RANDOM THOUGHTS.

[johnonymous]

End of the year lists, anyone? I made a top 30, and then declared my favorite one as a +1, I'm such a cheater.

30. Austra - Olympia
29. Gang Colours - Invisible In Your City
28. Johnny Marr - The Messenger
27. Föllakzoid - II
26. Braids - Flourish // Perish
25. Hayden - Us Alone
24. Mazzy Star - Seasons Of Your Day
23. Still Life Still - Mourning Trance
22. Applescal - Dreaming In Key
21. Pop. 1280 - Imps Of Perversion
20. Eraas - Initiation
19. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
18. Akron/Family - Sub Verses
17. Gold & Youth - Beyond Wilderness
16. Suuns - Images Du Futur
15. The Flaming Lips - The Terror
14. Tim Hecker - Virgins
13. Forest Swords - Engravings
12. Brendan Canning - You Gots 2 Chill
11. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away
10. AroarA - In The Pines
9. KASHKA - Bound
8. Boards Of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest
7. Yamantaka // Sonic Titan - Uzu
6. Jenny Hval - Innocence Is Kinky
5. Young Galaxy - Ultramarine
4. My Bloody Valentine - m b v
3. Julia Holter - Loud City Song
2. The Besnard Lakes - Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO
1. The Darcys - Warring

And then my favorite album of the year goes to:
Justin Walter - Lullabies & Nightmares

I notice a pattern with everyone I talk to, and the consensus seems to be that this was a very underwhelming year for music. Maybe I'm just floored by everything because I got into a good chunk of these bands for the first time... but I really enjoyed a lot of things this year. I feel like Majical Cloudz and A Tribe Called Red should have been boosted onto this list, but there was simply too much.

[TerraTempus25]

Haven't ironed mine out for certain yet, but Blue Hawaii's Untogether is easily my number one, and Braids' Flourish // Perish is also on there... Just a whole lot of Raphaelle Standell-Preston in my life, haha. I met her after the Braids show in Toronto and she's too sweet. My Bloody Valentine and Princess Century are definitely on there as well, and maybe Austra. Potentially MIA too.

Definitely NOT Sleigh Bells or Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

I would say this was a pretty underwhelming year in terms of releases but there's a storm brewing in Toronto, let me tell you. and to name a couple—both super fun acts to see live.

[johnonymous]

Princess Century released this year? I met Maya after the Austra show I went to... I asked her about Robert, I think I posted that on here. She hates Robert lol.

Blue Hawaii is a strong runner-up, Raphaelle is wonderful. I saw Braids on their tour with Hundred Waters, I brought cake and we all enjoyed it together before the show. I'm still just so floored by that Braids album, it is such an impressive follow-up while being a complete new direction for them. I'm sorry, but exactly how daft do you have to be not to distinguish between Flourish // Perish sound, and Blue Hawaii? That pissed me off royally when I heard people insisting that.

I hate Sleigh Bells.
I think YYYs had one good song on Mosquito, and that is Sacrilege. The rest absolutely blows.

Also please note the obvious lack of Reflektor on my list.

In terms of 2014...
-I'm so ready for the new Trust album. Gimme tracklist and artwork and single pls
-Grimes shall return, I'm sure
-The Hidden Cameras are FINALLY coming back with Age, god fuck it's been long enough, I want to meet Joel Gibb one day
-Dan Mangan and Sally Seltmann are coming back
-Potential EPs from My Bloody Valentine and Boards Of Canada
-DMST and Tortoise will probably return with LPs, they've been in the studio
-Colin Stetson might show up on Justin Walter's upcoming album
-Another onslaught of delicious Sacred Bones releases
-The new Mogwai album leaked and I am enjoying it more than I thought I would
-MOTHERFUCKING CEO OH MY GODDDD WHERE HAVE YOU BEEEEEEN
-Eight And A Half are releasing, probably touring, hopefully in Detroit so I can meet Justin Peroff
-OOOOOOO TWO NEW KEVIN DREW ALBUMS. And studio cut of Good Sex. mmmm
-Timber Timbre and their sexy Hot Dreams
-St. Vincent, self titled, can't wait to see Annie live
-The New Pornograhers at long last yippeeeee
-Gold & Youth, who I have declared as the second coming of Stars, are in the studio and might be coming back
-The Darcys are releasing their 20-minute epic instrumental song on Record Store Day
-Hundred Waters and White Hinterland are gonna hit it big
-Oren Lavie will crawl out of his hole