Category Archives: best of 2013

2013, 31 days of good, best of 2013, music

(31) Days of Good: 12.13.13

December 13, 2013 Concrete Opinions Leave a comment

Music discovery truly is one of life’s simple pleasures. I for one look forward to hearing “my new favorite band” every year. And year after year, i’m introduced to a plethora of new and exciting music. For today’s edition of (31) Days, i’d like to focus on a few of my favorite musical discoveries from this past year.

But first, I need to give a little shout out to the people that are usually introducing me to all of my new favorites: Nialler9 (& the Nialler9 Podcast), The Noise Pop Podcast, Largehearted Boy, NPR’s All Songs Considered, KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic, KEXP’s Music That Matters Podcast, and The Burning Ear. Thanks for another great year of music discovery. Can’t wait to hear what you’ve got in store for me in 2014.

And now without further ado, please enjoy a few of my favorite musical discoveries of 2013.

♩ The Octopus Project – Whitby [from Fever Forms]
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♩ Valleys – Undream a Year [from Are You Going To Stand There And Talk Weird All Night?]
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♩ Young Galaxy – Pretty Boy [from Ultramarine]
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♩ Torres – Honey [from TORRES]
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♩ Marnie Stern – Nothing is Easy [from The Chronicles of Marnia]
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♩ Isaac Delusion – Early Morning [from Early Morning EP]
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What is (31) Days of Good?

2013, 31 days of good, best of 2013, music

(31) Days of Good: 12.12.13

December 12, 2013 Concrete Opinions Leave a comment

I’ve been obsessed with this track all year, it really is the perfect combination of R&B and new wave synths. It comes to us courtesy of Brooklyn crooner Autre Ne Veut, whose LP Anxiety was released back in February, but it’s remained a favorite of mine all year.

♩ Autre Ne Veut – Play By Play [from Anxiety]
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“Perhaps the most blogged about song this year (i’ve counted at least 88 blogs and countless remix ‘attempts’), ‘Open’ is bound to get your blood to the boiling point. Milosh’s breathy vocals are more than sufficient to send you to a sensual climax as the words just float out of his throat. The real highlight is the ambiguity; there’s no explicit language, no obvious sexual references, and no specific gendered material. Mike Milosh even manages to sound somewhere between a husky female and a slender tight-lipped crooner. It’s all very neutral, yet full blown sexy.” via The New LoFi

♩ Rhye – Open [from Woman]
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There aren’t many artists that can do so much, with so little. James Blake has a gift. The way he blends fragility and simplicity in his music is stunning.

♩James Blake – Retrograde [from Overgrown]
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What is (31) Days of Good?

2013, 31 days of good, best of 2013, music

(31) Days of Good: 12.11.13

December 11, 2013 Concrete Opinions Leave a comment

“Much like their previous work, the title track is veiled in elegance, slightly spellbound and caught in a haze of woozy pop. What lies beneath the beauty is the perils of heartbreak, a story cast in stone by Lindsay’s soft, ethereal croons and brought back to life by Clifford’s deep, earnest conviction. A purling hiss of synths carries the track into a quiet storm, keeping things slow yet upbeat, oozing romanticism and pain at the same time. This sad trip down memory lane strikes a definitive chord, making it one of the band’s most captivating releases thus far.” via Portals

♩ GEMS – Medusa [from Medusa EP]
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“Boys’ is one hell of a way to tear open the record…” via MuuMuse

♩ Sky Ferreira – Boys [from Night Time, My Time]
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“The song maintains the ’80s aesthetic drawing predominately from early Prince. Needless to say, it is a fantastic listen.” via My Old Kentucky Blog

♩ Blood Orange – You’re Not Good Enough [from Cupid Deluxe]
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“Mostly, I’m just blown away by the fact that this girl is sixteen years old. Does that not make anyone else feel really old? I feel really old and I’m not old at all. No but it actually makes me really happy, I’m glad that there are chicks singing and representing us ladies at such a young age. I’ve heard a lot about young talent in the past six months and it just makes me more happy and excited for the future of our music.” via Et Musique Pour Tous

♩ Lorde – Swingin’ Party [from The Love Club EP]
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What is (31) Days of Good?

2013, 31 days of good, best of 2013, music

(31) Days of Good: 12.10.13

December 10, 2013 Concrete Opinions Leave a comment

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

♩ My Bloody Valentine – She Found Now [from m b v]
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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.

♩ Deltron 3030 – Look Across the Sky (ft. Mary Elizabeth Winstead) [from Event II]
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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.

♩ Sebadoh – I Will [from Defend Yourself]
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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.

♩ The Postal Service – A Tattered Line of String [from Give Up: Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition]
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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.

♩ David Bowie – Valentine’s Day [from The Next Day]
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What is (31) Days of Good?

2013, 31 days of good, best of 2013, music

(31) Days of Good: 12.9.13

December 9, 2013 Concrete Opinions Leave a comment

I really enjoy electronic music, especially material that leans more towards the chill-wave, experimental, and/or ambient side of this ever evolving genre. Below is a small sampling of my favorite “electronic” tracks from this past year. Hope you enjoy these as much as I do.