TOP FIVES: Albums of 2013 So Far...
We’ve shuffeled through some of our favourite albums that have been released in the first half of 2013.
It’s been a great year for music here in Australia so far. In the past few months some of our favourite articts have released some great albums that will surely stay with us for decades to come, even though we have a little bit of nineties nostalgia creeping up on us (SMASHING PUMPKINS anyone?).
But here at PURPLE SNEAKERS we’ve shuffled through some of the albums that have been released between the start of our sunny summer, and the start of a weird winter. We’ve got a list of albums that you need to have on you, right now!
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1. DISCLOSURE 'SETTLE'
Guy and Howard are the brothers taking over everyone’s minds. With all the hype around Settle they created before the album was even released, they got many people around the world listening and now that it has been released, it’s knocking everyone out of the water on the iTunes charts. The guests on the album such as SAM SMITH, ALUNAGEORGE, and JESSE WARE provide some great vocals that DISCLOSURE have mixed incredibly.
There are of course those vocalists that you may know, but the boys have also worked with some great up-and-coming acts that are worth a listen. On the track ‘Help Me Lose My Mind’ LONDON GRAMMAR bring an ethereal vibe to the track and make it just magical all round. Another highlight is SINEAD HARNETT on the track ‘Boiling’ as it adds a poppy flavor to the album with a little bit of hip-hop, but of course it’s still DISCLOSURE’s album so they’ve got to take all the credit.
2. THE NATIONAL 'TROUBLE WILL FIND ME'
The melancholy men of THE NATIONAL released their new album Trouble Will Find Me in May of this year and since then of course it’s one of those albums that you just can’t stop listening to. The haunting vocals are addictive and the tracks, like the first single released from the album ‘Demons’, stay in your head for days like a ghost that just won’t leave you alone, in a good way. The compositions of each track are so intricate and everything just seems to flow together brilliantly.
THE NATIONAL have never steered me wrong and I know they don’t plan on doing it to anyone, if they plan on releasing an album, they’ll release a bloody good one. ‘I Should Live In Salt’ is a pretty depressing track, but it’s actually the highlight of the album with the lyrics washing over you like a cooling wave, ‘Humiliation’ has a similar effect making it a close runner-up to its predecessor.
3. JAGWAR MA 'HOWLIN’
Making waves the world over JAGWAR MA have become one of those lovely Australian exports that have made it pretty darn big overseas. Touring Europe and playing various festivals, JAGWAR MA have been making their mark and now with their debut album Howlin’ finally being released, they’ve finally planted their feet in the music world and announcing that they’re here to stay. Howlin’ is a pretty psychedelic record at it’s roots with the melody of ‘The Throw’ moving around in your head like a lost butterfly, it paints a fantastic picture in your head as does ‘Man I Need’.
The good part is the music video for ‘Man I Need’ actually paints pictures in front of your eyes bringing the tracks relaxed vibes out onto the screen for you to be enticed by. Howlin’ is one album that will last a very long time, you’ll be telling your kids about it.
4. THE KNIFE 'SHAKING THE HABITUAL'
With tracks like ‘A Tooth For An Eye’ hopping through your music library, THE KNIFE will most definitely leave a mark, and I think their album Shaking The Habitual has definitely left it’s mark on the early half of 2013. Their experimental tracks are very different to what you usually hear, but the similarities to ANIMAL COLLECTIVE are there, however THE KNIFE seems to have put a tropical environment into Shaking The Habitual that works so god damn well.
The pounding drums that open ‘Wrap Your Arms Around Me’ bring forth a chaotic track that reminds you of ancient people of years gone, but that’s what THE KNIFE have do with this album, they transport you to times and places that have either long been forgotten, or they just don’t pop up in popular music. Shaking The Habitual may be a very tentative album, but boy is it a doozy.
5. WAVVES 'AFRAID OF HEIGHTS'
Many people have said that they hear a lot of WEEZER in WAVVES new album Afraid Of Heights. I personally think you may be able to hear bits and pieces, however the lyrics on certain tracks remind me more of Kurt Cobain and his talent for making the morbid sound fun.
The lyrics on ‘Demon To Lean On’ tell you to “bury me deeply instead” of “holding a gun to my head”, come on that’s bloody morbid however the great crunchy guitars and catchy melody make the most haunting lyrics sound happier. Also on ‘Hippies Is Punks’ “misery is a fleeting feeling” and the story of a relationship that has ended but still lingering on both parties minds, it’s amped up by those awesome melodies again and harmonies that make Nathan Williams sound so great. Afraid Of Heights is a more mature album for WAVVES, and it’s one of the best of 2013 because it’s actually a lot more poetic than you think.
Words by Lauren Payne
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