Best Albums of 2013

[Egoiste]

Arctic Monkeys - AM
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Kanye West - Yeezus
Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience
Jay Z - Magna Carta Holy Grail
J. Cole- Born Sinner

 

[MulletProof]

i have to be honest,i tried to like reflektor but it just didn't suck me in. it felt a little too contrived….maybe even a little wannabe-esque. and i've listened to prior albums to much the same feeling.

yeah, I did love Funeral (haven't played it in years but it brings so many good memories) but the albums that followed it made it seem like they were overstretching/exploding one or two elements of the sounds that made them successful, I never really got around them... I feel like one thing that has improved (and it was somehow noticeable in The Suburbs for me) is their songwriting, it's more mature and possibly the only thing that's somehow 'cleaner', less pretentious than the style of music anyway... and I'll admit that with enough story-telling I can grow fond of even the sh*ttest music.

 

[TREVOFASHIONISTO]

Isles by Wild Belle. Must've showered to this blasting in my house at least 50 times this year... and seeing them live in the perfect summer setting (sunset + palm trees + free entrance) made the songs so memorable.

ive heard them live as well (on Valentines day), but the scenery sounds so perfect that you heard them play in. Im jealous

 

[Vega Magnus]

Shade Empire: Omega Arcane
Blood Ceremony: The Eldritch Dark
Purson: The Circle and the Blue Door
Ghost: Infestissumam
Altar of Plagues: Teethed Glory and Injury

And my number one album of the year is...

Avatarium: Avatarium

Source: iTunes

A brilliant piece of old school doom metal full of meaty riffs and fantastic vocals.

 

[La bordélique]

I always look forward to this topic, Scott! Also always curious about your taste in music, MulletProof, your comments always make me laugh.

My favorite album of 2013 is hands down, My Bloody Valentine - mbv. I never feel the need to skip a single song. The sounds of Kevin Shields's guitar are just perfection.

Arcade Fire - Reflektor. I'm glad they've moved on from the arena-rock Springsteen sound and experimented with new wave/disco on this one. I kind of saw it coming with 'Sprawl II' and with Win Butler doing random DJ gigs around town (as DJ Windows 95, lol). I don't think it's better than Funeral nor The Suburbs but it's still very good.
Paula - Relaxed Fit. A very strange and loud pop record I play when I have friends over. Can't always figure out the lyrics but that's OK.
Sean Nicholas Savage - Other Life. This is his BLUE/LOW album. Stark, sometimes scary it's so devastating, but beautiful.
Majical Cloudz - Impersonator. I feel proud to say I gave him a macaron this year.
Christopher Owens Lysandre acoustic version
Whenever I listen to these last 3 albums I feel like I'm invading their space because the lyrics are so personal and the instrumentation so minimal. It's a strange feeling but I enjoy it.

David Bowie - The Next Day. Because David Bowie.
After Dark 2 Compilation from Italians Do It Better. The track Warm In The Winter is excellent. The perfect NYE track for Montrealers, haha.
Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe. Really love the Malcolm McLaren vibes on this record. Also the chorus in 'It Is What It Is' is so, so catchy. I can imagine Mariah Carey singing that. Mariah SHOULD sing that.
Savages - Silence Yourself. They're often compared to Joy Divison and Siouxsie and the Banshees for obvious reasons, but I got hooked to them because their songs reminded me of Placebo and Suede, aka my highschool years. It's not particularly groundbreaking, but the nostalgia factor sucked me in.

 

[Lamia]

Hands down album "Muchacho" from Phosphorescent.

It's doesn't happen very often that I like every single song, but this album just bought me. "Song for Zula" is still my favorite after MONTHS of non-stop listening. There's something about Matthew's voice that brings all the emotions, and it actually feels like you are listening to a live band that is playing in your room.

 

[TimothyHughes]

Clockwork 2013 Mixmag Mix
Bad Boy Bill: Behind The Decks Radio Show - Episode 16

 

[VogueDisciple93]

Angel Haze - Dirty Gold

 

[jennifer~]

Tales of a GrassWidow was amazing.

 

[jgyn]

'Matangi', M.I.A.

 

[Tropical Maniac]

Brown Bird - Fits of Reason
Caro Emerald - The Shocking Miss Emerald
Joe Satriani - Unstoppable Momentum
Armin Van Buuren - Intense

 

[MichaelBrian]

David Bowie - The Next Day

David Bowie is amazing even now