Month: December 2013

Personally, I was a little underwhelmed by 2013. The albums that I did like, I spun on repeat endlessly. But I was disappointed by major label releases from Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, and Lady Gaga. Here’s to an even better 2014! Kanye West – Yeezus Kanye has become the quintessential example of separating the artist from his music. As West’s persona became more outspoken and over-the-top in 2013, his music spoke for itself. Yeezus is a keen blend of the stripped-back, mechanical tone of 2008’s 808s & Heartbreak and the bombastic song structures of 2010’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,…

 10. Alison Moyet - The Minutes A fantastic blend of electro-pop and soulful vocals. Highlights: “Apple Kisses,” “Changeling,” “Filigree,” “Remind Yourself.”9. Donna Summer - Love To Love You Donna The first posthumous release for the late disco queen is all killer and no filler.  Essentially it is a remix album, but these songs have been more reinvented than simply remixed, such is the quality of work carried out here. Giorgio Moroder came out of semi-retirement to join the fun and all of the selected DJs/producers have far exceeded my humble expectations, so much so that it sounds like a whole…

I think I could more easily make a list of the Top Ten Albums I Was Disappointed With this year than the ten I enjoyed. Of course, there was still truly great music released in 2013, but many of my most anticipated discs fell really short. With new albums from Banner Pilot, Against Me, Beck and a shelved Johnny Cash recording that is resurfacing, 2014 looks promising...  The Front Bottoms - Talon Of The Hawk One of New Jersey's finest, the quirky, clever, and funny indie rock here is as adventurous as it is memorable. You'll see this one on…

The year 2013 is finally at an end so as always it is time for a massive article of year-end shenanigans. I bumped my favourites list up to 20 albums this time around and wrote mini-reviews for all of them. It seems like these lists just get longer every year. Enjoy! 20. The Beach Boys – Made In California Another year, another archival release from The Beach Boys. This box set is kind of a mess. Throwing classic hits alongside obscure rarities ensures that this set as a whole won't fully satisfy both casual and hardcore fans. However, aside from…

Despite railing on a semi-regular basis against the tyranny of genres in music, I spent an awful lot of 2013 within the confines of just two of them, and the two could hardly have been more different—progressive rock and Americana. But as the saying goes, if you’re going to dig, shouldn’t you mine where the gold is?  Best One I Missed Last Year (I Do That A Lot)Gary Clark Jr. – Blak And Blu I prefer this title for this award to the leading alternative: Jason Is Slow Sometimes. Gary Clark’s major-label debut is a blazing inferno of blues-infused psychedelic…