Top 10s For 2013

First of all, check out my radio station's top ten albums at ACRN.com. I work with some great people with very diverse and lovely music tastes. Keep an eye out for some other cool stuff we experienced this year that will be popping up. 

Personally, I think I preferred 2012 when it came to albums from artists that I already adored, but cheers to 2013 for being a year of new discoveries, side projects and artists on the rise. Here's a rundown of my favorite music that was released this year:

www.explodinginsoundrecords.com

Ovlov - am [Exploding In Sound]: I am so thankful to have stumbled upon this band in my late night, tired-eyed hunts for new music. Ovlov is the very best of buzzing rock delivered from some homies from Connecticut. The sound is unique, original (while influences are still clear) and intriguing. It’s the type of record I’ve been waiting for all of my life, and I didn’t even know I was longing for it. It is elating. Favorite Tracks: "Milk," "Blue Baby," "The Great Alligator," "Nü Punk," "Grapes" 

deafheavens.bandcamp.com

Deafheaven - Sunbather [Deathwish]: Super emotional, chilling and probably the best driving music ever. It stimulates the imagination, mine in particular. It became a very visual record, evoking fantasies and foggy memories that I’m not sure are real. Deafheaven’s screaming is delicate and fragile while still inflicting incredible power and pain. Favorite Tracks: "Dream House," "The Pecan Tree," "Please Remember"

www.pitchfork.com

King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath the Moon [True Panther Sounds]: Check out my post dedicated strictly to the King. This guy has it going on. Favorite Tracks: "Neptune Estate," "Baby Blue," "Out Getting Ribs," "Ocean Bed," "Easy Easy"

www.brooklynvegan.com

Their / They’re / There - Their / They’re / There [Polyvinyl]: For a band that’s just a side project for some really talented, established guys, I’m really surprised at how well this came together. But not really, because I’m pretty sure anything these guys do will sound good. This record is just as fun as I’m sure they all had making it. It’s what Evan Weiss, Mike Kinsella and Matthew Frank are good at, thrown together into one catchy-ass album. Favorite Tracks: "Their / They're / Therapy," "Concession Speech Writer," "Apocalypse"

petalpa.bandcamp.com

Petal - Scout EP [Run For Cover]: RFC just signed this little cutie from Pennsylvania in November and I am head-over-heels. The EP is too short and I’m looking very forward to anything else she comes out with. It kind of reminds me of Lemuria, except I never really got into that band, so I would say this is much, much better. Kiley Lotz’s high notes rule and I’m looking forward to having this on repeat well into 2014 and beyond. Favorite Tracks: "Comeback," "Left A Mark," "I'm Sorry"

crashofrhinos.bandcamp.com

Crash Of Rhinos - Knots [Topshelf]: Crash Of Rhinos’ 2011 release Distal is energetic and upbeat, and Knots follows suit, except with more diversity. The band slows its tracks down and adds a grungy component for a very well-rounded, exciting piece of work. Favorite Tracks: "Interiors," "Luck Has A Name," "Speeds Of Ocean Greyhounds," "The Reason I Took So Long"

www.pitchfork.com

Julianna Barwick - Nepenthe [Dead Oceans]: Julianna Barwick creates dreamy soundscapes perfect for a scenic film with snowy mountains contrasting clear blue skies. Her flawless voice loops around and around as various instruments build around it. Perfect background music to heighten any mediocre situation, or to fall asleep to as a soundtrack for a striking dream sequence. Reminds me of Hallow's Bastion in Kingdom Hearts II or a flying shot through Middle Earth. I'm a freakin' nerd. Favorite Tracks: "Pyrrhic", "The Harbinger," "One Half"

datpiff.com

SZA - S EP [TDE]: Absolutely incredible. What I would consider a mix of the best of hip hop and the best of ambient, with a mouth-watering R&B voice at the front. SZA was just signed by TDE and is a little different from her counterparts Ab-Soul and Kendrick Lamar, but just as big and just as booming. Favorite Tracks: "Ice Moon," "Castles," "Terror Dome"

www.metalinjection.net

True Widow - Circumabulation [Relapse]: It isn’t True Widow’s self-titled, but it’s still awesome. Dark, doomy tracks for the laziest of days and sleepiest of mornings. The kind of album you just listen to all the way through.

altpress.com

Balance and Composure- The Things We Think We’re Missing [No Sleep]: I’m not sure if it was freshman blues or whatever, but this record really hit me. I was not into the band before this album, but I over-played it like crazy after it was pushed on me by a friend. It will always be known as the record that I drove down to OU listening to on move-in day. (They made a documentary about the creation of the album, check it out) Favorite Tracks: "Keepsake," "I'm Swimming," "Parachutes," "Notice Me," "Tiny Raindrop"

~honorable mentionz~

Cloakroom - Infinity, Beach Fossils - Clash The Truth, Gucci Mane - Trap God 2, Local Natives - Hummingbird, Pity Sex - Feast Of Love, Into It. Over It. - Intersections,  Native - Orthodox, Iron Chic - The Constant One, Waka Flocka Flame - From Roaches To Rollies, Pet Symmetry - Two Songs About Cars. Two Songs With Long Titles., Kelela - CUT 4 ME, Kanye West - Yeezus, My Bloody Valentine - m b v

Tracks From Those Albums Among Other Jams:

“Vivid Dreams” - Owen: Mike Kinsella conjures up all pain and longing and soothes it in a way that only he knows how.

“Bank Head" - Kelela: A catchy, sexy party song. Not something to get everyone on the dance floor but enough to nod your head, sing a long and drink to. 

“Drawstring” - Pity Sex: Short and sweet, fuzzy and youthful. 

“I’m In It” - Kanye West: Dirty as hell. Extremely uncomfortable. I couldn’t stop listening.

“No Amount Of Sound” - Into It. Over It.: Sad. Slow. Pretty.

“Dream Journal” - Cloakroom: I did a whole lot of nothing this summer except stare at the ceiling. This song made that much more of an experience than it should have been. 

“No We're Not Actually” - Dads: The power in this song lie in the lyrics, and the build up, and I just love Dads. I'm a weirdo and I really like the complexity of hospitals and this song captures the beauty and pain lodged into every room.

“Anxiety’s Door” - Merchandise: A friend put this on a mix for me over the summer and I can’t get over how '80s it is. Very Meat Is Murder-esque: everything I am about.

“Lose My Breath” - Yuck: Yeah, it's not old Yuck. But this is a jam.

“Receiving Line” - Title Fight: As long as these guys keep putting out releases, I’m always going to find at least one song to overplay. 

"Love In A Cold World" - Beastmilk: Reminds me of Danzig. Into it.

"Curtain Call" - They're / Their / There

I'm sure there's stuff that I'm missing. Thanks for taking interest in my interests. Love ya. Sorry I never post, Sarah. I'm very lazy. 

--

By: Marlena Scott

Best Albums of 2013

Oh, a fresh post. Sorry, Marley and I have been on hiatus due to finals and lack of sleep. But I (Sarah) am going to share my top ten albums from 2013 to brighten your winter break and give you a viable excuse to take a break from Christmas music. Without further adieu, here are my personal favorite albums from this past year in alphabetical order because I am a weak son of a B and I can't rank/pick apart these albums.

http://www.amazon.com/

Arctic Monkeys – AM [Domino]: The Arctic Monkeys reestablished themselves as smooth sexy Brits with AM. This album was everything I was hoping and wishing for. Nothing beats Alex Turner cooing into your ear while he strums the guitar. Needless to say AM is heavily sexy infused with rock n’ roll and will be on repeat for years to come.

Favorite Tracks: "Snap Out Of It," "One For The Road," "I Wanna Be Yours"

http://www.amazon.com/

Best Coast – Fade Away [Jewel City]: Best Coast knows how to produce an EP. Fade Away if filled with punchy surf jams, which are perfect for listening to while reminiscing about sunny days. Or you could listen to the whole EP while alone in your room or in the car or in your friends’ car, it doesn't matter. Just listen to the EP because Bethany Cosentino’s voice will make your whole day brighter.

Favorite Tracks: "I Wanna Know," "I Don't Know How"

http://www.amazon.com/

Beyoncé – BEYONCÉ [Columbia Records]: There is only one woman, no, person, in the world who could crash iTunes by releasing an un-promoted album and that person is Beyoncé. She also outsold any female pop singer’s week album sales in 24 hours. Yeah so to saying her self-titled album is pretty worthwhile is an understatement. Beyoncé proves why her nickname is Queen B and BEYONCÉ will turn your cherry out (this sentence will only be funny once you listen to her song "Blow").
Favorite Tracks: "Blow," "No Angel," "Partition," "Rocket," "Superpower"

http://www.amazon.com/

Disclosure – Settle [Universal Island Records]: U.K. siblings Guy and Howard Lawrence created an album that is brimming with seamless dance tunes that have enough synth riffs and guest artists to keep party people going all night long. But Settle is more than just another dance album. It’s catchy and has enough substance to not be categorized as trashy club music.

Favorite Tracks: "Latch," "White Noise"

http://www.amazon.com/

HAIM – Days Are Gone [Polydor]: The Haim sisters gained a lot of hype before the release of their first album, Days Are Gone. A lot of well deserved hype because the sister trio of Este, Danielle and Alana pulled through. Days Are Gone is a mixture of pop hooks and rock n' roll that are strung together with clever lyrics.

Favorite Tracks: "My Song 5," "The Wire," "Falling"

http://www.amazon.com/

Laura Marling – Once I Was An Eagle [Ribbon Music]: Laura Marling’s voice is hypnotic and flows effortlessly from one track to the next in Once I Was An Eagle. This album is just a really solid and is a joy to listen to and is carried effortlessly from track to track by Marling’s smooth, creamy voice.  Basically I want Marling to sing me to sleep every night. 

Favorite Tracks: "Take The Night Off," "I Was An Eagle," "Master Hunter"

http://www.amazon.com/

Miley Cyrus – Bangerz [RCA Records]: Say what you want about Miley but Bangerz is heaven to the ears of pop fans. Miley revamped her sound a long with her image showing how committed she is to the new era of Miley. Or maybe the previous Miley was just a Disney produced image and the current new Miley is the real Miley, woah. Anyway, the media shouldn’t be harping about Miley’s new look if it’s helping her produce albums like Bangerz.

Favorite Tracks: "#GETITRIGHT," "Wrecking Ball, "My Darlin'"

http://www.amazon.com/

The National – Trouble Will Find Me [4AD]: Trouble Will Find Me is a tearjerker of an album. Filled with heartbreak and raw lyrics The National produces an audible emotional roller coaster. So when you're mentally brain dead and trying to write a college essay listening to this album will help you generate some minuscule emotion to emit to your writing. 

Favorite Tracks: "I Should Live In Salt," "Graceless," "I Need My Girl"

http://www.amazon.com/

Sky Ferreira – Night Time, My Time [Capitol Records]: Okay, yeah I have a huge fat girl crush on Sky but that’s not the reason Night Time, My Time made my top 10 list. Many years went into the making of Sky’s first full album. It’s catchy and edgy, showing a different side to Sky than her previous EPs. Sky proves that she has more depth than mass produced pop princesses in Night Time, My Time. It's just a bonus that she is a grungy babe. 

Favorite Tracks: "Heavy Metal Heart," "You're Not The One," "I Blame Myself"

http://www.amazon.com/

Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City [XL Recordings]: Vampire Weekend should be praised for their innovativeness. Ezra Koenig knows his way around a song. Modern Vampires of the City is chalk full of smart lyrics that fly under the radar because of Vampire Weekend’s quirky upbeat image. This album shows how much more they can offer to the music world and solidifies their presence at the top of the charts. Also go follow Ezra on twitter, you're welcome. 

Favorite Tracks: "Hannah Hunt," "Diane Young," "Finger Back," "Don't Lie"

--

By: Sarah Weingarten