Top 100 Songs Of 2013

This was a whole lot of fun this year. It is always fun, but there were a lot of great songs released in 2013. So many artists embracing melody in simplistic yet often fascinating ways. I am always astounded by how musicians can continue to engage listeners when it sometimes feels like everything has been done before.

My take on the best songs in 2013 sticks pretty close to the annual gathering and compiling event of previous years. I like music that's listenable, compact, well crafted, honest, and more often than not just really fun. Lots of guitar pop, synth pop, and post-punk stuff here as always.

As I talk with other music nerd friends about the music year that was (or will be shortly), there is some consensus that there were very few clear runaway albums or songs in 2013. You could almost describe it as a tight race, where on certain days based on mood you could flip a coin and arrive at your favourite, or the best in class. I am certain I have quietly flip flopped already on a few of my top 5 choices over at my Top 100 Albums Of 2013 list.

There were also some extremely strong albums, that did not lend themselves to easily carved out "top songs" or singles. Albums by The Knife and Goldfrapp come to mind. Challenging and thoroughly rewarding listens as full albums, but more strong in the sum of their parts and as full works than isolated tracks. Hence why some of those heavyweights are not represented on my songs list.

For Rdio users and subscribers out there, I have also compiled these songs as a playlist. Five of the songs listed below are currently unavailable on Rdio, so as with last year, I have tacked a few extras on the end to make up the full 100.

Please feel free to check it out and subscribe to the playlist here.

So here goes. No real caveats, other than the standard acknowledgement that big lists are fun, and take a lot of time, but everyone knows taste is personal and sequencing is arbitrary after about the first thirty entries :)

100	Editors	A Ton Of Love
99	Minor Alps	If I Wanted Trouble
98	Beastmilk	Death Reflects Us
97	Boy George	King of Everything
96	Arctic Monkeys	Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High
95	Matthew Good	Arrows of Desire
94	Girls Names	A Second Skin
93	Xander Harris	Night Fortress
92	Gauntlet Hair	Heave
91	John Grant	Sensitive New Age Guy
90	Asif Illyas	Electrical
89	Soviet Soviet	Ecstasy
88	Shout Out Louds	Illusions
87	Arcade Fire	It's Never Over (Hey Orpheus)
86	White Lies	Mother Tongue
85	LULS	Never Let It Go
84	Weekend	Siobhan
83	The Dismemberment Plan	Living In Song
82	Sigur Ros	Isjaki
81	Of Montreal	Triumph Of Disintegration
80	The Black Hollies	Unless It's My Imagination
79	These New Puritans	Fragment Two
78	The Hunt	Fifteen Minutes
77	Annie	Hold On
76	Savages	She Will
75	David Bowie	Valentine's Day
74	Midnight Juggernauts	Systematic
73	Phantogram	The Day You Died
72	Mind Spiders	Suicide
71	Brendan Benson	Rejuvenate Me
70	Holograms	Attestupa
69	Kurt Vile	KV Crimes
68	Frankie & The Heartstrings	Nothing Our Way
67	Rogue Wave	College
66	The Love Language	Calm Down
65	Little Boots	Satellite
64	Warpaint	Love Is To Die
63	The KVB	Human
62	Cults	I Can Hardly Make You Mine
61	The Naked and Famous	Hearts Like Ours
60	Paper Lions	Bodies In The Winter
59	Body Language	Just Because
58	Franz Ferdinand	Treason! Animals.
57	By Divine Right	No One Can Fix Me
56	KA	Off The Record
55	Coasts	Oceans
54	The Grapes of Wrath	Paint You Blue
53	Hilotrons	Runaway Heart
52	Vampire Weekend	Everlasting Arms
51	Anna Calvi	Piece By Piece
50	Chvrches	Recover
49	Visage	Never Enough
48	Johnny Marr	Upstarts
47	Sulk	Flowers
46	!!!	One Girl / One Boy
45	Frankie Rose	You For Me
44	Pet Shop Boys	Thursday
43	The National	Don't Swallow The Cap
42	Janelle Monae	Q.U.E.E.N.
41	Queens Of The Stone Age	I Sat By The Ocean
40	Everything Everything	Duet
39	The 1975	The City
38	Shad	Stylin
37	St. Lucia	Elevate
36	Hollerado	Pick Me Up
35	Divine Fits	Ain't That The Way
34	Sebastien Grainger	Going With You
33	Jagwar Ma	That Loneliness
32	Dutch Uncles	Fester
31	Paramore	Ain't It Fun
30	Local Natives	Black Balloons
29	Classixx	Holding On
28	Telekinesis	Power Lines
27	Phoenix	Trying To Be Cool
26	Lorde	Team
25	Superchunk	Me & You & Jackie Mittoo
24	The Limousines	Bedbugs
23	Polvo	Light, Raking
22	Holy Ghost!	Dance A Little Closer
21	Suuns	Bambi
20	Gary Numan	Love Hurt Bleed
19	Atlas Genius	Electric
18	Wavves	Demon To Lean On
17	Jamie Lidell	Big Love
16	Primal Scream	Invisible City
15	Daft Punk	Get Lucky
14	Disclosure	When A Fire Starts
13	Haim	Falling
12	Crocodiles	She Splits Me Up
11	Blood Orange	You're Not Good Enough
10	Cayucas	Highschool Lover
9	Cut Copy	In Memory Capsule
8	Junip	Your Life Your Call
7	Empire Of The Sun	Ice On The Dune
6	OMD	Night Cafe
5	Suede	Hit Me
4	Baths	Miasma Sky
3	Miles Kane	Better Than That
2	Mikal Cronin	Shout It Out
1	Foals	My Number

Top 100 Albums of 2013

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Music year-end list time.

When I took a peak over some lists from the last couple years, it feels like 2013 was a pretty solid year for interesting music. There were a number of bands who created combinations of sounds like no one else can really lay claim to right now. There were also a number of artists who borrowed from their influences really well and wore them unabashedly on their sleeves to stunning effect. Some of the music I came across was instantly engaging, while other releases were tough listens, with rewarding endings if you were patient enough. Some veterans showed they can still compete with and even outdo the kids, while other seniors fell flat and missed the mark slightly.

As always, I threw the net quite wide in 2013, and got most of my biases and overreactions out of the way along the way. I was able to spend mostly meaningful time with upwards of approximately 250 records this year. Listening to as much new music as possible is quite simply what I like to do more than anything else. Some records were unfortunately brushed over prematurely, and hopefully they will float back into listening circulation in due course. Others just did not work for these ears whatsoever.

So this is where I landed. I reserve the right to shuffle things around, but really if that happens I will be the only one who notices or cares. I wanted to get this up, because I don't have the patience or capacity to bugger around with it anymore. The plan is to follow shortly with more detail, narrative and thoughts on the Top 10.

	Artist	Album
100	The 1975	The 1975
99	Yuck	Glow and Behold
98	St. Lucia	When The Night
97	Beastmilk	Climax
96	Depeche Mode	Delta Machine
95	Sulk	Graceless
94	Frightened Rabbit	Pedestrian Verse
93	!!!	Thr!!!er
92	Wavves	Afraid of Heights
91	Xander Harris	The New Dark Age of Love
90	Franz Ferdinand	Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action
89	Visage	Hearts & Knives
88	Surfer Blood	Pythons
87	Lorde	Pure Heroine
86	The Grapes of Wrath	High Road
85	Arctic Monkeys	AM
84	Hilotrons	At Least There's Commotion
83	Johnny Marr	The Messenger
82	Kurt Vile	Walking on A Pretty Daze
81	John Grant	Pale Green Ghosts
80	David Bowie	The Next Day
79	White Lies	Big Tv
78	The Dismemberment Plan	Uncanney Valley
77	James Blake	Overgrown
76	Public Service Broadcasting	Inform - Educate - Entertain
75	My Bloody Valentine	mbv
74	Minor Alps	Get There
73	Janelle Monae	The Electric Lady
72	Queens Of The Stone Age	Like Clockwork
71	Cults	Static
70	Soviet Soviet	Fate
69	Vampire Weekend	Modern Vampires of The City
68	Frankie & The Heartstrings	The Days Run Away
67	Telekinesis	Dormarion
66	Boards of Canada	Tomorrow's Harvest
65	Washed Out	Paracosm
64	These New Puritans	Field of Reeds
63	Little Boots	Nocturnes
62	London Grammar	If You Wait
61	Gauntlet Hair	Stills
60	The KVB	Immaterial Visions
59	Asif Illyas	Synesthesia
58	Miles Kane	Don't Forget Who You Are
57	Shad	Flying Colours
56	Pet Shop Boys	Electric
55	The Black Hollies	Somewhere Between Here and Nowhere
54	By Divine Right	Organized Accidents
53	The National	Trouble Will Find Me
52	Daft Punk	Random Access Memories
51	Everything Everything	Arc
50	Jamie Lidell	Jamie Lidell
49	Jagwar Ma	Howlin
48	Oneohtrix Point Never	R Plus Seven
47	Of Montreal	lousy with sylvianbriar
46	Sebadoh	Defend Yourself
45	Arcade Fire	Reflektor
44	Sigur Ros	Kveikur
43	Chvrches	The Bones of What You Believe
42	Phoenix	Bankrupt!
41	Girls Names	The New Life
40	Haim	Days Are Gone
39	Woodkid	The Golden Age
38	Moderat	II
37	KA	The Night's Gambit
36	Goldfrapp	Tales of Us
35	Midnight Juggernauts	Uncanny Valley
34	Factory Floor	Factory Floor
33	The Hunt	The Hunt Begins
32	Adult.	The Way Things Fall
31	Gary Numan	Splinter
30	Holograms	Forever
29	Classixx	Hanging Gardens
28	The Love Language	Ruby Red
27	Tricky	False Idols
26	Weekend	Jinx
25	Superchunk	I Hate Music
24	The Knife	Shaking The Habitual
23	Suuns	Images du Futur
22	Anna Calvi	One Breath
21	Blood Orange	Cupid Deluxe
20	Mind Spiders	Inhumanistic
19	Tilbury	Northern Comfort
18	Savages	Silence Yourself
17	Sebastien Grainger	Yours To Discover
16	Junip	Junip
15	Frankie Rose	Herein Wild
14	Holy Ghost!	Dynamics
13	Crocodiles	Crimes of Passion
12	OMD	English Electric
11	Empire of The Sun	Ice on The Dune
10	Dutch Uncles	Out of Touch in The Wild
9	Disclosure	Settle
8	Primal Scream	More Light
7	Foals	Holy Fire
6	Polvo	Siberia
5	Mikal Cronin	MCII
4	Suede	Bloodsports
3	Baths	Obsidian
2	Local Natives	Hummingbird
1	Cut Copy	Free Your Mind

Top 100 Songs of 2012

I listened to a lot of music this year. I listen to a lot of music every year, but I really listened to a lot of music this year. The interesting thing, admittedly, is that usually the 100 song list gets a bit watered down after about 60 or 70. Sequencing is always an over thought exercise subject to endless scrutiny even well after the fact, but in many years the last twenty tracks have sometimes felt like a stretch. Not in 2012.

There was a lot of great music released over the past twelve months. A lot of folks said they had not heard many of the records in my recent Top 100 Albums of 2012 post. On one hand it's odd, because to me my lists feel pretty safe and almost mainstream compared to a lot of stuff I've seen out there. On the other hand though, it's cool if it means people are getting introduced to interesting music they either don't have time to find on their own.

Regardless of what people like or how they view the tracks on this list, the approach I always take is to let the strength of a song stand on its own. I don't purposely go looking for kitschy pop to mix in with pretentious Brit noise pop, nor do I avoid fun radio friendly type songs if they are well written and sincere in their intent. I was chatting with a friend tonight, and we were saying it's not cool to like Hall & Oates because they're funny or kitschy. It's cool because they wrote really solid legitimate songs. You can't fake good songwriting and regardless of whether everything on this list works for everyone, there is at least a common vibe of these artists putting together some pretty great melodies and clever words.

Anyway here's the list. Hoping to break out the Top 10 with a seperate written detail post in the next little while.

Here is also a link to the Playlist for this on Rdio
(with six replacement tracks tacked on the end to make 100 - for the ones missing/unavailable in rdio currently)

http://rd.io/x/QV5AJjNUz_s

100	Band of Horses	Knock Knock
99	Santigold	Disparate Youth
98	Neon Trees	Everybody Talks
97	Chiddy Bang	Ray Charles
96	Tribes	We Were Children
95	The Twilight Sad	Don't Look At Me
94	Spector	Grey Shirt & Tie
93	Frank Ocean	Pyramids
92	Liars	His and Mine Sensations
91	Keane	Silenced By The Night
90	The Maccabees	Pelican
89	Lightships	Sweetness in Her Spark
88	Yukon Blonde	Radio
87	Big Boi	Shoes For Running
86	Lower Dens	Candy
85	Two Door Cinema Club	Sleep Alone
84	Shearwater	You As You Were
83	Wintersleep	In Came The Flood
82	Saint Etienne	I've Got Your Music
81	Melody's Echo Chamber	You Won't Be Missing That Part of Me
80	Tame Impala	Feels Like We Only Go Backwards
79	Light Asylum	Heart of Dust
78	Miike  Snow	The Wave
77	Cat Power	Cherokee
76	Nas	You Wouldn't Understand
75	Rufus Wainwright	Out Of The Game
74	The Temper Trap	Need Your Love
73	Soul Asylum	Gravity
72	Camouflage Nights	Five Five Minutes
71	Django Django	Storm
70	Animal Collective	Applesauce
69	Of Mosters and Men	Mountain Sound
68	Grizzly Bear	Yet Again
67	Pet Shop Boys	Leaving
66	Muse	Madness
65	Amos The Transparent	Says The Spark
64	Cadence Weapon	Conditioning
63	Jon K. Sampson	When I Write My Masters Thesis
62	Ultravox	Live
61	Smashing Pumpkins	Inkless
60	Seapony	Outside
59	Richard Hawley	She Brings The Sunlight
58	Chromatics	Lady
57	The Helio Sequence	October
56	Sleighbells	Comeback Kid
55	Young Rival	Two Reasons
54	Brothertiger	Lovers
53	Deerhoof	Fete D'Adieu
52	Paul Banks	Young Again
51	Dragonette	Live In This City
50	Electric Guest	This Head I Hold
49	Alt-J	Breezeblocks
48	Minus The Bear	Steel and Blood
47	Best Coast	The Only Place
46	Memoryhouse	The Kids Were Wrong
45	Joel Plaskett Emergency	You're Mine
44	Dinosaur Jr.	Watch The Corners
43	White Rabbits	Heavy Metal
42	Van She	Idea Of Happiness
41	Cloud Nothings	Stay Useless
40	Eight and A Half	Go Ego
39	Lotus Plaza	Strangers
38	Ben Browning	I Can't Stay
37	Delta Spirit	California
36	Matt & Kim	Let's Go
35	Bahamas	Caught Me Thinking
34	Mike O'Neill	Colin
33	Crocodiles	Endless Flowers
32	The Shins	No Way Down
31	Tegan & Sara	Closer
30	Grimes	Oblivion
29	fun.	Why Am I The One
28	The xx	Sunset
27	Frankie Rose	Know Me
26	Field Music	Guillotine
25	Brendan Benson	What Kind of World
24	Jaill	Everyone's A Bitch
23	Diamond Rings	Runaway Love
22	Citizens!	True Romance
21	Imperial Teen	Out From The Inside
20	Japandroids	Adrenaline Nightshift
19	Bear In Heaven	The Reflection of You
18	School Of Seven Bells	The Night
17	Tanlines	All Of Me
16	Wild Nothing	Shadow
15	Beach House	Myth
14	Of Montreal	Spiteful Intervention
13	Ladyhawke	Black White & Blue
12	Diiv	Sometime
11	Kylie Minogue	Timebomb
10	Gypsy & The Cat	Bloom
9	The Presets	Youth In Trouble
8	Bob Mould	The Descent
7	Yeasayer	Reagan's Skeleton
6	Purity Ring	Fineshrine
5	Redd Kross	Stay Away From Downtown
4	The Walkmen	Heaven
3	Divine Fits	Would That Not Be Nice
2	Twin Shadow	Five Seconds
1	Hot Chip	Don't Deny Your Heart

Top 100 Albums of 2012

Weird year. Cool year, but weird. For these ears, my favourite records this year didn't so much push boundaries, but rather borrowed from the past really really well. Records that sound heavily influenced by another era are a delicate matter. A lot of those types of albums this year sounded like 2012 wrapped nicely in 1980's or 1960's bows and ribbons, rather than the shameful gimmicky type of homage that happens far too frequently.

So for as many year end lists that will see the likes of Animal Collective and Godspeed You! Black Emperor on top (much respect to both - they're in here), it would be pretty disingenuous if my top picks didn't showcase the tremendous sincere pop music that made it into my headphones most often throughout 2012. My lists will almost always default to clever, genuine, heartfelt melodies and lyrics, and brevity. Hopefully this one is representative of that.

As with any major list undertaking, and similar to previous years, I have a reckoning that sequencing gets inherently dodgy after about the top 50. Also no amount of additional tinkering is going to make me more okay with it, and within 15 minutes of posting, I'll regret 75% of this, but here goes.......

100	Clinic	Free Reign
99	Kid Koala	12 Bit Blues
98	Orbital	Wonky
97	Spiritualized	Sweet Heart Sweet Light
96	Ceremony	Zoo
95	And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead	Lost Songs
94	Camouflage Nights	Camouflage Nights
93	Electric Guest	Mondo
92	Actress	R.I.P.
91	The Maccabees	Given To The Wild
90	Dirty Projectors	Swing Lo Magellan
89	Sleigh Bells	Reign of Terror
88	Cloud Nothings	Attack on Memory
87	Lotus Plaza	Spooky Action at A Distance
86	The Raveonettes	Observator
85	Bahamas	Barchords
84	Tribes	Baby
83	Light Asylum	Light Asylum
82	Lower Dens	Nootropics
81	Howler	America Give Up
80	Gypsy & The Cat	The Late Blue
79	Dead Can Dance	Anastasis
78	Nas	Life Is Good
77	Melody's Echo Chamber	Melody's Echo Chamber
76	Seapony	Falling
75	Richard Hawley	Standing At The Sky's Edge
74	John K. Samson	Provincial
73	Spector	Enjoy It While It Lasts
72	Menomena	Moms
71	The Evens	The Odds
70	Missions Of Burma	Unsound
69	Crystal Castles	Crystal Castles (III)
68	Young Rival	Stay Young
67	A.C. Newman	Shut Down The Streets
66	Wintersleep	Hello Hum
65	Errors	Have Some Faith in Magic
64	Cat Power	Sun
63	Joel Plaskett Emergency	Scrappy Happiness
62	Humans	Traps
61	Citizens!	Here We Are
60	Grizzly Bear	Shields
59	Bats For Lashes	The Haunted Man
58	Deerhoof	Breakup Song
57	Jaill	Traps
56	Japandroids	Celebration Rock
55	Eight and A Half	Eight and A Half
54	Lightships	Electric Cables
53	Cadence Weapon	Hope In Dirt City
52	Matt & Kim	Lightning
51	Best Coast	The Only Place
50	Sigur Ros	Valtari
49	The Walkmen	Heaven
48	Animal Collective	Centipede Hz
47	Dinosaur Jr.	I Bet On Sky
46	Pet Shop Boys	Elysium
45	Liars	WIXIW
44	Vcmg	SSSS
43	The Shins	Port of Morrow
42	Saint Etienne	Words and Music by Saint Etienne
41	White Rabbits	Milk Famous
40	Paul Banks	Banks
39	Mike O'Neill	Wild Lines
38	Yukon Blonde	Tiger Talk
37	New Build	Yesterday Was Lived and Lost
36	Shearwater	Animal Joy
35	Mystery Jets	Radlands
34	The Helio Sequence	Negotiations
33	Brendan Benson	What Kind of World
32	Ultravox	Brilliant
31	Crocodiles	Endless Flowers
30	Godspeed You! Black Emperor	Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!
29	Tame Impala	Lonerism
28	Van She	Idea of Happiness
27	Brothertiger	Golden Years
26	Bob Mould	Silver Age
25	Two Door Cinema Club	Beacon
24	Of Montreal	Paralytic Stalks
23	Frankie Rose	Interstellar
22	Imperial Teen	Feel The Sound
21	Django Django	Django Django
20	Ladyhawke	Anxiety
19	Field Music	Plumb
18	Chromatics	Kill For Love
17	Yeasayer	Fragrant World
16	Grimes	Visions
15	Alt-J	An Awesome Wave
14	The xx	Coexist
13	Diiv	Oshin
12	Diamond Rings	Free Dimensional
11	Beach House	Bloom
10	The Presets	Pacifica
9	Purity Ring	Shrines
8	Bear In Heaven	I Love You, It's Cool
7	Tanlines	Mixed Emotions
6	Wild Nothing	Nocturne
5	Hot Chip	In Our Heads
4	School Of Seven Bells	Ghostory
3	Divine Fits	A Thing Called Divine Fits
2	Twin Shadow	Confess
1	Redd Kross	Researching The Blues