Despite my recent weekly album-reviewing sabbatical, no amount of laziness could ever prevent me from constructing a best-of year-end list, which will almost assuredly embarrass me when I look back on it in a few months. The Spotify playlist can be found here, and without further adieu:
13) Mayer Hawthorne - Where Does This Door Go
Trading the influences of Motown-era soul for yacht rock types like Steely Dan may or may not have been a good career move for Mayer Hawthorne, but I can respect the desire to experiment, and I've always found Steely Dan underrated anyway. This album makes me really curious to see where Mayer goes next.
Selection
Her Favorite Song (this song should have been more ubiquitous than it was)
12) San Fermin - San Fermin
This baroque pop band sounded a lot like an appealing combination of Dirty Projectors and The National. The album managed to be unique without being alienating, which isn't always for a baroque pop act to do.
Selection
Sonsick
11) Superchunk - I Hate Music
For a band that has been around as long as Superchunk, their music has remained admirably vibrant. In the end I'm a sucker for power pop, and several tracks here, most notably "Me & You & Jackie Mittoo" are power pop perfection.
Selection
Me & You & Jackie Mittoo
10) Portugal. The Man - Evil Friends
I don't have much to say about this album, other than that I like Portugal. The Man, I like Danger Mouse, and I think their collaboration brought out the best in both.
Selection
Atomic Man
9) Phosphorescent - Muchacho
"Song for Zula" is fairly comfortably my favorite song of the year, but this entire album is very strong.
Selection
Song for Zula
8) Sky Ferreira - Night Time, My Time
This is a pretty great pop debut by the very talented twenty-one year-old. I never thought there'd ever be a pop singer who was influenced by The Jesus and Mary Chain, but here we are. I feel like this was a strong year for pop music in general, and this album was a big reason why.
Selection
Heavy Metal Heart
7) The So So Glos - Blowout
A brash and confident debut from the young punk band. Consistently high energy throughout, at times the album calls to mind fun mid-90's pop-punk.
Selection
Lost Weekend
6) Autre Ne Veut - Anxiety
This R&B album occasionally recalls Prince at his angstiest.
Selection
Play by Play
5) CHVRCHES - The Bones of What You Believe
Another wonderful debut (it seems that I preferred debut albums when making this list), this album manages to be catchy, expansive, and above all beautiful.
Selections
The Mother We Share
4) Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Like so many other overhyped cultural artifacts, I expected this album to be quickly discarded, but instead I've found myself coming back to it fairly frequently. "Get Lucky" in time will be remembered as the song of the summer in 2013, and even if its current ubiquity means it's slightly stale, there's a lot on this album to enjoy.
Selection
Lose Yourself to Dance
3) Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
I do wonder if this album only being ranked #3 is a function of it coming out so long ago. Still, being ranked third is no small feat, and this album is the sound of an interesting eclectic rock band coming into its own.
Selection
Step
2) Haim - Days are Gone
This is the catchiest album I have heard in quite some time. I simply cannot get enough of this band.
Selection
Forever
1) J. Roddy Walston and the Business - Essential Tremors
I'm a little surprised this album hasn't gotten the attention I think it deserves, and I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't a possibility that that fact helped its ranking. With music this good, however, you don't need extenuating circumstances. Consistently rocking, immediately accessible, and just a lot of good plain fun, this album stayed consistently in the rotation once I discovered it. J. Roddy Walston and the Business sound an awful lot like what the Kings of Leon should have turned into.
Selection
Midnight Cry
So there's the list. As it sits right now, I'm fairly pleased with it. I would have liked to have included albums by Lorde, Disclosure, Savages, Volcano Choir, and The Computers, but space was limited. All in all, I'd say it was a pretty strong year with a lot of interesting debuts.
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