TOP 10 ABLUMS OF 2013

It's been a year since I have posted anything to my blog. I honestly thought that I was done writing. A busy and full life will do that to a person. But music has always been such a huge part of my life and I never stopped listening. In fact I listen to more music now that I did even when I was writing. Perhaps I have more time to listen because I am NOT writing. In any event, this year has been an especially great year for music and many have asked me about my favorite albums of the year. This question got me inspired to spring into action and write about those albums. So here they are.....

10. Jason Isbell, Southeastern

People still refer to Isbell as the former member of Drive By Truckers. I love that band, but Isbell has been on his own since 2007, which is quite a while. In that time, Isbell has established himself as a special songwriter and singer. On Southeastern, Isbell reaches new hights with both. In an interview with Rolling Stone Esbell said that after getting sober, writing and recording the new album felt more natural to him.... and telling the story of his recovery has become part of his existence. Fortunately for us we all become the second beneficiary of sobriety. His story telling and life observations have never been better. Here is a song from the album, a song about cancer, that exemplifies what is so special about Isbell's songwriting.

9. Savages, Silence Yourself

Silence Yourself  by Savages is a debut that demands attention. The London-based post-punk band, made up of four women, comes out swinging with a sound that is loud, sharp, and fully locked in. Jehnny Beth’s vocals cut through with urgency, while the band delivers tight, rhythmic, and unflinching performances. Guitarist Gemma Thompson has said the name Savages reflects the tension between beauty and destruction, an idea the band leans into throughout the album. These are not love songs. They are raw, forceful statements shaped by influences ranging from Black Sabbath to war poetry. Silence Yourself is not just an album, it's a call to arms.

8. Daft Punk, Random Access Memories

I will admit that this album was one of my guilty pleasures of this past year. But that's OK, I know that I am not alone. Who hasn't found him or herself singing along to Get Lucky, which is right up there with the best songs of the year. Yet this album is so much more than a great sing-along-song. This French duo, know for their electronic music, pays homage to the best of the disco era while keeping their feet firmly planted in the here and now. This fusion of musical styles and eras works flawlessly and creates an awesome album. 

7. Kacey Musgraves, Same Trailer Different Park

Kacey Musgraves’ debut album Same Trailer Different Park introduced a sharp, clear voice in country music, one unafraid to mix small-town storytelling with a modern, wry point of view. Her songs unfold in vivid detail, from the restless dreams of “Silver Lining” to the quiet defiance of “Follow Your Arrow'” The arrangements are warm and uncluttered, letting banjo, pedal steel, and acoustic guitar frame her lyrics. It’s a record rooted in tradition but firmly of our time, the work of a young songwriter who knows exactly what she wants to say and how she wants to say it.

6. Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires Of The City

Vampire Weekend’s songs shine on Modern Vampires of the City. This album is pure pop joy, each track carrying an energy that pulses with life and intention. What captivates me most is the way the band layers each song with sounds and textures that give them such richness and warmth, from delicate piano lines and shimmering guitar to unexpected percussion and vocal harmonies that feel like they’ve been carefully stitched into place. It’s a record that invites you in on the first listen and keeps revealing new details with every return.

5. Phosphorescent, Muchacho

Matthew Houck, who performs under the moniker Phosphorescent, was one of my great musical discoveries this year. I don't know quite how Houck escaped my musical radar for so many years. Now, having listed to his entire catalog of music, I can say that Houck is a special musical artist. With this said, while Houck has written some truly great songs in the past, Muchacho is his first fully realized album. Like a number of the albums on my best of list this year, Muchacho is an album that needs to be listened to and experienced in its entirety.

4. Jake Bug, Jake Bug

Jake Bugg’s self-titled debut is lean, sharp, and confident. Released when he was just 18, the album draws from early rock and roll, British folk, and a bit of punk attitude, all delivered with a clear sense of purpose. His voice is rough around the edges in a way that fits the songs—quick bursts about working-class life, growing up fast, and trying to find a way forward. Tracks like “Lightning Bolt” and “Two Fingers” showed he could write catchy songs without smoothing anything out. It is a strong first statement from an artist who arrived fully formed.e band’s more playful past. I put it up there with the band's best.

3. The National, Trouble Will Find Me

Not much for me to say here. I'm a bit biased when it comes to this band. In my heart and mind, The National can do no wrong. Fortunately for me, the band has not proven me wrong yet. Trouble Will find Me is another exceptional album by one of the best bands in the country. 

2. Arcade Fire, Reflektor

Influenced by Haitian rara music, the 1959 film Black Orpheus, and Søren Kierkegaard’s essay Two Ages, Reflektor marks a bold shift in Arcade Fire’s sound. The band leans into dance rhythms, layered percussion, and expansive arrangements, moving away from the more straightforward rock structures of their earlier work. Across its two-disc, 75-minute runtime, the album unfolds like a journey, full of stylistic shifts and sonic experiments that still feel tied together by its ambition and scope. Lyrically, it wrestles with themes of identity, isolation, and the ways technology shapes human connection, often blurring the line between intimacy and distance. From the propulsive opener “Reflektor” to the haunting 11-minute closer “Supersymmetry,” it is a record designed to be experienced as a whole—grand, immersive, and unapologetically committed to its vision.

1. Arctic Monkeys, AM

My son says that AM is the best Arctic Monkeys album yet. It is hard for me to agree or disagree with him, because comparing it to the band’s first two albums feels like comparing apples to oranges. I loved the explosive energy, sharp edges, and youthful swagger of those early records, and I never really wanted their sound to change. But bands evolve, and Arctic Monkeys have done so without losing their identity. AM trades some of that raw speed for a slower, heavier groove, pulling in elements of R&B, hip-hop beats, and desert rock alongside their guitar-driven core. The result is a record that feels both sleek and assured, filled with memorable hooks and lyrics that stick. Over the years, the band has grown and matured, and so has their songwriting. Now I find myself not only accepting where they are today, but absolutely loving it, with AM standing as proof that change can bring out the best in a band.