New… As it was at the time

100 best albums of 2013 countdown: 90-81

Published on December 26th, 2013 | Jonny Abrams

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

We listened to an awful lot of albums this year and conferred varying degrees of merit, in quail form, upon them based on our own spurious criteria…

…and now we bring you our favourite hundred of them, counted down in order arbitrarily/for fun. Now, let’s have a look at positions 90 to 81…

90. Paul McCartney – New

What we said…

He’s still got that magical way with a chord progression, his voice holds up surprisingly well given some recent live showings, and he’s still given to lateral thinking even at 71.

Click here to read our review of New in full!

89. Psapp – What Makes Us Glow

What we said…

So aglow with pink pearls of synth that we just want to rub our teeth against it, and with a healthy dose of the cartoonishly oddball filtered through their heaving textures, subtly sophisticated melodies and Galia Durant’s smooth vocals.

Click here to read our review of What Makes Us Glow in full!

88. Holden – The Inheritors

What we said…

Sounds like it has been made from offcuts of sound, as if all the little synthesiser noodles, random noises and distortion deemed not fit by producers for the final cut have been assembled into a work of art.

Click here to read our review of The Inheritors in full!

87. Beat Mark – Howls of Joy

What we said…

Howls of Joy could prove to be a prescient title in terms of what it elicits: opener “What I Want the Most” rides psych-tinged jangle-pop into a big ol’ sludgy climax, while “Am I Five” acquires a Jesus and Mary Chain-ish layer of burning distortion that contrasts delightfully with the pleasantly plucked violins of “When the Trees Fall”.

Click here to read our review of Howls of Joy in full!

86. Kevin Tihista – Modern Standard

What we said…

Tihista’s voice is irresistible, like being zapped with cooling jets of sweet, distilled water that just so happen to land in patterns that spell out lyrics by turns acerbic and heartbreaking.

Click here to read our review of Modern Standard in full!

85. Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP 2

What we said…

The production is crisp, vivid and layered where once reigned Dr Dre’s cartoony plinks, while Eminem’s virtually unparalleled skill as both rapper and wordsmith remains intact.

Click here to read our review of The Marshall Mathers LP 2 in full!

84. The Knife – Shaking the Habitual

What we said…

Continues their knack for combining sounds in a manner that almost defies comparison with anyone else past or present, albeit there are points where it feels like the listener is no longer in on the joke.

Click here to read our review of Shaking the Habitual in full!

83. Pick a Piper – Pick a Piper

What we said…

Wise choices of guest vocalists supplement those instincts he shares with his mentor-of-sorts Caribou: you know, a proclivity for swarmed mixes hewn from dazzling arrays of colours and textures, with hypnotic polyrhythms constructed out of drums both live and programmed.

Click here to read our review of Pick a Piper in full!

82. Dutch Uncles – Out of Touch in the Wild

What we said…

Sounds like Hot Chip engaged in an urgent race against time… A triumph of vision and a welcome challenge for the indie-disco kids to get their heads around.

Click here to read our review of Out of Touch in the Wild in full!

81. Hero and Leander – Tumble

What we said…

Like a less smart-arse Everything Everything with flashes of XTC, Bowie, Dexys and Fiery Furnaces to boot: brilliant boy/girl vocals, high-class harmonies, marvelous melodies and an underlying eccentricity that keeps things bubbling along quite wonderfully.

Click here to read our review of Tumble in full!

NOW: advance into our countdown of the 100 best albums of 2013 with a look at numbers 80 to 71!

Or work your way backwards, thus defeating the point of a countdown, with a look at numbers 100-91!

Artists: beat mark, dutch uncles, eminem, hero and leander, holden, kevin tihista, paul mccartney, pick a piper, the knife

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.