Favorite Music of 2013 - Part 2

Favorites from 2013 from nateabels on 8tracks Radio.

1. Javelin, “Hi-Beams” - this upbeat album edged out the excellent "Muchacho" because it is so damn fun and I'm not always in the mood for the often somber tone of Phosphorescent. I'm amazed that this wasn't on more lists this year. 
2. Phosphorescent, “Muchacho” - easily could be number one as well - a exceptional album with a complex variety of instrumentation, big choral introductions, and jangly choruses
3. Kurt Vile, “Waking on a Pretty Daze” - he played an awesome set at the Bluebird earlier this year - nice laid back rock album
4. William Onyeabor, “Who is William Onyeabor?” - a re-issue of 1970s/80s Nigerian electronic music - infectiously energetic -basically functioned as the soundtrack for our December road trip
5. M. Sage – numerous cassette releases from the prolific Ft. Collins based ambient arranger
6. Monster Rally, “Return to Paradise” - a highly recommended beat album full of chill tropical/lounge samples - the kind of thing you can put on during most any event and play it all the way through
7. Willow Beats, “Alchemy” -five organic/robotic glitched out electronic songs make for an excellent ep
8. Jai Paul – demos - not an official release, but it still managed to make it onto tons of lists at the end of the year because these chill dubstep influenced pop gems are so good
9. Black Swan, “Redemption” - not something I play every day, but as far as very dark drone/ambient compositions go Black Swan is one of the best
10. Forest Swords, “Engravings” - strange broken up spare beats and samples - very dark
11. Polica, “Shulamith” - great synth pop - vocalist is awesome
12. Dirty Beaches, “Drifters/Love is the Devil” - a smokey double-album with a lot of tension and mystery - something I think I'll be listening to a lot more in the winter months
13. Deerhunter, “Monomania” - they played a loud, noisey set at the Bluebird this year and I really enjoyed it - this album is more of a noise-rock album than their previous releases that tend to have more atmospherics
14. Julianna Barwick, “Nepenthe” - beautiful choral compositions
15. Shipmate, “Mint”, “Static” -humble 4/4 lo-fi autotuned RnB from Ft. Collins- both albums are a free download

Worth Mentioning:

• No Joy, “Wait to Pleasure” - nice shoegaze album I need to sink my teeth into
• Vampire Weekend, “Modern Vampires” - supposed to be a great album but I really haven't listened to it enough
• The Knife, “Shaking the Habitual” - sometimes hard to listen to, but other times it is exceptionally creative
• Arcade Fire, “Reflector” - a bit on the fence about it - "Reflector" made a big first impression but that has tarnished a little upon further listens...still a not-as-good Arcade Fire album is superior to most other artists better ones
• Invasions, “Invasions” - western-tinged surf! need to listen to it more, but I've enjoyed it quite a bit on initial listens
• Califone, “Stitches” - probably should be on the list above - solid quiet acoustic/rock album
• Midlake, "Antiphon"

I know I forgot some great albums... There are numerous other instrumental albums/tapes that I listed previously as part of my Favorite Ambient Cassettes of 2013 (see below)

Memorable Films:
I didn't see many this year, but these few stood out: 

• Act of Killing (very heavy but powerful)
• Gravity
• The Great Beauty
• Anchorman 2 (could do without about an hour in the middle of this over-long movie but the beginning and end were fun, even if they were mostly reworkings of the first movie)

2013 Concerts

• Califone living room show
• Lake Mary @ Groundswell Gallery
• Julianna Barwick @ Leon Gallery
• Destroyer @ the Larimer Lounge
• Deerhunter @ the Bluebird
• Kurt Vile @ the Bluebird
• Noveller @ Goldrush Festival
• Midlake @ the Larimer Lounge
• Robert Plant/Black Angels @ Red Rocks
• Heinavanker @ St. John’s Cathedral

Favorites from my previous lists:
2012: Sharon Van Etten
2011: The War on Drugs
2010: Beach House
2009: Bill Callahan
2008: The Walkmen

Favorites from 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 , and 2008.

Recommended Studio Music: Black Swan (not the movie)

I've been listening to "Music in 8 Movements" a whole lot lately. Experimedia describes it this way;

"Black Swan emerges from the shadowy billows of smoke to immerse listeners in a lucid, cavernous dream, tracing silhouettes in the darkness with drowning ambience and orchestrated drones that screech and howl intermittently amongst the disorienting magnetic tape disturbances. Black Swan operates under a guise of far-away sounds traveling through murky waters, drowning the listener in its heavy-handed layers of ghostly resonance."

It really is exceptional.

New Music to Check Out

There have been several exceptional new releases in the last few weeks and days - here are a few you shouldn't miss.

The Onion's A.V. Club said of Midlake's new album "The Courage of Others", "Midlake’s sound is less about its influences than the atmosphere it creates: akin to being stranded in a dark place, unsure whether to search for a way out or get used to the surroundings."



Yeasayer's new album "Odd Blood" is even better than their last:



Broken Bells - made up of James Mercer (of the Shins) and Danger Mouse (I woke up with this song in my head this morning):

BROKEN BELLS, "THE HIGH ROAD" from EJ on Vimeo.

Music For Your Studio; Vol. 19

girls in the eighties, "teenage royalty"
(follow the artist's link to media fire - it is a rar file, so you might need winRar to unzip it -which is also a free download)

I've been posting a lot of instrumental music for the weekly recommendation, but the truth is I normally don't listen to instrumental music while I paint. So this week I'm recommending a lo-fi fuzzed out pop record by girls in the eighties who describes his music as the sound of "high school bedrooms." It's pretty rough, but if you enjoy Wavves or Natural Numbers (who also has a lot of free music online) this may be up your alley. Check it out - especially the tracks "Too Cool for this Crowd" and "Slow Motion".

Music for Your Studio; Vol. 16

Finn The Giant Meets Sandmonk - Two Worlds Clash

instrumental dub.

thanks for the tip lemonjohn.

Variatons on a theme - Damien Hirst on Album Covers

here's the original in all its glory:

Hiroshi Sugimoto and U2

Given how beautiful they are I guess it shouldn't be a huge surprise that a Hiroshi Sugimoto photo is on the front of the upcoming U2 album. It does seem a bit unexpected though - if his photos were used by bands like Sigur Ros or Explosions in the Sky it would seem more appropriate, but U2? Maybe this is their ambient/experimental album. Ha ha.

For more on Hiroshi Sugimoto, check my previous posts.

New Way to Download Music (legally)

Here's their blurb:

"Amie Street helps you discover new music you'll love quickly and easily. With millions of songs to choose from we make it simple and enjoyable to find your next favorite song.

How do we do this? It starts with the fact that all songs on Amie Street are priced from free to 98 cents. Instead of the arbitrary $0.99 per song, on Amie Street the community determines the price of music. Every song starts free, or very cheap, and increases in price, up to 98 cents, as more and more people purchase it.

This variable pricing system ensures that the public gets music at a fair, community-driven price point, and makes it easy for you to find the type of music you want. We then encourage you to talk about the music you like by putting money in your account for more downloads when you recommend songs that continue to rise in price. You can play the music you purchase from anywhere on the web and all Amie Street downloads are iPod compatible DRM-free mp3s. "

I just downloaded the new Coconut Records (Jason Schwartzman) album called "Davy" for a little over 7 bucks! This album is exclusive to Aime St music, but even if you could find it on itunes or zune -you can't beat the price at Amie St - and it is DRM free.

I also picked up the Little Joy album for around five bucks (highly recommended).check out their sweet video:

Doug Burr

I have really been enjoying Doug Burr's album "On Promenade" and I think it is the perfect autumn album. It has a warm, rich feel that gets better with each listen. Check out these beautiful photos by Brandon Lesley of the Tehuacana Sessions, where Doug Burr and Co have recently recorded a side project.

Free (legal) Tunes

A musician I've enjoyed for years, by the name of Richard Swift is giving away a 5 song EP for free. I'd recommend it- like I would recommend all of his albums. Check it out - what have you got to lose?

New Beck Album Today

Side Note

One of my favorite bands, Wolf Parade, just put a new album out yesterday. It is great, just like all of their stuff. This will surly be on my end-of-the-year list of top albums.


Wolf Parade - Soldier's Grin