Friday, June 28, 2013

Here we are at the Halfway Point...

The year 2013 is closing in on Half Over(!) and we always like to pause and reflect on what were our favorite releases of the previous six months.  This year was rather bizarre for us due to the fact that we opened a store late after closing a store and sitting in limbo for nearly three months.  However, that doesn't mean we were inactive listeners, and if anything, we were MORE active due to our reflection time. 

Lists are a funny thing.  They seem to have gotten more and more popular over the past few years as the internet has exploded with social media.  They are also completely subjective as everyone has their own idea of what their list would or should look like, and they are not really indicative of what is the best work from a musical or marketing point of view.  The reason we stress over these lists is to share our discoveries with others in the hope that they will also seek out some of these things and help the store and the artists financially through purchase of their work.  This work makes us, in effect, facilitators.  That being said, there are some truly great albums being released this year, maybe more than ever before.  Do not shut yourself off to the possibility of new art infiltrating your life and affecting your world.

So here you go, these are our favorites of 2013 as of the midpoint:


40) GOLD FIELDS--Black Sun
39) JOHNNY MARR--The Messenger
38) THE NATIONAL--Trouble Will Find Me
37) RHYE--Woman
36) SMITH WESTERNS--Soft Will
35) EMPIRE OF THE SUN--Ice on the Dune
34) FLAMING LIPS--The Terror
33) FOXYGEN--We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic
32) CAMERA OBSCURA--Desire Lines
31) VISAGE--Hearts & Knives
30) PHOENIX--Bankrupt!
29) ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER--Personal Record
28) SAVAGES--Silence Yourself
27) NEW ORDER--Lost Sirens
26) OCEAN BLUE--Ultramarine
25) LAURA MARLING--Once I Was an Eagle
24) CLUB 8--Above the City
23) YOUNG GALAXY--Ultramarine
22) DEPECHE MODE--Delta Machine
21) MARY ONETTES--Hit the Waves
20) JOSEPH ARTHUR--Ballad of Boogie Christ
19) IAMX--Unified Field
18) LITTLE BOOTS--Nocturnes
17) DAFT PUNK--Random Access Memories
16) SIGUR ROS--Kveikur
15) VAMPIRE WEEKEND--Modern Vampires of the City
14) TEGAN & SARA--Heartthrob
13) FUTURE BIBLE HEROES--Partygoing
12) THE VEILS--Time Stays, We Go
11) YEAH YEAH YEAHS--Mosquito

10) OMD--English Electric
9) SHOUT OUT LOUDS--Optica
8) SUEDE--Bloodsports
7) NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS--Push the Sky Away
6) ALISON MOYET--The Minutes
5) THE KNIFE--Shaking the Habitual
4) WOODKID--Golden Age
3) JOHN GRANT--Pale Green Ghosts
2) DAVID BOWIE--The Next Day
1) PRIMAL SCREAM--More Light


What were your favorites?  Let us know, and look for our big year end list in another six months.  More entries are going to shake up this list by then, likely including Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, Nine Inch Nails, Pet Shop Boys, and Goldfrapp.  Spaces are getting tight already...

Remember, this list is purely subjective, so just because it isn't on this list does not mean it isn't great.  These are just the ones that resonated with us on a more personal level.  Thanks for reading!
--Jason@Electric Avenue