♩ Divine Fits – Ain’t That the Way [from Ain’t That the Way / Chained to Love]
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♩ FIDLAR – No Waves [from FIDLAR]
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♩ Baths – No Eyes [from Obsidian]
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♩ Camera Obscura – Troublemaker [from Desire Lines]
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What is (31) Days of Good?
Had David Bowie not released a new album this year, Reflektor would have been my #1. This record is full of excellent tracks, but “Afterlife” definitely stands out and is easily my favorite.
♩ Arcade Fire – Afterlife [from Reflektor]
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Easily my favorite track from Jim James’ (My Morning Jacket) solo debut. I’m a sucker for slow-building doo-wop and strings, which this track combines beautifully.
♩ Jim James – A New Life [from Regions of Light and Sound of God]
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This track is absolutely stunning, which explains why it’s been one of favorites all year. Had Johnny Cash ever collaborated with Enigma, I imagine it would’ve sounded a bit like this.
♩ Phosphorescent – Song For Zula [from Muchacho]
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Certain tracks have a way of always lifting my spirits and this is one of them.
♩ Mikal Cronin – Weight [from MCII]
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What is (31) Days of Good?
Gliss released one of my favorite albums this year with Langsom Dans. I’m torn between two incredible tracks from the record – “The Sea Tonight” and “Waves”. Ultimately, i’m going with “Waves” as my favorite because i’m a such a sucker for the track’s cinematic strings. With that said, please do yourself a favor and listen to “The Sea Tonight” when you’re done here.
♩ Gliss – Waves [from Langsom Dans]
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“Up-and-coming Danish popstress MØ has released her warmest song yet with “Never Wanna Know,” a lush and laid-back beach jam. In the chorus, MØ sings “I never wanna know/ the name of your new girlfriend,” and manages to instantly break your heart.” via Stereogum
♩ MØ – Never Wanna Know [from Bikini Daze EP]
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This Brooklyn duo was one of my favorite discoveries from 2012 and they continued to impress me this year with their second full length General Dome. “Houdini Crush” is easily my favorite track off the album and it really showcases the band’s unique (and infectious) noise-pop sound.
♩ Buke & Gase – Houdini Crush [from General Dome]
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What is (31) Days of Good?
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?
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?