Thursday, January 2, 2014

Best Songs of 2013


I've been gone for a long time-- trying to adjust to a new space, a new energy and a new life. 2014 feels charged, like I'm truly going to take control of my life so that I can be in the places I want to be in and follow a path that fulfills me and challenges me to rise to the occasion and enjoy myself. Thankfully, regardless of all its other hiccups, 2013 was a great year for music, which helped carry me along the way when I was feeling hopeless or reckless or helpless or shameless...

I used to listen to a lot more indie/alternative rock, but this year found me opening my mind to more electronic and dance music, so you'll see this playlist develop slowly from album rock into tracks that are worth dancing to (or at least belting out in the car at top volume). I did a lot of thinking in 2013, which led to a lot of instrumental tracks without words. I guess this last year I spent more time focusing on the feelings of things rather than how to speak to them.

Top albums of 2013 were pretty difficult to narrow down, which is why I chose to make a playlist instead, but I would say these fit the bill: Arcade Fire - Reflektor, Rhye - Open, Shigeto - No Better Time Than Now, Jagwar Ma - Howlin and Bonobo - The North Borders.

This playlist is in no particular order, but hope you'll enjoy the flow and don't find it too schizophrenic.

Lorde - Ribs
David Lynch - Star Dream Girl

Local Natives - Heavy Feet
Rhye - Open
Washed Out - All I Know
White Denim - Pretty Green
Jagwar Ma - Uncertainty
Arcade Fire - Afterlife
Jon Hopkins - Open Eye Signal
Basecamp - Smoke Filled Lungs
Jessie Ware - Wildest Moments
Yuna - I Wanna Go
RAC feat. Kele & MNDR - Let Go
Hanni El Khatib - Penny
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)
Blood Orange - You're Not Good Enough
Kanye West - Bound 2
Classixx feat. Sarah Chernoff - Stranger Love (RAC Remix)
Movement - Us

Shigeto - Detroit Part 1
Daft Punk feat. Panda Bear - Doin' It Right
tUnE-yArDs, ?uestlove, Angelique Kidjo & Akua Naru - Lady (from Red Hot + Fela)
Thee Oh Sees - I Come From The Mountain
The National - Don't Swallow the Cap
Yo La Tengo - Before We Run
CHVRCHES - The Mother We Share
Phosphorescent - Song for Zula
Cayucas - High School Lover
Drake - Hold On, We're Going Home
Disclosure - You & Me (Flume Remix)
Gold Panda - Community
Tokimonsta feat. MNDR - Go With It

Machinedrum - Clissold VIP
Anenon - Ghost Light
Boards of Canada - Nothing Is Real
Courtney Bartlett - Avant Gardener
Kings of Leon - Supersoaker

Mayer Hawthorne - The Stars are Ours
Bonobo - Cirrus






For those of you who don't have Spotify, never fear (but seriously, you should get it), I've also compiled a much briefer playlist of my favorite collected tracks on Soundcloud this year, mostly remixes and things that I haven't been able to grab from Spotify.



One more concession for those of you without Spotify-- I've made a playlist on YouTube showcasing all the songs on my Best of 2013 list for you to enjoy musically as well as visually!



Happy 2014, everyone. Let's make it the best year yet!

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