A Musical Baker’s Dozen, Part II: The Top 13 Albums of 2013

We’ve arrived at the end of yet another year and my annual reflection on the music that made up the soundtrack of 2013. The past year in music could easily be summed up in a single word: Electronica. To this music lover’s ears, 2013 will be remembered as the year electronica matured and came fully into its own. It’s the year electronica ripened from an experimental musical medium to a mainstream genre, earning a deserved spot as a bona fide musical category. Some artists whose 2013 albums made my list – like James Blake, Jessie Ware, and the incomparable Alison Moyet – embraced the form completely, while several others used elements of electronica as accoutrement to augment the more traditional pop stylings of their albums. Whether artists used electronica as musical accessory or foundation, the music of 2013 was peppered with a decidedly electronic aesthetic.

Without further rumination, I offer up my list of 2013’s best albums – a baker’s dozen of the musical collections that resonated with me on the greatest levels.

13. Pet Shop Boys / Electric

Here’s what I like about Pet Shop Boys: Despite having been around long enough to easily coast into
a comfortable retirement, the electropop duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have stayed the course over the past three decades, creating albums that have never once lost the signature new wave synthpop sound that defined them. In 2013, they released their 12^th album, ELECTRIC (continuing their long-running tradition of single-word album titles). This dance-floor focused set finds the duo in fine form, with their lyrical wit and undertones of longing once again marvelously married to the requisite synthesizer-generated pulsating beats. Dance music for smart people.

Standout Tracks: “Vocal” / “Love is a Bourgeois Construct” / “Thursday”

12. Cher / Closer to the Truth

Dismiss Cher all you want, but there is something to be said about an artist who releases her first studio album in over a decade only to have it become her highest-charting solo album in the U.S. to date. Yep, for as much as she’s become somewhat of a pop culture caricature, it’s hard to write-off the staying power of this 67-year-old with the distinctive contralto and penchant for Auto-Tune. CLOSER TO THE TRUTH, the iconic singer’s 25^th studio album, finds the seemingly indefatigable songbird not straying too far from the anthemic dance-floor formula of 1998’s juggernaut BELIEVE or its 2001 follow-up, LIVING PROOF. But it’s on the mid-tempo tracks and slower numbers included here – like a stunning cover of Miley Cyrus’ “I Hope You Find It” – that we’re reminded that behind the glitzy Bob Mackie gowns and distracting plastic surgery and outrageously blunt Twitter outbursts that often eclipse Cher, the singer, there is a beautiful, breathtaking voice.

Standout Tracks: “Take It Like a Man” / “I Hope You Find It” / “Red” / “Favorite Scars”

11. The Neighbourhood / I Love You

Don’t let the decidedly British orthography of this American quintet’s name fool you – they’re about as LA as they come. Falling somewhere on the musical spectrum between Garbage and Foster the People, The Neighbourhood fuses lyrics full of petulant bitterness and angst-ridden melodrama and coats it with a thick, shiny pop-rock candy shell. The result is somewhat teen-leaning and shallow in terms of content, yet decidedly adult in terms of songcraft and production. An impressively mature, eclectic debut from a promising new band. 

Standout Tracks: “Sweater Weather” / “Female Robbery” / “How” / “Alleyways”

10. James Blake / Overgrown

This accessibly abstract exploration of space and sound is – on first listen – challenging to the casual musical ear. Majestically melancholic and moody, the deceptively sparse arrangements on OVERGROWN are layered one on top of the other like a ghostly blueprint, giving the album an undertone of restraint even when Blake’s warbling falsetto and muffled mumbles seem to drown in a cacophonic crescendo of electronic anarchy at times. The disarming minimalism of the songs here is punctuated – sometimes simultaneously – by icy mechanical clatters and lush caresses of the piano. Cold to the touch on first listen, the lyrically confessional tone of the tracks, coupled with Blake’s occasional vocal cracks and an almost unsettling silence between notes at times, imbue OVERGROWN with its ultimately satisfying emotional resonance. Contemplative and dreamlike, OVERGROWN needs to be musically absorbed versus consumed.

Standout Tracks: “Retrograde” / “Overgrown” / “Voyeur”

9. Lorde / Pure Heroine (Expanded)  

You’d had to have been living in a bubble to have missed the meteoric rise of this 17-year-old New Zealand pop prodigy in 2013. And in a year that saw other pop princesses behaving badly, it was refreshing to witness the unflappable self-assurance and mature demeanor of Miss Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O'Connor. Lorde became the first solo artist from New Zealand to top the domestic Billboard music chart, and the youngest artist to hold the number one chart position in the U.S. in more than 25 years with her inescapable breakout hit, “Royals”. With PURE HEROINE, her debut album that followed, Lorde proved she’d be no one-hit wonder. With obvious comparisons in vocal delivery to Lana Del Ray and Adele, Lorde sing-slurs over intoxicatingly stark electro-pop beats and sharp, thought-provoking lyrics that are devoid of sentimentalism and full of biting honesty. Her astute songwriting – coupled with Lorde’s wholly unique voice – gives the impressive collection an overall feeling of one big sarcastic, satirical wink. Treat yourself to the expanded edition of PURE HEROINE, which includes six additional tracks, most of which were culled from a previously released EP, THE LOVE CLUB.

Postscript: Producers of the HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE soundtrack wisely took advantage of Lorde’s widespread visibility and added her icily sublime cover of Tears For Fear’s “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” to their track listing. Well worth the download price and will fit perfectly at the end of your PURE HEROINE playlist.

Standout Tracks: “Tennis Court” / “White Teeth Teens” / “Million Dollar Bills”

8. London Grammar / If You Wait

At the forefront of this strikingly understated, self-possessed debut from UK trio London Grammar is the instantly memorable soprano of lead vocalist, Hannah Reid. Calling to mind Everything But The Girl and Florence + The Machine with a weighty huskiness and ethereal sophistication, she anchors this atmospheric pop-electronica collection with a maturity that belies her youth. Reid’s at times soaring, at times slurred vocals ground the lyrically plaintive songs with an aching earnestness that’s complimented to perfection by the subtle instrumentation provided by bandmates Dot Major and Dan Rothman.

Postscript: Reid was wisely plucked by electronica outfit Disclosure as a featured vocalist on their acclaimed 2013 album SETTLE for the stunning closer, “Help Me Lose My Mind”.

Standout Tracks: “Strong” / “Nightcall” / “Hey Now” / “Sights”

7. Alice Russell / To Dust

With TO DUST, the UK’s Alice Russell delivered the closest thing to a new Adele album listeners were likely to hear last year. Lurking just beyond the breakout successes of other female British soul singers of the last decade, Russell has inexplicably flown under the musical radars of most – and this is a crime. With hints of Dusty Springfield and Adele, Russell’s husky voice effortlessly envelops this collection of contemporary soul, the British soulstress' fifth solo album in a little under a decade. Like recent albums by contemporaries Emeli Sandé and the late Amy Winehouse, Russell’s TO DUST has a decidedly throwback feel that’s firmly embodied in a neo-soul freshness, leaving the songs with a retro vibe that never feels outdated.

Standout Tracks: “Hard and Strong” / “Heartbreaker” / “To Dust”

6. Tegan and Sara / Heartthrob

The indie pop-rock duo of Tegan Quin and Sara Quin – identical twin sisters, both lesbians, hailing from Canada – delivered the bounciest, most radio-friendly album of the year – and their career. HEARTTHROB, the sibling pair’s seventh studio album, is quintessential pop music, full of bright synthesizers and infectious choruses. Tegan and Sara throw down the power pop gauntlet on ten perfectly-crafted tracks ranging from breezy dance-pop anthems to bittersweet power ballads, whose retro 80’s grooves and dramatic walls of synths might just make you wax nostalgic for an old John Hughes flick like SIXTEEN CANDLES or PRETTY IN PINK.  But don’t let the spinning disco ball at the roller rink blind you to all the yearning and lamenting for loves lost and love gone wrong behind the lyrics. This is smart pop music, shrewdly crafted by two gifted singer-songwriters with deft ears for head-bopping melodies and the souls of poets who have loved, lost, and lived to tell about it. 

Standout Tracks: “I Was a Fool” / “Drove Me Wild” / “Closer” / “Shock to Your System”

5. Lady Gaga / ARTPOP

If Lady Gaga would just stop talking and making statements about…well, making statements, she’d likely not have suffered the rather brutal commercial backlash she did this year. ARTPOP will not, alas, be changing the world as we know it, nor was it a statement of epic proportion about much of anything. But it’s a damn fine pop album, filled with strong hooks, stronger beats, and luridly campy, Gaga-esque lyrics like: “Uranus! Don’t you know my ass is famous?” And a prediction: The record label will get smart and release “Gypsy” as a single – and it’ll be a huge hit for Lady G in 2014.

Standout Tracks: “Gypsy” / “MANiCURE” / “Fashion!” / “Do What U Want”

4. Sara Bareilles / The Blessed Unrest

On her fourth album, singer-songwriter Bareilles builds on the individual strengths of previous efforts to put forth her most stylistically serious and mature album to date. That she’s been recognized with some weighty Grammy nominations (including a nod in the prestigious Album of the Year category) is no surprise. From her inspirational battle cry on the booming anthem “Brave” to her more plaintive reflections on songs like “Manhattan” and “December”, Bareilles substitutes some of the trademark cheeriness of past endeavors for a more global sense of seriousness that adds some heft to THE BLESSED UNREST. Her songwriting acumen and keen ear for melody has only sharpened further on this superb collection of smart, humanistic pop.  

Standout Tracks: “Brave” / “I Choose You” / “Chasing the Sun” / “Little Black Dress”

3. Arcade Fire / Reflektor

For the follow-up to the decidedly linear rock approach taken with their Grammy-winning Album of the Year, THE SUBURBS, Arcade Fire did something illogically brilliant: They made an entirely different sounding album. The Canadian outfit’s fourth album is like a night out at the alt-rock discothèque – and if you think those terms incompatible, then you haven’t given REFLEKTOR a proper listen. In this 76-minute behemoth of a set, Arcade Fire lyrically and musically reconfigures the myth of Orpheus within thirteen propulsive, reverb-heavy tracks that are awash in bouncy synthesizers and fuzzy guitar licks in equal measure. The result is a spectacularly overblown masterpiece that eschews all pretense of subtlety for musical merrymaking that sounds positively symphonic at times.

Standout Tracks: “Reflektor” / “Porno” / “You Already Know” / “It’s Never Over (Oh Orpheus)”

2. Jessie Ware / Devotion

Why the UK’s Jessie Ware wasn’t a bigger breakout success in 2013 is beyond me. Hailed by ROLLING STONE as the missing link between Sade and Adele, Ware sings with a cool, sultry voice set against a slow-burning hybrid of pop, soul, and adult contemporary held surprisingly cohesive within a hypnotic electronica framework. Ware’s vocals are deceptively restrained on most of this chilled collection, but when her voice stretches from a breathy whisper to a muscular wail, the results are glorious. DEVOTION is an exquisitely sophisticated, understated affair on every level that only hints at Ware’s range and potential.

Standout Tracks: “Running” / “Imagine It Was Us” / “Swan Song” / “Devotion”

1. Alison Moyet / The Minutes

In her first solo album since 2007′s THE TURN, Moyet determinedly goes against market grains, shunning those clamoring for the 80’s nostalgia of her Yazoo days while politely flipping the middle finger to still others who would see her boxed in making covers albums with other female singers of a certain age.  Producer-programmer Guy Sigsworth – famed for his work with Madonna, Björk, Britney Spears, Alanis Morrisette, and Sweden’s Robyn – returns Moyet to the synth-heavy realm of earlier career efforts but never lets her slide into a full-blown nostalgia tour. The result is an album on which Moyet sounds as ageless as ever – yet relevant. Still boasting a singularly powerful voice full of depth and drama that’s complimented by trademark lyrics bursting with lush and poetic imagery, Moyet remains true to her artistic self while stretching her musical legs in a way that never seems forced despite the album’s youthful sonic wizardry. And although Sigsworth – who easily proves himself here to be Moyet’s musical soul mate – opts to surround the singer with jarring, jangling synthesizers, her voice is never lost within the – at times – bombastic electronic landscape. On “Horizon Flame”, the set’s opening track, she sings, “Suddenly the landscape has changed…” letting listeners know from the outset that THE MINUTES is both a welcome departure and return-of-sorts for the UK chanteuse.

Standout Tracks: “Changeling” / “Apple Kisses” / “Right As Rain” / “Remind Yourself”

Check out my list of favorite songs from 2013 here.

Favorite Albums of 2012

Featuring: Gossip * Garbage * Keane * The Killers * Alanis Morissette *
Rebecca Ferguson * Paloma Faith * The Wallflowers * Matchbox Twenty *
Pet Shop Boys * Emeli Sandé * Mumford & Sons 

12 – The Killers / Battle Born

After a brief pit stop in solo-ville, Brandon Flowers reunited with his fellow bandmates for a fourth studio album. The Killers stick to the formula that’s worked best for them in the past: bombastic retro stadium rock with catchy, sing-along choruses balanced by lyrics that often elicit a sentimental ache. BATTLE BORN easily retains the band’s quintessential sound of previous efforts. Standouts: Opener “Flesh & Bone” and the closing title track.
 
11 – The Wallflowers / Glad All Over

The Wallflowers were another reunited band that re-emerged in 2012 after an extended hiatus. Jakob Dylan and company used their time away wisely, with GLAD ALL OVER offering a livelier, celebratory vibe that doesn’t detract from the band’s unabashedly rock & roll classicist roots. While the hooks are sturdy and the musical base solid and unpretentious, it’s Dylan’s meditative – sometimes solipsistic – lyrics and husky voice that anchor the effort. Standouts: The rollicking funk of "Reboot the Mission", the political leanings of "Love Is a Country", and "The Devil's Waltz".

10 – Pet Shop Boys / Elysium

It’s hard to believe that the duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe have been making music as Pet Shop Boys for over three decades now (Read: Christ, how old am I?). ELYSIUM – the duo’s eleventh studio album – is a collection of primarily mid-tempo tunes that range from elegant dance-pop to sentimental ballads. Thankfully, the trademark PSB 80’s industrial sound is intact, even if its sharper edges have been softened in spots in favor of some wistful, orchestral moments. Standouts: The gorgeously melancholic “Leaving”, the thumping disco-pop monster “A Face Like That”, and the elegiac ‘ode to Regan-era excess “Requiem in Denim and Leopardskin".

9 – Emeli Sandé / Our Version of Events

Try this recipe: Take one cup Alicia Keys, one cup Beyonce, and two heaping tablespoons of Mariah Carey and blend together with generous helpings of mainstream pop, alternative-folk, and old-school R&B. Divide into fourteen equal tracks and let simmer in your eardrums for roughly 49 minutes. OUR VERSION OF EVENTS is an earnest, fully-realized debut album marked by a diverse musical styling yet held together by a cohesive thematic unity. It’s an impressive introduction to the arresting talent of Scottish songbird Emeli Sandé and whets the appetite for her sophomore effort. Standouts: "Heaven", the tribal rhythms of "Wonder", "Clown", and "Next To Me".

8 – Mumford & Sons / Babel

The UK’s nu-folk movement showed no signs of abatement in 2012, and its poster boys – London’s Mumford & Sons – easily avoided the dreaded sophomore slump with BABEL, their stellar follow-up to 2009’s acclaimed debut, SIGH NO MORE. Seamlessly fusing folk, bluegrass, and alternative rock into a rollicking, rootsy musical hybrid, the band wisely opts for a “more of the same” philosophy on their second album. All the usual instrumental suspects – banjo, mandolin, upright piano – are ever-present in the arrangements while the quartet of Marcus Mumford, "Country" Winston Marshall, Ben Lovett, and Ted Dwane join voices to provide the thickly-accented vocals chorus. Standouts: The rousing title track, the plaintive "Ghosts That We Knew", and Paul Simon cover "The Boxer".

7 – Matchbox Twenty / North

If there’s a prevalent theme to be found in last year’s musical landscape, it’s that much of the year played out like lost episodes of the now-defunct VH-1 show BANDS REUNITED. Case in point: Matchbox Twenty’s return with NORTH. Following a three-year hiatus that saw band frontman Rob Thomas step out with his own successful second solo album and tour, the Matchbox boys returned in fine form with this fourth studio that reinforces that no one writes smarter, purer pop songs than Thomas. The tracks here harken back to the band’s heyday, with slick muscular, radio-friendly melodies galore. Standouts: “Put Your Hands Up” and “English Town”.

6 – Alanis Morissette / havoc and bright lights

Canada’s First Lady of Anger and Angst, Alanis Morissette, made a welcome return to the music scene in 2012 with her eighth studio album, HAVOC AND BRIGHT LIGHTS; her first since 2008’s underappreciated FLAVORS OF ENTANGLEMENT. Time has been kind to Morissette who – arguably – offers up her finest collection of songs here since 1995’s juggernaut, JAGGED LITTLE PILL. Happily, Morissette hasn’t lost her angry edge but simply refined it into an even more effective musical weapon. If JAGGED LITTLE PILL was a rusty box cutter, HAVOC AND BRIGHT LIGHTS is a stainless steel razor. The blade of her words remains sharp and precise, her delivery more mature and controlled, the anger now bubbling underneath instead of unleashing in every chorus. The result: One of the most pop-accessible albums of her career. Standouts: “Edge of Evolution”, “Celebrity”, “Empathy”, and “Woman Down”.

5 – Rebecca Ferguson / Heaven

Channeling a young Aretha Franklin and Macy Gray, this enchanting soul chanteuse’s remarkable debut album magnificently melds contemporary R&B with 60s soul and Motown. With a husky voice and impressive range, Ferguson is easily the best female vocalist to swim across the pond since Adele. Who says good things don't come out of reality competition shows? Standouts: “Run Free”, “Backtrack”, and “Shoulder to Shoulder”.

4 – Garbage / Not Your Kind of People

And, yes, it’s yet another reunited band sliding into fourth place on my annual year-end “Best of…” list. This time it’s Shirley Manson and her fellow Garbage men back for a fifth spin around the turntable with their first studio album since 2005’s BLEED LIKE ME. The Scottish spitfire and her longtime cohort of cross-continental collaborators retain every bit of post-grunge authenticity that established them as one of the great alt-rock acts of the 90s. With the band’s propulsive guitar licks and Manson’s distorted vocals intact, NOT YOUR KIND OF PEOPLE offers up fifteen aggressive, psychedelic, seismic, overproduced tracks that kick, scratch, and claw their way into your consciousness, threatening to blow your eardrums out in the process. Standouts: The gut-crunching chords of “Battle in Me”, the dark sincerity of “I Hate Love”, and the seductive breathiness of “Sugar”.

3 – Paloma Faith / Fall to Grace

It was inevitable that there would be a likely successor to the late Amy Winehouse, and she arrived last year on U.S. shores in the form of Paloma Faith. Possessing all of the ballsy, bluesy, retro-cool swagger of Winehouse, Faith easily slides into the musical berth prematurely vacated by her fellow countrywoman. FALL TO GRACE is the London-born songbird’s thoroughly satisfying stateside debut that is at once evocative of Winehouse’s best work and yet thoroughly original. Produced by UK soul vet Nellee Hooper (of Soul II Soul fame), FALL TO GRACE allows Faith to fully flex her unique and distinctive voice that, at times, ranges from a luxuriantly soulful croon to a full-blown dramatic wail that could rival Florence + The Machine frontwoman Florence Welch. Standouts: The disco-inflected “Blood Sweat & Tears”, the painfully-controlled emotion of “Just Be”, the uplifting “Freedom”, and her faithful INXS cover “Never Tear Us Apart”.

2 – Keane / Strangeland

The brilliance of Keane’s sublime STRANGELAND is in the complexity of its utter pop simplicity. (Chew on it a bit…it’ll make sense.) The UK quartet’s fourth studio album is awash in gorgeous melodies (of both the uplifting and melancholy varieties), theatrically arching bridges, contemplative lyrics, and lead singer Tom Chaplin’s earnest, emotive vocals.  Each song is a progression of both melody and message – some swell to anthemic proportion while others carry the listener away into poignant sentimentalism. And while naysayers complained that the band doesn’t break any new ground here with these sixteen slices of adult alt-rock for the soul, this listener would argue that the accomplishment is found in the perfection of their particular brand of polished piano balladry and the cohesiveness of the set as a satisfying whole. Standouts: "Sovereign Light Café", “Disconnected”, “Run with Me”, and “Sea Fog”.

1 – Gossip / A Joyful Noise

Not to be confused with last year’s Dolly Parton-Queen Latifah flick of the same name, veteran idie dance-punk outfit Gossip’s fifth studio set lived up to its name in every joyful way. The Beth Ditto-led trio broke new ground with confidence here, wisely pairing with veteran UK producer Brian Higgins who has worked with both veteran dance acts (Kylie Minogue, Pet Shop Boys, Bananarama) as well as current chart-toppers (Girls Aloud, The Wanted, The Saturdays). The result is Gossip’s most accomplished album to date, a collection of impeccable dance-punk that allows the band to remain true to its headier punk-rock roots. As always, it’s Ditto’s distinctive vocals that shine through on each beat-laden track. Standouts: The inspirational “Move in the Right Direction”, “Perfect World”, and slow-burner “I Won’t Play”.

What were your favorite albums of 2012? And don't forget to find out which songs made my annual list of favorite singles.

Favorite Singles of 2012

How do I characterize the year in music that was 2012? The year's release slate was happily loaded with a slew of returning favorites – Madonna, The Killers, Pet Shop Boys, Matchbox Twenty, Kylie Minoque, Garbage, No Doubt, The Cranberries, Scissor Sisters, and Aimee Mann. There were sophomore efforts from Mumford & Sons and Ellie Goulding, and a promising crop of new female artists (mostly hailing from across the pond) like Rebecca Ferguson, Emeli Sandé, Amelia Lily, and Paloma Faith. So, without further comment to allow the music to speak for itself, my annual list of favorite singles of 2012 (an even dozen in honor of the year that was):

12 – “Free” / Graffiti6

 

11 – “White Light” / George Michael

 

10 – “Your Body” / Christina Aquilera

9 – “Stronger” / Kelly Clarkson

 8 – “Chasing the Sun” / The Wanted

7 – “Anything Could Happen” / Ellie Goulding

 

6 – “Skyfall” / Adele  

5 – “You Bring Me Joy” / Amelia Lily

 

4 – “Move in the Right Direction” / Gossip

 

3 – “Backtrack” / Rebecca Ferguson

 

2 – “Leaving” / Pet Shop Boys

1 – “Timebomb” / Kylie Minogue

Tomorrow: Which albums made my cut as 2012's finest?

I’m Not Ashamed to Admit It…

I am a Pet Shop Boys fan.

There. That's feels better...to finally admit it openly.

I've actually been a fan since the British duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe first released “West End Girls” in 1984 right through to current day, fifty-six singles and ten albums later. To me, the Pet Shop Boys are the epitome of intellectualized electronica and have consistently crafted dance music for the thinking man. Their lyrics are smart, insightful, introspective, and even contrary at times. Their music is ever theatrical, always joyful, and at times tinged with wistful melancholia. Stylistically, they’re avant-garde with dramatic flairs and flourishes punctuating everything from their wardrobe to their album art.

They’ve bucked every commercial trend to remain loyal to their own unique sound and continue to sell albums - enough to maintain a record deal. They've taken biting pot shots at political figures like George W. Bush and Tony Blair ("I'm With Stupid") yet never suffered any Dixie Chicks-esque backlashes. They’ve even eschewed political correctness when they politely declined a request from PETA to change their name to the Rescue Shelter Boys – a petition that was designed to highlight the alleged animal welfare benefits of getting pets from shelters rather than pet stores. These guys know just where the line is and how to walk it.

And their talent goes well beyond their own music, with production work and remixes done for Liza Minnelli, the late Dusty Springfield, Boy George, Yoko Ono, Dead or Alive's Pete Burns, Tina Turner, Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Elton John, David Bowie, Madonna, The Killers, Rufus Wainwright, and – most recently – Lady Gaga.

Anyway, they’ve just released their 10th proper studio album (I qualify this since they’ve also released numerous compilation albums and remix collections), simply titled Yes. It’s vintage PSB, with standouts being “Did You See Me Coming?”, “More Than a Dream” and the sublime “The Way It Used to Be” – easily their best song since 1990’s “Being Boring.”

The Pet Shop Boys have always crafted visually stunning videos to accompany their operatic dance beats. Here’s the first single. “Love, Etc.” and a few other personal favorites from their prolific catalog: