Joe Avary's Last-Minute Best-of List 2013:
The internet has changed the musical landscape for the better. Motivated listeners have shed the skin of the music consumer and emerged digging for the next sound from left field that will change their life. Beachcombing music blogs, Soundcloud and Bandcamp for something that will mean something.
I measure time in mix tapes. I made 29 of them in 2013, a tumultuous year from the get-go. Some new songs, some old songs. Some songs made the cut because they echoed a particular sentiment. Others had the sound, the feeling, the vibe that defined the mood or season I was trying to evoke.Â
2013 was not a lucky number for the author. Iâm limping to the finish, tattered and bruised, but the year was not without itâs highlights. I resolve, in addition to the obligatory new eating/exercise habits everyone makes, to move through lifeâs difficulties with grace and dignity.Â
With that, here are my 10 favorite albums of 2013:
#1 - CHRONICLES OF MARNIA - MARNIE STERN:
Iâve been a Marnie Stern fan since the first record. With a change of drummers came a slight change in sound, less frenzied and more song oriented. Everyone knows Marnie can shred, but she writes great songs too. âImmortalsâ and âYear of the Gladâ were standouts, but the entire album was a go-to on road trips or any other situation where I needed a reason to get the rock out.
#2 - MONOMANIA - DEERHUNTER:
I never really geeked out about Bradford Cox. Halcyon Digest was excellent, and I enjoyed my fair share of his Atlas Sound stuff, but I was never really on Team Brandon. That changed with Monomania, a straightforward rock album that spoke to me on a variety of levels. There are so many great songs on this album, but âSleepwalkingâ hits so close to home with themes of growing apart and letting go of hard feelings. Itâs an album thatâs still growing on me as we move into 2014.
#3 - CLASH THE TRUTH - BEACH FOSSILS:
My records indicate I added this album to my iTunes library last New Yearâs Eve. It was awesome then and itâs awesome now. Clash the Truth is a constant. So many changes happen every day, challenges come from out of nowhere. The speed of life is getting faster. Beach Fossils can keep up, and challenge the pace. Beach Fossils are surprisingly powerful in the live setting, playing hard and fast through their catalog barely taking a breath between songs.
#4 - BRASS - ROYAL BANGS:
Everything about this album is right on. The indie rock-god guitar phrasings, the big vocals, the pounding drums, the singalong choruses. Two suspender-clad bros mid-air in a messy high-five cover art is the most album-appropriate of the year. Every listen reveals nuances in the songs, dense with layers and thick sounds. âOrange Moonâ and âLaurelâ lead the pack with riffing. Other jams like â100 Yearsâ throb with post-punk tension and frenetic energy, but with a cognac-tipped taste of sweet soul.
#5 - CURIOSITY - WAMPIRE:
This album starts with my favorite track of the year. âThe Hearseâ had me at hello with the bass in my face, a mid-song breakdown with eerie feedback and cray-cray delay. The Wampire sound is fun, with little stylistic surprises at every turn. The even manage to pull of sexy with lines like âI just want to make love to ya all nightâ on the indie-soul slow-grind jam âMagic Lightâ. I caught them one July evening at Nashvilleâs Exit/In and came away a believer.
#6 - DAYS ARE GONE - HAIM:
How can you not like Haim? Three sisters with great songs and a lot of talent having a great time being a band. I had enjoyed their singles, but they really grabbed my attention on SNL. Big sister Esteeâs bass faces were pretty outlandish and hard to get out of my head. I watch their video for âThe Wireâ on YouTube, like, all the time. Everyone needs some breezy, feel-good pop to get them going, and I hope Haim can keep it coming.Â
#8 - MUG MUSEUM - CATE LE BON:
No album sounds warmer and cooler at the same time than this one by Cate Le Bon. It has the vibe of an instant classic, especially with the tight guitar playing and horn section featured on the opening track âI Canât Help Youâ. âNo Godâ and âAre you with me Nowâ are especially satisfying cuts, but some of the quieter songs on the back end of the album fail to command my interest.
Coming of age in 1990âs Omaha meant developing a love for the finest in cheap beer. Old Style was the swill of choice for those porch parties and basement shows, and I can truly say I am with them when they talk about their love for cheap beer. These guys sing about cocaine and dirty spoons everything else stashed in that suitcase of drugs. â5 to 9â could have been Lennon & Nilssonâs party rock anthem for their infamous lost weekend.
Honorable mention goes to Earl Sweatshirt, Polvo, Lee Ranaldo & the Dust, The Love Language, Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, The Men, Kelly Stoltz, and the unstoppable Ty Segall. These great artists all get a shout-out for making rad music and making my 2013 just a wee bit more bearable.
BONUS CUP - SHINY BACK CATALOG KUDOS:
Mudhoney has never sounded so good. I missed their reunion tour, but Iâve had cuts like âIn & Out of Graceâ from Superfuzz Bigmuff in heavy rotation. The remastering makes the bare-bones Sub Pop production sound big, nasty, and up-to-date. Screaming, wailing, and bent-string guitar freak-outs so bad-ass they practically have Truck Nutz swinging from them. Also worth revisiting, 1992âs Piece of Cake. Iâve been using âBlinding Sunâ as my wake-up tone for a few weeks now, and it has reduced my need for coffee.
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