Author: David James Young

Sorry for the delays, I’ll try and have this one done as soon as possible.

Parts one, two and three? Here, here and here.

***

20. Jen Cloher – In Blood Memory
Spotify || Rdio || Bandcamp

After two albums with her loyal backing band the Endless Sea, Jen Cloher reached dry land and hit the ground running. A truly independent project, In Blood Memory wiped the slate clean and saw the former folk-rocker kicking her boots into some wandering Crazy Horse jams, some Velvet Underground stomps and some classic Cloher tenderness. All across the course of just seven songs. It’s an impressive feat, and it serves as both a welcome return for longtime fans and a fitting introduction to those that weren’t paying attention the first time around.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Hold My Hand, Toothless Tiger, Name in Lights.

WATCH:

19. Lemuria – The Distance is So Big
Spotify || Bandcamp

On their third album, Buffalo’s sweethearts take listeners through a world of looking in from the outside – whether it’s getting lost in a different state, hiding true feelings in intimate moments or simply losing perspective of who you once were. It may be occasionally obtuse from a lyrical standpoint, but in a way that’s what gives The Distance is So Big such a large portion of its charm – once you’ve unlocked the song’s greater meaning, it grows in quality. It is an album that takes time to process, but is ultimately an album that confirms a Lemuria hat trick.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Oahu, Hawaii, Brilliant Dancer, Bluffing Statistics.

WATCH:

18. The Drones – I See Seaweed
Spotify || Rdio

Five years in the wilderness saw the Drones return with a new member – keyboardist Stevie Hesketh – and a solo album under the belt for both frontman Gareth Liddiard and drummer Mike Noga. Still, the more things change, the more they stay the same: Seaweed, the band’s sixth LP, is a strict continuation of the sprawling, agonized ventures through indie rock, alt-country and shattering noise that has come to define what the Drones are all about. Rather than being a re-hash, it feels as fresh as it ever did; and we are richer for having heard it.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Laika, I See Seaweed, Nine Eyes.

WATCH:

17. Deafheaven – Sunbather
Spotify || Rdio || Bandcamp

Exactly how the year’s most talked-about metal album came from such a specific point in left-field remains a true conundrum. Perhaps it was the fact that it was such a unique approach to the genre, tessellating the incessant fervour and melodrama of proto-black metal with the atmosphere and volatility of shoegaze. Furthermore, it pushed into spectrums that are normally untoward within the confines of either genre; resulting in an album that is endlessly fascinating. This is an album to obssess over the details of – and the best part is that you get out exactly what you put in.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Vertigo, Dream House, The Pecan Tree.

LISTEN:

16. Ra Ra Riot – Beta Love
Spotify || Rdio

“Now we’re getting closer,” sings Wes Miles with jubilation on the title track to his band’s third studio album. Ra Ra Riot are heading in the right direction on this album, embracing their poppier side with a flourish of keyboards and heavens-high falsetto. Although critical reception was sadly tepid, there was a confidence in Beta Love that could not be shaken – it’s the sound of a band refusing to take the loss of a key member (in this instance, cellist Alexandra Lawn) hinder their growth. The show must go on. With Beta Love, you’ll be grateful that it did.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Is it Too Much, Binary Mind, Dance with Me.

WATCH:

15. Polar Bear Club – Death Chorus
Spotify || Rdio || YouTube

The gruff vocals of Polar Bear Club’s Jimmy Stadt occasionally provoked joking suggestions that he should clear his throat. Death Chorus is strange, then, in that it shows what they sound like with the aforementioned throat cleared. Vocal issues resulted in Stadt dramatically shifting his range and style, and pairing this with the introduction of three new members gave the band an entirely new lease on life. The album is an emotional strike-force that offered up boisterous energy and new-found conviction across a batch of ten punchy, forthright songs. What could have ended disastrously has instead given us the band’s best LP to date.

THREE TOP TRACKS: For Show, Blood Balloon, Upstate Mosquito.

WATCH:

14. Lorde – Pure Heroine
Spotify || Rdio

2013: The year of our Lorde. The introverted pop starlet may not have been the obvious choice to start some kind of musical revolution this year, but what gratitude that it fell to her. A quietly defiant and brassy voice of a disaffected, often apathetic youth, Lorde certainly knows how to make boredom sound utterly thrilling as she coos, cries and whispers over whirring synth and clattering drum patterns. Artists twice her age are still yet to attain the kind of left-of-centre pop precision that is found on Pure Heroine. That alone may be the scariest thing about this album – it’s merely the beginning.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Buzzcut Season, Tennis Court, A World Alone.

WATCH:

13. Kanye West – Yeezus
Spotify || Rdio

“And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, ‘It is written My House shall be called a House of prayer but you make it a den of robbers.’” – Matthew 21:12-16

In 2013, Kanye West overturned the tables. Not since his earliest, hungriest days has he sounded this furious at the world around him. On his sixth album, he takes down organised religion, institutionalised racism and struggles with alcoholism. It’s not a pretty sight, but you’ve already got Graduation for that. Also of note: One of the final things Lou Reed did before his passing was give this album his seal of approval. Take from that what you will.

THREE TOP TRACKS: I am a God, Black Skinhead, New Slaves.

WATCH:

12. Balance and Composure – The Things We Think We’re Missing
Spotify || Rdio || Bandcamp || YouTube

Too post-hardcore for the alt-rock crowd and too alt-rock for the post-hardcore crowd, Doylestown’s Balance and Composure have often been left in somewhat of a grey area from a musical perspective. What they display on their second studio album, The Things We Think We’re Missing, is that it is space worth exploring: like some bastard child of War All the Time and The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, the album takes the loud-quiet-loud dynamic and applies it liberally to pedal-stomping angst and lovelorn brooding. A fresh, striking and shining example of what modern rock is capable of.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Back of Your Head, Tiny Raindrop, Parachutes.

WATCH:

11. The Dear Hunter – Migrant
Spotify || Rdio

How’s this for a puzzling prospect: A side-project-cum-full-band, based entirely around a single conceptual storyline, manages to make their absolute best record to date with a collection of non-canon songs. Ironic? Maybe. Whatever the case, Migrant was an album that was nothing short of majestic; matching the ambition of previous albums and veering it into breathtaking new territory. Each song is full to the brim with remarkable melodies, flourishing arrangements and a spirited warmth. With Migrant, the door has been kicked wide open for Casey Crescenzo and co. Who knows where it may take them next?

THREE TOP TRACKS: The Kiss of Life, Whisper, An Escape.

WATCH:

What you missed: Part one and part two. What comes after two again? Ahh, yeah. Three, sir! THREE! Enjoy.

***

30. Daylight – Jar
Spotify || Rdio || Bandcamp

In a great contrast to their band name, Jar proved to be one of the year’s most notable exercises in rainy-day miserablism. Stomping on their Big Muffs and defying diction like it was 1992, Jar is the kind of album that proves that there was a point to the post-grunge movement. For every Puddle of Mudd and Creed that we had to put up with, albums like this show us how it’s actually done. It’s a delicate balance between inspired and derivative – that much is a given. It is, however, what makes Jar thrive as an album.

THREE TOP TRACKS: In on It, Outside of Me, Sponge.

WATCH:

29. Waxahatchee – Cerulean Salt
Spotify || Rdio

From its strikingly intimate introduction – just the voice of Katie Crutchfield and her electric guitar – you would know within seconds whether this was going to be an album that one treasures and constantly revisits. It manages to have this kind of power without any of the music itself coming across as forceful, resonating brilliantly within its own immediate space. It’s an honest and occasional heartrending indie rock affair that details leaving youth behind and entering the next stage of life with trepidation and uncertainty. Albums like Cerulean Salt – and, more importantly, artists like Waxahatchee – matter.

WATCH:

THREE TOP TRACKS: Lively, Dixie Cups and Jars, Swan Dive.

28. Violent Soho – Hungry Ghost
Spotify || Rdio

We almost lost them there for a second: Their debut, We Don’t Belong Here, was a greatly promising and rousing lo-fi rock record; but its mostly-re-recorded eponymous follow-up was a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth. With some time away and some serious mileage under their belts, the band approached their third album as a compromise between their blistering debut and their more polished sophomore. The result was their best material to date: A pissed-off rock record that wasn’t afraid of a bit of melody to be mixed in with the grit. Hungry Ghost has elevated the band to the top of the food chain – catch a show and you’ll see why.

THREE TOP TRACKS: In the Aisle, Okay Cathedral, Covered in Chrome.

WATCH:

27. RÜFÜS – Atlas
Spotify || Rdio

Of all the Australian acts to top the ARIA album charts in 2013, RÜFÜS were potentially the most left-field. A slowburner within Sydney’s dance scene, the trio have matured and developed substantially in the lead-up to their debut; and Atlas is the kind of record that makes every second count. Moving away from the current dance obsession with a musical “drop,” RÜFÜS instead shift their focus towards the release – favourite subtlety and nuance over the swinging-hammer brutishness of their contemporaries. It pays off in spades: Atlas is one of the more important Australian albums of the last few years, genre regardless.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Desert Night, Unforgiven, Tonight.

26. Major Lazer – Free the Universe
Spotify || Rdio

Making music for wasted bros to lose their collective shit to isn’t quite rocket science – any douchebag with a laptop can get away with calling themselves a producer. That said, there’s an art form to it – and Major Lazer have it downpat. No-one can touch them, whether they’re providing the soundtrack to a Saturday night rave (“Mashup the Dance”) or a Sunday afternoon blaze (“Get Free”). The album also sports a guestlist that’s nothing short of insane. How crazy are we talking? They enlist one of the best singers in pop music to say the words “bubble butt” over and over.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Scare Me, Bubble Butt, Mashup the Dance.

WATCH:

25. Cloud Control – Dream Cave
Spotify || Rdio

The concrete jungle of London is as far a cry from the Blue Mountains as you can possibly get. How interesting, then, that Dream Cave – the long-awaited second album from expats Cloud Control – felt at times like a homecoming. Given, they’ve leapt down the proverbial rabbit hole here to push their sound into weird and wonderful territory; drenched in reverb and bold musical shifts. The core essence of the band, however, carries over from 2010’s Bliss Release – they still thrive on indie pop tinged with psychedelia and heavy on all-in vocals, projected loudly so it can be heard outside of the square. One of the year’s most warmly welcome returns.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Moonrabbit, Dojo Rising, Ice Age Heatwave.

WATCH:

24. Arcade Fire – Reflektor
Spotify || Rdio

There’s simply no other way to put it: In 2013, Arcade Fire became rock stars. What brought them into the limelight was their single most ambitious album to date – and anyone who has heard any of the band’s previous albums will know that this is a statement not made lightly. From its kitchen-sink production to its fearless genre-hopping, Reflektor is a rarity in that it’s a double album that justifies its existence. A new Arcade Fire album is still received with the religious fervour it has in the past – but there’s a lot more people in the church now. Praise be.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Normal Person, Here Comes the Night Time, Reflektor.

WATCH:

23. David Bowie – The Next Day
Spotify || Rdio

The Thin White Duke celebrated his 66^th birthday by announicing his first album in a decade and immediately dropping the lead single. Oh, how very fucking Bowie. After years of secret studio sessions and persistent rumours that his health was deteriorating, The Next Day was the year’s biggest comeback by a considerable amount. It didn’t take long to see why – the album has a confidence that is untoward of men even half Bowie’s age, striding through brassy rock and spaced-out pop with finesse and ease. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait until 2023 for more. We need him.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Valentine’s Day, I’d Rather Be High, The Next Day.

WATCH:

22. Paramore – Paramore
Spotify || Rdio || YouTube

One of Hayley Williams’ favourite pieces of clothing back in the day was a homemade tank-top with the phrase “PARAMORE IS A BAND” written on it. It was a message to everyone that derided them or only focused on Williams: the members of the band weren’t guns for hire. Following the departure of the Farro brothers in 2010, these cynics began to reappear. What happened next, however, could never have been anticipated: Paramore released their best LP to date. Refusing to be pigeonholed, this versatile pop affair was equal parts sugar and spice; resulting in a dynamic and defiant listen. Paramore is a band.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Ain’t It Fun, Fast in My Car, Still Into You.

WATCH: 

21. Savages – Silence Yourself
Spotify || Rdio

Savages are the kind of band who make songs that will make you wanna walk the streets at night with a switchblade in your hand – it’s dark, it’s sinister and it’s achingly cool. Tracing the post-punk movement to its earliest and most exasperate period, Silence Yourself maintains the rage with substantive force; making it a hell of a mission statement and especially impressive for a debut album. There’s a reason none of the band are looking at you directly in the eye on the album cover: You wouldn’t be able to handle it if any of them did.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Husbands, She Will, City’s Full.

WATCH:

Howdy.

Here’s where we left you last. Now, on with the rekkids!

***

40. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Float Along – Fill Your Lungs
Spotify || Rdio || Bandcamp

Releasing three albums over the course of eighteen months is a level of hyperactive productivity that you just don’t find in many bands. The wildly weird septet have leapt from spliff-toting garage psych to gun-slinging spaghetti western in their brief yet illustrious time as a band, but it’s here that they fully realise their astronomical potential. Not only sporting the single best opening track of 2013, King Gizzard put together their strongest pound-for-pound material yet across warped guitar, banshee vocals and some spiralling moments of slow-mo bliss. When it comes to tripping the light fantastic, this is a band that truly emphasises the last part.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Pop in My Step, Head On/Pill, Float Along – Fill Your Lungs.

WATCH:

39. Northlane – Singularity
Spotify || Rdio

When it came to the heavier spectrum of Australian music in 2013, you simply could not go past the efforts of a crew of Western Sydney twentysomethings with a metric shit-tonne of ambition and the musical chops to pull it off. Not only did Singularity completely trump its predecessor – their 2011 debut, Discoveries – but it sonically took the band onto a different plain entirely. Drawing a striking contrast between atmospheric ambience and scorched-earth catharsis, the album is a full-scale assault on the senses. Invigorating and undeniable by nature, Singularity is indicative of not only a truly impressive present but as an incredibly bright prospect.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Worldeater, Masquerade, Quantum Flux.

WATCH:

38. Charlie Parr – Barnswallow
Spotify || Rdio

Perhaps the most un-2013 album to be released in 2013: An album of barnyard stomps, croaky storytelling and blues in its most traditional style. Although this is far from Parr’s first rodeo – it marked his eleventh studio album in twelve years – it’s a record that sees a strength in songwriting that has never shone through quite this way. An energy builds with washboard percussionist Mikkel Beckman and harmonica/mandolin player Dave Hundreiser; while the characters in each track are painted so vividly, you feel their every movement. Essentially, Barnswallow is a direct response to “They don’t make ’em like this anymore.” Actually, they do.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Badger, Jesus is a Hobo, Henry Goes to the Bank.

WATCH:

37. The Dillinger Escape Plan – One of Us is the Killer
Spotify || Rdio

After sixteen years in the game, you would at the very least be understanding if the output of The Dillinger Escape Plan was on any kind of decline. Instead, the band made a return this year that proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that they were still a merciless, (literally) fire-breathing beast to be reckoned with. The rage is very much maintained on their fifth and potentially best LP; barely allowing for a moment to catch one’s breath before tearing into the next vitriolic, bile-laden exercise in off-kiler chaos. If any metal album was going to tear you apart in 2013, it was more than likely going to be this one.

THREE TOP TRACKS: One of Us is the Killer, Understanding Decay, Prancer.

WATCH:

36. Caves – Betterment
Spotify || Rdio || Bandcamp || YouTube || Soundcloud

If you’ve ever seen – or, at least, seen any footage of – Caves live, their set up is very simple. One guitar, one bass, one drum kit and two microphones set up so that vocalist/guitarist Lou Hanman and vocalist/bassist Jonathan Minto are facing one another. Betterment, the band’s second album, is the recorded embodiment of this set-up. You’ve got grinding bass to your right, buzzsaw guitar to your left, pounding drums in the middle and defiant shout-along vocals over the top of the whole thing. It’s raw, it’s unapologetic and it’s a fucking fun listen. High-fives all ’round.

THREE TOP TRACKS: ❤ Koala, Build Against, I Don’t Care, I Don’t Care.

LISTEN:

35. Aluka – Space
Spotify || Rdio ||Bandcamp

Everyone from Bobby McFerrin to Anna Kendrick has explored the majesty of a capella over the years, but few have kept the spirit and the warmth of it alive quite like Aluka. The Melburnian trio finally released their debut album in 2013, going to great lengths to provide stunning vocal arrangements in the most peculiar of places. Recorded across hallways, stairwells, depots and even in their cars, producer Nick Huggins captures each song in its essence and meticulously crafts it into its own environment. Space is a thoroughly rewarding experiment in the power of a voice and a voice alone.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Station, TipToe, Swim Down.

WATCH:

34. The National – Trouble Will Find Me
Spotify || Rdio

Is this at all surprising as an entry? Really, were the sharpest-dressed men in all of indie rock ever going to deliver something short of exceptional? When your last two albums are as seminal, moving and brilliantly-written as 2007’s Boxer and 2010’s High Violet, one can only assume the next time around will follow suit. This is exactly what happened – from its intimate, striking confessionals to its all-in jaunts through rockier musical territory, Trouble Will Find Me comfortably held its own as one of the year’s most anticipated and subsequently beloved albums. They deserve nothing less as a band.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Graceless, Sea of Love, Don’t Swallow the Cap.

WATCH:

33. Speedy Ortiz – Major Arcana
Spotify || Rdio

Perhaps the most curious aspect of Major Arcana, the debut album for Northampton noisemakers Speedy Ortiz, is how it manages to capture the squirming discomfort and musical disarray of the indie rock movement through the 90s – and, yet, it comes out the other side sounding fresh and raucous rather than tepid and old-hat. It certainly isn’t the first record of its kind, and studies show that it will most certainly not be the last. What it is, however, is one of the finest examples in recent years of striking the balance between influence and inspiration. A truly outstanding rock record.

THREE TOP TRACKS: MKVI, Tiger Tank, Fun.

WATCH:

32. Seahorse Divorce – Seahorse Divorce
Spotify || Bandcamp

“I’ll start the story at the end,” offers vocalist Joshua Coxon during “Recurring,” the opening track of his band’s eponymous debut. From there, he and his exceptional crew of bandmates take us through a slew of lush math-rock excursions in sound matched to poignant and searching lyricism. As far as debut efforts went throughout the year, Seahorse Divorce proved to have some of the strongest replay value. It revealed a greater sense of character and some truly smart songwriting along the way. It ultimately didn’t even matter where the story started – as long as you were around to listen to it.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Summarise Proust, Recurring, Rogers Street.

WATCH: 

31. Panic! At the Disco – Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!
Spotify || Rdio

Despite being four albums in, Panic! At the Disco have never made two records in a row with the exact same personnel as the one before. It’s this that lends the band to being somewhat of a blank canvas at times – they have explored most of pop’s wider spectrums in greater depth than most of their contemporaries, yet have rarely stayed for more than a spell. Here, vocalist Brendon Urie – along with mainstay drummer Spencer Smith and new bassist Dallon Weekes – try on roller-disco grooves, Kraftwerk-esque robo-pop and bi-curious kiss-offs. It’s queer by nature, and this is perhaps its greatest attribute.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Girls/Girls/Boys, Vegas Lights, Far Too Young to Die.

WATCH:

I was originally going to put this together with a look back at how I feel about these songs now, but that would mean writing about 2007 200 times and I don’t think I have the energy for that anymore. I have been making my top 100 lists since 2005, although the 2005 list is long gone and I can only remember the top 3 (I Predict a Riot, All the Young Fascists and Bedroom Talk, respectively).

This was my first year of writing blurbs/annotations for each song. I have a few others that I’m going to throw up over the course of the year, but for now I wanted to present – unedited – one of my first proper attempts at music writing from when I was sixteen years old. It’s not pretty for the most part, but it’s at least an insight into what I was like at the time. So, enjoy – if you can, that is!

P.S: I apologise in advance for the Korn.

– DJY, January 2014

***

100. Kaiser Chiefs – Love’s Not A Competition (But I’m Winning)

All things considered, this was probably my favourite Kaiser Chiefs track on the new album. “I Predict a Riot” was my number one song of 2005, but Yours Truly didn’t really live up to the expectations. The singles were good, but unfortunately didn’t make the cut. This one, however, was a lovely Morrissey-esque number that describes the turmoil found in love, and is a worthy inclusion in the top list.

99. Muscles – Ice Cream

“WOOO! AHHH!” Let’s face it, if you’re a fan of Australian music, dancing and Triple J (preferably all three at the same time), it was very hard to escape this little tune. It was, of course, the Midnight Juggernauts that lead the Australian dance scene in 2007, but it was this small-time Melburnian that managed to do it with twice the gusto and two-thirds less people. If this song doesn’t restore your faith in ice cream saving the day, I have no idea what will.

98. James Blunt – I’ll Take Everything

You could use this track alone to show how much James Blunt has progressed as both a songwriter and musician since Back to Bedlam. With a great beat, infectious chorus and heart-on-the-sleeve vocals, this was a real surprise on first listen to All The Lost Souls – I actually prefer this over all the singles on Bedlam, and this hasn’t even been released as a single! Pity, it could do well.

97. Common (feat. Lily Allen) – Drivin’ Me Wild

Everything about this song is – Common, as an MC, can rarely put a foot wrong, if ever; and Lily Allen provides a killer hook that you just can’t help but sing along to. This stands both as one of the best hip-hop songs of the year and a standout of Common’s extensive career.

96. KoЯn – Kiss

One of the more twisted, darker tunes on the band’s untitled album. The song finds Jon Davis in a dead-end relationship, continually being “pushed away”. Sure, it’s an idea that’s been used before, but KoЯn belt this one out as if their lives depended on it. Essentially, the elements of this song are what was lacking in the band’s last three records, which disappointed pretty much everyone. Give Untitled a chance – it’s actually really good.

95. The John Butler Trio – Gov Did Nothin’

“Now I don’t wish to offend, no I don’t wanna start a fight/But do you really think the Gov would’ve done nothing/If all those people were white?”. An amazingly epic triumph from Johnny B’s latest, the dreadlocked guitar hero enlists a cast of thousands to tell a tale that is outspoken, political and powerful. Grand National is a great album, but this song rose head and shoulders above pretty much everything else on it.

94. Horsell Common – Good From Afar

Pretty much nothing hit me in the face quicker than this song in 2007. Horsell Common have always been a great band, but the urgency and heaviness found on this song matches nothing else they’ve done. The big “HEY! HEY!” chant, the pounding drums and that riff- it stuck in heads, hearts and moshpits throughout the year, and deservedly so.

93. Linkin Park – What I’ve Done

This signalled the return of Linkin Park to the airwaves. There’s no strings attached here, no hidden meaning, no complex layers – just a mainstream rock song that happens to kick arse. That’s all there is to it, and that’s why it works.

92. Foo Fighters – Erase/Replace

The Dave has been unleased after the calm that was disc two of In Your Honour. The Fooeys here are tight, energetic, loud and a whole lot of fun. How the hell they can go from the calm gentle bridge to the absolute rip-snorter of a final chorus is beyond me. Still awesome after all these years!

91. The Red Paintings – We Belong in the Sea

Another beautiful number from an incredible band. The Feed the Wolf EP felt a little too thrown together with two covers and two different versions of the same song, but the two originals found on the EP are unbelievably good. The song features Trash McSweeney at his arguably most heartfelt, and the instrumentation is perfect for the song’s mood. It’s almost as if the band can do no wrong.

90. The Chemical Brothers – The Salmon Dance

If you did not dance, laugh, or even smile at this awesome little number, your heart is dead. Nothing else needs to be said here.

89. Arctic Monkeys – Brianstorm

The Monkeys wasted no time getting right back into our heads with this little ditty at the very beginning of the year. Everything about this song is simply electric, hardly stopping at all for breath- and the addition of the organ was a really nice touch. This song alone is proof that Favourite Worst Nightmare was neither a second album flop or a carbon copy of its predecessor.

88. Blaqk Audio – The Love Letter

Originally, the Blaqk Audio tune that made the cut was lead single “Stiff Kittens.” But upon further listening to the album, no song stood out more than this stunning, emotional ballad with AFI overlord Davey Havok in fine form. For a side project, B.A. has done outstandingly well. This is Davey and Jade’s Postal Service to AFI’s Death Cab- still the same high quality of music, just in the eletronica kingdom.

87. Midnight Juggernauts – Tombstone

Daft Punk. There, I said it. I didn’t want to, but it’s incredibly hard to think of this song and not think of the French pioneers. Having said that, Tombstone is a hit, with a simple robotic hook and a wave of synth that could bowl any indie kid over, and bring the stiffest body in the room onto the dancefloor. The fact that something this good in dance music comes from here in Australia is just the cherry on top! PARTEH!

86. Operator Please – Zero! Zero!

What a fantastic way to kick off the album. This basically sums up what the band is all about- viciously hyperactive pop music with twistedly good lyrics washed over it. Operator Please and Red Bull would be a daring combination, and one I’m more than willing to try at the Big Day Out.

85. The Presets – My People

The Presets kicked back into our consciences with yet another dancefloor anthem. The energy and production here are top-notch, and Julian’s howl makes for one hell of a hook. It’s more of the same power-techno-pop that we’ve heard from Presets singles in the past, and while not a lot has changed, it’s good to see the boys haven’t dropped their game.

84. Radiohead – Faust Arp

Everything about this song just works. Jonny Greenwood’s Nick Drake-esque finger picking teamed up with Thom Yorke’s complex lyrics and stripped-back vocals and the subtle introduction of the beautiful string section. This is easily the most simple song on In Rainbows, but at the same time it is also one of the true standouts.

83. Liam Finn – Second Chance

The son of the legendary Neil Finn made some cracking tunes whilst in Betchadupa, but nothing quite as extraordinary as here. Now out on his own, the bushy-bearded Kiwi blasts us with glorious alt-pop with plenty of diversity and energy. If you like what you hear, I highly recommend going out and buying his album I’ll Be Lightning – he deserves all your support!

82. Battles – Leyendecker

I could go on for ages about how amazing this band is and how much I dig their songs. But only one thing needs to be said to justify the song and its place in my top 100: “Ahh ahh ahh ahhhhhhhhahh oooh ohh ooh oh oooooooooooooooh oooooooooooooooh.”

81. Faker – This Heart Attack

Not sure what happened with Faker this year. This Heart Attack was a fantastic little ditty, catchy as all hell and a great return to form. But Be The Twilight has sunk without a trace and I have barely heard from them since. Oh well, I can always go back to “Teenage Werewolf.” Ahh, memories.

We’re moseying on out of list season for another year, but before we do there’s still one last big mountain to climb. It’s time to count down the top 50 albums of 2013. Yes, there has been a billion of these over the past month or so – surely you can stomach one more without it turning into that scene from The Meaning of Life. Right? I hope so, anyway. Without further ado!

***

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Endless Heights, Janelle Monae, Dumb Numbers, Rosetta, Horrorshow, The Civil Wars, Sigur Ros, Au Revoir Simone, Pluto Jonze, Drumgasm, The Internet, Eleventh He Reaches London, Heights, City and Colour, Little Scout, Eminem, Austin Lucas, Arctic Monkeys, Tired Pony, Queens of the Stone Age, GROUPLOVE, The Uncluded, The Front Bottoms and Red Fang…

50. The Wonder Years – The Greatest Generation
Spotify || Rdio || YouTube

Few bands quite understand the joys, the plights, the struggles and the occasional existential crises that come with your twenties quite like The Wonder Years – mostly because they’re right there along with you. Over four albums, the band have evolved into spokesmen for pop-punk not just being for angsty, bedroom-dwelling teens. It can progress, mature and occasionally stir the extreme sides of the emotional spectrum. The sextet still find themselves struggling through small-town bullshit, life on the road and that unshakable fear of missing out. It’s in how they deal with it through the majesty of song that makes The Greatest Generation such a rewarding listen.

THREE TOP TRACKS: I Just Want to Sell Out My Funeral, Passing Through a Screen Door, We Could Die Like This.

WATCH:

49. Citizen – Youth
Spotify || Rdio || Bandcamp

Believe it or not, there are still some bands who are keeping the dream alive for those that grew up with Taking Back Sunday, Jimmy Eat World, Something Corporate and Matchbook Romance. Citizen may well wear their influences explicitly, but it would be foolhardy to discredit Youth, their debut LP, as simply a product of its environment. Repeat listens will slowly but surely reveal a record with its own identity; intertwining elements of melodic hardcore and alternative rock while tapping into raw-nerve emotion to amalgamate into something vital, fresh and poignant. For those with pain and sadness a little more painful and sad than the rest.

THREE TOP TRACKS: The Summer, Roam the Room, The Night I Drove Alone.

LISTEN:

48. Foot Village – Make Memories
Spotify || Rdio || Bandcamp

Easily one of the year’s weirdest albums also turned out to be one of its most wonderful. Essentially a furious drum circle, the four percussionists that make up this Los Angeles band build up rhythms and beats only to tear them apart, slowly and vigorously. It’s primitive and barbaric, making it a perfect album to inhabit oneself in and lose track of the outside world entirely. Full of thunderous tom rolls and shrieked, quasi-philosophical mantras (“Why is there a God/And why is there not?”), Make Memories will certainly do just that over time. Indelible ones, too.

THREE TOP TRACKS: The End of the World, 1600 Dolla Bill, AIDS Sucks, Make Money.

47. Defeater – Letters Home
Spotify

Without an acoustic guitar in sight, Defeater delivered a straight shot of their thinking-man’s hardcore on album number three. Letters Home is a take-no-prisoners affair; a full realisation of the band’s capabilities and songwriting integrity that encapsulates both their notable past and prosperous future. The high-concept lyricism follows on from the previous two records; delving further into the main character’s family history and their father’s trials and tribulations, with results that are nothing short of white-knuckle intense. It’s delivered with the conviction and fury of men possessed, awakening a fire in the belly that is becoming increasingly difficult to find within the genre.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Hopeless Again, Bastards, Bled Out.

WATCH:

46. Touché Amoré – Is Survived By
Spotify || Rdio

“I was once asked how I’d like to remembered/And I simply smiled and said ‘I’d rather stay forever.’” So begins Is Survived By, an album of surmountable emotional weight and stunning introspection. By means of contrast, 2011’s Parting the Sea… was the kind of record that smacked you around the head brutally for 20 minutes and then left without any further explanation. Impressive, sure; but what would happen if they let those ideas sink in for a little longer? Is Survived By was the answer – and it proved that we’re dealing with one of the most consistently interesting bands in hardcore today.

THREE TOP TRACKS: DNA, Just Exist, Harbor.

WATCH:

45. And So I Watch You from Afar – All Hail Bright Futures
Spotify || Rdio || Bandcamp

It’s been said that actions speak louder than words. Northern Ireland quartet And So I Watch You From Afar like to put this theory into action by, for the most part, letting their music do the talking – and boy, is it loud. Sounding like Battles on happy pills, All Hail Bright Futures is a rousing and rambunctious collection of bounding, galloping avant-garde guitar-pop. Of their three albums to date, it is easily their most energetic – there’s simply no such thing as a passive listen to Bright Futures. You’ll be hoping the sun stays in your eyes as long as possible.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Ambulance, Big Thinks Do Remarkable, The Stay Golden Parts 1-3.

44. Kirin J Callinan – Embracism
Spotify || Rdio || Bandcamp

Perhaps “eccentric” is a phrase a little too obvious, but let’s just say that few people in Australian music have as vivid an imagination as Kirin J Callinan. The peculiar performer has taken his time in building towards this debut solo effort, swerving in his musical departures constantly in order to not be cornered into any particular style or sound. This continues here, moving through terrifying, dark ambience and the occasional pop hook thrown in just to mess with your head even further. Just when you think you know all the answers, Embracism goes right ahead and changes all of the questions.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Victoria M., W II W, Embracism.

WATCH:

43. Beyoncé – Beyoncé

As December drew to a close, most felt that it was safe to start doing their end-of-year lists. Nothing much else to see here in 2013. Then, of course, this happened.

Mrs. Carter essentially broke the internet with the release of her fifth album; but when the hype subsided, this was genuinely worth getting excited about. After a decade of being a singles artists, releasing phenomenal radio smashes attached to patchy, inconsistent full-lenghths, Beyonce finally graduated to being an album artist. Expanding a full spectrum from her darkest and nastiest to her brightest and bubbliest material, this eponymous affair topped off what was already a spectacular year.

THREE TOP TRACKS: XO, Partition, Drunk in Love.

WATCH: 

42. Neko Case – The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
Spotify || Rdio

There’s a scene in the film Cool Runnings in which Yul Brenner asks his soon-to-be teammate, Junior, to look in the mirror. “Let me tell you what I see,” he says. “I see pride! I see power! I see a bad-ass mother who don’t take no crap off of nobody!” One must imagine that something similar happened to Neko Case in-between 2009’s Middle Cyclone and her lengthily-titled sixth album. Rich in alt-country melody and open-book honesty, it ranks as one of her finest efforts to date across her extensive discography. Pride and power are the orders of the day – and things can only get better from here.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Man, Nearly Midnight, Honolulu, Night Still Comes.

41. Death Grips – Government Plates
YouTube || Soundcloud

Another year, another round of Death Grips doing whatever the fuck they want, whenever the fuck they want. Apropos of nothing, they dropped their third studio album all over the internet – whether you caught it on YouTube, Soundcloud or even through a download link on the band’s own website, there was no escaping it. They made sure it was heard, too – raging on with their snarling, abrasive take on industrial-tinged rave-hop ensured that they would blow any speaker system you dared to play them through. The creative juices seem to be relentless when it comes to this trio; and those not yet on board only have themselves to blame.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Whatever I Want (Fuck Who’s Watching), This is Violence Now, You may think he loves you for your money but I know that he really loves you for your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat.

WATCH:

***

Here’s part one ICYMI. Here we go with the most fun shows of the year – if you were at any of these and we danced, sang, hugged… whatever, just thank you so much! Of course, much love to the artists as well.

Now, let’s kick it.

***

25. The Drones @ Metro Theatre, 28/9

After impressing Neil Young and packing out the Opera House, The Drones returned to Sydney in September to score an impressive hat-trick. Whether they were holding the crowd in wide-eyed silence or sending them into a frenzy, they made every minute count – particularly with the spectacular finale of Leonard Cohen’s “Diamonds in the Mine” with Harmony.

24. Wanda Jackson @ Factory Theatre, 23/3

One of the oldest people to tour Australia in 2013 was also, amazingly, one of the most energetic and enthralling. The First Lady of Rockabilly enlisted an all-Aussie backing band to take us across roughly seven decades’ worth of songs, stories and shakin’ all over. The definition of a living legend.

23. Neutral Milk Hotel @ Enmore Theatre, 14/11

Hipsters, cave-dwellers and boho kids of the past and present packed out the Enmore and rejoiced. Sing-alongs bounced off the walls, beards were stroked and a tear or two was shed. It was, in essence, everything you could possibly want it to be. Bonus points for the incredible supports in the classy M. Ward and the indestructible Superchunk.

22. The Hives @ Metro Theatre, 7/1

“Tomorrow will be Sydney’s hottest day on record, and The Hives are in town,” said Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist to a thousand sweaty punters. “Coincidence? I think not.” Motherfucker had a point: 2013 was in full swing when the dapper Swedes turned the Metro into a rock & roll hotbox. Rather than get old, it just gets better and better.

21. fun. @ Enmore Theatre, 7/3

fun. suited Future Music Festival about as well as Morrissey working at KFC. It was nice, then, to get the band away from the roid-ragers for an evening of delightfully uncool and unabashedly joyful pop music. Essentially a victory lap for Some Nights, this show saw the band truly live up to their name many times over.

20. Neil Young and Crazy Horse @ Sydney Entertainment Centre, 10/3

Rather than mellow with age, Young and co. managed to get even angrier, louder and heavier; charging through classics like “Powderfinger” and the brilliantly expletive “Fuckin’ Up.” Regardless of how expensive this show was, it was worth every cent just to see the expression on every baby boomer’s face when they realised what they’d gotten into.

19. Soundwave Festival @ Sydney Showground, 24/2

For a day with roughly 80 thousand people in attendance, the best moments came when they were streamlined down to a mere few. While thousands watched Metallica and blink-182, roughly a hundred or so watched incredible, punishing sets from Fucked Up, Polar Bear Club and The Chariot. A fun day for little fish in big ponds.

18. Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ Metro Theatre, 22/1

Mere months before dropping Mosquito, Karen, Brian and Nick made sure that you didn’t call it a comeback. Instead, you called it a joyous celebration of a decade of New York cool; complete with confetti cannons, exultant dancing and a rewrite of the history books. Instead of falling off the stage, Karen O dominated it.

17. They Might Be Giants @ Metro Theatre, 24/4

It would seem that attempting to pack 12 years worth of waiting into one night would be an impossible feat. Not if you’re John, John, Dan, Dan and Marty – in a thirty-song setlist, there were puppets, crowd battles and all the nostalgia a geek could ever handle. Now, chant: PEOPLE! PEOPLE! PEOPLE! PEOPLE!

16. The Roots @ Hordern Pavilion, 27/12

In the dying moments of 2013, ?uestlove and his legendary crew gave it an adrenaline shot directly to the heart. This is a band so faultless it even shook the dust off a PA as cavernous as the Hordern’s. With solos galore and a seemingly endless pull of energy, this wasn’t a show for the faint at heart.

15. Laneway Festival @ Sydney College of the Arts, 2/2

It’s rare that one stage at a festival gets everything right – and yet, the Courtyard Stage of the Sydney’s Laneway made it impossible to leave. From local legends Snakadaktal and Alpine to the sweaty bro-down of Cloud Nothings and Japandroids, this was a day of up-to-eleven amps and screaming the words to every damn song. Heaps party.

14. FIDLAR @ Oxford Art Factory, 31/7

To say that FIDLAR lay waste to the Oxford Art Factory isn’t just a metaphor – there were climbed walls, a kicked-out PA speaker, wires dangling dangerously from the roof and a pile of sweaty, barely-legal hipster kids throwing themselves both onto and off the stage. An obscenely fun night for people who still like a little danger in their rock & roll.

13. The Killers @ Metro Theatre, 16/1

The smallest show The Killers ever played in Australia will also probably be remembered as their best. You try denying the glory of opening with “Mr. Brightside” with the houselights on; followed by every hit you could ask for. The atmosphere was that of an arena spectacular; and the fact we got to see it in the surrounds of the Metro is something to never be forgotten.

12. You Am I @ Enmore Theatre, 19/7 and 1/8

In their two decades together, You Am I have become a national treasure. Recreating their beloved albums Hourly, Daily and Hi-Fi Way on a wildly successful tour showed us exactly why this is so. This broke through being cheap nostalgia to simply being a reflection on one of the most important bands in Australian history.

11. Cloud Nothings @ Annandale Hotel, 7/2

After spending most of 2012 cranking Attack on Memory, experiencing it live almost didn’t feel real. The hour flew by within a flash, but not without lasting impact – the visceral energy of the songs grew even spikier live; feeding off a push-and-shove energy between band and audience. You really fucked up if you missed this one.

10. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis @ Metro Theatre, 11/2

It began with an announcement of a show at the Oxford Art Factory and ended up with two Metro shows and an extra Enmore date; all completely sold out. Yes, the excitement was palpable for the arrival of hip-hop’s new dynamic duo – particularly given their then-very-recent victory in a certain poll. In a brilliant emotional contrast, it was a night of both cutting a rug (“Thrift Shop,” “Can’t Hold Us”) and of cutting onions (a beautiful “Same Love”). It was their first night ever in Australia; and there’s no way it will be the last.

9. Every Time I Die @ Manning Bar, 19/10

Buffalo’s finest had one simple request when the came in to the Manning Bar to set up for the evening’s show: No barrier. Either it went or they went. And so it was: One of the year’s most manic hardcore shows followed, sending the stage-dive-per-minute ratio through the roof and leaving most – if not all – of the ears paying attention. From the exhilarating opening of “Underwater Bimbos” up to the all-in finale of “We’rewolf” that saw more or less the entire audience get on stage; this was a celebratory evening of everything loud and tattooed. No barriers, no mercy.

8. Matt and Kim @ Oxford Art Factory, 1/5

You can brag about all the cool, rare, exciting, interesting or obscure bands that you’ve seen. But if you haven’t seen Matt and Kim, fuggedaboudit. These two lovebirds don’t need much more than a keyboard, drums and a sampler full of random song snippets (but mostly the chorus of “Bugatti”) to send their audiences into complete frenzy. It’s an all-involving crowd experience, with barely a second to catch your breath before you’re bounding into the next sugar-rush shout-along. In a world where so many bands are desperate to prove how little they care, sometimes it’s nice to see a band who give more fucks than you could ever imagine.

7. Swans @ Manning Bar, 13/2

An evening with Swans is an evening of chilled-out vibes, cruisy tunes, campfire singalongs and a friendly, relaxed atmosphere… except the parts where it’s not. At all. Not even close. For two-and-a-half hours, the gracefully-aging avant-gardists – lead by the bristling, dad-dancing legend that is Michael Gira – grabbed every last attendee by their scrawny neck and refused to let go until they were damn well finished. The centrepiece came in the form of a nearly 40-minute rendition of “The Seer,” which took absolutely no prisoners in its undying quest to see it all. A show unlike anything you may ever see before or after.

6. The Weekender ’13 @ The Gasometer, John Curtin Hotel, The Old Bar, Corner Hotel and The Reverence Hotel, 5-8/9

Every self-respecting punk from across the country headed to Melbourne for a run of rousing choruses, an endless supply of booze and room after room full of the best friends you’ve either ever had or are simply yet to meet. We waved goodbye to Milhouse and two-fifths of Luca Brasi; as well as welcoming new friends like the recently-formed Freak Wave and lanky troubadour Cory Branan on his maiden voyage to Australia. Elsewhere, The Smith Street Band became the kings of Weekender and Blueline Medic brought it home with a smashing comeback set. Not even a catty review in Beat could kill the rhythm – this is something truly incredible to be a part of.

5. David Byrne and St. Vincent @ State Theatre, 17/1

After dominating countless end-of-year lists with their dream-collab LP, Love This Giant, it was an absolute thrill to get it in the flesh as a part of a truly impressive Sydney Festival line-up. Byrne and Clark worked their magic on one another’s songs – “Burning Down the House,” “Marrow,” “Strange Overtones,” “Cruel” etc – but the truest joy came when they assembled their almighty, horn-heavy backing band to bring Love This Giant to life. With delightfully quirky choreography and pristine sound, this show truly was one of the year’s more spellbinding moments. The road to nowhere has never looked so beautiful.

4. Chic @ Sydney Opera House, 7/12

The man of a thousand hits added a few more to his belt this year thanks to some French robots and some American who has the key to the fountain of youth. It felt like there was no better way to celebrate Nile Rodgers’ incredible year than with what was possibly the biggest party ever thrown at the Opera House – yes, even bigger than their own forty-year anniversary celebrations. Dancing raged up and down the aisles as Chic powered through “We Are Family,” “Let’s Dance,” “Notorious” and every other work of genius that Rodgers has worked on over the years. C’est Chic!

3. Beyonce @ Allphones Arena, 31/10

Heyyyyyyy, Miss Carter! Pop music’s superwoman came, saw and conquered Australia in a jaw-dropping run of arena shows that even had hardened cynics like Everett True singing her praises. Amazingly, with approximately 20 people on stage at any given time, it was a feat unto itself to take your eyes off Bey – she commands your every scream, your every clap and your every attempt to try and hit those ridiculously high notes in “Love on Top.” In a truly dynamite year for pop tours – the Biebs, One Direction, Taylor Swift et al. – many kissed the ring. Only one, however, could wear the crown. Long live the Queen.

2. Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band @ Allphones Arena, 18 and 20/3

The Boss has the kind of fans that see him as a messianic people’s champion who has the power in his voice and his guitar to change your life forever. If you managed to spend an hour or three with the man and his music back in March, you probably have a clear idea as to why that is. Traversing the shark-infested waters for the first time in a decade, each night came with its own surprises and treats: Monday got “Adam Raised a Cain” and “Candy’s Room,” Friday got “Born in the U.S.A.” and “Rosalita.” What didn’t change, however, was the feeling of utter elation that came with being involved with such a splendorous occasion.

1. Paul Kelly and Urthboy @ City Recital Hall, 14/8

This was not just another Paul Kelly tour. The fact that Urthboy and his band were hand-picked as the support could have easily resulted in some sort of controversy or upset on the side of either fanbase. What happened instead was a much-needed and greatly-celebrated cultural crossover of two masterful storytellers, each bringing their words to life in very different but equally impactive ways.

Urthboy delivered a stripped-back and classy set, taking the time to bring the entire audience into his world. Kelly’s new band, featuring the wonderful Bree van Ryk and Zoe Hauptmann, gave new life to some older singles and switched up their style accordingly; whether some tasteful restraint or some four-on-the-floor was required. They rank up there with the Coloured Girls as one of his finest backing bands to date.

Perhaps the most telling moment of the entire evening came while Kelly and co. were performing “Deeper Water.” As the electric guitar kicked in and the crowd was swept collectively onto their feet, Urthboy could be spotted at the side of stage holding his new-born baby daughter Jetta; swaying in time with the song and bouncing her up and down with the happiness that can only come with the earliest stages of fatherhood. He, like a lot of Australian music fans, grew up with Paul’s music – and, now, he will bring up his own daughter just the same. The man truly is a gift that keeps on giving. Big things keep on growing.

What a year! There were some truly fantastic shows in 2013, and I’m so glad I got to see nearly 200 of them. Thanks to everyone I saw at a show, who let me crash at their place, who got me into shows, who got me into bands to get me into shows… the whole deal. You know who you are!

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Taylor Swift, Machina Genova, The Stooges, OFF!, Hunx and His Punx, Urthboy, Jen Cloher, Austin Lucas, Hot Chip, Weezer, Norah Jones, The 5,6,7,8s, Buke and Gase, Tomahawk, Black Sabbath, Frightened Rabbit, The Gaslight Anthem, Tame Impala, City and Colour, Something for Kate, Custard…

***

50. Justin Bieber @ Allphones Arena, 29 and 30/11

That’s not a typo – across a two-night stand in Sydney, JB brought a full-production arena spectacular with a stellar band and plenty of show-stopping hits. The criticism flew in thick and fast because… well, it’s Justin Bieber. He might be a reckless brat, but the Believe tour made him heir apparent to the pop throne.

49. Lorde @ Metro Theatre, 17/10

The hype artist of 2013 had a substantial amount to live up to, and she made this completely-sold-out tour count. Despite a bout of food poisoning the night before, Miss Yellich-O’Connor was on form throughout; whipping about her Brave hair and doing her now-famous “dinosaur dance” while recreating most of Pure Heroine note-for-note. Impressive.

48. Foals @ Enmore Theatre, 29/9

Okay, so we didn’t get that mezzanine dive from the first show – security were now wise to it and prevented Yannis from his borderline-suicidal leap. What we did get, however, was a solid mix of the band’s three albums delivered with seemingly endless hip-shaking. Who needs a dive when you’ve got “Olympic Airways”?

47. The Beards @ Metro Theatre, 29/6

A show that made it completely impossible not to smile the entire way through. On the very last night of their world tour, the hirsute Adelaide gentlemen brought a home-stretch energy to a crowd that was willing to reciprocate it tenfold. Never has an hour-plus set of songs entirely about one subject been such a triumph.

46. StereoTomic 2013 @ Black Wire Records, 22/6

From the acoustic joy of Pinch Hitter and Wil Wagner to the blistering intensity of Making and Stockades and everything in-between, StereoTomic was a long, sweaty, exhausting and truly fantastic look at everything that Australia’s independent music community is doing 110% right. You couldn’t have asked for much more. Fingers crossed for a 2014 return.

45. Converge @ Manning Bar, 16/2

Anyone who was at this show will attest to at least a portion of their face still being slightly melted off from the utter chaos that ensued this fateful evening. A boisterous, unforgiving onslaught of big riffs, blastbeats and the irrepressible frontman stylings of Sir Jacob Bannon. Bombclaws all ’round.

44. Cloud Control @ Wollongong Uni Bar, 10/9

The Cloudies have always had a Gong following, and their first show there in three years made for a celebratory evening of singalongs old and new. Maybe the smaller shows have less of a weight on them, but something about this show felt truly blissful and relaxed. Hell, Alister didn’t even put shoes on.

43. Dinosaur Jr. @ The Hi-Fi, 16/3

An insane triple bill of the almighty Dinosaur Jr., the immortal Redd Kross and the soon-to-be-legendary Royal Headache. Perfect sound, loud guitars, gigantic amps, long hair thrashing about like crazy. Even those too cool to rock out normally were losing their shit. A fucking stellar night for all involved. Rock will never go extinct.

42. The Wonder Years @ Annandale Hotel, 25/2

A band with a very all-ages crowd doing an 18+ show was admittedly a risk. In a way, however, it was kind of genius – in the sweaty surrounds of the ‘Dale, 200 or so adults got to act like big kids for roughly an hour. A night of being old enough to know better and young enough to not care.

41. Lianne La Havas @ The Famous Spiegeltent and Salon Perdu Spiegeltent, 19 and 23/1

The divine miss La Havas made her maiden voyage to Australia count, providing an early highlight to the year with two Sydney Festival shows that hung up Sold Out signs long before doors opened. Heart-wrenching soul blended with some faultless groove from a top-notch backing band – these shows were nothing short of world class.

40. Dyson, Stringer and Cloher @ Brass Monkey and Heritage Hotel, 5 and 9/11

Simultaneously three of Australia’s most well-respected and severely underrated singer-songwriters went all out on a national tour that quite literally took them across the entire nation. For these two relatively-regional NSW stops, the trio swapped songs, stories and sweet, sweet harmonies. A match made in heaven; and one that will hopefully ride again someday, further on up the road.

39. Newton Faulkner @ Metro Theatre, 9/4

Yes, he still rocks whiteboy dreadlocks when even John Butler’s given them up; and his music is cheesier than Bega at times. With that said: Faulkner gives his absolute all, drumming up as much noise and energy that one can muster as a solo performer. Plus, that cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody” is NEVER going to get old.

38. Limp Wrist @ Annandale Hotel, 4/1

For many, the first gig of the year was spent watching a bald, fat American in cut-off denim scream at them about a range of queer topics and issues – and they wouldn’t have had it any other way. Even the legendary Hard-Ons couldn’t compete with this man-on-man fury. Punk rock sucks dick – and that’s why it rules.

37. Totally Unicorn vs. Robotosaurus @ The Standard, 7/6

Boasting an impeccable run of supports (Snakes Get Bad Press, Lo!, Safe Hands), the Unicorns and the Robots teamed up for a night of sweaty, boozy antics. There was partial nudity, a beer waterslide, dog piles and even some table-top dancing for good measure. The poor Standard is probably still cleaning up the mess they left.

36. The Whitlams and the Sydney Symphony @ Sydney Opera House, 15/8

After a few years away, a Whitlams show in 2013 felt like a homecoming of sorts – especially doing a hometown show with the bloody Symphony Orchestra. A truly classy performance that dipped into their entire discography and brought out both the tenderness in songs like “Charlie #2” and the pizzazz in songs like “Gough.” Top shelf.

35. Rodriguez and The Break @ Enmore Theatre, 25/3

So, a sugar man, three guys from Midnight Oil and a Violent Femme walk into a theatre… no, seriously. The man they call Rodriguez made a exultant return to Sydney with some truly wondrous recreations of his classics. Backed up by The Break, the set was delivered with the kind of joy and exuberance that normally doesn’t come from a man in his seventies. Unforgettable.

34. Billy Bragg @ Factory Theatre, 13/9

Excitement was already palpable as the Bard of Barking dropped a one-off solo performance in-between various media appearances. He could barely make it through “Sexuality” for all the enthusiastic backing vocalists in the audience, while even new songs got some respect. Encoring with Life’s a Riot in full was the icing on an already delicious cake.

33. The Breeders @ Enmore Theatre, 28/10

The former Pixie’s “other” band got its classic line-up together to celebrate 20 years of Last Splash. It was a record worth celebrating – its peaks and valleys, its wig-outs and its country departures, its “Cannonball”s and its “Hag”s. But what’s better than playing one album? Playing two: Pod, in its entirety, was the encore. What luck!

32. Passenger @ Enmore Theatre, 6/4

In the middle of a remarkable year, the expat troubadour captivated a completely packed Enmore all on his own. He performed unplugged at one point to a pin-drop silent audience, completely enthralled by his room-filling voice. Oh, and he also played that song. Few deserved success in 2013 quite the way he did.

31. ET15 @ Corner Hotel and Northcote Social Club, 22 and 23/11

Elefant Traks had a remarkable year: Urthboy graduated to being one of the most important people in Australian music, Horrorshow became chart-toppers and Hermitude morphed into flat-out festival killers. What better way to celebrate 15 years of original, innovative and exciting Australian music than a 2-night stand with the whole roster on showcase? You beauty.

30. Kvelertak @ Manning Bar, 15/9

New ticket price for any Kvelertak show: Worth It + booking fee. The fearless Norweigans delivered a rock show for the ages, firing off on all cylinders with their triple guitar attack, multiple stage-dives and relentless energy. Anyone who didn’t end up a sweaty, voiceless mess by the night’s end simply could not have been at the right show. Meir!

29. Gay Paris @ Town Hall Hotel, 6/7

To celebrate the end of tour, the fancyboys of Gay Paris decided to throw themselves an inner-west party to end all inner-west parties. Packing out the Townie, the evening won’t be forgotten anytime soon. Things got decidedly loose and wildly fun – much like your average Saturday night at the Townie; only much, much louder.

28. Glory Days @ Black Wire Records, 10/1

Four men, from four different parts of Australia, with four guitars and endless tales of their hometowns, their heartbreak and their heroes. The clan – Wil Wagner, Lincoln Le Fevre, Isaac Graham and Ben David – formed an unbreakable bond on this wonderful tour, singing well into the night and jamming on each other’s songs. Glorious, indeed.

27. Japandroids @ Manning Bar, 31/8

It felt like barely a month passed between Japandroids destroying Laneway and returning for seconds later, but a lot of touring happened elsewhere: They returned exhausted and delirious, and this drove the show’s energy more than anything else. The love was definitely in the air that night – particularly when an arm-in-arm pit circle formed during “Continuous Thunder.” Rest up, boys.

26. The Bronx @ Annandale Hotel, 25/4

Nearly a decade after a legendary show there, The Bronx finally returned to the ‘Dale. The songs flew past in a flurry of buzzsaw guitar and extended cries of “YEAHHHHHHHHHHH!” The lyrics were shouted back at a volume that rivalled the microphone’s. Bodies and booze flew about. It was exactly what you’d expect from a Bronx show, a rock show and an Annandale show.

***

Read part two here.

This is the end, my only friend the end.

Here is the rest of the list:

100 – 81
80 – 61
60 – 41
40 – 21

These are the 20 songs that soundtracked my year. These were my absolute favourites. The best of the best. Thank you to the musicians, the songwriters, the producers… everyone who made these songs possible. Let’s do this all again in 2014.

***

20. Kirin J Callinan – Embracism

He divides the cool kids right down the middle and provokes the most extreme sides of the emotional spectrum with his perplexing and confronting take on art rock. That didn’t change with his debut solo album, Embracism, and in particular its title track: A thudding, swerving and chillingly intense commentary on the increasingly abstract concept of masculinity. Part Metal Machine Music, part self-help guide, Callinan spits through scenarios while synths hum and drone, guitars wailing and screeching. It’s far from an easy listen, but against all odds it manages to have an addictive flair to it. So, do you measure up?

19. Au Revoir Simone – Crazy

Ten years on from a fateful train trip which saw ARS’s Erika Forster and Annie Hart meet for the first time, it’s always a truly wonderful thing to remember that Au Revoir Simone are in the world. Yes, they were out of the picture for a little while, but “Crazy” made sure that the wait was more than worth it. From its rich melodies and impressive keyboard tapestry to its high-fret bass guitar break, there is not a single note out of place here. It weaves together so consummately that it really does make it feel like they were never truly gone.

18. Wil Wagner – Laika

How fascinating it was when two of Australia’s best contemporary musical storytellers – in this case, The Smith Street Band’s Wil Wagner and The Drones’ Gareth Liddiard – both put out songs called “Laika” in 2013. Named after the Soviet space dog, each song took very different approaches to the tragic tale at hand. Liddiard gave a very intense, analytical and borderline scientific take. As excellent and typically Liddiardian as it was, it simply could not compare to Wagner’s first-person (or, in this case, first-dog) perspective – a bittersweet, poignant and truly stirring piece of rewritten history. For everything Wagner achieved in 2013, it all started here.

17. The Dear Hunter – The Kiss of Life

A year when both Deerhunter and The Dear Hunter release albums is going to cause a head-scratch or two; one of the many bits and pieces of confusion that worked their way around throughout the year. Keeping this in mind, there’s absolutely no confusion when it comes to “The Kiss of Life” – it’s the latter, alright; sounding better than ever before. Both the calm before the storm and the storm itself are dynamically written and emphatically played – this has truly moved out of the side-project realm and into its own class entirely. Remember the name.

16. Nick van Breda – The World and the Everyday

How fitting that one of Nick’s former bands was called Staying At Home: Here’s a spiffy little number about wanting to make the most of life and yet constantly being dragged from it on account of menial, insignificant chores and housework. “The World and the Everyday” is a perfect blend of the subliminal and the sublime – cooing harmonies and ticking-clock rim-shots meld into striding acoustic guitar and an infestation of hooks that flutter through the song’s atmosphere and make their home in the back of your head. Be careful if this is your first listen – those earworms ain’t going anywhere for awhile.

15. Kanye West – Black Skinhead

Charlie Skinner, one of the main characters of HBO’s The Newsroom, is at times seen as the show’s comic relief. He has one simple cry when it’s time for business: “I’m not fucking around!” For all the time that Kanye West spent in 2013 as a punchline or in ridicule of endless comment sections, people knew when to shut up once the ear-splitting floor tom came rolling in, the heavy breathing commenced and Mongolian-flavoured grunt-chants filed through the proverbial aisles. Few things – musical, political, whatever have you – quite put people in their place quite like “Black Skinhead.” Kanye to world: I’m not fucking around.

14. mowgli – Disillusioned

“Tear down the things they built.” Six simple words – innocuous separately, borderline revolutionary when combined. This protest march wasn’t so much about what is said as much as how: The unhinged conviction and the teeth-gnashing rage that come from vocalist Cameron Smith lead the charge of this anti-authoritarian call to arms with a ferocity that cannot be matched. Once it catapults into a limb-flailing wig-out – all rolling drum fills and guitar screech – all bets are completely off. “Disillusioned” is the kind of song that can irrevocably prove that actions speak far, far louder than words.

13. Drake feat. Majid Jordan – Hold On, We’re Going Home

Yes, 2013 was another healthy year in the culture of Drake – countless image parodies, song parodies, macros, memes, Twitter accounts and more .gifs than you could poke your digital stick at. Hell, you might have even forgotten the guy actually makes music – that was, of course, until you heard that electronic drum intro and you eased your way into potentially the coolest song of 2013. From its cave-dwelling vocal samples to its glacial, late-night synth warble, “Hold On” got its hooks in early and kept them there. Drake the type of dude that rules the pop universe.

12. Bastille – Pompeii

Making pop songs to fill arenas is one thing, but “Pompeii” was a different beast altogether in that it was a true-blooded stadium song in the traditional Greco-Roman sense. Just listen to how powerful this thing got: A baritone male choir which could be heard within a 500-metre radius. Floor toms and taikos that landed about 8.1 on the Richter scale. Keyboards that fizzled and buzzed with roughly the amount of electricity it takes to keep a small town lit up. Forget “don’t bore us, get to the chorus” – Bastille made sure that they made every single second of their big moment in the sun count.

11. CHVRCHES – Gun

Imagine being told that you are going to be hunted down, that there is no escape and that you best get a wriggle on if you have even the smallest glimmer of hope to survive. Now imagine that you’re being told this by an impish twenty-something Glasweigan lass with a voice of gold and a synthesizer with phasers set to stun. Remarkably, it actually makes the weight of the threats even greater – not to mention assisting in making “Gun” one of the year’s greatest exercises in contrast. A strange, unearthly delight of a song. Don’t fuck with CHVRCHES.

10. Pinch Hitter – Nine-to-Fine

It all began with mid-2000s music lessons and a big-brother/little-brother relationship that would last the ages. Forget all other contenders: 2013’s greatest bromance was between Nick van Breda (Staying at Home, Animal Shapes, Lights Out) and Dave Drayton (Milhouse, Between the Devil and the Deep, Euripides Berserker). They became Pinch Hitter, a duo focused solely on the art of banjo-slinging and “chucking a feels.” Winding up with about half a dozen original songs, the pick of the litter came with this ode to everyone who has ever worked from home. Not only does the double-banjo arrangement flourish, but its chorus became so undeniable over each listen that even those working Dolly Parton hours would still find themselves singing along. Make all the Deliverance gags you please – Pinch Hitter are here to stay.

9. Kanye West – New Slaves

There is a distinct difference between the n-word having an “a” at the end of it and having an “er” at the end. “New Slaves” is a song that explores the latter – a stark, aching state of the union address that goes from post-colonial America to The Waterboy and back again in a matter of minutes. It’s the kind of rant that would have broken Kanye’s fucking Macbook Air a few years back – a wad of bile that has been building up for quite some time. On top of all of that, you could not have asked for a better mic-drop finale than an AutoTune solo followed by ad-libs from Frank Ocean. In conclusion: Kanye West wrote “New Slaves.” Your argument is invalid.

8. The Happy Hollows – Endless

It’s been said many times that music is the language of us all. Let’s take that one step further – the wordless refrain is the language of us all. Think about it: “Miss You,” “Chelsea Dagger,” “Viva La Vida”… even “Pompeii” from this year. It’s a beautiful thing, and its legacy continued on the opening track to The Happy Hollows’ second album, Amethyst. The band have an atmosphere to their music – it’s vast and lush and hazy; with broad strokes of jangling guitar and booming drums. “Endless” is a perfect amalgamation of their greatest traits; topped off with a chorus that doesn’t need words – it just needs a soaring “ohhhhhhh.” In other words, “Endless” is the kind of dream pop that you do not want to wake up from.

7. Austin Lucas – Alone in Memphis

If you paid attention to popular country music this year, you’d have found a lot of dudes fixin’ up their truck, hopin’ to get it stuck and to get a girl in the passenger seat so they can… kiss. Ironically enough, you had to actually go off the beaten track that these artists so romanticised in order to find anything of substance. Were you to take this journey, you’d wind up in southern Indiana with Austin Lucas. Here, Lucas has penned an ode to life on the road and his love/hate relationship with his travels. It’s delivered so soundly and with such a forlorn sense of isolation, you’d think no-one had ever thought to write about such a thing before. It’s real country. No truck required.

6. Buke and Gase – Hiccup

Probably not since Battles’ seminal 2007 single “Atlas” have we seen such a bizarrely resplendent marriage between avant-garde New Yorkisms and quirky pop textures. Then again, you probably haven’t heard anything quite like Buke and Gase in a very, very long time – perhaps ever. The “gase” (a guitar-bass hybrid) is what leads the charge here, sprawling itself out over an incessant kick drum. A shrill lick from the “buke” (a six-string baritone ukulele) follows, throwing shapes over the top of proceedings before locking into the main riff as well. It stops, it starts, it occasionally explodes. There’s no doubting that “Hiccup” is a truly odd machine. But it is a truly marvellous one, as well.

5. The Internet – Dontcha

2013 was a busy year in the Odd Future Records camp – we received new albums from Earl Sweatshirt (very well-received), Tyler, the Creator (not-so-well-received) and MellowHigh (somewhere in the middle). The lot was surpassed, however, with the release of “Doncha.” The song is interesting in that it came in the year where one of its biggest hits stemmed from the minds of Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers. The song takes substantial cues from both – the falsetto-heavy vocals of the former and the unmistakable guitar swagger of the latter. Hell, even the recurring phrase “don’t you want me” is practically a Human League nod. What makes “Doncha” so great, however, is the fact that its multiple influences come together to become something truly refreshing, electric, bouncy and unfathomably groovy. Get down or get lost.

4. GRMLN – Teenage Rhythm

Orange County via Kyoto’s GRMLN (say it “Gremlin”) didn’t so much arrive in 2013 as he did materialise. The project of Yoodoo Park, a Japanese-American musician barely out of his teenage years, his debut LP Empire was recorded and written in-between (or in lieu of) classes at UCSC. From Empire‘s opening track, one is reminded instantly of the simple pleasures that can come from just shouting over an electric guitar. “Teenage Rhythm” has an energy that is relentless, an urgency that can only come with the blissful ignorance of youth and an excitability that can only come with a big, raucous refrain of “Get out! Get out! Get out!” As the cymbals crash about the place and guitars swerve across them, one can’t help but smile. Rock and roll keeps turning up in the strangest of places.

3. Oslow – Desert Dog Rd.

Let’s hone in on the western suburbs of Sydney, where everyone from Northlane to Yes I’m Leaving managed to have impressive years. Perhaps the greatest surprise of them all, however, came in the form of Oslow – despite the fact they only released a single in 2013, it alone managed to trump nearly everything released by Sydney acts throughout the year. So, what made “Desert Dog Rd” such an achievement? Basically, it’s the sum of its parts. It’s a signature song of what is being achieved in Australian independent rock music; a song of peaks and valleys, lyrically defiant without being brattish or pretentious, smartly progressive without being bogged down in the mathematics of song structure. It’s exactly what 2013 needed – and, with any luck, it will be exactly what 2014 and beyond sounds like.

2. Savages – She Will

Here it is. The Daniel Day Lewis of 2013 songs. The single most intense track of the year. How intense are we talking? Even the instruments sound like they hate each other. After launching into the single best riff of the year, the drums start attempting to swat it down with a Stephen Morris hi-hat and snare pattern delivered at breakneck speed. When the chorus hits, the crash cymbal gets pounded into submission through a series of visceral chokes while the guitar seethes and radiates in its feedback. It then hits back with another knife-edge guitar break – as if to say, “Your move.” It must be noted that it’s this ferocity that made “She Will” such a vital, stunning song – the classic kind that stops you dead in your tracks. The kind that will make you have to pull over the car should it come on the radio. The kind that sparks dancing until there is blood dripping from the heel of your shoe. You really have no choice but to give in to it.

1. mowgli – Slowburn

What exactly can one say about a piece of music that simultaneously leaves you at a loss for words and wanting to say so many things? As a rule, a group like mowgli should not be at this stage yet – barely two years old, with a collection of recorded songs that can be counted on a single hand. And yet, here we are – we have been gifted with “Slowburn,” which carries an insurmountable weight to it and a breathtaking emotional ponderosity that belies both age and experience.

There may well come a time where the song doesn’t really belong to the band anymore – it will become a timeless, priceless possession to anyone that has ever felt the frustrations, the exasperate animosity and the desperately questioning confusion that is alluded to through the song’s lyrics. It takes you from the calm before the storm all the way up to when the snare is turned on and the vocals switch from trying not to lose it to having flat-out fucking lost it. It’s a soundtrack to lost friendship, to false starts, to accusations of hypocrisy, to trying to find who you really are and getting completely lost along the way.It’s the realest, the worthiest and the most rewarding emotional investment one could have possibly made in 2013.

The best part? The five people that make up mowgli seem to have absolutely no idea what they’ve done here. It’s a great song, yes; but there will come a time where “Slowburn” will mean so much more than just that. With this song, the band have lit an eternal flame. For whatever may come next, there will always be this.

***

Tracks by female artists (artist/featured artist/vocalist is female) = 33

Tracks by Australian artists = 25

Oldest person on the list = Paul McCartney, 71 at time of recording

Youngest person on the list = Lorde, 16 at time of recording

Multiple entries:

Cloud Control (93, 41), Paramore (90, 45, 43), Justin Timberlake (88, 22), Kings of Leon (85, 46), Surfer Blood (80, 36, 28), Wil Wagner (75, 18), Lorde (60, 27), mowgli (56, 14, 1), Dave Hause (51, 35), Brendan Maclean (32, 25), Buke and Gase (21, 6), Kanye West (15, 9)

Download the podcast version here. Thanks for reading/listening!

Getting pretty serious here, folks. If you’ve just joined us: You missed this, this and this. Catch up on those before venturing further. Or, maybe you just want to check out the top 40. That’s cool, I guess. Alright, party time. Bring the noise!

***

40. Vampire Weekend – Diane Young

They’ve been a go-to gag for nearly half a decade; a mainstream view of hipster culture, a dismissal of sorts. “Ahh, go listen to Vampire Weekend.” Still, once you peeled back the pretty-boy looks and the polo shirts you actually found a capable pop band with a slew of excellent – and underrated – singles. “Diane Young” is one of them, which served as both the lead-in to Modern Vampires of the City and its best track. From its wigged-out anti-guitar-solo to the brown-note tuba and the multi-pitched “baby, baby, baby” breakdown, this is where all the potential built up over the years has ended up.

39. The Lonely Island – Diaper Money

The greatest fake MCs on earth are always finding new and inventive ways to send up the genre that they love; accumulating millions of YouTube hits and an undying, ever-growing fanbase along the way. Now that they’re all in their thirties and married men, they’ve decided to take the bravado and boasting that are commonplace in hip-hop’s mainstream into the realms of buying nappies, monogamy and pristine locations to get buried. Each member has roughly thirty seconds to get their point across and they don’t need a second more – utter hilarity and every lyric endlessly quotable. Grown-ass shit.

38. Lemuria – Brilliant Dancer

There are two distinct parts in “Brilliant Dancer,” able to be neatly cut down the middle. The former matches a twirling guitar part with pitter-pattering drums and Sheena Ozzella’s sweet soprano. The latter, then, steps on a pedal and adds an unexpected kick with its forceful drums and basic yet surprisingly urgent piano. Besides containing the two words of the title (repeated to great effect in part two), these snippets seemingly have nothing to do with one another. A chance encounter, if you will. Perhaps its creation was serendipitous. Whatever the case, it’s nice to have it in the world.

37. Lucy Wilson – Wake Up Alone

The late Harlan Howard once said that the formula to a great country song was three chords and the truth. Melbourne’s Lucy Wilson isn’t quite country, but she applies this formula here with truly rapturous results. Faithfully strumming away on a ukulele, Wilson delivers a few home truths to a jilted lover. That said, you may well never hear the phrases “we are fucked for life” and “you will wake up alone” delivered more sweetly or melodically. There’s no lamenting, no stretching out the details, no use crying over spilt milk or stupid men. In, out, done. Three chords and the truth – that’s Lucy Wilson for you.

36. Surfer Blood – Gravity

Pythons, as an album, revolves around the highs and lows of what appears to be an immeasurably intense relationship. Track two finds it in somewhat happier times – bounding through a Davies-brothers chord progression, John Paul Pitts sings to his “other half,” who has stood by him despite his full awareness that he “can make a mess of things.” To be perfectly honest, a song like “Gravity” is somewhat of a relief – there are simply far too many tracks that merely see the roses of love without detailing the thorns. “Gravity” is prickly in that regard, and a better song overall for it.

35. Dave Hause – Autism Vaccine Blues

In the late nineties, a medical journal called The Lancet published a research paper which detailed and supported a (false) theory that an MMR vaccine could trigger and develop autism within those that took it. Exactly why this inspired Dave Hause to create this number is anyone’s guess, but it certainly makes for a gripping listen. Tearing through biblical imagery and meandering, muddled mind, Hause presents himself as substantially worse for ware throughout the song. Hell, one of the hooks is the desperate question “Have you seen the shape I’m in?” Here’s to Andrew Wakefield, the lying bastard. Your legacy is intact.

34. Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers – Get Lucky

It all began with a snapshot of Nile Rodgers at his guitar being pointed at by two men with their faces out of shot (guess who). Months later, during an ad break of Saturday Night Live, our first snippet of “Get Lucky” arose. It was obsessed over – there may still be websites floating around dedicated to that snippet’s very existence. The amazing thing was, no matter how much the anticipation grew, the song fulfilled every possible fantasy. From fifteen seconds to its full six-minutes-ten, 2013 will forever be defined by our love affair with this song.

33. Janelle Monae – Dance Apocalyptic

The cabaret never ends when it comes to Janelle Monae – there’s a good chance she is still dancing and ad-libbing to an instrumental outro of “Tightrope” that ended in 2011. In turn, she may come across as somewhat exhausting to the untrained eyes and ears. With this in mind, when Monae brings the party vibes? Fuggedaboudit. With a troupe of backing singers shouting boisterously along with every other lyric, as well as scoring a hook of their own (“Smash smash!/Bang bang!”), Monae kicks the door down from verse one and doesn’t let up. She is the dance commander and she commands you to dance.

32. Brendan Maclean – Stupid

The combination of Maclean and Paul Mac was always going to be a curious one. Having spent the last few years as a popstar in a piano man’s body, Maclean essentially became the blank, white canvas that he sang about all those years ago. Their debut collaboration ended up somewhere closer to The Dissociatives than “Just the Thing,” a bubbly kiss-off that matches a snapping beat to a confident vocal delivery and a chirpy keyboard solo. Basically, “Stupid” was Brendan dipping his toes in the water of pop to find the water crisp, cool and clean. Why not jump in?

31. Haim – The Wire

“The Wire” wound up being on of the big crossover hits of the year, and when you break it down it’s easy to see why. They take daggy influences like the Eagles (whose “Heartache Tonight” serves as the mirror image for the drums) and Sheryl Crow (whose “Strong Enough” was one of their go-to covers of the year) and give them a dash of youthful exuberance and substantive attitude. A lot of adjectives spin through music writing on a daily basis, but perhaps “The Wire” could be summed up the best with this one: Righteous.

30. Miley Cyrus – Wrecking Ball

While Helen Lovejoy and her band of outraged internetters were busy asking everyone to PLEASE think of the children, wholesome little Hannah Montana was busy making the single best song of her career. After seething through her teeth during the verses, Miley Ray dropped a chorus that erupted with the kind of power one might get from the sledgehammer she so tastefully licked in that video. “Wrecking Ball” ended up being less a torch song and more a towering inferno that was only fuelled with every parody, from the Hulkster to the one guy still using Chatroulette in 2013. Eat this, Sinead. Fight the real enemy.

29. Arcade Fire – Reflektor

The lights dimmed, the mirrorball lowered and the dozen or so people that make up Arcade Fire on any given day arrived on the dancefloor. What better way to launch a monumental double album than with a title track that employs bilingual lyrics, a wall of guitar swagger, sizzling horns, pounding piano and gasping hi-hats locked into a bongo rhythm. Oh, and David fucking Bowie. Just ’cause. You’re probably thinking that this is all very uncharacteristic for a group like Arcade Fire, and you’d be exactly right. It’s this that made “Reflektor” all the more gratifying.

28. Surfer Blood – Weird Shapes

For the conspirators among you: After the first chorus of “Weird Shapes,” John Paul Pitts namechecks the Beatles song where John Lennon explicitly confesses to beating Cynthia. Now we’ve got that out of the way, let’s focus in on the song itself: A bristling, sneering rock number that takes its cues from some of the heavier moments of their debut, 2010’s Astral Coast. Of particular note is the duelling guitar break and the off-beat snare hits that define the song’s rhythm. When it comes together, it really is a thing to be admired. Open up to Surfer Blood and see what the results are.

27. Lorde – Royals

This year, the title of pop’s dark horse belonged to a smirking, awkward then-sixteen-year-old who compared herself to Gollum while performing and made fans out of Lily Allen, Russell Crowe and Ellen Degeneres among many, many others. Her signature song was a minimalist commentary on rejecting mainstream ideas of luxury and cloud-talking through her own imagination. For everything that seemed unconventional – its bare production, its buzzing synth lurching back and forth in the mix – there were even more aspects that qualified it for its inevitable platinum status. If you didn’t let her be your ruler the first time around, you sure as shit did by the year’s end.

26. Courtney Barnett – Avant Gardener

A common thread among the purveyors of the supposed “dolewave” movement – predominantly stick-think Clean fans with a guitar and vocal chords both out of tune – has been the somewhat-ironic celebration of doing completely humdrum activities like making toast (Dick Diver) or playing poker (Bitch Prefect). In theory, a five-minute song about an asthma attack while doing yardwork should just blend in with the rest – and yet, against all odds, it became one of the best examples of Australian storytelling to come out in the year. From the minute Barnett wakes up to her final refrain detailing her difficulty breathing, it’s a captivating and infatuating prospect.

25. Brendan Maclean – Winner

And there’s Maclean – aka Klipspringer, aka @macleanbrendan, aka that poonce that disrespected the bloody Sando – charging out of the gates, all neon and confetti. It was with “Winner,” single number two in B-Mac’s busy 2013, that the true colours shone through like a beacon – think John Belushi’s glow in The Blues Brothers’ church scene, followed by flipping his way down the aisle. Chopped-and-screwed vocals blurt in and out of fizzling synth hooks and an urgent drum machine. Sure, the twist maybe Maclean’s chorus of “I won’t be a winner,” but you’ll be hard pressed to feel like anything else at the song’s triumphant conclusion.

24. The Lonely Island – Spring Break Anthem

For all of their praise and adoration, one criticism of the Lonely Island is that they needn’t bother making albums or releasing songs. Given they are trained in visual mediums and score their biggest hits through YouTube views, one might have an understanding of where this comes from. Then something like “Spring Break Anthem” turns up. As hilarious as the video is, it’s just as gut-busting on its own accord. If you haven’t yet experienced its twist, just know that the marriage equality movement was a LOT better off because of this song. Also of note: The single best closing line of a 2013 track.

23. Crayon Pop – Bar Bar Bar 2.0

The west’s infatuation with Korean pop music (K-pop) can more or less be divided between pre-“Gangnam Style” and post. Beforehand, it was an occasional YouTube laugh. Now, as Psy horse-rides into a billion views and beyond, we’re constantly seeking out the latest pop pleasures from Seoul and its surrounds. Once such delight came in the form of bouncy (literally) girl group Crayon Pop, who smashed a broken English chorus out of the park and into your skulls. The energy goes beyond mere cuteness and ends up being flat-out undeniable; becoming a global pop force to be reckoned with. HEY, YOU GUYS!

22. Justin Timberlake – Mirrors

A three-minute pop ballad isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? An eight-minute pop ballad. “Mirrors,” a silk-smooth ode to true love and the commitment of marriage, stood head and shoulders above every other song Timberlake released in 2013 – and most other songs by other artists, too. No Jay-Z cameos, no gimmicks… just pure, unadulterated Trousersnake served just right for your slow, savoury consumption. How great is “Mirrors”? Let’s just put it this way: This makes up for The Love Guru, Bad Teacher, Friends with Benefits AND In Time. Act all you want, son. Just don’t forget where you came from.

21. Buke and Gase – Houdini Crush

It’s somewhat of a platitude among writers to note that a duo makes a lot of noise for merely a two-piece. With this in mind… what is going on here? The song swerves, scales and plummets through its various peaks and valleys, capturing your attention from the very second the “gase” gurgles out into the ether. Not only is it incredible that everything you hear on “Houdini Crush” is made by merely four hands and four feet, but the fact they’re using instruments that were made by the aforementioned four hands arguably makes Buke & Gase the single most unique act in this entire list.

***

Download the podcast version of Part Four here.

Read on to the final part of the countdown here.

Halfway point! And beyond!

Part one here, part two here. Playtime’s over, motherfucker – here we go!

***

60. Lorde – Buzzcut Season

You’ve probably heard plenty of teenagers utter the phrase “I’ll never go home again.” Some random tantrum has sent them off in a huff, faux-packing their “belongings” and marching off brashly down the street. It’s only when it leaves the lips of one Ella Yelich-O’Connor – better known to the masses as Lorde – that it takes on a degree of believability. This sombre cut from the gangbusters debut Pure Heroine allows Ella to register in a lower tone, chillingly recalling a summer of runaway love and escaping to a better existence. A quiet moment with the artist that perhaps made the most noise in 2013.

59. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – From the Sun

The Beatles are a pretty obvious musical influence, right? They get bandied about from artist to artist as a cliched inspiration. It’s interesting, then, to find this part-Kiwi, part-Portlandian trio taking this influence into the shaggier, weirder side. We’re talking the late sixties, we’re talking fuzzy guitar and we’re especially talking “Happiness is a Warm Gun.” The opening cut from their second album entitled – wait for it – II, UMO churn through this slice of psychedelia like old hands. It’s remarkably catchy, outstandingly mixed and fittingly wigged-out. In other words: The best song from 1968 to come out in 2013.

58. Blood Orange – Chamakay

One thing that Dev Hynes deserves the utmost credit for is not only the fact he has released and recorded so much work before hitting 30; but the fact that he’s never released the same record twice. On his second album under the Blood Orange moniker, Hynes takes it back to the eighties with vintage drum machines, glassy synth and breathy lead vocals. The secret weapon here, though, comes in the form of Chairlift singer Caroline Polachek; who certifiably nails her vocal counterpart throughout the track. Oh, and who are you to deny the sax solo its rightful comeback?

57. City and Colour – The Hurry and the Harm

By this stage, you’re either on board with Dallas Green’s folk-rock ventures or you’re in the corner cursing the world that Alexisonfire are no longer with us. The title track and opening number from Green’s fourth album under the C&C moniker will only cement your stance – whichever that may be. Breezy steel-string washes over a low keyboard drone and sparkling drops of cymbal accents, blending together to form a small slice of paradise. Take it slow and see where the music takes you next.

56. mowgli – Mess

No-one did loud-quiet-loud like Sydney’s mowgli in 2013. After ferociously tearing through the first verse, they cleverly reel themselves in and break down after a substantial build-up. It lets the heart-wrenching, emotional refrain – “I just know I should be with you right now” – resonate with the utmost clarity. Fluttering drum patterns and spiralling guitar build the song up again until it’s once again bowled over by a fit of rage that will shake you to your very core. A masterful songwriting experience and a fine reflection on grief, faith, worry and acceptance.

55. Daylight – Sponge

BOOM-PAW-BOOMBOOM-PAW-BOOMBOOM – the thud of the intro drums for Daylight’s fantastic debut album served as one of the year’s more invigorating kickoffs. How do you better an unstoppable force such as this? Easy – add in an immovable object like the main riff, which seemed to seethe and snarl straight out of the speakers. From there, it’s a churning, heavy rocker with more angst than you can wield a knife at. This, essentially, is what the original post-grunge movement could have sounded like if it wasn’t taken over by the Christians.

54. Isaac Graham – Hearts Convulse

Here to show us the importance of being earnest, Sydney sweetheart Isaac Graham proved with “Hearts Convulse” that just because you’re a nice guy, doesn’t mean your music has to be boring as batshit. The piece de resistance of his second album, Glorious Momentum, the song is a tender back-and-forth between Graham and his lovely partner Lucy Flynn. They recall falling in love, singing the night away and sticking with one another in times of substantial trouble. It’s all just a bit wonderful. Heart-on-sleeve folk rock hasn’t sounded this good in a damn long time.

53. Sara Bareilles – Brave

It was a stellar year for pop, but not always in the places you’d expect. While juggernauts like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry dropped relatively disappointing LPs and singles, a spectacular comeback was made by 2007’s piano-pop darling Sara Bareilles and managed to topple them both – sadly not in sales, but easily in terms of quality. Against all odds, it was Bareilles that delivered one of the defining hairbrush-singalong choruses of the year; replete with bombast and grandeur and sprinkled with sugar, spice and all things nice. “Brave” is a sunny joy of a song. There’s definitely more than meets the eye here.

52. The Civil Wars – The One That Got Away

This one got voted in absentee, considering that Joy Williams and John Paul White – better known as The Civil Wars – have had a well-documented falling-out and are currently not speaking to one another. Is this the end? Your guess. All that is known for certain is that even though they technically didn’t do anything this year, the duo still managed to run rings around their competition. Screeching slide guitar and swaying acoustic intimacies detailed a sour love affair – not one that is at its end, but one that won’t stop going. It’s a slithering, sinister slice of mountain folk and it needs to be heard.

51. Dave Hause – The Great Depression

It’s not often you get nods to both modern history and Hulk Hogan in the same song. Then again, that’s what’s so great about Dave Hause as a songwriter – he tackles broader issues with a flair of originality; getting to the heart of the matter by taking the scenic route. Here, he documents just how far off the radar he and his friends have gotten; trading blows with a barroom piano and spitting confessionals like an airing of grievances. “It’s freedom forever ’til your card gets declined,” he muses at one point. With “The Great Depression,” Hause adds to a strong credit history.

50. Robin Thicke feat. Pharrell Williams and T.I. – Blurred Lines

There’s a strong chance that you currently can’t read this text on account of the fiery inferno that has appeared in front of your eyes. Yep, no-one quite kicked the internet outrage machine into overdrive quite like Robin Thicke; who managed to score a hit after ten years of trying to match the success of “When I Get You Alone.” Conspiracy theories flowed thick and fast regarding the lyrical content, but we aren’t here to talk about that. We are here to dance – and that’s exactly what “Blurred Lines” is here to provide. Err’body git up!

49. The Dillinger Escape Plan – Prancer

Five albums in, Jersey’s resident metal psychos took their particular brand of chaos to fire-breathing new heights. It started here with the track that kicks the door down to introduce One of Us is the Killer, unleashing a world of knife-edge insanity and breakneck intensity within a matter of minutes. This is what heavy music in the 2010s is capable of – it’s definitely not for the faint at heart, but it reaps its own rewards with every full-bore listen. Bonus points: Vocalist Greg Puciato delivers the best “fuck you” in song since Cee-Lo Green.

48. Jen Buxton – It Says No Homers (We’re Allowed to Have One)

In March, Newcastle’s Jen Buxton was a part of the Hits & Pits touring festival. The problem came with the fact that, out of the dozen or so acts that appeared, Buxton was the only woman. It sparked her to write this song, which featured on her split with Lincoln Le Fevre and stands as one of the best songs she has ever written. Subtle in its fury and attack, she defiantly sings to anyone who would dare to judge her on her gender. You can hear it loud and clear: “I’m not standing in the back row anymore.” Girls to the front, please.

47. Ra Ra Riot – Dance with Me

The opening number of Beta Love, Ra Ra Riot’s first album in three years, is all about the higher range. The upstroke guitar, the violin stabs, Wes Miles’ vocals… it’s all floating around up there on a different plain entirely. It’s a surge of power-pop that was unlike anything else that came out this year, a proudly weird roller-disco which packed in as many hooks as possible into its brief running time. The woozy half-time swing is a stroke of genius, as is the intentionally-late drum fills – the little things here build into something much, much greater.

46. Kings of Leon – Supersoaker

The song of the summer is an ongoing battle in the pop world – which track truly defines the warmer weather; its links to positivity, kinship and endless good vibes? Believe it or not, the best contender wasn’t “Get Lucky” or “Blurred Lines” – if it was a true song of the summer you’re after, then the lead single from Kings of Leon’s sixth album was where it was at. The rush of the guitar, the incessant beating of the drums, the joyous release that the chorus brought – this was less lightening in a bottle and more radiating sunshine.

45. Paramore – Ain’t It Fun

The first few tracks on Paramore’s self-titled album aren’t bad by any stretch of the imagination – they’re actually quite good. It isn’t until “Ain’t It Fun” turns up on the tracklisting, however, that we’re properly introduced to the next chapter for the band. Instead of making pop-punk a 50/50 split, it’s become 85/15 – and the songs are so much sharper, brighter and livelier for it. The buzzing keys, the cutesy marimba and the pummelling bass are all well and good, but it’s when the choir hits that the song truly explodes – this is the first track of the rest of Paramore’s life.

44. St. Lucia – Elevate

One of the year’s most confusing moments, in retrospect, was just how “Elevate” managed to slip under the radar. Sure, there was a little traction for the song, including a Kimmel appearance and some blog love, but this is the kind of song that deserved to dominate radio globally to the point of no return. It’s just perfect pop, albeit a little left of centre – the Brooklyn-via-Johannesburg outfit layered keyboard after keyboard, thrown atop Phil Collins-sized drums and a Nile Rodgers guitar strut. Perhaps it’s ruling the charts in a parallel universe…

43. Paramore – Still Into You

Are we done with the love song? Far from it. “Still Into You” exists.

42. Little Scout – March Over to Me

It was a year of highs and lows for Brisbane dears Little Scout. After successfully crowdfunding their second album, keyboardist Kirsty Tickle took off on an indefinite European jaunt. Thankfully, we got this out of her before Berlin came a-calling: The second single from Are You Life was a brisk, beaming dose of indie-pop with some seriously solid foundation in the form of the booming toms and the grunting bassline. It’s a wondrous contrast to Mel Tickle’s dulcet melodies and the cooing harmonies she creates with her sister – whatever the future holds, we’ll always have this.

A mind’s worth of trouble, thinking about what Cloud Control could sound like in 2013, washed away almost instantly within the first minute of “Dojo Rising.” It turns out that it could sound pretty damn special in its own right – Ulrich Lenffer’s ride-heavy backbeat was one of the year’s most distinctive; while the splashes of weirdness (the submarine bleep keyboards, the siren wail e-bow) added a new layer to what was already an impressive piece of work. “Dojo” managed to work as both a reminder of their excellence as well as an introduction to those that were sleeping on Bliss Release. We’re not in the Blue Mountains anymore, Toto.

***

Download the podcast version of part three here.

Read on to Part Four here.