The Ariana song promises well for her upcoming album, at the every least there is two good songs on it, “Break Away” is poppier than the hip hop flava “Problem”. Otherwise, Doncker’s vocal has to heard to be believe and just about every single thing here has real value.
I’ve been bemoaning the state of hip hop all year, but two really good Black Hippy albums, plus a fair to middle EP from Cam’ron is making me feel much better about the world at large. Especially the Ab Soul album, I don’t deny Control System was a great album but for some reason it took the new one for me to really hear it.
Leave Your Lover – Sam Smith – Smith’s absolute and final and timeless masterpiece of thwarted romantic desire, plays like a gorgeous nightmare in the back of your head while Sam’s falsetto reaches forward in desire and sadness. one of the great songs of our time
Good week for heavy instruments, Bassnectectar, Clean Bandit, Phish, Eno + Hyde and Mastodon all released very strong music. Particularly Eno + Hyde, whose “Lilac” is better than anything on the album and especially the two note strum through the last three minutes. The best three minutes of the week.
Six of these artists are rockers. The Front Bottoms, Cerebral Ballzy and White Lung are relatively (WL dates from 2006) young bands, Wussy has been around since 2001, when Ian was, ahem, a spritely 56 year old. David Gray is a singer songwriter (I mean essentially, right?). So, yeah, for one week only rock makes a comeback.
Three really good albums here: Colbie, Shinobi and the Shoe, plus jack White which, well I’m thinking of doing a full length review but for now, it has too many weak spots. I still prefer Colbie any way.
Can the Hank Williams album be considered new? If it can it would knock off every single thing on this list but a sixty year old recording… Kenny is the clear winner but Conor, I am wondering if I underestimate him because well because I am a little bored of his schtick by now. Certainly, except for the bridge, “Zig Zag” is a good as it gets.
Chromeo ran away with the week but the surprise here is Coldplay, I’ll give em two out of three songs, not masterpieces but at least I don’t want to punch Chris in the nose. Always a step in the right direction. Swans is Swans –I like em in small doses.
I haven’t seen Iggy on stage but I have seen Ariane and she was the pits. It’s the Lana Del Rey syndrome, a production creation that can not translate on to stage. But so what? Don’t see her live. Both “Problem” and “Fancy are great songs. That’s all.
Rodney Crowell makes an appearance with a hat in the ring country song of the year, as do the bluegrass Seldom Scene, the Stampfel album is a real treasure and Bruce releases a fair EP. I guess Bruce got the memo: keep your name out there.
A new Crenshaw release is always a reason to celebrate and “Going Going Gone” is a wild song, the Secret Sisters cover an unfinished Dylan track at the top and the Merengue track is a good one but you knew that because Elvis Crespo is on it. The only good song ion the Ziggy and the best song on the Aimee round it out.
Is it worth noting that the top four songs are Dylan covers and the following two are other covers? Call me an aging cynic but I kinda date people will be covering “Phreakin Awesome” thirty or even one year from now.
Waves – Sleeper Agent – The first song off what might be the sleeper album of the year joins up with an image of California washed away while the band plays on the beach. An anthems anthem.
I know I trashed Hold Steady earlier this week but I said it might be a grower, I love the line “heartbreak hurts but you can dance it off.” And I know I said the new Belle was a bummer, but this is a good song. And I know I hate Avicii but the remix album is terrific.
The Miss Piggy song is very fun and very funny, but except for the Sleeper Agent this is a song per album type deal. Freddie, The Floacist, Perfect Pussy, Black Lips: not one of them has worked through an entire album.
Three women have ruled February: Angel Olsen, Katy B and Lydia Loveless which, despite disappointment (relatively speaking) in Little Red is still a very strong effort. Lydia reminds me of Liz Phair, or do I mean Elvis Costello, on her immense and sprawling album of disastrous love affairs. Angel Olsen came of age.
The Eric Pasley took me by surprise but hey, it is better than reading nitwits compare Eric Church to Springsteen. Not that it matters, the week belongs to daley and the Civil Wars with a cool new miranda lambert cut the cherry on top.
The top four are all singles which is something a little different for me. Not sure if it is a reflection of the overall weakness of album releases or just a simple chance happening. That Lana cover gives darkness whole new levels of meaning.
On second thoughts, maybe the David Crosby album is really pretty good. It always takes forever for Crosby songs to click into your earwaves but when they do they are sometimes worth the wait. Another album I may very well have underestimated? Drowners. I just wish the rhythm section was better.
Now that was a pretty good week of music: I count two excellent albums, McMorrow and Gammage and one pretty good album Cash, a Springsteen album that sucked but had a coupla good tracks a great Real Estate song and a great Shakira song and a great Chanel song and a great Jennifer Nettles song
However, worth noting that MTV posted seven reasons Newman is gonna blow up here on January 9th, 2014 and I called him my pick to click here on November 27th, 2013
John Newman I am very ecited to be seeing on Thursday (and the album is dropping Stateside this month), and Bernie Worrell was new to me but not the rest of the world. But new to everybody is Angel Haze’s excellent new album, a pop triumph that might actually break pop.
With the world of music taking a snooze this week, I figured I’d go back to the beginning of the year for this chart and I must say I hope this January is as good. Olly, Fantasia, Pissed Jeans and Teena Marie will survive to make it on to my best albums of 2013
Everything fell right in place for Beyoncé, a great album, a stealth campaign, just about no competition anywhere at all, a quiet week but a week that had the potential to explode, and an explosion. And, did I mention this, a great album.
Not much of a week for new material, indeed nothing actually made it and that’s a first outside of a Christmas or New Year’s week. And what there is tends to be there because of a concert I’ve seen or am seeing, except for two hit singles!
I far prefer the Extra Songs to the Next Day ones -especially this Bruce rip, and I made that for the third Crenshaw EP, it is the first time it is the covers I am loving more than the new song. The Bobby Fuller track is blowing my mind. But the week belongs to Conor Oberst and Maria Taylor’s perfect holiday album, dating from 2002.
If Hopsin was a little better he would be major, when he is in the mood, as he is on this sideswipe at current rappers, he is very aggressively funny.
Lady Gaga’s week, the new album is very very good, her best since The Fame Monster, even if I got “Dope” wrong in my review! We will see how the charts work themselves out but whether it is a smash or just a hit, it does not herald the end to anything.
Gammage should cover Bowie by the way, including this terrific remix. Springsteen? I haven’t felt this strongly about a Springsteen song in years. One more thing, if I had the time I would love to give Luscious Jackson a long listen.
Arcade Fire, Maria Taylor, Linda Thompson ruled this week, I could have filled every position with their songs. AF, maybe I’m being difficult but I really do like it, and Maria and Linda are both on my top 10 albums list of 2013.
Pusha T and Danny Brown are held over from list week, Pearl Jam and McCartney are new to this week and except for acquired taste new r&b guy Black Milk, this is just about a holding action
A pretty good week, nothing killed but two very good rap albums and five very good indie bands plus Miley was better than expected and Sleigh Bells worse than hoped but not bad even so
This is Justin’s best song since, I dunno, “What Goes Round”? It doesn’t so much focus as diffuse the albums. The only long track that really worked was “Mirrors’ and the only other first tier track is this one.
