Trotter's Top Ten Albums of 2013

Having fretted (as I do every year) in case I didn't even have ten decent albums to choose from, it turned out I needn't have worried.  Seems I had at least twelve to consider putting into the old top ten.  What was surprising was who wasn't in the running (even more so after having completed the look back at the tunes of the Noughties).  Back then I couldn't imagine a top ten album countdown without The Strokes, Kings of Leon and The National, but oh dear, times have definitely changed.  They all released records that I either didn't bother buying or (perhaps worse) forgot that I had bought.  You must try harder chaps!

Offsetting those were the comebacks from Alison Moyet (in fine voice, humour and foul-mouth at the Festival Hall in October) and the Pet Shop Boys, both of which narrowly missed out on a place.  As did The Joy Formidable with their second long player 'Wolf's Law', but that did mean the excellent 'This Ladder is Ours' was able to earn a place in the top ten (er...nine) tracks of the year.

Anyhoo, with apologies to albums I'm waiting on Santa for (Parma Violets, John Grant et al), let's get to the part you're here for...

10) 'Mosquito' by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Falling perilously close to that category above, YYY's slip through the quality filter on the strength of a couple of standout tracks (full-on gospel choir, Lily Cole in an incredible video for 'Sacrilege' and the ultimate riff in 'Slave') which are among the best they've done.  Shame the rest of the album didn't live up to them or its brilliant predecessor 'It's Blitz!' though.

Look at: 'Sacrilege', 'Slave' and 'Despair'


9) 'Arc' by Everything Everything


Chances are that if you heard their debut and didn't like it you probably won't be very interested in their second album, as on the face of it they've produced more of the same here.  But when your 'same' is something as completely unique, challenging, beautiful and bizarre as Everything Everything that's not too bad a thing.  Definitely a case of being rewarded if you stick with repeated listens and get some way to figuring what's going on. 

Look at: 'Cough Cough', 'Kemosabe', 'Don't Try' and 'Duet'


8) 'If You Wait' by London Grammar

Never mind the album, we should thank London Grammar purely for exposing Radio 1 as the idiots that they are with their tweet that asked listeners whether they thought the female singer was fit, which they then tried to pass off as ironic.  That aside, the music's not half bad either. Almost choral style vocals that only an English band could possibly get away with over a mimimalist, Zero 7-like musical backing.

Look at: 'Strong', 'Nightcall' and 'Wasting My Young Years'


7) 'AM' by Arctic Monkeys

I didn't bother buying the Arctic's last album, they seemed to have fallen into a trap of trying to impress their new mate from Queens of the Stone Age and lost many of the qualities that made them special in the first place.  I was surprised then when their new album got such good reviews and was swayed to have a listen.  Although I doubt they'll ever get to the highs they achieved on their debut (at least their album titles are a lot shorter now) this at times comes pretty close and on tracks like 'No. 1 Party Anthem' and 'Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?' they got back to displaying the musical creativity and clever lyrics that got them noticed in the first place.  Bonus points for releasing three singles in a row with question marks in the title.  Great quiffs too.

Look at: 'Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?', 'R U Mine?', 'Do I Wanna Know?' and 'One For the Road'

6) 'Modern Vampires of the City' by Vampire Weekend

Firstly, this deserves a place on here for that title alone. Like the Arctic's before them, this also got great reviews at the time of release and did well in end of year charts, so much so that I had to return to it to see what the fuss was about.  Also like 'AM' it's a record of a band finally being confident in their sound, pushing it at the margins but still being true to themselves.  'Diane Young' (get it?) was a great first single to herald how different they are prepared to sound but also how much like them they still sound.  I doubt anyone else could get away with those distorted vocals. 'Obvious Bicycle' may also be the best song title of the decade.

Look at: 'Diane Young', 'Ya Hey', and 'Unbelievers'

5) 'The Bones of What You Believe' by Chvrches

One of the best, no-expectations purchases of the year without a doubt.  Sure, they were surrounded by an early buzz and I am a sucker for pounding, electronic pop with female vocals but I was really surprised at how good 'Ch-ver-ches' as I like to call them to amuse my small mind, actually are.  The music is majestic, powerful and catchy but it's the coolness and at times pure vitriol in the lyrics that really sets them apart from any of their contemporaries (with titles like 'By the Throat', 'Lies' and 'Gun' you get the gist).  I almost broke my own rule and put 'Lies' into the Top Ten Singles it is such a good tune, but I'm a good boy so you'll just have to listen to it here.

Look at: 'Lies', 'Gun' and 'The Mother We Share'

4) 'Holy Fire' by Foals

Foals got a big push this year with what was hoped to be their 'step-up to the stadiums' album.  You could guess this because every interview they gave managed to ask that question of them.  'My Number' was even the link tune for the Beeb's Glastonbury coverage.  For me it wasn't quite as good as their last effort and there were a few 'voice like a foghorn' moments if I'm honest, but then not much is as good as 'Total Life Forever', and it didn't become the mega-seller their label clearly hoped it would be.  They still remain a band that I'd join in a heartbeat if I had any musical abilities whatsoever...and I knew them...and they wanted me to join rather than stalk them...obviously.  Still, 'Inhaler' was one of the most visceral tunes in a pretty tame year and 'Late Night' with its splendid rhythm guitar got the 'play over and over again until your ears go numb' treatment.  A track so good, it rocketed to number 146 in the charts. Huzzah!

Look at: 'Inhaler', 'My Number' and 'Late Night'

3) 'Days Are Gone ' by Haim

My listening experience of Haim's album went like this...muchos hypos, purchase to see what the fuss is about, hmm, a few catchy songs that sound quite similar, tails off towards the end, put away until November, come back to album, ooh, that's the song I really like, no it's this one, no this one, these ones are different, shows they can do more than the one thing, sounds good, sounds great, number three in top ten, the end.  To me, they look like extras from Girls, sounds more like Fleetwood Mac than Pat Benatar, but with a bit of Taylor Dayne (yes) thrown in for good measure and produced some of the catchiest tunes of 2013.  Yes, over-hyped and an indie-boys pre-packaged poster wet dream but the range of songs here, particularly 'My Song 5', shows enough promise to suggest they'll be sticking around for a while.

Look at: 'Don't Save Me', 'Falling', and 'Forever'

2) 'Reflektor' by Arcade Fire

Favourite band, luxury of a double album (which actually isn't much longer than some single discs), production by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem, backing vocals by a resurgent Mr. Bowie - what could possibly go wrong?  Not much actually, though it did surprise me that Q's reviewer said it sounded exactly like what you'd think a James Murphy-produced AF album would sound like as if that was a BAD thing!?!?  'It's Never Over' is the standout, even moreso than 'Reflektor' and gave me goosebumps when they performed it at the Roundhouse.  There are very few songs that you'd accuse of being padded out to make up the double album status and there's a joyfulness back in their sound (samba drums! house piano!) and stage performances that show them (and the new songs) off to their very best.  'The Suburbs' would be a tricky act to follow so a 'dancier' direction at least took the heat off direct comparisons.  If they really are playing Glastonbury next year they must make everyone wear suits and fancy dress. I do wish they hadn't sampled Jonathan Ross though...

Look at: 'Reflektor', 'It's Never Over', 'Afterlife' and 'Here Comes the Night Time / We Exist / Normal Person'

1) 'Silence Yourself' by Savages

It takes a great album to better Arcade Fire and, frankly, this is it.  In a music scene which seems to treasure accessibility over quality, partay vibes over creativity and an 'anyone can do it if they take their clothes off or go on tv' attitude over mastering your sound and image, Savages seem to have done everything right.  Yes, you could accuse them of taking themselves all too seriously but it's refreshing to have a band out there that will NOT lighten up.  You just want to set them and their manifesto onto Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry and see what happens frankly.  Their album is dark, bitter at times and full of honest emotion.  Everything, lyrics, tunes, image, seems to have been put together with care, even the way 'silence yourself' is sung on 'Marshal Dear' makes you believe it was done on purpose with a particular sound in mind.  The comparisons to Siouxsie vocally, Ian Curtis performance-wise and late '70's / early '80's alternative indie are as true as they are well-earned.  A fantastic, impactful debut.

Look at: 'Husbands', 'Shut Up', 'Marshal Dear' and 'She Will'

Listen to: a lot of this sort of stuff on Spotify.