Andrew Mills, Barbarian
San Diego, CA
10. Earthless, From the Ages
9. Parquet Courts, Light Up Gold
8. Tropical Popsicle, Dawn of Delight
7. Foals, Holy Fire
6. James Blake, Overgrown
5. Julia Holter, Loud City Song
4. Fuck Buttons, Slow Focus
3. Arctic Monkeys, AM
2. Queens of the Stone Age, …Like Clockwork
1. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Push the Sky Away
“Incendiary.”
Erin Fuller, Building on Buildings
Madison, WI
10. Bill Callahan, Dream River
9. All Tiny Creatures, Dark Clock
8. The National, Trouble Will Find Me
7. Deerhunter, Monomania
6. Zoo Animal, Departures
“OK, OK OK this came out in early 2012 — but I didn’t discover it until spring 2013 and have been in love with it/Zoo Animal ever since. It would be No. 2 on my list, but bumped it back only to be fair to the albums that actually debuted in 2013.”
5. Julian Lynch, Lines
4. Daughter, If You Leave
3. Caroline Smith, Half About Being a Woman
“Caroline’s melodies don’t just have hooks they have talons. Beware: each jam is a permanent song bomb. So much fun to sing to.”
2. James Blake, Overgrown
“Best heard to blasting in a car when you’re rolling through rural Wisco.”
1. Dietrich Gosser, Oh to Begin!
“After listening the first time, it was so good I couldn’t bring myself to hear it or anything again for a month. Perfection takes a while to recover from. Totally textural, emotional, aural gold. Also, the first two tracks (‘Reservation’ and ‘Oh to Begin!’) need to find a home someday behind the opening credits of a high-budget HBO murder/afterlife drama.”
Amanda & Allen Rigell, Count This Penny
Madison, WI
5. Mount Moriah, Mircale Temple
4. Mandolin Orange, The Side of Jordan
3. Caitlin Rose, The Stand-In
2. Big Harp, Chain Letters
1. Jason Isbell, Southeastern Special
Honorable Mention:
Mike Birbiglia, My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend
Karl Christenson, Cribshitter
Madison, WI
10. Washed Out, Paracosm
“lipboollm…zap.hushhhhhhh. OOOOHHHHHH! (zitherrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr….) …Minnetonka Moccasin hitting a brown floor tom. Boundary Waters hoodless sweatshirt with backwards duck on the back crumpled on the floor next to pair of Sally Jessie glasses.”
9. Unknown Mortal Orchestra, II
“That guitar groove on ‘So Good at Being in Trouble’ makes me ass around a bit. Saw them at the Frequency in the fall. Every now and then they sounded like Phish.”
8. Christopher Owens, Lysandre
“That sax on “Riviera Rock” makes me ass around a bit. Mounds of yacht coke.”
7. Foxygen, We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
“I bet these dudes are shitty to hang out with. Probably snarky and maybe stinky. I bet it’s more fun to hang with PHOX and Jen (Bielema).”
6. Various Artists, Purple Snow
“Coke-snot dripping from Aqua Net-ed bangs.”
5. The Flaming Lips, The Terror
“Had a terrorble time finding the time and right state of mind to get into this one. But come on.”
4. Sat. Nite Duets, Electric Manland
“Milwaukee talent. Roller skating jams all night long.”
3. Daft Punk, Random Access Memories
“’Fragments of Time”‘makes Jackson Browne roll over in his grave.”
2. Kurt Vile, Wakin on a Pretty Daze
“Dude wasn’t great live at the High Noon but I think he was tired. Phaser is the new Delay.”
1. Phosphorescent, Muchacho
“Dude’s got a nice voice. I hope my hair lasts longer than his did, but you never know. But really I can’t stop listening to his Willie Nelson album.”
Matt Vasquez, Delta Spirit
Long Beach, CA
5. My Bloody Valentine, mbv
4. Phosphorescent, Muchacho
3. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Push the Sky Away
2. Jason Isbell, Southeastern
1. Kanye West, Yeezus
Jeremy Nealis & Whilden Hughes, Double Ewes
Madison, WI/Janesville, WI
10. Shane Carruth, Upstream Color
9. Whirr, Pipe Dreams
8. Pioneer, Black Pasture
7. Hooded Fang, Gravez
6. Bonobo, The North Borders
5. Daft Punk, Random Access Memories
4. Takako Minekawa / Dustin Wong, Toropical Circle
3. Boards of Canada, Tomorrow’s Harvest
2. Jim James, Regions of Light and Sound of God
1. Volcano Choir, Repave
Gabriel Douglas, The 4onthefloor
Minneapolis, MN
10. Actual Wolf, Actual Wolf
9. Volcano Choir, Repave
8. Taj Raj, Fine Hearts Alive
7. The National, Trouble Will Find Me
6. BBGUN, BBGUN
5. Jason Isbell, Southeastern
4. Laura Marling, Once I Was an Eagle
3. Low, Invisible Way
2. Diarrhea Planet, I’m Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams
1. Caroline Smith, Half About Being a Woman
Josh Grier, Ginkgo and Tapes ‘n Tapes
Minneapolis, MN
10. Kanye West, Yeezus
9. Bill Callahan, Dream River
8. Phoenix, Bankrupt!
7. Beyoncé, Beyoncé
6. Foxygen, We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
5. Haim, Days Are Gone
4. Fuzz, Fuzz
3. Eleanor Friedberger, Personal Record
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Mosquito
1. Daft Punk, Random Access Memories
Joe Copeland – Little Legend
Madison, WI
10. Caveman, Caveman
“Super lush.”
9. Dawes, Stories Don’t End
“A band I previously did not care for. This is a great album, though.”
8. Daughter, If You Leave
“Sounds like sadness in the best way.”
7. Kurt Vile, Wakin on a Pretty Daze
“I don’t think it is on the same level as Smoke Ring for My Halo but still a stellar album.”
6. Sigur Rós, Kveikur
5. Chance the Rapper, Acid Rap
4. Kanye West, Yeezus
“It is what it is.”
3. Dr. Dog, B-Room
“They keep churning out great albums.”
2. James Blake, Overgrown
“So beautiful.”
1. Local Natives, Hummingbird
“Did not like this album much when I first got it. Not sure if it’s my favorite of the year but I sure did listen to it a lot.”
Nik Ewing, Local Natives
Los Angeles, CA
10. Darkside, Psychic
“This is where labeling music really distracts and confuses me. I guess you could call it ambient, post-dubstep, minimal, electronica? Or you could also call it weird background music to make you feel like you’re on drugs without actually being on drugs.”
9. Haim, Days Are Gone
“Pop is not the enemy.
8. Earl Sweatshirt, Doris
“Earl is 19. I am 28. Never have I been more embarrassed about my life accomplishments.”
7. Arcade Fire, Reflektor
“With today’s Spotify/iTunes/iPod world, who would even have the audacity to release a double album that clocks in at over 80 minutes? My initial reaction was ultra critical of all the cuts and edits I would’ve made, then after repeated listens I realized that all that material was intentionally kept in there. If the song is too long, press skip. I dunno if you heard, but we are living in a Spotify/iTunes/iPod world.”
6. Cass McCombs, Big Wheel and Others
“I recall reading somewhere that Dylan often approaches albums as a form of cataloging a collection of songs he’s amassed; he just constantly writes and then records when he’s reached around the 15-song mark, rather than set out to “make an album.” Now I’m not making the overused modern Dylan metaphor here (while the americana leanings of Cass make it tempting), but these songs are going to be catalogued whether you like it or not. He’s going to do whatever he wants. I mean, across this sprawling double album Cass has two versions of the same song, a Thin Lizzy cover, and in the middle of a beautiful, existential song he ponders, if I may quote, ‘What’s it like to shit in space?’”
5. MGMT, MGMT
“It’s like a drugged up Brian Wilson teamed up with whoever the cool Davies brother is and listened to either a lot of Aphex Twin or Flaming Lips. Or both. Sure, you know all of those characters are capable of massive hooks and hits, but it’s like MGMT put juuust enough pop sensibility in the mix to tease you. It’s not like it hasn’t succeeded before: Lennon was much more interesting during his Lost Weekend than Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
4. Blood Orange, Cupid Deluxe
“This is the best R&B cassette mixtape from ’94. If his debut was a coked out night in an ’80s club, this album is the sobering 6 AM morning after.”
3. James Blake, Overgrown
“The self-proclaimed savior (or more appropriately, saviour) of “post-dubstep” returns with a set of songs that actually sounds like a cohesive album this time. And this is no knock against the fabulous debut; this time around it sounds like the songs belong together rather than simply being a collection of songs. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that RZA is on the album? Actually, now that I think of it, RZA is a part of three of the albums on this list.”
2. Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City
“The preps went from pondering where they fit in the Ivy League school system to where they fit in the universe; the Young Republicans have grown up and are asking all the self-realization, existential, meaning of life questions, armed with flawless, gorgeous production along with the familiar, old tricks of strings, and enough harpsichords and Futura to make Wes Anderson jealous.”
1. Kanye West, Yeezus
“After falling victim to the album rollout marketing of Yeezus, I remember eagerly awaiting Kanye to headline a festival we played this summer and didn’t know what I was more excited for: the new unreleased songs or his rants (as I guess I’m a minority in enjoying both). Luckily I got both in the form of one. Here is a madman genius desperately trying to be understood to a dark and raw soundtrack of synth minimalism sprinkled with soul samples. Especially on the heels of arguably one of the best rap albums of all-time (really set myself up for a self-referencing Kanye joke here), this is an important album of frustration. He’s literally mad, need I remind you he had the audacity to name his album Yeezus? But he somehow manages to poke fun of his insanity in a self-aware manner, i.e. naming a song “I am a God” then tacking on “(feat. God)” just to drive the point home.”
Whitney Mann
Madison, WI
5. John Mayer, Paradise Valley
“John Mayer at his Americana best. This is a really sweet and well-written album. “Wildfire,” “Dear Marie,” “You’re No One ‘Til Someone Lets You Down,” and “Badge and Gun” are superb.”
4. Robbie Fulks, Gone Away Backward
“The instant I heard this record I loved it. A friend of mine said that it changed his life. If you haven’t listened to it yet, you must!”
3. Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP 2
“I love Eminem and I always have. There are a couple of weak spots on this release, but overall Slim Shady is back!”
2. Kacey Musgraves, Same Trailer Different Park
“Kacey is a great song-writing talent and has a really low-key vocal delivery which is refreshing in today’s over-the-top-vocals world.”
1. Justin Timberlake, The 20/20 Experience
“I’ve been obsessed with both volumes of this album since the day they were released, but I was particularly smitten (and still am) with Volume 1. Every song was layered with great harmonies, catchy melodies, and old school R&B flair. I loved every second of this album and I think it’s the best release of the year.”
Ryne Estwing, ON AN ON
Minneapolis, MN
10. Disclosure, Settle
“DJ / Producer who can write a full-length album that has catchy melodies throughout? Sold.”
9. DJ Koze, Amygdala
“This is great because it’s nice and relaxed and has some amazing guest vocalists including Caribou and Apparat.”
8. Jessie Ware, Devotion
“The song that carries this album for me is “Running” (which Disclosure remixed last year) and the other songs don’t stand up as much in comparison, but this is her debut so I’m excited to see what’s next for her.”
7. Arcade Fire, Reflketor
“They had me at James Murphy and their first single, ‘Reflektor.’”
6. Atoms for Peace, Amok
“Thom Yorke and Flea on this album got me hooked right away. Oh, and the synth sounds they use are entrancing.”
5. Yo La Tengo, Fade
“‘Ohm’ is such a great track and a great way to start out this fantastic album. Over the years, Yo La Tengo are still making great music.”
4. Savages, Silence Yourself
“It’s so refreshing to hear this dark nu-wave garage rock album. And to boot their live performance sounds even better.”
3. Junip, Junip
“A really solid album from a really solid band. We were able to tour with them in June and it only furthered my fondness of their album and overall sound as a band.”
2. Haim, Days Are Gone
“This girl trio is a force to be reckoned with. This is the kind of pop I want to hear more of.”
1. The Flaming Lips The Terror
“Easily the most influential album of the year for me. The album communicates so much without stuffing so many lyrics in each song.”
Matt Holmen, PHOX
Baraboo, WI/Madison, WI
“To be quite honest, most of us—all of us—in the PHOX house are musical nuns. Shut-ins, that is! As in, we’re the kids disallowed from going to prom, and not just because we’d rather go to a Magic tournament. We’ve had the same Wonder Woman lunch box since third grade, and we’re not self-aware enough to know it just went from being uncool to cool back to uncool again. Ninth grade is going to be awesome.
“So we pretty much stuck with the friends we bumped into at the public pool during swimming lessons. This summer, with a few special playmates, we went from being acquaintances, to friends, to fans. Some more than others. Some bands just sat next to us at the hotel bar and made fun of our accents and our soberer yet duller wits.
Everything Everything, Arc
San Fermin, San Fermin
Blitzen Trapper, VII
J.E. Sunde, Unreleased Debut
Hey Marseilles, Lines We Trace
Typhoon White, Lighter
Dietrich Gosser, Oh to Begin!
Jordan Laz, 2013
Tyler, the Creator, Wolf
“Up to you to weed out which ones we actually know. Hint: it’s obvious.”
Caroline Smith
Minneapolis, MN
“It’s very simple. My favorite record of the year was Beyoncé. That is all.”
Anna Vogelzang
Madison, WI
5. Iron and Wine, Ghost on Ghost
“I so admire Sam Beam — his songwriting, arrangements, persistence, beard.”
4. Willy Mason, Carry On
”I got to play with Willy at Communion Madison and fell in love with his simple but gut-wrenching writing. His voice is the perfect haunting vehicle. Also, he’s a nice dude.”
3. Raina Rose, Caldera
”A good friend of mine from Austin, TX. I listened to this album so much on the road this year. Raina is such a talented writer and makes me want to write songs, which is my favorite thing an artist can do.”
2. Neko Case, The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
“What is there to say? I want to be Neko Case when I grow up. This album is incredible.”
1. Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, We the Common
“This was the non-stop soundtrack to my 2013. I love everything Thao does and saw the band perform it live twice this year. She’s an insanely smart, catchy, creative songwriter and an awesome musician. And a kind lady. Hands down, best of the year.”