Top 50 Albums of 2013 Part I

50. Lefse Records - Mitsuda

Lefse Records - Mitsuda

I just had to start this list with an oddball. Mitsuda is a compilation to honor video game music composer Yasunori Mitsuda, known for games like Chrono Trigger, Mario Party and many more. If you had a childhood consisting of hours spend on a Playstation, Gameboy or other device, your subconscious will contain some sounds Mitsuda made and moreover associate them with the good times and exciting stories you played - even if you didn´t listen to his work but work out of this era in some way or form. But this one is not just for the strange kid inside you going bonkers over some pixels clashing on screen; Mitsuda by Lefse unites many better or lesser known producers of recent electronic music. You can´t tag what genre they dwell in, be it "chill-wave" or "trap" or "EDM", it doesn´t matter because their mindset and the premise of this compilation itself never would have happened if tags were boundaries. The artist on this take the source material and show what sampling in 2013 means: You can still get the video-game vibe but the bass and the pacing of the tracks, be it the slow ambient pieces or the tenser ones, transport you into the now and constitute an delightful experience. Just download this one and enjoy a listen as nostalgic, heady and spurring as your own gusto goes. And hopefully you´ve got some bass heavy speakers for this one - I already see my friend and me bumping this shit in his gangsteresque BWM and the people going "oohh the idiot youngsters are outside again".



49. Flatbush Zombies - BetterOffDead

Flatbush Zombies - BetterOffDead

Being unique in hip hop is a key-feature, requirement and accomplishment. You can´t say that this is necessary for monetary success; many artists can repeat something and not even be debunked by most listeners. New York as the mecca gladly generated many unique artists over the past few years. The A$AP Mob that stand for the polished and artful, ProEra as the old-school collective per definition and the Flatbush Zombies as an own entity, delivering a straightforward set of rap around weed, social critique and well, even more drug use sprinkled across. But they don´t just play out as weed rap: While not being as lyrical heavy as maybe El-P, their narrative is still a dark one and they show of greater skill in their rapping then most rappers in those state of minds. What set´s them apart even more are the three great personalities at work here. Meeche Darko has a great voice for rapping and his intonation of even simple hooks like "Palm Trees" “so much grams / unzip the bag / dip in my hand / then I palm trees" stick to your ear and can be distinguished out of a hundred rappers. Zombie Juice always comes through with a energetic performance and Eric Arc Elliot not only shines as a technical spitter, but single handedly pulls of the production for every track on here with only one exception. BetterOffDead has you going from critical tracks like "Amerikkkan Pie" to laid back tracks like "Palm Trees" and pure rap-fest like "MRAZ". Almost every track brings something to the mixture and feels different in style and approach and only the length of the project could be tiresome for there isn´t any narrative to follow. Still one of the best Mixtapes this year and the Zombies show that their creativity is vaster then format holds in a way. Get it here, for absolutely nothing.


Flatbush Zombies - MRAZ (Prod. Erick Arc Elliott) from onek onon on Vimeo.


48. Hammock - Oblivion Hymns

Hammock - Oblivion Hymns

Oblivion Hymns for me is the first full length after 2008´s Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow that has Hammock pushing their sound and not just producing new regular output. Not that any release was bad, they stand as one of my favorite instrumental bands and their music is contemplative bliss, but after a while of listening to them, the longing for a new side couldn´t be ignored. The Hymns aren´t a full flip and them making anything totally different either; the tracks feel fresher and distinguishable. This is mostly due to them having the backing of an orchestra and occasionally a choir in their setup. When "Then The Quiet Explosion" hits, Hammock show their full potential as musicians adhering to the more subtle and spiritual side of post-rock and throughout the rest of the tracks the transition to neo-classical music is a fluid one. Closer "Tres Dominé" also stands as a great moment with the passionate singing and full-fledged orchestra delivering sadness in a overwhelming way and once again proving that Hammock´s vocal work, with them or somebody else singing a hidden high points of their work. Ambience in the minds of most is created to the procession of a signal resulting in sound, but Hammock show that the marriage of the more traditional can create it in an even greater scale.




47. Gilbere Forte - Pray 

Gilbere Forte - Pray

Gilbere Forte created some buzz in the beginning of this year, mostly for his lead single "Pray" which landed him a deal with Epic. Hearing Pray, many were quick to draw the comparisons: Take a little A$AP Rocky, Drake and sprinkle a little Kanye and there you go, one Forte to go. But as always, this kind of thinking fails completely. Well, maybe if one thing, Kanye should have done what Forte did on Pray and not sell the people Yeezus. Pray is art. Not in the sense of everything music being art and every little snowflake being unique, but art in a sense of something that can stand on it´s own, shows of craft and critical thinking. For example "Nolita" utilizes the backing vocals by Active Child and him harmonizing as a layer and not only a feature, and not only here do the instrumentals transgress from every side possible: You can here ambient drones, guitar arpeggios and even rap standard claps and drums in one and the same track feeling completely natural. "Anigma" is a fast paced, balls on the table braggadocio track still being backed by an angelic vocal sample and "Down For The Ride" has you exploring a more airy and spacious vibe. While this might mostly be ascribed to Forte´s producer RAAK, Forte himself doesn´t fall short on his lyrical abilities either. His delivery is clear and ambitious (or in other familiar terms, hungry) and no matter if he is spitting "This is Anigma / Middle finger for the bitch niggers" in your face or showing introspection like "I´m a gift to the world and part of me is a curse", there is no weakness or insecurity in his words. Now the only thing to fear is that Epic might not let Forte create a cohesive and forward thinking project again.




Get the Pray mixtape for free:

 

46. Abul Mogard - VCO 017 Drifted Heaven

Abul Mogard - Drifted Heaven

Abul Mogard´s first outing was his self-titled VCO release in 2012. Drifted Heaven serves as the sophomore project and 17th installment in the VCO recording series. While all releases on this imprint can be considered solely for the sake of innovation of electronic sound and for some the thrill of reading about which devices were used for this, Abul Mogard has a narrative behind him and the recordings. Story has it, he is an old Serbian factory worker, who after quitting his job got into electronic music because he wanted to recreate the familiar sounds of his factory. As this sounds very fabulous, the preset of creating factory sounds was very fitting for his self-titled installment. On Drifted Heaven, as the name suggest, we get into a much more ambient and non-representational side of electronic music. While those two adjectives can be ascribed to almost any music of this kind, as said before, Mogard keeps a narrative. From "Post-Crisis Remembrance" up to the closer "Drifted Heaven" you get the sense of something happening, Maybe the decay and death of a person or entity and the following limbo and ascension. Much description wouldn´t really suffice for the single tracks, but be sure to get a reaction when listening to Drifted Heaven. In full volume or toned down in the back, a dark tale can be perceived, even for its abstract nature.




45. M.I.A. - Matangi

M.I.A. - Matangi

Maya was gone for a minute, the only ways of hearing from her through other ventures like upsetting pious America or creating labels for beverage. Matanagi is her return since 2010 in the form of a full studio album and moreover a return to form. Her sound never changed, saying that she never really made many compromises or something akin to pop, but her last release felt a little off and for a few exceptions not as convincing as Kala or Arular. Matanagi has her in at her best form, loud, abrasive, traversing musical boarders and danceably politic. Tracks like "aTENTion" or "Warriors" have her at the edge of noise again with Indian, Arabic and grime sounds coming together to tear your speakers and even moments akin to "Paper Planes" like "Come Walk With Me" or "Lights" deliver more mellow, reggae like and radio friendly joints here. While Maya is an artist in full respects and almost every medium, it´s good to know that her music can speak for itself - even sans middle-finger.

44. Dizzy Wright - The Golden Age

Dizzy Wright - The Golden Age

Dizzy Wright likes to smoke weed. As this is the first sentence here, it also is the first and main impression Wright has to fight when it comes to his music. True, his first studio album was titled SmokeOut Conversations and his delivery style seems to show him under constant influence, but he is way more than a just another rapper talking about smoking weed. His The First Agreement EP was the best way of showing the world this and surprisingly went mostly unrecognized. So it seems only plausible that the tracks teasing The Golden Age brought Wright´s positive messages without referencing the green too much. "Verbalizing" had him spitting on realness and the wrong image of him in the industry, "Killem With Kindness" following the same lane and conveying the message of overcoming the troubles and hate by "killing with kindness". Except for the very trap heavy middle part, on this tape the positive and life affirming message overpower any context of just consuming a drug to feel good and cuts like "The Flavor" and "Still Movin" have Dizzy rapping with an new fire opposite to his totally laid back persona. You shouldn´t categorize on behalf of habits and former imagiary (nobody put Rocky on a box despite his consumption) and Dizzy has a message and a voice to be listened to. To sum up in his own words "that nigga put in some work and I´m kinda proud of him".



43. Depeche Mode - Delta Machine

Depeche Mode - Delta Machine

Credit where credit is due and Depeche Mode alone deserve it for their decade spanning career. Delta Machine has them strengthening their bounds to their blues influences and tracks like "Heaven" or "Sooth My Soul" have you imagining Gahan as the haunted jazz-man forging his inner workings into vocals. The only difference being that this isn´t happening in some dark forsaken Midwestern bar, but on a huge stage with the usual million fans cheering. The approach in sound also brings about why I´d favor Delta Machine over their previous effort Sounds Of The Universe: Gahan´s voice is leading and much more in focus here and the instrumental more refined and not too much on the electronic side (I know that Depeche Mode and electronic can´t really be contrasted). Delta Machine is just rawer in emotion, slicker and more gripping and shows a group a older men outdating younger artist who try to create with similar prospects in mind. Moreover, for everyone favoring the dark, desolate and the voice for this Martin Gore, standout "The Child Inside" recalls the best moments from songs past or recent like "It Doesn´t Matter Two" or "Damaged People" and serves the depth of the experience incredibly.

DEPECHE MODE - SOOTHE MY SOUL from Warren Fu on Vimeo.


 
42. Gesaffelstein - Aleph

Gesaffelstein - Aleph

The happiness of my neighbors is pretty much dependend on the music I`m listening to. It can be the heaviest doom metal imaginable or sugary J-pop, they are ok with it, but as soon lots of bass enters the equation, their day is ruined. I´ve learned, they don´t like Drake or The Weeknd and since this october, I know they don´t enjoy Aleph one bit. With "Pursuit" it becomes clear that the french producer is here to make some noise and "Obession" or trap banger "Hellifornia" even have me thinking about turning down a notch, not for the sake of my neighbors that is. Aleph in it´s entirety is one dark and evil piece of music that doesn´t even miss out on delivering some slower, almost horror movie like ambient tunes. I can definetly see more then half of this record recurring in many many movies and overall Gesaffelstein is a much welcome change in all the laid-back electronic music nowadays.



41. This Is Your Captain Speaking - ARC

This Is Your Captain Speaking - ARC

Finally in 2013 TIYCS returned to grace us with ARC. Post-Rock acts, in this respect, purely instrumental rock bands, exist in a vast variety. The loud and noisy one, the ones drenched in reverb or living soley for the build-up and hugh explosions. As for this band and ARC composition an cohesion is key. Like when I first heard their debut album Storyboard the first notes of "Welcome" literally urge you to sit down, quit all the usual crap you´re caught up with an listen. Their guitar playing is clear as crystal and while many bands like to use xylophones as a nice addition, TIYCS actually play the instrument and communicate with their fragile sounds. The only thing you might long for when the glistening of "Six Mile Gain" rings out, is for the 36 minutes to have lasted a little longer.



40. Killer Mike  + El-P = Run The Jewels


"Oh dear what the fuck have we here?"

Run The Jewels

Hip Hop in it´s streamlined form strongly lives of it´s shit-talking and banger producing mob. Lyrical talent was boosted with Kendrick last year, but releases from veterans like Jay-Z´s Magna Carta Holy Grail, Eminem´s MMLP2 or West´s Yeezus while maybe containing some highs were disappointments in my view. But gladly there is more than the rich and famous – the famous and presumably not-even-close to rich. El-P did production work for Killer Mike last year and otherwise I wouldn´t have heard of him. As promo for their tour together and maybe for the sake of it, they created Run The Jewels - a lyrical spitting machine with two incredible minds. As they proclaim on opener "Run The Jewels", they don´t come in peace asking for a little approval, they stand strong as an entity and don´t care for any opinion. Tracks like "36 Chain" serve as a mockery of the standard rap braggery and "Sea Legs" paints a bitter picture of mankind dwelling in unjust deeds and thus reverting back to an animalistic state while still bashing another well known paaring – "Niggas will perish in Paris" and "There will be no respect for the throne". For everyone who loves content, craft and stellar production in hip hop, this is a must listen. While everyone goes on lauding those who repeat themselves or showing their forwardness by ripping off up-and-coming styles, great things are just a download away. Moreover, if you really want your mind blown, just read the lyrics.



Do Dope Fuck Hope and get the project for free:

 

39. Jesu - Everyday I Get Closer To The Light From Which I Came

Jesu - Everyday I Get Closer To The Light From Which I Came

Some time ago, Justin K. Broadrick announced that he would push his Jesu project into clearer directions of its incarnation and not too much stray into different styles and directions. Considering this is the man behind Jesu, Pale Sketchers, JK Flesh and Final, four very different approaches to music that still tend to intersect each other, this were very huge words. But if anything, Everyday I Get Closer To The Light From Which I Came can be seen as the first time any listener and maybe even Broadrick himself, experienced the true essence of Jesu. The great electronic ventures, akin to EDM, drum and bass and ambient have almost vanished into Pale Sketcher and JK Flesh now provides the playground for the abrasive aggression the founder of Godflesh is known for. This album feels like Broaderick with his certain kind of sadness and his guitar and a piano alone to channel those feeling. The full studio and things like electronics are still present - you wouldn´t want to take away what makes you completely - but is toned down to a minimum in order for Jesu to manifest his clearest album yet. The instruments a unusually dry and even the harder riffing sounds not as self-indulging as for example in Heartache. The four shorter tracks and especially "Comforter" work better than anything on Ascension and the standout seventeen minute track "The Great Leveller" evokes previous grandeur without repeating itself. Especially considering Broadricks reverb soaked lyrics, while sparse and simple, having a stirring impact.

38. Milosh - Jetlag

Milosh - Jetlag

If you heard Rhye or Milosh himself for the first time in 2013, finding out that this was a man singing the most sensual songs in this high captivating voice might have come as a surprise. But after I confirmed the thought with myself, and considering other great vocalist like Matthew Bellamy or Jonsi, the experience was made even better. The androgynous nature of his voice combined with the sensual and love centered themes, fit together perfectly and has you in a sway when listening. While most of the album is comprised of electronica tunes drawing towards R´n´b, the track "Slow Down" shows that Milosh is not dependent on lush instrumentals and can deliver a real ballad in the face of his more up-beat tracks. Definitely the best album for everything related to love, the feeling, the loss or sadness of it, something is present here.

37. Kings Of Leon - Mechanical Bull

Kings Of Leon - Mechanical Bull

If there is one stadium filling, international successful band that has kept it´s small fry approach in the fullest, it must be Kings Of Leon. Their songs just work on the greatest scale with thousand shouting their lyrics or you could imagine them playing some southern dirty bar with nobody actually listening but enjoying the local boys having their go. Mechanical Bull being their sixth album, while maybe not internally, considering the drug abuse and difference in the band, they still deliver with strength and let you in on some southern warmth and a good-time with its occasional moments of nostalgia and grief. Above that, I´m always surprised how this sound just gets me release after release without becoming boring or feeling uninspired. I guess this speaks for the great songwriting and guitar work of the bunch.

36. Light Bearer - Silver Tongue

Light Bearer - Silver Tongue

This is raw, beautiful, complex, delicate, bone-crushing - this is post-metal at its best. There aren´t many artist that can pull this kind of music off without sounding generic and lifeless. For me, but Light Bearer shine at this art for every release now. They bring you a narrative, contexts, beautiful instrumentation and harshness unreached in one and the same package. Like their previous work, Silver Tongue actually suggests you to read the lyrics and think about what is presented here. This is not to say that the experience is one heady listen that you have to "get" in order to appreciate. If you want something forward thinking and an emotional listen throughout, check them out and support them. For anyone having a hard time with the singing, consider the way shouting in everyday life is perceived, read before you listen and you might enjoy something else for a change; and the reward of the clean vocals in "Matriarch" and "Silver Tongue" are too great to be left unheard this year.



Be sure to download this album as a name your price:


35. Casper - Hinterland

Casper - Hinterland

Right of the bat, my first response about Casper must be the same as with most others: I just love, deeply love and enjoy his XOXO project. Not only was it a crafty approach on a direction which I felt was not very worth considering but a boarder breaking and genre bending opus with a great socially critical and Zeitgeist capturing content. Hinterland is something different. Reading the title of the first single "Im Ascheregen" I was in very high spirit, thinking "oh yeah, he is at it again, and it will be dark as shit"... Listening to it was something else, and as with his second single "Hinterland" threw me way off. I admit, I was hoping for a much darker album and what hit me at first was something sounding incredibly optimistic and shining. The first listens didn´t really amount in anything else for the bigger picture until I sat down and read the lyrics and put some effort in it. You can say that Hinterland doesn´t really have any of the urgency of XOXO, what Casper wanted to say in regards to having a real statement has pretty much been said. But this doesn´t mean that there isn´t any content or musical craft anymore. His approach of having a more up-lifting vibe was accomplished very well while still keeping with his existential subject matter. You definitely get the Americana influences without anything over boarding to other or eschewing the blending in anyway and this project wasn´t made to please the masses that got on to "the savior of German hip hop". Ultimately Hinterland is a great listen after you discarded everything you expected from Casper and letting him have his way of what maybe fits in the cycle of finding a little bit a happiness after XOXO´s depression and a start of looking at the brighter side between the loss of love, friends and anxieties. And to be completely honest, I really enjoy "Ganz Schön Okay" for exactly this kind of cheerfulness and "Jamabalaya" for Casper just having a good time rapping. (But "Ariel" and "Lux Lisbon" just speak to my state of mind).


CASPER - JAMBALAYA (OFFICIAL VIDEO) from officialcasperxo on Vimeo.


34. Nils Frahm - Spaces

Nils Frahm - Spaces

This is the best piano centered album of the year. Admittely I haven´t listen to many albums of this direction this year, but for everyone looking to have their minds blown by an artist that doesn´t need the help of a huge studio or an army of pedals, while still not tinkering in background music, this is the one. I still can´t believe that Spaces is an live-album. Being record over the course of two years and various shows, this pretty much still plays as one big piece and sounds gorgous from beginning to end. If you know some older pieces like "Said And Done" or "Ambre" you will be graced with longer and more vivacious cuts on here and "For - Peter - Toilet Brush - More" Frahms shows his holistic approach to music combing electronics and experimental playing to create something sublime. For the most part, Spaces is more challenging and capticating then many straight-forward albums of other genre and broken down to just a man and his keys is a prime example of a genious at work.

Nils Frahm – Toilet Brushes – More (Live in London) from Erased Tapes on Vimeo.


33. The Weeknd - Kiss Land

The Weeknd - Kiss Land

Dark, brooding and self-reflectively depressed, the Weeknd in just one year and over the course of three mixtapes weaved this image for the world of black music to listen and even put him on the fore-front of the new sub-genre of alternative R´n´b. This sounds like the biggest load to carry thinking that you´re still just a twenty year old guy from Canada who never even left his home country or known surroundings overall. I myself expected something overwhelming and incredible from this debut and the expectation exceeded what was most likely humanly possible. Kiss Land is not the great redefinition of something so new; there was no need for much pushing forward in the first place. With repeated listens I understood that better and realized that I had fallen for the "always new" tendencies of today’s internet age in music. Gladly Abel Tesfaye wasn´t as stupid as the masses and took his time and considered his standing and his art. Not a redefinition but a continuation was called for and he took all his experiences of travelling, being lauded by the world and witnessing fakeness and condensed them into this project. That he choose the theme of Japan’s superficial and emblematic pop culture is very befitting. If you long for the darker side of R´n´b and want to see a consistent on not only novel artist grow, follow Abel on his musical journey. I promise that you will never have to fear him selling out or making pop music.

The Weeknd - Belong To The World from LIL D on Vimeo.




32. Moderat - II

Moderat - II

Moderat deliver a good vibe. Their music is not overtly political or overflowing with content even though some of their visual work and lyrics can be put in context with messages as such. Listening to II, you´ll get uplifting and danceable instrumental tracks that are meticulously constructed and at times more melancholic and reflective songs with lyrics. As their overall production is very lush, this wouldn´t necessarily be viewed as techno or club music in general, but I can see tracks like "Milk" or "Versions" working for such purposes and the more toned down tracks like "Damage Done" or "Gita" as something for nocturnal after hours and generally beautiful music to listen on headphones when home alone.

31. Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe

 

Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe

Pop music nowadays is pretty diverse. There aren´t many stylistic boarders anymore and every popular sound will be taken and infused into the now current acts music. On the other side, there is a great tendency to go back to previous genre and sounds that seemed to be abandoned for good. Take for example Drake´s "Hold On We´re Going Home" with it´s great 80´s vibe and perfect cut length for constant radio play. Putting on Cupid Deluxe, is like picking up a radio broadcast from these years as it hits you with a huge amount of familiarity, even if you weren´t born at that time or don´t enjoy this kind of music. But gladly Dev Heynes, the man behind Blood Orange, is not just a pure revivalist. His sonic profile on this one is cleary looking back but the production work and quality feel very much up to date. For someone who doesn´t know much about greatest acts of those times and isn´t really fond of the occasional cuts on the radio, Cupid Deluxe just sounds great and not like a rip off at all. Just like Drake´s single, the heartfelt lyrics and delivery filled with pathos feels welcome in a time were the organic and warm sounds are often left-out over "cooler" and futuristic tendencies.



30. Colin Stetson - New History For Warfare Vol 3: To See More Light

Colin Stetson - New History For Warfare Vol.3: To See More Light

To See More Light was my first introduction to Colin Stetson overall. Being a multireedist, the albums center around his playing of the sax in the most mind bending ways imaginable. This is not some kind of jazz, not even close. What this man and an instrument build is far greater than mere songs and cloud be described as soundscaping in its highest forms. Sometimes Justin Vernon, known as the voice and man behind Bon Iver, pops up and delivers some croons and words to add to the experience, but the main focus lies on Stetson pushing a instrument (and I would guess his lungs) to its limit. This is dense and experimental but still very listenable and enjoyable in a way as it shows some structure and tact - in other words not just noise as you might think from just one listening experience. The recording of Stetsons playing adds to the density as you get tons of reverb and even the sounds of the keys clapping and the hum of Stetson playing are worked into the soundscapes. Hands down one of the most interesting listens this year.



29. Kelela - Cut 4 Me

Kelela - Cut 4 Me

You like Aaliyah for here almost model character of R`n`b and as sincere as catchy lyrics? You´re into the current wave of bass centered, sparse and dark production? Than Kelela and Cut 4 Me are the perfect fit for you. I´m sure in a year or two we can look back at this mixtape and look at Rihanna´s newest carbon cut of an album and think for ourselves "yeah, it was done before". The great thing here is that the sound doesn´t dominate over the vocals so that you don´t feel that the production is the actual highlight of the project bearing the name of the singing artist. Kelela delivers strong sensual R`n`b that would also have worked over more traditional production but feels even greater over the "current" style of music. Tracks like "Do It Again" and "Keep It Cool" sum up best what is accomplished here and might signal that Kelela is not just an artist for alternative dance parties and has the right requirements for a much larger audience. 

28. AlunaGeorge - Body Music

Now from the dark sides of bass music to the more sugary and electronically twinkly ones. AlunaGeorge first made their appearance in 2011 and every single they released up until Body Music had me excited. Body Music never dwells into any darker territories and deals mostly with themes of love - pretty much the normal pop formula, Aluna Francis vocals are sweet and soothing without feeling generic or standard in any way. Geord Reids production is top notch electronica feeling very detailed and also never anything close to repetitive. From this description this wouldn´t really deserve a high spot nowadays. But this duo works well and complements each other wonderfully. The result is a likable and energizing hour of pretty pop I wouldn´t mind listening in the radio for a change.

AlunaGeorge - Your Drums, Your Love from Niklas Johansson, FSF on Vimeo.


27. A$AP Rocky - LONG.LIVE.A$AP

A$AP Rocky - LONG.LIVE.A$AP

For this album being leaked in December 2012 and finding it´s release on month later in the New Year, it has been in constant rotation for me. The Lord Pretty Flacko didn´t rest on his mixtape success (and on Clams Casino´s production) and developed his own sound with the best producers at his disposable and some underground gems splintered in. LONG.LIVE can be considered the first big break of the A$AP Mob and with "Fucking Problems" going double platinum the name A$AP seems solidified not just for fashion and ass grabbing. In this sense, the album was also well rounded considering that Rocky is not only talking about drugs and having a good time like "PMW" or "Wild For the Night" but also delivers more introspective tracks like "Suddenly" and "Pheonix".

A$AP Rocky "Phoenix" from David Myrick on Vimeo.

26. Julianna Barwick - Nepenthe

Julianna Barwick - Nepenthe

This is the sound of angels in best way imaginable. Nepenthe has you floating with Julianna Barwicks ethereal layered vocals and sparse and ecclesiastic sounding instrumentation. To many words wouldn´t do this one any justice but if you feel the need to contemplate, if there´s anything in you that resonates with choral music, Nepenthe and all of Julianna Barwicks music is for you.

25. Sigur Rós - Kveikur

Sigur Rós - Kveikur

If Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust was their pop and Valtari their ambient album, Kveikur is their rock album. While I thought that they had somehow abandoned their edgier sound for the sake of appeal on their previous efforts, this year Sigur Rós came back full circle to what I came to love and enjoy in their music. Kveikur is as beautiful as always, but you can feel desolate and darker moments that let Jonsi´s singing and uplifting moments shine even brighter. One of the biggest improvements and what made many come to the conclusion that Kveikur is an aggressive album, is the emphasis on the rhythm section. When working as a trio, their music seems to become much more driving and straightforward without relying on stretched out ambience and builds - or in other words they rock. And big credit just has to go to drummer Orri, his drums on tracks like "Brennstein", "Isjaki" or "Kveikur" just sound better and filled with more vigor than on most metal albums. 

sigur rós - brennisteinn from sigur rós on Vimeo.