Here it is, my annual list of my favourite albums of the
year, with a few other tidbits at the end for good measure. It was the year of the comeback, with some
artists years, even decades removed from their last recordings, storming back
and making a statement. And maybe the
most defining moment of the year was that we finally learned what the fox
says. This is pretty important stuff,
people! Here are my picks!
1.
Alice
In Chains – The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
Layne Staley has been gone
for eleven years. Inactive for several
years before his untimely death of an overdose, Alice In Chains we’re held hostage
first by his personal demons, and then in the uncertainty of where next to go, newly
unencumbered by all the baggage that comes along with having a junkie for a
singer. I’ve spoken about this
before: the band hired close
acquaintance William Duvall to fill the void, immediately polarizing popular
opinion from fans and critics alike. How
could anyone replace Layne? Why would
you want to?
As it turns out, they
neither did nor needed to. What most
fans forgot, or at least took for granted, was that Jerry Cantrell was the
chief songwriter, and in the twilight years held equal billing with Staley in
lead vocals. He released two respectable
solo albums, which with a little fine tuning, could have fit in with the Alice
canon nicely. Their comeback album,
2009’s Black Gives Way To Blue was a
huge statement coming from a band fully prepared to launch AIC Mach 2. That album was terrific, allowing for Duvall
to stake his claim within the band, and showcasing some of the band’s strongest
work to date. I found myself wondering
where the next step would lead.
This album has a unique
place within their discography. You can
hear elements of Dirt, the
self-titled album, and even Black Gives
Way To Blue throughout it, but as a whole, they’ve created something quite
independent. There are plenty of cuts
here that could have been rock radio hits, and the first two singles (Hollow, Stone) were easy to digest. Echoing the last album, where their ballad Your Decision was slotted at track four,
this album’s fourth track Voices is
equally satisfying. But it’s the deeper
album cuts that makes this album soak in.
Low Ceiling and Phantom Limb have that same sludgy drone
that identifies as their signature sound.
The real gem here is the title track.
Lyrically, Cantrell’s denunciation of far-right Christianity are some of
the most thought-provoking lines in recent memory (“I am wise, and you don’t
know; a cloud is my home; only some get in; got an imaginary friend”). The title itself is borrowed from the theory
that the devil hid dinosaur bones on Earth as a test of faith. Cantrell’s faith is unwavering, in terms of
who he is and what his band’s vision is.
At almost 70 minutes, this album could have been over-long or bloated
(Pitchfork felt it was), but it plays front to back much easier than that. On the last album, I found myself wondering
how the songs would sound with Layne singing them. On this album, by far my most played of the
year, I found it irrelevant. Alice has
secured its identity, and may well be the unlikeliest of survivors of the
Grunge era.
1.
The National – Trouble Will Find Me
Few artists can claim the
universal praise The National has earned over the course of their career, and
justly so. At first glance, they have a
sound that could easily become tiresome, save for the baritone vocals of Matt
Berringer. Their songs dealt with
relationships, love lost, and cautious optimism, not unlike many of their
contemporaries. But they have something
special, and their fans, who are arriving exponentially from album to album,
recognize it. They appear to have made
it past the ‘three album shelf-life’ of millennial buzz bands, and seem to be
picking up speed (figuratively, of course).
While their early albums were charming, if not only a hint of what was
to come, from the third album Alligator
onward, they have made stronger and stronger albums, expanding their sound
without compromising their feel, which is very difficult to do. 2010’s High
Violet was a masterwork, and seemed at the time impossible to top. Trouble
Will Find Me may not be quite as strong, but it is very close. Lead single Demons is among their best, showing Barringer’s deepest range in 7/8
time. Standout tracks Don’t Swallow The Cap, Graceless, and the delicate Fireproof are instant classics. After six albums, it is safe to say that The
National can be depended on to deliver an intensely personal, reflective, and
powerful album that almost everyone can agree is just amazing.
2.
Arcade Fire – Reflektor
I spoke above about the
three album curse. In the pretentious
world of indie rock fandom, it almost always seems that either the bands have
a) run out of ideas, b) changed their style, either from a major label’s bigger
budget, or because the band themselves have become bored, c) couldn’t recapture
the magic, or d) a little of all of these.
Coldplay and the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s immediately come to mind. With all the critical acclaim and clamour
over Arcade Fire’s whole body of work, culminating in Grammy Award-winning
album The Suburbs, it seemed as
though they were bound for Coldplay/U2 stardom.
And when the massive campaign leading up to the release of Reflektor rolled out, with epic videos,
viral marketing, mysterious logos appearing on billboards, and hype unparalled
this year, my fears that my beloved Arcade Fire had succumbed to the big
machine, ready to flood radio with catchy singles, and possibly try to save the
world. Thankfully, the album itself
stayed closer to their sound than I had thought. Electing to split the almost 75 minutes of
music into two shorter sessions, Reflektor
is more focused and feels more trim than The Suburbs. They continue to use Caribbean and world
music elements, and Win Butler’s vocals are reliable as always. Regine Chassagne is still heard, but this
time never taking the lead, which I find leaves her as a valuable asset
underused at times. Still, there are no
weak tracks, and while radio singles may be harder to come by, the songs are
more substantial than some of the more forgettable tracks from The Suburbs,
which I felt was a little too long to digest all at once. Even spread over two discs, Reflektor is
immediately more satisfying. The title
track may be the least effective, and is about two minutes too long, but from
there, the whole thing is well-crafted, and not too commercial to dismiss them
as sell-outs just yet.
3.
Russian Circles – Memorial
Chicago has a long legacy of
great music, and in the post-millenium world, two of its greatest exports
continue to push the boundaries of not only heavy music, but instrumental
music. Both of these bands released
excellent albums in 2013. One you’ll
read about a little later, the other being Russian Circles, a band who
continues to evolve what was at the onset a simple creed into almost orchestral
movements within the confines of a four-piece band without a vocalist. Starting with their second album Station, and steadily climbing with
subsequent efforts Geneva and Empros (the latter of which arrived
late in the year and completely slipped past me until the following spring),
they have built upon their more simple structures into more layered, complex
arrangements, allowing the listener to draw upon an unspoken narrative
throughout. Like all their previous
albums, Memorial is best enjoyed in
one sitting. This album is bookended by
an intro-outro piece, the latter being the self-titled track, and for the first
time accompanied by vocals, here in the form of Chelsea Wolfe, Sargent House
label mate and doomy chanteuse extraordinaire.
Her vocals are so muted, mixed deep in the layers that she becomes
almost a fifth instrument herself. On
this their fifth album, Russian Circles have once and for all established
themselves not as students of the post-rock genre(s), but masters of it.
4.
CHVRCHES – The Bones Of What You Believe
I have never been a good
gauge for what constitutes good pop music.
As a child of the 80’s, I relate pop to artists like the Bangles,
Go-Go’s, Madonna, Prince, and their kin, artists influence in part or whole by
either New Wave or Disco that predated them.
When I latch on to a pop act these days, they almost always have a retro
feel that resonates with my comfort zone, and CHVRCHES deliver exactly what I
want from a pop band. I’m not
alone. The trio from Scotland has been a
huge buzz band this year, and their debut album has landed on several
influential publications’ end-of-year lists.
That’s not why I ranked it so high, but it’s nice to know that others
see what you see in a band once in a while.
Lauren Mayberry’s voice would have fit right in between Belinda Carlisle
and Jane Weidlin, with a touch of Susanna Hoffs for good measure. Synthesizer and guitarist Iain Cook was once
a member of Aereogramme, a band that dissolved in their prime in 2007; he
brings with him a resume of very progressive musicianship, and the arrangements
on The Bones Of What You Believe are
more dense than most current pop acts.
But what makes this album work is that it is so well written and
executed. From start to finish, it is
up-beat, melodic, and memorable. Singles
We Sink, Gun, and The Mother We Share
should be huge, and since the album only saw release in November, there is time
for it to impact the mainstream. A top
twenty debut already suggests that people are catching on, but honestly, I’m
fine if it stays a little below ground.
5.
Wild Belle – Isles
Elliot and Natalie Bergman
are a brother and sister duo from Ohio, recording under the moniker ‘Wild
Belle’. Normally, sibling or spouse
partnerships appear as singer/songwriter indie groups (Tennis, Beach House,
Haim, to name a few). Wild Belle is
similar, except they play a varied style of world beat meets reggae dub, mixed
in with funk and jazz for good measure.
The album is called Isles
reportedly because they felt that each track was an island unto itself
stylistically. For what is billed as a
variety show, the album blends together really well, lending to their
versatility almost becoming a signature sound.
Natalie sings like a jazz singer on standout cuts Backslider and It’s Too Late,
and she shows impressive range on the deeper album cut Happy Home. Lead track and
single Keep You, however, is as sexy
as anything you’d hear all year, Natalie nailing Caribbean dub as though she
were from Jamaica while Elliot’s sax provides the perfect accompaniment. Released in March, I couldn’t get enough of
this album, and early on, it was a contender for top spot during a period when it
seemed 2013 was not destined to yield a lot of choices. While I can’t deny CHVRCHES’ album is the
stronger pop effort, Wild Belle’s album was very satisfying, and I look forward
to the direction they choose for their next effort.
6.
F*ck Buttons – Slow Focus
You have to hand it to a
band that uses profanity in their name, yet still garners critical acclaim from
mainstream publications. Andrew Hung and
Benjamin Power have built their name producing complex, layered, hard
electronica over the course of three strongly received full-lengths, the most
recent this year’s Slow Focus, which
incorporates elements of drone, shoegaze and ambient throughout their
hook-laden rhythms. You don’t get the
sense that the music is experimental per se; there’s a lot happening on any
given track, and it is meticulously assembled to allow the listener to take it
all in incrementally. Lead off track Brainfreeze starts with a pummeling beat
that commands you to sit down and listen, and single The Red Wing, accompanied by its tantalizing video of a dancing
girl obscured in psychedelic colour and lighting, marches at a hypnotic pace,
building to a superb crescendo over almost seven and a half minutes. “F. Buttons” won’t make you want to dance
like early nineties techno, or take ecstacy and break glow-sticks all over
yourself like the late-nineties/millennium electronica acts. They are part of a movement that is elevating
what electronic music can do, if not the leaders of it.
7.
Mazzy Star – Seasons Of Your Day
One of the year’s most
anticipated releases, Mazzy Star’s Seasons
Of Your Day did not disappoint.
While the foundation of the album was conceived around 1997, shortly
after they began an almost fifteen year hiatus, Hope Sandoval and David Roback
never fully abandoned it, slowly picking away over the years in between outside
endeavours. Last year, they released California as a teaser single, almost
like a telegram assuring us that indeed an album was forthcoming. The greatest question, much like in the case
of fellow nineties alt-rockers My Bloody Valentine, was if they could sustain
their vision having been hibernating for so long. Mazzy Star seems almost more relevant now
than they did in their heyday, a host of acts producing ‘dream pop’ or ‘sad
core’ with an eye on their first three albums as learners’ guides to the
genre. Less inclined to use any electric
guitars this time around, Seasons is
a very pretty album, almost quaint, Hope’s vocals as velvety as ever, evoking
listening in a dim room with maybe some candles and lots of plush
cushions. It feels as though this record
was meant to follow 1996’s Among My Swan
about three years later, Hope’s work with her group The Warm Intentions
notwithstanding. In recent years, the
challenge for the crop of nineties alternative acts has been to prove their
relevance in the current climate. For
that, Mazzy Star feels like the second coming for the Beach Houses, Lana Del
Reys and Camera Obscuras of the world.
8.
Neko Case – The Worse Things Get, The Harder I
Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
Another highly anticipated
album this year was Neko Case’s Fiona Apple-like titled sixth solo release
(including her first two, credited to Neko Case and Her Boyfriends). Following up her commercially and critically
successful 2009 Middle Cyclone
album, with its image of Neko crouching on the hood of a car sword-drawn, was
no small task, especially given that she is known for changing her style as
frequently as David Bowie, depending on her current mood. Having built her name in alternative
country/folk, Middle Cyclone saw her
exploring off the beaten path, taking more risks you would hear in her other
day job, New Pornographers. The Worse Things Get follows a more
straight-forward direction, leaner on experimentalism and quite removed from
her folkier roots. The songs are
intensely personal, unabashed in their delivery musically and vocally. At age 43, Neko Case sounds just like she did
in the nineties. For as prolific an
artist as she is, recording over the last twenty years with the Sadies, Cub,
New Pornographers, and even releasing a country album with Carolyn Mark as The
Corn Sisters alongside her considerable solo discography, she is as genuine as
it gets.
9.
Boards
Of Canada – Tomorrow’s Harvest
From an artist like Neko
Case who releases new music in some form frequently, to a group like Boards of
Canada who have been eight years removed from only their third album in about
fifteen years, 2013 saw a number of high-profile comebacks from veteran acts
staking their claim in popular music’s current uncertain state. This Scottish duo (no, they’re not Canadian)
has been second only to the Avalanches in the realm of electronic music whose
masters have held lengthy hiatuses.
Boards Of Canada make an electronic equivalent to post-rock, painting
landscapes befitting of motion picture soundtracks. They drew their name from the Canada Film
Board’s atmospheric vignettes, and the music you find on their triumphant,
breathtaking 2013 effort is both evocative and emotive. Like most of their back catalogue,
particularly their now-classic album Music
Has The Right To Children, Tomorrow’s
Harvest isn’t a singles’ album, the most noteworthy probably being Reach For The Dead in that regard, but
is meant to create a meditation-worthy atmosphere without being too
docile. This album was a summer
soundtrack for me, best enjoyed on the patio on a sunny day. Playing it again with sub-zero temperatures
and two feet of snow on the ground, I found this album spoke to me in a
different way than it did a few months ago.
Few artists can knowingly create music like that.
10. Queensryche – Queensryche
It is hard for classic metal
bands to get any respect in the new millennium, especially when your classic
metal band in question has gone through the messiest divorce between members
since Pink Floyd in the mid-eighties.
While it might be wise to stylize this incarnation of the group as “Queensryche
with Todd La Torre”, the fact is most fans have accepted them as the heirs
apparent to the legal right to use the name as opposed to now-former front man
Geoff Tate’s version, which boasts an impressive if illegitimate lineup touring
as the real thing. Historically lots of
bands have changed singers, and with mixed results, but in most cases the fans
support the group who most authentically carry the intangible legacy of their
sound. “Toddryche” has done this best,
crafting an album that does the impressive task of recapturing their classic
feel while progressing in a genre that is merciless toward any kind of
change. In January of 2014, the courts
will decide who gets to keep the legal right to use the Queensryche name. Honestly, had the Todd La Torre version lost
the right, and they would likely continue as a band using their “Rising West”
name, under which they have performed in the past, the album would have still
sounded great while Tate’s version of Queensryche would have still released lighter-weight,
middle of the road rock music for which Tate himself has received harsh
criticism. It’s not lost on anyone that
La Torre sounds a lot like Tate, nor is it lost on anyone that Tate’s QR
release this year, “Frequency Unknown” is abbreviated FU. The fans know what they want, and the courts,
hardly experts on classic metal, will likely follow their lead.
11. Cowboy Junkies – The Kennedy Suite
Having just finished their
career-defining four-album cycle The
Nomad Series, continuing to tour heavily well into 2012, Cowboy Junkies
managed to assemble a Canadian all-star cast to record one of the most
remarkable concept albums in recent memory.
The Kennedy Suite is a song cycle composed around the many people involved
in or witness to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, which happened fifty
years ago this November. I can tell you
how the songs are masterfully written, their lyrics thought-provoking and
provocative, and that the guests who sing and play them are all in their finest
form. What I think is actually more
interesting and impressive is that it was a high school music teacher and
life-long JFK enthusiast who conceived of the whole thing. It was Cowboy Junkies who curated the
recording and invited everyone from Sarah Harmer and Hawksley Workman to
Skydiggers and the Good Family to examine the songs, decide who best fit for
each, then bring them to life. The album
succeeds on so many levels; the lyrics are clearly historically researched, the
music mirrors the characters’ feelings, and the album art is stunning, with a
song-by-song narrative, photos and liner notes to enhance the experience. All the participants sound great; noteworthy
performances are the Junkies themselves on Disintegrating,
a song from Jackie’s perspective that sounds reminiscent of Portishead (and the
lone album track Margo Timmins actually sings), Bullet For You, sung by several people all from the perspectives of
several would-be killers, and the crowning jewel Arlington performed by Jason Collett. I was dismayed to find this album difficult
to track down. Having so much great
can-con talent, and a lengthy segment on CBC’s The National about it, I’m sad
to see major retailers not stocking or promoting it. This is a must have, and had I been able to
track it down sooner, would likely have ranked it higher.
12. Cult Of Luna – Vertikal
Perhaps Sweden’s Cult Of
Luna are mislabeled as a post-metal band, given that they lean closer to a
hybrid of death metal and doom, creating emotionally heart-rending opuses, most
frequently at mid-tempo to slow dirges.
Having most closely resembling genre mates ISIS and Callisto, they have
developed a rabid fan following, and most notably with 2006’s Somewhere Along The Highway tapped into
the North American market. Vertikal most closely resembles that
album, running for almost 70 minutes through ten-minute-plus epics, delving
deep into the listener’s psyche, commanding you to face your inner-most
fears. The album is not entirely full of
despair though; in its quitter moments, and there are a few of them, you almost
get the sense that things will maybe be okay, even if the process is a painful
one. In September, they released three
additional tracks from the Vertikal sessions and released them as an accompanying
EP entitled Vertikal II. Rather than make you buy the ‘special
edition’, the band opted to make these tracks available at a reasonable price,
as a glimpse into the recording and thought process while they were recording
possibly their finest album to date. On
a side note, someone recorded the entire Somewhere
Along The Highway album on the piano, then posted it to YouTube. If you’ve ever wanted evidence that a
post-metal band has creative merit, look it up.
Cult Of Luna fans have known this for a while now.
13. Austra – Olympia
There has been no shortage
of quality electro-pop coming out of Canada in recent years (Purity Ring,
Grimes to name a few), and you can safely add Austra to that list. Known for
their work ethic and enticing live performances, they were nominees for the
Polaris prize for their debut album,
2011’s Feel It Break, the year
Arcade Fire won for The Suburbs. Katie
Stelmanis is the band’s secret weapon though; her shrill voice trembles and
shakes as she sustains notes, lending to a signature sound that sets Austra
apart from their peers, an ace up their sleeve to be sure. The Toronto trio really impressed me this
time around; Olympia is a bold
follow-up, building off their earlier
efforts and expanding their minimalist ideas with surprising depth. There are plenty of potential singles
throughout, but I was immediately drawn in from opening track What We Done, which over five minutes
begins with what feels like a track you might hear from the earlier album,
before it careens into a full-fledged dance track. While it is easy to identify similar bands,
Austra have done well to create their own niche.
14. Grouper – The Man Who Died In His Boat
This album was another
earlier in the year contender for the top ten.
I’ve only just begun to discover some of Liz Harris’ earlier work as
Grouper, the Oregon based experimental artist who gained widespread acclaim for
her 2008 masterpiece Dragging a Dead
Deer Up a Hill. Her music is docile,
moody, and haunting, her voice muted as though she recorded through a number of
filters and possibly several feet away from the microphone. Her songs are self-contained stories, though
you would be hard pressed to hear her enunciate words clearly due to her style
and production, but it hardly matters.
Like Boards Of Canada, you can draw a lot from her work depending on
when you listen to it. While Tomorrow’s Harvest was a great summer
listen, The Man Who Died In His Boat
fit last February just fine, providing a warm atmosphere when the weather was
at its worst. It is the only album in my
top twenty in which I don’t identify any specific high or low spots. While not for everyone, and certainly not
your soundtrack for going out clubbing, Grouper’s music has its own charm, and
if you’re looking for something to provide a sonic embrace, you could
definitely do worse.
15. Deafheaven – Sunbather
In recent years, I can think
of only a handful of what can be described as being black metal bands garnering
as much acclaim as Deafheaven did this year with their sophomore album, Sunbather. Like those bands, being Wolves In The Throne
Room and Liturgy, Deafheaven have earned it, and only by bending the genre with
so checkered a past in exciting, new directions, equally gaining and alienating
fans along the way. Black metal has long
been a DIY genre, purists claiming that lo-fi noise and corpse paint are not
only favorable but essential for any authentic black metal band to be even
noticed. Like punk rock before it (black
metal’s earliest modern ancestor), the genre had no choice but to evolve as the
bands expanded their interests and abilities, eventually drawing in influences
from various styles. Deafheaven draws
most of its influence from early-nineties shoegaze and post-millenial post rock
soundscapes while keeping the harsh, shrieking vocal delivery of their black
metal roots. Not settling for
mediocrity, Deafheaven changed the game significantly, from the album and song
titles to the minimalist pink cover art to the contents within. The songs are mostly epic pieces, running
well beyond ten minutes, hitting the pinnacle with album-closer The Pecan Tree, maybe the most stunning
long song released this year. I’ll admit
that I only gave it a spin when I started hearing the critical buzz, but I’m
glad I caught it in time for my own list, since I missed Wolves In The Throne
Room’s Celestial Lineage (to which I
think Sunbather resembles the most)
and Liturgy’s Aesthethica in time
for their respective year-end tallies.
16. Pelican – Forever Becoming
Chicago’s other post-metal
sons, Pelican, have followed a more turbulent path than their brethren Russian
Circles. First past the post with s run
of modern classics, starting with the self-titled EP, and back to back LPs Australasia and my personal favourite The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The
Thaw (which made my top three in 2005), Pelican recorded some of the most
striking instrumental tracks in recent memory, rightfully being labeled as
pioneers of the post-metal genres along with ISIS, Mogwai and Godspeed You!
Black Emperor. The follow up, 2007’s City Of Echoes, and their first
full-length on Southern Lord Records, 2009’s What We All Come To Need (which I really enjoyed), found the band
being dragged back down to earth, with critics singling out their drummer’s
questionable skills and a lack of focus in their songwriting as signs of cracks
in the armour. Still, they have
persisted in their craft and returned four years later with a bold
statement. The songs are still heavy,
the musicianship, now excluding founding member Laurent Debec showing no signs
of weakness. They released Deny The Absolute as a promotional
track, and it was a strong statement:
we’re dedicated and not messing around.
The songs are similar in length to their last few albums, but they seem
tighter and more focused this time around.
Pelican continue to claim mastery of a genre that has had its share of
growing pains, and as a trio, they are arguably stronger than ever.
17. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires Of The City
I was really happy to see
Vampire Weekend succeed so well with their third album this year, particularly
since it is trendy for critics and indie music snobs to distance themselves
from critical darlings three and four albums into their careers. Reviewers can equally build up and destroy
bands with their words, and I feared the worst for Vampire Weekend, more so when
lead single Diane Young dropped, so stylistically
different from the material they built their reputation upon with their first
two albums. I really enjoyed the Buddy
Holly-esque bop to that song, but what impressed me about Modern Vampires Of The City is the depth of maturity both musically
and lyrically. You can find this album
high up most year-end lists, most notably ranking #1 on both Rolling Stone and
Pitchfork’s year-end chart, and there is plenty of evidence to support those
claims. Album tracks Hannah Hunt and Don’t
Lie have received the most buzz from critics, while I prefer the single Step for it’s quiet groove. I think this record is stronger than Contra, but it isn’t without its flaws,
minor as they are. Ya Hey has the same world beat flavor they’ve done before, but it
just falls flat. Finger Back was kind of forgettable as well. Otherwise, it is a quality album, but not
quite strong enough to make my higher spots.
At some point, radio should give them their just due, because they have
earned it, and much quicker than many of their contemporaries.
18. Flaming Lips – The Terror
The Flaming Lips have tried
really hard to create music in the most unconventional means for the better
part of their thirty-year career, but the last few years they’ve completely
lost their marbles. Since 2009’s Embryonic, they’ve a) covered Dark Side
Of The Moon, and somehow managed to incorporate Henry Rollins and Peaches in
the process; b) released split EPs with Neon Indian and Prefuse 73, to mixed
results; c) released a compilation of duets with everyone from Yoko Ono to
Kesha, again with mixed results; d) released a continuous 6-hour long song; e)
released a continuous 24-hour long song; f) released music on flash drives
encased in various flavours of gummy candy-shaped skulls and fetuses, again with
mixed results. At some point, fans just
want a proper album, and while they’ve been arguably experiencing a high
creative peek, they seem to be releasing things just because they can. Substance still matters, and thankfully The Terror delivered. Still abstract by deed like Embryonic was, this album is more
focused, maintaining a somber, cold reality throughout. Wayne Coyne’s vocals are generally in his
higher register and are usually layered beneath the electronic programming. Unlike Embryonic’s
songs, which were more self-contained, The
Terror is a front-to-back listen, with Be
Free… Away and the 12 minute centerpiece You Lust really shining through.
I was a little disappointed that bonus tracks saw release in some
territories and not others, and the album itself wasn’t widely carried
either. As much as I enjoyed this album,
I found that emotionally it was an intense experience that required a certain
mindset. Still, it is well-executed, and
a worthy addition to their already bizarre discography.
19. David Bowie – The Next Day
While Davide Bowie hasn’t
released in album in almost a decade, the last few he recorded before this
lengthy hiatus didn’t much interest me, and felt somewhat tired. No surprise, given his dedication to his
craft and diversity throughout his three-decades-plus career. He most recently impressed me with his Earthling album in the nineties, when
he had fully embraced electronic and industrial music, collaborating even with
Trent Reznor before it became trendy to do so.
The Next Day, whose front
cover is modified from 1977’s masterwork Heroes,
is the sound of David Bowie at this stage in his life more inspired than he has
in almost fifteen years. His vocals fit
his songs better, and he is ever interested in pushing the boundaries, as best
evidenced by the startling title-track’s Catholic-infuriating video. The quiet moments (Where Are We Now, The Stars) are beautiful, and show Bowie the
class-act still able to bring down the house.
I had not expected to rank a Bowie album so highly so late in his
career, but here it is, leaving me hopeful that he can even continue to record
at such a high callibre.
Honourable
Mentions:
The following is a list of
the many albums released this year that were also impressive and worth checking
out. Some of these don’t qualify for my
list, being compilations, EPs, or live releases, but they’re still pretty
dandy. Some of these didn’t make my top
twenty just because I didn’t give them enough time, and some reached my
attention a bit late for proper consideration.
Who knows, maybe in a few months, some of them would have been top ten
material! Regardless, you would be well
advised to check them out if you find the time.
Jimi
Hendrix – People, Hell and Angels
Elvis
Costello and The Roots – Wise Up Ghost
Atoms
For Peace – AMOK
Savages
– Silence Yourself
Palms
– Palms
Sting
– The Last Ship
Monster
Magnet – Last Patrol
Elton
John – The Diving Board
Pearl
Jam – Lightning Bolt
British
Sea Power – Machineries Of Joy
Basia
Bulat – Tall Tall Shadow
Waxahatchee
– Cerulian Salt
Man
Man – On Oni Pond
Midlake
– Antiphon
Yuck
– Glow and Behold
Voivod
– Target Earth
Intronaut
– Habitual Levitations
Coheed
and Cambria – The Afterman: Descent
Iron
and Wine – Ghost On Ghost
Sigur
Ros – Kveikur
Dillinger
Escape Plan – One Of Us Is The Killer
Dream
Theatre – Dream Theatre
Death
Angel – The Dream Calls For Blood
Soulfly
– Savages
Foxygen
– We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic
Stryper
– No More Hell To Pay
Best
Coast – Fade Away EP
Flaming
Lips – Peace Sword EP
Cult
Of Luna – Vertikal II EP
Neil
Young – Live At The Cellar Door
Lorde
– Pure Heroine
Sky
Ferreira – Night Time, My Time
Charli
XCX – True Romance
Nine
Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks
Deerhunter
– Monomania
Grails
– Black Tar Prophecies Vol. 4-6
Eluvium
– Nightmare Ending
Queens
of the Stone Age - …Like Clockwork
Tim
Hecker – Virgins
Oneohtrix
Point Never – R Plus Seven
Jon
Epworth – Shop Sounds
Rebekah Higgs – Sha La La EP
My
Bloody Valentine – mbv
Chelsea
Wolfe – Pain Is Beauty
Disappointments :
Yeah
Yeah Yeahs – Mosquito: A
band I thought I could rely on, they came back with an underwhelming effort,
bogged down by the terrible lead single Sacrilege. They seem a long way from Maps or Gold
Lion these days.
Megadeth
– Super Collider: Bay
far the worst album they have ever released under the Megadeth name, and yes, I’m
including Risk in that tally. Call their comeback officially over.
Sleigh
Bells – Bitter Rivals: The
songwriting is infantile and directionless, and the charm of their unique sound
seems to be wearing off quickly.
Justin
Timberlake – The 20/20
Experience (both of them): The man
who may once have been the final hope for pop music came back after seven years
only to release… this?! If I want to
listen to disco/funk, I’ll listen to George Clinton. This album felt lazy.
Beck
–
Song Reader: While this would probably
be a decent album, I’d rather hear Beck actually record it, rather than
miscellaneous unknowns on YouTube.
Seriously, an album released only in sheet music form? Thankfully, a proper studio album is due this
spring.
Songs of the Year:
1.
Wild Belle – Keep You
2.
Alice In Chains – The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
3.
CHVRCHES – We Sink
4.
Daft Punk & Panda Bear – Doin’ It Right
5.
The National – Demons
6.
Jason Collett – Arlington
7.
Vampire Weekend – Step
8.
The National – Fireproof
9.
Austra – What We Done
10. F*ck Buttons – The Red Wing
“Hollaback Girl” Award for Worst Song of
the Year:
Named
in honour of Gwen Stefani’s mind-numbing track, this prestigious award is
handed out annually to the worst song that was actually popular.
Kanye West – Bound 2
There
were plenty of bad songs this year, but none came close to this inexplicable
work of utter nonsense. For a song to be
labeled a true ‘Hollaback’, it has to be completely awful in every aspect, and
Kanye’s Bound 2 is so bad, it may have actually invented new ways to suck. Kanye West has long been lauded as a master
of lyrcis and flow; how on earth does this song demonstrate anything remotely
close to skill in its lyrics or its delivery?
I can’t even say the melody is bad, because there is no melody to speak
of. It sounds like a handful of
unrelated sound clips cut and pasted together by an art student in his
bedroom. And then there’s the video,
which of course has to have him exploiting his socialite wife topless on a
motorcycle in front of an obvious green screen.
Everything about this song, which was the album closer on an album that
almost equally stunk, somehow was critically acclaimed and topped several major
year-end lists. Honestly, I’m tired of
this asshole and the cult of personality the media has built around him. He is vastly overrated, and someone needs to
holler out that the emperor is not wearing any clothes.
And
now, because neither Steven Tyler nor Aerosmith released anything this year…
An open letter to Sinead O’Connor:
Dear
Sinead,
Long
have I followed your career, and likewise defended your bold courage to anyone
who is willing to listen. I grew up with
your successful early albums, and was moved by your voice, not to mention your
single tear in the Nothing Compares 2U video.
I understood why you ripped up the Pope’s picture on SNL. I found that statement to be a wonderful
platform to protest the apathy of the Vatican toward sexual abuses in the
church. You were fearless when you quite
literally sacrificed your career in the defence of those who could not defend
themselves. You taught me that we all
have a social responsibility to help others first, and for that I hold you in
the highest esteem.
As a
young artist, you rebelled against the record industry by shaving your head and
wearing drab clothes, because you understood that popular culture wants women
to look and behave a certain way. You
wrote provocative songs about politics, war, love, loss, abuse, and
redemption. You refused to to allow the
American national anthem to be played before a show because you felt that
nationalism breeds hatred and war, and you were right. As years went by, you compiled a remarkable
discography, appeared on dozens of other artists’ songs, and continued to tour
around the world, speaking out against social injustice. As the sex abuses were brought into the
public, rather than appreciate the message you tried to deliver twenty years
ago, the world continued to view you as a pariah, a provocateur, and a trouble
maker.
In
recent years, you have been public about your personal struggles with mental
illness and depression. You reached out
to Miley Cyrus, after watching her transform rapidly into a confused,
irrational sex symbol for a troubled generation in dire need of a role
model. Sadly, this was a mistake. I read your open letter. You made no insults, only offering advice in
regards to how industry bosses abuse their young female talent. You cautioned her to be wary of older men
advising her to bare herself, simulate sexual acts, and objectify herself in
the name of her art. You know as well as
anyone that her handlers want a hit album, and they will have her do just about
anything to produce a bottom line. Miley
even admitted that she admired you, and why not? You are a fine role model for young women who
wish to portray themselves as strong, independent, and mature.
The
problem is, you can’t fix what doesn’t want to be fixed. Rather than listen to wise counsel, Miley
mockingly ripped you apart, making fun of your recent struggles with mental
illness, and even lashing out about Amanda Bynes, a troubled young actress who
did not deserve to be humiliated any further.
Miley acted no better than the ignorant sheep who burned piles of your
albums in the pack mentality of school-yard bullies.
After
all the shocking images, videos, and interviews, Miley Cyrus, that second
generation spoiled brat of questionable talent and moral fibre was actually
applauded for her responses to your letters.
What you don’t understand, Sinead, is that the world in which we
currently live, the Miley’s are the heroes.
We live in a world where tabloid news is more important than actual
news. Kids know who Paul Walker was, but
not Nelson Mandela. Teenage boys think
teenage girls have to act like the girls in porn. Girls think they have to lower themselves to
that standard in order to impress the boys.
The ‘blurred lines’ are a joke.
Pop culture fully endorses these kinds of behaviours, and Miley Cyrus
has developed a distorted view of what makes a young woman strong. Not everyone can do the things you have done;
not every girl would cut her hair or stand up to bullies like you did, but she
could choose role models with more substance.
We all knew that kid in class who was popular despite the fact they
picked on others. Miley is playing that
part.
It
was naïve to think that you could make a difference trying to use your experience
and understanding to help her understand the damage she has done. If only you could have heard the morning
radio show announcers laughing at you; it made me angry to hear them try to
actually defend Miley’s antics as strength.
All I see is another naïve little girl doing the ‘twerk’ dance for
perverted old men in suits waiting to get paid while she swings naked on
wrecking balls and licking hammers. She
looks desperate. Desperation is not a
sign of strength. But, like I said, you
can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. Take heart in the generation of young women --
real women with intestinal fortitude and intelligence, who have grown up with
your inspiration. It is these people who
will actually make a difference in the world, not some rich, snot-nosed kid who
feels she has to flip off the establishment and shake her ass in Robin Thicke’s
crotch. Write music, play for the crowds
that want to hear you, and if you must, counsel Amanda Bynes, who most
certainly would be more receptive to a helping hand than a foam finger.
Sincerely,
Brandon
That’s
the way I saw the world of music this year.
I hope you found something to hold close in 2013, and that the new year
brings you happiness, prosperity, and less Kanye West, because God (the real
one, not Kanye) knows we could use a break from that ignoramus. Cheers!
*
When I initially started writing The Hole In The Fence, I had envisioned music writing being woven in with essays and fiction, but early on I felt that the blog was best served to follow one style. I usually post my year-end music wrap-up in a Facebook note, but for whatever reason, I had trouble copying and pasting my word document into the note window. After timing out four times, I gave up and posted here so I could then forward it to Facebook, where most of my friends and family can acces it easily. However, my letter to Sinead is sort of an essay, and not entirely out of place in The Fence as it were. So, if you're reading this and you're not accustomed to seeing this side of my writing, I hope you enjoyed it. If you didn't, rest assured that The Fence will return to its regularly scheduled observational style in the new year.
