Event II… Del-ightful

100 best albums of 2013 countdown: 60-51

Published on December 28th, 2013 | Jonny Abrams

Oh, HE-YULL yeah…it’s Rocksucker’s 100 best albums of 2013 countdown festive end-of-year special bonanza! Waaauuurrrggghhh!

We listened to more albums than you could shake all kinds of sticks at this year and conferred varying degrees of merit, in quail form, upon them based on our own spurious criteria.

Now we bring you our favourite hundred of them, counted down in order arbitrarily/for fun. Do join us in sneaking a butcher’s at positions 70 to 61…

60. James Blake – Overgrown

What we said…

For all that Blake’s music can sound unsettling, even foreboding, it’s how he extracts so much beauty out of it that marks him as a cut above… These compositions are meticulous, subtle and sophisticated without ever letting any of that spill over into excessive archness.

Read Rocksucker’s review of of Overgrown in full

59. Yo La Tengo – Fade

What we said…

Whether it’s enacting Seinfeld episodes before shows, sound-tracking science documentaries or simply recording beautiful, flawless albums, it’s clear that Yo La Tengo play defiantly by their own rules – and when those rules are conducive to results as stunning as “Cornelia and Jane”, it’s hard to protest.

Read Rocksucker’s review of of Fade in full

58. Fuck Buttons – Slow Focus

What we said…

Much of Slow Focus sounds halfway between ushering in either the apocalypse or a new age of enlightenment. The contrasts may be confusing but you’ve got to take your hat off to them for eliciting such strongly visual responses.

Read Rocksucker’s review of of Slow Focus in full

57. The Dismemberment Plan – Uncanney Valley

What we said…

The Dismemberment Plan are a formidable unit, so teeming with individual strengths that sometimes it’s just easier to home in on Morrison’s lyrical topsoil. This however does a disservice to the myriad melodic hooks, riffs, textures and general flourishes that make up a typical D-Plan song.

Read Rocksucker’s review of of Uncanney Valley in full

56. The Polyphonic Spree – Yes, It’s True

What we said…

It’s got a lean ‘n’ mean edge to it that works a treat in tandem with their fluttery kind of heavenwards ascent, represented here by psychedelically Beatles-y trumpet and deliriously tooting woodwind… When it all ends with something that sounds like a digeridoo revving up, you suspect the joys won’t end there.

Read Rocksucker’s review of of Yes, It’s True in full

55. Dodson and Fogg – Sounds of Day and Night

What we said…

Wade’s increasing confidence as both musician and songwriter is obvious by how much more distinct and characterful each LP has been than its predecessor, perhaps the primary manifestation of this being the gradual shift in emphasis towards ‘psych’ from ‘folk’ without ever feeling in danger of being overcomplicated.

Read Rocksucker’s review of of Sounds of Day and Night in full

54. Ghostpoet – Some Say I So I Say Light

What we said…

A barrel of laughs it may not be, but Some Say I So I Say Light is one of the more thoughtful, complex and satisfying albums we’ve encountered this year… Its creeping, buzzing oddness serves to emphasise the beguiling sense of late-night contemplation.

Read Rocksucker’s review of of Some Say I So I Say Light in full

53. The Suicide of Western Culture – Hope Only Brings Pain

What we said…

Remains positively airborne throughout… Think Twoism-era Boards of Canada meets Ulrich Schnauss and you’ll be somewhere vaguely close.

Read our review of Hope Only Brings Pain in full

52. Burning House – Walking Into a Burning House

What we said…

Hervé Salters is blessed with a sweet and sassy ‘white soul’ voice that complements Chief Xcel’s characteristically technicolour production, already firmly established on Blackalicious LPs Blazing Arrow and The Craft, an absolute treat.

Read our review of Walking Into a Burning House in full

51. Deltron 3030 – Event II

What we said…

Ace production, ace storytelling, fun and food for thought in equal measures… Another masterful transmission from three of the wisest heads in the game.

Read our review of Event II in full

Previously on our 100 best albums of 2013 countdown: 100-91 – 90-81 – 80-71 – 70-61

Artists: big black delta, burning house, dodson and fogg, Fuck Buttons, ghostpoet, james blake, the dismemberment plan, the polyphonic spree, the suicide of western culture, yo la tengo

About the Author

Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.