My favourite music 2013

I usually wait until Christmas before starting to assemble my lists of favourite music. Throughout the year I add music to various playlist on Spotify, which I listen to every day when walking to work. Still, when the time comes for me to sit down and sort the good from the boring, it takes me a lot of time. So much brilliant music to listen to, so many choices to make. But I love it of course.

As usual, my inspiration comes from BBC 6Music. But also from Spotify, that keeps sending me e-mails with recommended music, based on what I'm listening to. This actually works very well, and I've discovered a handful of new names though this method.

What can I say in general about 2013? Well, a few of my old "heroes" released an album in 2013: Goldfrapp, Editors, The National and Johnny Marr, to mention a few. Not all of them very successful.

I've tried to put them in some sort of order, but their ranging could almost equally be random. Anyway, here it is - my top 20 of 2013: (I've made a playlist on Spotify and Wimp with my favourite two tracks from each album. 3 of the songs are not available on WImp.)

20. The Love Language (USA): Ruby Red
New to me in 2013. Lots of good pop songs, but a bit lacking in originality. Not sure how long they will last, though. The songs, I mean.

19. Daft Punk (France): Random Access Memories
They almost didn't make it, but there are too many good songs here to ignore the album. There's a lot of good French electronica out there waiting to be discovered, by the way. Most of the very far from the success of Daft Punk.

18. Braids (CAN): Flourish//Perish
This is dream pop and electronica, sometimes a bit similar to Grimes, but with a softer voice. New band to me.

17. The Leisure Society (UK): Alone Aboard the Ark
This is old fashioned pop music with a hint of the 60s. In my ears they sound more American than British. Not that it matters. Another new band for me.

16. Tomorrow's World (France/UK): Tomorrow's world
Dreamy pop and electronica in a mesmerising blend.  Sometimes verging on the monotonous, but still well worth a listen. New to me in 2013.

15.The National (USA): Trouble will find me
Not as "catchy" as the previous album, but still beautiful, especially because of Matt Berninger's fantastic voice.

14. Editors (UK): The Weight of your Love
I love Editors. Their first three albums were superb. But this is a bit disappointing. Four of the songs are ballads, two of which are simply mediocre. There is no edge anymore, only in the song "Sugar" are they close to what I like them to be. Still - I would really really really want them to come and play in Tromsø at Bukta Open Air Festival! Can somebody fix that for me?

13. Ed Harcourt ((UK): Back into the Woods
Music for quiet winter evenings. Lovely voice, piano based music. Put the kettle on and curl up in the sofa.

12. Outfit (UK): Performance
New to me in 2013 thanks to the (should have been massive) hit, "House on Fire". Some dream pop elements, but mainly just good pop music. 

11. James Blake (UK): Overgrown
I'm a bit surprised here, actually, since I don't really like his way of singing. But it is simply so beautiful that I can't resist it. He could make a stone weep. And the music dresses his naked voice perfectly.

10. Juana Molina (Argentina): Wed 21
I think the reason she ended up on my top 10 is because she is refreshingly different from the other music I usually listen to. Quirky electronica meets folk.

9.  Johnny Marr (UK): The Messenger
This is much better than I thought. Here are good pop songs all the way through, many of such a quality that probably makes Morrisesy weep himself to sleep. Clever man, apparently, this Mr. Marr. At least when it comes to the craft of making pop songs. He looks very Manchester/Gallagher on the cover, by the way. No offense meant!

8.  Depeche Mode (UK): Delta Machine
I was never a hardcore fan of Depeche Mode when I was young, and didn't really start to like them until the late eighties. I like them best when they sound heavy and desperate and melodic, like they do these days. And Dave Gahan has one of the best voices in pop!

7. Daughter (UK): If you leave
Daughter was on my list of favourite songs from 2012. Strangely enough, the song "Home" is not included in this, their debut album. Anyway, plenty of other good songs here, all quiet and beautiful. Reminds of artists like Sarah Blasko and Anna Ternheim. (One of Daughter's songs is used in an airline commercial in Norway, by the way!)

6.  Nadine Shah (UK): Love your Dum and Mad
Another new acquaintance. The album opens with a really cool song, and the rest follows on with the same high quality. She has a deep and dramatic voice, well suited to the music. Truly recommended.

5.  Elvis Costello and the Roots (UK): Wise up Ghosts
It's been a while since Costello caused a "scandal" on American TV in 1977, but he is still delivering fine pop music. I think this is a really cool album. It's modern and bluesy at the same time, and it works very well, for instance in the song "Walk us uptown".. I'm a bit irritated however at whoever decided that the album can not be played in its entirety on Spotify. That is just stupid, if you ask me. All or nothing, please!

4. Goldfrapp (UK): Tales of us. 
Calm, quiet, folksy tunes, almost all with women's names. Simply beautiful.

3. John Grant (USA): Pale Green Ghosts
Another surprise to me. I thought Grant was more of a country/roots-artist, but I was clearly wrong. Here are a number of genres mixed together perfectly. Some of the songs give clear evidence of his cooperation with Midlake, but most of them are much better.

2. Agnes Obel (Denmark): Aventine
Last year there was Rachel Zeffira. This year it is Agnes Obel. I don't even know if she belongs to the pop category, but let's just say she does. This is piano music that sometimes sounds inspired by Erik Satie. A bit like Norwegian artist Susanne Sundfør, but without the edge. "Dorian" is a divine song. I listen to it every time I need to think divine thoughts:) I forced some of my colleagues to listen to it towards the end of our Christmas party. I don't think they cared:) 

1. Arcade Fire (CAN): Reflektor
They get the top spot because of the superb title track. I'm usually not a fan of long pop songs, but this is 7 minutes of pure joy. Or something similar ... This is an even better album than Neon Bible from a few years back. The extra electronica suits them well.

And all the ones that didn't make it to the top 20: Arctic Monkeys, Still Corners, Crystal Fighters, Merchandise, Mazes, Dutch Uncles, The Phoenix Foundation, The Joy Formidable, Adam Green & Bikini Shapiro, Veronica Falls, College, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Primal Scream, Kavinsky etc.
And all the ones I forgot.
And all the ones I never got to hear about.

And lovely Melody's Echo Chamber that should have been on last year's list with their utterly wonderful eponymous debut album from 2012.