1. My Bloody Valentine - mbv

This is difficult for me. To actually put to words my deep love and appreciation for their music is something I have never done before. If we can just backtrack here for a little bit, I was four when Loveless came out. I never even heard about these guys until I was about twenty. All I knew was, when I got into music, I needed to own Loveless, regardless of whether I actually turned out liking it or not. So I picked it up, and yeah, it was as great as everyone said it was. I grabbed the rest of their discography before the year was over. This just needed to be said, to understand where I'm at in my life. I'm not here to write about Loveless. Yes, it is without even trying in my top five of all time. Yes, it is monumental. Yes it is so critically acclaimed and widely loved all around the world. Yes, it is most likely THE definitive shoegaze album, spawning tons of imitators. However, it is not so much that mbv pales in comparison. In fact, if you listened to mbv with that in mind, you probably missed it. You were probably one of those assholes. So let's backtrack again so we can move forward. As a guy in my late twenties I have been around the shoegaze block. I know what you"re supposed to know about the who's who and the what not's (probably more than you're supposed to because I am a total geek.) My Bloody Valentine, over the span of a couple of years, are not just "some shoegaze band," they are now simply one of my favorite bands. So I am just going about my business last year and the news finds its way to me, "Kevin Shields: We have finished mastering the new album." Hold up. What? And then one fateful Saturday in February my twitter just blew. the. fuck. up. It's on everyone's review of this album, or best of recap, but it is, because, it is important. Where were you when MBV dropped the bomb that they would release their new album later that night? This was an event, and I was a part in it.

You know what happened next. The enormous amount of traffic caused their webpage to completely melt down. I think I sat there for about two hours after the said "release" constantly hitting refresh, just hoping maybe I would be one of the lucky ones that got in. I awoke the next morning EARLY. The website was fixed late in the night. The whole world had already heard it. The individual tracks were already on Youtube. People were saying it was either amazing or it sucked. I'm not kidding. It was either amazing... or it sucked? People are such assholes sometimes. I'm reminded of that Louis C.K. joke about the guy on the airplane who is excited about having WiFi on his flight for the first time, as this was a very new thing the airline was offering. As the flight progresses, they have some difficulties with it and the WiFi ends up getting turned off. And Louis hears the guy say, "Well this is fuckin' bullshit!" How can you be upset about something you didn't even know existed a few hours ago? And here we are, almost a year later. As March came around, I swear it seemed like everyone had forgotten about it. I am totally guilty of this, like, I am not excluding myself from this, but it is horrifying, our attention spans, how the void of new music is filled and no matter how filling it is we are never, ever satisfied. It is immediately old news now because it is no longer new. But not mbv, at least for me. I was caught in it. I would obsess over a certain song for a while, trying to get every last drop from it. I would listen with headphones, without headphones, making sure there wasn't a noise I missed. All I can say is that it is so unbelievably good. It is everything I wanted in a new MBV album and more. It's pointless to delve deep into each song and the reasons why I like it so much, because this is an album's album. This is something I listen to front to back each time because there is not a wasted second. I say all that to say this, I didn't know how much I needed new music from My Bloody Valentine until they decided they needed to release new music. It's one of those things that, they could have easily gotten away with. Sure, new music is nice, but why risk it when you're on top, to have a million nerds critique every second of it and constantly compare it to your finest work? I mean, the reuniting and new tour was nice enough, you know?

I never thought I would get to write about a new My Bloody Valentine album. I believe it stands tall and proud next to the rest of their discography and even outshines its predecessor at times. This album is even more important and more special to me, because after almost thirty years of MBV, I have an album that I can truly call my own.

2. Friendzone - DX

This is no secret that I love Friendzone; their music has shown up on here a few times now. I first discovered them when I just had to know who was behind my favorite track off of Main Attrakionz' 808's and Dark Grapes II which was, at the time, "Chutch." I had never heard beats so full of life, and it did not surprise me how well the tracks held up on their own (last year's Collection 1 is a favorite of mine that I am always returning to.) If I could describe Friendzone in one word, it would have to be giving. Not only is all of their music absolutely free, it also has more heart than a lot of singer/songwriters I know. Not only that, but these guys are seriously hard working, releasing it seems about two to three projects/albums a year. It was earlier this year that they released the third installment of their Kuchibiru Network series. It was naturally much more ambitious than its predecessors, plus it featured a ton of collaborators, .L.W.H., Keyboard Kid, Finally Boys (I am most anticipating what Finally Boys does next), to name a few. KN3 was a great release, and I still listen to it today. But the thing is, all this year they had been talking about releasing a proper debut album of all new music. By the time DX had been released in October, a handful of tracks from it had already been shared, but it didn't matter, I was already sold.

In an interview with the duo behind Friendzone, they talked about how, "If Collection 1 was body music, than DX has got to be head music." This rings so true, however I would say there is also much heart here as well. The music on DX is much more alive than than their previous releases. The instrumentation is much more diverse. The production is once again great. Friendzone continue to draw from such influences and inspiration as j-pop, console RPG's, and I even wanna say math rock tendencies sometimes. This makes for one of the most original and overlooked albums this year. With DX, Friendzone prove they are not merely beat makers but incredible song writers.

3. Majical Cloudz - Impersonator

Majical Cloudz have crafted one of the most honest and personal albums of the year, and a brilliant and understated debut at that. I was lucky enough to see them earlier this year. It was just a few weeks before the release of Impersonator, so other than "Childhood's End," most of the music was brand new. I stood there in the front just in awe. For what little real estate the duo had on stage, the Cloudz surprisingly garnered our attention. The music was sparse, slow moving and ever layering synths and vocal sounds. The lead singer's voice was commanding and sincere. For a second there on "I Do Sing For You" I forgot there were people next to me, that I was at a show at all. A few weeks passed and Impersonator was finally released and upon listening I was immediately taken back to the show. Even the production sounded as if he was singing just for the listener. Everything on this album is great, from the opener and title track where he sings, "I'm a liar, I say I make music..." to the return of "Turns Turns Turns," which I think is impossible to tire of, and to the closing moments of "Bugs Don't Buzz," "This might end with a smile..."

4. Julia Holter - Loud City Song

Julia Holter's Exstasis was my favorite album of 2012. I had never heard something so beautiful. The album was just too weird and wonderful... So what did I do? I didn't include it in my year end list, not because it wasn't deserving or that I messed up and forgot about it, but because I didn't know how to write about it. Truth be told, I still don't. I would find myself just staring at a blank screen. I could not put into words my love for this album. It just made its way into my heart: the beautiful music, her wonderful voice. But it also tapped into something deeper. Exstasis felt timeless, like it was caught in between worlds. I was caught in it, and I still am, her alluring web. Needless to say, but I was thrilled to see that she would release a follow up in 2013, the near perfect Loud City Song. What makes Loud City Song so great is its diversity. I love the way the stunning opener, "World," blossoms into "Maxim's 1." The instrumentation on here is straight gorgeous. "Horns Surrounding Me" picks up the pace as the Julia sounds as if she actually running from horns as they begin to close in on her. Also, it was this song where I began to piece together the theatre elements found throughout Loud City Song. "In The Green Wild" is one of my favorite songs this year and the way she deconstructs Barbara Lewis' "Hello Stranger" is mesmerizing. Without ruining it, the rest of the album is just as beautiful as the first half. LCS is a cinematic gem. Julia Holter is truly one of the greatest artists today and her new album is amazing. Exstasis was an album of such heavenly beauty, its music seemed to float above me. With Loud City Song, Julia Holter touches earth.

5. Chance The Rapper - Acid Rap

Acid Rap is my favorite hip hop album of 2013. Released as a free download back in April, it quickly became a regular in my rotation. Chance could be cool and confident, like on "Everything's Good: Good Ass Intro" - "This is your favorite fucking album, it ain't even fucking done..." He could be crude and mean, for instance, in "NaNa" he says, "Swallow my mucus, Hope your pussy get herpes and yo' ass get lupus..." He could also be incredibly likable, when on "Everybody's Something," he sings this nice sentiment, "Everybody's somebody's everything. Nobody's nothing at all..." and on "That's Love," he relates, "What's better than yelling is hollering love....is dialing up your darling just for calling her up, there ain't nothing better than falling in love..." So, Chance is all over the place, although I think diverse is a much better word. And if you were doing all these drugs, it would make a dent in your ability to focus, too. Throughout the album he explores themes of love and loss, drugs and more drugs, regret and remorse because of all the fucking drugs and coming full circle to a spiritual rebirth on "Acid Rain," after, "Still asking God to show his face..." he says, "I am a new man, I am sanctified, I am holy, I have been baptized, I have been born again..." Chance is surprisingly human on Acid Rain, and I found myself cheering for him. He's also very talented and has a great ear for beats, some of my favorites being on "Good Ass Intro and Outro," "Cocoa Butter Kisses" and "Chain Smoker."

6. The Field - Cupid's Head

Axel Willner is back and Cupid's Head is my favorite The Field album since the perfect From Here We Go Sublime. Taking a loop and adding such subtle layers may sound boring to you but I swear, the way he can build a beat is like no other. Repetition is not a stumbling block here; it's the glue that holds everything together, the key that unlocks everything. This is electronic crack. This is music that makes its way comfortably into your brain and never outstays its welcome. I mean, his last album was called Looping State Of Mind!

Cupid's Head might suggest to be a lot darker than his previous works (I mean that album art had me expecting...) but it has so much light shining through it. I love the vocal sample on the title track, how it just seems to be crashing over itself, as the fourth note is just hammered into your skull. I love how the opener "They Won't See Me," sounds so much bigger than previous tracks. "A Guided Tour" is great, I love how on "No. No..." he harkens back to his first album and "20 Seconds Of Affection" is such an outstanding closer. I was instantly hooked the first time I heard the pulsating, "Over The Ice," back in 2007. Cupid's Head is yet another brilliant release from The Field.

7. Jessy Lanza - Pull My Hair Back

Pull My Hair Back is the debut album from Canadian artist Jessy Lanza off Hyperdub records. When I first heard her first single, "Kathy Lee," I was immediately hooked, plus that vid was awesome. The music on here is done by Jeremy Greenspan of Junior Boys, and it's fantastic. I mean, if you are a JB fan you need to hear this. He gets into some really great pop and r&b grooves on here, leaving those signature JB attributes all over the place. Then there is Jessy Lanza herself. Everything about her screams sex: her lyrics, her hushed vocals, her breathy, "Huhs" and "Ohs," the title of her album, songs, etc. I blush when I think about it. There's not a dud on here, and I like it more and more as I listen to it. This is probably my favorite new artist of 2013.