Pop Culture Corner: Best Albums of 2013

Man, what a year. For music, movies, TV shows. This week we’re going to zoom in on the best albums that 2013 has brought us. Let it be known that the way I define “best” is that the record represents something significant, a career-defining or redefining moment in the artist’s career. In other words, pretty darn good, a one to remember. There was stiff competition. 10. Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 ExperienceI’m mostly focusing on the first part of 20/20, released earlier this year, which set the pulse for summer and featured several radio-burning tracks. “Suit and Tie” and “That Girl” raised the bar for JT and pop in general: it was slick, detailed, intelligent and above all, sexy. The second half was a bit of a drag, but when you look at the two disks together, it is a bold leap forward for an artist who keeps changing the game every year or so. It is 2013’s FutureSex / LoveSounds. Although I doubt how much sexier his records can get. 9. Youth Lagoon - Wondrous BughouseYouth Lagoon is a bit of a hot mess live (Boston Calling, anyone?) but when he is in the solitude of his basement studio, he creates a Wondrous Bughouse. The album really is encompassed by its title: a neon greenhouse, sometimes translucent, sometimes distorted, full of synths, descending lines and the wonder that made The Year of Hibernation such a great debut. This sound, however, is more mature and Mr. Lagoon takes great strides in his writing. The tracks to note is the sonic soundscape “Mute” and the Beatles-esque “Pelican Man.” He may be in a bughouse, but his mind, and his music, lingers in a glowing, glistening strawberry field. 8. Lorde - Pure HeroineThe award for kick-ass sixteen-year-old of the year goes to New Zealand’s Lorde. We’ve all heard “Royals.” But the James Blake-style arrangements (see #4), lyrics that have bite yet a distinct innocence and amazing harmonies, set the entire album to a whole other level of awesome (see also “Tennis Court” and “400 Lux”). She challenges the modern female pop singer to show their intelligence through song, as opposed to sinking back into the trite, mindless wobbling (sorry, Prism). However, the influence of electro and dubstep signifies a change in the landscape of pop in the future, as if Lorde is the beginning of a new wave of pop. She is one hell of a profit. 7. Arctic Monkeys - AMMy favorite Brit Rockers keep it simple, taking what worked in Fluorescent Adolescent and beefing up the writing, arrangements and production. They have a lot of questions (the punch-packing “Do You Wanna Know?” and sweet “R U Mine?”), but also have very firm answers (the Black Keys-esque “Arabella”, among others). The Monkeys were always known, though, by their lyrics. And this time around, they are polished: the jokes sharper, the innuendoes racier. To be honest, they never sounded so good. 6. Lucius - WildewomanIt’s a bit bold of me to put this Brooklyn group’s debut as one of the top albums of the year, but this pebble made one big splash, earning fandom everywhere from Rolling Stone to NPR. At the center, the two intertwining voices of Jess Wolff and Holly Laessig with a tight backing band and Phil Spector-esque production. The retro feel permeates the album, and makes the harmonies sound as real and amazing as they do live. The other remarkable thing is that they seem to effortlessly dance through genres (country on the title track, indie pop on “Hey Doreen,” 1960s blues pop on “Turn It Around”), while still keeping their own, unique sound. It’s something you gotta hear to believe. 5. Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like ClockworkAdmittedly, QotSA is the only band that verges on the side of harder rock that I listen to. I tremendously enjoyed their previous work (see Songs for the Deaf, or Lullabies to Paralyze) as well as front man Nick Oliveri’s side work (you have to look up Them Crooked Vultures). The band is fiercely intelligent both lyrically and sonically, and after a bit of a hiccup in Era Vulgaris, they are back to their old selves with this year’s release. The songs tend to drift almost toward a singer-songwriter feel at times, closer to the heart of Oliveri, which, although unfamiliar, suits them in a way I never expected. Anyways, the album puts the band on the map for at least another five years, while opening up several daring, beautiful, musical doors. 4. James Blake - OvergrownJames Blake, I have witnessed, is the hottest thing on ice across the pond. It is the new British Invasion: like the Beatles defined pop/rock, Blake defines the new electro/pop (his influence is apparent anywhere from Corinne Bailey Rae to Lorde). And this ain’t no picnic. Overgrown has everything from the darkest gospel you’ve ever heard (check out the exploding ripples of “Retrograde”), the brooding, inverted piano ballad (“I Am Sold”) and indescribable dazzle of his own invention (the soft terror of “Voyeur”). The album puts you in a whole other sphere: overcast, overgrown and over any expectation. 3. Kanye West - YeezusThis album has produced too many quotes that I use in everyday conversation, none of them that I can print in the paper (a certain one about Romans and Trojans being my particular favorite). I had been a fan of West’s particular use of sampling for a long time; he had seemed to have mastered it in Late Registration and Graduation, putting well-produced beats over his youthful, energetic sound. Yeezus is the most hectic, hostile, alarming and uncharming record of the year, not to mention one of the best. “On Sight” throws you into a world of sharp synths and sharper Kanye, self-obsessed and obnoxious to a point of self-parody. With ten tracks, an indescribable energy pumps through (see “Black Skinhead” and “New Slaves”) until the ending track, “Bound 2,” which recalls earlier work (and how could we forget that video). So “hurry up with my damn croissants” and listen to this record, if you haven’t already. You will feel like a God. 2. Arcade Fire - ReflektorOh, what a surprise, Kieran, Arcade Fire fanboy. Well yeah. I won’t go on too long about this one (you can find my review in previous issues), but Arcade Fire’s polarizing collaboration with LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy has set them apart from themselves. No more Springsteen-esque anthems from Funeral and The Suburbs. We’re adults now, and we have adult problems! The tracks make up a sonic kaleidoscope, from Haitian dub to Bowie bass lines, and the lyrics tackle the casual themes of, oh, I don’t know, existence. Life, death, black, white. It’s casual stuff for them, though. “It’s just a reflektor.” 1. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the CityThe real surprisers of this year were indie rockers Vampire Weekend, finally taking a step out of Ivy League whining (done oh so well in their eponymous debut) and the summer vacation frustration of Contra. This album, their third, opens with the line “the wisdom teeth are out.” It sure feels that way. The headache is gone, the lyrics fit like a glove with the music, and as a result, the sound is lighter, if not effortless. There is dark joy (“Diane Young”), there is hopeful sadness (“Hannah Hunt”) and there is the tackling of bigger questions that extent from the college campus: God, love, commitment, jobs, the future. They have finally seemed to have gotten their groove, and we feel good for them. I remember when I got a copy of their debut, tossed around on a burned blank CD. Now, they’re modern, they’re adults, but they’re still vampires. They’ve just got more bite. Have a happy holiday and a happier break. Enjoy those new pairs of socks. Oh, and maybe ask for some CDs?