Biggest Disappointment(s)

Radiohead – The King of Limbs

It was natural to be let down after the near-perfect In Rainbows, but this album, even after several intent listens just made me want to fall asleep.

Okkervil River – I Am Very Far

I’m a big supporter of this band, but they seemed to really drop the ball this year. Only a few marginally interesting songs.

Albums I need to Listen to more:

EMA – Past Life as a Martyred Saint
Shabazz Palaces – Black Up
Beirut – The Rip Tide
The Antlers – Burst Apart
Tom Waits – Bad Like Me

Top Ten

10) Thurday – No Devolución

Back when “screamo” was getting a lot of radio play, Thursday enjoyed some added attention, but for all the wrong reasons. Yes, he screams, but this band is far from such mindless noise. They’ve flown under the radar for several years now, you don’t hear about their new releases unless you check out their website (or obsessively check Metacritic), but they’ve consistently improved their craft. They never make Radiohead-like changes to their music, they’ve not adapted to the times, one could say, but this is a great album with consistent, interesting songs from beginning to end.

9) Adele – 21

Well, yeah. I can’t deny that while living an ocean away from my future wife I didn’t listen to his album and then upon reunion share it with her and it become the soundtrack of our first shared apartment living. It’s a bit bloated, some of the songs downright boring, but I deleted those songs. One cannot deny “Someone Like You,” even André 3000 references it.

8) The Field – Looping State of Mind

I would like to spend just one day with this guy, just to see how he operates. I want to know how he happens upon his ideas. How does one say, hey, I’m going to hold a warbling tone for over seven minutes, give a smattering of drums here and there, a few other hiccups of sound and it’s going to be awesome? And then, how does one actually pull this off? Just like I suppose his creative process to be, the allure of this album is inexplicable.

7) Florence and the Machine – Ceremonies

I’m a sucker for bombastic melancholy and continual images of graveyard and ethereal angels. I can’t help it. Florence really just attacks singing, like she’s fighting against the words, the instruments, and herself and somehow this struggle works. I don’t know. I can just listen to this album on repeat, doing anything—including simply listening.

6) Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972

I am even more confused by Tim Hecker than I am by the Field. This album is 52 minutes of barely tampered with white noise and it is transcendent. Wait for it to snow, put this album on a good set of headphones and go for a walk. Then you’ll understand.

5) The Weeknd – House of Balloons/Thursday

Ever since the second mixtape “Thursday” dropped I’ve always listened to these two in tandem and can’t really distinguish between the two of them—I’m not cheating. The Weeknd took a lot of heat this year from lovers of traditional r&b for trying to fix what isn’t broken, but seriously. r&b is boring as shit, it was boring in the 90s. When people asked what music I liked I said everything except r&b. But the production on these, largely, slow-burning songs is so hypnotic, so entrancing that I am never bored. Add that one of the most original and recognizable new voices and you’ve got an unbelievable new talent.

4) Drake – Take Care

I found this album only a month ago, but it completely destroyed me. I mean, it made all other music for at least a week dull as paint. I couldn’t listen to anything else, Rahel almost killed me. The first time “Marvin’s Room” came on it was over. I knew little of Drake before I got this album and sincerely wish I’d not read anything about him or watched any of his posturing music videos (the Marvin’s Room video being a (slight) exception), as some of the sheen was dampened on this album. But I know I’ll be listening to this for a long time.

3) James Blake – James Blake

My most played album of the year. I was first introduced to Blake through last year’s EP, which was amazing, but did nothing to prepare me for this album. When I first put it on, I was like, what the hell is this? But almost immediately I was drawn into Blake’s world. I’ve spent a lot of time by myself this year, especially in the second half and listening to this album, you can tell that Blake did the same. He would’ve had to, in order to produce such a masterpiece. Solitude has been, in no way, bad, but it’s been nice to have some company.

2) M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

I’ve been waiting for this album a long ass time. I’ve always liked the idea of M83, but was never satisfied by the listening experience: the songs were overlong, the singing too subdued, the arrangements a bit “samey.” But this double-album with just about everything you could ever want in every song? M83 has finally drawn level with their promise.

You can pick out individual songs and they work beautifully (especially Midnight City, though…was I the only one that saw that Victoria’s Secret commercial? No other websites seem to make mention of it) but really this album demands to be listened to from the beginning to the end to be fully appreciated. Something I’ve done over and over.

1) Bon Iver – Bon Iver

A few years back I put “For Emma, Forever Ago,” at the top of my list, so it was going to be a given that I was going to like this album. It was also going to be a given that I as going to avoid putting this sophomore effort atop my list again, just so I wouldn’t be boring. But no other album can go here.

In truth, this isn’t even the same artist.

This music contains every emotion simultaneously. It is melancholic, joyful, sad, triumphant, tragic all at once. In short, it’s life compressed in under 50 minutes and no worse for that compression.

I listened to other albums for more than I listened to this one, but that’s because I couldn’t listen to it often. It’s been a crazy year, a wonderful year, but sometimes this album was a little too intense, a little too much.

But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t belong at the top of my list.