Another year, another top 10 list. As always, these were my favorite records of the year — the ones that kept me hitting play over and over again, and listening through. Several albums I loved initially, over time, had their frequency distilled down to a few songs (Frank Turner and UMO II, for example). The ones below are still in heavy rotation. Here we go:
10) Son Lux – Lanterns: Somewhere between Radiohead and Sufjan Stevens lies Lanterns — call it prog-pop, maybe? — and it’s addictive. Catchy and immersive, I’m looking forward to his show at Joyful Noise in early 2014.
9) Tegan & Sara – Heartthrob: My favorite, unabashed, pop record of the year. With its 80s feel, the songs would have worked as well in 1985 as they do now. And my kids love it, too.
8) Corin Ashley – New Lion Terraces: A power pop gem. Ashley pulls elements of the past and wraps them up in a warm, catchy package.
7) Okkervil River – The Silver Gymnasium: Another great OR record, and Will Sheff’s most passionate songwriting since Down the River of Golden Dream.
6) Neko Case – The Worse Things Get . . .: Case’s best album — and that’s saying a lot — and some of the most emotionally charged songwriting of the year. Nearly Midnight, Honolulu is one of the saddest songs I’ve ever heard, and yet I keep listening to it.
5) Autre Ne Veut – Anxiety: Some of the most interesting R&B I’ve heard in a long time. I like to think this is where New Radicals would be if Gregg Alexander hadn’t shut down that band.
4) Eric Barao – S/T: My second-favorite power pop album of the year. Every song is winner. A bit of Jellyfish, some Jon Brion, plus Barao’s unique spin. A record that deserves to be heard.
3) Joy Formidable – Wolf’s Law: Perhaps because it came at the start of the year, but the Joy Formidable’s second album seems to have been forgotten. Though not as immediate as the debut — my favorite album of 2011 — the songs have more depth. My favorite “big” rock record of the year.
2) The National – Trouble Will Find Me: The National don’t alter their formula, but there’s no reason to when it’s this successful. TWFM’s little treasures reveal themselves over time — the understated passion of I Need My Girl, the emotional coda of This Is The Last Time — making the album yet another fantastic release from the National.
1) Mikal Cronin – MCII: I’m calling this power pop, but you’re free to call it anything you like as long as you listen to it. I certainly have non-stop. It was like Cronin wrote an album designed specifically for me. Crunchy guitars, some piano, unbelievable hooks, and heart — MCII was easily my favorite album of the year.
My next 10, in no particular order:
The ACBs – Little Leaves
Haim – Days Are Gone
Lisa Mychols – Above, Beyond, & In Between
John Brodeur – Little Hopes
Still Corners – Strange Pleasures
Eli Mardock – Everything Happens For The First Time
Agony Aunts – Big Cinnamon
Primal Scream – More Light
Adam Franklin & Bolts of Melody – Black Horses
Brendan Benson – You Were Right
What were your favorite listens of the year?