Category: Lists

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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

41. Cloud Control – Dojo Rising

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.

Before you go any further: Catch up on part one here.

Now that’s sorted, let’s get busy!

***

80. Surfer Blood – Demon Dance

Whatever mental anguish John Paul Pitts went through following his arrest in March 2012, he has come out the other end of it with the single most underrated rock album of 2013. It all began here, the opening number of June’s Pythons LP. It took in all of the context surrounding its creation: The location, California, was reflected in the sun-kissed guitar twang; while he producer, Gil Norton, came into play with the noted Pixies influence – particularly when Pitts breaks into a Black Francis yelp in the bridge. A product of its environment and a sign of even greater things to come.

79. Zedd feat. Foxes – Clarity

An unknown dance producer with a pretty female voice on top? Gee, why does that sound so familiar? Still, in spite of its full potential to be completely formulaic, “Clarity” ended up being one of the most exciting things to take over radio this year. The atmospheric build-up and restrained baritone of next-big-thing Foxes is paid off with one of the year’s strangest drops: Rave-synth and a kick that feels as though it’s going to pierce through the speakers matched up with the hum of a Gregorian monk choir. For all intents and purposes, Zedd gets an A.

78. Saint Pepsi – Unhappy

While backpackers, crate-diggers and producers alike are all off looking for that one great vintage soul sample that’s yet to be used, guys like Ryan DeRobertis – aka Saint Pepsi – are sneaking in out of nowhere with innovative and clever samples from complete leftfield. Here, DeRobertis toys with “The Summer Ends,” a standout from American Football’s debut (and only) self-titled record. Sending the track into the clouds and unlocking its inner bliss, “Unhappy” is easily one of the year’s finest inventions. If his peers aren’t careful, they’ll fall behind.

77. Alison Wonderland feat. Fishing – Get Ready

A first for both parties involved: Wonderland, normally a DJ and a part of the Sosueme collective, had never lent her name to an original composition prior to this. Meanwhile, the gents of Fishing here marked the recorded debut of their personas as a part of the Naughty Rappers Collective; a satirical group of Sydney musicians that play up the braggadocio and hyper-masculinity of hip-hop stereotypes. The result was as wild and ridiculously fun as one might expect from either party. With their powers combined, this Voltron of Australian dance guaranteed filled floors and the cheekiest of grins.

76. The Hard Aches – Organs and Airports

Adelaide’s Ben David started the year as the relative unknown out of the four singer-songwriters on the extensive Glory Days tour; completed by Wil Wagner, Hobart’s Lincoln Le Fevre and Sydney’s Isaac Graham. He ended it with a nation full of new friends and new fans, as well as an EP from his “other” band, harmonious folk-rockers The Hard Aches. Detailing the misery that comes with a long-distance love isn’t quite original; yet David delivered those woes with a fresh perspective and a heart full of hurting. After hearing “Organs and Airports,” you’ll be unsure whether to ask for songwriting tips or just give the poor bastard a hug.

75. Wil Wagner – How They Made Us

As much as this was a brilliant year for The Smith Street Band, their fearless frontman Wil Wagner had a momentous run in his own right. The release of his debut solo album saw him stripping his stories and imagery down to their very essence. You’re right there alongside Wil on Punt Road, getting as young drunk as you damn well please. You can spot the thugs hanging out at the seedy Swan Street bars. You can even take the weather with you, as Wagner describes the dawn following another late night in the city. It’s all laid out for you. All you have to do is listen.

74. The Wonder Years – Passing Through a Screen Door

“Jesus Christ,” spits vocalist Dan “Soupy” Campbell in disgust. “Did I fuck up?” Consider his situation: On the wrong side of his twenties, Campbell notices that many friends, peers and colleagues are settling down and investing in their future. He, on the other hand, is still living the tour-van life and growing increasingly frustrated with where he has ended up in life. Strangely enough, this open-book lamenting has resulted in one of the single finest tracks his band has ever recorded – to the point where one emphatically has to respond in the negative to the original question.

73. Mixtapes – Be the Speak That You Change About

Ohio’s Mixtapes have been around long enough to know where the bodies are buried within their genre and their scene. Truth be told, they’re a little pissed off: “Be the Speak…” is the single greatest indictment about the modern state of pop-punk that is currently out there. No other band out there has the guts to drop lines like “This generation’s getting worse,” “This doesn’t feel like a community,” or the most damning of all: “Most of these bands would sell their souls/For a four-star review and a sold-out show.” This is their CM Punk pipebomb; their ninety-five theses nailed to the Wittenburg door. It’s kind of a big deal.

72. Jimblah – March

The stomping gets louder as the procession gets closer and closer. James Alberts – aka Jimblah – is the leader of the procession. He has a lot of questions about why his native land of Australia is the way that it is. There are no easy questions here, let alone easy answers. The delivery is nothing short of furious, the passion akin to the fire of a thousand suns. The conviction and the belligerence that oozes through every last second of “March” is enough to make you stop whatever it is that you are doing and listen. Then, once you’ve heard Alberts out, it’s time to join him in his quest to find out “exactly what this nation represents here.”

71. Stockades – Just Following Orders

Some truly odd descriptive terms get bandied about when talking about music. Perhaps none stranger, however, than within that grey area between indie rock in its traditional sense and emotive hardcore punk. “Twinkle,” “noodle,” “skramz” and “mathy” are just some of the adjectives that one will find along the way. All of these have been applied liberally to Melbourne quintet Stockades, but your time would be better spent looking for the most fitting hyperbole upon actually listening to them. “Orders” will leave you short of breath from its shrill guitar lead-in to its half-time saxophone break and onward to its thrilling conclusion. This is world class, call it what you will.

70. Defeater – Bastards

Sure, some songs sounded sadder. Some songs sounded catchier. Some were just plain better overall. That’s fine. With that said: Few tracks, if any at all, sounded as downright fucking pissed as the opening number to Defeater’s third album did. The gnashing guitars butt heads with drums that sound as though they’re being hit with hammers rather than sticks, while Derek Archambault’s vocals reach fever pitch from the opening line and never drop intensity levels for a moment. Its brisk movement ensures there is never a lull, while its percussive-driven outro was designed to be chanted en-masse at sweaty floor-shows and club matinees. “Bastards” proves that your anger truly is a gift.

69. GROUPLOVE – Borderlines and Aliens

Their name is type-set in all-caps for a reason: these free-spirited Californians do things big, brassy and bouncy. They are like the real-life equivalent of Hooray For Everything, those clean-cut young go-getters who appeared briefly in some classic Simpsons episodes. Here, they pick up right where their 2011 debut, Never Trust a Happy Song, left off: A big, shiny guitar lick leads a headfirst dive into an endorphin rush of left-field pop that requires full-voiced audience participation. Come on, get happy already. If you hadn’t guessed, GROUPLOVE are onto a damn good thing here – HOORAY FOR EVERYTHING!

68. Major Lazer feat. Bruno Mars, Tyga and Mystic – Bubble Butt

Oh, internet. Never change. Particularly that subset among you that are hereby known as “corpsefuckers” – those that are disgusted with modern pop and dance music, wondering out loud what happened to “real” music and bemoaning how the current charts are poisoning the minds of our precious, precious children. “Bubble Butt” is what should be played so that these people cannot be heard – if it sends any message any clearer, it’s that you should shut up and dance. This song, along with its Eric Wareheim-directed video, is as obnoxious and dumb as you would expect. Therein lies its glory.

67. They Might Be Giants – You’re on Fire

It doesn’t matter if the last time you checked in with They Might Be Giants was circa “Dr. Worm,” circa “Boss of Me” or even on their last studio album, 2011’s Join Us. Things don’t change much in John and John’s world – nor do they particularly need to. They’re still making shaky, sardonic and proudly weird tunes like this one, throwing in some horn section stabs and perhaps the only time you’ll ever hear soulful backing vocalists cry out the phrase “Combustible head!” If you’re a Giants fan, you know what you’re in for. We’ve got a good understanding going on.

66. Manor – Architecture

Adelaide grammar nerds Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! scored major support slots and festival appearances in their time, but never garnered the headline status of either. The phoenix from the ashes is Manor, which sports a third of Santa Rosa – vocalist Caitlin Duff and guitarist/producer Nathaniel Morse – and inroads their brand of indie pop towards the glistening, crystallised side of things with truly splendid results. Both members use “Architecture” to flaunt their chops – Duff’s vocals could melt in your mouth, while Morse’s echo-chamber guitar and thick, steely bassline provide substantial weight. It is here that the cream – at long last – begins to rise.

65. Lissie – Sleepwalking

How’s the serenity? Lissie Maurus provided one of the year’s most warm, wholesome slices of vintage pop with the third single from her long-awaited Back to Forever LP. On a groove befitting of Tango in the Night, Maurus soaks up the sun and casts her anxieties into the lurch. Her vocals are of the stop-dead-in-your-tracks variety, showing off some serious pipes towards the end. It’s almost picturesque, the way that she manages to evoke such vivid imagery – from the moment she awakes to what happens when she falls asleep. “Sleepwalking” is the kind of track that always goes down smooth.

64. Panic! At the Disco – Girls/Girls/Boys

There are plenty of songs about heterosexual pleasures; as well as quite a few documenting homosexual ones. It’s rare, however, for the bisexual to get their own number – and that’s where a new-look Panic! At the Disco comes into play. Now featuring new bassist Dallon Weekes, who picks out a sufficiently funky groove here, vocalist Brendon Urie closes in on a love triangle more bizarre than anything New Order could have thought up. They also managed to reel some people in with that bare-all D’Angelo tribute video. That’s not the only reason this has charted, swear…

63. Childish Gambino – 3005

There would have been a time where Donald Glover – aka Childish Gambino – would have delivered the line “Crew at my house/And we party every weekend” with the excitement of a child at Disneyworld. Now that he’s 30 and beginning to question exactly what his interpersonal relationships truly mean, it’s given more of a throwaway feel. “Got a house full of homies,” he observes, before adding: “Why I feel so the opposite?” It’s the start of a new chapter for Glover’s CG project – still clever, introspective and catchy; but maybe more suited to the after-party than the main shindig.

62. The National – Sea of Love

You know what you’re in for by now, surely. The guitars are as sharp as the suits, the vocals put the tone in baritone and the overall vibe is pensive and bittersweet. This is what you signed up for when you first fell for The National, whether that was all the way back at their first album or as recent as their 2010 classic High Violet. It’s always nice to find some surprises in there, though – Bryce Dessner’s suck-blow harmonica break that leads into the first chorus is akin to Jonny Greenwood’s pre-chorus scratches in “Creep” in that they could potentially ruin the song, yet ultimately define them.

61. David Bowie – The Next Day

Not one year before, The Flaming Lips released a song entitled “Is David Bowie Dying?” – and perhaps the worst part about it was that no-one had a real answer. He hadn’t been seen or heard from in years; seemingly retired from performing and recording altogether. What we didn’t know, however, was that the Duke was creating something on the sly – something stylish and career-spanning, equal parts danceable and softly swaying. It all began here, the title track that kicks off the album with a ferocious bang. If there has ever been a definitive moment of an artist punching through their coffin and arising to take over once again, it’s right here.

***

Download the podcast version of Part Two here.

Read on to Part Three here.

Here we are! Another year (nearly) over, and countless world-class albums and songs have flown by. As I’ve done every year since I was sixteen, I’ve collected my favourite tracks of the year and counted them down in a list of the 100 very best. 

Remember: It’s MY opinion, not YOURS. If you don’t see a song you like – or worse, if you see a song that you don’t – just remind yourself of that.

Now, without any further ado, let’s delve into part one of five….

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100. Hoodie Allen feat. Chance the Rapper – Long Night

Alternative title: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Bro-Rap (But Were Too Afraid To Ask). The man born Steven Markowitz might not exactly be what you’d call a conscious rapper, but he delivers tracks like these with enough charm and wordplay that it’s much easier to forgive his flaws than, say, Asher Roth. Also of note is a guest verse from the severely overhyped Chance the Rapper, who surprisingly gets a pass with his verse – particularly when he offers his female counterpart the chance to “fuck in a Wendy’s bathroom.” Everything will be alright, indeed.

99. Against Me! – True Trans Soul Rebel (Acoustic)

The transformation of Against Me! lead singer Tom Gabel into Laura Jane Grace was the single most fascinating story of 2012 in rock music, bar none. On this acoustic teaser for 2014’s Transgender Dysphoria Blues, we are given our first proper insight into Laura’s struggles with identity. With barely more than a guitar guiding her words, we hear of regrets and distress delivered with palpable honesty. It resonates brilliantly in such a stripped-back format – and, admittedly, it doesn’t hurt that the track itself is catchy as anything that blew up pop radio this year. This is going to be a hell of an album. No question.

98. The John Steel Singers – Happy Before

2010 was a grand ol’ year for the Singers – releasing their debut album Tangalooma, opening for hometown heroes Powderfinger on their final tour and making major inroads on a global scale. As great as Australian music has been in the three years since, the band provided a certain je ne sai quoi that was sorely missed. All of the excitement that came with their arrival was matched with their triumphant return, perhaps best summed up by this track. Lush, airy harmonies take flight across guitar squiggle and fizzling synthesizer – it’s John Steel, Jim, but not as we know them.

97. Daughter – Still

The idea of post-rock instrumentation matched with indie-pop vocals is strange on paper and yet truly arresting when brought to life. Enter Daughter, one of the year’s biggest new arrivals, who offered up an arresting, breathily intimate portrait of lovers simultaneously closer and further away from one another than they have ever been before. It’s almost like eavesdropping on a conversation – hearing things that aren’t meant to be heard. If the bowed guitar or the thudding floor tom doesn’t give chills, Elena Tonra’s ASMR-friendly narration certainly will. Quiet is the new loud once again.

96. Junip – Your Life, Your Call

Although the third solo album from Jose Gonzalez remains ever elusive – perhaps the Swedish folk equivalent of Chinese Democracy – the first new album from Junip in three years proved to be a sufficient substitute. Here, Gonzalez trades in his typical flamenco style of guitar for a creaking earworm of a bassline; as well as his normally morose singing style for something unexpectedly upbeat. Junip has always allowed Jose to work his way out of his comfort zone, as well as what is expected of him. “Your Life, Your Call” is no different – as a matter of fact, it may be the finest example of this yet.

95. Worriers – Cruel Optimist

As one of the most underrated performers in punk rock, Lauren Denitzio has been releasing music for the past near-decade that’s twice as good as the majority of her contemporaries yet appreciated by half as many people as she deserves. This is unlikely to change with the release of the debut album from her new project, Worriers. Even so, if what you crave is sprightly, brisk pop-punk that’s bullshit-free and smarter than your average? Look no further. The title track of Cruel Optimist manages to perfectly sum up everything that is truly great about Denitzio and her work – her achievements thus far; and what is still to come.

94. Go Violets – Wanted

It’s less that Go Violets are really into the Go-Betweens and more that they pretty much live on 16 Lovers Lane, Tallulah. This is by no means a slight against them – the Forster/McLennan influence on what they do means they occupy a space within guitar pop that shakes off the trendy melancholy without sacrificing integrity. “Wanted” is their best effort to date – a lovelorn two-chord jangle that will break your heart before mending it through sweet, sweet melody by the time it’s all over. Grant, bless his heart, would have loved this so very much.

93. Cloud Control – Scar

Thankfully not a Missy Higgins cover, another honoured student from the class of 2010 returned this year with a more than excellent follow-up. Here, the former Blue Mountains residents played around with marching rhythms and some truly righteous keyboard work from the band’s secret weapon, Heidi Lenffer. The finished product was an up-market pop effort that dynamically ran a similar gauntlet to that of Sparkadia’s quiet-loud “China,” while also managing to maintain a grip of identity in no uncertain terms. Many happy returns.

92. Phoenix – Entertainment

To kick off their fifth album, the chart-topping Frenchmen headed east and replicated the sound of a traditional Chinese zither for what was, for many, the synth riff of the year. It took less than ten seconds to play out in full and would take the better part of 2013’s first half to get it out of your head. The best part was that it wasn’t even all that “Entertainment” had to offer – the stick-breaking drum fills, the chirping palm-mute guitar of the verses and Thomas Mars’ falsetto proved that the pop genius of Wolfgang Armadeus Phoenix was far from a fluke.

91. Charlie Parr – Badger

Duluth’s Charlie Parr has always been a fine storyteller – across over a decade’s worth of material, he’s rambled through the Great Depression, buried himself alive and retold countless murder ballads. On the centrepiece from his eleventh solo album, Barnswallow, Parr lightens the mood a little as he describes a scene from his youth in which a badger gets into the family yard. It’s delivered with a knowing grin and a surprising dash of poignancy. At a shade over 2 minutes, it doesn’t overstay its welcome – it simply says what it has to say and then leaves. Sometimes, that’s all you need.

90. Paramore – Fast in My Car

Subtlety is so 2009 – on the big opener of the band’s monstrous self-titled LP, Paramore put all their cards on the table. Landing on top of a double-snare disco rhythm, Hayley Williams details the falling-out that saw the Farro brothers leave the fold in 2010; noting how it brought the band’s remaining members closer together. Was it worth the ordeal? Are you kidding? Listen to this track – it’s as celebratory and invigorating as you could possibly ask for. “We’re not looking for violence,” Williams calls out during the infectious chorus. “Tonight, we want to have fun.” Pretty sure that can be arranged.

89. The Smith Street Band – Bigger Than Us

It was a rough first half of the year for Wil, Lee, Fitzy and Chris. We nearly lost them during a national tour in which a good friend from The Bennies was attacked during a stop in Byron Bay. Thankfully, they came back with an agenda that was ambitious quite nearly to the point of revolutionary. When Wagner offers up a hook in the form of “Let’s start something bigger than us,” it’s safe to say it is delivered with the conviction of a man possessed. Having just wrapped a major North American tour, this may well be the feel-good story of the year in Australian music.

88. Justin Timberlake – TKO

Don’t call it a comeback. Actually, maybe you should – after seven years away from music-making, it felt so great to have the little Mouseketeer that could back in the picture. He essentially made 2013 his bitch, from a show-stealing Saturday Night Live to a show-stopping *NSYNC reunion at the VMAs. There was new music, too. Lots of it. Near the top of the litter was this cut from part 2 of The 20/20 Experience, a swagged-out Timbaland classic that bounces off the walls and smacks about listeners as roughly as the title may suggest.

87. Volcano Choir – Byegone

You can take the Bon Iver out of music, but you’ve got another thing coming if you try to take out the Justin Vernon. When he wasn’t busy singing the blues with The Shouting Matches this year, he was reassembling Volcano Choir for an exceptional second album. The sextet delivered a great exercise in restraint with “Byegone,” guiding the majority of the song with wafting keyboard ambience, a single guitar string and the lower ranges of Vernon’s multifaceted vocals. It makes the pay off – the piano scale, the arena-sized drums and the all-in vocals – all the more rewarding.

86. Wavves – Demon to Lean On

Somewhere in-between early Weezer, Nirvana’s discography and a bag full of sweet Mary Jane, Nathan Williams exists as Wavves. You don’t end up in Wavves territory if you’re after thought-provoking, boundary-pushing and genre-defying innovation. You end up there because, sometimes, you’re after the complete opposite – a comfort zone where, after loud guitars, everything else is a bonus. As the sneaker hits the distortion pedal and the chords of the chorus ring out, you’re a million miles away and screaming every last word. It’s a good place to be, and you’re welcome back anytime that you like.

85. Kings of Leon – Wait for Me

Telling people that Kings of Leon are still making great music post-“Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” is essentially a retelling of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. You’re not going to be believed – and, worse still, you’ll probably get eaten alive. Still, “Wait for Me” is one of the more sublime and understated moments of Mechanical Bull. The Followills each play to their strengths on this sombre plea for a relationship’s survival – particularly Caleb, who croons self-reservedly in a vain similar to that of “Knocked Up” from 2007’s Because of the Times. It’s a departure, sure; but it’s one worth braving the storm for.

84. Caves – ❤ Koala

The drums sound like they’re being played in a public bathroom. The bass sounds like it has radiation poisioning. The guitar has more fuzz on it than an episode of The Muppet Show. The vocals are pissed and defiant. Then, the organ comes in out of nowhere and takes the bloody thing to church. This choice cut from the Birmingham trio’s free second album Betterment was one of the year’s finest pop-punk creations – a complete mess; and yet somehow, not a foot out of place. Raise your beverage of choice and fuck anyone who’s too cool to go with it.

83. Paul McCartney – New

After the unfortunately-titled standards album, Kisses on the Bottom, it looked like we may have finally seen Macca trudging into his twilight years. No sooner had the dust settled, he was off jamming with the surviving members of Nirvana and recording new pop tunes with Mark Ronson. Yes, even at 71, Sir Paul still has a few surprises up his sleeve. Among them was the title track to his sixteenth(!) solo album – a strolling “Penny Lane” pastiche complete with harpsichord, tuba and even a charming doo-wop outro. Simply put, his best new song since God knows when.

82. Karnivool – We Are

Who knows how long Ian Kenny can keep this up? Simultaneously, he is working as one of the finest vocalists in Australian heavy music as well as one of Australian pop’s greatest irritants. This double life may be the death of him, especially with both projects releasing new albums this year. Still, at least he’s keeping up appearances where it counts – with its shuffling drum scatter, buzzing guitar and spectacular arrangements, “We Are” alone is better than all of Birds of Tokyo’s March Fires album combined. Keep your “Lanterns” – the Vooligans have all the fire they need right here.

81. Tired Pony – All Things All at Once

Sad bastards around the world rejoiced – well, as best as they could – when the union of Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody and R.E.M.’s Peter Buck under the moniker Tired Pony was first announced. Three years on from their debut – and two since R.E.M. collapsed – we were treated to this blissful slice of Americana. Lamenting over steely slide guitar and earthy harmonies gave us one of Lightbody’s best vocal performances in years; while Buck applied his distinctive guitar style to an unplugged setting with marvellous results. No longer just for Snow Patrol or R.E.M. diehards, Tired Pony have graduated to essential listening.

***

Listen/download the podcast version of Part One here.

Check out Part Two here.

40. Ceremony – Zoo

The year’s weirdest punk album came from a band that have never released the same song twice, let alone the same record. After taking a more alternative turn on their previous LP, Rohnert Park, Ceremony embraced sounds from the furthest stretches imaginable. While many songs kept up a vitriolic spite and energy – the opening one-two of “Hysteria” and “Citizen” exemplifying this – Zoo would often take detours into shoegaze, college rock and even slabs of proto-punk freak-outs, a la the first Stooges album. Zoo is Ceremony’s best album to date – don’t be too cool to go with it.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Repeating the Circle, Hysteria, World Blue.

LISTEN:

39. Anberlin – Vital

There may not have been a more apt album cover in 2012 – from the get-go, Vital feels like being hit by a tidal wave. Ten years since their inception, Anberlin went into their sixth studio album with a sense of purpose, a certain spring in the step and the kind of zest that has been missing from the bulk of their recorded material since Cities. Here, everything sounds truly mammoth – Stephen Christian sounds as though he’s recorded most of the choruses from atop Kilimajaro; while drummer Nathan Young might as well have done his takes in the centre of a football field – in the middle of a grand final. If Anberlin have lost you along the way, it’s Vital that will draw you back in to what made them so great to begin with.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Little Tyrants, Self-Starter, God, Drugs and Sex.

LISTEN:

38. Hilltop Hoods – Drinking From the Sun

It’s a celebration, bitches. Nearly 10 years after the game-changer that was The Calling, Adelaide’s finest come the closest they ever have to topping that record. Drinking From the Sun presents itself as a matured, focused and engaging album that manages to keep the group’s sound as lively as ever – far more than its predecessor, State of the Art. It might have taken awhile away from music and touring for the Hoods to achieve this sound, but the end result was more than worth it. The bar in Oz hip-hop has been set once again – and it’s your round.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Rattling the Keys to the Kingdom, Now You’re Gone, Shredding the Balloon.

WATCH:

37. Keane – Strangeland

In 2004, Keane donned NME’s cover as Band of the Year, waving from the back of a convertible car in the midst of a ticker-tape parade. Although celebrations have long since ended, those who have stuck with the band have found themselves rewarded with more doses of delightful, glassy piano-pop. Strangeland comes four years after their last studio album, Perfect Symmetry, but the extended wait is almost instantly paid off within the first three tracks, which rank among the best the band have ever done. Detractors will find nothing to enjoy about Strangeland – but, then again, they were never going to.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Sovereign Light Cafe, Silenced by the Night, On the Road.

WATCH:

36. Norah Jones – …Little Broken Hearts

Danger Mouse producing? “Rock” instruments? Murder ballads? Who are you, and what have you done with Norah Jones? Ravi’s little girl has always been in possession of a delightful voice, which fills smoky bars as easily as it fills entertainment centres. The catcher is it’s been wasted on what’s been described as some of the most boring music of the 21^st century. Under the guidance of Mr. Mouse, however, Jones has found herself a sultry, sizzling dark side that undeniably shines throughout this collection of heartbreak, woe, betrayal and jealousy. Naturally, it’s the one fucking Norah Jones record that nobody bought.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Miriam, Happy Pills, Say Goodbye.

WATCH:

35. Japandroids – Celebration Rock

Much has been made of the fireworks heard in the distance as the the record starts, as well as when the record ends. While many may roll their eyes at even the notion of it, there really was no better way to tie Celebration Rock together. In the interim, listeners found eight songs specifically designed for turning up loud, downing your beverage of choice and roaring along to. There’s no deeper layer of meaning here. News flash: There doesn’t have to be. Stop over-thinking rock & roll, people. Take it for what it is, and sing along if you know the words.

THREE TOP TRACKS: The House That Heaven Built, Younger Us, The Night of Wine and Roses.

WATCH:

34. Alpine – A is for Alpine

It’s rare spark that lights a debut album in quite such a fashion, presenting a sound that’s as assured and as accomplished as this. Then again, Alpine always felt like a rare breed – imagine a bipolar, double-headed Bjork back in front of the Sugarcubes and we’re halfway there. On their all-important first album, the sextet breathe life into older tracks (“Villages,” “Too Safe”), lay down tried-and-tested live favourites (“Hands,” “Seeing Red”) and make inroads into all-new territory (“All for One,” “Multiplication”). So much to do, such little time. Absorb A is for Alpine whole, and let your mind do the rest of the work.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Softsides, Villages, Lovers 1 & 2.

LISTEN:

33. Ben Folds Five – The Sound of the Life of the Mind

It feels weird typing the name Ben Folds Five in 2012, let alone discussing them in the present tense. And yet, here we are. Over a decade since their demise, the Five is back – older, wiser, hairier and still able to work their guitar-free magic. Here, the band talk old friends, crazy exes and struggling musos. Although it’s never quite the “punk rock for sissies” from their early work, it’s still delivered with their wry humour and sharp dynamics. At times, it honestly feels like they never left. The Sound… just feels right.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Draw a Crowd, Michael Praytor, Five Years Later, Erase Me.

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32. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis – The Heist

So, let’s get this straight. The breakthrough hip-hop album of the year was released completely independently, glorified paying as little as possible for clothing and spoke out against homophobia. Not too long ago, this album would have barely made a Pitchfork list, let alone smashed both the singles and albums charts. Whatever it was, the team of dapper MC Macklemore and innovative producer Ryan Lewis locked onto a good thing very early on in the album’s proceedings and kept listeners enthralled, amazed and entertained for just over an hour. The Heist was the year’s coolest hip-hop record almost in spite of itself.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Same Love, Can’t Hold Us, Wing$.

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31. Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE

Of the entire Odd Futre collective, it was Tyler, the Creator’s year in 2011; delivering the most talked-about hip-hop album of the year in the demented Goblin. 2012, however, was unquestionably Frank Ocean’s moment. Anyone who heard his outstanding mixtape nostalgia, ULTRA knew that true greatness lay ahead for the crooner. channel ORANGE confirmed this in excess, delivering a bright, high-concept rnb record that touches on everything from lusty obsession to the crushing pain of unrequited affections and struggling with one’s sexuality. The conversation is now all about Frank Ocean – just who he is, what he’s doing and what he’s capable of doing next.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Bad Religion, Lost, Pyramids.

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50 – 41 || 30 – 21

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Circa Survive, Urthboy, Dinosaur Jr., Bertie Blackman, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Title Fight, Regina Spektor, Minus the Bear, Ty Segall, Gossip, Hoodlum Shouts, Flying Lotus, Michele Stodart, Collarbones, Future of the Left, Craig Finn and Jens Lekman.

Fantastic records and some particularly fantastic songs – however, the best of the bunch lies beneath!

50. John Mayer – Born and Raised

Unless you’re a die-hard, there’s a good chance that you had no idea this record existed. With @johncmayer dead in the water and a serious throat condition preventing any touring or interviews, Mayer had no distractions stemming from his public to mar his creativity. The end result was an Americana-drenched day-dream, full of steel guitars, warm keyboards and earthy harmonies. It’s so Crosby, Stills and Nash at points that it even brings in one of the fuckers (David Crosby) for some backing vocals. No, John Mayer’s not your resident guitar douche anymore. Right now, he’s capable of career-best material.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Born and Raised, The Age of Worry, Queen of California.

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49. Every Time I Die – Ex-Lives

With a new drummer, a new attitude and a new lease on life, it’s rare that a band sounds this vital and determined six records into their career. The Buffalo natives teamed up with producer Joe Baressi (QOTSA, Tomahawk, Melvins) to deliver a ploughing, fervent and downright pissed-off affair, bouncing from down-tuned furor to southern-fried licks in the blink of an eye – not to mention without missing a beat. This shit isn’t about Facebook fans or the hardcore fashionistas – it’s a half-hour of power that guaran-damn-tees you a good ol’ time.

THREE TOP TRACKS: I Suck (Blood), Underwater Bimbos from Outer Space, Drag King.

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48. Yellow Ostrich – Strange Land

Three years ago, Yellow Ostrich began humbly enough as the bedroom project of looping whiz-kid Alex Schaaf. Four albums later, Schaaf has expanded the project into a trio and developed a formidable name for his bright, harmonious take on jagged indie-flavoured guitar pop. Strange Land is the first effort from the Ostriches as a three-piece, and is tellingly a record that brims with new sounds and ideas. The usual vocal trickery remains, but a driving side of percussion and flourishes of golden horns draw the listener in further. If you haven’t already seen, heard and known, you better keep up.

THREE TOP TRACKS: I Got No Time for You, Marathon Runner, Daughter.

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47. Enter Shikari – A Flash Flood of Colour

The first time you heard Enter Shikari was either the most exciting, fresh thing you’d heard in ages; or a traumatic experience that you still shudder about. The Hertfordshire lads have been dividing rooms like the Red Sea since their debut, and on their third LP, they have less pushed a new direction and more hurled themselves at the wall in an act of mad-hatter defiance. Explosive guitars lock horns with gut-rattling bass synth; often within the same track. Brave, anthemic and just a little ridiculous, this is the must-own out of the ES discography thus far.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Search Party, …Meltdown, Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here.

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46. Good Heavens – Strange Dreams

The mid-2000s were very different times for Theredsunband and Wolfmother. The former spent time wowing the indie circuit, not quite reaching further; while the latter exploded to the point of being – at least for a period – Oz’s biggest contemporary rock commodity. In 2012, a phoenix rose: Former TRSB frontwoman Sarah Kelly formed Good Heavens alongside ex-Wolfies Chris Ross and Myles Heskett. The result was a debut that was more JAMC than “Joker and the Thief”: A brisk shoegaze affair with lush arrangements, the occasional rock rush and a pleasant sway. A noted surprise, but a particularly pleasant one all the same.

THREE TOP TRACKS: It’s Not Easy Being Mean, You Lose, Know Your Own Heart

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45. The Killers – Battle Born

If Brandon Flowers’ Flamingo proved anything, it was this: He needs the Killers just as much as they need him. On their best effort since Sam’s Town, the Las Vegans return to small-town hopin’, big-city livin’ and all-American dreamin’. It’s cheesier than Bega at points, but in some ways that’s exactly the point. Besides, few sell their themes with greater conviction, as they have proven time and time again from “Mr. Brightside” all the way to the bombastic opener of “Flesh and Bone.” With heart, soul and arena-sized guitars, Battle Born wins the war on effort alone.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Miss Atomic Bomb, Flesh and Bone, Battle Born.

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44. Jack White – Blunderbuss

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Blunderbuss was its refusal to stay within any boundaries. Begging, borrowing and stealing from all of his projects to date – not to mention throwing out some new shapes entirely – Blunderbuss does not sit still for its entire 40-minute runtime. It’s either shaking hips, kicking up dirt, slow-dancing with an estranged lover or stomping into an old saloon with a bone to pick. What’s even more exciting is how willing you become to follow White wherever his imagination may roam. Like the titular gun, Blunderbuss lets out a single yet resounding shot into the air.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Freedom at 21, Sixteen Saltines, Missing Pieces.

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43. Gallows – Gallows

Here comes the new guy. Both stakes and longtime fan’s fears were at feverish highs as Wade McNeill walked up to the mic for the band’s third studio album. Those expecting a carbon copy of Orchestra of Wolves were the only ones who walked away with sore disappointment. For the rest of us, a snarling and unapologetic punk record awaited, the classic kind that grabs you by the collar and refuses to loosen its grip. With riffs that tear through the speakers and the kind of shout-alongs that fill entire rooms, Gallows proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is life after Frank.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Outsider Art, Everybody Loves You (When You’re Dead), Victim Culture.

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42. Deep Sea Arcade – Outlands

Having taken a slow-burn approach, Sydney kids Deep Sea Arcade dropped a slew of infectious singles that lead like a trail to Outlands, from the sour surf-pop of “Lonely in Your Arms” to the clap-along rollick of “Steam.” With their powers combined, these tracks created a fun and unique atmosphere for twist-and-shout pop/rock that was often darkly submerged in warped keyboards or enough fuzz to make the Davies brothers blush. The new material proved to be just as formidable and unfathomably catchy, too, balancing out the record substantially. Outlands, put succinctly, was worth the wait.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Steam, Outlands, Seen No Right.

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41. Bloc Party – Four

Four years since Intimacy, fourth album, four members – all symbolism aside, Four was Bloc Party’s chance to prove that there was still life left in what started out as a spearhead of the post-punk revival halfway through the decade prior. For what it’s worth, they succeeded: “Octopus” and “3×3” took its fervency and urgent guitar chops straight from the book of Silent Alarm, while heavier moments like “Kettling” and “V.A.L.I.S” indicated towards bold experimentation and a willingness to adapt and evolve. Where can the U.K. heavyweights go from here? Absolutely anywhere – and that’s probably the most exciting part.

THREE TOP TRACKS: Kettling, Octopus, So He Begins to Lie.

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