Last year, I carried the lone task of rounding up 50 of my favorite albums for Alt Citizen. This year, we’ve narrowed it down to 30, with staff writer Justin Owlett joining me to list our favorite releases of the year. We were able to do it pretty democratically, though we almost had a fist fight over what would make it into the top ten. Just kidding. But what we agreed on is that all of these artists and their music really inspired us in some way or other. Check out the full list below. Also feel free to yell at us over stuff we left out in the comments.
30. Bell X1 – Chop Chop (BellyUp)
This band fulfilled my Sad White Boy Music Crush in the same year that The National released a record; quite a feat for these Irish men. – A.M.
29. Kurt Vile – Wakin On A Pretty Daze (Matador)
More, and more focused, sprawling guitar rock from the king of meandering rock music. He’s really mastering his style. – J.O.
28. Toro Y Moi – Anything In Return (Carpark)
Chaz Bundick really hit his stride on
Anything In Return. It combines his sleek electronic skills with his pop inklings in a way he has never put together before. – J.O.
27. The Band In Heaven – Caught In A Summer Swell (Decades)
Youth is bittersweet, and so are these tightly-crafted dream pop songs that make me feel like a teenager again (in a good way). – A.M.
26. Anna Calvi – One Breath (Domino)
The album name feels like a good way to define Anna Calvi’s music. An intense combination of guitar and vocal chops that seem to crash together all at once. – A.M.
25. Danny Brown – Old (Fool’s Gold)
The first half of
Old does a great job of telling the gripping tale of Brown’s pre-fame life and the disconnect he feels from it in the present. And the second half bangs pretty hard too. – J.O.
24. Jon Hopkins – Immunity (Domino)
Dance music to soundtrack the apocalypse — or being one of the few survivors. – A.M.
23. Thee Oh Sees – Floating Coffin (Castle Face)
“I Come From The Mountain” gives you the impression of some sort of deity (or demon) literally chasing down a mountain. Thee Oh Sees’s garage rock doesn’t really let down from there. – A.M.
22. Speedy Ortiz – Major Arcana (Carpark)
In a year with massively successful bands with really shitty lyrics, it’s nice to have Speedy Ortiz intriguing me both lyrically and musically. – A.M.
21. Iceage – You’re Nothing (Matador)
You’re Nothing is loud, but it hides depth and rhythm in each song. It finishes as strong as it starts. – J.O.
20. James Blake – Overgrown (Republic)
Overgrown feels and sounds more mature and complete than anything Blake has done before. – J.O.
19. Dean Blunt – The Redeemer (Hippos In Tanks)
The always busy Dean Blunt decided to make a concept album.
The Redeemer is a spiraling album filled with vindictive emotions and beautiful compositions. – J.O.
18. Lorde – Pure Heroine (Lava/Republic)
I was sold on Lorde when I heard her covers of Kanye West and The Replacements. The “anti-pop star” certainly charmed me and I can’t wait to see what she does next. – A.M.
17. Disclosure – Settle (Cherrytree)
Buoyed by its impressive features list,
Settle contains some of the best and brightest dance music this year. – J.O.
16. Hunters – Hunters (Mom + Pop)
Hunters bring the loud and intense. Both on stage and recorded. – A.M.
15. Criminal Hygiene – CRMNL HYGNE (Small Smile)
It was at CMJ. It was at The Trash Bar. They were totally wasted and threw a banana into the crowd. I fell even more in love. – A.M.
14. Majical Cloudz – Impersonator (Matador)
A brilliant and emotional album that isn’t afraid to make you think. Does more with a minimalistic pallet than most albums do with a full range of sound. – J.O.
13. Laurel Halo – Chance of Rain (Hyperdub)
A more challenging listen than last year’s
Quarantine, but also a more rewarding one. – J.O.
12. Swearin’ – Surfing Strange (Salinas)
Surfing Strange is an eclectic album, filled with promise and catchy rock tunes. A building block to even greater things. – J.O.
11. Deafheaven – Sunbather (Deathwish Inc.)
I listened to this driving up to Niagara Falls. It’s the perfect soundtrack for the beautiful brutality of nature. – A.M.
10. Radical Dads – Rapid Realty (Uninhabitable Mansions)
No album has ever made me feel as nostalgic for all the different geographies of California as this one. – A.M.
What I think a modern rock record should sound like. Solid and charming songwriting that excels in both highs and lows – J.O.
9. King Krule – 6 Feet Beneath The Moon (True Panther Sounds)
Archy Marshall yowling “I keep my head down and my mouth shut / ’cause when you’re going through hell, you just keep going” proves he’s wise beyond his years. A Tom Waits for a generation that didn’t know it needed one. – A.M.
Six Feet Beneath The Moon is varied to the point that it’s almost unbelievable. It’s even more impressive when you factor in that Archy Marshall was 19 when it was released. – J.O.
8. Waxahatchee – Cerulean Salt (Don Giovanni)
Katie Crutchfield is an amazing lyricist and I’m really excited to see where she goes next. – A.M.
An intensely personal, but incredibly relatable record. Each song is a wonder in its own right. Simple, short, and to the point. Exactly how I like my records. – J.O.
7. Lady Lamb The Beekeeper – Ripely Pine (Ba Da Bing!)
Aly Spaltro’s guitar playing is beautiful, as are her lyrical turns from vulnerable to menacing. – A.M.
Ripely Pine is a miracle of tone shifts, timing, and pure skill. – J.O.
6. Porches. – Slow Dance In The Cosmos (Exploding In Sound)
One of the most memorable live moments this year came from Porches.’s Aaron Maine. He kept saying, “This is a song about being rich beyond your wildest dreams” before every song in their set. I doubt that’s what this lovely collection is truly about, but I can definitely see myself loving
Slow Dance In The Cosmos on the same level as Big Star or Chris Bell records in the years to come. – A.M.
My favorite storytelling in 2013 came on Slow Dance In The Cosmos. Songs like “Xanny Bar” and “Skinny Trees” have such beautiful lyrics that feel so unique they stand out against anything else this year. – J.O.
5. Radiator Hospital – Something Wild (Salinas)
The year’s greatest break up album. And that’s all I’m saying about that. – A.M.
Equal parts devastating and uplifting. One of the best relationship albums in recent memory. Has brought me to tears. – J.O.
4. Kanye West – Yeezus (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
It is hard to make people riled up, and Kanye never seems to fail. I remember going over the Williamsburg Bridge on the J train and me and three other people were definitely all listening to
Yeezus at the same time. Can anyone other than Yeezy make that happen? I doubt it. – A.M.
Yeezus pulled no punches. It was grating, combative, and most importantly, honest and proved that Kanye still has new tricks up his sleeve. -J.O.
3. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires Of The City (XL)
The best love letter to New York City Vampire Weekend has written, and they have quite a few. – A.M.
The most accomplished and cohesive release by Vampire Weekend so far. They have nearly perfected their brand of pop. – J.O.
2. Fear of Men – Early Fragments (Kanine)
This Brighton band may have just dethroned the King of Mope and Human Distaste himself (Morrissey) with this EP that almost didn’t make the list because we didn’t even know it was an EP until a few days ago. – A.M.
It may be short, but it packs an impressive amount of pathos. Fragments seemed focused on conveying how it feels to be belittled and looked over, and it delivered on this effortlessly. But there is a hidden power and confidence here as well that makes this album one of the best of the year. -J.O.
1. The So So Glos – Blowout (Shea Stadium/Votiv)
Blowout is a sheer delight to listen to every single time, and not because the songs themselves are “happy.” From the sneering “Son Of An American” to the downer scream-along “Island Ridin’” and the drunken fun of “Lost Weekend” the bros really know how to bottle youthful exuberance, rebellion, and impending end. – A.M.
Blowout is an album that makes you feel like you are hanging out with the band. It’s infectious, clever, and never stops. Even its slow and pensive songs are full of life. Most importantly, it is constantly excellent throughout it’s run time. From top to bottom, my favorite listen of 2013. It’s simply fun to listen to. – J.O.
