Each year, I take it upon myself to listen to a ton of new music and then, at the end of the year, make a big production out of announcing which albums I thought were the best of the bunch. Past winners have included the illustrious likes of City & Colour, Tom McRae, As Cities Burn, Sleeping At Last, Damien Rice, and last year's winner, Deftones, so 2013 has some prettttty big shoes to fill. 

#1
Jason Isbell - Southeastern
(Southeastern Records / June 11, 2013)

Well this was unexpected.

Twelve months ago, Jason Isbell was only a name I'd seen mentioned on Twitter and heard in passing. I'm sure maybe I'd heard a song or two without realizing it, and I did know he was in Drive-By Truckers at one point, but I didn't care about DBT, so I never bothered to pay his solo material much attention.

I honestly couldn't even tell you why I gave this album a chance in the first place. Obviously I'm glad that I did, but my initial listen definitely wasn't anything more than an "eh I guess I'll give this a shot" type situation. What I ended up realizing is that Jason Isbell is more than just a singer or a songwriter. This dude is a storyteller. Every single song takes you through the twists, turns, trials, and tribulations of these characters he's created; most probably based, at least in part, on his own life experiences & picking himself back up after some fairly dark times. It's this storytelling aspect that I think really drew me in and made me fall in love with this album. He makes me care about these songs & the characters within them in a way that not many others can and tackles incredibly difficult topics (listen to "Elephant") in such a painfully honest way that it's tough to not feel something when you listen to this album. 

The only real gripe I have is the DBT-esque song "Super 8", which doesn't really seem to fit here on this album, but that doesn't really amount to much more than a petty complaint given what Isbell achieves throughout the rest of Southeastern.

If you're a fan of Ryan Adams or Justin Townes Earle styles of "country" music or you just want to hear a damn fine work of musical art, look no further than this album.

Check out Stockholm, Traveling Alone, Flying Over Water & Live Oak

#2
Phosphorescent - Muchacho
(Dead Oceans / March 18, 2013)

Song For Zula. 

Seriously, that's really all I need to say. 

This entire album is incredible, so I'm certainly not trying to imply that it's a one-trick pony or anything, but Song For Zula is, without hyperbole, one of the most amazing, beautiful songs I've ever heard. It just sounds like a dream. A wistful dream about recognizing, accepting, regretting, and escaping the trappings of love. Rarely does a song actually give me chills; rarer still does a song I've listened to at least a hundred times affect me as much the 100th time as it did the 1st time. Song For Zula did (does) just that. I implore you to scroll to the bottom of this little review and listen to it immediately. If it doesn't move you in some way, I'd argue that you might not have a soul. 

Ok, so now that you're aware of how great Song For Zula is, you might as well just go ahead and listen to the remainder of the album. I promise it's all really great.

Check out Song For Zula, The Quotidian Beasts & Terror In The Canyons (The Wounded Master)

#3
Sleeping At Last - Atlas
(Asteroid B-612 Records / 2013)

If there's one thing you can never accuse Sleeping At Last (aka Ryan O'Neal) of, it's laziness. After 2011's fantastic Yearbook project, he was back at it in 2013 with his Atlas project. As you can see, I chose the first Space EP as the album art for this entry, but this actually covers all 4 Atlas EPs he's released so far – Darkness, Light, Space I & Space 2. So essentially, my #3 is actually 4 albums because these are all so great I can't even begin to play favorites.

Sleeping At Last has long been a musical treasure to me. Everything the band (or Ryan as a "solo" artist now) has ever released has been nothing short of stellar on every front imaginable–musically, lyrically, vocally, conceptually, packaging..you name it, SAL excels at it. These Atlas records are, as evident by their placement on this list, no exception. I've linked an example from each of the 4 EPs below, but I'd recommend listening to each EP in its entirety so you can truly get a grasp of what SAL wants to convey on each individual record.

To summarize: these albums, like everything the band does, are absolutely beautiful. Ryan O'Neal is an incredibly gifted writer & musician. You should listen to this music.

Check out Woodwork, Heirloom, Mercury & Neptune

#4
The Civil Wars - The Civil Wars
(Sensibility/Columbia Records / Aug. 2, 2013)

After hearing 2011's Barton Hollow for the first time, I was hooked on this band. They just had it and I loved everything about them - from the songwriting to their chosen style of music (which is in the alt-country/folksy family, FYI) to the chemistry they seemed to have with each other. Obviously, the music world seemed to feel the same way and they became a big deal rather quickly & won a handful of Grammys in the process.

Everything was great. And then they sorta disbanded because they eventually started hating each other. I guess you could say they had a...civil war.
Sorry.

This year, they decided to reunite for another record and, as one might be expect, it's fantastic. The inner turmoil (or overwhelming sense of unrequited love between the two) is reflected in the songwriting, so some of the songs are pretty blatantly sad; but if that's your cup of tea (as it is mine), you'll thoroughly enjoy it. If not, at least go listen to the Smashing Pumpkins cover!

Check out Dust To Dust, The One That Got Away & Disarm

#5
The Lone Bellow - The Lone Bellow
(Descendant Records / Jan. 22, 2013)

One of the first few lines in the opening track  Green Eyes And A Heart Of Gold is "We're broke in New York City / The F train takes us home" and obviously I can relate because once upon a time I was broke in New York City AAAAAAND I've been on the F train before (which goes from Coney Island up to Queens, in case you were curious). Thing is though, I'm pretty sure you can appreciate this album even if you've never been broke in NYC OR been on the relatively crummy F train. 

These guys reside in Brooklyn, but don't expect to hear anything less than a soulfully stout, twangy neo-folk-country-blues-roots-gospel album when you hit the play button. If you search around the 'net, you'll see them compared to the usual suspects; bands like the Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, etc. You'll also see a handful of references to Lady Antebellum. A mashup of Mumford/Lady A would be a decent place to start if you insist on making comparisons, but TLB is a band whose music deserves better than being pigeonholed. Ugh, this is getting verbose and I haven't really even talked about the music. Ok ok - there's more heart in these songs than you can shake a stick at, this is an album that deserves your time, and I'm not entirely sure how this wasn't nominated for a Grammy.  
Fin.

Check out Green Eyes And A Heart Of Gold, You Never Need Nobody & Bleeding Out

#6
Sigur Rós - Kveikur
(XL Recordings / June 17, 2013)

Sigur Rós is no stranger to my year end lists. In fact, if one were to look back at my past 10+ years of public list making, I don't know if they'd find any artist that makes as many appearances as Sigur Rós does. Partly because they've released a lot of music, but mostly because they are SO. GOOD.

It feels a little weird to say that this album is the band's "darkest" or "heaviest"–because it's almost hard to imagine Sigur Rós being heavy and/or dark–but in relative terms, that's exactly what Kveikur is. All of the elements you'd expect from the band are still present (it's very obviously still a Sigur Rós album), but there is a noticeable shift in direction that's occurred. The songs have a heaviness and a sense of urgency that set them apart from most of the band's catalog and, quite honestly, helps make for some of the most intriguing music of the band's storied career.

If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that this album was probably intended to be the storm to Valtari's (their 2012 release) calm, but whatever the ultimate purpose, I'm glad they stepped out on a limb. This sound was a welcome change that I didn't know I wanted, and I'm anxious to see where they go next.

Check out Brennisteinn, Íjaki & Kveikur

#7
City and Colour - The Hurry And The Harm
(Dine Alone Music / June 4, 2013)

I am a Dallas Green fanboy. There, I said it. I love everything this guy releases. Well, nothing quite as much as 2008's Bring Me Your Love, but I may never love anything quite that much again eeeever in my lifetime so it resides in a category all by itself.

For some artists, releasing an album that I, Brandon Krutzky, think might very well be the best thing I've ever heard before would be enough. Hell, he's probably never gonna top it, so I couldn't really blame him if he packed up the acoustic guitar and called it a career. Apparently DG's not one to give up so easily though, so I applaud him for making the effort & continuing to release new material.

Seriously though, this is a wonderful album. It's no BMYL, but I do think it's better than 2011's Little Hell, which was a damn fine record in its own right. Sometimes, it's just nice to listen to music that feels like a big, comforting hug. City and Colour is that for me. Incredibly relatable lyrics and warm music that exists for the solitary purpose of letting me know that everything is gonna be okay.

Check out Two Coins, Ladies and Gentlemen & Of Space and Time

#8
Daughter - If You Leave
(Glassnote / April 30, 2013)

This album was probably the most resilient thing I listened to all year. I enjoyed it on first listen, but I never would've expected it to have the staying power that it did. On the surface, it seems like it wouldn't be anything all that extraordinary; it's a collection of mopey (ok fine, depressing), reverb-heavy, singer-songwriter-ish songs that I can probably find in a million other places. But once I listened, I found myself craving these songs day after day and eventually I came to realize that there was something really special here.

Imagine Florence & The Machine chilling out a bit and sounding more like Azure Ray or Mazzy Star or Cat Power or (insert mellow, female-fronted group here), you'll have an idea of what to expect from Daughter. If You Leave is a beautiful, gentle, and tastefully somber album that will sink its teeth in you and probably won't let go. Don't worry though, you won't want it to.

Check out Still, Human & Youth

#9
James Blake - Overgrown
(Universal Records / Apr. 9, 2013)

I don't really know how best to describe James Blake's music. Is bleak, ambient, dubby, trip-hop a recognized genre? Bleakbient Dubhop? Ambleak Tripstep? Whatever. 

I think one of the things I like most about James Blake is the restraint he shows in his music. The dude writes all these songs that want nothing more than to evolve into something else, but he refuses to let them because he knows they're perfect just the way they are. He's like a mean parent that's only acting in the best interest of his kids or a Pokemon collector that has a cute little Charmander and doesn't want to let it evolve into a moody Charmeleon or, God forbid, a foreboding Charizard. He knows that what these songs aren't makes them what they are.

If you're in the market for music that sounds like a dreary winter day, this is the album for you.

Check out Overgrown, I Am Sold & Retrograde

#10
Chvrches - The Bones Of What You Believe
(Glassnote / Sept. 24, 2013)

I kinda feel like this might be the most (if not the only) "2013" album on this entire list. To clarify, of the 30+ albums listed here, this record probably most accurately represents alternative music in 2013 (which is kinda odd since it sounds like it's from the '80s), and I guess that could be either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your perspective & the feelings you have towards this current crop of bands. Personally, I'm not all that enamored with a lot of what's out there these days, but for whatever reason, this Chvrches album struck a chord with me and became something I really enjoyed listening to. 

If you're not familiar, Chvrches are a synthpop/electronica/80s band from Glasgow that had a TON of hype surrounding them this year and managed to deliver something that seems to actually have lived up to said hype–by that, I obviously just mean that Pitchfork gave the album a positive review, which is the standard by which we all must judge everything. Anyway, this really is a good album. It's got a lot of nice melodies and a great deal of catchiness & while it can be a little abrasive lyrically, I don't think that takes away from the overall experience.

Check out The Mother We Share, Recover & Tether

#11
Amos Lee - Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers Of Song
(Blue Note / Oct. 8, 2013)

If you learn anything about me from this list, it needs to be that banjos and steel guitars are practically a surefire way into my musical heart. Basically, if you do the Americana thing & you do it well, I will thoroughly enjoy your music. Case in point: this album. 

I'll be completely honest with you; I love this record and it was tough leaving it out of my top 10. Everything about it just sooo good. Thing is, I've always liked Amos Lee's voice, but I wasn't completely sold until I heard this album. This whole album just works. From the opening bars of Johnson Blvd to the bluesy closer Lowdown Life to impressive guest spots from Patty Griffin & Alison Krauss, and eeeeeevery darn thing in between, the whole album is a very enjoyable listen.

But don't just take my word for it...

Check out Johnson Blvd & Chill In The Air

#12
Killswitch Engage - Disarm The Descent
(Roadrunner Records / April 1, 2013)

When it was first announced that Howard Jones was out as the singer of Killswitch Engage, I was kinda bummed. Sure, the past few albums have been prettttty stale, but boy was 2004's The End Of Heartache an awesome album. But then they announced that Jesse Leach, their original singer, was back in and I was happy again. 

In reality, Jesse & Howard are pretty similar singers, so I'm not gonna argue about one being better than the other. What I will say though, is that this album, for whatever reason, is much better than the past few records the band has released. Stylistically, this record is really just the same old KSE, but there's just something more awesome about it this time around. I guess it could be as simple as a new/old singer spicing it up again, but whatever. I REALLY enjoy this album a lot.

Check Out In Due Time & All We Have

#13
Ivan & Alyosha - All The Times We Had
(Dualtone / February 26, 2013)

It might just be a me thing, but I think that this band sounds SO MUCH like The Snake The Cross The Crown. In fact, aside from the typical things that I enjoy about this album (like good songs and whatever), the auditory resemblance to TSTCTC may be my favorite thing about this band - and I don't mean that to demean Ivan & Alyosha in the least. If anything, it's a big ol' compliment because I really loved that other band. 

This record is full of pleasant, laid-back, warm folky-pop that's so good it's almost hard to believe that this is technically the band's debut album. Sure, they have a few EPs under their belt, but they truly sound like they've spent years & years perfecting their craft. I have no idea if they're currently popular in any genre circles or get radio airplay now or whatever, but based solely on this record, I'd say their chances for success are high.

Check out Be Your Man & On My Way

#14
Circle Takes The Square - Decompositions Vol. 1
(Gatepost / Digitally Released Dec. '12, Physically Released Jan. '13)

The run of metal continues! 

If you want to be super mega technical about it, this album first saw the light of day at the very end of last year. But 1) I didn't realize it and 2) it didn't get a physical release until this year, sooo it still counts. Plus, it's my list so I can make/break the rules.

It's hard to believe that CTTS's amazing fantastic unbelievable debut album, As The Roots Undo, was released in 2004. Almost TEN years ago. Their music is still definitely not for everybody, but they do sound tighter & a bit more polished this time around. And then there's the lyrics. The lyrics were the best part of this band 10 years ago and it remains that way today – nobody in the metal world has even really come close to matching them. They're SO good. Just go read through them if you don't believe me. 

It's hard to say if this record has been worth the wait – I mean, it's really good, don't get me wrong, but it was NEVER going to live up to my expectations. Yes, I know that's a me problem. Is it as awesome as As The Root Undo? Nah. And it never had a chance to be–at least not for me. But like I said, it's really good. REALLY good. I jut hope they don't wait another 8-10 years to release the next one. 

Check out THE ENTIRE ALBUM

#15
Norma Jean - Wrongdoers
(Razor & Tie / August 5, 2013)

...speaking of metalcore, we're right back into that realm with the latest entry to the list. Norma Jean has been around for a while (I think their first album was released in '02?!), and as far as their genre goes, NOBODY has consistently done it better than these dudes.  From the still-incredible debut Bless The Martyr... to 2010's Meridional (their best album, IMO) to this latest effort, NJ is constantly killing it with music that never eases up & never stays in the same place for too long. 

With Wrongdoers, Norma Jean takes everything that was great & interesting about Meridional and continues to push the boundaries. But DARE I SAY that if you've ever liked Norma Jean, this record has everything you could possibly want. 

Check Out If You Got It At Five, You Got It At Fifty

#16
Bring Me The Horizon - Sempiternal
(Epitaph Records / April 2, 2013)

Fair or not, I think I kinda view BMTH as a guilty pleasure. I'm not terribly sure why–a few years ago singy/screamy metalcore full of breakdowns & angst was practically all I listened to. A few years before that, nu-metal was practically all I listened to, and that sorta became a guilty pleasure once I ventured into metalcore territory, so maybe it's just the natural order of things. 

ANYWAY. So BMTH is one of the few metalcore bands that I actually do still enjoy thoroughly; probably a testament to their ability to mature their sound throughout the years. I think they've really hit their stride this time around and reached the musical promised land; a heavier, metalcore version of Linkin Park. Rockin' riffs, catchy melodies...oh shut up, you know you like Linkin Park too.

Check out THE ENTIRE ALBUM

#17
Front Line Assembly - Echogenetic
(Metropolis Records / July 9, 2013)

If there's one thing I truly appreciate, it's music that allows me to delusionally convince myself that it's fall at any time during the year. Front Line Assembly (and really anything else that remotely resembles something from the industrial genre) does just that, and for this, I am eternally grateful.

As far as FLA releases go, this album is quite solid. I might even go so far as to say that this is one of the best records in their entire catalog; and coming from someone at my level of fandom, that's saying something. They've almost completely ditched the guitars and gone entirely with electronics on this record, but it's still every bit as dark, menacing, creepy, and brooding as anything they've done in the past.

Check out Killing Grounds & Leveled

#18
Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks
(Columbia Records / Sept. 3, 2013)

When Trent Reznor announced that he would be releasing a new NIN album this year, there was much rejoicing & a ton of speculation as to what it would sound like.

I haven't asked around, but I'd be willing to bet that the majority of NIN fans didn't quite expect the album they ended up getting. I sure didn't. The last thing I expected was an album that sounded like The Slip pt. 2. But alas, that's what Hesitation Marks essentially is and that could be a good or a bad thing, depending on your perspective. 

Personally, I don't love this album but I can still acknowledge that it has plenty of darn good material. Plus, Reznor at his worst is still better than a good 80% of the music industry at their best, sooo.

Check out Copy Of A & Came Back Haunted

#19
Brett Detar - Too Free To Live
(Self-Released / Oct. 8, 2013)

I've been a Brett Detar fan for years. From Zao to The Juliana Theory to his first solo record, everything he's a part of is pretty damn solid. 

If you read other reviews of Detar's solo work around the 'net, you'll see plenty of Townes Van Zandt references. Now, I'm not here to name drop other artists to prove to you that I have good taste (at least not in this review), BUT I will tell you that those comparisons are accurate. Too Free To Live picks up right where the aforementioned previous solo record (Bird In The Tangle) left off a few years back–it's a country album at heart, but has plenty of folksy, bluesy americana to go around.

Detar's knack for telling stories with these songs shines through on this record; it feels like each song has a purpose. I enjoy that. Plus, he just seems like a cool dude. Soo you should support him.

Check out Too Free To Live or download THE ENTIRE ALBUM for FREE!

#20
Calexico - Spiritoso
(Anti- / June 11, 2013)

Sometimes, rearranging & performing pre-existing music with an orchestra doesn't really do it any favors. Bands often try too hard to mesh the two musical worlds and it just comes across as a jumbled mess–two different pieces of music dramatically colliding and fighting for the listener's attention. There are some instances, however, where an orchestra is used in a more complimentary way and it actually improves upon the original product.
This is one of those instances.

I've always found Calexico's music to be enjoyable on its own – I tend to appreciate music that makes me feel like I'm in a southwestern desert at night – but something here really stood out to me & I found myself coming back to this album over and over and over as the year went by. 

Check out Frontera/Trigger & Para

#21 
Nails - Abandon All Life
(Southern Lord Records / March 16, 2013)

10 songs. 17 minutes. Much metal. So brutality. Wow.

This record is practically over before you even realize what hit you, but for that brief time it's pretty awesome. Unless, of course, you already have a headache before you start listening, in which case you quickly start hating your life and it is not at all awesome.

As I mentioned back in the All Pigs Must Die review, this is the most punishing album I heard all year long. The heaviness, anger, and overall volume at which these dudes make music is second to none. If you're into metal's grind, noise, death, and other types of -core genres, this album is for you.

Check out THE ENTIRE ALBUM
 

#22
Atoms For Peace - AMOK
(XL Recordings / Feb. 25, 2013)

I think the story behind this band is that Thom Yorke gathered up his own little supergroup to be the backing band for live performances of his (excellent) solo Eraser material a few years back and then they sorta decided to make a whole record as a band. Or something like that. But basically, this is still the Thom Yorke show, so we'll just call this his second solo record. Although, if you told me this was a new electronically beat-driven Radiohead record, I'd really have no reason to not believe you. Yorke's got such an identifiable voice & delivery and all of his projects tend to be sonically similar enough that it's almost impossible to differentiate between them. As long as the music is as good as it is on AMOK though, who cares?

As a special treat for all you audiophiles out there, check out the YouTube vinyl rip of THE ENTIRE ALBUM

#23
Skeletonwitch - Serpents Unleashed
(Prosthetic Records / October 29, 2013)

In years where the mighty Darkest Hour doesn't release new music, I have to search elsewhere if I want to get my recommended dosage of thrash metal. Luckily, bands like Skeletonwitch exist that can help fill the void nicely. 

This album, like just about all of the band's catalog, is awesome. Thirty minutes of heavy, punishing, growly thrash/death/black metal. And how about that name? Skeletonwitch. So great. "Hey guys, wanna start a metal band?" "Sure. What should we call it?" "I dunno man, why don't we just make a list of the most metal sounding words we can come up with and then mash two of the coolest ones together?" "Fucking excellent idea, dude." "Uh so let's see. Blackness, evil, satan, sacrifice, skeletons, demon, dark, blood, snake, pyre, burning, devil, hate, witch, dead, death, grave, swords, war, godless, carnage, apocalypse, flesh..." "Oh some of those are really cool! Bloodpyre? Godlessflesh? Demonsnake? Deathgrave? Skeletonwitch?" "YES! SKELETONWITCH! THAT'S THE SHIT!" High fives all around.

Check out Serpents Unleashed and I Am of Death (Hell Has Arrived)

#24
Ghost BC - Infestissumam
(Seven Four Entertainment/Republic / April 16, 2013)

Ghost (or Ghost BC for those of us here in North America) has always been a little over the top. Perhaps even borderline goofy. Really, they're the modern version of Mercyful Fate. And that is just fine with me. 

In the preceding months, this album had a TON of hype. After their fantastic first record, Opus Eponymous (which still might have my favorite album cover of all time), Ghost positioned themselves as metal's mysterious saviors and were blasted into the stratosphere as the world's leading purveyors of hip throwback satanic metal/hard-ish rock.  Did they live up to the hype? Probably not. BUT still a great record!

Check out THE ENTIRE ALBUM

#25
The National - Trouble Will Find Me
(4AD / May 21, 2013)

I think maybe I enjoy the National's music so much because it just feels...comfortable. Singer Matt Berninger's voice is kinda like your favorite worn-in pair of jeans that you might not wear on an everyday basis but you REALLY enjoy putting on when you're ready to relax.

I fell in love with The National back in '07-ish when their Boxer album first graced my ears. It was just flat out nice to listen to. Fast forward a few years and a few albums, and the band's latest work finds them treading the same familiar path that they've been following their entire career, but gawdarnit if they don't just keep getting better at sounding like..themselves.

Check Out This Is The Last Time & Don't Swallow The Cap

#26
Daniel Romano - Come Cry With Me
(Normaltown Records / January 22, 2013)

Just by looking at this guy, you know that his music is gonna be legit. In a day & age where country music has essentially become pop music with a slight twang and an overabundance of references to partying, it's nice to listen to an artist that tries to adhere to a more "classic" country sound and a tried & true method of lyrical storytelling. If you dig stuff from the likes of George Jones or maybe even enjoy listening to some of Willie Nelson's older stuff, this might be right up your alley.

This is the kind of music that you'd expect to hear coming out of an old jukebox in a smoky bar that specializes in cheap booze & giving folks a place to cry into said booze about long lost love. A real auditory treat.

Check out I'm Not Crying Over You & Middle Child

#27
The Weeknd - Kiss Land
Republic Records / Sept. 10, 2013

Creating a followup to the fantastic trilogy of albums this dude released last year (and then rereleased as one big record called...Trilogy) must not have been an easy task. Dude got super hot super quick comin' out tha underground (and hanging out with Drake) and then had to go back and try to duplicate the success. 

If we're gonna be honest here, this album isn't as good as Trilogy. I'm not saying Kiss Land doesn't bring the freshness–because it does–but just not as much of it as the Trilogy stuff did. But this record is still a great listen. If you're into The Weeknd's (aka Abel Tesfaye's) soulful Michael Jacksonish voice &  deliberate, woozy beats, you'll be into this record. 

Check out Belong To The World & Kiss Land

#28
All Pigs Must Die - Nothing Violates This Nature
(Southern Lord Records / July 23, 2013)

METAL METAL METAL METAL METAL METAL METAL METAL.

This record is heavy, loud, and awesome. Outside of Nails' 17-minute Abandon All Life rager from earlier this year (also on Southern Lord, coincidentally), I can't immediately think of a more punishing, more consistent 2013 metal release than this one.

This is one of those unrelenting, don't-listen-if-you-have-a-headache-or-would-prefer-not-to-get-a-speeding-ticket albums that will literally rip your face off. If you're into supergroups (say, one with members of bands such as Converge & The Hope Conspiracy) and you like your metal heavy, give this album a spin.

Check out THE ENTIRE ALBUM

#29
Kavinsky - OutRun
(Casablanca/Republic Records / Feb. 26, 2013)

I don't really think I'd be going out on much of a limb to say that a lot of people (me included) probably had no idea who/what Kavinsky was until they heard Nightcall on the (muy fantastic) Drive soundtrack.  If you've never seen Drive, well, it's a good thing you've got me here to drop knowledge bombs on you.

"Kavinsky" is a dude who crashed his Testarossa back in '86, and came back as a zombie in '07 to make electronic music. Seems legit. It's all the brainchild of a Frenchman named Vincent Belorgey & if you like 80s synthy-electro video game music and Daft Punk, this is precisely your cup of tea. 

I'll be honest. Kavinsky, like many undead DJs, is a one trick pony. But dammit, that one trick is fun.

Check out Nightcall & Protovision

#30
Palms - Palms
(Ipecac Recordings / June 25, 2013)

I've long felt that Chino Moreno can do no wrong. 

The man has a voice that's as soothing as babbling brook and anytime he's attached to a musical project, I am ALL IN. And THEN when that musical project also consists of a handful of the dudes from the legendary post-whatever band Isis, it's almost too exciting to bear. 

Palms' debut record is really everything I expected it to be – a dreamy, ambient, and incredibly atmospheric album that allows everyone involved to play to their strengths. The Isis dudes get to do their progressive rock thing and Chino gets to do what he's best at (IMHO, of course) and just kinda wail over the music like a siren. 

Check out Future Warrior & Patagonia

Honorable Mentions

So, I've decided that my list would be a top 30 this year, but inevitably, there are a handful of albums that I enjoyed, but didn't make the cut. The following albums, in no particular order, are a few of this year's list leftovers.

I think the album cover is a good indication of the music you're getting here. This guy is a (European) singer-songwriter that, I promise, isn't as generic as his name & the art might indicate. Really nice listen if you're into whimsical white guys w/ acoustic guitars. Click below to listen.

Great Lakes

Salty And Sweet

Dustin Kensrue used to sing for the band Thrice. Now he's a worship leader for a church up in the northwest. As one might expect, his new music reflects that path in his life. The record is pretty churchy & definitely not for everyone, but I'm into it. 

It's Not Enough

Rejoice

The Devil Makes Three are an acoustic band that dip their musical fingers in all sorts of rootsy genres–country to bluegress, americana to ...folkpunk. I'm probably not going out on a limb to assume these guys (and a lady) are more of a live act than anything, but this is foot-stompingly solid album that's perfect for driving through the backwoods of..wherever.

Stranger

Spinning Like A Top

If you're into ambient music, you're probably already aware of Tim Hecker. If you're into reading glowing album reviews on sites like Pitchfork or Spin, you're also probably aware of Tim Hecker. This album is an interesting one..think of it as ambient music being chased by a madman–transitioning from serene to unsettling and back again. 

Stigmata II

Stab Variation

The singer of this band has a cadence that reminds of the guy from fun. that I cannot un-hear no matter how hard I try. He also sounds like the guy from Snow Patrol. AND I STILL LIKE IT. Think of a more chaotic, more robust, more indie mewithoutYou, and you may be on the right track. Melodically warm & lyrically fantastic, this is a fun (pun intended?) listen.

Artificial Light

Post Script