Tuesday, December 31, 2013

2013: The Music.

Why hello there. Quite the year, right? It certainly was for the Mitchfork staff! We finally hit the big time, only to lose it all when the music blog bubble burst. The resulting layoffs were hard to stomach, but we righted the ship and produced some of our best non-posts to date! If the past 12 months have taught us anything, it's that success on the internet isn't measured by what you produce, but by what you dream. And we at Mitchfork are big dreamers. Who needs "profits" when you have IDEAS?

At any rate, AOL's angel investment (no money like AOL money!) stipulated that we at least write one post, so here's our

SIXTH ANNUAL YEAR IN MUSIC, MITCHFORK-STYLE 


Let's start with the less savory sounds of 2013.


Take them out to pasture! (albums that disappointed us to a large degree)


Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Hysteria



A list of the post-punk "revival" bands from the first half of the 2000s whose fourth album effectively announced their end as creative forces to be reckoned with:

Bloc Party
Interpol
The Strokes
The Killers
Yeah Yeah Yeahs

A gospel choir kicks in at the end of opener "Sacrilege" -- what else do you need to know? Another darling of the early aughts bites the dust. We're not happy about it but, like the gray hairs we're finding on our head, we suppose it was inevitable.



The Knife, Shaking the Habitual



This Swedish brother-sister duo have always had an uneasy relationship with pop music, not to mention the world at large. That said, they managed to channel their weirdness into some downright catchy ("Heartbeats", anyone?) if unnerving songs. Well, whatever balance they correctly struck with their very good 2006 album Silent Shout has been thrown completely out of whack here. We get it, you want to rattle our cages, but remember that honey works better than vinegar. Vinegar being a 19-minute-long track of creepy noise.



And now, only the good things...


Best music videos of the year:

The songs are great; the videos are even better.

Rhye, "Open"

We're pretty sure it's about losing your virginity, but our first time was nothing like this. Right, Matt? ;)




More Rhye! This time, "The Fall"

Functions as a sort of sequel to "Open". Although we suppose it could be the other way around. Either way, it's nostalgia played out perfectly.





PAPA, "Put Me to Work"

If the Rhye videos are a bit too sappy for your tastes, PAPA deliver the fun with this ideal accompaniment to one of the best songs of the year. BEWARE FLAMING AXES.



Song of the Year:

Cloud Control, "Scar"


Shout-out to John in the Morning, aka John Richards of KEXP (the best radio station this side of the solar system) for this track, our favorite of the year. Straight out of Australia and into our hearts! Speaking of hearts, if this chorus doesn't get yours beating fast then consult your cardiologist.


And here are 10 other songs from 2013 you should listen to:

The National, "Don't Swallow the Cap"
Haerts, "Wings"
Local Natives, "Breakers"
Weekend, "Oubliette"
Washed Out, "It All Feels Right"
Vampire Weekend, "Step"
Sigur Ros, "Isjaki"
Majical Cloudz, "Childhood's End"
Foals, "My Number"
Chromatics, "Cherry"


Honorable mentions:

Phoenix, Bankrupt!



The band that brought us Mitchfork's #1 album of 2009 is back and... more proficient than ever. The word "proficient" is telling here -- these are 10 tracks, polished to perfection, with hooks to spare. But in place of the exuberant, dance-floor-ready "1901" and "Lisztomania" are more subdued songs that, while they went down easy, didn't draw us back as readily as those in Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Easy to listen to, easy to forget, but still worth your time.


HAIM, Days Are Gone



Days Are Gone would certainly have been much higher on this list were it not for the year of buzzworthy singles (one of which was our favorite song of 2012) leading up to its release. Between "Forever", "Go Slow" (also on 2012's Forever EP) and "Don't Save Me," we had already played the three best songs on these wonderful ladies' debut album into the ground. While the entire selection of tracks on Days Are Gone owes a great debt to those who went before them, "Falling" and "The Wire"(the two latest singles) just sounded too familiar to resonate with us. That said, Este, Alana and Danielle all seem swell and we expect there's still plenty of new sonic territory for the three sisters to explore.

And here's a top 10!


#10
Beach Fossils, Clash the Truth


Usually when we run, it's more about the pace/"fist-pump potential" of the music then the music itself. Running soundtrack albums can be some of our favorite albums, but we almost never "get into" an album if our first prolonged exposure occurs while we're struggling for breath on mile 4. Not so with Clash the Truth, Beach Fossils' follow-up to their perfectly pleasant if a little TOO laid back debut Beach Fossils. But, they, like fellow dream pop/chillwave/shoegazey (honestly, we have no idea what to call all the laid back, summertime-sounding music) bands Neon Indian, Real Estate, Wild Nothing and Washed Out, they used their second album to ramp up the intensity a bit. There's a welcome charge to these songs, showcased by album highlights "Careless" and "Crashed Out," that kept our legs moving during the summer of 2013.


#9
 Small Black, Limits of Desire



Speaking of that chillwave scene and the evolution of some of the bands who inhabit it, Small Black released an underwhelming 2010 debut titled New Chain. Considering the other chillwave bands' debuts in the couple of years prior, there was nothing new about it. But they drew our notice via former Mitchfork contributor Jake Grindal, who emailed us the music video to "No Stranger", along with a message essentially saying "this is the kind of shit you like, right?" He knows us all too well. Limits of Desire, especially on the triumphant title track, has a grand scope to it that we never quite tire of, an epic, expansive sound that consists of swells of synth and ethereal vocals that speak to our adolescent id. It's the soundtrack for first kisses, triumphant and refusing to apologize for its dramatic flourishes.

 
#8
 Volcano Choir, Repave


Those Bon Iver fans out there, including the entire staff here at Mitchfork (Bon Iver tied for first place in our 2011 top ten), might be a bit worried after their log cabin muse has indicated he may want to move on from the two french words that made him famous. They shouldn't be -- that same wintry, pastoral sound, rich and rustic, continues on in Justin Vernon's side project Volcano Choir. Plus, you know, there's his voice, quite the instrument in its own right. Volcano Choir's first album, Unmap, suffered from a lack of focus, but this time around what you hear is essentially a more rocking Bon Iver. "Dancepack" and "Acetate" are perfect examples, and the triumphant "Byegone" shows that the man from Wisconsin is perfectly capable of producing a stadium-ready anthem. The flannel remains, just under another name.


#7
 Arcade Fire, Reflektor



In years past, we could safely assume that our number one album of the year would either from be Arcade Fire or The National. 2005? Alligator. 2007? Neon Bible. 2010? Close, but The Suburbs barely nudged High Violet for the top spot. Then, 2013 happened. It was inevitable, we suppose, that one or both would stumble, and we weren't shocked that The National was the first band to begin sounding like they were running out of ideas (it still depressed us immensely though, as you can tell by our soul-searching post earlier this year).

Arcade Fire, on the other hand, sits here at the #7 spot not because of a dearth of ambition, but because of an excess of ambition. With James Murphy at the producing helm, they clearly felt free at this point in their careers to just throw shit at a wall and see what stuck. Some did ("Afterlife", "Reflektor") and some did not. Interestingly enough, it was the straightforward rockers ("Normal Person", "Joan of Arc", "You Already Know") that worked less for us than the island/world beat sounding stuff influenced by their time in Haiti. With time, "Flashbulb Eyes" and "Here Comes The Night Time" kind of grew on us. Win, Regine and the gang are really just victims of the impossibly high standards they set with their first three albums, each better than the last, all of which made the misses on Reflektor more glaring. However, we at Mitchfork (and we know they care what we think) have the utmost faith there's still plenty of great stuff to come out of the biggest band in indie rock.

#6
Daft Punk, Random Access Memories


Up until this year, Mitchfork's relationship to Daft Punk was a relatively superficial one. We owned Discovery but rarely listened to it, but "One More Time" was a song we always went nuts to on the dance floor. Then "Get Lucky" leaked in April of this year (this was the perfect way for us to first hear it) and, well, the rest is history. But let's move past the fact that these two helmeted Frenchies created the song of the summer (No matter what Colbert says, Blurred Lines doesn't measure up), because they also created an impressive, if uneven, album. You're left with the impression that, whether it was Pharrell ("Lose Yourself to Dance" in addition to "Get Lucky"), Julian Casablancas ("Instant Crush") or Panda Bear ("Doin' It Right"), they made fantastic use of available resources to create a  "capital A" album with a diverse array of equally engaging sounds. This is a collection of songs that can keep you entertained all night long, regardless of whether or not you see action. Honestly, do you think they keep those robot helmets on during sex? They must, if only for the novelty.

#5
The Mary Onettes, Hit the Waves


Over their first three albums, it's pretty clear The Mary Onettes have identified their wheelhouse, and on Hit the Waves they refine it further. Luckily for them, that wheelhouse is a combination of The Head on the Door-era Cure and Power, Corruption and Lies. We can't get enough of the soaring guitars and lead singer Philip Ekström's oh-so-pretty voice as he channels his sorrow and yearning into songs perfect for wide-eyed romantics who fancy themselves world-weary. "Unblessed", the title track and "Evil Coast" all deliver melancholic melodies in spades, big in scope and laced with synths. However, the moment in the album that always hits us in just the right spot is the beginning to "Years", where Ekström petulantly croons "in the end of the day, I'll never get what I want...". His voice is so wistful and resigned -- he wants it all and he just can't have it! We don't know what that's like, spending every night rolling around in a bed of AOL money, but it sure seems rough.

#4
Frightened Rabbit, Pedestrian Verse


We've always been suckers for a Scottish accent, but this is the first appearance of Frightened Rabbit on a Mitchfork top 10 (fellow Scots We Were Promised Jetpacks and The Twilight Sad have already gotten the "Mitchfork boost"). That's no fault of Scott Hutchinson and the boys, who have had a run of indie rock respectability over their last few albums. And, taking a closer look, it's clear they've been making strides from their debut as full band, The Midnight Organ Fight, to The Winter of Mixed Drinks and subsequently Pedestrian Verse, their most polished and consistent effort yet. Put it this way -- this was the first year we bought tics to see FR live (That's right, the entire staff of Mitchfork buys tickets to concerts together). And it was worth it just to see the best song they've ever done: "State Hospital". If you want to know everything this band is capable of (evocative lyrics, stadium-sized crescendos, the aforementioned Scottish brogue), give a listen.

#3
Lucius, Wildewoman


We came here not to praise Lucius, but to bury them. Just kidding -- if they're #3, they deserve praise, but first a little playful ribbing. For one, their brand of indie rock is very NPR-ready: it's folky and organic, but with just enough of a pulse to justify the "rock" part. When fiancee of Mitchfork Kathleen first heard us playing them, she asked "isn't this mom music?" Well, maybe for the COOLEST MOM OF ALL TIME. In all seriousness, it might be a familiar note they're hitting, but they hit it dead-on song after song ("Hey, Doreen!", "Tempest" and "Don't Just Sit There" to name a few), climaxing with the rousing "How Loud Your Heart Gets". It also helps that we just got into these guys in the late fall, which gives them an unfair advantage over early releases like those of Frightened Rabbit and The Mary Onettes. But hey, that's why the Oscar bait is sent out this time of year, so more power to them. Also -- cool, colorful and sort of phallic (maybe that's what makes it cool) album cover.

#2
Big Deal, June Gloom


We feel confident that we are one of a select few (or none) blogs/music publications placing June Gloom on an end-of-year "best of" list. The other fork didn't even deign to review it (gasp!). But John in the Morning of KEXP (We know, that guy again!) brought our attention to "Dream Machines" and we were hooked. If Small Black's Limits of Desire is the soundtrack to a first kiss, June Gloom (apt name) is the score to the ensuing heartbreak. "Grunge pop" was a phrase we saw somewhere in the blogosphere, and it's fitting -- restless and dreary, it still delivers catchy melodies you would imagine listening to in summertime.

The album starts super strong with "Golden Light", "Swapping Spit" and "In Your Car" before "Dream Machines" arrives, but it sags a little in the midsection ("Pristine" is pretty though). Then, boom, "Catch Up" hits, followed two songs later by "PG" -- two more highlights. Sometimes it's all about the sequencing. But more importantly, it's about nailing the elusive "atmosphere" we at Mitchfork continually reference. If you can capture it like Big Deal does, an agreeable listener will be kept hooked even when the tunes are a little lacking. And if there's one thing we have been described as, it's agreeable. No, you don't agree? Go jump in a lake.

#1
CHVRCHES, The Bones Of What You Believe


Synth pop! Big surprise, right? Well, we were anticipating this one all year thanks to advance single "Recover", but unlike HAIM, the gang from Glasgow (where are the accents?! WE LOVE SCOTTISH ACCENTS) lived up to the hype. It turns out Recover was just the tip of the iceberg -- there really isn't a weak song in the bunch (special shout-outs to "Gun", "Tether" and "Night Sky"). These are haunting, glittering songs which can be both cheesy -- our favorite track on the album, "By the Throat", starts off sounding remarkably similar to an 80s song of some reknown -- and enjoyable  to very, very sophisticated music palates like our own.

A lot of the credit for this careful balance of big hooks and diverse electronic textures is due to the band (they self-produced) and Rich Costey, who did the final mix. It all effortlessly melds together and, more importantly, provides the perfect fodder for lead singer Lauren Mayberry's delicate but biting vocals. In the middle of this musical maelstrom, her voice soars above it all, and the tension between her crystalline exclamations and the computer-generated sounds surrounding them ensures each track is an engrossing listen. The lyrics themselves conjure up some surprisingly aggressive imagery -- whoever Mayberry is coming after sounds like they got their hands full -- but it just adds to the fun. Violence and pop music, that's what America was founded on.


Well that does it. We managed to make it through another year of life, and music continued to play a big part in it. Looking ahead to 2014, we see our impending nuptials, but that pales in comparison to the looming specter of the first Wrens album in 11 years or the first Modest Mouse release in 7. We kid, we kid, although we would love to walk down the aisle to "I've Made Enough Friends".

Happy New Year from the staff at Mitchfork. May your 2014s be filled with funky playlists and new musical discoveries.