SPIN Magazine, one of our most trusted sources for music across many genres, has released its annual list of the best 50 albums of the year. Yes, it's a bit early (not going to give Britney Spears a fair shot guys?), but we're sure they're just trying to beat the holiday rush (you'll be able to check out Music Times' albums of the year list on December 23, and our staffers' respective playlists of the year on December 16). The top album is something you've definitely heard of, but may still come as a surprise.
Yeezus by Kanye West took the top spot for 2013, and if SPIN is anything like us, the album probably took a bit of digesting. There's no doubt, especially after several listens, that West delivered once again on possibly his most controversial album yet. But did it merit album of the year, especially after the undeniable masterpiece that was 2010's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy? They certainly thought so.
"It turns out that the man who caught a gratuitous amount of Internet grousing earlier this year for dubbing himself 'the nucleus of culture' was totally right," the magazine wrote on its list. Bold praise, but they aren't dabbling in the grey.
Hip-hop-Chicago hip-hop to be specific-had a heck of a year in SPIN's eyes. The no. 2 spot on the list went to Chance The Rapper's Acid Rap, a mixtape that brought plenty of attention to the emcee that might make Kendrick Lamar-type moves during 2014. The rest of the top five was rounded out by alternative style acts that many might "expect" from a publication such as SPIN. Vampire Weekend's Modern Vampires in the City came in at no. 3, Haim's Days Are Gone placed at no. 4, and Diclosure's Settle finished at no. 5.
