Well hey, everybody. I thought I'd round up the 50 most played albums of 2013 for a little post here. These are the albums that got the most play at Planet New Basset over the course of this terrible year. To make things mildly interesting, I thought I'd jot down a quick thought about each one. For the sake of maintaining your interest, each album is only allowed 140 characters worth of thoughts because, frankly, that's how we all process the world now.
Let's do it.
01. Edison - No Sun No Food (168 plays)
Laid back instrumentals out of the Bay Area. No Sun No Food soundtracked nearly all of my MPLS strolling this year.
02. Kanye West - Yeezus (143 plays)
People were down on
Yeezus, but I loved it. Definitely Kanye's "angry" record, a necessary addition to his catalog.
03. The Suburbs - Chemistry Set: The Songs Of The Suburbs 1977-1987 (141 plays)
Figured it was about time I invested some time in these Twin Cities legends. Picked it up a couple of days before injuring my foot, so it'll occupy that time forever.
04. Veronica Falls - Waiting For Something To Happen (139 plays)
Perfect female-fronted British power-pop. Clever & full of hooks. Soundtracked my summer
05. P.O.S. - We Don't Even Live Here (134 plays)
Late to the party with WDELH, but this one definitely got its due in 2013. Not as good as
Never Better, but nothing is.
06. Mixed Blood Majority - Mixed Blood Majority (132 plays)
MBM cooked up an album that gave Crescent Moon's voice a new backdrop & clearly influenced Joe Horton's new No Bird Sing album. Best work Lazerbeak did this year.
07. Dark Time Sunshine - Cornucopia (126 plays)
Phenomenal indie rap from group I've been meaning to spend more time with for years.
Cornucopia is their first LP, but sounds fully realized.
08. Bruce Springsteen - Darkness On The Edge Of Town (124 plays)
Finally started to "get" The Boss in 2013.
DOTEOT is probably my favorite album that I spent time with in 2013. Front to back classics that all seem to fit together beautifully.
09. Atoms For Peace - AMOK (120 plays)
I wanted to like this album more, but it came up a little short. Still, new Thom Yorke material is always great. "Ingenue" & "Stuck Together Pieces" are instant classics.
10. Low - The Invisible Way (119 plays)
The Duluth icons went super acoustic on this one, but it worked.
Drums & Guns is still my favorite Low, but this one has a warmth that is new to the group.
11. Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels (117 plays)
Killer Mike & El-P! Each provided one of my favorite albums of 2012. They combined to dominate 2013. Still angry with myself for missing their show at The Varsity.
12. Paul Westerberg - Stereo (113 plays)
An oldie that I decided to spend a week with. Most of Westy's solo work runs together, so spending a week with
Stereo it revealed the subtleties.
13. Johnny Marr - The Messenger (113 plays)
Marr's solo debut is exactly what you'd expect. Smart, well-crafted pop, great guitar work, and Marr's voice is strong & true.
14. Crimes - Good Hope (112 plays)
An AOTW from a Twin Cities band I've been meaning to explore. Lo-fi, coutrified indie rock. Definitely a great vibe throughout the album.
15. Big Cats! - For My Mother (107 plays)
Instrumental album from Big Cats! was definitely a big part of my 2013 soundtrack. A warm, easy going affair.
16. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II (105 plays)
A curious album that doesn't always do it for me. Still, it contains "So Good At Being In Trouble," arguably THE single of 2013.
17. Micranots - Return Of The Travellahs (104 plays)
2013 was the 10 year anniversary of I Self Devine & DJ Kool Akiem's classic. Bought it years ago but finally gave it its due this year.
18. Graham Coxon - The Sky Is Too High (99 plays)
The solo debut from the Blur guitarist/songwriter. A pretty, lo-fi album that wears its charm on its sleeve.
19. Lifter Puller - Fiestas + Fiascos (98 plays)
Spent a week with
F+F as an AOTW despite already having played it to death. Wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything. Probably the greatest album ever.
20. The Tribe & Big Cats! - Let's Be Professional (98 plays)
Downloaded on a whim while I was laid up. Lots of R.I.P's when these guys parted ways, but I didn't think it was anything special.
21. BNLX - BNLX (98 plays)
S/T album from Ed Ackerson & his wife. Punky, melodic, and packed with hooks. Definitely taking Ackerson's post-Polara legacy in a positive direction.
22. The Cribs - In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull (94 plays)
Played this one a ton in 2012 and again in 2013. Until The Cribs put out something new it'll see regular rotation in 2014 too.
23. The Strokes - Comedown Machine (94 plays)
The Strokes final album? Possibly, but if that's the case they went out on a strong note.
24. Little Man - Big Rock (86 plays)
Been listening to Little Man for years via SOTD. Finally picked up his debut. A little undercooked, but great glam hooks.
25. Dessa - Parts Of Speech (86 plays)
The follow up to A Badly Broken Code. More singer/songwriter stuff, fewer hip-hop signposts made this album a pretty dull affair.
26. Homeless & The Van Gobots - Twenty-Dirt (85 plays)
Homeless eschews typical hip-hop production for The Van Gobots shiny, proggy racket. Not a great album, but certainly an interesting one.
27. Midnight Evils - Straight 'Til Morning (84 plays)
An AOTW when I needed some loud guitars. Broken up for years and they probably still have more swagger than 90% of MPLS's guitar bands.
28. Mel Gibson & The Pants - w/Guitar (84 plays)
Another one I've had for years but never really explored. Lots of guests rappers, but the beats & instruments steal the show.
29. Allan Kingdom - Talk To Strangers (83 plays)
Some left field hip-hop. With Kingdom's unique beats and down to Earth raps,
Talk To Strangers definitely occupies its own place in the hip-hop community.
30. The Central Division - Neighbor Of The Beast (82 plays)
Power-emo-pop. Lives in the same world as Brand New, but less artsy and more Midwestern. Discoverd these guys this year and loved everything I heard.
31. Clair De Lune - Marionettes (81 plays)
Bought this one on a whim at Extreme Noise. I really wanted to like it, but it's just not memorable. Technically the same genre as The Central Division, but nowhere near as memorable.
32. 12 Rods - Split Personalities (81 plays)
Broken up Twin Cities cult favorites. FIgured it was time I got to know 'em. Spent a week with this one while laid up in Red Wing. Very 90's-sounding album.
33. Marijuana Deathsquads - Music Rocks I & II (81 plays)
I still can't believe this was free. Nine epic songs that were recorded live and edited the next day. MDS finally put out an album that does them justice.
34. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Now I Got Worry (80 plays)
Picked it up when I had plans to see them at the T-Rock. Never made it to the show, but glad I finally got around to the album.
35. Action Bronson & Party Supplies - Blue Chips 2 (78 plays)
After years of not quite getting it, Bronson finally won me over with
Blue Chips 2. Party Supplies canvas is the perfect match for his rhymes.
36. P.O.S. - WDELH/MDS/RMX (77 plays)
P.O.S. & MDS were both ahead of this album on the list. The Deathsquad's remix album makes me wonder just which
WDELH is the one P.O.S. enivisioned during recording.
37. Tree - Sunday School II: When Church Lets Out (75 plays)
MC Tree out of Chicago's most fully realized work. His "soul-trap" sound puts Midwestern sensibilities over Southern soul. Great listen.
38. Ras Dude - #0000 (75 plays)
Instrumental jams that owe equally to weed &
Donuts. This one soundtracked my slow motion strolls while recovering from my broken heel. Great soundtrack.
39. Wild Ghosts - No Coast (73 plays)
Some garage rock racket from 2010 that made an appearance as an AOTW this year. Not a ton going on here, but sometimes music just needs to be loud.
40. The Verve - Forth (72 plays)
Picked up during a trip to The Fetus. This was a reunion album that picked up right where they left off. Sweeping, epic, & quintessentially British.
41. My Bloody Valentine - m b v (68 plays)
Hooks are the way to my heart, so MBV has always been a hard sell for me. It took me all year to finally "get" the vibe of
m b v. Now I dig it.
42. The Vaccines - Live In Brighton (68 plays)
As I said, hooks are the way to my heart.
Live In Brighton is a de facto "Best Of," covering all the bases from their two albums. Can't wait for LP3.
43. These Arms Are Snakes - Easter (67 plays)
Another Extreme Noise find. Being in that store makes me want to listen to post-punk and
Easter delivers in spades.
44. Joey Bada$$ - Summer Knights (64 plays)
Summer Knights left a lot of people writing off the Joey Bada$$ experience, but I loved it. Mixtapes are usually overstuffed, but this hour of boom-bap is perfect for a summer night.
45. Dem Atlas - Charle Brwn (64 plays)
Tracked this down after hearing SIFU Hotman. Ended up getting lots of spins while I was laid up. EP was strong enough to get him signed with Rymesayers late in 2013.
46. Kill The Vultures - The Careless Flame (63 plays)
Another one that I've had for a while but hadn't genuinely invested in. An AOTW from last winter, this album fits the season. Cold & sparse as Crescent Moon's passion burns.
47. Vandaam - Vandaam (60 plays)
Hipster elctro-pop from the Twin Cities. Vandaam frequently peeks their head above the unwashed, keyboard playing masses that Minneapolis calls a music scene.
48. MaLLy - Strange Rhythm (60 plays)
Follow up to his breakthrough
The Last Great... MaLLy spends much of the album on top, goading his doubters while enjoying his moment atop the hip-hop hill.
49. Capital Steez - AmeriKKKan Korruption (58 plays)
R.I.P Capital Steez. The more I listened to Joey Bada$$ the more I wanted to dig into the Pro Era sound. Steez laid the blueprint with
AmeriKKKan Korruption.
50.Steddy P & DJ Mahf - Breakfast With Doctor Gonzo (58 plays)
Hunter Thompson-inspired hip-hop out of Kansas City. Steddy P stears clear of gimmicks and stick to focused, "indie for life" raps.
There you have it, folks. The 50 Most Played Albums Of 2013. It may have been a garbage year in real life, but it produced some great music.
As always, feel free to check out my
Last.fm page to keep track of what's getting spins over at Planet New Basset.
