2013 was a year of unexpected surprises, including new material and tours from My Bloody Valentine, Sebadoh, The Postal Service, The Pixies, The Dismemberment Plan, NIN, Beck, Lucius Jackson, Neutral Milk Hotel, Deltron 3030, and more. Below is a sampling of my favorite surprises of 2013.
“We had this show all wrapped up last Friday. It was totally in the can! Then My Bloody Valentine dropped its highly anticipated new album over the weekend and threw our previously recorded show into total chaos! But hey, it was worth it. We (and all the other My Bloody Valentine fans out there) have been waiting more than 20 years for this!” via NPR: All Songs Considered
It’s been 13 years since Dan the Automator, Del the Funky Homosapien, and Kid Koala joined forces as Deltron 3030 and released their debut album. Though I didn’t enjoy waiting for Event II, it was well worth it.
Defend Yourself is the 8th studio album (and 1st in 14 years) by Sebadoh. I don’t think i’ll ever get tired of “I Will,” which makes the perfect lead-off track for this rather eclectic album.
Though we’ll probably never get a new album from The Postal Service, 2013 marked the 10th anniversary and deluxe reissue of the supergroup’s debut album Give Up. Along with a extensive “reunion” tour, the group released two brand new tracks, including this little gem.
Of all the surprises this past year, there was one definititive highlight. After 10 (long) years, the one and only David Bowie released his 24th studio album – The Next Day. This is my favorite album of the year and there really isn’t a bad track on it. But in my opinion, “Valentine’s Day” is the standout track. Right when you hear that first guitar riff you know, this is a David Bowie song…and it’s fantastic.
These are simply in alphabetical order. It’s hard enough to rank my top 10, i don’t want to do it more than once a year. Enjoy all of these on Spotify, which i’ll continue to update throughout the rest of 2013. And with some highly anticipated releases still on the horizon, including new albums from Porcelain Raft, Smith Westerns, and Elton John, i’m sure this list will evolve.
But enough babbling, enjoy my favorite albums of 2013 (so far) and please check back in December to see which (if any) make the cut for my top 10 of the year.
EUROPE + FAR EAST June 9: Club 202, Budapest, Hungary June 10: Archa Theater, Prague, Czech Republic June 13: Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark June 14: Hultsfred Festival, Hultsfred, Sweden June 15: Norwegian Wood Festival, Oslo, Norway July 5: Hop Farm Fest, Kent, UK July 7: Eurockeennes Festival, Belfort, France July 13: T in the Park, Balado, Scotland July 26: Fuji Rock Festival, Niigata, Japan July 27: Valley Rock Festival, Ansan Daebu Island, Korea Aug. 4: Off Festival, Katowice, Poland Aug. 6: Vienna Arena, Vienna, Austria Aug. 8: Terraneo Festival, Sibenik, Croatia Aug. 10: Flow Festival, Helsinki, Finland
A few of my favorite new releases, including the latest from EELS, Frightened Rabbit, The Spinto Band, and Thao and The Get Down Stay Down. Oh, and My Bloody Valentine surprised us all with m b v, their LONG awaited follow up to 1991’s Loveless!! As always, be sure to visit Largehearted Boy more new music.
