I can’t fully explain what it is about this album that makes it my favorite of the year. I enjoy every song that comes on, the song structures are unique, the musicianship is tight and wonderful, the girls voices are really great…etc etc. It’s a fantastic pop album with a lot of little nooks to explore as you continue to listen.<\/p>\n Top Songs: Falling, Days are Gone, Don’t Save Me<\/p>\n 2. Annuals – Time Stamp<\/strong><\/p>\n Fantastic 3rd and possibly final album from North Carolina based Annuals. I was a massive fan of their first album Be He Me in 2006. Their second one Such Fun was also a good listen, but not quite as solid. I feel like Time Stamp was a little bit of a return to form in terms of odd instrumentation, and song topics.<\/p>\n Top Songs: Omnicide, I Don’t Care, Whippoorwill<\/p>\n 3. Son Lux – Lanterns<\/strong><\/p>\n A true follow up to his debut At War with Walls and Mazes<\/em> (my #1 album of 2007), Son Lux’s Lanterns<\/em> was another fantastic journey into a musical world created a master composer who happens to write little short gems. 2011’s sophomore album, We Are Rising<\/em>\u00a0is great too, but written, recorded and composed in only 28 days. On Lanterns<\/em> it’s clear to me that a little more time is definitely helpful for wrangling these complex ideas. When that pedal steel fades in on the opener Alternate World, it’s beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. There is a massive amount of care and planning that goes into every facet of these compositions, and it really comes through on Lanterns<\/em>. The important thing is that no one else sounds quite like this…<\/p>\n Top Songs: Alternate World, Lost it to Trying, Plan the Escape<\/p>\n 4. Chvrches – The Bones of What you Believe<\/strong><\/p>\n This is one of those bands that I really liked in the year, but I’m curious to see how they hold up. It was one of those situations where it was like “This band really sounds like what a band would sound like in 2013” with odd old influences and a touch of new stuff. The singer’s voice is also pretty irresistible. Unfortunately, this is also an album that got burned out super quickly for me, so it’ll be a while before I revisit. Top Songs: Gun, Night Sky, Recover<\/p>\n 5. Camera Obscura – Desire Lines<\/strong><\/p>\n Another solid showing from Camera Obscura. Not really a band that re-invents themselves from album to album, but there was still a lot of really gorgeous stuff going on here, and some songs I found myself returning to over and over.<\/p>\n Top Songs: This is Love (Feels Alright), William’s Heart, New Year’s Resolution<\/p>\n 6. Braids – Flourish\/\/Perish<\/strong><\/p>\n This album was a bit of a different beast from their debut Native Speaker, with some tighter song structures and some shuffling on instrumentation and vocals as a result of a band member leaving. I’m really drawn to the unusual song structures and the personal\/ethereal lyrics and singing.<\/p>\n Top Songs: December, Fruend, Victoria<\/p>\n 7. Lorde – Pure Heroine<\/strong><\/p>\n Top Songs: Buzzcut Season, 400 Lux<\/p>\n 8. Atoms for Peace – Amok<\/strong><\/p>\n Top Songs: Default, Ingenue<\/p>\n 9. Sigur Ros – Kveikur<\/strong><\/p>\n Top Songs: Brennenstein, Kviekur<\/p>\n 10. Blue Hawaii – Untogether<\/strong><\/p>\n Top Songs: Sierra Lift, Try to be<\/p>\n 11. Hammock – Oblivion Hymns<\/strong><\/p>\n Top Songs: Then the Quiet Explosion<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Top anticipated albums for 2014: Phantogram, The Velvet Teen, and Hooray for Earth<\/p>\n Previous lists:<\/p>\n 2012<\/a><\/p>\n![\"haim-days-are-gone-400x400\"](\"http:\/\/blairneal.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/haim-days-are-gone-400x400.jpg\")
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