January 4, 2014

Top 15 Portland Albums from 2013

Limiting the list to 10 albums was impossible this year. Even at 15, I am still forced to leave off a couple favorites. At least the EPs will be posted separately.

1.     Radiation City - Animals In The Median

An outstanding and beautiful album. If this is the soundtrack a past-future lounge, I'll take a Vesper.

 2.     Portugal. The Man - Evil Friends 

Long-time favorite keeps the streak alive. With each stylistic shift I love them even more.

3.     Typhoon - White Lighter

Orchestral, intricate, and emotional indie rock. For all the moving parts and tempo changes, it's strikingly intimate.

4.    The Memories - Love Is The Law 

Maybe if Guided by Voices preferred weed to cheap beer they’d make lazy, amazingly catchy, lo-fi pop like this.

5.    Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside - Untamed Beast 

Updating rockabilly, by avoiding stylistic cliches, and delivering propulsive, simple, vintage pop songs.

6.     The Thermals - Desperate Ground 

Portland punk rock veterans strip back down to just pointed anger and giant hooks. Always good, always seem to be getting better.

7.    Summer Cannibals - No Make Up 

They won me over live. Just the right mix of attitude and chops, aggression and charisma.

8.     Wild Ones - Keep It Safe

Many a sunny late afternoon was spent lounging to this upbeat and occasionally dreamy midsummer indie pop.

9.      The No Tomorrow Boys - Bad Luck Baby Put The Jinx On Me 

Exceedingly fun vintage rock n' roll bashed out with energy and abandon.

10.    WL - Hold 

Easy to get swept up in their sweet and hazy shoegaze. 

11.    Genders - Get Lost

Great all around indie rock album, but I especially love the guitars.

12.    The Woolen Men - The Woolen Men 

Very satisfying lo-fi, elemental rock n’ roll.

13.    The Pynnacles - The Pynnacles

May not be original artyfacts, but these songs sound like solid gold nuggets to me.

14.     Fanno Creek - Monuments 

Energetic indie folk with beautiful yet powerful harmonies. 

15.    The We Shared Milk - Lame Sunset 

Laid back, soulful, experimental indie rock. Really hits stride on the second side.

1 Comments:

awmercy said...

While I am still happy with all 15 choices, I didn't realize that Campfires were from Portland. They should be on this list as well. Tomorrow, Tomorrow is a great album.