2013: the albums (40-1)

2013 was a powerful year for great albums, even if the singles category didn't quite stack up to 2012. I listened to about 140 albums this year, some obviously more than others, and have my 40 favorite ones here for you all. I spent most of my word ammo writing up the songs, so what I'll just do here is post the list with links to select tracks (with top 100 ranking).

Like with the tracks list, these things evolve over time. There are albums I've only listened to once this year, while others have practically grated the digital needle to a nub. I may find the time to get back to those other albums later, but not having them here doesn't necessarily mean I didn't like the album! Just to preempt the notion that I have something against your potential favorite; it may end up my favorite, too, I just don't know it yet.

So here we go:

40. Savages - Silence Yourself

Label: Matador
Tracks: 11
Length: 38:39
Choice Tracks: Shut Up (#69), She Will

39. Wild Ones - Keep It Safe

Label: Party Damage
Tracks: 11
Length: 38:36
Choice Tracks: Golden Twin (#60), From Nothing

38. The Joy Formidable - Wolf's Law

Label: Canvasback/ATL
Tracks: 12
Length: 52:43
Choice Tracks: This Ladder Is Ours (#29), The Leopard and the Lung

37. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II

Label: Jagjaguwar
Tracks: 10
Length: 40:24
Choice Tracks: Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark) (#89), So Good at Being in Trouble

36. Neko Case - The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You

Label: Anti/Epitaph
Tracks: 12
Length: 38:14
Choice Tracks: Man (#33), Local Girl (#54), Night Still Comes

35. Quadron - Avalanche

Label: Epic
Tracks: 10
Length: 38:34
Choice Tracks: Crush (#80), Hey Love (#87)

34. Jason Isbell - Southeastern

Label: Southeastern
Tracks: 12
Length: 47:24
Choice Tracks: Cover Me Up, Stockholm, Flying Over Water

33. Julianna Barwick - Nepenthe

Label: Dead Oceans
Tracks: 10
Length: 41:47
Choice Tracks: Forever (#42)

32. Icona Pop - This Is... Icona Pop

Label: Big Beat / WEA
Tracks: 11
Length: 33:04
Choice Tracks: Light Me Up (#26), All Night, On a Roll

31. Volcano Choir - Repave

Label: Jagjaguwar
Tracks: 8
Length: 39:24
Choice Tracks: Alaskans (#96), Keel

30. Cults - Static

Label: Columbia
Tracks: 11
Length: 33:20
Choice Tracks: Shine a Light (#18), I Can Hardly Make You Mine (#28), Keep Your Head Up

29. Fuck Buttons - Slow Focus

Label: ATP
Tracks: 7
Length: 52:18
Choice Tracks: Brainfreeze, The Red Wing

28. Foxygen - We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic

Label: Jagjaguwar
Tracks: 9
Length: 36:53
Choice Tracks: Oh Yeah, Shuggie

27. Tegan and Sara - Heartthrob

Label: Warner
Tracks: 10
Length: 36:29
Choice Tracks: I'm Not Your Hero (#63), Goodbye Goodbye

26. Cold War Kids - Dear Miss Lonelyhearts

Label: Downtown
Tracks: 10
Length: 36:51
Choice Tracks: Miracle Mile (#10), Loner Phase

25. Foals - Holy Fire

Label: Warner
Tracks: 11
Length: 49:44
Choice Tracks: Bad Habit, Milk & Black Spiders

24. London Grammar - If You Wait

Label: 1-2-3-4-GO!
Tracks: 11
Length: 43:28
Choice Tracks: Wasting My Young Years (#40), Hey Now

23. Mutual Benefit - Love's Crushing Diamond

Label: Fat Possum
Tracks: 7
Length: 31:55
Choice Tracks: Advanced Falconry (#84), Strong Swimmer

22. Ski Lodge - Big Heart

Label: Dovecote
Tracks: 11
Length: 40:27
Choice Tracks: Just to Be Like You (#39), Does It Bring You Down

21. Arctic Monkeys - AM

Label: Domino
Tracks: 12
Length: 41:46
Choice Tracks: Snap Out of It (#11), I Want It All

20. Rhye - Woman

Label: Universal
Tracks: 10
Length: 35:57
Choice Tracks: Major Minor Love (#37), The Fall (#98)

19. Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady

Label: Bad Boy
Tracks: 19
Length: 1:07:41
Choice Tracks: Primetime (#24), We Were Rock n' Roll (#46)

18. Washed Out - Paracosm

Label: Sub Pop
Tracks: 9
Length: 41:06
Choice Tracks: All I Know (#62), Weightless

17. Sky Ferreira - Night Time, My Time

Label: Capitol
Tracks: 12
Length: 46:15
Choice Tracks: I Blame Myself ( #51), 24 Hours (#64), Nobody Asked Me (If I Was Okay)

16. Disclosure - Settle

Label: Interscope
Tracks: 14
Length: 1:01:00
Choice Tracks: Latch (#3), Help Me Lose My Mind (#12)

15. Everything Everything - Arc

Label: RCA Victor
Tracks: 13
Length: 48:30
Choice Tracks: Cough Cough (#31), Radiant (#97), Kemosabe

14. Arcade Fire - Reflektor

Label: Merge
Tracks: 13 (+ hidden)
Length: 1:25:23
Choice Tracks: Afterlife (#25), Reflektor (#68), Joan of Arc (#74)

13. Los Campesinos! - No Blues

Label: Wichita
Tracks: 10
Length: 41:48
Choice Tracks: Avocado, Baby (#20), What Death Leaves Behind

12. Young Galaxy - Ultramarine

Label: Paper Bag
Tracks: 10
Length: 39:54
Choice Tracks: Pretty Boy (#1), Out the Gate Backwards (#90), In Fire

11. Daughter - If You Leave

Label: Glassnote
Tracks: 10
Length: 45:41
Choice Tracks: Winter (#16), Human, Youth

10. Lucius - Wildewoman

Label: Mom & Pop
Tracks: 11
Length: 43:57
Choice Tracks: Wildewoman (#41), Hey, Doreen (#75), Tempest

9. Local Natives - Hummingbird

Label: Frenchkiss
Tracks: 11
Length: 43:59
Choice Tracks: Mt. Washington (#30), Three Months (#71), Breakers, Colombia

8. Haim - Days Are Gone

Label: Columbia
Tracks: 11
Length: 44:22
Choice Tracks: Don't Save Me (#7), Honey & I (#22), The Wire (#45), Falling (#66)

7. St. Lucia - When the Night

Label: Columbia
Tracks: 11
Length: 55:25
Choice Tracks: Call Me Up (#8), The Night Comes Again (#49), Elevate (#72), When the Night (#100)

6. Sigur Ros - Kveikur

Label: XL
Tracks: 9
Length: 48:25
Choice Tracks: Rafstraumur (#13), Isjaki (#23), Brennisteinn, Hrafntinna

5. Lorde - Pure Heroine

Label: Motown / Universal
Tracks: 10
Length: 37:09
Choice Tracks: Buzzcut Season (#14), White Teeth Teens (#48), Royals

4. The National - Trouble Will Find Me

Label: 4AD
Tracks: 13
Length: 55:27
Choice Tracks: Sea of Love (#4), Pink Rabbits (#32), Demons (#38), Hard to Find (#53)

3. Phosphorescent - Muchacho

Label: Dead Oceans
Tracks: 10
Length: 46:35
Choice Tracks: The Quotidian Beasts (#6), Song For Zula (#17), Terror in the Canyons (The Wounded Master) (#55)

2. Torres - Torres

Label: Self-Released
Tracks: 10
Length: 51:44
Choice Tracks: Honey (#2), Waterfall (#58), Jealousy and I (#67), November Baby (#99)

1. Chvrches - The Bones of What You Believe

Label: Glassnote
Tracks: 12
Length: 48:10
Choice Tracks: The Mother We Share (#9), Lungs (#21), Strong Hand (#34; Bonus edition only), Night Sky (#56), Gun (#76), We Sink