Bradley’s Almanac

[Nac Faves] My Favorite Music of 2013

Posted on January 16, 2014 at 8:18 am | No Comments

Another year down, another annual list of the long-players that soundtracked 365 days of my earthly existence. Same deal as ever: 20-ish albums (and a couple EPs), listed alphabetically rather than numerically (never liked ranking), with links to buy and shareable audio if it exists.

This time around I’ve also gotten a bit meta with a short list of my favorite year-end music lists, made by a few people whose tastes I respect and admire. Some have a bit of overlap, but they’ve each given me a few more records to check out, and hopefully they’ll do the same for you. That list follows my own faves…


My Favorite Music of 2013

(plus a couple of EPs & reissues)


Bent Shapes“Feels Weird”
[ on Father/Daughter Records ]

Stream at Bandcamp / Buy at Father/Daughter


Bottomless Pit“Shade Perennial”
[on Comedy Minus One]

Buy at Comedy Minus One


The Broken River Prophet“A Dagger and A Dove”
[self-released via Bandcamp]

Stream / Buy at Bandcamp


Neko Case
“The Worse Things Get The Harder I Fight,
The Harder I Fight The More I Love You”

[on Anti Records]

Stream at her site / Buy at Anti


Dowsing“I Don’t Even Care Anymore”
[on Count Your Lucky Stars]

Stream / Buy at Bandcamp


Ex Cops“True Hallucinations”
[on Other Music]

Stream songs at Soundcloud / Buy at Other Music


Joel RL Phelps and the Downer Trio“Gala”
[on 12XU]

Stream / Buy at 12XU


Mikal Cronin“MCII”
[on Merge]

Stream / Buy at Merge Records


Guillermo Sexo“Dark Spring”
[on Midriff Records]

Stream at Bandcamp / Buy at Midriff Records


The History of Apple Pie“Out of View”
[on Marshall Teller Records]

Stream on Soundcloud / Buy at Rough Trade


Kid Canaveral“Now That You Are A Dancer”
[on Lost Map Records]

Stream a song at Bandcamp / Buy at Lost Map Records


Krill“Lucky Leaves”
[via Bandcamp]

Stream / Buy at Bandcamp


Minor Alps“Get There”
[on Barsuk Records]

Stream songs at Soundcloud / Buy at Barsuk


Ola Podrida“Ghosts Go Blind”
[on Western Vinyl]

[MP3] Ola Podrida – “Staying In

Download 2 songs at their website / Buy at Western Vinyl


Overseas“Overseas”
[on Undertow]

Stream 2 songs at Soundcloud / Buy at Undertow


Peyton Pinkerton“Peyton Pinkerton”
[on Darla Records]

[MP3] Peyton Pinkerton – “Pharmacies and Bars

Buy at Darla


Sebadoh“Defend Yourself”
[on Joyful Noise]

[MP3] Sebadoh – “State of Mine

Stream at Bandcamp / Buy at Joyful Noise


Slowdim“Slowdim”
[via Bandcamp]

Stream / Buy at Bandcamp


Speedy Ortiz“Major Arcana”
[on Carpark Records]

Stream more at Soundcloud / Buy at Carpark Records


Superchunk“I Hate Music”
[on Merge Records]

Stream at Merge / Buy at Merge


Throwing Muses“Purgatory/Paradise”
[on It Books / Harper Collins]

Stream 3 songs at Soundcloud / Buy through Harper Collins


Yo La Tengo“Fade”
[on Matador Records]

Stream at YouTube / Buy at Matador


Elizabeth Morris“Optimism” EP
[via Bandcamp]

Stream / Buy at Bandcamp


Withered Hand“Inbetweens” EP
[via Bandcamp]

Technically late 2012, but arrived in my mailbox in early 2013, and spent too much
time in my headphones to be left out. 2014 will be Dan Willson’s year.


Unwound“Kid Is Gone” Box Set
[on Numero Group]

Stream / Buy at Numero Group

So there you have it. Put a period on the end of the messy, run-on sentence that was my twenty-thirteen.

As burned out as I inevitably get on the ever-increasing number year-end lists that flood my feed, a few in particular have risen above the pack. Take some time, dig around in the following posts, and find more music you may have missed…

A non-ordered list of favorite lists of 2013 favorites…

My previous year-end fave lists can be found here: 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, and 2001. Jeez, some of those early posts are embarrassing – not the picks, but the associated words. They could also use some serious reformatting thanks to my WordPress migration. I’ll add that to the “won’t do” “to do” list.

Finally, I can’t truly leave 2013 behind before acknowledging the loss of some favorite addictions that will be much-missed, each to varying degrees.

And so I bid a very fond farewell to Chromewaves (the best damn music blog there ever was), the Boston Phoenix (I still get the itch to grab it every Thursday), The Best Show on WFMU (counting the days until its rebirth elsewhere), and to the Lemmingtrail board (a love/loathe relationship if ever there was one). To all the people who made those things what they were, well, thanks for helping me pass the time. Onwards, upwards.

Sometime next week I’ll share up my semi-annual list of releases I’m looking forward to this year, and I’ll be spinning songs from many of them at the first New Music Night of 2014, happening next Thursday at River Gods in Cambridge, MA.

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  • BOSTON-AREA LIVE SHOW ACTION
    Tuesday, December 5th
    Pussy Riot
    Thick
    @ the Paradise

    Tuesday, December 5th
    Eric Andre
    @ the House of Blues

    Tuesday, December 5th
    Bar Italia
    Gobby
    DJ Carbo
    @ Brighton Music Hall

    Thursday, December 7th
    Wesley Stace
    @ the Charles River Museum

    Saturday, December 9th
    Hilken & Winston (of Fuzzy)
    Chris Colbourn (of Buffalo Tom)
    Kayde Hazel
    @ Streetcar in JP

    Saturday, December 9th
    Will Dailey & his band
    Hayley Reardon
    @ the Crystal Ballroom

    Saturday, December 9th
    Scream
    Soulside
    Urian Hackney
    @ Deep Cuts

    Tuesday, December 12th
    Dogstar
    (Keanu Reeves' band)
    @ the Paradise

    Wednesday, December 13th
    A 40th Anniversary Tribute
    to the music from "Valley Girl"
    with Josie Cotton,
    the Plimsouls &
    Kurt Baker of the Leftovers
    @ the Middle East Downstairs

    Thursday, December 14th
    Piebald
    Weakened Friends
    Radio Compass
    @ the Middle East Downstairs

    Friday, December 15th
    Hallelujah the Hills
    Eldridge Rodriguez
    Aaron & the Lord
    @ the Sinclair

    Saturday, December 16th
    Bird Streets
    @ the Village Social Club

    Saturday, December 16th
    Fiddlehead
    Downtalker
    @ Gallery X, New Bedford

    Saturday, December 16th
    Rosecomb
    Evelyn Pope
    @ the Haven in JP

    Saturday, December 16th
    A John Waters Christmas
    @ Berklee Performance Center

    Thursday, December 21st
    NOISE FOR TOYS, presented by
    The Ash Gray Proclamation
    bring a toy, hear some noise
    with Dyr Faser, Andy Cohen,
    and Strange Pains
    @ O'Brien's

    Thursday, December 28th
    The Felice Brothers
    @ the Sinclair

    Saturday, December 30th
    Spirit Ghost
    Black Beach
    Regal Seagull
    @ O'Brien's

    Thursday, January 11th
    Rick Maguire (from Pile)
    @ the Rockwell

    Saturday, January 13th
    Dark Spring Boston presents...
    The Veldt
    Dead Leaf Echo
    Iceblynk
    The Spearmint Sea
    @ O'Brien's

    Sunday, January 14th
    Lupo Citta
    Hidden Fountain
    Killer Motorcycle
    Pledge Pins
    @ O'Brien's

    Friday, January 19th
    O Positive (O+)
    "With A Little Help
    From My Friends" Benefit show
    @ the Paradise

    Monday, January 22nd
    The Salt Collective
    featuring Stéphane Schück &
    Fred Quentin (of Salt), with
    Matthew Caws (Nada Surf), Mitch
    Easter (Let's Active), Chris
    Stamey & Gene Holder (the dB's)
    Lynn Blakey (Tres Chicas), and
    Rob Ladd (The Connells)
    with openers Sneakers (!)
    featuring Chris & Mitch
    @ City Winery Boston

    Saturday, January 27th
    Torres
    @ the Sinclair

    Monday, January 29th
    Juliana Hatfield
    @ City Winery

    Tuesday, February 13th
    Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy,
    Jon Wurster & friends perform
    R.E.M.'s "Murmur" and more
    @ the Sinclair

    Thursday & Friday
    February 15th & 16th
    Mitski
    Tamino
    @ MGM Music Hall

    Friday, February 16th
    Militarie Gun
    Pool Kids
    Spiritual Cramp
    Spaced
    @ the Sinclair

    Saturday, February 17th
    Cat Power sings Dylan
    @ the Chevalier Theatre

    Wednesday, February 21st
    Thursday
    Rival Schools
    Many Eyes
    @ the Paradise

    Thursday, February 22nd
    Portugal. The Man.
    @ Roadrunner

    Friday, February 23rd
    Matt Pond PA
    Alexa Rose
    @ Club Passim

    Friday, February 23rd
    The Kills
    @ the Royale

    Tuesday, February 27th
    Two Door Cinema Club
    Joywave
    @ Roadrunner

    Wednesday, February 28th
    Mike Viola
    @ Club Passim

    Saturday, March 2nd
    Mary Timony
    Birthday Girl DC
    @ Crystal Ballroom

    Tuesday, March 5th
    Porno For Pyros
    @ MGM Music Hall

    Friday, March 8th
    Mclusky
    @ the Sinclair

    Friday, March 8th
    The Beaches
    @ Roadrunner

    Tuesday, March 12th
    KMFDM
    Morlocks
    @ the Royale

    Wednesday, March 13th
    Cherry Glazerr
    @ the Sinclair

    Friday, March 15th
    Chelsea Wolfe
    Divide and Dissolve
    @ Roadrunner

    Sunday, March 17th
    Sleater-Kinney
    @ the Paradise

    Sunday, March 17th
    Sleepytime Gorilla Museum
    Singer Mali
    Rong
    @ the Sinclair

    Monday, March 18th
    Ministry
    Gary Numan
    Front Line Assembly
    @ Roadrunner

    Thursday, March 21st
    Laetitia Sadier
    (of Stereolab)
    @ the Somerville Armory

    Friday, March 22nd
    Fog Lake
    @ the Somerville Armory

    Monday, March 25th
    Unwound (!)
    Cherubs
    @ the Paradise

    Monday, March 25th
    Andy Shauf (solo)
    @ First Church Cambridge

    Thursday, March 28th
    Arlo Parks
    Chloe George
    @ the Royale

    Friday, March 29th
    Grouplove
    Bully
    @ Roadrunner

    Friday, March 29th
    The Rolling Stones
    @ Gillette

    Saturday, April 6th
    Destroyer (solo)
    Lightning Dust
    @ Brighton Music Hall

    Saturday, April 6th
    Colin Hay (Men at Work)
    @ the Wilbur

    Saturday, April 13th
    DARK SPRING BOSTON FEST
    with Korine, House of Harm,
    Widow Rings, Allie Frost,
    Hemlock for Socrates,
    Midnight Psychic, the
    Spearmint Sea, and more
    @ the Middle East

    Wednesday, April 17th
    Real Estate
    Marina Allen
    @ the Royale

    Friday, April 19th
    Drop Nineteens
    Greg Mendez
    @ the Paradise

    Friday & Saturday
    April 26th & 27th
    The Town & the City Festival
    @ various venues in Lowell, MA

    Saturday, April 27th
    Belle and Sebastian
    The Weather Station
    @ the Orpheum

    Wednesday, May 1st
    Ty Segall
    @ the Royale

    Wednesday, May 8th
    Chastity Belt
    @ the Sinclair

    Friday, May 10th
    Quicksand
    @ the Royale

    Monday & Tuesday
    May 13th & May 14th
    Mannequin Pussy
    Soul Glo
    @ the Sinclair

    Thursday, Friday, & Saturday
    May 16th, 17th, & 18th
    Jukebox the Ghost
    @ the Sinclair

    Friday, May 17th
    Buck Meek (of Big Thief)
    @ Crystal Ballroom

    Monday, May 20th
    Echo & the Bunnymen
    @ the House of Blues

    Tuesday, June 4th
    Joe Jackson
    @ the Wilbur

    Monday, June 10th
    Bleachers
    Samia
    @ MGM Music Hall

    Sunday, July 16th
    Los Campesinos!
    @ the Paradise

    Tuesday, July 9th
    Alanis Morissette
    Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
    Morgan Wade
    @ the Xfinity Center

    Sunday, July 21st
    Foo Fighters
    The Hives
    Amyl and the Sniffers
    @ Fenway Park

    Friday, August 2nd
    Foreigner
    Styx
    John Waite
    @ Xfinity Center

    Wednesday, August 7th
    Green Day
    Smashing Pumpkins
    Rancid
    The Linda Lindas
    @ Fenway Park

    Monday, August 19th
    King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
    @ the Stage at Suffolk Downs

    Tuesday, September 3rd
    Peter Hook & the Light
    doing both the Joy Division
    & New Order "Substance" LPs
    @ the Paradise

    Friday, September 13th
    Hoodoo Gurus
    @ the Royale

    Tuesday, September 24th
    Idles
    @ Roadrunner

    Wednesday, October 23rd
    OSEES
    @ the Royale