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2013 was a great year for music with sites like Pitchfork and Metacritic singing the praises of everything from Kanye West’s Yeezusto My Bloody Valentine’s M.B.V.. With so many well regarded albums to choose from last year, it can be difficult to narrow down all the offerings to a ‘crème de la crème’list. That said, read on to find out what albums, across all genres and styles, made waves in 2013.
Sunbather
Sunbather, by metal rock Group Deafhaven, reaches a perfect balance of angry, bombastic metal sounds and ethereal, synthetic blur to be a genre-defining (or creating) album. Their music evades precise categorisation and is unique in its sound. What can be said with certainty is that the music is mesmerising, and will take you from introspective buzz to physically intense rage- all in the space of two songs.
M.B.V.
So it’s been 21 years since My Bloody Valentine released an album, and in that time they have made good on their promise to deliver a stellar follow-up album. With a dream-like focus that never lets up throughout the entire album, listeners’ attention is kept on high by the complicated nuances that underpin My Bloody Valentine’s trance-like aesthetic. Although My Bloody Valentine is credited for inventing an entirely new genre of music, this follow-up album proves that they can just as easily incorporate different musical styles into their work. The subtle hypnotism and alternating activity of this album makes it a must have if you’re in for some quality avant garde music this summer.
Modern Vampires of the City
This amazing album comes to us from the band Vampire Weekend, another top-notch offering from the group that rose to fame with catchy, melodic hits such as Cousins. In this album there is a maturation of the band and their musical style, and an emerging intellectualism keenly felt in layered tracks like Obvious Bicycle and Step. With an album that both contains individual gems and that impresses as a whole body of work, its definitely worth having a listen to what Vampire Weekend has put out these holidays!
Reflektor
The latest serving from a band that has produced some seriously thought-provoking music over the years, Reflektor continues on Arcade Fire’s tradition of lingering on some of the basic existential questions that underpin our everyday existence. It has been described as an album that continues on from previous works by the band, exploring questions of family heritage and how our individual identities relate to those of our forbearers. With a mix of time-honoured philosophy, modern-day social media references and a synth-pop, art-rock aesthetic, there is definitely enough in this album to keep you satisfied over the next few months, so head out and buy this masterpiece today.
Settle
So far, most of the albums we’ve discussed have been a mixture of alternative rock, metal and synth-pop arrangements. Now it’s time to move into the more nebulous, indefinable world of dance music, and specifically to the album Settle by Surrey Dance Duo Disclosure. Vibrant, lucid and expertly crafted, there’s a bright ambience that permeates the entire album when listened to, and it speaks to the earlier experiences of the duo as they rose through the English dance scene. What Settle does well is that it manages to blend the pop-aesthetic with a genuine, alternative dance feel, a feat the leaves listeners able to appreciate the adventurousness of the music while finding familiarity in the pop-elements of the album. For all dance heads out there, this album is essential listening as the heat gears up this January and February!
Michael Witkins is an arts student who knows his music and enjoys listening to new albums while studying. He secured a flexible loan from Flexirent in order to buy his share of quality albums this Christmas!
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