Admittedly I’ve neglected this site due to having a severe lack of time i.e. making attempts to enter the real world. But amidst all of that, I’ve also found the time to listen to several new releases from the year, and after much thought with just me and my brain cells, I’ve conjured up my top 50 releases of 2013. I am aware that this might sound a tad over ambitious, but considering I spend the majority of my time seeking out new music, I feel qualified to create something of this magnitude. I have also made a list of my top ten live performances of the year, even though I do have one show left (Stagecoach’s last ever show), but then is the season to be making lists, so why not. Do feel free to debate whether I’ve hit the nail on the head, or if there are several glaring omissions. Here they are:
Grolphin’s Top 50 Albums Of The Year
50. Paramore – S/T (Fueled By Ramen)
49. Keaton Henson – Birthdays (Oak Ten)
48. Deerhunter – Monomania (4AD)
47. Calories – III (Self Released)
46. Local Natives – Hummingbird (Infectious Music)
45. Foals – Holy Fire (Transgressive Records)
44. Volcano Choir – Repave (Jagjaguwar)
43. Swearin – Surfing Strange (Wichita Recordings)
42. Her Parents – Happy Birthday (Alcopop! Records)
41. Dinosaur Pile Up – Nature Nurture (SO Recordings)
40. Traams – Grin (Fat Cat Records)
39. Thought Forms – Ghost Mountain (Invada)
38. Tomahawk – Oddfellows (Ipecac Recordings)
37. Sainthood Reps – Headswell (No Sleep)
36. The World Is A Beautiful Place & I’m No Longer Afraid To Die – Whenever, If Ever (Topshelf Records)
35. This Town Needs Guns – 13.0.0.0.0 (Sargeant House)
34. Sky Larkin – Motto (Wichita Recordings)
33. The Men – New Moon (Sacred Bones)
32. Pity Sex – Feast Of Love (Run For Cover)
31. Kevin Devine – Bubblegum (Big Scary Monsters)
30. Rival Schools – Found (United By Fate)
29. Funeral For A Friend – Conduit (Distiller Records)
28. Scholars – Always Lead, Never Follow (Banquet Records)
27. Jamie Lenman – Muscle Memory (Xtra Mile)
26. Speedy Ortiz – Major Arcana (Carpark Records)
25. Queens Of The Stone Age – Like Clockwork (Matador Records)
24. Fidlar – S/T (Wichita Recordings)
23. Yuck – Glow & Behold (Mercury Records)
22. Wavves – Afraid Of Heights (Ghost Ramp/Rodeo Recordings)
21. Chelsea Light Moving – S/T (Matador Records)
20. These Monsters – Heroic Dose (Function Records)
19. Kvelertak – Meir (Roadrunner Records)
18. Night Verses – Lift Your Existence (Southworld Records)
17. Arcane Roots – Blood & Chemistry (PIAS)
16. Crash Of Rhinos – Knots (Big Scary Monsters)
15. Touche Amore – Is Survived By (Deathwish Inc.)
14. Black Spiders – This Savage Land (Cooking Vinyl)
13. Roomrunner – Ideal Cities (Fan Death)
12. And So I Watch You From Afar – All Hail Bright Futures (Sargeant House)
11. Chvrches – The Bones Of What You Believe (Virgin Records)
10. My Bloody Valentine – mbv (Self Released)
9. Stagecoach – Say Hi To The Band (Alcopop! Records)
8. The Bronx – IV (White Drugs)
7. The Dillinger Escape Plan – One Of Us Is The Killer (Sony BMG)
6. Palms – S/T (Ipecac Recordings)
5. Balance And Composure – The Things We Think We’re Missing (Hassle Records)
4. Alice In Chains – The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (Capitol Records)
3. Jetplane Landing – Don’t Try (Small Town America)
2. Daylight – Jar (Run For Cover)
1. Letlive – The Blackest Beautiful (Epitaph Records)
Top 10 Gigs Of The Year
1. Letlive at Electric Ballroom (17/10)
2. My Bloody Valentine at Hammersmith Apollo (12/03)
3. Deftones at Brixton Academy (20/02)
4. Alice In Chains at Alexandra Palace (09/11)
5. Jamie Lenman at The Garage (09/12)
6. Jetplane Landing at The Lexington (06/09)
7. Axes at Arctangent Festival (31/08)
8. The Dismemberment Plan instore at Banquet Records (25/11)
9. Dinosuar Jr at Electric Ballroom (04/02)
10. Blood Red Shoes/Rolo Tomassi at Shepherds Bush Empire (22/01)
I also enjoyed watching And So I Watch You From Afar, Metz, Queens Of The Stone Age, System Of A Down and Fall Out Boy as well.
