35. King Khan and the Shrines – Idle No More
King Khan has been pumping out epic psychedelic rock for years. Known mostly for his stage antics (see: naked) and live performance, Idle No More proves that Khan and his Shrines are a band to be respected. Employing horns, strings, and any percussion instrument lying around the studio, Khan’s latest album is one that you can put on in the background of any party and be assured of a good time.
34. Minor Alps – Get There
Matthew Caws (of Nada Surf fame) and Juliana Hatfield (badass in her own right) joined forces to create Minor Alps. The upbeat electronic sounds melding together with acoustic guitars serve as a great platform for vocal harmonies. The voices are clearly what carry this album, adding credence to the idea that sometimes it’s a great idea to combine two talented musicians, throw them in a studio, and don’t let them out until they have an album done. 57 Best Albums for 2013!
33. Cave Singers – Naomi
The Cave Singers have taken repetitive, riff-driven songs to another level. Not happy with the amount of noise the trio was creating, the band added former Fleet Foxes bassist Morgan Henderson into the mix and it paid off big time with Naomi. The album follows the familiar Cave Singers pattern of layering guitar riffs on top of driving beats. However, with Naomi, the band lets the bass out for a walk, bringing a fuller sound to the album.
32. Little Green Cars - Absolute Zero
Nothing says folk quite like Ireland. Little Green Cars broke into the States this year, making quite the buzz down at SXSW and showing up on my radar after a rousing performance at DC9. The thing that surprised me the most about this album was that beyond the beautiful vocal harmonies, and the standard folk band piano riffs, is a band that actually rocks.
31. Mason Jennings – Always Been
Mason Jennings has always made high quality folk-pop music. The Hawaiian born Jennings does not disappoint with Always Been. Not quite a surf-rock album, Jennings incorporates southern elements to his sound that keep his this effort slightly more upbeat than previous offerings.
30. Preservation Hall Jazz Band – That’s It!
Jim James is a prophet sent onto earth to coax the best performances out of talented musicians. At the urging of the My Morning Jacket front man, Preservation Hall Jazz Band created their first original album ever. The album does not betray the New Orleans roots Preservation Hall have so deservedly come to represent. Ben Jaffe and crew should make more albums.
29. Queens of Stone Age – Like Clockwork
Your drummer leaves your band mid studio session. What do you do? If you’re Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, you address the tumultuous time by writing the best album of your bands career. Like Clockwork is the album that finally captured the raucous energy QOTSA bring to their live shows. In prior efforts, one or two songs stood out as conveying the raw power of Homme and his band. On Like Clockwork, you cannot escape the intensity and uncertainty facing the bandmates in this new era, and that is a great thing.
28. Cayucas – Bigfoot
It is impossible to listen to Bigfoot and not find yourself smiling. The Santa Monica band ooze laid back surf-rock vibes in their debut album (the band used to be called Oregon Bike Trails so let’s count this as a debut). Cayucas mix influences throughout their 7-song album but is very clear when tuning in that lead singer Zach Yudin really likes Beck (really really likes Beck).
27. Okkervil River – Silver Gymnasium
Okkervil River and lead singer Will Sheff have cracked the code. Silver Gymnasium is full from start to finish. To clarify, after years of touring and several critically acclaimed studio efforts, the band has figured out how to fill every ounce of their original compositions with warm sound. Sheff wrote this album about his childhood and the subject matter seems to have inspired some of the most introspective writing from the group thus far.
26. The Lonely Forest – Adding up the Wasted Hours
Call it a step forward. Call it seasoning from being out on the road. Call it a different sound. But don’t call the new album from Bellingham Washington’s The Lonely Forest emo. John Van Deusen does have a voice once best suited for late 90’s pop-punk. And yet, he has figured out a way throughout the years to write biting lyrics layered on top of strong drums. In spite of his own vocal category (honestly, when you hear his voice you immediately think of bands like New Found Glory), Van Deusen helms a band that can be both introspective and rocking at the same time.
25. Arctic Monkeys – AM
AM is one of the strongest rock albums to come out of the UK since Ozzy Osborne was able to remember his own name. Alex Turner delivers once again but this time without any shame in turning the knob well passed 11. I am regularly surprised at the Monkeys’ ability to grow their sound and still produce albums that sound distinctly like them. Also, any album that contains a southern rock ballad titled “No. 1 Party Anthem” has to be pretty fun.
24. The Head and the Heart – Let’s Be Still
I could not wait for THATH to finish this sophomore album. It pained me to hear the amazing single “shake” and not have any other tidbits from the newest studio efforts. I must admit that I simply love THATH. That said, this album is an improvement from the band but not one big enough to warrant placing them in the top 20. The band does a better job capturing their live sound and pumping energy into their piano driven folk-pop. However, they still can’t seem to write songs about happier subjects. If anything, THATH are experts at writing the cheeriest sounding songs about the most depressing subjects possible. Quite the skill indeed.
23. Sin Fang – Flowers
Sin Fang is from Iceland and led by musical genius Sindri. The album Flowers is a good mix of electronic/atmosphere based songs and guitar led jams. There is something about the album that I find hard to put my finger on exactly. Really, I think that as a whole Flowers is one of those albums that takes you to another place, takes you away from whatever is worrying you here at home.
22. Volcano Choir – Repave
Volcano Choir are a top notch side project for Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon. Full disclosure I really do not find Bon Iver that entertaining. That said, Volcano Choir’s second offering (and first since 2005) is a great leap forward for the band. The eight tracks on the album explore how far the ambient sound movement has progressed in the indie scene.
21. Born Ruffians – Birthmarks
I first stumbled onto the Born Ruffians at 38,000 feet above the ground. Spotify thought I would enjoy their album. Spotify could not have been more right. The first lyric of the song Needle starts “I belong to no one, like the watermelon rolling with momentum, spitting out its seeds. Buried under snow and waiting just to show us how it grows and knows how yummy it will be. I belong to no one, a song without an album, long forgotten maxim spoken to the sea.” I was hooked. I listened to this album on repeat over the 5-hour flight from Seattle to D.C. Each song circles on the theme of searching. For such a young band, Born Ruffians display a depth of lyrics and sound that I found almost unrivaled by peers in the indie scene.
20. Jim James – Regions of Light and Sound
As mentioned previously on this countdown, Jim James is a prophet sent down from another world to bring great music to the masses. On his first solo effort, James is just as weird as you expected. The song A.E.I.O.U. builds with such an ominous piano riff that by the time the chorus has hit its full sprint at the 5 minute mark, you cannot help but feel the excitement in James’ voice. A very different vibe than any of the My Morning Jacket albums, Regions of Light and Sound delights anyone looking to get just a little weird.
The post The 57 Best Albums for 2013 [Part 3] appeared first on ClotureClub.com.
