Hence it was decided that rather than try to agree (a seemingly impossible endeavor), everyone would get their own "favorites of 2013" playlist. We won't argue that these are neccesarily the best tracks of the last year, but they're definitely songs that caught our respective attention and caused us to hit 'repeat" over and over and over again. Check out the rest of the staff's opinions below:
Danica Bellini, Mstars News Writer
Ryan Book, Music Times Writer
Angelica Catalano, Managing Editor
Mereb Gebremariam, Mstars News Writer
Carolyn Menyes, Mstars News/Music Times Writer
Jon Niles, Mstars News Writer
Nicole Oran, Mstars News/Music Times Writer
15. "Type of Way" by Rich Homie Quan
This track was bumping in my car all summer. Rich Homie Quan’s choppy hook and crafty beat feels equal parts trap and psychedelic. He’s reinvented the my-life-is-cooler-than-yours diss by arrogantly telling you how you should feel about your boring life. Drake even said the song got him feeling some type of way, which was regret for not jumping on the track when he the chance.
14. "New" by Paul McCartney
When a former Beatle puts out a new record of original material, you have to take notice. This harpsichord-driven, horn-infused pop track comes right from the Revolver playbook. It is charming and fresh while harkening back to the best of the Beatle’s psychedelic era — definitely classic McCartney.
13. "Retrograde" by James Blake
This soul crooner is simply on point. From the production details to Blake’s vocal manipulations — be it his groovy falsetto or his hefty lower register — this song elicits great emotion while somehow feeling relatively subtle. He gives it exactly what it needs, no more no less.
12. "Alive" by Empire of The Sun
It could be that the first time I heard this song was Empire of the Sun’s late-night Bonnaroo set, but this song is incredibly uplifting and just plain fun. With beaming synth blasting into the chorus, championing the power of love, it’s no wonder DJs across the world have chosen to remix this song over and over, solidifying it as a dance-floor classic.
11. "Easy, Easy" by King Krule
This grungy, thick blues track off Six Feet Beneath the Moon, requires nothing more than a basic guitar strum and Archy Marshall’s angst-ridden, deep crooning to tell a grim but honest tale of the disillusioned working man. Stealing a line from Winston Churchill, he exclaims, “Cause if you’re going through hell / we just keep going.” It’s bleak yet beautiful.
10. "Black Out Days" by Phantogram
The song starts off in typical Phantogram fashion, with “eh eh ehs” ringing through the intro. Sarah Barthel’s vocals sail smoothly as they loop over and over. The track maintains a gritty edge while keeping steady over a buzzing synth-fueled beat for a sound that is both sexy and haunting. Can’t wait to here more from the New York duo when their full-length drops next year.
09. "Rhyme or Reason" by Eminem
I don’t know if it’s Em’s sampling of the Zombies’ 1969 classic “Time of Season” or his Star Wars references and channeling Yoda, but this song is catchy as hell. We see Slim reflecting on how his father’s disappearance affected the trajectory of his life in a tone that is both comical and heartbreaking. This Marshall Mathers LP 2 track is classic, angst-ridden, turn-of-the-century Eminem.
08. "Nosetalgia" by Pusha T feat. Kendrick Lamar
This song draws you in before Pusha or Kendrick even say a word. Menacing guitar rings over a tribal beat with a vibe fit for the end of a gangster flick. Then Pusha T enters with a chilling tale of coke dealing that takes you from crib to street corner. And boom! Kendrick comes in for the kill that begins the moment he asks, “You wanna see a dead body?”
07. "Come to My Party" by Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
I’m a sucker for a good horn section and a steady groove to get me feeling funky, and “Come To My Party” off Electric Slave does just the trick. With a psychedelic flow, Lewis channels his inner James Brown and packs the track with enough rock and soul to make you want to dance all night — my kind of party track.
06. "Falling" by Haim
One of the essential tracks off their debut album Days Are Gone, “Falling” carries an 80s funk groove anchored in a playful electro beat. The sisters’ layered harmonies build a tension that is ultimately released in the booming chorus. The song is funky and cool with just the right amount of California-dreaming to make you want to hang around these ladies all day.
05. "Cut & Run" by Duologue
Off their debut album Song & Dance, this track mixes classic Zeppelin-style guitar riffs and crashing industrial-electronic synth. The lyrics are catchy and haunting with Tim Diby-Bell’s falsetto vocals recalling Thom Yorke’s circa Kid A. The interplay of synth and hand instruments throughout the whole album makes picking one song difficult, but this track exemplifies the genre blending the band does best.
04. "Hold On, We're Going Home" by Drake
This song finds Drake taking a break from his usually musings of fame and wealth on Nothing Was the Same to focus his attentions on a woman he wants to be with forever. The track has the nocturnal feel based in a sparse, mid-80s retro-pop groove that highlights Drake’s chops as a vocalist.
03. "I Should Live In Salt" by The National
This brooding track opens the band’s latest album Trouble Will Find Me and triggers a feeling of agony in a way that only The National can. Full of metaphors about Matt Berninger’s guilt over not being there for his little brother as a child, he admits the only suitable punishment for his failings would be to live in salt. It is a slow-burner with complex layering and instrumental jabs that hit at the perfect time, interrupting occasional monotone sequences. I could put this song on repeat all day.
02. "Midnight Cry" by J. Roddy Walston and The Business
Although J. Roddy Walston and the Business’ latest album Essential Tremors hasn’t breached many “Best of” lists this year, you’re missing out if you haven’t heard their music. “Midnight Cry” has that groovy blues-meets-rockabilly-meets-soul sound that immediately captures the listener. The bridge crosses over into an almost Queen-like piano territory then powers back through the soul-packed chorus.
01. "Arabella" by The Arctic Monkeys
Off the critically acclaimed AM, “Arabella” is a tune that solidifies Alex Turner’s lyrical prowess as his words play together with an effortless flow. On the second verse he sings, "Arabella's got a '70s head/ But she's a modern lover/ It's an exploration she's made of outer space/ And her lips are like the galaxy's edge/ And her kiss the color of a constellation falling into place." It has a sexy, choppy, hard-rock feel with a hypnotic, meandering chorus and a badass guitar solo to boot.
