Wow. This was painful. I tried to describe as many of these as I could without resorting to copy/paste from record labels, ‘zines or blogs, but eventually we all start to fatigue. Sure, it’d be nice to look all respectable with one-hundred totally unique and informative descriptions of these albums, but I don’t have that kind of time or journalistic ability. Hell, I probably put ten hours into this and that’s nine more than I should have. Next year I might just give you a ranked list with some MP3s and no descriptions. That’s what other blogs do. You should consider yourselves lucky that I don’t just slap a Soundcloud player here with a picture of the front cover of each album and make you figure out for yourself what you’re listening to.
Several labels appear multiple times this year. I think the final tally was something like:
• Thrill Jockey – 6
• Drag City – 5
• Kranky – 6 (but 5 in the top 30!)
• Sacred Bones – 5
• Relapse – 4
Good job, record labels. You put out lots of albums I liked this year.
Alright kids, look at this as if it’s a naked chick with her legs spread out before you. Everything is yours for the taking. You can seek these records out and buy them, you can download them from iTunes or Amazon, you can do whatever the fuck you do to consume music. Just make sure you respect the artists enough to pay for their work. Hell, I feel weird just posting single MP3s from less than 1/4 of these albums, but if I didn’t do that you’d have no idea how awesome these records are. And they are all awesome.
And don’t even thinking about pointing out any typos. I don’t want to hear it.
The Top 100 Albums Of 2013
100. Cass McCombs – Big Wheel And Others (Domino) – In my mind this is the strongest album he’s recorded since PREFECTION. It’s a natural, modern-sounding folk record that might be a wee bit too long (85 minutes, really?) but the highlights rank among some of the best songs he’s composed in his 10-year recording career.
99. Stnnng – Empire Inward (Rejuvenation) – It’s nice to see this punk band from Minnesota is still continuing in the tradition of all my favorite 80s/90s American Underground groups. I saw them at Lit in NYC right around the time FAKE FAKE came out and they really blew me away with their energy and talent. I wish they’d play the west coast, though.
98. Tyler, The Creator – Wolf (Odd Future) – After Goblin came out I started to lose faith that he’d ever, you know, grow up and put his natural talent to use. That one felt like he was trying too hard to convince listeners he was legit. While these songs touch on my worldly (read: less self-absorbed) topics, I remain convinced there is a middle ground between this and BASTARD (minus the childishness) that could result in a masterpiece.
97. The Oh Sees – Floating Coffin (Castle Face) – The fact that John Dwyer can put out such consistently awesome albums time and time again to almost no fanfare or acclaim shows how criminally ignored this guy is. Every song is catchy. Every record flows from start to finish with ease. Plain and simple, Dwyer is a genius. Let’s see that thesaurus-obsessed tea-totalling geek from Vampire Weekend achieve such a feat.
96. Polvo – Siberia (Merge) – That Polvo could disband for 10 years and return with two albums that feel like natural progressions from their earlier work still shocks me. Shit like that just doesn’t happen (HI, PIXIES!). For a band that came across as sticklers for perfection on their early albums, Siberia has an enjoyable sense of looseness permeating it.
95. Bill Callahan – Dream River (Drag City) – I was shocked to see…who was it, Mojo (?) called this the best album of the year. I’m not quite as sold on it, but it’s certainly his best post-Smog record in my opinion. Is he still my favorite modern singer-songwriter? Absolutely. Who’s better, Will Oldham? That guy hasn’t released anything of note since MASTER AND EVERYONE.
94. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Push The Sky Away (Bad Seed Ltd.) – The first time I listened to this I heard what sounded like a natural progression from NO MORE SHALL WE PART, an album recorded twelve years ago. Lest you think that means Nick Cave hasn’t progressed — or worse, has fallen back on his old routine — PUSH THE SKY AWAY is as menacing as anything Cave has written, and the band (sadly, without Mick Harvey) sounds as good as ever.
93. Magik Markers – Surrender To The Fantasy (Drag City) – Why yes, I do still like these guys even though they’ve given up on their noisy far-out CDrs and focused on, you know, song craft. They can be poppy and fuzzy and “indie” and still keep my interest. There are still moments of atonal noise weirdness (see: “Acts Of Desperation”) but I kinda like where they are now, marrying melody and druggy haze.
92. Mammatus – Heady Mental (Spiritual Pajamas) – It’s been six years (!!!) since THE COAST EXPLODES. Thankfully, not much has changed. HEADY MENTAL (four songs, all of which have the word “Brain” in the titles) is a psychedelic, spaced-out listening experience. Throw in some OM-ish drones and the result is a seriously druggy record that sounds really, really good late at night. Maybe with some Jack-in-The-Box or a taco truck burrito in your hands ifyouknowwhatimean.
91. Zomby – With Love (4AD) – Following up an album as good as DEDICATION with a 2CD/3LP set is no joke. And, thankfully, this one is even moodier than the previous record. Which is a good thing, because I guess his first LP was a big dance/rave thing? Yeah…not my cup of tea either. WITH LOVE is more like a late night/early morning comedown record. Say you were coming home from the after hours party at sunrise and needed something to help you through the long walk home. These little vignettes (some as short as 60 seconds) offer bursts of energy and chill reflections in quick succession.
89. Lightning Bolt – Oblivion Hunter (Load) – It’s just an EP (at roughly 35 minutes it could be an LP?), but it’s the first new Lightning Bolt since 2009, so I’ll take it! They sound tight, slightly less abrasive than their first three albums, and still hold a special place in my heart for being the band most-likely to be playing in my car when I cause an accident speeding down the highway.
89. Stephan Mathieu – Un Couer Simple (Baskaru) – Based on the novel first published in 1877, Mathieu uses obsolete music media (you know, shit like wax cylinders or phonoharps) processed through computer software to create a score for a play based on said text. It’s haunting. “Maison” with its birds chirping in the background and ghostly samples of distant voices is a stunning intro, and it only gets better and more beautiful from there. [Listen to “Maison” [MP3]]
88. Castevet – Obsian (Profound Lore) – What do you mean, “Another Brooklyn metal band?” These guys are GOOD. And this was a very recent discovery that came highly-touted by Ian, who as both a metal head and New Yorker knows how to separate the wheat from the chaff. Now if only he didn’t make recommendations that also sound like bad Iron Maiden, I’d be able to rely on him for consistently excellent music recommendations. I’ve seen this described as “shoegaze-influenced post-black metal” but I hate the compartmentalizing of music to such a specific degree (unless it’s a funny new genre, like “Civl War-core,” which my co-worker made up and I just love) so I’m just going to call it black metal. Also I’m going to call it “great,” because it just is!
87. Destruction Unit – Deep Trip (Sacred Bones) – The first of a handful of Sacred Bones releases from this year that I really dug. Very druggy, very spaced-out, kind of like Comets On Fire if they were a bit more punk. Or like the late Jay Reatard channeling Hawkwind.
86. Lil B – Pink Flame (BasedWorld) – For every throwaway joke Lil B makes on one of his mix tapes it seems like he chooses to balance it out with one A+ track. If you cut this thing in half it’d be a mind-blowing record. But then you need to chuckle at “My Ex Bitch” and “Twerk It Like That” because…hey, it’s Lil B. You take the good with the bad with the hilarious.
85. Barn Owl – V (Thrill Jockey) – Every time Jon Porras and Evan Caminiti come together, the result is something magical. Hell, even when they go off on their own and release solo albums, it seems they always end up on this list. They can do no wrong, and V is just another solid collaborative effort from the duo. Lots of spaced-out drones, swirling psychedelic synth movements, and sun-dappled melodies. I guess more of the same, which is wonderful, because it proves how consistent these guys are. I can put on any Barn Owl record at any time and be impressed.
84. Pete Swanson – Punk Authority (Software) – Oh GOD how I miss Yellow Swans. Thankfully this one reminds me of those days gone by (has it been five years!?) with it’s totally-in-the-red blown out noise juxtaposed to metronome-tight beats. This is the sound of complete control amidst chaos.
83. Micah Blue Smaldone – The Ring Of The Rise (Immune) – In case you were wondering where all the finger-picking acoustic were, here’s one! Micah’s really channeling his inner Neil Young on this record. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
82. Israel Quellet – Rythmes D’Etain (Sub Rosa) – “”I was going for a raw sound, close to the actual sounds made by the instruments and sources, with minimal dressing-up. The organ’s sub-bass frequencies include extremely low frequencies.” His range of instruments: Church organ, tympanies, bass drum, large drum, tubular idiophones, toms, cymbals, hi-hat, voices (sped-up, slowed-down, texts in Latin) plus stokes and hits (slammed doors and various materials hit in various ways).” – Forced Exposure
81. Sightings – Terribly Well (Dais) – I’ll never top myself when it comes to describing Sightings’ sound: scrambled eggs. I think I came up with that after I saw them with Growing and Comets On Fire one night in New York way too long ago. On TERRIBLY WELL they sound like a band that has aged really, really well. It’s still got that noisy air to it, but Mark Morgan’s strained vocal delivery has never sounded better.
80. Purling Hiss – Water On Mars (Drag City) – Purling Hiss was an AZ recommendation following…was it SXSW a few years ago? I was sent a copy of their CDr and told to listen immediately, and I loved what I heard. I’ve been picking up all subsequent releases ever since, and I think Water On Mars is the best thing they’ve recorded since the Lounge Lizards 12? a few years ago. Much like the aforementioned Kurt Vile record, and the new one by The Men that you’re going to read about on Friday, it’s decidedly POPPY for my tastes, but I really like it. It’s records like this that make me want to slap fey indie poppers across the face and shout, “SEE GUYS!? YOUR MUSIC DOESN’T HAVE TO BE SO FUCKING WUSSY, EVEN IN 2013 YOU CAN STILL ROCK AND WRITE HOOKS!” Try getting stuck behind an accident on the 210-East listening to this album and NOT being perfectly fine with it.
79. Theologian – Some Things Have To Be Endured (Crucial Blast) – “The latest offering from NY synth-death master Theologian (aka Leech, also the mastermind behind the renowned power electronics/death industrial outfit Navicon Torture Technologies), features eight new tracks of punishing black industrial, apocalyptic darkwave frequencies, and nerve-rending electronic deathscapes.” Oh, okay!
78. Hair Police – Mercurial Rites (Type) – “…Robert Beatty regroups with his Hair Police posse for their first album of new material in 5 years – and it’s a terrifying affair. Mercurial Rites…reprise[s] the sort of petrifying atmospheres and energy not heard since their defining early moments such as ‘Obedience Cuts’ or the awfully disturbing scapes of later records ‘Drawn Dread’ and ‘Prescribed Burning’. Refusing to join the noise scene’s dancefloor exodus, it takes shape as eight disciplined and often brutal noise abstractions, casting the sort of larynx-shredding vocals heard on ’80s era Whitehouse sides against buckling metallic drones, punishing percussions, detuned synths and alarming levels of feedback and distortion.” – Boomkat
77. Bardo Pond – Peace On Venus (Fire) – Wait, is this the same Fire Records that put out Spacemen 3 albums back in the day? If so…wow! Michael Gibbons of Bardo Pond said of their newest (and fantastic!) album: “We wanted to make an album that held true to the single vinyl format LP, and have that be as potent a listening experience as possible. A Less is more statement in essence… The basic tracks were recorded live as a full band here in our studio the “Lemur House”, and subsequently tracked here as well giving a live quality to the tunes.”
76. Merzbow – Grand Owl Habitat (The Death Of Rave) – It’s fucking Merzbow, what am I going to say that’s going to tell you what you don’t already know?
75. Palms – Palms (Ipecac) – I don’t care if it sounds like Deftones. Don’t tell me you’re immune to reaching back and listening to WHITE PONY every once in a while. We all do it. There’s no shame in it. And to make things better Chino’s backing band is basically Isis (Jeff Caxide, Aaron Harris and Bryant Clifford Meyer) without Aaron Turner or Michael Gallagher. Not bad, right?
74. Ensemble Pearl – Ensemble Pearl (Drag City) – “The cosmic union of Atsuo, Kurihara, Herzog and O’Malley. Amplified rock drops and ripples, auras radiate and fade away into cloudforms, through which lightning bolts. Ensemble Pearl meditate the head that does not meditate.”
73. Vår – No One Dances Quiet Like My Brothers (Sacred Bones) – Cold, militaristic synth pop from Denmark. I thought that was supposed to be one of the happiest places in the world, right up there with places like Norway and Sweden, but I guess maybe I was wrong? I mean, it’s quite dance-y, but there’s an industrial side to it. Like Laibach, but without all the goofy fascist imagery and costumes. I think. I’ve never seen any pictures of Vår.
72. Grumbling Fur – Glynnaestra (Thrill Jockey) – Last I heard of these guys (and first!) was 2011’s FURRIER, and I’m very happy to see the duo of Daniel O’Sullivan (Guapo! Ulver!) and Alexander Tucker (Yeti!) came together again to make some magic together. Plus, you know, it’s hard not to fall in love with an ode to Blade Runner (“Ballad of Roy Batty”).
71. Earthless – From The Ages (Tee Pee) – God, I’ve been waiting for a new Earthless record for what feels like an eternity. There’s this guy who comes into the store once a week and he always asks me two questions. First, he wants to know if I want to sell him my SONIC PRAYER LP, and then he asks if I’ve heard anything about a new studio album. You could imagine my surprise when he informed me back in September that they were releasing a new album. Although technically LIVE AT ROADBURN came out in 2008, I’m pretty sure all subsequent full-lengths have just been live albums and collaborations, right? Which would technically make this the first Earthless studio album since RHYTHMS FOR A COSMIC SKY? Is that true? Holy shit!
70. Indiana Drones – Indiana Drones (Carpe Sonum) – I LOVE THE NAME INDIANA DRONES AND I DON’T EVEN CARE WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE. Of course, it’s made even better that this literally sounds like the best Sci-Fi movie ever without dialog. This is kinda sad, but this was recorded as a collaboration between Material Object and Phonaut back in late 2012 and was supposed to be released on Pete Namlook’s label. Tragically, he passed away so this was released in his honor by Carpe Sonum. Some of the most inventive, out-there experimental electronic music of the year.
69. Justin Walter – Lullabies & Nightmares (Kranky) – “I set out to record an album of completely improvised music that fused my experiments with the Electronic Valve Instrument and my love of held sounds on the trumpet. In recent years I’ve come to see the trumpet as an instrument that speaks in slow and long sounds, with meaning coming from the shape and inflection of each note. The process for this was fairly straight forward, record lots of improvisations. Of the songs on the album, most are one take improvisations with the only overdubs being drums.” UM…YES PLEASE.
68. The Stranger – Watching Dead Empires in Decay (Modern Love) – Hint: The Stranger is an alia of Leyland Kirby. Of course it was destined to make a dent in this list. [Listen to “Providence Or Fate” [MP3]]
67. True Widow – Circumambulation (Relapse) – The first time I heard this I had to repeat it five times in a row, I was that transfixed by it. I really fell for the stoner/post-rock/shoegaze vibe. Around the time it came out I was making a lot of late night/early morning drives across the city and this was the perfect soundtrack to both. [Listen to “Creeper” [MP3]]
66. Lorelle Meets The Obsolete – Corruptible Faces (Captcha) – “Brewing a hot pot of shoegaze and Krautrock bubbled through a psych filter, the band knows how to ride the edge of groove and gently cut back to spacey atmospherics to superb effect.” – Some other website.
65. Ulver – Messe I.X-VI.X (Kscope) – Music commissioned for Tromsø Kulturhus in cooperation with The Arctic Opera And Philharmonic Orchestra. I keep finding Ulver records in the hope of hearing one that’s actually a metal record, and they keep pushing the envelope further and further away, with incredible success. I mean, for all intents and purposes this is classical (or neoclassical I suppose) music. But there’ that blackened sense of foreboding that runs through the tracks that keeps it from being just orchestral music. So, so good. When the strings come in mid-way through “As Syrians pour in, Lebanon grapples with ghosts of a bloody past?” One of my favorite moments on a record this year. And then I go and rank it #65. God, I’m dumb. [Listen to “As Syrians Pour In, Lebanon Grapples With Ghosts Of A Bloody Past” [MP3]]
64. Trees – Sickness In (Flenser) – I originally only checked out Flenser Records because they were issuing Bell Witch’s LONGING on vinyl, and I loved that record last year. But as I started to dig into the catalog, I discovered that they align themselves with a lot of really, really great artists. Several of whom now appear on this list. Two side-long compositions that brilliantly meld drone and death metal expertly. Trust me, I’m going to be paying a lot closer attention to Trees (and Flenser Records!) next year.
63. The Men – New Moon (Sacred Bones) – The first time I heard New Moon my impression was, “This sounds like Gin Blossoms but noisier and heavier.” Probably because the first two tracks, “Open The Door” and “Half Angel Half Light” sound nothing like the first two tracks on last year’s OPEN YOUR HEART. But as you listen again and again, certain tracks start to stick out as exceptional. “I Saw Her Face” with its four minutes of chugging and plodding bursting into 45-seconds of cathartic noise is one example. The fuzz/garage number “I See No One” might just be my favorite track of 2013. It’s way, way poppier than OPEN YOUR HEART, but this is not a bad thing. At all.
62. Rhys Chatham – Harmonie Du Soir (Northern Spy) – What do you mean there are only six guitars on this? There aren’t 100? There aren’t 400?! I’ve come to expect so much guitar sound from Rhys that anything less than that seems — on the surface — like it’s going to be ineffectual. Alas, this is Rhys Chatham, and everything he produces is gold. HARMONIE DU SOIR is no exception.
61. Light Bearer – Silver Tongue (Halo Of Flies) – They call themselves “Dramatic atmospheric post-rock, doom and drone against allegories of atheism, feminism, and free thought ideology.” I call it a really inspired, incredibly moving album. [Listen to “Matriarch” [MP3]]
60. White Hills – So You Are…So You’ll Be (Thrill Jockey) – It feels weird to have a new White Hills album and not have it ranked in the top 10, but this year was pretty competitive and I just didn’t find myself turning to Dave W. and Co. for warmth and comfort as much as I have in the past. Maybe I’m getting older. Maybe I’m getting colder? I don’t know, I still love White Hills this one just didn’t floor me like they have so many times in the past. [Listen to “Mist (Winter)” [MP3]]
59. Endless Boogie – Long Island (No Quarter) – Is it somewhat simplistic and repetitive? Sure. Does that make it any less fun? Absolutely not.
58. Earl Sweatshirt – Doris (Columbia) – It must be hard to enter a studio when pretty much the entire world anointed you a savant at 16 with skills enough to be considered one of the greatest in the world. And with exactly one free-download “album” (only about 25 minutes long?) to your name? I can’t even begin to imagine. DORIS was my favorite hip-hop record of the year, which isn’t say much because I don’t listen to a lot of hip-hop. Rich with the dense rhymes and wordplay that initially captivated me, it’s as good as (I think?) anyone could have hoped for post-EARL.
57. James Ferraro – NYC, Hell 3:00am (Hippos In Tanks) – Weird as all hell, and kinda remarkable, bleak and druggy and maybe a little anxiety-inducing. It’s everything that made me appreciate Skaters and more. Perhaps Ferraro’s best solo effort yet. [Listen to “Upper East Side Pussy” [MP3]]
56. James Blackshaw / Lubomyr Melnyk – The Watchers (Important) – We all admire James Blackshaw, right? He’s the best folk guitarist on earth right now, and when you pair him with a pianist as talented as Melnyk the result can’t really be another other than transcendent.
55. VUM – Psychotropic Jukebox (Secret Lodge) – I really dug NIGHT SUN, which came recommended by — of all people — one of my ex’s co-workers. I like the minimal, dark, seductive sound. Of all those LA bands that have latched onto the whole updated Julee Cruise sound, I think VUM do a better job at it than most.
54. Oneirogen – Kiasma (Denovali) – “Dark as a ride in Charon’s ferry to the realm of Hades, and heavy and hectic as a twisted cyberpunk movie, Kiasma imaginatively combines the mythical and futuristic, fantasy and science fiction, creating something that is far from being easily digested, but if played in the right sort of mood will provide just the right frequencies to be immersed in.” – Igloo Mag
53. Basic House – Oats (Alter) – Oh, the textures. Oh the swirling sounds and ambient soundscapes. Oh the joys of listening to this at 4am when I can’t sleep.
52. Plankton Wat – Drifter’s Temple (Thrill Jockey) – You’re going to laugh at me, but I had no idea who Plankton Wat was until I was sifting through the Rainbo Records shipping department trying to find my misplaced Todd records. A nearby palette of albums said EXPO ’70 / PLANKTON WAT and I filed the name away to investigate later. I had no idea Dewey Mahood was part of Eternal Tapestry, whose A WORLD OUT OF TIME I heaped much praise upon last year. The pairing of Mahood and Justin Wright (Expo 70) now makes perfect sense, as his late night basement drone/guitar experiments are a perfect compliment to Wright’s own creations. Consider DRIFTER’S TEMPLE required listening.
51. Master Musicians Of Bukkake – Far West (Important) – It’s fucking Master Musicians of Bukkake. You should be happy I didn’t automatically make this the number one record of the year just because of that.
50. Agarttha – A Water Which Does Not Wet Hands (King Of The Monsters) – “Agarttha is the solo project of the italian musician Francesca Marongiu, already in Architeuthis Rex along with Antonio Gallucci. A WATER WHICH DOES NOT WET HANDS is inspired by the namesake book of Sendivogius, a Polish pioneer in alchemical studies and it deals with the Jungian archetypes, in particular with the apocalyptic dreams and premonitions of the daughter of Jung friend, an 8 year old child which dreamed for awhile about death symbols and drew them in a small book before dying of an improvise and fatal illness.” Furthermore, who doesn’t love an attractive Italian women who makes doom dream pop?
49. Quttinirpaaq – Let’s Hang Out (Rural Isolation Project) – Discovered as a result of their split with BONG, I’ve long waited to get my hands on a full length. “Syrup-thick bass licks run amok. Messy, scratching and screeching effects cut across fuzzed-out space noise. The bash-your-brains-in pounding of the drums rounds things off. Ugly, painful, whacked-out sludge, sure, but this is Quttinirpaaq’s second full length album this year, so it’s gotta go further (and it does). Pounding, minimal hypno-riffs extend past the horizon, shards of guitar feedback fall in and out of the landscape, spiky electronics fizz and pop like a mellotron buried under a mound of Popul Vuh records.” – Norman Records
48. Mountains – Centralia (Thrill Jockey) – Offered up by one of my co-workers, copies have popped up in the store often enough that I’ve had a few opportunities to listen — both critically and for pleasure — and I strongly approve. A new album finding its way into my hands at work is a rare-enough occurrence but when that album turns out to be good!? That’s like a once or twice a year phenomena. Beautifully layered electronic soundscapes that blended with proper instrumentation (guitar, cello, etc.) to create expansive and lush songs. That is, if you can call ‘em “songs.” There’s a kind of a tenuousness to these compositions in that they seem to be in perpetual motion (slow though it may seem) and constantly evolving. In short, it’s definitely one of the better ambient records I’ve heard this year.
47. Mikal Cronin – MCII (Merge) – Although not as immediately impactful as the self-titled album, it’s still really good and catchy. With MCII, Cronin proves (to me, at least, which should be the only opinion that matters) that he’s not a one-and-done solo artist. You remember the song “Gone” off the other album I liked so much? This one has a number of tracks that are in the same spirit. [Listen to “Shout It Out” [MP3]]
46. Arp – More (Smalltown Supersound) – At first listen I thought someone was fucking with me. “This is the same guy who recorded THE SOFT WAVE just a few years ago? This sounds like someone aping Brian Eno.” So I guess the last record was AFTER THE HEAT or ON LAND and this is…um…HERE COME THE WARM JETS? With Damon Albarn as producer. In other words, it’s good, but it’s just so different from what I’m used to from him.
45. Oneohtrix Point Never – R Plus Never (Warp) – Oh, the anticipation. INSTRUMENTAL TOURIST, Daniel Lopatin’s collaboration with Tim Hecker, simply wasn’t enough to satiate my thirst for new Oneohtrix Point Never. Nor was his production work on that awesome Clinic record from last year. Alas, R PLUS SEVEN arrived in October and once again everything felt right in the world. The only way this year in experimental electronic music could have been better might have been another Ben Frost record. R PLUS SEVEN sounds of the 80s without being rooted in it. And by that I mean it’s not like the stereotypical 80s new wave sound, but more like…body music. It makes for quite a fun listen.
44. William Basinski – Nocturnes (2062) – I just like the official label description of these two compositions. It doesn’t get much clearer: 1. “Nocturnes 41:33 dark, suspended and formal early prepared piano and tape composition from San Francisco period c. 1979-80.
2. The Trail of Tears 28:03 tape loop and delay recording from 2009. Excerpted in the new Robert Wilson opera, The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic.” Oh, okay.
43. The Besnard Lakes – Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO (Jagjaguwar) – I really, really liked this the first few times I heard it but I didn’t feel myself returning to it as much as 2013 wore on. It’s my favorite album of theirs since VOLUME I but nothing will ever touch that record as far as I’m concerned. For me, The Besnard Lakes will always be the band I learned about because Jace recorded my own band at his studio in Montreal when I was in college. And when I sat down and listened to his songs for the first time I felt like I’d been in the presence of someone who had the kind of immense musical talent I’d not yet encountered before, and I completely squandered the opportunity.
42. Cut Hands – Damballah 58 (Blackest Ever Black) – I was totally obsessed with BLACK MAMBA last year. Remember that? Oh, how much fun it was diving into that album. I positively love this post-Whitehouse William Bennett project and hope he sticks with it for a long time. This afro-noise he’s making keeps sounding better and better with each release. It’s just so…groovy. I mean, don’t get me wrong, hearing Whitehouse for the first time was a monumentally huge part of my musical development. Bu, honestly, a lot of those albums just sit on my shelves and go un-listened. Cut Hands? I can listen to this shit every day and it doesn’t wear on me. It doesn’t have that draining, suicidal effect on me. It’s just fun and hypnotic.
41. Psychic Ills – One Track Mind (Sacred Bones) – Remember the rule, kids: For every Swan Fungus Top Albums List that coincides with a new Psychic Ills record, there must be a spot devoted to it. This should do it for 2013. See you next time, guys!
40. Laurel Halo – Chance Of Rain (Hyperdub) – I was so enamored of QUARANTINE that I figured — perhaps wrongly — CHANCE OF RAIN would literally blow my mind. When it was released in October I quickly dismissed it as crap. No vocals? Kinda glitchy techno? Not for me. But the more I listened to it (it makes for really good coffee shop writing music) the more it grew on me. I could find the lushness amongst the trance, the experimental blips and effects beneath the rhythms. If you’re a big QUARANTINE fan it might not be right for you, but give it a shot. [Listen to “Oneiroi” [MP3]]
39. Noveller – No Dreams (Important) – I have such a massive crush on Sarah Lipstate I might be the least trustworthy person when it comes to unbiased critique of her music. And how could you NOT be a fan of her orchestra of one approach to the guitar? Well, actually, on this one there’s some piano and syth and maybe some — gasp! — beats! Weird, right? Trust me, it works. It works really, really well.
38. Ignatz – Can I Go Home Now? (Fonal) – It seems like just a few years ago Finnish record label Fonal *owned* this list. Between Es, Islaja, Kemialliset Ystavat, Kiila, Paavoharju and Shogun Kunitoki, they’ve provided me with some really stellar albums over the past eight years. And Ignatz? The (K-RAA-K)³ alum is a regular on these Best Of lists. It’s no surprise that his first Fonal release (and fifth studio album) is stellar lo-fi weirdness. I like Aquarius Records’ description of his music, “essentially an alternate universe of sound, one where blues and bluegrass and Appalachia somehow got all garbled.”
37. Wolf Eyes – No Answer-Lower Floors (De Stijl) – For me to rank a Wolf Eyes album this high you know it had to impress me. This is easily the best they’ve released since HUMAN ANIMAL and — wait for it — perhaps the most listenable Wolf Eyes record since DREAD. Of course, the latter being one of my favorite noise records should tell you how giddy I got hearing this for the first time. I was taken back through time to my red Volvo, listening to “Let The Smoke Rise” while taking bong rips in the back seat. This is my kind of Wolf Eyes. A+. Ten stars. [Listen to “Chattering Lead” [MP3]]
36. James Holden – The Inheritors (Border Community) – What do you call this guy, the Steve Reich of techno? A one-man Boards Of Canada? Here’s another Ian recommendation that I’m happy to have followed up on, because this sound…has anyone co-opted the Flying Saucer Attack to describe something as “rural electronica?” Because I think that’d be a very apt descriptor for this record. I’m gonna run with it. I’m not even going to Google it. Let’s pretend I just came up with “Rural Electronica” and you can hand me my Pulitzer right now. [Listen to “The Inheritors” [MP3]]
35. Year Of No Light – Tocsin (Debemur Morti Productions) – Another Ian recommendation. All praise to Ian, my personal chef of all things post-rock/metal. Year Of No Light get compared to Russian Circles a lot but I think their brand of emotional metal is heavier and darker. Not that I don’t love Russian Circles, they’re ranked higher than this album. But still, this one is pretty phenomenal in its own right.
34. Fuck Buttons – Slow Focus (ATP) – “Get cozy with your biggest most noise-canceling headphones, meticulously cover all windows so that no natural light infiltrates your room, and prepare yourself to be immersed in the overwhelming dystopic soundscape that is the third Fuck Buttons record. It’s another unexpected left turn for these Bristol lads, this time into the realms of menacing antihuman electronica. Slow Focus is first and foremost massively hypnotic. More than half the songs surpass the seven minute mark (a couple passing ten), so the tracks are given ample time to really lure you in. There is an unnerving wooziness to much of the record, an almost nauseous sense of vertigo running throughout, like being plugged into some sort of drug pumping super computer or standing on the edge of a very tall building, gazing at the neon lights below.” – Aquarius Records [Listen to “Brainfreeze” [MP3]]
33. Prurient – Through The Window (Blackest Ever Black) – I know there are, like, 800 of them…but could this be the best Prurient album ever? I’m pretty sure it is. “Prurient does doom techno. Yes. F**king. Please, master. THROUGH THE WINDOW is…his most sincere, powerful nod to dark European techno traditions. It’s a masterful consolidation of black, gothic noise emotion and dancefloor gratification, arguably one of his sexiest and most compelling issues to date. The 18 minute title track is a pounding epic, expansively realised with skin-crawling subbass, welting kicks and obliterating drones thrusting to an unnamed goal.” – Boomkat
32. Pinkish Black – Razed To The Ground (Century Media) – How good is this duo? I feel like they’re a metal krautrock band, if that makes any sense. Like if the Jesus And Mary Chain turned up their amps and hired a kosmiche keyboardist. As my comparisons generally suck, I should just quote the ones I love that Aquarius Records made. “Like H.P. Lovecraft chewing on a mouthful of rotten magic mushrooms” was a really good one. “Maybe a demented zombified Gary Numan” is the best. The imagery on that is just so perfect. [Listen to “Kites And Vultures” [MP3]]
31. Bitchin Bajas – Bitchitronics (Drag City) – Of all the krauty records released this year, these poorly named chaps went and made the best of the bunch. It’s like Popol Vuh and Cluster had a baby! Oh God, I can’t believe I just wrote that.
30. BONG – Idle Days On The Yann (Blackest Rainbow) – I love BONG. I know how that sounds, but I mean it. One track. Forty minutes. Dreamy eastern melodies and that weird fuckin’ electric sitar thing (it’s called a shahi baaja, Evan) yielding to a nightmare (or maybe just a paranoid daydream). Stoned, sprawling heaviness and those motorik drums…if you haven’t heard BONG yet this is a really great place to start. Then go back and get the self-titled one. Then one of the live ones. Then the split with Quttinirpaaq. After that you’re on your own. At that point, like Carlos Castenada once wrote (although he might have been quoting Don Juan), “You have everything needed for the extravagant journey that is your life.”
29. Kurt Vile – Walkin’ On A Pretty Daze (Matador) – When Smoke Ring For My Halo was introduced to me in 2011 I’d already formed my opinion on Kurt Vile, which was that he was a wannabe Elliott Smith recording for Matador in an era where Matador had lost any shred of significance in the independent music landscape. This was all supposition based on reviews I’d read. I never bothered to listen to the record. Then one of my co-workers played it for me and I couldn’t get enough of it. Hell, I plugged the entire album into my iPod the last time I ran a full marathon. So although Walkin On A Pretty Daze hasn’t moved me as much as the last record did, it’s still really good. It has no less than five GREAT songs on it, which for a pop/rock record is really impressive considering how little I listen to these days.
28. Vattnet Viskar – Sky Swalloer (Century Media) – You know, I’m kinda surprised there aren’t more black metal bands from New Hampshire. It’s like the Pacific Northwest up there, it should make a perfect breeding ground for the cold, bleak, desolate and gauzy sounds so typically ascribed to that style of metal.
27. Benoit Pioulard – Hymnal (Kranky) – I’ve been on a HUGE Benoit Pioulard kick for the past several months. I was in the mood to listen to Precis (2006, Kranky) and suddenly it opened the floodgates and I’ve been listening to SOMETHING of Pioulard’s on an almost daily basis. For me, the best part about his oeuvre is its consistency. A lot of critics might feel like the musician is treading the same ground over and over again without injecting anything new to his sound, but I don’t find this to be true at all. Part of the reason I love these records is because I dig the late-night bedroom home-recording vibe, and I’m happy to hear as much of it as he’s willing to make. I say keep going, don’t change your sound just because others say to, clearly this is one that works. And it works brilliantly, I might add.
26. Wolvserpent – Perigea Antahkarana (Relapse) – All you need to know about this record is the track “In Mirrors Of Water,” which opens with seven minutes of the most hauntingly beautiful violin music you could ever imagine — juxtaposed to running water and other natural sounds — before transforming into one of the blackest slabs of black metal of the year. I mean, it literally sounds like a beast is snarling at you while those violins continue to swirl around menacing guitar and drums. An outstanding amalgam of styles and one of my favorite metal records of the year. [Listen to “In Mirrors Of Water” [MP3]]
25. Julia Holter – Loud City Song (Domino) – Let me just get this out of the way first: That lyric, “Will they eat a piece of cheese or will they talk?” For some reason when I hear that line — and its repeated on two different songs — it’s like nails on a chalkboard to me. It makes me so enraged for absolutely no reason, it ruins both songs for me. I can’t explain it. Other than that, I think this is one of the best albums of the year. It’s so, so good. And “In The Green Wild” is the brightest moment on an album with many, many great moments. [Listen To “In The Green World” [MP3]]
24. Hookworms – Pearl Mystic (Weird World) – Loop, Spacemen 3, pick your comparison. Hell you could even say Gnod or White Hills if you’re looking for contemporaries. These lysergic improvisers from the UK put out a stunner in PEARL MYSTIC. It’s all psychedelic and backwards and gauzy and swirling and lush. You know that band Black Angels? Hookwarms are what that band want to sound like. Seriously, this might be the best psych record of the year. [Listen to “Away/Towards” [MP3]]
23. Windhand – Soma (Relapse) – Windhand is, for me, this year’s Pallbearer. A group I’d not heard about until somewhat recently and immediately won me over. “The first thing you’ll notice about Windhand is just how damn HEAVY they are, and in the graveyard realm of doom metal that’s no small feat. But just the very tone and weight of Windhand’s music seriously puts most other supposedly “heavy” bands to shame. The guitars are lumbering funereal paced black magic incantations – all overdriven and decayed, but unfathomably huge, with the occasional dreamy affects drenched lead swimming out from under the murkiness. The sound is so bottom heavy that it’s hard to tell where the guitars end and the bass begins. Instead they simply congeal into one slithering black leviathan mass, while the drums plod underneath like slaveship percussion. The vocals seem to be crying out from the other side of a black hole, ghostly and buried in the mix, sounding perfectly forlorn and out of reach.” – Aquarius Records
22. Eugene Robinson/Jamie Stewart – Sal Mineo (Aagoo) – Holy shit, guys. When I heard about this one it sounded too good to be true. Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu) and Eugene S. Robinson (Oxbow) collaborating with one another. The result is one of the weirdest albums I’ve heard in some time, and I dig it. It’s really fucking dark and haunting and pretty and creepy all at the same time. It’s about as good as an Oxbow/Xiu Xiu mashup could be. How else can I describe it? Like the musical equivalent of a Gaspar Noe film? The music varies from super-minimalist to borderline unlistenable (in a good way!), and Robinson’s vocal delivery of those otherworldly stories/lyrics are perfect. At times it sounds like the skeleton of an Oxbow record void of that group’s thunderous/violent instrumentation, or a Xiu Xiu record without Stewart’s unmistakable wail, but I’m fine with it. These guys are a natural fit together, and the end result is something captivating and at times horrifying.
21. Tim Hecker – Virgins (Kranky) – It’s Tim Hecker. Trust me if you read this website you know who he is, and I don’t have to convince you to listen to his newest album.
20. Teeth Of The Sea – Master (Rocket Recordings) – All it took was me seeing a live video of “Reaper” and I was sold on this record. It wasn’t even out yet! But “Reaper” sounded like the best song off the best 80s horror movie soundtrack you’ve never seen, and with that one video I decided this was destined to be one of the best albums of the year. Thankfully when I heard the whole thing I wasn’t disappointed. It’s the best of both the cosmic and electronic worlds, and even though I listen to it and I know it’s not the soundtrack to a film I still can’t help but think, “What if it was!?” and ten minutes later I’m pissed off that the movie doesn’t exist to go along with the music. This is all me trying to heap praise upon the album, by the way. I know I’m not doing it right, but at least I’m trying. [Listen to “Reaper” [MP3]]
19. Chelsea Wolfe – Pain Is Beauty (Sargent House) – Hated it the first time I heard it. Absolutely hated it. It didn’t sound enough like APOKALYPSIS. Nothing sounded like “Pale On Pale” or “Movie Screen.” Just when I was ready to dismiss it (and trade in the vinyl), I thought I’d give it another chance. And, this time, it sounded right. It’s the logical next step from UNKNOWN ROOMS, taking her natural songwriting ability and surrounding it with electronics, drums, and strings. Maybe I got too used to that acoustic record, and forgot about the weird goth folk of the first two albums. Maybe I forgot what she sounds like with a full band accompanying her, and it took some time to readjust. Thank fuck I decided to spin it one last time. I almost missed out on this one.
18. Oranssi Pazuzu – Velonielu (Svart) – Space Rock. Black Metal. Yes, there is a middle ground. Yes, Oranssi Pazuzu have found it, and yes, it’s as incredible as it sounds. [Listen to “Olen Aukaissut Uuden Silma?n” [MP3]]
17. Russian Circles – Memorial (Sargent House) – “Perhaps the most immediately apparent characteristic of the fifth Russian Circles album, Memorial is its wide range of emotion. Vacillating from somber-yet-soaring melodies on one track to pummeling metal heft on the next, Memorial sounds like an album with split personalities. “We’ve always tried to balance our metal-influenced sounds with more nuanced, pretty, orchestral elements,” Cook says. “But this time, it’s far more polarized in that the heavy parts are much more blown out and exaggerated while the pretty moments are far more restrained, delicate, and atmospheric.” In the two years since Russian Circles released their landmark fourth album Empros, the Chicago trio toured worldwide nearly incessantly, encountering many heavy acts whose music seemed needlessly complicated. “We set out to make a straightforward, intense, heavy record,” Cook explains. “We subconsciously gravitated toward darker and more somber sounds. We wanted to get away from the overtly flashy.” In search of such a streamlined sound, the trio focused on each individual song having its own emotional and musical characteristics. As such, Memorial almost feels like stages of grief. That notion might be aided by 1) the album’s clever structuring, in which it ends in the same place as it starts, and 2) special guest vocalist Chelsea Wolfe lending her hauntingly somber vocals to the album closing title track.” – Boomkat [Listen to “Cheyenne” [MP3]]
16. Skagos – Anarchic (Flenser) – This was an Ian recommendation that I ignored for a while because I was too busy falling in love with the new albums by A Story Of Rats and Deafheaven to take note of it. Is this black metal duo named after the mythical island not-yet explored in the A Song Of Ice And Fire series? Perhaps? I kind of hope so? Either way this record (two 30+ minute tracks that are made up of four and two movements respectively) has found its way into my life more and more as time has worn on. The “A side” (there’s no vinyl issue at the moment so I’m going based on the notion that each track is a side) starts off with six beautiful moments of tense ambient build-up before blasting off into atmospheric white noise territory, bolstered by propulsive drums and guttural vocals. The lyrics are totally nihilistic too — at least those I can discern — which only ups my appreciation for the music. Yeah, we’re doomed. Might as well just accept it. Issued on CD so far by the fine folks at The Flenser, who have gone from being not even on my radar to a MUST CHECK DAILY to see what they’re cooking up next.
15. Vatican Shadow – Remember Your Black Day (Hospital Productions) – “Yet another killer collection of murky, Middle East obsessed gothic industrial slo-mo techno from Dom Fernow, who in addition to recording as Vatican Shadow, also does time in new wave combo Cold Cave, runs the Hospital label, and also has about a million other projects, including Prurient, Christian Cosmos, Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement and loads more. As Vatican Shadow, Fernow weaves a murky, moody landscape of slow, skittering beats, zombie like lumbering grooves, primitive lo-fi synth melodies, whirring drones, everything washed out and grey, each track nearly a static loop, a core rhythm, and an abstract melodic component, locked into a tranced out mesmer, while all around, strange sounds drift in and fade out, soft washes of atmospheric shimmer, reverbed synth squelch, lots of echo and reverb, giving much of the sound a dubby vibe.” – Aquarius Records
14. SubRosa – More Constant Than The Gods (Profound Lore) – Yeah, there’s doom metal in Salt Lake City. And perhaps better than the crushing low-end are those completely helpless, despondent vocals. That’s hurt. That’s ache. That’s doom. And it’s horrifying and gorgeous at the same time.
13. My Bloody Valentine – m b v (MBV) – I’m not going to lie, I was one of the skeptics. At first I thought about just ignoring the new My Bloody Valentine album, but as soon as it hit the Internet friends started asking me if I’d heard it yet. So I caved. And, within minutes, my foot was firmly entrenched in my mouth. I’ve since listened to it countless times, mostly late at night while writing, but it also works for sunny day runs outside, long drives across town, it’s pretty incredible how it feels like the proper continuation to Loveless, and even more incredible that Kevin Shields and co. were able to achieve such an affect after TWENTY-TWO YEARS. I mean…holy shit…right?
12. Boards Of Canada – Tomorrow’s Harvest (Warp) – Again, there’s nothing I’m going to say about this album that fifty other publications haven’t already said. It’s as good as everyone says it is.
11. The Body – Christs, Redeemers (Thrill Jockey) – Both this and the 12″ (MASTER WE PERISH) that came out this year were great. I would have ranked them both but I chose not to because I didn’t want two albums by the same artist on this list. They’re just the heaviest thing on the planet right now. Maybe in the whole universe! There’s dark matter, and then there’s The Body. Dark matter weighs a lot, right? It’s been a while since I’ve watched Futurama. [Listen to “Melt Away” [MP3]]
10. Umberto – Confrontations (Not Not Fun) – When the first copy of this album came into the store I kept playing it over and over again, and finally one of my co-workers stopped me and asked, “Is it YOU that keeps playing this!? You like this!? This doesn’t sound like ANYTHING you listen to!” And, well, yeah, I like it. I more than like it. I love Umberto! And Confrontations sounds like the best of Moroder combined with top-notch Italian horror film scores. I guess From The Grave was a little more subdued than Confrontations? Not AS dance-y? But there’s nothing wrong with music to groove to, right guys!? We all secretly dance around our rooms like little flowers swaying in a cool spring breeze listening to Chromatics and Nite Jewel, right? RIGHT!? [Listen to “Initial Revelation” [MP3]]
09. Jasper TX – An Index Of Failure (Handmade Birds) – It feels like it’s been a really long time since Jasper TX has appeared on a year-end list of mine. What was the last one, Black Sheep in 2008? Did I cave and put Black Sun Transmissions on the 2011 list just because I felt like Dag hadn’t received enough love that year? Either way, An Index Of Failure is a remarkable record, as good as any of his output going back to A Darkness and (my personal favorite) I’ll Be Long Gone Before My Light Reaches You. Perhaps because it was “born from remnants of old failures, song fragments, ambitious attempts…” going back perhaps seven or more years. According to the label’s website, this is to be the final Jasper TX album, and if it is I hope Dag knows he’s put something really special out to cap an amazing career. I know this time next year I’m going to feel a little heartbroken that I won’t have Jasper TX to laud anymore.
08. Pharmakon – Abandon (Sacred Bones) – Who could have predicted that one of the most terrifying releases of 2013 was made by a 22-year old girl from New York. It’s ugly, it’s hard to crack, and it’s pretty much begging you to give up and go listen to something else. And I love that about this album. Like the best of Throbbing Gristle or Whitehouse or Swans, just getting from start to finish is a challenge. The reward? The light at the end of the rainbow? You’ve just survived and emotional gauntlet. I’d say that’s and impressive feat not for the listener, but for the artist who forces you through it.
07. Grouper – The Man Who Died In His Boat (Kranky) – Is The Man Who Died In His Boat the best Grouper record since Cover The Windows And The Walls? Or is it merely THE BEST GROUPER RECORD YET!? I don’t know. I guess I’m undecided. I also really like Wide. Fuck, I own a lot of Grouper records. All of ‘em, actually, except for Way Their Crept. I’ve even got all the stupid 45s she put out with Pumice and City Center and all that shit. When is enough Grouper enough? “NEVER” is the correct answer, I suppose. By the way, I’m not telling you what this record sounds like specifically because I’ve committed so many words to describing the beauty of Liz Harris (and her music!) for the past seven or eight years I don’t think I’m going to be saying anything new by describing what this one sounds like. Just take my word for it. It’s awesome. Get it now.
06. Locrian – Return To Annihilation (Relapse) – The first Locrian I heard was THE CRYSTAL WORLD, and I think it was the track “Triumph Of Elimination,” which was described to me as a song about taking a shit. Sold! Everything since then has gotten better and better. This is a bit removed from the grimness of the aforementioned record. There’s a drummer now, there are more readily apparent melodies, the synths are a little more…uh…poppy? That doesn’t sound like the right word but I don’t know how else to describe it. And you know what? I like it. I like the turn, I like the weird synth swirls and the flecks of post-rock in the dirge/doom drones. I like it a lot! [Listen to “Return To Annihilation” [MP3]]
05. Implodes – Recurring Dream (Kranky) – Guys…the folks at Kranky records aren’t fucking around this year! Between Pan-American, Implodes, Benoit Pioulard, and Grouper…they’re responsible for releasing four of my 15 favorite albums of the year so far. Implodes’ last LP, Black Earth, was the 36th best album of 2011 in my opinion, and this one is even better. Blanketed in droning white noise, these songs are tasked with cutting through the muck and mire, and what transpires is nothing short of remarkable. The searing, kosmiche guitar leads, the murky drumming, the distant vocals, the sum of Recurring Dream’s parts is both haunting and memorable.
04. A Story Of Rats – Vastness & The Inverse (Translinguistic Other) – Here’s what I said about this album last month: An Ian recommendation, which is about as solid/trustworthy a recommendation as I can receive. The metal albums he typically recommendations I listen to can be hit-or-miss, but when he prefaces the suggestion by saying he’s confident I’ll like it, he’s mostly right. So it went with A Story Of Rats, which I’ve been WEARING OUT lately I’ve listened to it so much. Two tracks, two sides, each one 17+ minutes worth of blacker-than-black dirge-y doom metal. I’ve always been partial to the buried melodies and endless rumble/fuzz of heavy artists like The Angelic Process, Nadja, or Bell Witch (one of the best records of last year was their LP called Longing). This record hits all those aspects I love about doom/drone metal. Listen hard enough and you can discern a melody. Listen while performing some mundane task and you’re more likely to hear the inherent (but most-assuredly not overt) dreaminess. Each listen I’m hearing something else. And that might be the highest praise I can pay an album.
03. Pan American – Cloud Room, Glass Room (Kranky) – It’s been four years since the last proper studio album from Mark Nelson (ex-Labradford guitarist/singer). Now the project is officially a duo, with Steven Hess (Haptic, Locrian, etc.) in tow for this newest release. And, oh yeah, former Labradord member Bobby Donne provides some bass, meaning this is pretty much the closest thing I’ll ever get to a new Labradford record (I just realized it’s been 12 YEARS since Fixed::Context). It’s got all the minimalist ambient guitar I love, but with static-y, incongruous techno and dub elements sprinkled throughout. The compositions are always controlled, never veering off too far into noise territory, and consistently inviting/warm/relaxing. In the same way that Labradford used to be. I never got the “post-rock” tag for that band — they were always more experimental in my mind — but one couldn’t describe Cloud Room, Glass Room in such a way. It’s definitely ambient/experimental. And it’s brilliant.
02. Haxan Cloak – Excavation (Tri Angle) – Ian described this one for me as “like Ben Frost,” which is about as loud as a ringing endorsement can be. According to Aquarius Records this is a huge departure for Bobby Krlic, as hislast few records featured a lot of acoustic guitars and kind of a psychedelic folk vibe. Now it sounds more like — if I can borrow Aquarius Records’ vernacular — “slo-mo soul, dubbed out, minimal electronic murk.” If that doesn’t sell you on this album, nothing will. And, yeah, the first couple tracks sound like dead ringers for compositions you might find on a Ben Frost album. Which, again, means it’s really, really good.
01. Deafheaven – Sunbather (Deathwish Inc.) – Not gonna lie, I’ve been listening to this a shocking amount since I picked it up at the Deafheaven/Boris shows a few weeks ago. And before that I was listening to Roads To Judah a lot, but this one is way, way better. It’s just about as perfect a combination of metal and post-rock one could hope to achieve. There’s elements of USBM like Weakling or Wolves In The Throne Room, but when the guitars aren’t in-the-red blistering, the clean tones wouldn’t sound out of place on a Mogwai or Godspeed record. Hell, there were parts of “Dream House” I thought sounded like vintage ’90s alterna-rock, specifically Hum. It’s a somewhat-shocking but phenomenal transformation that has occurred in Deafheaven’s sound between their last full-length and this one. Sunbather might just be the work of a band catching lightning in a bottle, but if they continue to release albums of equally high-quality, Deafheaven are going to appear a lot more on these (and plenty of other!) lists for years to come. [Listen to “Dream House” [MP3]]
