Year-End Critics' Polls 2013

Janelle's in Q, Paste and Spin and I wouldn't be surprised to see her in the Guardian's Top 10.

I bet Janelle will be top ten at PopMatters.

Best jazz recordings of 2013
December 06, 2013|Howard Reich

For recorded jazz, 2013 was a very good year, with significant contributions in multiple styles, plus a surprising burst of fine singing:

Amir ElSaffar, "Alchemy" (Pi Recordings). Cultures converge to exquisite effect in trumpeter ElSaffar's indelible recording. His ensemble transforms Middle Eastern musical syntax with jazz technique, producing some of the most shimmering, subtle work of ElSaffar's career.

Patricia Barber, "Smash" (Concord Jazz). The wit and wisdom of Barber's songwriting would be pleasure enough, but they're enhanced by her luscious vocals, sleek pianism and atmospheric arrangements.

Nicholas Payton,: "Sketches of Spain" (BMF Records). Payton and the Sinfonieorchester Basel revive the Miles Davis/Gil Evans orchestral masterpiece, Payton producing colors, tones and expressively bent pitches that are uniquely his.

Gregory Porter, "Liquid Spirit" (Blue Note). With this tour de force of luxuriant vocals and original songwriting, Porter affirms his position as the leading male jazz vocalist under 50.

Matthew Shipp, "Piano Sutras" (Thirsty Ear). Shipp's solo piano excursions venture far from the mainstream but show a deep knowledge of it as well, his essays by turns craggy, lyrical, explosive and harmonically complex.

Paul Marinaro, "Without a Song" (122 Myrtle Records). Singer Marinaro's stunning debut album showcases not only his singular baritone but the moving story of his father's musical legacy.

Marty Ehrlich Large Ensemble, "A Trumpet in the Morning" (New World Records). Ehrlich presides over a magnificent gathering of musicians in bracing, original orchestral scores that urgently embrace jazz, classical, blues, poetry and other forms of expression.

Yusef Lateef, Roscoe Mitchell, Adam Rudolph and Douglas Ewart, "Voice Prints" (Meta Records). A vast array of saxophones, flutes, percussion and vocal chant intertwine in this evocative, Impressionistic suite of free-flowing improvisations.

Marcus Roberts Trio, "From Rags to Rhythm" (J-Master Records). The eminent musician takes on long-form composition here, his glistening pianism enriched by nimble work from drummer Jason Marsalis and bassist Rodney Jordan.

Fat Babies, "18th & Racine" (Delmark Records). Few ensembles today play early-period jazz as authentically and exuberantly as the Fat Babies, who prove it once again.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-12-06/entertainment/chi-best-jazz-recordings-2013-20131206_1_fat-babies-best-jazz-recordings-jazz-technique

Jody Rosen's top 10 albums (for New York):

1. Brandy Clark - 12 Stories
2. Kanye West - Yeezus
3. Haim - Days Are Gone
4. Ka - The Night's Gambit
5. A$AP Ferg - Trap Lord
6. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
7. The Mavericks - In Time
8. Fidlar - Fidlar
9. Fantasia - Side Effects of You
10. Willy Moon - Here's Willy Moon

http://www.vulture.com/2013/12/10-best-pop-albums-of-the-year.html

The Mavericks! Probably on my list too.

Great to see Fidlar show up on one of these!

Great to see Fantasia show up on one of those!

The Fidlar album is so great. Came out mid-January, though ... combine that with what they do, and they had no shot at making noise on these lists.

And by that I mean: They're certainly going to wear out their welcome a lot quicker than 11 months with a lot of folks. It's not exactly a grower.

Okay, some of the big ones are starting to come through...

Blues Rock Review - Top Albums of 2013
http://bluesrockreview.com/2013/12/top-20-albums-of-2013.html

Once again it has been a great year for blues rock. With several fantastic releases to choose from, the staff of Blues Rock Review narrowed down our favorites from the year.

20. Black Joe Lewis: Electric Slave
19. Spin Doctors: If The River Was Whiskey
18. Evan Watson: Midnight Oil
17. The Rides: Can’t Get Enough
16. Dan Patlansky: Wooden Thoughts
15. Dana Fuchs: Bliss Avenue
14. Devon Allman: Turquoise
13. The Winery Dogs: The Winery Dogs
12. Unwed Mothers: Unwed Mothers
11. The Temperance Movement:The Temperance Movement
10. Jake Chisholm: Diamond In A Coalmine
9. Henrik Freischlader: Night Train To Budapest
8. Aynsley Lister: Home
7. Gov’t Mule: Shout!
6. Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown: Wild Child)
5. Robert Randolph and the Family Band: Lickety Split
4. Tedeschi Trucks Band: Made Up Mind
3. King King: Standing In The Shadows
2. Jack Berry: Heathen Heart
1. Buddy Guy: Rhythm & Blues

This band has one foot stuck in the blues with the other stomping through Iggy Pop’s parents’ garage

The Mavericks? Truly America is another country.

While we're celebrating the significant lists, here's mine - http://sickmouthy.com/2013/12/05/albums-of-2013/

And its sister list - http://sickmouthy.com/2013/12/08/not-albums-of-2013/

Really pleased that Jody chose Willy Moon. I like that record, with reservations, but it appeared to sink without trace. That's the second time I've seen a mention of Ka, who I'd never heard of before, so I should investigate.

not enough blues rock. that necks album is great though! xp

I Think a not albums of 2013 would make a nice thread i.e. what else other than new releases has been informing your listening this year?

Tea.

culture, alienation, boredom and despair

drinks

Cats. Wife. Cycling. 5-a-side football. Officemates.

great to see brandy clark show up in jody rosen's list, though he said as much before the album was even released. funny that he didn't put kacey in!

and yes, excellent to see fantasia get her props.

culture, alienation, boredom and despair

i forgot bourbon, yep, good shout.

Dummy - best tracks
http://www.dummymag.com/lists/the-20-best-tracks-of-2013

lex'll be rhde i bet

I loved Black Joe Lewis' last two albums, but Electric Slave sucked. Too blown-out and "garage rock" (read: noisy one-chord riffs, shouting, zero groove). He wants to play arenas opening for the Black Keys, I guess.

FACT - Best albums of 2013
http://www.factmag.com/2013/12/09/the-50-best-albums-of-2013/

only 50-41 there btw

PopMatters The 75 Best Albums of 2013
http://www.popmatters.com/feature/177166-the-75-best-albums-of-2013/P1/

One of the worst lists so far. I'm disappointed because they have some really good writers on staff. But I think they have a lot of freakin' writers, and so any interesting choices fall by the wayside for homogeneous results, particularly in the top 30.

destroy anyone who uses "game changing" without irony

My tastes don't cross paths with Scik Mouthy's as often lately, but I love how thoughtfully, artfully done they are.

His lists, that is.

Thank you.

Truly America is another country.

And Truly Madly Deeply America is yet a third.

Where were you the first time you heard “Merry Go ‘Round”, the lead single from Kacey Musgraves’ first major label release? I certainly remember. I was at my desk, reading through my Facebook feed

don't personally see what's especially egregious about the Popmatters list, although there was a fair whack of stuff I'd never heard of in there and even with my objectivity hat on most of it... did not sound good

Every day, you can find a new band that is co-opting the holy altar of ‘90s alternative rock, and often it’s a very, very bad imitation of what came before, bands unsure if they want to be Pavement or Soul Asylum or some terrible iteration in-between.

FUCKIN' BANGERZ on the fact list <33333

(even though they seem to have confused its missteps with its highlights)

okay no one actually thinks Lorde has a "powerhouse voice", right

I ask this as someone who enjoys the album

Alice Smith (#41) was somewhat of an exception to that but the writeup told me nothing about her music other than that she's good at singing xp to self

"The Flaming Lips are almost the Madonna of rock bands at this point."

this is OTM though: Icona Pop is the hipster’s answer to Katy Perry.

woah I was not expecting to like London Grammar at all but "Hey Now" is startlingly beautiful

Drowned in Sound - Best Albums
http://www.drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4147268-drowned-in-sounds-favourite-albums-of-2013--top-20

The Jesuit Roundup - Best albums
http://jesuitroundup.org/69275/the-best-albums-of-2013

2013, a monumental year indeed. We witnessed the downfall of Blockbuster, the evolution of Miley Cyrus, the craziness of the Harlem Shake, the selection of a new Pope, the Obamacare fiasco, the birth of Prince George of Cambridge, the iPhone 5S/5C release, and the massive typhoon in the Philippines.
Aside from these monumental events, 2013 was also a BIG year for music. We witnessed the rise of Imagine Dragons who, in less than a year, grew from a small, unknown band into one of the biggest bands on the planet. We also witnessed the break up of the famous boy band The Jonas Brothers and the untimely death of Lou Reed.

the monumental iPhone 5S/5C release, totally worth mentioning in the same space as a massively deadly typhoon

Rarely has a record captured my imagination in such a way, with only 'Psychocandy', 'The Holy Bible' and 'Turn On The Bright Lights' being others that would also merit a perfect 10/10. To these ears at any rate.

Not bothering with this DiS dude's album of the year.

xp omg

xp Like Paste and some others, the top of the PopMatters list is populated by pretty consistently blah and overrated albums -- Nick Cave, Okkervil River, Arcade Fire, Phosphorescent, Autre Ne Veut, The National, Haim, Chvrches, Daft Punk, Kanye, Disclosure, The Knife, Neko Case. I feel there's about 200-600 albums better than each of those choices.

I gave up on the Popmatters list, every time I clicked to advance to the next page of the list it took me instead to the site's main page. Trying to load the entire list with "single page" option just crashes my browser.