10. Waxahatchee – Cerulean Salt
Cerulean Salt sees Katie Crutchfield joined by a supporting cast to great results. While the arrangements are still very sparse, they add just enough to take her music to the next level. It’s a catchier, deeper release than her debut American Weekend. It was easy for me to pan this as a recreation of the glory days of Liz Phair, but even then it was wholly enjoyable. Crutchfield’s whispy voice carried tunes that sent me back to the sounds that helped shape my taste years ago, but somehow still felt relevant. It’s wonderful in its brevity and is endlessly replayable. -Chris Favata
9. Drake – Nothing Was the Same
If sensitivity is fuel for Drake’s creative forces, we selfishly hope he continues waging his emotional battles through music. In Nothing was the Same, the rapper’s fourth studio album (counting mixtape-turned-EP So Far Gone), Drake explored the crippling inner conflict resulting from past relationships and issues. And for listeners, it was an introspective glimpse into the normally effervescent rapper’s persona. In tracks like “From Time,” we hear Drake lament over the unrequited love of a Hooter’s waitress, and in “Worst Behavior” he angrily confronts his childhood detractors. Accompanied by the highly stylized production of Noah “40” Shebib, the album breaks new ground for the rapper by placing him in compelling pop-rap category, this time one substantiated by genuine feeling. -Christina Salgado
8. Arcade Fire – Reflektor
In their fourth full-length album, Reflektor, the Montreal based band strays from their signature formula, offering an ambitious two disc album that deviates their iconoclast themes and presents a disco driven record charged with relentless energy. Enlisting the talents of LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, Arcade Fire ushers in a brevity of dance hall inspired anthems, propelled by maniacal guitars and beat heavy synth tracks. Inflated with garish dance loops and ostensibly kitschy tones, the album is anything but. Conversely, the layers of complexity that surround the tracks are what make the body of work so dynamic. As their most comprehensive body of work, the crowning achievement of Reflektor is that is catapults Arcade Fire into a realm they sought to achieve subsequent to The Suburb’s success. The ambitious album deviates the band from the beaten path of emotionally gripped indie rock and ushers them into a bolder, edgier dance abstraction. And in the throws of this impressive effort, they succeed triumphantly. -Christina Salgado
7. James Blake – Overgrown
It’s been over three years since we first heard an echo of weathered falsetto in the voice of Londoner James Blake. 2011’s self-titled debut LP containing “The Wilhelm Scream” and “Limit To Your Love” was the world’s first real introduction to the excruciatingly sad and intense progressions Blake would become known for creating. Now it’s the end of 2013, and the musical world is widely familiar with his particularly heavy breed of beauty. Overgrown is the archetype of sophomore success. It extends Blake’s familiar style while securing bold, fresh takes on dubstep, hip hop and soul. Catapulting the industrial sounds of solitude, Blake’s productions balance gentle, heart-strung piano beauty with layered compositions so dense and deep-toned that bass quite literally fills the rooms in which it’s being played. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s time to see James Blake in concert. -Adrienne Thomas
6. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
From the first SNL commercial of emerging shiny letters and that soon to be ubiquitous Chic-ian strut, to the Coachella video clips of even shinier suits that heralded the year of Pharrell upon disco glory and a blood sunset, Random Access Memories’ release was an event that marked the return of classic album hype and promotion (Yeezus, the Reflektors) and the curated return of the electronic overlords, come to save music circuitry from the schizophrenic onslaught of EDM. And while this description is as very well overhyped as Daft Punk may seem to be, the truth of the matter is that Thomas and Guy-Manuel reverted in both time and technology to make the best seventies dance album of the millennium. The simply beautiful attention to detail in sound and atmosphere on RAM is unparalleled, and the inescapable attractiveness of the album’s singles took this otherwise technical masterpiece into the pop stratosphere. And then there’s the closing one-two punch of “Doin’ it Right” and “Contact,” ten or so minutes of cinematic grandeur and experiential finality that either could soundtrack the end of the decade. In the past couple of years that our music has become more and more computerized, it’s only natural that a couple of robots reminded us to be a little more human. -Dorian Mendoza
5. Disclosure – Settle
2013 ushered in a wave of solid dance music –including standout records from Daft Punk and Mathias Aguayo—but none were more impressive than that of firey newcomers Disclosure. Debuting with a brilliant LP, Settle, the electronic English duo reignited our passion for dance by creating a remarkably well executed and intelligent album. Opening with the contagiously fun, “When a Fire Starts to Burn,” Settle consistently delivers an exhilarating listening experience. Bolstered by all-star talents including Jesse Ware and Aluna George, Settle signals the groundwork for a long and impressive career ahead of Disclosure—one we’re happy to dance along to. -Christina Salgado
4. Kanye West – Yeezus
It began rather abruptly. With no introduction, a beam of light projected an image on a brick building in Williamsburg, That moving image was then instantly Instagrammed, Vine’d, Tweeted, Facebooked and Alta Vista’d. Red dots began popping up all over the map with nothing but an address and time, like something from a Shyamalan movie (a good Shyamalan movie, like Signs, not like The Happening or Stuart Little). It was almost biblical. With almost no warning other than an ominous tweet that said “June Eighteen” Yeezus had returned to preach his gospel to the masses from a top the mountain of the internet.
That gospel was a genre-bending clash of sounds that couldn’t be classified as anything but itself. It was Yeezus. In theory, it shouldn’t have worked. But it did. Kanye “Creative Genius” West crafted a 10 song magnum opus that was at times blasphemous, at other times insightful and at all times original. The reception was mixed, but not all great albums were immediately appreciated. But, if there’s one album from 2013 that we’ll look back at as having a huge impact on the music of the future, I think it’s safe to say it will be Yeezus. Thank God for Kanye West. -Matt Wink
3. Haim – Days Are Gone
HAIM breezed in like a Top 40 hit blasting from a passing car. There was just something about the L.A. sister trio. With sing-along hooks and a scissor kick of lead guitar, they nod to classic-pop regulars like Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon and Hall & Oates. Days Are Gone brims with sisterly advice like protect your heart, take control, and have a good time. On lead vocals Danielle Haim keeps a detached, rock-star cool. “I can’t go on if your love isn’t strong,” she sings on “Don’t Save Me,” wanting it all or walking. But on the axe she’s unhinged, as Este and Alana Haim – with bright choruses and synth beats that can turn any ballad into a bedroom dance party. Released in late September, Days Are Gone has kept the Indian summer burning as we head into the New Year. And judging by this debut, Haim could be a radio staple for years to come. -Kate Silver
2. CHVRCHES – The Bones of What You Believe
If you weren’t a disciple of the ever growing church of synth pop, The Bones of What you Believe is sure to make you one. CHVRCHES highly anticipated debut took the infectious despair and driving darkwave pop of singles “Recover” and “Lies” to another level, with technical modular ability, stellar production and Lauren Mayberry’s singular voice, both as delicate and sharp as an icicle. “Tether’s” gorgeous, hazy variations of volume jump off a cliff into a vast chasm of EDM level splendor. “You Caught the Light” is what Disintegration would sound like if it were made today. “Night Sky” and “Gun” are the last dance party at the beginning of the machine uprising. CHVRCHES’ debut is the most complete album to be released this year, marrying dance floor genius and textural sonic conduction into one cohesive, addictive unit. There is depth, emotion, and an innate connectivity with the listener in between the circuitry of The Bones of What you Believe, and that is what makes the album so great. There is not use in resisting the weightlessness the The Bones of What you Believe incurs, just let the wave of synth pop genius wash over you. -Dorian Mendoza
1. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City
Modern Vampires of the City was Vampire Weekend’s sonic staple, reckless yet refined, playful but mature record that diversified itself and blew the band’s often-disparaged conceptual simplicity out of the water. An instrumental paradise of orchestration carried the solid foundation to new heights, wrapping a glorious and bright bundle in a thought provoking yet highfalutin package.
On Modern Vampires of the City, Ezra Koenig’s boy-in-bedroom voice contemplated the trials of adulthood-mortality, self-worth and the question of a higher power all set to the most pleasant, tappable rhythm. This album pondered massive questions about the universe but still delivered the spontaneous, hap-hazard, sufficiently weird and fantastic anthems, which was everything we could’ve asked for and more. (Ya! Hey!) – Jason Radford
