Following the precedent set by last year's festive post, here are my 'ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2013'. They're ranked according to a nebulous system balanced somewhere between how many times I've listened to them and my personal and, perhaps, eccentric assessment of their quality....
1. The Besnard Lakes – Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO
2. Darkside – Psychic
3. James Blake – Overgrown
4. Julia Holter – Loud City Song
5. Jon Hopkins – Immunity
6. My Bloody Valentine – m b v
7. Factory Floor – Factory Floor
8. John Wizards – John Wizards
9. The Haxan Cloak – Excavation
10. Dean Blunt – The Redeemer
11. Foxygen – We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic
12. The Knife – Shaking The Habitual
13. Egyptrixx – A/B Til Infinity
14. Holden – The Inheritors
15. Mount Kimbie – Cold Spring Fault Less Youth
16. White Denim – Corsicana Lemonade
17. Fuck Buttons – Slow Focus
18. Machinedrum – Vapor City
19. Nosaj Thing – Home
20. Gold Panda – Half Of Where You Live
21. Zomby – With Love
22. Deerhunter – Monomania
23. Forest Swords – Engravings
24. Young Echo – Nexus
25. Maxmillion Dunbar – House Of Woo
26. Daniel Avery – Drone Logic
27. Tropic Of Cancer – Restless Idylls
28. Pissed Jeans – Honeys
29. Solar Bears – Supermigration
30. Arcade Fire- Reflektor
31. Pantha Du Prince & The Bell Laboratory – Elements Of Light
32. Four Tet – Beautiful Rewind
33. Savages – Silence Yourself
34. Hyetal – Modern Worship
35. Neon Neon – Praxis Makes Perfect
36. Toro Y Moi – Anything In Return
37. Icarus Line – Slave Vows
38. Vatican Shadow – Remember Your Black Day
39. Youth Lagoon – Wondrous Bughouse
40. Atoms For Peace – Amok
Then we come to my "COMPILATIONS OF THE YEAR 2013", which are ranked along similar lines...
1. Mutazione: Italian Electronic & New Wave Underground 1980 – 1988
2. Metal Dance 2: Industrial, New Wave, EBM Classics & Rareties 79-88
3. Deutsche Elektronische Musik 2: Experimental German Rock and Electronic Musik 1971-83
4. Cosmic Machine: A Voyage Across French Cosmic & Electronic Avantgarde (1970-1980)
5. After Dark II – Italians Do It Better
6. John Talabot – DJ Kicks Mix
And, finally, a number of "HONOURABLE MENTIONS 2013", which all had their merits, but didn't quite cut the 'Top 40' mustard...
Blondes – Swisher
!!! (Chk Chk Chk) – Thriller
Darkstar – News From Nowhere
Washed Out – Paracosm
oOooO – Without Your Love
Moderat – II
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
The National – Trouble Will Find Me
Umberto – Confrontations
Low – The Invisible Way
Sally Shapiro – Somewhere Else
Laurel Halo – Chance Of Rain
I hope you enjoy sifting through my selections.
David Harford
www.harfordtherapy.com
