The Musically Inclined's Top 10 Finds of 2013

As you find yourself inundated with year-end lists, you’ll no doubt be ready to swear off every little bit of music that came out this year in favor of whatever shiny, new bands and albums 2014 will offer. I sympathize. However, this isn’t your average “Best Of” list. Whereas you might find the likes of Kanye and Arcade Fire elsewhere, you won’t find them here. That, folks, is my gift to you.

The premise of The Musically Inclined’s Top 10 Finds of 2013, as it’s been running for the past six years, is the following:

1. Any artist or band TMI hadn't listened to before January '13.
2. Songs have to have a stick factor to survive the year. Catchy? Bouncy? Quirky? Sure, but mostly they just have to be solid. Doesn't hurt to be fun and mildly screwy, either.

Somewhere on this list is a song you hopefully haven’t heard yet. And as for the ones you have? I can guarantee you haven’t burned through them the way you have “Get Lucky.”

And speaking of listening to these tracks, the Spotify playlist is right here. Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. Enjoy the rest of 2013 and scroll on at your leisure.

1. Sonsick : San Fermin

I have to give the top spot to San Fermin’s “Sonsick” for a few reasons, the first being that when that song hits the chorus, I still get a chill from the enveloping sound of horns and harmonies. When the album (San Fermin) came out, I joked that if you’ve always wanted a few more X chromosomes in The National, this is the band for you. That stands, but San Fermin is a lot more than The National with girls (from Lucius, no less). The album is dynamic, and most impressive in the way it tackles both sonic bombast and delicately built layers. If you haven’t already heard it, let “Sonsick” be your entry point.

2. I Love You : Said the Whale

In truth, the Said the Whale song that really belongs on this list is “Camilo (The Magician),” but since it came out in 2009, “I Love You” serves as a very apt surrogate. Coming off their September album hawaiii, “I Love You” was at the top of the Canadian alternative music charts this year. The punchy rock tribute to family ("You're kind of rough but I love you!"), didn’t quite make it stateside, but it should have– hawaiii was one of the most enjoyable albums of the year for the fact that it followed its own whim style-wise, promising something fresh with every track change. “I Love You” is one of the strongest examples of that on the record. Check out my interview with STW’s Tyler Bancroft.

3. Rouse Yourself : JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound

The music video for this song stars Aubrey Plaza from Parks and Recreation, and Jake Johnson from New Girl. That could be reason enough to give it a chance, but beyond some sure-fire casting, “Rouse Yourself” is an infectious bit of neo-soul (which also happens to include that “poc” sound you probably heard this year on Justin Timberlake’s “Suit and Tie”). I digress. One of the song’s best features is the simplicity of the words in the chorus: “If we are forever, I hope we just get better.”

4. Shout it Out : Mikal Cronin

Some of the best West Coast garage rock that came out this year, came courtesy of Mikal Cronin. While that particular genre can come off a little one-dimensional at times, Cronin’s music is fuller with better developed melodies and arrangements than anyone has the right to ask of a style that’s supposed to sound somewhat half-assed. “Shout it Out” shows off Cronin’s strong tendencies for songs upbeat and summery. It might be the dead of winter where you are, but it’s still warm on the coast.

5. Royals : Lorde

The ability of a 16-year-old New Zealander to seemingly appear out of the primordial sludge and dominate the pop scene made us gawk this year, but the mystery thins out when you consider a song like “Royals." There’s something very internal about the song– the realization and acceptance of a stunted social station could be cold if not for the sparse heartbeat-like drums. Not only did Lorde acknowledge the gap between “us,” the un-moneyed and un-glamorous, and those of a certain lifestyle who make a lot of the music and media that we consume, but she torched the idea that aspiration is what necessarily connects us to our iPods.

6. Q.U.E.E.N. : Janelle Monáe

I’ve learned that Janelle Monáe is almost always worth paying attention to, whether it’s catching her RIDICULOUS performance on David Letterman or spending some time unpacking her continuing tale of android revolution. There were more than a few songs on The Electric Lady that could have made this list, including “Dance Apocalyptic,” but “Q.U.E.E.N.” wins out for its sheer groove. Then, there’s that one part in the song that sounds like “Cloud Nine” by The Temptations. Done deal, folks.

7. Hey, Doreen : Lucius

In a way, this is Lucius’ second appearance on this year’s list (see San Fermin), but it’s really not surprising. The ladies from Lucius are powerful and precise. “Hey, Doreen” is a knock-out– hooky and energetic– and let’s not forget it’s high about time someone wrote a lyric about mis-buttoning your shirt.

8. Nakamarra : Hiatus Kaiyote

If you’re looking to stick a toe outside of alternative pop and rock, Hiatus Kaiyote is a solid way to go. You’ll find them in the spaces between jazz, R&B, and hip-hop. “Nakamarra” is all the explanation you’ll need for why the Melbourne band is up for the Best R&B Performance Grammy.

9. The Wire : Haim

Haim could win an award for most-hyped band of the year. Luckily, there’s something behind all the chatter. “The Wire” is my favorite track on Days are Gone. There aren’t enough girls with guitars out there, so I get particular satisfaction out of how gritty some of the playing on this song is. Plus, it is friggin' catchy.

10. San Francisco : The Mowgli’s

Rounding out the list is this rollicking sing along by The Mowgli’s. It’s all out good vibes. If you’re not the type who’s “in love with love,” the song will at least make you a believer in large groups of people (they’re an 8-piece band) having a really good time together. And that's really the only reason they can get away with a line like "Do you feel the love? I feel the love," without coming off like total cheese balls. Yes, Mowgli's, we feel the love. 

Mixtape Philosophy : A Bad Sense of Humor

                        

It's been a few months since my last contribution to Mix Club, but I'm happy to report I've got something new to offer. The mix is called A Bad Sense of Humor and started off with "Modern Girl" by Sleater Kinney. I found the song a few months back and decided very quickly that it was going to be the seed for a mix. "Modern Girl"is from Sleater Kinney's 2005 album The Woods. When the all-girl punk trio from the 90s put out the album, it was supposed to be their Led Zeppelin album, a foray into big, loud, pure-blooded rock. It's a great album, but sadly, it seems to have been their last. No matter, "Modern Girl" retains more of a punk sound than some of the other tracks and is my favorite cut. It served as a template for the songs I chose for the mix– punk-inflected 90s rock. Those three identifiers show up in some form on most of this mix, even if the songs only sound that way. Two good examples are the opening and closing tracks, "Baby C'mon" by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks and "Stay Useless" by Cloud Nothings. The former is from 2005, and obviously Malkmus is from Pavement. "Stay Useless" came out last year. Both have a particular kind of fuzz on the guitar and the kind of vocals that seem to want to prove that it doesn't matter if you can actually sing. "Love Police" by Sleeping in the Aviary is the same way. It would be a mess if it were any looser and louder.

As for the songs that stray from this style somewhat, "Hey Doreen" by Lucius is one of the strongest songs I've heard all year. One of the singers contributes to Brooklyn group San Fermin. I love the power in the vocals. My two mood-balancing songs were "Worlds are Made of Paper" by Ben Taylor and "The Box" by Johnny Flynn. Both are great lyrics songs, but the latter in particular is far more reflective and even a little melancholic than you might notice if you don't pay attention.

Speaking of paying attention, if you heard my last mix, What We Trade Our Hearing For, you might notice that Said the Whale is making a repeat appearance. Why? Because I remain in love with their September album hawaiii. Check out my interview with frontman Tyler Bancroft, if you have a moment. "I Love You" is like a two and a half minute caffeine rush. It was also the last song I added.

Making this mix presented a few challenging moments in that I originally included several songs that I love, but don't fit. A mix should be an experience, not a haphazard collection, so I had to be cold about my decision to cut out the more pop and dance-edged stuff. It was weirdly difficult to trim them, but I think the result is more cohesive. Plus, the upshot is that sound might be the focus of my next mix.

The last song I want to talk about is "She Takes." It's by a band from the 90s that you probably never heard called This Way. They put out one record and I only know about that because the universe put their song "Nice" in my path while in high school. Until recently, their album was unavailable on Spotify. More on them later.

Anyway, that's that. I hope you take it for a spin.

Q&A With Said the Whale's Tyler Bancroft

Photo: Vanessa Heins

The day before the release of Vancouver band Said the Whale’s fourth album hawaiii (out Sept. 17), one of the group’s singers, Tyler Bancroft, checked in with The Musically Inclined from Lancaster, Penn. If you’re on the East Coast, you might run into them on tour. If you’re in Canada, you’ll definitely bump into them on the Canadian alternative radio chart where their first single “I Love You” grabbed the top spot earlier in the month. The new album is a wealth of slick vocal harmonies and kinetic guitar riffs as the band blends styles from West Coast rock, to folk and pop. From track to track, they’ll keep you glued. Here’s what Bancroft had to say about writing songs, pushing 30, and giving the band’s phone number to fans.

I don’t think I’ve ever talked to an artist on the eve of an album release, how are you guys feeling about it?

We’re all really excited, we definitely think this is our best album yet. A lot of people have heard it already because of the album stream, so that pressure is off, in a way. You’re always nervous for people to hear it. Then again, we also haven’t had a lot of official reviews yet. Those are the scary thing because people who are fans of our band generally like what we do, so it’s about trying to win over the new people and see the reaction from people who are critics– which is something I hate thinking about, but it also determines how the next couple of years are going to play out for us.


So, you guys read the reviews? I’ve talked to some artists who try to ignore them.

We definitely read them because you’re putting art out into the world and you want to know how people are reacting to it. A lot of reviews can be really insightful. It can actually make you understand your own music a little bit sometimes. Of course, there are other times where it hurts to read something negative, but you’ve just got to take that with a grain of salt and feel proud of your own art. By the same token, you also have to take really positive reviews with a grain of salt, as well. You’ve got to keep a level head. I think the most important thing is that we’re happy with it. There’s no denying that from a business standpoint, the more positive reviews that you get from more publications, the busier you’re going to be, and that’s a good thing for a band that needs to stay active and on the road, and keep our heads above the water.

I read somewhere that you went on a writing retreat for this album. How did that come about? What was involved?


It’s the first time we’ve ever done something like that. We went to this arts school called the Banff Centre. It’s in Banff, Calgary, which is a really beautiful little mountain town. It’s a big ski destination for people in the winter, but it’s also home to this amazing school with the most incredible facilities. We had played there a couple times before because they’ve got a pretty cool campus bar. When we played there last, one of the head guys of the school offered us to come and do some writing and be creative for a while, so we took that opportunity. It was me, and Ben [who splits vocals with Tyler], and Spencer [drums], and we each got a little hut out in the forest in the snow in February. We spent 18 hours a day writing music. They have a huge buffet-style cafeteria there, so we really didn’t have to think about eating– just go eat whenever you’re hungry, and then just be locked in this cabin for a long time, working on music. It ended up being really productive. A lot of the songs on the record were written that week. It was amazing. I hope we can do it again.


               

                                                     Bancroft

Said the Whale recorded the album a little differently this time, working on two or three songs a week, versus blocking off months of studio time, how do you think that affected the sound and feel of the album as a whole?


I think because we did it in such a split up way, there wasn’t a huge amount of consideration for how the final product would be displayed or flow, and for that reason, the track listing became super important because it was almost like track listing a mixtape. Because [the songs] are mixed by the same mix engineer they sound cohesive, but stylistically I think we covered a lot of ground on the record. We have several different groups of fans– fans that have heard our stuff on the radio, which tends to be more rock-based stuff, then we have the fans who are more folk inclined. I think this record has a bit of both of those elements.


Did you have any particularly memorable moments during the recording process?

We had somebody play harp on the record for the first time ever. That was pretty cool. I recently got totally obsessed with Game of Thrones, so I felt like I was in King’s Landing watching this person play harp




One song that I come back to a lot from hawaiii is “I Could Smoke,” could you walk me through how the song came together?


The song is about getting to an age approaching 30 and seeing all of my friends that I’ve grown up with start to settle down and have real lives. People are getting engaged, people are getting pregnant, people are starting to have normalcy, and steady jobs, and stability in their lives. Whereas, I am being a starving artist, driving in a van all over North America for very little money. I’m never home to hang out with my friends or be with my family or my girlfriend. It’s a song like, “What the fuck am I doing with my life?” And feeling very adolescent at a time when a lot of people around me are beginning to act more adult-like. Production-wise, it was a song that we tried a few different ways. It started out as a rock song and then at one point it was an 808 bass, electronic-y song, and then we mixed the two elements after a couple jams and that’s where that came together.



I saw on Twitter that you’re mailing postcards to fans from the road, and you’ve also got a number where fans can call or text you. I was wondering what makes you guys want to be that accessible.

Having such personal access to artists that you’re into– I think it makes fans feel more invested in your success as a band and it makes them feel like they’re a part of the whole process. You hear bands wanting to maintain rockstar mystique, but that’s not really who we are. We’re fairly open and friendly people. And our fanbase is still manageable enough that we are able to reply to people a lot of the time. Also, we’re just bored in the tour van a lot of the time.


What’s the strangest or most interesting call or text you’ve gotten?

Sometimes we solicit jokes, and those are by far the most entertaining.

Photo: Vanessa Heins

How’s the tour going so far?

It’s great. We had five days at home between the last leg, which was a month long, and then this leg which is almost three weeks. So, we’re feeling rejuvenated and happy to be out on the East Coast.


Since you’re on tour right now, tell me about your live shows. What are they like? What can folks expect?

I’ve never seen Said the Whale play live before. [Laughs] It’s going to be us playing our songs. The volume will be much louder and you will have no control over it.


Connect with Said the Whale:

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Coming Tomorrow

Up Stream: Hear New Albums From Said the Whale and San Fermin

There's a lot to sift through in music this week– Arcade Fire's "Reflektor" sort of fell on us this weekend, and folks seem to be pleasantly surprised that the new MGMT album isn't crap.

That's all well and good, but there are two album streams out today that I'd like to direct you toward lest they escape your attention.

Said the Whale :  hawaiii - Hailing from Vancouver, BC, Said the Whale makes a brand of addictive, youthful, summery indie pop. Blog regulars might remember "Camilo (The Magician)" from TMI's last Mixtape Philosophy entry. Their new album hawaiii is streaming courtesy of Nylon Magazine. It's great fun. In interviews the band said they worried less this time around about making sure every song perfectly fit together, so the result on hawaiii is a collection of very strong individual songs... and it makes for a strong record. You can pick up the album in real life September 17 via Hidden Pony.

San Fermin : San Fermin - If you wish The National had fewer Y chromosomes, you'll probably dig San Fermin, the project of singer songwriter Ellis Ludwig-Leone. It's a chamber-pop record whose lead vocal duties are split among three singers, including Allen Tate, who sounds a lot like our man Matt Berninger, and Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessing from Lucius. San Fermin has some really nice, nuanced moments, as well as big emotional bursts. And if you like what you hear now (via NPR Music), you can also catch it September 17 via Downtown Records.

Mixtape Philosophy: What We Trade Our Hearing For

When I was 16 I split the cost of a blue iPod mini with my folks. It was right before my (June) birthday, just at the edge of the summer. I bought an iTunes card and downloaded a set of 14 songs that largely shaped the feel of that summer. Those songs sounded the way that summer feels in the late afternoon. I get antsy. For some reason, this season alone feels like just about anything could happen. You've just got to get out there.

That's the basic idea I started working with for this new mix. This past weekend was great, and a lot happened, but most of all, it felt like summer started. With an excess of ideas, I put together "What We Trade Our Hearing For" in about two days instead of my usual month.

The songs came mostly from a playlist I keep called Mix Material. I started with "Stairway" by Yukon Blonde, which has the kind charging bassline that makes multiple appearances on the mix. The other quality it has is this big, fresh sound on the chorus. That's partly how I matched it up with "You Know Me" by Air Traffic Controller and "Shout it Out" by Mikal Cronin. With regard to "Shout it Out," holy smokes does that song live on an awesome album. If you haven't heard MCII, get a hold of it as soon as you can.

I also followed a certain pattern with the sound of the vocals on the mix. It's mostly guys who don't have particularly deep voices, so the feel is airy, especially on a song like "American Dream" by ON AN ON that has some additional hazy-sounding production.

One song I'm excited about is "Shove Off," by Luke LaLonde (current frontman for Born Ruffians). I had this sparse, quirky, little tune filed away because it's only recently become available on Spotify. It worked out well because I also needed a more mid tempo song to balance out the rest of the mix which is pretty damn foot-tappy. One of the worst "offenders" in that respect is the jittery "High School Lover" by Cayucas. My immediate attraction is the California indie pop/surf rock sound. What's more summery than that? I offer this: Nothing.

Also earning a spot on the mix is "Mountains" by She and the Sun. I actually reviewed their debut album a few months back and really fell in love with song's dreamy build.

The real point of pride for me on this mix is "Camilo (The Magician)" by Said the Whale. It was the last song I threw in my Mix Draft 1 playlist, and one that I found because I knew I just needed something else. What can I say about this song other than I can hardly even listen to the rest of the mix because I keep replaying it. I love the exuberance, the halting guitar, the hooky chorus, and I like the idea of this guy asking a magician for help with a girl. It's like a modern "Love Potion Number 9." Most of all, I love that it makes me antsy and ready to get outside. That's how summer should feel: happy and boundless.