[John Flynn is a news editor for Punknews.org.]
Hello, dear readers! 2013 draws to a close, and I have just as many albums I still need to listen to as I do things I loved. Not to mention the new year is kicking off with a bang, the long-awaited Against Me! album. Lots to look forward to! In the meantime, here are my favorite records from the past year.
My Favorite Full-Lengths of 2013
20
Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion!: Blood Drinkers Only
self-released
Man or Astro-Man for horror and western fans, as opposed to B-grade sci-fi junkies. No overarching radio drama concept this time, just a killer set of surf rock for your zombie cowboy apocalypse.
19
Drag the River: Drag the River
Xtra Mile Recordings
There is no reason I should need to sell you on a record by Drag the River. Jon Snodgrass and Chad Price's vocals are some of the best around, and when you put those fellas together, it's magic.
18
Speedy Ortiz: Major Arcana
Carpark Records
Western Mass's Speedy Ortiz have been making waves this year, and their full-length Major Arcana shows exactly why.
17
Man or Astro-Man?: Defcon 5-4-3-2-1!
Communicating Vessels / Chunklet
The galaxy's finest sci-fi surf rockers have returned with their first new album in 13 years, and they've lost none of their power. Sounds like the soundtrack to a â60s beach movie set on Jupiter.
16
Peeple Watchin': Somethin' Ta Tell Ya
Nervous Nelly Records
Ex-Credentials and featuring members of fellow Bostonians Parasol, Peeple Watchin' burst out of the gate with fun, socially-conscious pop-punk in the vein of RVIVR.
15
Libyans: Expired Language
Sorry State Records
I thought this band had broken up, but apparently not, and we're all better off for it. A little tighter than 2010's A Common Place, but with the same fury and intensity one expected from the band.
14
The Flaming Lips: The Terror
Warner Bros.
The latest from the Flaming Lips is a constant exercise in creating tension. This is not an album for relaxing to.
13
Pet Shop Boys: Electric
x2
After last year's subdued Elysium, Electric is a welcome return to uptempo dance floor bangers from the constantly-evolving synthpop duo. Neil Tennant's witty lyrics of heartbreak and British dryness are in full force, and the Springsteen cover is unexpected in the best way.
12
John Moreland: In the Throes
Last Chance Records/h2>
Perhaps Oklahoma's finest songwriter and voice.
11
AFI: Burials
Republic / Universal
Closer to 2006's Decemberunderground than the band's last studio record, Crash Love, AFI embraces all of their â80s goth and electronic passions, alternating between synth-laden gloom fests and driving rockers to create a vibrant, atmospheric and dynamic record.
10
Bad Religion: True North
Epitaph
The elder statesmen of classic California punk rock's sixteenth album finds them calling back to their classic Against the Grain-era records in places, kicking out speedier anthems than many would have thought them capable of at this point. Hit or miss-- that single, "Fuck You?" Come on, guys-- but when it hits, it feels just as exciting as when you were 15.
9
Water Liars: Wyoming
Fat Possum
Country jams in the best sense, with a healthy dose of melancholy and sadness.
8
Criaturas: Espiritu de Libertad
self-released
Furious Spanish-language hardcore from Texas. A little more tuneful this time out, which takes their already excellent attack and sharpens it to a vicious point.
7
Beyoncé: Beyoncé
Columbia
Delivered out of nowhere at the end of the year, Queen Bey presented an intensely personal, epic-scale album. Running from quiet and beautiful-- the closers "Heaven" and "Blue" are incredible-- to dance floor bangers like the incredible "***Flawless" and "Partition," Ms. Carter gave us good reason to bow down, bitches.
6
Save Ends: Warm Hearts, Cold Hands
Tiny Engines
Boston's nerdiest punks knock it out of the park on their first full-length, expanding their sound with some slower tracks and a heightened sense of melody. The interplay between vocalists Brendan and Christine is fantastic, and both have never sounded better.
5
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Push the Sky Away
Bad Seed Ltd
Nick Cave makes a sharp turn from the dirty Grinderman-esque swagger of Dig Lazarus Dig with a quiet, brooding album more in line with Nocturama, just in case we forgot he was doing this sort of thing. His soundtrack work with Warren Ellis is a clear influence here.
4
Deer Tick: Negativity
Partisan Records
Deer Tick may have put out the best record of their career here. Heartbreaking in turns, weird at times ("Thyme" is awesome and totally out of left field from the rest of the album), and filled with songs that get jammed firmly in your ear. Sad bastards sure know how to rock.
3
The National: Trouble Will Find Me
4AD
Since Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers, no one does somber, sad jams like the National, and the band excels here. Singer Matt Berninger might not scream like he used to, but he doesn't need to.
2
Ghostface Killah: 12 Reasons to Die
Soul Temple Records
Wu-Tang's resident storyteller gets to flex his imagination with this, a concept album about a murdered crime boss returning from the dead to exact his revenge. The few guests stay committed to the idea, while Adrian Younge's production gives the whole thing a feeling of a â70s Italian horror movie.
1
Curmudgeon: Amygdala
IFB Records / Not Normal Tapes
Boston's Curmudgeon follow up two furious 7-inch releases with a longer, more full-realized 12-inch slab of destruction. Thunderous riffs back screaming vocals confronting social ills both in and out of our beloved, troubled punk world make for one of the year's finest releases.
My Favorite EPs/Demos/etc. of 2013
Because the cruel taskmasters in charge of all this won't let me include EPs in the above list-- otherwise, the No Sir, I Won't EP would have been #2-- I've got this here list of things that ruled in smaller doses this year.
5
Captives: Afterimage
Reveille Records
4
Bad Side: Everybody Wants Something From Me
self-released
2
You People: Situational Awareness
self-released
A Few Miscellaneous Items of Note
Just some things that are worth mentioning.
- I moved to Baltimore this year, and it's pretty awesome. How about that?
- Deer Tick covering Nirvana's "Pennyroyal Tea" is one of the best live things I saw this year. That list also includes No Sir, I Won't at the Sidebar; The Flaming Lips; Dr. Dog; and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.
- Speaking of, you really should check out the Deervana (Deer Tick performing as Nirvana) set from September. You can listen to it here.