Albums of the Year: Part One

We're showing our hand pretty late this year and honestly, there's not that many good reasons. But for now, here's some words from Braden.

Hi there, before I begin, let me explain. Toby figured out some form of algorithm that I found to be really very complicated, but, I trusted him and his unwavering vision of some form of democracy and frankly, the results speak for themselves. They're the reason he's in charge around here; why he's asleep somewhere whilst I'm writing the albums of the year introduction. I could write anything...
This year, Robin Thicke made me lose my faith in the public and Miley Cyrus' press made me lose faith in sanity. Luckily, our team here are better than both and they've outdone themselves this year. We're still a small fish in a big ocean, but this year we put a show on on the underground, we talked to some amazing musicians and got allowed to hang out in some of the most amazing fields. This job's not made worthwhile by the money we earn from it; because we earn none. No, this job's made worthwhile by the fact that we get to listen to music, new music, basically every day. It's made worthwhile by you coming to us and telling us that you liked something we wrote/shot. It's made worthwhile by someone at a gig saying they've read your site. Heck, it's even made worth while by the occasional staff gathering for drinks/burritos/records/gigs.
The only thing that's left to ask really is; what happens when music, which is entirely subjective, gets listened to across a year, by people that you trust to bring it to you?
Answer? A top 50.
Shout at us, praise us, point us in the way of something new. Most of all though, incase I don't get the chance to say it again in 2013, thank you.

Braden Fletcher (Co-Editor)

50. Nai Harvest – Whatever
A key factor in Nai Harvest's force is their clear understanding of the genre they are in, their representation of the other genres that represent them and their unabashed enthusiasm to create something passionate and distinctly their own.  

With a few years under their belt and a chance to settle into themselves comes the release of 'WHATEVER', their album. In truth, this album is the album they were supposed to make.

Elliot H

49. FIDLAR – FIDLAR 

FIDLAR are a four-piece punk outfit from Los Angeles and I use punk in the official sense, not as some kind of fashion campaign by Topshop. They took their name from the skater saying ‘Fuck It Dog, Life’s A Risk’ and although they won’t change the world on this first outing it is evidence that there is still room for a dumb and brutal rock album. This is a venture into feedback and riffery that isn’t particularly vogue at the moment but clearly doesn’t give a shit.

Paul S

48. The Knife – Shaking the Habitual

47.  Lorde – Pure Herione

46. Jessy Lanza – Pull My Hair Back

45. Fuck Buttons – Slow Focus

44. Anamanaguchi - Endless Fantasy

Anamanaguchi also feature in our Label of the Year feature for Alcopop Records!

43. Daughter - If You Leave
If You Leave proves that Daughter have gone from creating music focused on pain, to creating music that encapsulates pain and acts as medicine. Some may call it depressing, I’d argue they’ve not listened hard enough.
Braden F

42. King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath The Moon
The Zookid's come a long way. He's been on Letterman and he's been around the world. Not something you'd expect from an album so sparse and honest. That Archie's still got such a great buzz around his name after years of toying with the idea of putting a record together, is testament to the pure enjoyability of a record built around the sound of a crumbling capital city. King Krule has the capacity in him to create a life out of this record and he's hardly the kind that's going to get carried away by fame.
Braden F


41. And So I Watch You From Afar - All Hail Bright Futures
Cementing their place as one of the UK's most exciting acts both on record and stage, ASIWYFA's third record is a jubilant celebration of post-rock and alternative music as a whole alike. Swelling from it's beginnings, it quickly becomes the kind of record you can soundtrack only the most enjoyable of lives to. In contrast to their second, darker record, AHBF is magnificent.
Braden F



40. Of Montreal - Lousy WIth Sylvianbriar

Nai Harvest - Whatever

It has been interesting to see how the trail of underground punk has altered and evolved over the last few years; or at the very least, from the route on which I have found myself. Over the last two years, there has been a very gradual but solid revival of emo, a genre somewhat redefined by the early 00's post-screamo boomers. But I wont give you a history lesson in the chronology of the emo/screamo scene, as, frankly, I'm not educated enough on the subject. Look it up.

However, it's fair to say that Nai Harvest do. Finding themselves as fair spearheads for the modern emo resurgence, their get up and go ethics, punk enthusiasm and thirst for shows has found them a place on an the modern map of emo (or something). Noted for their fair use of the twiddle and dismissal of the power chord, they built themselves a reputation within the emo/punk/hardcore scene for their seeming mastering of combining the sensibilities of emo and making it catchy as hell. The song "The Bikes And The Basement" was arguably the tipping point for a lot of hardcore kids to consider emo in a way they hadn't before, if at all. The song is formidable, in terms of craft. From the smart, yet tight and powerful drumming to the delicious arpeggio harmonic tapping guitar. A key factor in Nai Harvest's force is their clear understanding of the genre they are in, their representation of the other genres that represent them and their unabashed enthusiasm to create something passionate and distinctly their own. 

With a few years under their belt and a chance to settle into themselves comes the release of 'WHATEVER', their album. In truth, this album is the album they were supposed to make. It represents everything about what made the band distinctive. Despite clearly wanting to lessen the usage of the twiddle and implement a stronger college rock edge to their sound, it would be foolish to say that this isn't the same band that they started as. Taking in more of a well rounded influence from heavy 90s grunge and college rock bands, 'WHATEVER' seals the archive of the band's catalogue into a tidy package. And you can see the bands development in the actual album. The eponymous opening track bares a lot of similarities, in terms of aesthetic, to the band's earlier work, to be totally pushed aside for the more straight and to the point 'FLOOR' which follows after. It almost feels like a conscious effort to say: 'Do you remember what we used to sound like? Like this, yeah. Well, whatever, we've moved on. You've had a sucker-taste of our old sound, and here is how we sound now". This might be one of the best releases this year so far. I highly recommend it.

8

Eliot Humphreys