twostepcub's Faves of 2013 - The Albums...

Hey gang, the new year is here, but I'm still looking back on 2013, as I just finished my recap of the 100 biggest songs on my personal chart last year. However there was such a heap of good music that didn't quite make the charts in a big way that I wanted to throw out some of my favorite albums and singles that you should seek out...

Chvrches - The Bones Of What You Believe

Seemingly plucked from the early-80s, with also an obsession for early New Order, this Scottish trio's debut album was everything I was looking for this year.

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Pet Shop Boys -Electric

After leaving longtime label Parlophone, the iconic electr-pop duo updated their sound and came back swinging with their best album in a decade. Instrumental opener "Axis" and their collab with Example "Thursday" are highlights, but the album works best as a whole.


The Lone Bellow - The Lone Bellow

As mainstream country radio was an endless stream of pin-up boys trying to out-"butch" each other, this hipster trio from Brooklyn showed them all about the real tradition of the genre.
 

Stromae - Racine Carree'

The Belgian singer/songwriter had a one-off international hit with "Alors En Danse" in 2009, and it looked like a fluke hit. But his sophomore album is simply amazing, with songs like "Papaoutai" and "Tous Les Memes" standing out but not eclipsing the rest of the album. You may not understand the lyrics if you don't speak French, but the rhythm is gonna get you.

Olly Murs - Right Place, Right Time

 The former X Factor UK runner-up had his first big American success with "Troublemaker" off this album, but the whole set is really tight, showing Olly's got legs in this biz.

Agnetha Faltskog - A

After waiting 17 years from her last 80s English-language album until 2004's My Colouring Book, the ABBA queen took another nine years to kick out it's successor, with a Cher-ish set of songs aimed for the club crowd and even scoring a duet with Take That hunk Gary Barlow in the process.


Robbie Williams -Swings Both Ways

A sequel of sorts to his big-band album Swing While Your Winning in 2001, this UK chart-topping set reunites the Take That sideman with collaborator and producer Guy Chambers. The results are a focused and fun effort that shows that you can age gracefully.

Volbeat - Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies

The Danish band was the best thing to happen to heavy metal in the last couple years, with two solid albums that crossed over to American shores.

Rudimental - Home

There was a lot of great dance/electronic music coming out of England this year, and this stunner, the best of the drum and bass set, kept spinning hit single after hit single, with guests Emeli Sande, Ella Eyre, John Newman (see below), and Foxes bringing their best to the party.

John Newman - Tribute

This British newcomer came out of nowhere to be this generation's grittier Rick Astley, with a booming voice belying his fresh looks, and "Cheating" simply was one of the best pop songs of the year. Hopefully with "Love Me Again" catching on in the States, his full-length debut will see success American shores when it gets released on January 7th.

Alice In Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here

The veteran post-grungers' second album with lead singer William DuVall showed them back in their classic groove, with three chart-topping rock hits.

Empire Of The Sun - Ice On The Dune

The Australian electropop duo's second album improved on their debut with ethereal soundscapes and a laser-like focusing of their eccentricities into a digestible set of songs.

Delta Rae - Carry The Fire

This debut album but the North Carolinian blues-rock group actually came out in the summer of 2012, but it wasn't until this year that they got noticed on radio. Great set of heart-felt songs, with "Bottom Of The River" also making a show on the first airing of the fourth season of The Sing-Off...

Kacey Musgraves - Same Trailer, Different Park

With a New Artist ACM award and a pending Grammy nod, this set isn't exactly a hidden nugget, but this is the first mainstream country record you should seek out if you're not a fan of the genre. Refreshingly different from anything else that got played on the radio (save Little Big Town and The Band Perry).

Boy George - This Is What I Do

It's so cool for George to be at peace with himself and at mind to sit and write a traditional pop record again.

Disclosure - Settle

I was thrilled when I heard that this neo-house masterpiece had gotten a nom for a Grammy. This takes me right back to 1994, and I don't mean doin' the Diffie.

I'll return with some of the best overlooked singles of the year...