Stepmaniac's Top 50 Of 2013
Best year of music I've ever seen. GOOD JOB MUSICIANS |
| 50 |  | The World is a Beautiful Place...
Whenever, If Ever
Twisty, layered emo-rock patched together from scrapbook memories; every time I listen to this album I get too lost in the flow
of ideas to get a good grip, but this album is one to stick with for sure. |
| 49 |  | Admirers
Involuntary Memory
Admirers writes synth-pop for aimless nights spent wandering through dim alleyways and empty playgrounds. Listen for the joy
lurking in every corner. |
| 48 |  | Trent Dabbs
The Way We Look At Horses
Introspective material from a skilled singer-songwriter with surprising staying power, thanks to the album's strong sense of place
and its abundance of hooks. The radio-ready "She's My Destination" and the brooding, powerful "Midnight Walls" are the obvious
standouts, but every song has something to offer. |
| 47 |  | Sigur Ros
Kveikur
I remember blasting this nonstop during midterm season, and for that if nothing else it deserves mention here. Sigur Ros has a
way of taking dark motifs in cathartic directions, and even in Kveikur's heavier moments there is a surprisingly graceful touch. |
| 46 |  | CHVRCHES
The Bones of What You Believe
This wasn't my favorite pop release of the year, but just about every song is good and there's a washed-out aesthetic to the
entire album that stuck with me. My favorite track is buried at the very end: "You Caught The Light," compelling in its stark
emptiness. |
| 45 |  | Charli XCX
True Romance
Icona Pop got all the hype this year (and not undeservedly so), but it shouldn't be long before Charli XCX gets her day in the
limelight: the "I Don't Care" guest vocalist is just as good delivering oodles of sass and charm on an eclectic debut that never
stops surprising. |
| 44 |  | Blitz Lunar
Triptunes
Favorite chiptune album of the year: a game of genre roulette absolutely packed with ideas. The opening trilogy of "You Time,"
"You Show," and "You Universe" alone touches on more than most artists can reach in an entire album. Strap yourselves in and
go spelunking, brave explorers. |
| 43 |  | Vicky Cryer
The Synthetic Love Of Emotional Engineering
This has grown off me a bit from the beginning of the year, but it's still a wicked good ride with some of the dirtiest pop-rock
tunes in recent memory. |
| 42 |  | Serph
el esperanka
Thank you to my friend Logan for introducing me to Serph: the Japanese electronica artist offers up textures and rhythms
galore on his new album el esperanka. The title is a combination of the Egyptian word for "key of life" and the Spanish word for
"hope," and beneath the album's chilly vibe there's a sense of hope nestled in Serph's bustling soundscapes: the angelic chorus
rising in the background of "shift," the sparkling xylophones brushing up against chaotic piano chords on "ankh." |
| 41 |  | Willy Mason
Carry On
Folk for the impending apocalypse; ashes blowing over scorched skies, Mason's burnt voice reflecting on the ruins over campfire
guitar and barren drum programming. |
| 40 |  | Jordan Klassen
Repentance
Jordan Klassen's music is so adorably sweet it could be packaged and sold in bakeries, but he infuses each song with a
vulnerability that sticks with me even after I lick the powdered sugar off my fingers. |
| 39 |  | Justin Timberlake
The 20/20 Experience
For some reason, 2013 was the year for pop stars of yesteryear to drop albums out of nowhere and scare the lights out of all of
us (see also: Beyonce, Fall Out Boy). When the result is an album as ambitious and exciting as this, though, I'm not complaining. |
| 38 |  | Misha Mishenko
strakur sem spilar meo vindi
Like many aspiring writers, I take the weather far too seriously; this album sounds exactly like that moment in late March where
you see the first flowers peeking out of the sidewalk concrete. |
| 37 |  | Ariana Grande
Yours Truly
"Our next Mariah Carey is here," everybody rejoiced as Ariana Grande made her debut in September, but Ms. Grande is more
than some diva's mini-me. On Yours Truly, she is wide-eyed 90s revivalist ("Baby I"), snarky songstress ("Piano"), and raver in
prom getup ("Better Left Unsaid"), and she's compelling in every role. |
| 36 |  | Marques Toliver
Land of CanAan
Toliver has an absolutely beautiful voice, but his strength is in how he uses it to bridge classical music and more modern sounds. |
| 35 |  | Little Suns
Normal Human Feelings
Adventurous, spirited folk music with the scope of a world-class band in the making. |
| 34 |  | Migrant Kids
Migrant Kids
2013 was kind of the year where I came to terms with my love for emo-rock, and albums like Migrant Kids' debut made that
transition all the more natural. A force of nature. |
| 33 |  | The Sounds
Weekend
Weekend is refreshing, both as a return to the basics of rock and as an expansion of that sound. |
| 32 |  | IU
Modern Times
My choice for Korean-pop album of the year, Modern Times transcends its influences: its showtune spirit evokes days long
gone, but the way IU delves into romance, nostalgia and maturity is timeless, grounding her fairy-tale tunes in something
heartfelt and real. |
| 31 |  | Beyonce
Beyonce
Thanks, Beyonce. Not just for dropping your motherlode two weeks before the end-of-the-year, ruining the list I had just
managed to finalize, but also for knocking me off my feet with some of your most honest, bold and moving songs to date. We
treat you as a symbol of success, femininity and power, but here you become something far more compelling: a flesh-and-bone
human being. |
| 30 |  | Maria Mena
Weapon in Mind
Maria Mena is a fine singer-songwriter, but Weapon in Mind's prime strength is that it makes no effort to sound like a singer-
songwriter album. It wears its electronic influences on its sleeve, and Mena gives Popeye a run for his money with her mouth
(in
fact, one of the album's best songs is the gleefully empowering "Fuck You"). It's at times jarring, synthetic, ugly; the sound
of a
young woman working through her issues in detail. Yet it also leaves moments for comfort, for grace and redemption and
healing; the takeaway is that happiness may be hard, but it is never out of reach. |
| 29 |  | Janelle Monae
The Electric Lady
You are so fab, Janelle Monae. You never let anybody stomp on your happiness; you dance all over anybody who dares rain on
your parade. Everything you release is a bit of a doozy, but I love every second of this album and I'll be back for more soon. |
| 28 |  | ON AN ON
Give In
How can something so sad sound so beautiful? |
| 27 | | Shnabubula and Gabe Terracciano
Americana Dawn
Ever dream of being a settler on the American frontier? It's too bad, but at least there's this badass improvisational orchestral
album to indulge your imagination. It's a rearrangement of an upcoming RPG soundtrack, so you know it's going to be epic. It's
also free. |
| 26 |  | Brother Dege
How To Kill A Horse
How To Kill A Horse is as gruesome as its title suggests, but Brother Dege has a way with words and a scorched-earth voice
that holds me rapt. |
| 25 |  | Rare Monk
Sleep/Attack
I'm a sucker for any band that finds innovative ways to use orchestral instrumentation, and Portland indie-rock Rare Monk is one
of the most interesting hybrids I've heard this year. Here the strings burst into each song with violent abandon, sweeping me
into a crushing embrace. Absolutely stunning. |
| 24 | | Lights & Motion
Save Your Heart
Very good post-rock album: heavy on the emotion but never contrived. This has gotten me through some cold nights. My
review here. |
| 23 |  | The Como Brothers Band
Baby Steps
Pop that is as poppy as pop can be, but it pops (I'm sorry and I'll stop now) thanks to some great songwriting and two brothers
who play off each other wonderfully. A debut album is always hard to land, but Baby Steps is so relaxed and likable that it wins
me over completely. |
| 22 |  | Streetlight Manifesto
The Hands That Thieve
Songs for future uprisings. Great to have this band in my life. |
| 21 |  | CFCF
Outside
CFCF composes songs that tap into something visceral, even as their murky production and sound betray little. His patience and
faith in the listener's intelligence pays dividends on this thoughtful, haunting release. |
| 20 |  | Grandchildren
Golden Age
An album of sparkling orchestral pop gems; beyond that I cannot say much, but Golden Age is definitely intriguing and I'll be
revisiting it. |
| 19 |  | Enemies
Embark Embrace
Absolutely joyful math-rock, bursting with interesting rhythms and atmospheric passages. Enemies deliver every rowdy riff,
moody motif and crushing climax with precision, but the feeling never gets lost in the formula. |
| 18 |  | Campfire OK
When You Have Arrived
Campfire OK's understated folk music grows on me with every listen. This album's psychedelic sound may be spooky, but it's also
wonderfully warm, with a great collective of voices at its center and some unexpected moments of catharsis. |
| 17 |  | Winter Dust
Autumn Years
Autumn Years is one of the best post-rock releases of the year, blending hook-heavy songwriting with gruff rock vocals and
gritty, gorgeous instrumentation. |
| 16 |  | Fall Out Boy
Save Rock and Roll
This album earns points just for being so out-of-left-field, but taken on its own it's a sincere, passionate call to arms for all fans
of pop-rock with everything from soaring stadium anthems ("The Phoenix") to poignant love songs ("Just One Yesterday"). Fall
Out Boy does everything here and does it very well. |
| 15 |  | OneRepublic
Native
Waking Up was an experiment in minimalism, stripping OneRepublic down to the bare basics and pushing the importance of
songwriting: the practice pays off on Native, which effortlessly straddles the line between candlelight intimacy and pop power. |
| 14 |  | Pentatonix
PTX Vol. II
I make no secret of my love for Pentatonix here, and here the superstar quintet from Texas does just what it's always done: it
makes acapella music dynamic, playful, and plain cool. |
| 13 |  | U137
Dreamer On The Run
In a fantastic year for post-rock releases, U137 debuted with one of the best. Dreamer On The Run is as serene as a secluded
lake, but a closer look reveals ripples on the surface and a thriving, colorful ecosystem of sounds underwater. |
| 12 |  | Air Review
Low Wishes
The wonderful thing about Low Wishes is how evocative it is; I found myself thinking of everything from Cloud Atlas to my first
crush. Though the album's thematic focus is on youth and growing up, I have no doubt that everybody who listens will find
something to relate to, whether the gorgeous, precisely-crafted pop tunes or the poetic lyrics. |
| 11 |  | Snowflake
We All Grow Toward The Sea
Snowflake handles brooding melodies and textures with a surprisingly deft hand, producing songs impressive in scope and sound
while showing off unexpected dynamic range, colorful instrumentation, and razor-sharp hooks. We All Grow Towards The Sea
rages with the force of a hurricane, but it's at its best when it's creating new sounds from its sonic devastation. |
| 10 |  | The Dear Hunter
Migrant
Maybe my lack of expectations (this is the first album I've heard from The Dear Hunter) allows me to be more generous, but
Migrant knocks me off my feet. It's not a grand concept album, like The Color Spectrum was, or even particularly ambitious; it's
just twelve songs about stumbling and picking yourself back up again. Casey Crescenzo's vocals have a creeping urgency to
them, and there isn't a song here where he doesn't rattle my bones. |
| 9 |  | Haiku Salut
Tricolore
Instrumental trio Haiku Salut's debut isn't wanting for personality: the group packs in a street orchestra's worth of
instruments and genres over twelve tracks. What I appreciate most about Tricolore, though, and what makes it more than
the sum of its parts, is a small bookend: the album opens with "Say It," a haunting melody played on a warbly synth
keyboard, and closes with a response--"No, You Say It"--where the melody recurs before spinning out of control into a
euphoric four-on-the-floor dance ditty. In its wild ambition, Tricolore isn't just trying to be unique; it's razing old conventions
to the ground and making way for new ones. |
| 8 |  | Hellogoodbye
Everything Is Debatable
Hellogoodbye has always written happy songs with sad subtexts; even when Would It Kill You? was charging its way into my
prepubescent heart, I still picked up on something troubling. The band's latest album, Everything Is Debatable, gets more
explicit: even as its Technicolor sound has been beefed up with electronic flourishes, lines like "All we are disintegrates" sneak
their way into the album--and that's just the first song. Nothing quite sticks with me as much as the chorus of the title
track, though, where Kline cries out "It's just an arbitrary line that we dance," with a hint of desperation while the song itself
bursts into joyful refrain. The underlying implication is that perhaps bursting into joyful refrain is the best we can do. |
| 7 |  | Thao With The Get Down Stay Down
We The Common
I commute (or rather commuted) to my high school via bus: every morning I stared out the window and watched buildings I
knew but had never entered and people I would probably never cross paths with again. For much of March, my soundtrack
was Thao & The Get Down Stay Down's "We The Common (For Valerie Bolden)," which opens the album of the same name.
The song begins focusing on Thao Nguyen's worn voice, but soon it blooms into a communal cry of heartbreak--but also of
resilience. This isn't your typical folksy singer-songwriter fare: each song here is scratched around the edges. The heart of
the album, however, is its affection for people, perhaps best expressed in "City," where Nguyen offers harsh reflections on
urban life behind a dirt-stained wall of guitar fuzz, booming drums and xylophone tinkles before extending an offer of
redemption: "Rest and be strong, wash and be clean, start a new year whenever you need." |
| 6 |  | The Boxer Rebellion
Promises
We grow up stacking hurt upon hurt; each betrayal, heartbreak and loss leaves us with scars and thicker skin. Sometimes it
feels like maturing is a defensive process, stacking rocks around ourselves to keep from being let down again. But maturing is
also about letting our walls down, about learning to put trust in people, about learning to take the hits life deals us with
grace and to keep moving forward. The Boxer Rebellion has been around for a while, but Promises resonates more with me
than any work it's put out to date. There is a quiet power to how it opens up, letting the pain in, but ultimately bends back
towards the light. |
| 5 |  | Morningbell
Boa Noite
It's been a good nine, ten months, and Boa Noite still puts me at a loss for words. I've tried before, but here's the closest I can
get right now: a thirty-eight minute expedition for tropical treasure off the coast of Florida, the moon peeking through emerald
water the color of her eyes. Creatures coming out to play underneath a perfect summer night. Still confused? Just give it a
listen. You'll have to hear it to believe it. |
| 4 |  | Farewell Fighter
Challenges
I started high school listening to Farewell Fighter's EP The Way We Learn; I ended it listening to Challenges, which adds six
new songs onto the former release. Though the prospect of a debut album where half the songs were already out two years
ago sounds awful on paper, it works wonderfully here. I go back to the songs that got me through freshman year: the song
about wanting to be a sports star or an astronaut but having no idea how to get there; the song about not knowing whether
this tingling in your spine is love or lunacy. I go to the songs that I am learning to sing along to: the song about waking up
completely pissed-off at the world, determined to tear it apart and rebuild it from the bottom-up; the song about falling back
into bad habits even as you're completely aware of what you're doing. Here, however, instead of being neatly organized into
boxes labeled PAST and PRESENT, the songs bleed into one another, and only when the album ends do I realize that while
high school may be over, growing up never really ends. |
| 3 |  | 65daysofstatic
Wild Light
Wild Light opens with a grim warning: "Nobody knows what is happening. Nobody knows what is happening. There is a lot of
danger out there, okay?" But the dystopian tale woven here is told completely in sounds: in the flowering explosion of "Heat
Death Infinity Splitter," a volley of synths setting desert skies ablaze; in the claustrophobic rising action of "Black Spots,"
skittering snares dashing over stairs, under bridges, through tunnels before stumbling over themselves; in the brief flickers of
hope illuminated in "Taipei" before "Unmake The Wild Light" brings about nuclear devastation. Whether 65daysofstatic admits
it or not, its music has always been political (after all, it is named after a Guatemalan uprising instigated by the CIA), but
here it proves, as it always does, that it can speak volumes without uttering a single word. |
| 2 |  | Dorena
Nuet
Dorena finds truth in the smallest moments, and it was in the nooks and crannies of my everyday life that Nuet snuck up on
me. Play it often; play it everywhere. Play it in the library as you lose yourself in a good book. Play it as you hide under your
sheets past midnight as the rain pounds against your window. Play it as you walk through the city gazing up at the trees,
shades of red, yellow and orange shielding you from above. This is not a trek into some dust-filled corner of somebody else's
history; this is an ever-changing journey through your now as it unfolds in front of you. Nuet may not make the biggest
impression, but it contains worlds in the palm of its hand. |
| 1 |  | Typhoon
White Lighter
Every time I try to write about this fascinating, odd, wonderful album, I grasp for the right words, but maybe that's how it
should be. The older I get, the more I realize that the best works of art are never self-contained. No, they evolve right along
with me, revealing new insights with each return. Even after forty listens, I've yet to uncover everything, but this much I know:
White Lighter is the best album of 2013. |
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