Arcade Fire - Reflektor, one of our best albums of 2013

Reflektor… Annus mirror-abilis

100 best albums of 2013 countdown: 30-21

Published on January 2nd, 2014 | Jonny Abrams

Our countdown of the 100 best albums of 2013 approaches the final furlongs as we look at numbers 30 through 21…

30. The Earth – Off/On 1

What we said…

Sophisticated yet not overcomplicated pop songwriting with a big beating heart and plenty of colours inhabiting the mix… A masterful display of deceptively simple pleasures.

Read our review of Off/On 1 in full!

29. Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks

What we said…

Hesitation Marks is, er, marked by a succession of busy electronic rhythm sections that massage and nourish your mind no matter how punishing things get, all popping and clicking away like some darkside bubbleworks of interstellar architecture.

Read our review of Hesitation Marks in full!

28. Matthew E. White – Big Inner

We never got around to reviewing this one, so try to imagine some glorious cross between The Beta Band and Lambchop.

Read our interview with Matthew E. White!

27. Os Mutantes – Fool Metal Jack

What we said…

In the continued absence of Arnaldo Baptista and Rita Lee, fellow Os Mutantes original Sérgio Dias continues to fly the flag to remarkable effect: remarkable insomuch as Fool Metal Jack, after 2009’s Haih Or Amortecedor, makes it two latter-day albums out of two not to feel at all out of place in the Brazil legends’ formidable back catalogue.

Read our review of Fool Metal Jack in full

26. Pinkunoizu – The Drop

What we said…

The boy/girl vocals provide a melodic topsoil that can be easy to overlook in amongst all the whirring sci-fi effects and brooding Yo La Tengo-iness, and The Drop proceeds to delight Rocksucker by bringing to mind various other modern-day greats without ever feeling in danger of outright ripping them.

Read our review of The Drop in full!

25. Jenny Hval – Innocence is Kinky

What we said…

We never got around to reviewing this one either, so try to imagine a high-class porno (if such may exist) dissolving in lysergic acid, with all the sensuousness and surrealism that would entail.

24. Tunng – Turbines

What we said…

Overuse of the word ‘then’ is practically unavoidable in reviewing this folktronica odyssey, such is its eventfulness. It’s an eventfulness cloaked by gentleness – bombast doesn’t ever even come close to entering the equation – but it’s an eventfulness nonetheless.

Read our review of Turbines in full!

23. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories

What we said…

All those old Daft Punk hallmarks are still present and correct, and the Parisian duo have let them loose amongst an immense intergalactic disco of their own, agreeably fevered creation… Daft Punk will always be welcome at our house (our house).

Read our review of Random Access Memories in full!

22. Arcade Fire – Reflektor

What we said…

As monumental and intricately pieced together as is to be expected from an Arcade Fire album, the perfect balance of hooks aplenty, unabashed feeling and underlying eccentricity…and, with James Murphy on production duty, you can even dance to some of it.

Read our review of Reflektor in full!

21. They Might Be Giants – Nanobots

What we said…

Reminds us all that fun and intelligence needn’t be mutually exclusive traits in music, that wryness and optimism can work in tandem, and that it is possible to write sparkling, sunnily disposed pop songs about pretty much any topic you happen to hold dear.

Read our review of Nanobots in full!

Previously on our 100 best albums of 2013 countdown: 100-91 – 90-81 – 80-71 – 70-61 – 60-51 – 50-41 – 40-31

Artists: arcade fire, daft punk, jenny hval, matthew e. white, nine inch nails, os mutantes, pinkunoizu, the earth, they might be giants, tunng

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.