[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…
- Steph Mangan’s Favorite Albums of 2013 over at BDCwire
- Bill Pearis’ Top 20 LPs of 2013 at BrooklynVegan
- Ian’s Favorite Albums of 2013 at Why Are There So Many Records In My Life?
- Chromewaves’ favourite albums of 2013
- Chris Villon’s (exhausting) Top 10 of 2013 at Boston Hassle
- Mike’s Favorite Songs of 2013 at Sippy Cup Everything
- Steve’s List for 2013 at Baby, You Got A Stew Goin’!
- Sebastian’s Top 25 Albums of 2013 and his accompanying 2013 Year-End List Extravaganza at New Artillery.
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.
[Interview] In-depth with Peyton Pinkerton (on his new solo LP, New Radiant Storm King, Silver Jews, Pernice Brothers, & more)
Posted on December 30, 2013 at 9:24 am | 1 Comment
Earlier this year, Peyton Pinkerton quietly released his first-ever solo record – an LP that quickly became one of my faves of 2013 – and the only thing wrong with that sentence is the word ‘quietly’. It got lost in the shuffle, maybe due to its summertime release, or the never-ending glut of eponymous singer-songwriter fare, or the relative lack of promotion. Whatever the reason, it just didn’t get the attention and praise I thought it deserved.
I’ve often felt the same was true of Northampton’s New Radiant Storm King – the band he co-fronted for nearly two decades – and have tried in my small way to fight that here on the ‘Nac. My disappointment in the band’s break-up was accompanied by the worry that they’d leave music behind and disappear into the day jobs, so it was with much relief that Peyton’s first-ever solo release suddenly appeared last summer.
While his debut may share similar DNA with his band’s final couple records (like the stellar drum work of J.J. O’Connell), it’s a far different beast. Using a wide-ranging sonic palette, it packs genuine emotional depth while showing off some serious home-production skills. Easily one of the best “headphone-worthy” releases in recent memory, there’s a startling, meticulous attention to detail – even after dozens of listens, its many layers continue to reveal themselves. There’s a striking amount of six-string craftsmanship on display, with a bevy of guitar textures used judiciously – summoned as needed, then retreating, never overwhelming each song’s intent. Alternatingly catchy then weird, melodic then dissonant, there’s so much going on stylistically that it’s hard to pin down, difficult to describe. At its most reductive it’s “indie rock” – the label unavoidably pinned to his former band – but it often transcends that. As much as I love/loved NRSK, it feels like ending the band has set Peyton free.
Over the past couple months, he was gracious enough to honor my request for a back-n-forth email interview, and not only did he honor it, he went above and beyond – he was open to any questions, answered each thoughtfully, and as you’ll see, his genuine candor is refreshing. He dives deep into the early days of NRSK, his musical collaborations (with Silver Jews, Pernice Brothers, Miracle Legion’s Mark Mulcahy), and is very forthcoming about the impact of recently-disclosed mental illness on his creativity.
Peyton was also kind enough to offer up a couple of unreleased non-album tracks for sharing (instrumental “Bouzouki” and the recently-recorded “Silent Grotesque“), alongside my own two favorites from the record (the propulsive, paranoid “Pharmacies & Bars” and the elegiac “Arshile Gorky“).
So dig into these words (and sounds) from Mr. Peyton Pinkerton, look below for links where you can read more, and grab a copy of his LP from Darla. You’ll thank me later…
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