got to standouts for me, but they're not a patch on previous albums' highlights imo

what exactly are you trying to say here some dude???

― Mordy , Wednesday, January 29, 2014 11:34 AM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

just having a bit of fun, bloodechai sausagefield

wait till i tell my chums about this

was surprised how much parts of this remind me of Joni Mitchell

thanks for posting those write-ups DJP! going to have to check out the John Grant album

this is the point where I curse my default anti-campaigning stance

it's the word "campaign" that repulses me
i like when people call my attention to things; i hate when people try to sell me things

same here

also i have been confusing laura marling and britt marling in my mind

Laura Marling is a horrid tory tosser, can't even bring myself to listen to her.

I voted for the Marling album. The first 4 songs especially blew me away. But like Lex I preferred the fuller arrangements and more immediate appeal of her previous album. This one seemed a bit serious and austere in comparison, also maybe a bit too long. Could have used some trimming. Still lots of great stuff on it though.

Evidence of Marling's toryism?

But yeah, cosign with Lex on her latest absolutely. Loved the previous two; nonplussed by this.

It actually reminds me of the folkier end of Led Zeppelin, so I can see how it'd scan as American.

Famous American blues band, Led Zeppelin, yes.

Just anecdotal evidence really, enough to immensely dislike her.

The Marling album is very complex but I think it merits attention.

She's definitely an artist with a potential that outweighs the present product, and whether she'll ever really come good on that potential and produce a blue / court & spark / hejira, idk. But I loved this, like I do all her albums. This one was in my top ten almost because of, rather than in spite of the monotony; the first four tracks bleeding into one another, with the same tuning but also the same presence, the same portent, was one of the most spellbinding things I heard all year and a masterful instance of theme & variations.

Zeppelin are about as American-sounding as British bands get though.

http://i.imgur.com/wrCanmf.jpg

36 DJ KOZE Amygdala (462 points, 18 votes)

Spotify

yes!

YAYYYYY

another great album

I didn't write about this one tho, ppl were noticing that I was blurbing my favorite albums instead of doing my day job (oops)

Love this

(this also fell off the end of my ballot and it absolutely killed me because I do love it)

Was firmly in the sceptical camp on Goldfrapp but this album is front-to-back gorgeous, so thank you ILM poll.

the horns on "Magical Boy" were the tipping point

hmm never got the crossover adulation for the koze album but it was nice enough, three stars, enjoyed, kinda forgot

Goldfrapp album is "I should put this on at work when I need to concentrate" music so far

very beautiful, very unassuming, very I-will-probably-never-listen-to-this-at-home

i think with acts like Barwick sometimes I kind of would just be happy with her doing the vocal thing only for a whole album. Same goes with people like Colin Stetson, Rodrigo Y Gabriela. Soon as they start adding extra shit, it feels like something's being taken away.

― he said, smarmily (dog latin), Monday, January 27, 2014

by contrast, i think adding vocals, and tightening up their songs into conventional singles (with clear hooks, etc), would be a terrific move for rodrigo y gabriela.

i have the weirdest love w/ reservations for that album. according to last.fm it was easily the album i listened to most last year and i've put it on every year end thing i've voted in but at the same time part of me is still disappointed by it. impossible expectations i'm sure. have a hunch the same thing might happen w/ terje this year.

So many earworms. It's not as good as reincarnations tho

I was in the "only okay" camp with the Koze album until the sun came out and I went for a walk in the park while listening to it and suddenly it sounded incredible. Since then I've been sold.

have a hunch the same thing might happen w/ terje this year.

my expectations for the terje album are pretty rock bottom tbh, i hope to be pleasantly surprised

walk in the park is the Ibiza beachfront of our austere times

this kind of stuff isn't really my thing but i really liked how goofy this album was. and had some real nice textures... the bass on "magical boy" is so good.

btw re: Goldfrapp, I might put "Alvar" on some playlists

For some reason I thought the Koze album came out last year. I couldn't understand it. It sounded like an album full of sketches and fillery material, but it won a lot of plaudits. I just didn't understand it.

i like that kings of convenience remix he did - the whole album is pretty great but i've been dying for new koc so that was sweet

dear todd terje: whatever slack you get from me will be quickly exhausted by a matthew dear appearance

dear matthew dear: i love you but you work best away from sunlight

I like the Koze album, it's weird.

seriously everytime matthew dear pipes up on this thing it's like orin from parks and rec has shown up at the party

ack yeah i'd forgotten how straight-up terrible matthew dear's contributions to this are

the rest is as prettily inconsequential as i remember

A Matthew Dear-less version of Magical Boy actually exists in the world. I think it's on Spotify.

yeah so I don't know what happened but all of a sudden the Goldfrapp album turned amazing, "Alvar" and "Thea" rule

Love the slightly discordant strumming throughout Alvar.

http://i.imgur.com/CT1yQl3.jpg

35 DJ RASHAD Double Cup (463 points, 17 votes)

Spotify

re: Koze, the song I ended up endlessly playing was "Nices Woelkchen"

DJ Rashad's cover three times the size of everyone else's!

I like what I've heard of this, but I didn't hear much.

Have you not listened to Goldfrapp before DJP? If you like this one you'll like their debut album, Felt Mountain.

ahhh finally - the top 35, now for the bigger pictures!

lol the one image i forgot to resize is prob the most boring album cover on this entire list