Your top 3 albums of the year 2013

Monoswezi - The Village.
This Guardian review won me over and it's by a long way the best of my year.

Though at opposite ends of the earth, Norway and Mozambique fuse fascinatingly in this outfitassembled by Norwegian reeds player Hallvard Godal after time spent down south. Their approach is minimalist, with the looping lines of mbira (thumb piano) mixed with stalking jazz bass, assorted percussion and bells. The songs are traditional, given life by the supple, at times spectacular vocals of Zimbabwe's Hope Masike (who also plays mbira), while Godal's tenor sax and clarinet supply twisting melody lines. The resultant soundscapes stretch invitingly on tracks such as the lilting Hondo, while Kalahari summons up an appropriately threatening desert atmosphere. Classy stuff.

plus it "sounds wonderful" putting many an album to shame


Pale Green Ghosts - John Grant.
Helped by having the songs gain new meaning at a fantastic concert.


Thomas Moore - Seven things aloom; again illuminated by a wonderful concert and an album I partcipated in a fund-it campaign for.

SJB

London Grammar .

Goldfrapp - Tales of us.

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories.

Simon, I wasn't all that serious, rather the opposite. But posting from my iPhone, I had not emoticons at hand, otherwise I would have put a smiley to soften the impact...

Anyways, there is no right or wrong with music and no point arguing about taste - whatever floats your boat. AND, tbh, I know none of the albums you mentioned in enough depth to pass judgement. I dipped my ears into DP and GF but didn't like what I heard, that was that.

I would have favoured any of the below albums for sure though:

However, enjoy your music and ATB for 2014!

1. These New Puritans – Field Of Reeds

2. Midlake – Antiphon

3. Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)

Brilliant year. Too many excellent albums battling for second place to TNPs

Agree TP. Goldfrapp I found a bit beige. Noodles on like a trip-hop Clannad for the coffee table. No soul or invention.

Thought is wasn't a vintage year overall but liked these two amongst others:

This Selection is diverse but all three albums are supremely well recorded.

1.Carmen Gomes inc.''Thousand Shades of Blue''Sound Liaison)I love the repertoire,the original arrangements and the well defined Sound Stage of that album,and the voice and each instrument

is so vividly present.It is the best audiophile download in my collection.

 I've seldom heard recordings that were so successful in both performance and sound aspects....Rad Bennett,SoundStage!

2.Bobo Stenson Trio''Indicum''(ECM)Maybe the best Album of the legendary Swedish piano icon so far.Beautiful atmospheric piano trio,not my preferred sound stage,(no placement of the instruments),but the drums and the piano is beautifully captured.

combines ethereal melodism with gentle grounding to create music that possesses—and moves—both soul and spirit, head and heart...John Kelman All About Jazz

3.John Scofield''Uberjam Deux''(Emarcy)Jazz meets funk and 2nd line grooves and each instrument is very clearly defined,and with placement.

will give Überjam Deux greater longevity over the long-haul....All about Jazz

Antiphon my disapointment of the year! Courage of Others such a favourite maybe it was bound to fail. looking forward to what the ex-front man of Midlake can do in 2014.

Hey Ho.

re-master of the year Jethro Tull 'Benefit' by a country mile. Genuinely blows me away. Play it loud!

Bruce

I got Benefit for Christmas, yet to listen to it though Looking forward to it immensely. I'm genuinely surprised by your reaction to the Midlake album - I was knocked out by the lack of dip from the others.

Hey ho :-)

There we're a few disappointments for me this year, Uberjam Deux (it's good, but a tad too loungey for me),  the second Opium Cartel album (again, a good album, but just not as magical as their first, though our very own Stephen Bennett cops lead vocals on the best track!), Arbouretum's Coming Out Of The Fog (a dip in tune quality).

But those are minor quibbles. My full list (on the 2013 so far thread) could have been twice as long.

1. Tedeschi Trucks - Made Up Mind (probably appeal to Bonnie Raitt fans)

2. Todd Rundgren - State, Deluxe Limited Edition

3. Goldfrapp - Tales Of Us

The Days of the Underground don't seem quite over, some really good stuff appeared in 2013. 

It's a Beautiful Day Live at the Fillmore '68 is a great treat. CD, fantastic SQ, recorded just before CBS signed them up and they released their classic debut album. Often these old gigs sound thin and reedy, not this one, analogue rules! Great to hear David Laflamme let rip a bit with his electric violin too.

John Martyn Live at The Hanging Lamp 1972 Vinyl, was another delightful surprise. Rough and raw, with some amusing inter-song banter, side 2 is where the real gold lies. He quietly plugs his acoustic guitar into his echoplex and plays a little blues ditty for a couple of minutes. Then he 'goes electric' with full echoplexed waves of glorious sound for an 8 minute I'd rather be the Devil. It must have blown the audience's heads off.

Finally Nik Turner and his new crew produced Space Gypsy late in the year, CD & Vinyl. A real trip back in time with an authentic early 70's Hawkwind sound that just puts a smile on your face. For a taster hear/see the single Fallen Angel STS-51-L on tubeyou. 

Musical bummer of the year, Mick Farren dropping dead in front us at the Borderline in London in July. His Black Vinyl Dress CD, with Andy Colquhoun, released since his death is a pretty good parting shot however.

Zappa's Roxy by Proxy is due next month now so hopefully lot's more good stuff to come.

Cheers John 

it was in my opinion not such a great music year - 2012 was a great year....

In no particular order ...

Midlake - Antiphon (not everyone likes their new direction - I love it!)

John Grant - Pale Green Ghosts

Public Service Broadcasting - Inform Educate Entertain

... Reissues, the Miles Davis mono series.

John Grant - Pale Green Gohsts

Half moon run - dark eyes

London Grammar

The besnard lakes.....until in ecess imperceptible UFO , Daughter......if you leave, and not sure if it was realised in 2013 but that's when I brought it, Anathema ......weather systems, loved this album

Cant find this anywhere to buy...any help out ??

Hi Gorgiegus

I bought my download straight from the company.

soundliaison.com.

I know that other forum members bought a CD from the artist herself.

Carmen Gomes

Hi Iver

There is hardly any distribution of Jazz CD's in the Netherlands anymore.

The Thousand Shades of Blue album will be released on CD the 15th of November.

The easiest way to buy the CD or any of her previous CD's is to contact Carmen.She speaks Dutch and English.

This is her email,info@carmengomes.   

Great moment today. I dropped a note at the email address you provided and Carmen answered herself !!! She offered to send me the CD's by mail-post. Via nice email from her ! cheers,

iver

This is the link for the Carmen Gomes Album,the Studio Master Download,

.http://www.soundliaison.com/

sorry for the number of answers Gorgiegus,but I did not know how to make a link.

Hi migo

Thanks very much for the info...ask for help and it arrives..

Cheers

The only thing I heard from 2013 that I care to buy so I can hear it again.
 

Jimi Hendrix. People, Hell and Angels

Hi migo , I saw info on The Thousand Shades of Blue album by Carmen Gomez,, contacted her direct and ordered with her, e mail very helpful.

I love new music and artist I have not heard before, so can't wait to get CD

Regards

David

My Three choices are slightly nostalgic with a very 90's feel

My Bloody Valentine ,MBV

20 odd years in the making and released out of the blue , To some MBV are pretentious noise and to others myself included perfect noise.

Joanna Grusome , Weird Sister

A record that is not afraid to show its 90's shoegazing influences, think  MBV guitars  meets the Flatmates /shop assistants vocals. The Production is  a little rough around teh edges but that only adds to the record.

House of Love , She paints Words in Red

A fine return to early house of love form with Tery Bickers on guitar, melodic,  catchy ,a real grower of a record that i have played non stop since it arrived on  christmas day.

TWP

 Bruce, thanks for this, did hear a couple of tracks on the 6 Music marc Riley show last year and have just ordered myself  a copy ..

Bill Callahan 'Dream River'. Wry, melodic and rich. His best ever. Head and shoulders best of the year for me.

Yep, great album!

Wanted to post it just now but you beat me to it.

Well I did not know about The House of Love so we are even!

Cheers Bruce

My 3 best  for 2013 are:-

Can Lost tapes the most awaited Cd  for me for a while- superb, mix of studio and live, some soundtracks and mostly Mooney and Damo era Can.  Interview recently  by Irmin Schmidt hinted at a possible release of more live material despite comments on release of live tapes that there was no more worth releasing- odd when they recorded very gig

japandorf is the last album recorded  by Klaus Dinger, released after his death.  If you like Neu then this is for you, 2 other albums of Japanforf material are rumoured to be being readied for release

Hawkwind- Warrior on the Edge of Time finally gets a proper Cd release  after master tapes are found and Lemmy finally agrees  to release.  Great Hawkwind album, classic mix of songs, instrumentals and spoken sections.  The live shows were also very good

Steve