SHARK SANDWICH!
And finally here’s the list of picks for the best songs of 2013. To save load times Links to the top 50 were put up and when possible videos for the top 25. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t seek out 100 through 51 as all these songs are really great and deserve to be heard. If your are a musician, in a band, a DJ, run a venue, work for a band please get yourself over to Bandbook.com and sign up to use a resources. Also take time to review our Christmas songs list here and here.
See you in 2014 with more new music!
100. Beady Eye- Flick Of The Finger
99. Valerie June- Somebody To Love
98. Swearin’- Dust In The Gold Sack
97. Mazzy Star- California
96. Avicci- Wake Me Up
95. Deafheaven- Dream House
94. Small Pools- Dreaming
93. Robert DeLong- Happy
92. Saskatchewan- Spellbound
91. Decades- Tonight Again
90. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs- Household Goods (Zed’s Dead Remix)
89. City Calm Down- Pleasure & Consequence
88. The Airborne Toxic Event- Safe
87. Big Ups- Goes Black
86. Court Yard Hounds- Sunshine
85. White Lies- Big T.V.
84. Bloom Twins- Fahrenheit
83. Fragics- Airports
82. Public Service Broadcasting- Inform-Educate-Entertain
81. Poolside- If We Make It
80. Ron Littlejohn & The Funk Embassy- Seems Like Yesterday
79. Slaid Cleaves- Still Fighting The War
78. Manchester Orchestra/Frightened Rabbit- Architect
77. Typhoon- Young Fathers
76. Okkervil River- Down Down The Deep River
75. Kid Karate- Two Times
74. Bass Physics- Old School Melody
73. Yeah Yeah Yeahs– Sacrilege
72. Mudhoney- I Like It Small
71. Banks feat. SOHN- Waiting Game
70. Ha Ha Tonka- Colorful Kids
69. Hybrid Minds- Halcyon
68. Camera Obscura- Do It Again
67. Pissed Jeans- Teenage Adult
66. Ellie Goulding- Only You
65. Laura Veirs- Sun Song
64. Parquet Courts– Light Up Gold II
63. Disclosure- When A Fire Starts To Burn
62. Chelsea Light Moving– Frank O’Hara Hit
61. Local Natives- Heavy Feet
60. Ghost Beach feat. Noosa- Close Enough
59. Kvelertak- Manylest
58. Wild Belle- Love Like This
57. Slowriter- April 8
56. Yuck- Rebirth
55. Torres- Honey
54. Big K.R.I.T.- R.E.M.
53. Vampire Weekend- Diane Young
52. MS MR- Hurricane
51. The Cash Box Kings- Black Toppin’
50. Savoy- You Make Me Feel Good
49. Adam Ant- Bullshit
48. Hockey- Wild Style
47. N’Vante Santos- Hipster Girl
46. Slutever- 1994
https://soundcloud.com/jadetree/01-slutever-1994
45. Barrence Whitfield & The Savages- Corner Man
44. Sir Sly- Gold
43. Motorhead- Heartbreaker
https://soundcloud.com/landsharkpromotion/motorhead-heartbreaker
42. Sigur Rós- Kveikur
41. Dwight Yoakam- Long Way To Go
40. Arcade Fire- Reflektor
39. SOHN- Bloodflows
https://soundcloud.com/sohnmusic/bloodflows
38. Soft Bullets- Posterity
37. Pretty Lights- Press Pause
https://soundcloud.com/nickraymondg/pretty-lights-press-pause
36. Kanye West- New Slaves
35. The Thermals- Born To Kill
34. Motion City Soundtrack- True Romance
33. HEM- Tourniquet
32. Sturgill Simpson- You Can Have The Crown
31. Carousel- Into The Night
30. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Mary Lambert- Same Love
29. San Fermin- Daedelus (What We Have)
28. Daughter- Human
27. Amon Amrth- Deceiver Of The Gods
26. Atlas Genius- If So
25. The Indians- Magic Kids
With a light airy swirl Copenhagen’s Soren Lokke Juul brought one of the year’s most pastoral musical moments to life.
24. Frightened Rabbit- Candlelit
Frightened Rabbit continue the streak of releasing emotional and concise threadbare music.
23. Superchunk- Me & You & Jackie Mattoo
Superchunk are representing the veteran brigade of musicians still putting out great music with this catchy tune that was a standout on a superb album.
22. Portugal. The Man- Modern Jesus
One of the year’s catchiest sing alongs was also a stark and dark warning shot.
21. HAIM- Don’t Save Me
This California sibling trio put out on of the year’s best albums and a real buzz worthy song “The Wire” but that bass line in this golden nugget seals the deal for me.
20. twenty one pilots- Car Radio
This Columbus, Ohio found a lot of radio success this past year with this infectious piano based tune and their wild live shows that often involved climbing anything that was available.
19. Lee Ranaldo & The Dust- Ambulancer
The Sonic Youth axe slinger steps out front with his band since the demise of the Youth last year. Still the familiar SY sounds and structures but that was, and still is a great sound and the band pulls it together nicely.
18. The Ocean Blue– Give It A Try
The Hershey, PA. band’s excellent album Ultramarine was an underrated classic with this standout track swirling brightly above the rest.
17. Alt-J – Tessellate
This English indie rock band found themselves gaining immense popularity after this tune was featured on Sons Of Anarchy and CSI: NY and a couple of their other songs were featured on other shows like Weeds, Homeland, and Suits.
16. Nine Inch Nails- Copy Of A
Trent Reznor came back strong this year. This tight and tense and moody song led off his intense and brilliant live show.
15. The National- Sea Of Love
The National continue the streak of awesomeness led by the charging alt rock and Matt Berninger’s golden throated voice and haunting lyrics.
14. White Like Fire- Dead People
This Pittsburgh band is a band you should know about of you don’t. Sounding like they just steeped out of a 1979 Joe Jackson album their power pop guitar anthems sound like gold hitting your eardrums.
13. Lorde- Royals
Lorde took over the planet with this epic sounding but very minimalist electronic sturm and throb about being so over hip hop braggadocio but still kinda into it as well the sound of the teenage eye roll was perfected by this New Zealand wunderkind. 2013 bows down to you my Lorde.
12. Ron Sexsmith- Sneak Out The Back Door
Sexsmith’s album was criminally overlooked this past year as it was another great release. This acoustic ballad to avoiding social interaction and awkward moments was a highlight.
11. London Grammar-Strong
This haunting and beautiful ballad off the London based trio’s album if You Leave was a highlight from a really strong batch of song’s.
10. Free Energy – Electric Fever
The answer for where did the rock go in 2013? Free Energy had it all along. Turn it on, turn it up indeed!
9. Capital Cities- Safe And Sound
You couldn’t escape the catchiest trumpet solo in a song this year from this indie pop L.A. duo. It was a little disco, a little pop, totally awesome.
8. The Front Bottoms- Twin Size Mattress
Their album Talon Of The Hawk was constantly on my earbuds this past year. The off kilter easy rambling rock anthem was a total “Yes, now this is what it’s all about” moment.
7. The Postelles- Caught By Surprise
Finely crafted indie guitar pop with sharp twinkling guitars and supremely catchy lyrics. You will repeat again and again and again. In a perfect world this would be at the top of every list out there.
6. Savages- She Will
This British female band almost will you to love this song with their fury alone. I makes a true statement when you can do something that’s been done before but it make it sound so fresh and new again.
5. Midi Matilda- Love And The Movies
The San Fransisco duo put out a real pop gem with synths and chords straight plucked from the 80’s best New Wave songs. More people need to hear this band and like right now.
4. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- Wide Lovely Eyes
Cave’s voice itself is an extra instrument that adds years of weight and heft to this subdued and quiet and ultimately sad ballad.
3. Editors- Two Hearted Spider
This epic and moving ballad has been in the band’s arsenal for a few years now often breaking it out live but they finally put on record with The Weight Of Your Love this year. “Every Smile you fake breaks me, breaks me…” is the line of the year.
2. Jason Isbell- Elephant
This devastating song about regrets, grief, love, support for and of a cancer patient and the quiet and strong reserve to hold it together will grab you and shake you to your core and it does it with nothing more than an acoustic guitar, piano and Isbell’s spot on songwriting and emotional delivery. This is talent on a whole new level.
1. Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark- Dresden
You won’t be able to escape the long standing synth pop band’s infectiously simple melody and driving bass line or most importantly Andy McCluskey’s still strong vocals that have held up nicely over the years. This one made 2013 fun to be around. Surrender yourself to the power of O.M.D.!