The obligatory “Best of 2013” list. Not going to lie though, I’ve been compiling this since the start of the year….. (In no particular order, by the way):
Parquet Courts – Light Up Gold
Brooklyn-based, high energy rock. This record is great, and the singer reminds me of a young Thurston Moore
Jacco Gardner – Cabinet of Curiosities
Quite possibly my favorite record of the year. Syd Barrett-era chamber pop/psychedelic beauty from a young man from the Netherlands. An incredible record.
Minks – Tides End
Sunny pop from the Captured Tracks label. This record reminds me of all the “modern rock” I used to hear on 120 Minutes in the early 90’s. Just feel good, catchy shit.
Jonathan Snipes & William Hutson – The Music of Room 237
Great soundtrack to an OK movie about the conspiracies surrounding Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. Classic movie score music, and there’s a great little interview I did with these guys right here. You can also buy the beautifully-packaged vinyl version of this via Light in the Attic right here.
Rob – Maniac (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Amazingly, not one but TWO soundtracks made my Best Of 2013 list this year. I didn’t HATE this Elijah Wood-starring remake of the classic B-movie horror film, but once again, the music stood out to me. Super dark, super synthy, and very 80’s sounding.
The Delfonics – Adrian Younge Presents the Delfonics
Adrian Younge (yeah, the dude who put together Ghostface’s “Twelve Reasons To Die” LP) brought back the Delfonics, and it’s great. William Hart’s voice is still an acquired taste, but if you’re into it, you’ll love this record.
David Lynch – The Big Dream
I’ve said it before, but it makes me happy that David Lynch can make great films AND great music. There’s definitely something to be said about that. Like his films though, his records need to be heard in their entirety to really be appreciated as the piece of art that they are. Just posting one song as a preview on here is not going to do the record justice. Check out the whole thing, start to finish.
Jonathan Bree – The Primrose Path
I don’t know much about this guy. He’s from New Zealand, and my friend Aaron put me up on this record. Mellow pop with great sounding snare drums. Think dry sounding drums a la Air or Beck’s Sea Change record. So good.
Honorable mentions:
K-X-P – “Easy (Infinity Waits)”
Wampire – “The Hearse”
Cayucas – “Will The Thrill”
Fuck Buttons – Slow Focus LP
Arcade Fire – “Reflektor” (just the song, not the record)
Fulgeance – Cubes LP
The Cloak Ox – “Yesterday’s Me”
Dosh – Milk Money LP
