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.
“Mute” is our second taste of Youth Lagoon’s upcoming new album. I’ve been eagerly anticipating this release since it was first announced and this new track just made me even more excited than I was already. Wondrous Bughouse will be released March 5th on Fat Possum. Check the dates below and see Youth Lagoon live if you have the chance.
♩Youth Lagoon – Dropla [from Wondrous Bughouse]
02-26 Missoula, MT – Badlander
02-27 Bozeman, MT – Filling Station
02-28 Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
03-01 Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge
03-06 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
03-13-16 Austin, TX – SXSW
03-22 Boise, ID – Treefort Music Fest
04-12 Indio, CA – Coachella
04-19 Indio, CA – Coachella
04-21 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
04-22 Tucson, AZ – Club Congress
04-24 Austin, TX – Mohawk
04-25 Dallas, TX – The Loft
04-26 Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s
04-27 New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks
04-28 Birmingham, AL – The Bottletree
04-30 Orlando, FL – The Social
05-01 Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
05-02 Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge
05-03 Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
05-04 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
05-07 Northampton, MA – Pearl St.
05-10 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
05-11 Columbia, MD – Sweet Life Festival
05-13 Toronto, Ontario – Great Hall
05-14 Columbus, OH – A&R Bar
05-15 Chicago, IL – Metro
05-16 Madison, WI – Majestic Theater
05-17 Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
05-22 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
05-23 Vancouver, British Columbia – Venue
05-24 Gorge, WA – Sasquatch! Fest
06-05 Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center *
* with the National
“Trevor Powers, whose stage name is Youth Lagoon, began writing his debut album The Year of Hibernation in 2010. Based around the idea of psychological dysphoria, Powers tried to document the trails of his mind through songs of minimalism and hypnotic ambiance. Powers later described his writing process as ‘my mind communicating with me, not the other way around…it can take me to scary places but I’ve realized those bizarre thoughts I have don’t define me.’ After signing with Mississippi-based label Fat Possum Records in 2011, he toured much of the following year before going back into solitude to write.
Wondrous Bughouse, Powers’ sophomore album (due March 5 worldwide via Fat Possum), was spawned from what he describes as ‘becoming more fascinated with the human psyche and where the spiritual meets the physical world.’ During the time he wrote, Powers became intrigued with the metaphysical universe and blending those ideas with pop music.
‘Youth Lagoon is something so personal to me because writing music is how I sort my thoughts, as well as where I transfer my fears,’ explains Powers. ‘My mental state is usually pretty sporadic… a lot of this record was influenced by a fear of mortality but embracing it at the same time. Realizing that human life is only great because it is temporary. Experimenting with ideas about dimensions. I’m not a gifted spear, so explaining things is difficult for me. But music always makes sense.'” [source: Fat Possum]
Track list:
01. Through Mind and Back
02. Mute
03. Attic Doctor
04. The Bath
05. Pelican Man
06. Dropla
07. Sleep Paralysis
08. Third Dystopia
09. Raspberry Cane
10. Daisyphobia
♩Youth Lagoon – July [from The Year of Hibernation]
