With a hat tip to Big Star (“Thirteen”) and Fugazi (“Thirteen Songs”), here are 13 winners from 2013. Slapped these down in alphabetical order, but the Isbell song is my personal favorite. Which must mean that I often go out of my way to get depressed.
“Applause,”Lady Gaga. Fame monster Gaga strikes a pose and takes us back to the dance floor. I have no interest in her image/celebrity, but toss me some good pop music and I’ll clap as directed.
“Bang Bang Bang,” Gurf Morlix. Still grieving the violent death of his friend Blaze Foley. Like most of us – hates gun violence, has no idea what to do about it.
“Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke. With “Get Lucky,”the other unavoidable song of the year and Iman Lababedi correctly predicted this would be huge upon first listen. Whether this Marvin Gaye reproduction is ultimately tribute or theft, it reinforces my belief that you should only steal from the very best.
“Born to be Blue,” The Mavericks. The “In Time” album is a monster with Raul Malo sounding like a south of the border combination of Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Roy Orbison. Traditionalism that sounds not only contemporary, but vital.
“City Swans,” Neko Case. This onetime New Pornographer continues to make a name for herself with her cinematic sound. Dynamics, production, arrangement, singing –all incredibly sharp.
“Elephant,”Jason Isbell. Isbell has always had the ability to gut punch you without doing the bell ringing “listen up, I’m going to get all emotional and important” theatrics. On “Elephant,” he provides support to a friend and potential love interest that dies prematurely of cancer. Not the feel good hit of the summer, but the wallop is devastating.
“Entertainment,”Phoenix. Generally considered pretty a Francy outfit, how much you relate to this European alternative band might correlate with your nostalgia for ‘80s dweeb pop like Alphaville – the large sweeping sythn runs make the song. I am unable to verify whether these gents are Big in Japan.
“Get Lucky,” Daft Punk. Always helps when something this ubiquitous is also a sheer pleasure. Best mainstream pop hit of the year.
“I’ll Trade You Money for Wine,” Robbie Fulks. Caustic comic turned folkie Fulks makes such a powerful argument for alcoholism that I spent two weeks this fall doing nothing but chugging PBR and cough syrup. Best fortnight of my life.
“Me & You & Jackie Mittoo,” Superchunk. Less optimistic than Chris Stamey’s “You N Me N XTC,” aging punk rockers show off their power pop chops. Imagine Big Star using their instruments as blunt weapons.
“Neon Junkyard,” Deerhunter. Deerhunter’s“Monomania” album reminds me of Beck’s “Mellow Gold” – clever songs layered with distortion and sound effects. There’s a tipping point where this strategy gets too distracting, but Deerhunter has the garage rock chops and melodies to make it work.
“Stripes,”Brandy Clark. Spunkmeister Clark has writing credits for Miranda Lambert (“Mama’s Broken Heart”), The Band Perry (“Better Dig Two”), and Kacey Musgraces (“Follow Your Arrow”), among others. On “Stripes” she decides not to kill a cheating man due to the prison fashion consequences.
“Unbelievers,”Vampire Weekend. In general, I actively dislike Vampire Weekend, their preciousness rots my teeth (“Diane Young,”puh-leeese). However, they reeled me in with this one, with the combination of the catchy songwriting and the spiritual ambiguity. Which I guess makes me a somewhat appreciative unbeliever.