Scenewave Top Albums & Tracks 2013: Staff Picks
Words by Scenewave Australia - Published on December 16, 2013
Well, it’s here. The most important retrospective music lists you’ll ever read.
Scenewave Staff Picks: Top Albums & Tracks of 2013
HADLEY: Albums
1. Parquet Courts – Light Up Gold
2. The Drones – I See Seaweed
3. Dick Diver – Calendar Days
4. Deerhunter – Monomania
5. Kurt Vile – Walkin On A Pretty Daze
6. King Krule – 6 Feet Beneath The Moon
7. The National – Trouble Will Find Me
8. Waxahatchee – Cerulean Salt
9. Foxygen – We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic
10. Yo La Tengo – Fade
HADLEY: Tracks
1. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Jubilee Street
2. Parquet Courts – Master of My Craft
3. Kurt Vile – Girl Called Alex
4. King Krule – Easy Easy
5. Dick Diver – Lime Green Shirt
6. Foxygen – No Destruction
7. Scott & Charlene’s Wedding – Junk Shop
8. Pixies – Bagboy
9.Queens Of The Stone Age – If I Had A Tail
10. Courtney Barnett – Avant Gardener
GIFFO: Albums
1. Arcade Fire – Reflektor
Their best since Funeral by far, and nearly comes close to it. They have so much confidence shown by how easily they are able to master other genres. Anyone who doesn’t dig this album just doesn’t have good enough headphones.
2. Cut Copy – Free Your Mind
3. The National – Trouble Will Find Me
4. Lorde – Pure Heroine
5. Jagwar Ma – Howlin’
6. Foals – Holy Fire
7. Arctic Monkeys – AM
8. Local Natives – Hummingbird
9. Cloud Control – Dream Cave
10. CHVRCHES – The Bones of What You Believe
GIFFO – Tracks
1. Arcade Fire – Reflektor
2. Cut Copy – Free Your Mind
3. Lorde – A World Alone
4. The National – Pink Rabbits
5. Holy Ghost! – Dumb Disco Ideas
Just a flashback to the ’80s with the Depeche Mode, New Order influences and they do it so well. That driving beat will get yo chair dancing on.
6. Local Natives – Black Balloons
7. Jagwar Ma – Come Save Me
8. CHVRCHES – Gun
9. Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know
10. Cloud Control – Dojo Rising
NATHAN – Tracks
1. Vampire Weekend – Hannah Hunt
2. Is Tropical – Dancing Anymore
3. Arcade Fire – It’s Never Over (Hey Orpheus)
4. Lorde – 400 Luxe
5. Jagwar Ma – Let Her Go
6. Arctic Monkeys – Arabella
7. Local Natives – Mt Washington
8. Cloud Control – Dojo Rising
9. Tribes – Wrapped Up In A Carpet
10. The National – Humiliation
GREG – Albums
1. Born Ruffians – Birthmarks
The Canadians’ latest album certainly isn’t as sporadic or as up-tempo as previous releases and as a consequence it lacks some of their liveliness and charm. Birthmarks makes up for this however, with a more polished and focused sound. The album came out about the same time I was coaching an u/12’s rugby team so incidentally I became fairly well acquainted with the album during the 30 minute drives to and from Saturday matches. So even though I now associate Birthmarks with a victory-less coaching career, and feel the urge to yell at little kids whenever I hear the words “Needle in the hay,” it’s remained my personal favourite LP for this year.
2. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City
3. Group Love – Spreading Rumors
4. The National – Trouble Will Find Me
5. Telekinesis – Dormarion
6. Cave Rave – Crystal Fighters
7. Jagwar Ma – Howling
8. Dutch Uncles – Out of Touch in the Wild
9. Delta Riggs – Hex.Lover.Killer
10. Cloud Control – Dream Cave
GREG – Tracks:
1. Vance Joy – Riptide
Like “Pumped Up Kicks”, “Thrift Shop” and many more before it, popular radio did its best to murder yet another song I loved, Riptide. Despite hearing it countless times, I still really enjoy it and can’t help but sing along. I’m not alone either, according to ARIA, the single went triple platinum in Australia back in November.
2. Max Frost – White Lies
3. Vampire Weekend – Finger Back
4. Born Ruffians – Permanent Hesitation
5. Disclosure and Eliza Doolittle – You & Me (Flume remix)
6. Jagwar Ma – Let Her Go
7. Telekenesis – Power Lines
8. Cloud Control – Happy Birthday
9. The Delta Riggs – America
10.Lime Cordiale – Sleeping At Your Door
LAUREN – Albums (In no particular order)
1. Tricky – False Idols
This album blew me away. Sultry and dark, it is dripping with sex and sensuality from start to end. The finest trip hop offering I’ve heard in a long while. More than six months since release, I still can’t stop listening to this phenomenal work.
2. Arctic Monkeys – AM
3. Kanye West – Yeezus
4. James Blake – Overgrown
5. Janelle Monae – Electric Lady
6. The Drones – I See Seaweed
7. Queens of the Stone Age – …Like Clockwork
8. Akron/Family – Sub Verses
9.Autre Ne Veut – Warning
10. Lorde OR Death Grips OR Bonobo. I still can’t decide.
LAUREN – Tracks – (In no particular order)
1. Tricky – Parentheses
2. Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know
3. Autre Ne Veut – Counting
4. Justin Timberlake – Pusher Love Girl
5. Janelle Monae ft Prince – Give ’em What They Love
This is one of those tracks that I played on repeat for an entire day when I first heard it. Janelle Monae is a goddess who keeps getting better and cooler and more amazing. Add our purple overlord into the mix and you get this flawless, epic, supremely funky track.
6. The Drones – I See Seaweed
7. Flume & Chet Faker – Drop the Game
8. Akron/Family – No Room
9. Kanye West – Blood On The Leaves
10.King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – 30 past 7
LISEL – Albums
1. Autre Ne Veut – Anxiety
Anxiety is no ordinary album. It bends and warps through genres, juxtaposing soulful dark RnB symphonies with shimmering alt pop. Arthur Ashin’s voice screams with passion, evoking deep sexual undertones and emotional turmoil. There is not a single song on this album that has not been skilfully crafted and honed to perfection.
2. Cut Copy – Free Your Mind
3. Crystal Fighters – Cave Rave
4. Disclosure – Settle
5. Peace – In Love
6. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
7. Haim – Days Are Gone
8. Jagwar Ma – Howlin’
9. Arcade Fire – Reflektor
10. Palma Violets – 180
LISEL – Tracks
1. Cut Copy – We are Explorers
2. Autre Ne Veut – Counting
3. Phosphorescent – Ride On/ Right On
4. Moderat – Bad Kingdom
Shivers ran down my spine when I first listened to this song, and sometimes they still do. This throbbing, noir audio masterpiece requires booming Bass and a contemplative soul.
5. Crystal Fighters – Wave
6. MTNS – Lost Track of Time
7. CHVRCHES – The Mother We Share
8. Swim Deep – She Changes The Weather
9. Vampire Weekend – Hannah Hunt
10. King Krule – Easy Easy
MARCO – Albums
1. Arctic Monkeys – AM
2. Jagwar Ma – Howlin
3. !!! – ThrIIIer
4. Letherette – Letherette
5. Classixx – Hanging Gardens
6. Bonobo – The Northern Benders
7. Disclosure – Settle
8. Jon Hopkins – Immunity
9. CHRVCHES – The Bones of What You Believe
10. Everything Everything – Arc
MARCO – Tracks
1. Is Tropical – Dancing Anymore
2. Disclosure – When A Fire Starts to Burn
3. Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know
Possibly the hardest sentence to write all year, but hands down a tune that grabbed me and gave me an uppercut from first listen was ‘Do I Wanna Know’. The tune’s simplicity and horrendous ooze of sex appeal, has Turner and co providing once again a favourite song/album without a doubt.
4. Lil Silva – Salient Sarah
5. Cut Copy – Footsteps
6. Bonobo – Emkay
7. Green Velvet – Bigger Than Prince (Hot Since 82 remix)
8. Mount Kimbie – Made To Stray
9. Phosphorescent – Song for Zula
10. MT WARNING – Youth Bird
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