The 111 Best Albums of 2013

Here it is, the 111 best albums of 2013…as voted on by YOU.  If you don’t like the list…change your listening habits.  Have a great 2014.

  1. Arctic Monkeys – AM
  2. The National – Trouble Will Find Me
  3. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
  4. The Arcade Fire – Reflektor
  5. Kanye West – Yeezus
  6. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City
  7. Haim – Days Are Gone
  8. David Bowie – The Next Day
  9. Jason Isbell – Southeastern
  10. CHVRCHES – Bones of What You Believe
  11. Foals – Holy Fire
  12. My Bloody Valentine – m b v
  13. Paul McCartney – New
  14. Burial – River Dealer
  15. Phoenix – Bankrupt!
  16. Lorde – Pure Heroine
  17. The Strokes – Comedown Machine
  18. Queens of the Stone Age – Like Clockwork…
  19. Okkervil River – The Silver Gymnasium
  20. Said The Whale – Hawaii
  21. Danny Brown – Old
  22. Phosphorescent – Muchacho
  23. Volcano Choir – Repave
  24. Empire of the Sun – Ice on the Dune
  25. The Field – Cupid’s Head
  26. Foxygen – We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors
  27. White Lies – Big TV
  28. A$AP Rocky – Long Live A$AP
  29. Sky Ferreira – Night Time My Time
  30. Drake – Nothing Was The Same
  31. Savages – Silence Yourself
  32. Olafur Arnalds – For Now I Am Winter
  33. James Blake – Overgrown
  34. Deerhunter – Monomania
  35. Paramore – Paramore
  36. Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP 2
  37. Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart
  38. Local Natives – Hummingbird
  39. Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks
  40. Peace – In Love
  41. Small Black – Limits of Desire
  42. Superchunk – I Hate Music
  43. Caitlin Rose – The Stand-In
  44. Disclosure – Settle
  45. The Civil Wars – The Civil Wars
  46. Chance The Rapper – Acid Rap
  47. Charli XCX – True Romance
  48. Mikal Cronin – MCII
  49. Fall Out Boy – Save Rock N Roll
  50. Atoms for Peace – Amok
  51. The Naked And Famous – In Rolling Waves
  52. Earl Sweatshirt – Doris
  53. Sleigh Bells – Bitter Rivals
  54. Autre Ne Veut – Anxiety
  55. Skylar Grey – Don’t Look Down
  56. Ra Ra Riot – Beta Love
  57. Nils Frahm – Spaces
  58. Cayucas – Bigfoot
  59. Eels – Wonderful Glorious
  60. Everything Everything – Arc
  61. Front Bottoms – Talon of the Hawk
  62. Kisses – Kids in LA
  63. King Krule – 6 Feet Beneath The Moon
  64. John Moreland – In The Throes
  65. The O’s – Thunderdog
  66. Panthu Du Prince and Bell Laboratory – Elements of Light
  67. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – S/T
  68. Calexico – Spiritoso
  69. Tedeschi Trucks Band – Made Up Mind
  70. Lonely Forest – Adding Up The Wasted Hours
  71. Streetlight Manifesto – The Hands That Thieve
  72. Pearl Jam – Lightning Bolt
  73. Neko Case – The Worse Things Get
  74. Avicii – True
  75. Beyonce – Beyonce
  76. Bill Callahan – Dream River
  77. M.I.A. – Matangi
  78. Hookworms – Pearl Mystics
  79. Franz Ferdinand – Right Thoughts Right Words Right Action
  80. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Push The Sky Away
  81. The Beatles – On The BBC Volume 2
  82. The Knife – Shaking The Habitual
  83. J. Cole – Born Sinner
  84. Frightened Rabbit – Pedestrian Verse
  85. Shearwater – Fellow Travelers
  86. Gov’t Mule – Shout!
  87. The Deer Tracks – The Archer Trilogy Pt 3
  88. Deafheaven – Sunbather
  89. Yo La Tengo – Fade
  90. Tegan & Sara – Heartthrob
  91. New Order – Lost Sirens
  92. Eisley –  Currents
  93. Panic! At The Disco – Too Weird To Live,Too Rare To Die!
  94. Half Moon Run – Dark Eyes
  95. Blood Orange – Cupid Deluxe
  96. Jay-Z – Magna Carta Holy Grail
  97. Juliana Barwick – Nepenthe
  98. The Lone Below – The Lone Below
  99. Lanterns on the Lake – Until The Colours Run
  100. Renaissance – Grandine Il Vento
  101. Patty Griffin – American Kid
  102. Bells> – Fundamentals
  103. Anna Calvi – One Breath 
  104. Leagues – You Belong Here 
  105. Night Beds – Country Sleep 
  106. Hiss Golden Messenger – HAW 
  107. Lights – Siberia 
  108. Daughter – If You Leave 
  109. Air Marshal Landing – You Used To Be Me 
  110. Austin Lucas – Stay Reckless 
  111. Tom Morgan – Orange Syringe

The 55 Best Albums of 2013 (12-22)

Part 4 of our countdown.  We still your picks for best albums of 2013.  Send them in via email or put them in the comment section below.  Send in your top 20…if you can’t think of 20…any number will do.

And buy our book, The 111 Best Music Lists of the 2000s.

Here are the 55 Best Albums of 2013 (12-22):

12.  Sky Ferreira – Night Time My Time
13.  Jim James – Regions of Light
14.  Phoenix – Bankrupt!
15.  Franz Ferdinand – Right Thoughts Right Words Right Action
16.  A$AP Rocky – Long. Live. A$AP
17.  Midlake – Antiphon
18.  Late Night Alumni – The Beat Becomes A Sound
19.  Capital Cities – In A Tidal Wave Of Mystery
20.  Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of The City
21.  Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP2
22.  When Saints Go Machine – Infinity Pool

Buy these and more albums of 2013…now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Vampire Weekend

Read an interesting article that the “foodie craze” is killing the “music industry.”  They don’t give a lot of proof of that and basically correlate that it’s happening is as the food truck craze has risen, album sales have decreased.  Besides that not actually being true…there is a similarity between the two groups.  There is a rock star like quality behind some of the best food trucks.  Big foodies are always on the search for the next big thing…and it’s really important that they get to it before their friends.  If they do, then it’s even more important that they be the one to introduce their friends to the new food establishment.  People will wait hours to get a taste of a spicy ramen dish or a Mexican falafel or a latke taco.  T-shirts for niche restaurants are becoming popular…but only if you went there.  I saw one guy get ridiculed for wearing a Kogi shirt and had no idea what that was.  Can you imagine…foodie bullies?!  Food trucks are definitely the punk rock of restaurants and if you’re don’t have Mojo Nixon…then your store could use some cajun fixins…with a side of pig brain mayo (that’s a real thing…I’ve had it…and it’s delicious).

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Vampire Weekend:

  1. M79 (Vampire Weekend)
  2. I Stand Corrected (Vampire Weekend)
  3. Giving Up The Gun (Contra)
  4. Oxford Comma (Vampire Weekend)
  5. Holiday (Contra)
  6. A-Punk (Vampire Weekend)
  7. Jonathan Low (Twilight: Eclipse)
  8. Horchata (Contra)
  9. Ladies of Cambridge (Mansard Roof)
  10. Walcott (Vampire Weekend)
  11. Giant (Contra Bonus Track)

Buy Vampire Weekend’s new album, Modern Vampires of the City…now!

 

The 11 Best Songs of the Year (so far):

I’m a sucker for a request.  And I’m a sucker for making lists.  Had no intention of doing this…but if the fans want it…then…

 Here are the 11 Best Songs of the Year (so far):

 1.  I Was A Teenage Anarchist Against Me! (White Crosses)

2.  25 To Life – Eminem (Recovery)

3.  Odessa – Caribou (Swim)

4.  Soft In The Center – The Hold Steady (Heaven Is Whenever)

5.  You Wanted A Hit – LCD Soundsystem (This Is Happening)

6.  Giving Up The Gun – Vampire Weekend (Contra)

7.  Valleys of Neptune – Jimi Hendrix (Valleys of Neptune)

8.  End Love – OKGo (Of The Blue Colour of The Sky)

 9.  Can’t Hear My Eyes – Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti (Before Today)

10.  Flash Delirium – MGMT (Congratulations)

11.  The Fourth Night of Drinking – The Drive-By Truckers (The Big To-Do)

 Buy any of the great releases from 2010 and more!

The Unknown: Vampire Weekend – Daytrotter Sessions

 
My kids love new toys.  In fact, the newer the toy the better.  In fact, the anticipation of getting the toy is almost better than actually getting the toy.  In fact, looking at the toy in the store with the anticipation of buying it may be the best feeling to them.  About a year ago, my daughter saw this toy in Target and squealed just to see it.  So I let her play with the box.  She stared at it.  Giggled at it.  Screamed with excitement.  She wanted to open and play with it so bad, I thought she might just explode.  Of course, being the loving father, I am, I bought her the toy.  She held it in the car the whole way home.  Talking to it.  Smiling at it.  Then we got home.  I opened it, took it out of the box.  Gave it to her.  She looked at it for about 5 seconds, then went to play with something else.  She’s never touched it again. 
 
What is our obsession with new things?  Even as adults we are constantly searching out the next best thing…when at the end of the day…we’d rather go back to an old favorite.
 
Vampire Weekend’s second album, Conta, is out today.  Buy it now at our store for only $3.99.
Here is Vampire Weekend’s Daytrotter Session:
 
1.  Bryn
3.  M 79
 
Buy Vampire Weekend’s new album, Contra.  (Only $3.99 this week only!  Only!)