‘Tis the season to make the most difficult choices I have to make all year. Seriously, my life is easy enough to make that statement true. I hate making these lists, more-so this year than any year previous. Yet I’m obligated to do so. So here I am.
You see, in January, I told myself that it would be a good idea to listen to more music. What resulted in that was a fine list of albums that I liked, some that I loved, and some that surprised me. Come December, I had roughly 90 records in a tidy Google Drive spreadsheet. Narrowing those down has taken me two weeks.
I like sharing what I listen to with people. I don’t like to be the music snob or the pushy fan, but I do enjoy being the guy who always has a suggestion for someone who asks. That’s what this list is. A list for future reference for anyone who asks “What sort of music do you listen to?”
The 23 LPs and 15 EPs listed below are some of my favorites from this year. There are plenty more, but these are the ones I think you should check out if the music discovery mood strikes. You can easily purchase each the albums below by clicking the image. You will be redirected to the most convenient point of purchase. In some cases, I have linked my review of a particular album. If you’d like some more in-depth and likely outdated thoughts on that release, feel free to read those as well.
I hope you enjoy these albums as much as I did. If so, do as you do and share it with some friends! Then leave me your lists in the comments. I want to know what I’m missing out on!
Best Full Length Albums of 2013
01. Mansions – Doom Loop | Clifton Hotel Records (my review)
02. Bastille – Bad Blood | EMI / Virgin Records
03. Coheed and Cambria – The Afterman: Decension | Hundred Handed / Everything Evil Records (my review)
04. Paramore – Paramore | Fueled By Ramen Records
05. The 1975 – The 1975 | Dirty Hit / Polydor Records (my review)
06. Lorde – Pure Heroine | Universal Records
07. Owel – Owel | intheclouds
08. Tiny Moving Parts – This Couch Is Long and Full of Friendship | Kind Of Like Records
09. AlunaGeorge – Body Music | Vagrant / Island Records
10. Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience Part 1 of 2 | RCA Records
11. Cartel – Collider | Self-Released / LAB Records
12. HRVRD – From The Birds Cage | Equal Vision Records
13. Fall Out Boy – Save Rock and Roll | Island Records (my review)
14. John Mayer – Paradise Valley | Columbia Records
15. Boy & Bear – Harlequin Dream | Universal Records
16. CHVRCHES – The Bones of What You Believe | Virgin Records
17. Tilian – Material Me | Vital Records
18. The Dear Hunter – Migrant | Triple Crown Records
19. Shone – Heat Thing | Procrastinate! Music Traitors
20. letlive. – The Blackest Beautiful | Epitaph Records
Honorable Mentions
Fossil Collective – Tell Where I Lie | Dirty Hit Records
Daughter – If You Leave | 4AD Records
The Maine – Forever Halloween | Eighty One Twenty Three Records
Best Extended Plays of 2013
01. X Ambassadors – Love Songs Drug Songs | KIDinaKORNER / Interscope Records
02. Smallpools – Smallpools | RCA Records
03. Wake Owl – Wild Country EP | Vagrant Records
04. Betty Who – The Movement | self-released / RCA Records
05. YMAEWK – I Wish More People Gave A Shit | Self-Released
06. Diamond Youth – Orange EP | Topshelf Records
07. Jaymes Young – Dark Star | self-released
08. Magic Man – You Are Here | Neon Gold Records
09. American Authors – American Authors | Island Records
10. Squid The Whale – Four More | self-released
11. Envoi – Changes | self-released
12. Jane Decker – Clean Hands | self-released
13. Glass Kids – Unblinded | self-released
14. FS – Cheers and Fears From The Past Year | Brain Fuse Records
15. Carousel – Palms | Left Right Records
