Here's a follow up to our Best Of The First Half of 2013 post. Thanks again to @WeirScrewed for contributing the first part of this list (the six albums with the more detailed write-ups).
I (Steve - @thebarnpresents) have added some additional selections, and some one-liners of my own, at the end of the post. You should also check out Alex Wood's massive album list and thoughtful descriptions of his top ten selections HERE.
check out the bonus EP as well for some alternate takes.
Wooden Shjips - Back to Land Crunchy riffs? Check. Fuzzy guitars? Check. Hypnotic rhythms? Check. Layered, psychedelic space rock permeates this effort and it sounds great turned up very, very loud.
Jason Isbell - Southeastern Over the course of the past couple of months this album has really grown on me like a comfortable flannel shirt. A "getting sober" record, Isbell shows off his songwriter skills to the fullest in this collection. If you like Ryan Adams and miss new material from him, this will feed the jones.
Causa Sui - Euporie Tide This is the second half of 2013’s version of Kiki Pau. Another out of left field psychedelic masterpiece. Progressive, jammy, patient, and powerful are all adjectives that apply here. Do yourself a favor and stick this in your queue.
Rose Windows - The Sun Dogs Complex and orchestral at times, sweet and simple at others, this album was a nice surprise from the septet from the Pacific Northwest. Touches of The Band, Black Sabbath, and The Doors with a female lead singer give this a unique sound.
Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle - Perils from the Sea In some ways, this album proves the theorem that if executed correctly, less is more. This is one of three different albums from Kozelek this year. Lo-fi, minimalist electronic music is not something I reach for typically, but this album is strangely beautiful.
Also check out:
Anders Osborne - Peace Anders continues his incredible hot streak with a superb collection of new tunes that have both tender and intense sides.
Lumerians - The High Frontier High flying, dynamic West Coast psychedelia that covers tremendous amount of ground. Get your weird on.
Pond - Hobo Rocket Members of Tame Impala set aside the rounded song-oriented curves of Lonerism and find more angular, noise-drenched spacees as Pond.
William Tyler - Impossible Truth Tyler finds plenty of new ground in these guitar set pieces thanks to his great patience and limitless vision.
Wood Brothers - The Muse An engaging and precise jazz-like musicianship underlies heartfelt songs of love and life, beautifully rendered. Their best album yet.
Mavis Staples - One True Vine Staples' voice is always something to be reckoned with, but with Tweedy production and great tune selection, this album soars.
Tedeschi Trucks Band - Made Up Mind Derek Trucks simply can't be contained. You couldn't "package" the man better, though, than on these wonderful blues and soul songs amidst a sea of super talented players.
Dumpstaphunk - Dirty Word Easily the funkiest album of the year. Dirty is right there in the title.
Yarn - Shine the Light On Blake Christiana seems to reel off great tunes with an uncanny nonchalance. Could have been on a year-end 'best-of' list with just "Take Me First" and 45 minutes of silence.
Snarky Puppy - Family Dinner Volume 1 Best I can tell Snarky Puppy operates by a few simple rules: Love what you do. Be beyond great at what you do. Break every rule.
Dr. Dog - B-Room I think Dr. Dog might see the three-minute pop song as a challenge - a quest to see how much ground they can cover while hitting sweet spot after sweet spot with clever instrumentation, warm vocal harmonies and unassailable hooks.
Jonathon Wilson - Fanfare Folk-based singer songwriters, even psychedelic leaning ones, rarely have that big fat transportational guitar tone. But, oh, JW does and it's glorious.
Best Archival Releases
Three all-time great bands captured at just about the peak of their powers...
The Band - Live At The Academy of Music
Grateful Dead - Sunshine Daydream Soundtrack
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