HERE WE GO AGAIN - IT'S TOP 40 TIME 2013
A fun part of hosting The Musical Box each week is that I get to listen to a huge range of albums across the year. Many of them of them don't pass muster, but there is a sizeable minority that end up in the show - and then a smaller number that become an Album Of The Week. And then there are albums that slip under the radar and I only discover them weeks after release - or those which on repeated listen grow on me and start to become classics.
A weekly radio show is ephemeral - here today, gone tomorrow - but the albums persist and we like to do our bit to recognise the work that artists have gone to in order that we can hear some great music across the year. Some say that the album is a dead thing, a beast that is dwindling away to extinction and becoming increasingly irrelevant in the digital world. But, although there are far fewer releases which end up selling millions of copies, the range and quality is just as high as ever.
And this is where The Musical Box Top Forty Albums Of 2013 comes in. Building on the success of last years' initial foray in to the world of listings and voting, here we go once again.
Your Vote Counts
I'm a great believer in keeping things simple - and also in encouraging listener input. So, as before, I've whittled down all our featured releases, be they Albums Of The Week or just single tracks that were played, and created a pool of forty potential Albums Of 2013.
That's the hard work done.
All you need to do, is cast your vote for your choice of Album Of The Year 2013.
And it's very simple to do that:
And that's all there is to it.
Do make sure your vote is received by Midnight on Monday, December 23rd.
I'll then set the mighty Musical Box electronic brain to the task of calculating the final run down - and the full results - plus a representative track from each album - will be featured in my two festive shows on December 26th and January 2nd.
- December 26th - 10pm - The run down between 40 and 21
- January 2nd - 10pm - The run down between 20 and The #1 Album Of The Year
After each show, the listings will be summarised right here in The New Musical Box Blog.
No prizes - but clearly, what could some bauble be in comparison to the satisfaction gained by contributing to this magesterial musical marathon?
THE TOP 40 ALBUMS - MAKE YOUR CHOICE
These are your choices - and to avoid any sense of favourtism, I've listed them in a completely random order.
I've also added a few "neutral" words about each album to provide a little bit of background colour, plus a relevant You Tube link so you can check them out. You may have heard them all, or just the odd few - either way, your vote is most welcome.
Right then.
Get to it!
MAZZY STAR "Seasons Of Your Day"
The comeback album for this Californian indie band, their first since 1996. With original members Hope Sandoval and David Roback at the helm, it was almost as if they hadn't been away.
JOHN GRANT "Pale Green Ghosts"
John Grant is a one-time member of the US band The Czars, and since leaving them, he's carved out a fascinating solo career. Despite his odd appearance on the cover, this is a clever and articulate set of songs - some with occasional left-field diversions.
NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS "Push The Sky Away"
Another complex and intriguing release from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, proving once again that he's one of the most thoughtful and creative musicians around. It took twelve months for Cave to write the songs - but the end result fully justifies his approach.
SAVAGES "Silence Yourself"
Highly promising new London-based post-punk band, The Savages released this, their debut album, to much acclaim back in May and it soon reached the top 20 on the UK album charts.
JOHNNY MARR "The Messenger"
Since The Smiths feel apart in the late 1980s, guitarist Johnny Marr has been a much in-demand producer, session man and band member. This release, though, is his first solo album.
DAUGHTER "If You Leave"
London indie band formed in 2011 and this year saw the release of their debut album, "If You Leave". This followed up several EPs and earnt the band some very favourable reviews.
THE NATIONAL "Trouble Will Find Me"
A fine five-piece indie rock band from Ohio, The National's sixth album emerged in May of this year. It's already received several award nominations and will no doubt appear in a number of Best Of lists for this year.
ARCTIC MONKEYS "AM"
Quite possibly their most complete and striking album, The Arctic Monkeys confounded their critics with this year's release "AM". Full of high quality numbers, it's sold very well indeed on both sides of the Atlantic.
CAITLIN ROSE "The Stand In"
To say that Cailtin Rose is a "country singer" is to do her a dis-service: she's one of the new breed of singer-songwriters who are unafraid to use the rock idiom where needed, but to also write heartfelt songs too. Her vocals add the icing to the cake.
LAURA MARLING "Once I Was An Eagle"
Laura Marling has grown in quality and popularity over the past four years since the Hampshire-born singer-songwriter first emerged. She's recently moved to Los Angeles and has produced another great album, her fourth, which was critically acclaimed when it came out in May.
JOANNA GRUESOME "Weird Sister"
Joanna Gruesome hails from Cardiff and this year saw her debut album, Weird Sister, a fine collection of post-punk and new-wave sounds that borrows from the past but also adds a modern twist.
DAVID BOWIE "The Next Day"
The surprise release this year was the first new studio release from David Bowie in some 11 years. With barely any fanfare other than an on-line posting of the debut single, the music world went all a-flutter. The album was quite possibly his best since his Berlin days - and he's still not carried out any interviews nor offered to undertake a tour.
VAMPIRE WEEKEND "Modern Vampires Of The City"
New York indie rockers Vampire Weekend return with their third album, "Modern Vampires Of The City". It's a bit of a departure from the heavier sound of their first two releases, but it's a more cohesive collection of songs and has received almost universal critical approval.
THE BLACK ANGELS "Indigo Meadow"
Four-piece psychedelic rock outfit from Texas, The Black Angels released their fifth album back in April. They take their cues to some extent from The Velvet Underground - including the band name which was taken from the VU number The Black Angel's Death Song.
Video: Indigo Meadow
QUEENS OF THE NEW STONE AGE "Like Clockwork"
The sixth studio release from Californian rockers Queens Of The New Stone Age - and it's an album which has sold in huge quantities this past year. It's been nominated for several awards and hit #2 on the UK album chart upon initial release.
Video: My God Is The Sun
GOLDFRAPP "Tales Of Us"
Goldfrapp returned with their first album in three years - and what a release it was for the London electronic outfit. Alison Goldfrapp is as smart as usual with her lyrics and vocals - and there's a semi-conceptual thread running throughout the album.
Video: Drew
PRIMAL SCREAM "More Light"
Glaswegian indie-rockers Primal Screamed re-merged this year with their first release since 2008's Beautiful Future. It was a real return to form for Bobby Gillespie and the band.
Video: It's Alright, It's Okay
DODSON & FOGG "The Call"
It's the fourth album in two years from Yorkshire-based latterday folk-rockers, Dodson & Fogg. Main man Chris Wade has kept up the quality and this is the band's second successive appearance in our top forty (having been in the top 20 last year).
Video: Suddenly
STORNOWAY "You Don't Know Anything"
Oxford-based indie band Stornoway released their second album this last March and it's another refined collection of songs - sometimes folk, sometimes rock, it's an engaging mix.
Video: Knock Me On The Head
MIDLAKE "Antiphon"
Texan indie rockers Midlake lost their lead singer Tim Smith when he left the band in late 2012. An album was in progress and was pretty much re-worked from scratch - and it's turned out very well indeed for them. Definitely up to the standards of earlier releases - and critically well received too.
Video: The Old And The Young
THOSE DARLINS "Blur The Line"
Those Darlins are an out ans out rock and role band from Tennessee - but they've also got a mischievous streak to their creativity and as a a result, have a loyal fan following. Their third album "Blur The Line" was recorded in Nashville and released in October.
Video: Blur The Line
FRANZ FERDINAND "Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action"
There were rumours that following their previous album, Scots indie-rockers Franz Ferdinand would call it a day - but they regrouped, got the creative juices flowing and four years after their last album, their fourth appeared at the end of August and has done very well for them.
Video: Right Words
DRENGE "Drenge"
At the tail end of 2012, Derbyshire based rockers Drenge released a couple of raw and energetic singles - and quickly gathered impressive reviews for their music. Brothers Rory and Eoin Loveless have certainly got an energetic and fresh approach - and their self-titled debut release hit the market in August.
Video: Nothing
WHITE LIES "Big TV"
West London based indie rockers White Lies released their third album back in August on the revived Harvest Records label. It's a good step forward from their previous release and has had some good notices.
Video: Getting Even
EMILY BARKER & THE RED CLAY HALO "Dear River"
Emily Barker is originally from Western Australia, although these days is based in the UK. Together with her band The Red Clay Halo, she's released four albums and the latest emerged in late spring. Pop and folk is very much her thing - and this album provides consistently good music all the way through.
Video: Dear River
JJ GREY & MOFFRO "This River"
A fine blues and soul band from Florida, JJ Grey and Moffro have now been working together since the mid-nineties, although it's only in recent years that they've started getting real recognition. Aside from regular touring and jams sessions, they released their latest album (their eighth) back in the spring.
Video: Somebody Else
YEAH YEAH YEAHS "Mosquito"
A welcome return for New York rockers the Yeah Yeah Yeahs - and their first album since 2009. Full of fine music and strident vocals from Karen O - and sold well around the world, hitting #9 in the UK charts.
Video: Sacrilege
WIRE "Change Becomes Us"
Long-lived punk and post-punk rockers from London, Wire released their thirteenth studio album back in March - an album that also included a special Record Store Day vinyl edition. It's pretty much their trademark sound - and it gained solid reviews.
Video: Doubles & Trebles
SUEDE "Bloodsports"
Suede were one of the stalwarts of 1990s Britpop and indie-rock, so it was a pleasant surprise to see them return with their first album in eleven years this last March. And it was almost as if time had stood still, the band had certainly still got their trademark sound - and the album is full of fascinating songs.
Video: Hit Me
JIMI HENDRIX "People, Hell, Angels"
This is no barrel-scraping exercise but a studio-recorded sequence of songs that never saw the light of day: one or two escaped as rough demos some years back, but these are decent recordings with a full band. A very welcome addition to the Hendrix canon.
Video: Somewhere
STEREOPHONICS "Graffiti On The Train"
March saw the release of Welsh indie-rockers Stereophonics' eighth album, Graffiti On the Train. It's the distillation of over 30 songs the band wrote - and in 2014, front man Kelly Jones says that he's looking to write a screenplay version of the album for possibly making into a movie.
Video: Graffiti On The Train
RICHARD THOMPSON "Electric"
A fresh outing for the electric side of Richard Thompson's virtuoso guitar-work here with his current live band providing fine support. Pleasingly, the album reached the UK Top 20, his highest placing as a solo artist. It got good reviews too.
Video: Good Things Happen To Bad People
FOXYGEN "We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors If Peace & Magic"
Foxygen is a four-piece indie band from California, founded back in 2006. They recorded an album a year later - but didn't release it until 2012, when to the band's surprise, it was well received. A new studio release followed this last January and it's very much at the "experimental" end of the rock spectrum. A slew of good reviews followed.
Video: San Francisco
NEKO CASE "The Worse Things Are, The Harder I Fight; The Harder I Fight, The More I Love you"
The new release from indie-rock songstress Neko Case was not only a fine return to form, but also holder of the record for longest album title of the year. It's a good selection of material and met with critical approval on both sides of the Atlantic.
Night Still Comes
MY BLOODY VALENTINE "MBV"
Irish indie rockers My Bloody Valentine released two well received albums in the late 80s and early 90s - and that was it: but, almost out of the blue, their first release in 22 years arrived in the stores this past February. With a mixture of songs written at various stages over that period, it might have been a damp squib, but it stood up well and gained positive reviews.
Video: New You
PARQUET COURTS "Light Up Gold"
Post punk and indie rock - that's what you get from Parquet Courts, a Brooklyn-based quartet formed in 2010. "Light Up Gold" is their second studio album proper and it gained almost universally positive reviews in the music press.
Video: Master Of My Craft
DAFT PUNK "Random Access Memories"
French electronic music duo Daft Punk returned this year with their first album in eight years. They added session musicians to the mix and created a more organic sound - and it's certainly worked for them: it's sold well and received a slew of award nominations across the year.
Video: Instant Crush
HAIM "Days Are Gone"
The three sisters Haim hail from Los Angeles and started the year by being nominated by the BBC as one of their "Sounds Of 2013" acts. And what a year they've had - and their debut album, released in late September, is indie-pop of the highest order.
Video: Days Are Gone
LINDA THOMPSON "Won't Be Long Now"
The first album in six years from Linda Thompson and it's a fascinating and important release. Often in the shadow of one time partner Richard Thompson, she shows here - once again - that she has not lost her ability to write and perform classy songs.
Video: It Won't Be Long Now
THERE WE HAVE IT, THEN
That's our randomly ordered listing of the 40 albums selected by The Musical Box to represent the best new music of 2013.
Don't forget - your vote counts, so to nominate The Musical Box "Album Of The Year", just let me have your name and nomination. You can:
Nice and easy.
The deadline is MIDNIGHT on Monday, 23rd December - and as noted before, the full run-down (in order) will be split between my shows on Boxing Day (26th) and January 2nd.
Happy voting.
Alan Dorey
December 8th 2013
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