Best Releases Of 2013: #10-1

#10: Vex Ruffin & James Pants - "Krista"

It's amazing that a 2 song EP/single made the top 10, but these 2 songs are really really good. I hope this is just a teaser for a full length project between these 2 guys, because that would be awesome.

#9: Lapalux - "Nostalchic"

This is a very impressive full length debut full of lush soundscapes and detailed programming. I really appreciate how most of the songs are like an adventure that change throughout the running time.

#8: Mr. Oizo - "Amicalement"

This little 4 song EP was a free download through his website, and as usual, it does not disappoint for me. He's slowly become my favorite artist of the last 10 years.

#7: The Underachievers - "Indigoism"

These guys really hit it out of the park on their debut album here. It's rare nowadays that I hear some new rappers that i've never heard on anything previously that I truly embrace and enjoy, but these guys are just really fucking good at what they do. The beats, the rhymes, the flows... they got it all locked down.

#6: Demon Queen - "Exorcise Tape"

The duo of Tobacco and Zackey Force Funk works extremely well. Tobacco provides his usual dope production that you would expect from him, and Zack's vocals fit perfectly in this mold, while also providing a different sound to the vocals than people are used to hearing on Tobacco tracks. It's a nice refreshening to Tobacco's style and soundscape.

#5: Puscifer - "Donkey Punch The Night"

This EP contains 2 brand new songs and 2 covers, with a remix version of each song as well. The 2 new songs are some of the best of Maynard's career, in my mind. I could do without the straight cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody", but the remix version of it is cool enough to make it worthwhile for me. Actually, all 4 of the remixes are really well done and provide nice alternate listening experiences to the originals.

#4: Of Montreal - "Lousy With Sylvianbriar"

This newest offering from them is astounding. This has all the feel of classic 70's rock but still with Kevin Barnes' trademark writing style. His singing is more catchy than ever. There are no weak songs at all on this one. Just a classic LP, through and through. It's amazing to me that after releasing so many previous albums that he can still raise the bar for quality and come out with arguably his best LP yet.

#3: Fuzz - "Fuzz"

I've been enjoying all of the many releases Ty Segall has put out within the last couple years, but this one really takes the cake. Sounding reminiscent of classic rock like Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, and Deep Purple, but still with his own personal stamp on it. This is one of those albums you just flip over and play again once it's done, because it's just that good.

#2: Thee Oh Sees - "Floating Coffin"

I feel like Thee Oh Sees kinda owned 2013 for me. They put out this classic album, which in turn got me into their previous releases, which I also listened to heavily. I really appreciate how they are doing a styles of rock that have been done before, but they put such a unique personal stamp on their music, it just becomes their own. It's like they live in their own world of rock n roll. I can't get enough.

#1: Igorrr - "Hallelujah"

I feel like every year an artist or an album will come out that just completely shatters my notions of what the possibilities of recorded music are, and this is that album for 2013. This album blows me away in every possible way. He hits all of your emotions at once with music that is simultaneously hard as fuck but also beautiful. I feel like this style of music is a bit too much for most people, but if you're the adventurous type, this is something you need to hear. I'm basically obsessed with this album.

Best Releases Of 2013: #20-11

#20: Charles Bradley - "Victim Of Love"

I don't think this is quite as solid as his previous album, but this is still super great, and proof that his last album wasn't some fluke. He's got plenty of good songs to sing and Menehan Street Band sounds great backing him up.

#19: Oh No - "Oh No vs. Now Again 2"

Oh No is probably the perfect producer to work on this type of project, where he gets to pillage a label's catalogue for samples, and it's a label that is deep with good material for it.

#18: Big Business - "Battlefields Forever"

I had been waiting for this for a while, and it did not disappoint. They've got possibly the best drummer i've ever heard and they always manage to pack their albums full of catchy songs that blow your socks off.

#17: Grip Grand - "GG DOOM!...But How?"

I've never heard of Grip Grand outside of this EP, but he'll definitely be someone to watch for in the future. This is a superb set of MF Doom remixes he put together.

#16: Free The Robots - "The Balance"

He puts out a lot of EP's, but this one is actually a full length. Tons of great sounding songs here. I really enjoy the sound of the drums throughout this album. They have the feel of live drums while still being obviously programmed. 

#15: How To Destroy Angels - "Welcome Oblivion"

So, I actually ended up enjoying this collaboration between Trent Reznor and his wife more than I enjoyed the new Nine Inch Nails album. I really like her voice and I obviously like his production, and this album just flows well. I think he works well within this Portishead-like dynamic.

#14: Pelican - "Forever Becoming"

This album really rocks and they continue their streak of never putting out any remotely weak albums. This one might even end up being my favorite when it's all said and done, but I still need to give it more time before I fully decide. Either way, this album is superb.

#13: Myron & E - "Broadway"

Peanut Butter Wolf and the people at Stones Throw really seem to know how to scout out new talent. These guys are some cool sounding singers that are doing all different styles of soul oriented music throughout history. There's even a disco song on here, but mostly the album falls into a pre-1980's sounding upbeat R&B category. Above all else, this album is really fun to listen to and always puts me in a good mood.

#12: Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals/Warbeast - "War Of The Gargantuas"

This is a brutally awesome split EP where we get 2 songs each from Phil Anselmo and Warbeast. All 4 songs are stellar. Easily some of the best metal i've heard in a while.

#11: "Exploded Drawing SXSW 2013 Compilation"

This mostly beat scene oriented compilation really took me by surprise, mostly due to the fact that i've hardly ever heard of any of the artists on it before, but it still really bangs all the way through. Definitely not one of those compilations where there's only a couple good songs.

Best Releases Of 2013: #30-21

#30: Deniro Farrar - "The Patriarch"

One of the most solid hip hop releases of the year, easily. This is a good album to play for people who say stuff like "there's no good new rap that comes out anymore" or "where is the realness in new hip hop?". His songs generally have a very laid back vibe, but he has a very commanding mic presence without having to shout or get wild.

#29: E-40 - "The Block Brochure: Welcome To The Soil Vols. 4-6"

E-40 just won't quit making dope music. Yet another simultaneous multiple album release from him that does not disappoint. I will even say this is a little more solid throughout than the first 3 volumes of the series were. It seems like he's not trying to win over any new fans this time around and made a bunch of songs for his core audience to enjoy. I love it.

#28: Matmos - "The Marriage Of True Minds"

The results of their experiments this time around were a success in my book. Matmos never fails to keep it interesting, but this time around, I think it ended up being a little more listenable than usual for them.

#27: Anika - "EP"

I was a pretty big fan of her debut LP from a couple years ago. They reused one of the songs from that LP on here for some reason (I actually don't mind. I love the song), and then put a couple good dub versions of songs from that album on here as well, then added a few new songs to spice it up. The end result is a superb EP that I always want to keep going once it's over.

#26: Free The Robots - "In Other Worlds"

He's been pumping out great releases steadily for the past few years, and this EP is no exception. All the songs on here shine.

#25: Thundercat - "Apocalypse"

I think this 2nd album from him is an improvement on the first one in many ways. It's less experimental, but still weird enough for me, and showcases his immense skills as a bass player much more. You can tell this is just the beginning of a lengthy and prestigious career ahead of him. He just oozes talent.

#24: Zomby - "With Love"

I noticed a lot of critics, and really the industry in general, seemed to shun this album, even shit on it a little. I can't fathom why. A double LP full of awesome beats with a couple dance tracks sprinkled in. I really love driving around and listening to this in the car. This album does a good job of mostly staying within a common theme and soundscape, but still having a good variety of songs to keep me interested.

#23: The Uncluded - "Hokey Fright"

The unlikely duo of Kimya Dawson and Aesop Rock really works for me. I can see how a lot of people, especially from his fanbase, might find this album annoying, but I really appreciate what they did here. I went back a got a lot of her older releases after getting this, and apparently I was a Kimya Dawson fan and didn't know it. A bunch of my friends told me before I heard her that they thought I would hate her music, but they were obviously dead wrong. They should know that I usually love unique voices with good, honest songwriting skills to back it up. It also cool how this is way more in her sound spectrum than his, but he still doesn't sound out of place on this album at all.

#22: Nine Inch Nails - "Hesitation Marks"

A lot of people dogged this album due to it's more pop oriented nature compared to his previous works, but in my opinion most of those people are the same fools who dogged "The Fragile" when it was new for 'not being hardcore enough", and then turned around and fully embraced "With Teeth" when it was new, even though it was far more pop oriented than anything he'd ever released before, and clearly inferior to "The Fragile" in every way. This album is way better than "With Teeth" was, in my opinion, but I will say that "Hesitation Marks" is probably his 2nd worst album. It's still Trent Reznor doing what he does though, and that still is something that I enjoy a lot. He doesn't have to make a classic album every time to still make great music.

#21: Moistboyz - "V"

This one is a little more laid back than the previous volumes, but this is a super solid rock album, and definitely fills my fix for new Ween oriented material after they broke up.

Best Releases Of 2013: #40-31

#40: Mistabishi - "Calm"

This EP just has a great feel to it. Much more mellow than what I had previously heard from him, but this is a welcome departure, considering the quality of these tracks.

#39: Bonobo - "The North Borders"

Another solid release to add to his many previous ones. This isn't my absolute favorite album by him, but he stays consistent. This album walks a fine line between being both laid back feeling and upbeat at the same time.

#38: Chrome Canyon - "Elemental Remixes"

I already liked the original version of this 2012 album a lot, and this is one of those remix albums where they actually did it right. I especially like the Matthewdavid contribution, he really hit it out of the park.

#37: Ras G - "Raw Fruit"

These were supposedly supposed to be his little personal beats to listen to while extremely stoned and not meant for public consumption, but they got released through Stones Throw. Hardly any tracks over 2 minutes, and all insane sounding.

#36: Big Chocolate - "Clean"

Super solid EP. The opening song, "Bypass", was easily one of my most listened to songs of the year.

#35: Shannon & The Clams - "Dreams In The Rat House"

Great sounding retro garage rock with many different influences. This album got a lot of play from me the last month of the year.

#34: Atoms For Peace - "Amok"

This album didn't blow me away like I wanted it to, but it is still Thom Yorke, and he never fails to at least provide stuff I enjoy.

#33: Adult. - "The Way Things Fall"

I kind of miss the more abrasive nature of their older material a little more, but this is still a very triumphant return for them. They still have the same basic formula, but have just made it more poppy, and do it quite well.

#32: DJ Rashad - "Rollin"

Another artist that put out multiple releases this year, and I didn't get a chance to fully peep them all, but I did enjoy this EP quite a bit. All 4 tracks are superb.

#31: Oh No - "Disrupted Ads"

Oh No sure puts out a lot of albums, and this one is another one to add to the collection of greats. A combination of instrumentals and rap songs. Both by himself and by guest emcees.

Best Releases Of 2013: #50-41

#50: Voivod - "Target Earth"

This album surprised me. Usually when groups had their heydey years ago, they tend to just keep going through the motions of making boring albums, if they even make any new music at all. I especially like that they don't really stick to the same style of metal throughout the album, and have different sounding songs. It makes for a more interesting listening experience than most metal albums are for me when the albums are generally more homogenous in scope.

#49: RP Boo - "Legacy"

This is a nice set of songs from the inventor of the juke/footwork style of music. A little more progressive sounding than a lot of other stuff from the genre. Lots of polyrhythms and rapidly repeated samples.

#48: AM & Shawn Lee- "La Musique Numerique"

Solid set of feel-good songs that make you wanna dance without being electronically based. Sometimes when I listen to this album and i'm not in the right mood for it, some of the songs come off slightly corny, but when i'm in the right mood, this album is gold. It makes me happy that new music is being recorded that sounds like this.

#47: The Delfonics- "Adrian Younge Presents...The Delfonics"

I love it when older groups that have disappeared for years are able to come back and reinvent themselves like this. Adrian Younge did a superb job of producing this. The sound and feel of the production is perfect. It's gritty sounding while still being crisp and clear at the same time.

#46: Franz Ferdinand - "Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action"

Normally, I don't generally go for pop rock, but this album is wonderfully produced, and a lot of the songs are extremely catchy. The amount I enjoy this album might have been my biggest surprise to myself this past year.

#45: Major Lazer- "Free The Universe"

I think this was an improvement on the first Major Lazer album. I appreciate how they are doing a Handsome Boy Modelling School style, 'let's see how many different artists we can get to collaborate on this album' project, and really make it work within the vague borders they have set for styles.

#44: Cook Classics- "Cook Classics vs. Now Again"

I really enjoy the 'vs. Now Again' series. They let certain producers pillage their catalogue for samples and create new songs out of them. This one turned out way different than any of the others, and shows the versatility Cook Classics possesses as a beatmaker. A very nice journey.

#43: James Blake - "Overgrown"

This album is oddly comforting for me. I didn't really like it the first time I heard it, but after subsequent listens, it got ingrained in my brain, and I keep coming back for more.

#42: Traxman- "So Damm Whattt!!!!"

Unfortunately, I was so overloaded with new music, I never got to fully peep his full length that dropped last year. I just listened to some songs I had been hearing in DJ sets recently. I did get the chance to check out this weird little EP he dropped, and while I don't enjoy it nearly as much as his first full length, this is still a solid release worthy of bumping.

#41: Ministry- "From Beer To Eternity"

This is supposedly the final Ministry album (for real this time), and they definitely went out with a bang. This is probably my favorite release by them since "Dark Side Of The Spoon", and I really appreciate how it seems like they tried to integrate all of the styles from their career into one album.

Album Reviews: December 2013 Week 2

The Bug - "Filthy" 2013

This is a 4 song EP of a couple grime sounding songs. There is only 2 beats that are used twice each with different vocalists on the different versions. Neither of the beats does much for me, and i'm generally not into grime rappers due to the British accents combined with reggae patois sounding annoying to me, but this EP also has reggae artist Daddy Freddy and Detroit rapper Danny Brown on it. The song that has Danny Brown on it is even only OK. If this style of music is your thing, you might want to check this one out, i'm just not personally into it. Check out the video for "Dirty" featuring Flowdan and this video of a combination of 2 of the tracks on here for "Kill Them / Louder" featuring Daddy Freddy & Flowdan. Also check out "Freakshow" featuring Danny Brown & Kiki Hitomi.

Shannon & The Clams - "Dreams In The Rat House" 2013

This album is pretty cool sounding. It doesn't really sound like a new album, it has kind of a late 50's/early 60's surf vibe to it, or very rockabilly-like without the country aspect of that equation, and more lighthearted sounding, with a little doo wop splashed in. I wish there was a tiny bit more variance in the style from song to song throughout the LP, but this is a pretty solid package when it's all said and done. I would definitely recommend these guys to people who like garage rock stuff like Thee Oh Sees but also to people who like soul revival stuff like Daptone Records puts out. Check out the video for "Rat House". Also check out "Hey Willy", "Bed Rock", "Ozma", "If I Could Count", and "Into A Dream".

Moistboyz - "V" 2013

Well, even if we don't get any more new Ween albums, at least we can still get new music from the Moistboyz. This is the other band that guitarist Mickey Melchiondo aka Dean Ween is in, along with singer Guy Heller. This is pretty on par with the previous Moistboyz albums, quality-wise. Stylistically, this one is a little less 'in your face' and more laid back than the previous albums, but the trademark sense of humor and general feeling of middle fingers up defiance is still fully intact. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Ween (obviously), Queens Of The Stone Age and Eagles Of Death Metal, or even Ministry. Check out the video for "Paperboy". (They had somebody create a little jacked up version of the classic video game for the video.) Also check out "Protect & Serve", "Down On The Farm", "My Time To Die", "One Cut At A Time", and "Medusa"

Album Reviews: December 2013 Week 1

Guilty Simpson - "OJ Simpson (Detroit Version)" 2013

There was 2 versions of this album that Madlib had put together, and this was considered the alternate one. I like that it's more concise and less aimless seeming than the regular version that was released in 2010, but it still pales in comparison to his debut album, "Ode To The Ghetto", and there was no getting around the fact that this was destined to be a sophomore slump album by comparison. This album is definitely not weak at all though. Any fan of Madlib's production or Guilty's rhymes is going to enjoy this album a lot. The beats are generally a little tighter than the original versions, and he cut a lot of the fat and made this version a lot less interlude-laden. I definitely prefer this to the regular version. This is an exclusive release to the Stones Throw subscription service, and therefore I have no way of sharing any tracks from this on here. Sorry.

James Blake - "Overgrown" 2013

I noticed this was on a lot of people's lists of 'most disappointing albums of 2013', and I just don't understand that. I think this is an improvement on his first album, where it seemed like he sounded a bit awkward and uncomfortable at times. He seems completely comfortable doing what he's doing on this LP, and the results sound good. Some might find his voice a little off-putting at first, but once you get used to it, he sounds like a nice new unique voice. It's cool to see people successfully change the way they generally approach making music, and do it in a way that's not corny or sellout seeming. He started out as an instrumental electronic artist with no specific style, but always with good detailed sonic qualities, but now that he started incorporating singing into his repertoire, his music comes off as an odd mixture between the styles of Radiohead, Cold War Kids, and King Krule. Check out the videos for "Retrograde" and "Overgrown". Also check out "Life Round Here", "Take A Fall For Me" featuring RZA, "To The Last", and "Every Day I Ran".

Statik Selektah - "Extended Play" 2013

It's possible that it's an indicator as to how not into hip hop I am nowadays, but this album just does nothing for me. Sure there's some decent beats on here, but none of them blow my mind either. The guest list is pretty 'cream of the crop' for the east coast nowadays, in terms of people bringing the classic east coast sound, but still, most of the verses on here just seem kinda corny and borderline annoying. I feel like a hater for not really enjoying this, because it's technically not a bad album at all, but it's just not where i'm at currently at this point in time I guess. Check this out if you enjoy classic 90's sounding east coast hip hip and are looking for something new out there. Check out the video for "21 & Over" featuring Sean Price & Mac Miller. Also check out "Make Believe" featuring Termanology, Freddie Gibbs, & Easy Money, "Pinky Ring" featuring Prodigy from Mobb Deep, and "Bird's Eye View" featuring Raekwon, Joey Badass, & Black Thought