The Top 25 Tracks of 2013: 11-25

This blog was never designed to be a music news blog, but if I don't post my favorite tracks from 2013 as a compilation then they will never get posted in a soundtrack-style playlist at all.  So without further ado, here are my Top 25 Tracks of 2013 - the songs that rose above the noise, pushed boundaries, and made me excited about music again.

(Not all of these were on Spotify so you'll have to click the links for the ones in blue.)

• 11. Bibio – A Tout A L’Heure - Bibio has always had a great texture to his music, but it wasn't until A Tout A L'Heure that he managed bring excellent vocals into the mix. This one is going to make every vacation playlist I make from here on out.
• 12. Phosphorescent - The Quotidian Beasts - Call me crazy for not putting Song for Zula in this slot, but Quotidian is really the one on this album that does it for me. The guitar line that holds it all together, filled with attitude and experience, is one that doesn't happen so often in music nowadays. It's an ambitious tune and even Phosphorescent barely has the years under their belt to pull it off... but they do... and it's awesome.
• 13. Blondes - Andrew - Swisher was my favorite electronic album of the year, because it was made for the club, but could easily be dissected by a group of intellectuals over a bottle of wine. Andrew is representative of Blondes' slick attitude and knack for the adventurous. DJs use this to separate the early stage of the night from gametime. You're not messing around when you throw this on.
• 14. Juana Molina - Eras - The guitar here really reminds me of early Radiohead and I love it.
• 15. Sophie - Blipp - Imagine a DJ dropping this in the middle of a house set? Everyone would lose it. It's so different, but immediately likeable. I imagine people absolutely breaking it down, kind of like the dance scene in Two Lovers.
• 16. Courtney Barnett - Avant Gardener - Talk about a head trip. It's rare to find a song where the vibe between the lyrics and the instruments meet up so well. Barnett pulls off the straightforward indifference to her own anxiety problems so well that someone should probably call a doctor.
• 17. Toro y Moi – Rose Quartz - the best build of the year.
• 18. Burial – Rival Dealer - Just before the end of the year Burial released the Rival Dealer EP composed of three cinematic tracks that surprised pretty much everyone for their dramatic departure from his slow, sparse dubstep history. Hiders is a close second here, but Dealer wins, because it drops a relentless jungle beat out of nowhere. Not only is it a surprise in the song itself, but in the context of Burial's career no one saw that coming. So to hear it for the first time was truly mindblowing.
• 19. Daft Punk - Doin’ It Right ft. Panda Bear - Who knew Panda Bear and Daft Punk would sound so good together? Random Access Memories is cool in that before Daft Punk would just sample a vocal like this, but here they actually collaborated on new material with leading musicians from a couple different genres and eras. Kind of refreshing in the age of digital everything.
• 20. Almunia - Wrapped In Your Hair - My new favorite roadtrip album. The guitar line around 3 minutes gets me every time.
• 21. Motor City Drum Ensemble - Send A Prayer pt. 2 - throw it on some good speakers and pour yourself a drink.  What a good track to play in the middle of a classy party. Just people floating around from room to room checking out the scene. Sheesh. The double bass beat is so damn confident it’s sexy.
• 22. White Denim - Pretty Green - Sometimes I feel like new indie bands hide behind their trendy lo-fi fuzz effects, too afraid to play it to us straight.  Not White Denim.  They want you to hear what’s going on and that is a very good thing, because these guys have serious chops. 
• 23. CFCF - Beyond Light - The Last of the Mohicans meets Mission to Mars.
• 24. Eluvium - Rain Gently - Rain Gently is Eluvium doing what he does best, slowly creating introspective atmospheres that start out as songs and evolve into something much more.  It’s the sound of you having an epiphany. The title is downright corny though.
• 25. Finnebasen - Bella - You’re driving your red 1969 Ford Mustang Boss through the Nevada desert at night.  It was hard to leave but you had to.  Things would have never worked out between you two.  Have you really been driving all night? I guess so... the sun is about to come up.

1-10 will be posted later this week.

image: Fedrigoni Woodstock

Nothing Like the Sun Mix

Nothing Like the Sun - Live at Coco66 - Friday February 4, 2011 - Part II by h34dup

I'm on vacation this week so I will leave the music selections up to those who are on duty.  I came across this deep disco mix from Headup/Alex Koplin that has some real head nodding potential.  Great for the east coast heat right now.  The Tornado Wallace Remix around 35 minutes makes me want to wear a white visor around town.  Hope your summers are going well.

Recorded live at Coco66 in Brooklyn. February 4, 2011

Tracklist:
Gorillaz - Empire Ants (ft. Little Dragon)
Duff Disco - I Need Ya (Eddie C's Sober Summer Remix)
Basanov & Mario - Caribbean Girl (New Found Land Exclusive Juno Remix)
Tiger & Woods - Gin Nation
Mark E - Special FX
Tornado Wallace - Swimmin'
Opolopo & Amalia - Life's A Dance (Nu Opo Swing Mix)
Polygon Palace - Tokyo Getaway (Tornado Wallace Remix)
Shed - Keep Time
Tornado Wallace - Paddlin'
Hot Natured - Modern Amusement
Tornado Wallace - Whispering Twirl
Tornado Wallace - Always Twirling
Deep Space Orchestra - Last Exit
Daft Punk - Face to Face
Walter Jones - Hot Contact
Tiger & Woods - Deflowered
Walter Jones - I Am Loved
Bassfort - The Street Is My World (Piano Mix)
Hot Natured - Turning Tricks
Tevo Howard - The Age of Compassion

via Wanken

Dubai Blackout

In 1991 there was 1 skyscraper in Dubai.  By 2009 there were over 400. It's tallest building is twice the size of the Empire State Building.  Only 20% of the population is native.

Now imagine this millenium-age behemoth of a city losing power.
Dark skyscrapers. Pitch black streets.
The highways are still there, but most people choose to stay in.  
Striving for silence and solitude in the world's fastest growing city is still possible.

Go for a drive.

Deadmau5 - Lai (At Play Vol.3, 2010)
Say what you want about Deadmau5 and his current offerings, but he has always been skilled at blending popular dance music genres.  I have always a fan of his more introspective tracks.
Sascha Funke - Mango (Special Berlin Calling Edit) (Berlin Calling: The Soundtrack, 2008)
Makes me feel like I'm driving out of Vegas as the sun rises in an old red Mustang after robbing a bank.
Ellen Alien & Apparat - Jet (Orchestra of Bubbles, 2006)
Song title says it all.
Crystal Castles - Magic Spells (Crystal Castles, 2008)
Paul Kalkbrenner - Azure (Berlin Calling: The Soundtrack, 2008)
More beauty from Kalkbrenner's DJ flick Berlin Calling.  Watch the trailer here.
Aphex Twin - Xtal (Selected Ambient Works 85-92, 1992)
Dawn.
Tony Lionni - This Feeling (This Feeling 10", 2009)
Efdemin - Acid Bells (Martyn's Dark Mix) (Acid Bells Martyn's Remixes, 2009)

If you liked this check out Jovencitas.


image: Sebastian Opitz

Phoenix Salon

image: Luis Beltran

So you just moved to Phoenix to open a hair salon.  You're pretty excited about the potential especially since you landed a small spot in the cool part of town.  You want to be different than those other clunky places.  Maybe you could serve cocktails?  Have a choice magazine rack and show old films? You know you want to attract the hip, younger crowd so before you start playing the newest Buddha Bar over a boombox - get a legit soundsystem, wash the windows, and put this on.

1. Thievery Corporation - All That We Perceive (The Richest Man in Babylon, 2002)                                No messing around.  We're starting this off right away.  This is my go-to if a friend has some serious speakers.
2. Wax Tailor - Que Sera (Tales of Forgotten Melodies, 2006)                                                                   Crisp intro.  He gets points for sampling Doris Day singing in Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much.
3. Thievery Corporation - Amerimacka (The Cosmic Game, 2005)                                                             I hate to post two tracks from the same artist so early on, but Thievery Corporation has this sound down.
4. Dusty Springfield - Spooky (Dusty Definitely, 2001) 
5. St. Germain - So Flute (Tourist, 2000)                                                                                               Business is picking up...
6. Affkt and Felipe Vargas - Meilan (2 Years Cecille, 2010)                                                                       LOVE the breakdown.  A patient groove.  I see this going over well in Majorca.
7.  The Chemical Brothers - Lost in the K-Hole (Dig Your Own Hole, 1997)                                     
8. This is where I would put Chris Joss -Atomic Tape                                                                         (Terraphonic Overdubs,  2008) but I could not find an mp3 version.  You might question it at first.  Wait until the private eye guitar kicks in.
9. Ralph Myerz and the Jack Herren Band - A Special Morning                                                              (A Special Album, 2008)  The reverb on the whistling makes this sound so surreal.
10. Nujabes - Kumomi (Metaphorical Music, 2003)                                                                                     If you pick up one artist from this mix make it Nujabes.  Modal Soul and Metaphorical Soul are essential listening.
11. Red Astaire ft. Erykah Badu - Rollin' Stone (Nuggets for the Needy, 2007) 
12. Lemon Jelly - Come (Lemonjelly.KY, 2000)                                                                                       After putting in a solid day of hard work.