My Best Albums of 2013

I've been steadily working on my Best Albums of 2013 list for quite awhile now (with a few recent tweaks) but am just now getting around to putting my list out there. While compiling this ever-important list, I've looked at hundreds of other Best of 2013 lists and it's safe to say that NONE of the ones I've seen will be remotely like mine. The fact that Jason Isbell's "Southeastern" isn't on every single one of them is a travesty I can't even comprehend right now. Seriously. I also managed to throw in a soundtrack (this year's re-make of Maniac) because it was so good that it could be legitimately enjoyed without needing to see the film. I should note one glaring omission on this list: I was going to include Matthew E. White's excellent album "Big Inner", but since I couldn't figure out whether it came out in 2013 or 2012, I decided to leave it off for the sake of accuracy.

Since I put this list together in mix CD form, I'm going to list these albums as the songs show up on my mixes. *ahem* So here is my Best of 2013 list (all 50), with the top ten in bold.

The Dismemberment Plan - "Uncanney Valley"
Bill Callahan - "Dream River"
Dessa - "Parts of Speech"
Laura Marling - "Once I Was An Eagle"
Moderat - "II"
Lady Lamb the Beekeeper - "Ripely Pine"
Chris T-T & The Hoodrats - "The Bear"
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - "Push The Sky Away"
Baths - "Obsidian"
David Lang - "Death Speaks"
Waxatachee - "Cerulean Salt"
Caleb Burhans - "Evensong"
Toro Y Moi - "Anything In Return"
Neko Case - "The Worse Things Get…"
Los Campesinos! - "No Blues"
Chelsea Wolfe - "Pain Is Beauty"
Arctic Monkeys - "AM"
Torres - "Torres"
Wire - "Change Becomes Us"
Phosphorescent - "Muchacho"
Chvrches - "The Bones of What You Believe"
Soundtrack to Maniac
Sigur Ros - "Kveikur"
Caitlin Rose - "The Stand-In"
The Devil Makes Three - "I'm A Stranger Here"
Holy Ghost! - "Dynamics"
Anna Von Hausswolff - "Ceremony"
Thee Oh Sees - "Floating Coffin"
The National - "Trouble Will Find Me"
Savages - "Silence Yourself"
Josh Ritter - "The Beast In Its Tracks"
Of Montreal - "Lousy With Sylvianbriar"
The Civil Wars - "The Civil Wars"
Eels - "Wonderful, Glorious"
Julianna Barwick - "Nepenthe"
Cut Copy - "Free Your Mind"
Mikal Cronin - "MCII"
Scout Niblett - "It's Up To Emma"
Forest Swords - "Engravings"
Deer Tick - "Negativity"
Basia Bulat - "Tall Tall Shadow"
John Grant - "Pale Green Ghosts"
Kurt Vile - "Walkin On A Pretty Daze"
Deap Vally - "Sistrionix"
Jason Isbell - "Southeastern"
She & Him - "Volume 3"
Okkervil River - "The Silver Gymnasium" 
Disclosure - "Settle"
Minor Alps - "Get There"
Laura Veirs - "Warp and Weft"

Honorable Mentions:

Rhye - "Woman"
Frank Turner - "Tape Deck Heart"
Iceage - "You're Nothing"
Superchunk - "I Hate Music"
Deerhunter - "Monomania"
Scud Mountain Boys - "Do You Love The Sun"
Queens Of The Stone Age - "…Like Clockwork" (I'm sorry, Josh Homme!)
The Head And The Heart - "Let's Be Still"
White Denim - "Corsicana Lemonade"
The Dodos - "Carrier"

The time I discovered my obsession with AJ Bowen was full-blown and other musings on the indie horror genre...

They say that every fire starts with one little spark. That seems to often be the case with me, at least as far as my pop culture obsessions go.  My obsessions tend to be with musicians; it's been awhile since I've had an obsession with an actor. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I realized my latest obsession was with genre actor AJ Bowen. I guess I could just blame Netflix for this, because once I saw his 2010 film "A Horrible Way To Die", I discovered that a few of his other movies were also on Netflix. The aforementioned film is definitely the little spark that started this fire. I came to this film knowing nothing about Bowen or anyone else in the film - it was, after all, a little film, as independent as they come. Half-way through the movie, I was convinced that the main character was played by comedian Paul F. Thompkins, as when he had a mustache, Bowen looked identical to Tompkins. The idea of Tompkins playing a serial killer sounded amazing! And the performance was fantastic. So, I kept watching. But as the film went on, and Bowen's facial hair changed, I was a bit let down by the fact that it was not the actor I thought. However, the movie (and Bowen himself) was great enough that I wanted to see more like it. I still maintain that "A Horrible Way To Die" is one of the better slasher flicks of the last decade and unlike many horror films, has one of the best endings, well, ever.

Being into a horror genre actor is not that weird for me, considering my favorite movie is The Shining. But it was my first true introduction to indie horror movies, often made by the same group of people. You start to notice the same producers/directors coming up (Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Ti West) and then of course, the same actors. It's strange to be so into an actor whose films I can't really recommend to most people. For many people, horror films are "above them", intellectually speaking. I certainly get that, because I am much the same way. But I've always been more into the psychological aspect of horror films than anything else, be them mainstream or "B Level." I could go so far as to say that Bowen's films border on guilty pleasures for me. Everyone has them, and perhaps his movies are just my guilty pleasures. On the other hand, Bowen said it best himself about his movies: "I hope that even if the movie is shitty, someone can say, 'Well, that one guy in it wasn't quite as shitty.'" From the ones I've seen so far, none of them were unwatchable, even if some didn't make much sense ("Rites Of Spring"). Bowen just has that certain presence, and it's his looks combined with his acting talent and voice (he can look normal but sound super creepy) that make him impossible to not be drawn in by.

However "low brow" these films might be, at least they're not like anything in the "Saw" movies (which I used to like) or "Hostel." Most of them do have a point and none of them are horrifically violent. I admit to seeing a preview for one movie he was in and deciding that his horrible haircut was too much and that I would never see it. An actor who usually looks hot should always look that way, right? Considering how terrible some commercial horror films look these days ("Paranormal Activity" anyone?), Bowen's films are actually quite good by comparison. If you can get past some lame dialogue and a bit of gore, any of the above movies are worth watching, if only for Bowen's performances. One of the reasons I like him so much is that despite being in so many horror movies, none of his are that similar story-wise. For example, I can't even put "The Signal" in one particular category because I've never seen anything like it: part "Shaun Of The Dead", part "The Crazies" and mostly really fun. Even if Bowen doesn't have much screen time in a particular movie, he certainly makes the most of it - "The House Of The Devil" being a prime example (don't order a pizza from this guy!). In the same vein, even in his silliest movie "Hatchet 2", his lines are so funny (as is his death scene) that you don't care about the rest of the movie.

All of this having been said, the timing of this particular obsession is not lost on me; as a baseball fan, this is the worst time of the year, so other interests have to fill my time until at least March. In addition to the string of Bowen's movies on Netflix, his slasher flick "You're Next" is due for digital release at the end of the month, along with his newest film "The Sacrament", which is set for theatrical release sometime next year. Will I see be re-watching "The Signal" and "A Horrible Way To Die" come next April? I'd like to think so, but even if I don't, it's been a fantastic ride into the world of indie horror films and an introduction to one of the finer actors in that genre.

"Long dark moon..."

For the most part reissues of albums come and go for me, usually without much fanfare. Of course, sometimes it depends on the album, but generally I don't feel the need to get my hands on many. The  10-year anniversary reissue of Songs: Ohia's "Magnolia Electric Co." set for release on November 12th, is an exception, however. A big one. Coming some eight months after the untimely death of frontman Jason Molina, this reissue is as welcome as it is unfortunately timed. Besides making some of my all-time favorite records, Jason Molina holds a place in my heart because he's the only musician I admired that I had the chance to meet. I saw Magnolia Electric Company (as they were billed in 2005) at a tiny club in San Francisco. Before the show started, I saw Jason walking around in the small crowd and decided I would get the guts to introduce myself and ask him to sign my ticket. In my fandom, I was so unconvinced that he was just strolling through the crowd that I asked a guy at the merch table if it really was him. As expected, Jason was very nice, kindly signing my ticket and shaking my hand. He was the definition of approachable. I didn't say much to him, but it was a memorable exchange for me. And, also as expected, he and his bandmates put on an amazing show.

Even if the aforementioned exchange hadn't occurred, I would still be terribly saddened by the timing of this reissue. In spite of this, it marked an important transition for Jason Molina and what turned out to be a successful one. Despite adding a full band, Jason's lyrics were as affecting and resonant as ever, and the fuller sound complemented the songs perfectly. This album often gets compared to Neil Young's material with Crazy Horse, and such comparisons actually fit. As wonderful of an album as "Magnolia Electric Co." is, it still seems like the kind of album you either love or hate. Some people can't stand Jason Molina's voice, or find his songs overly depressing; and yet for me, his vocals and lyrics pull at all the right heartstrings and really resonate with me. Lawrence Peters and Scout Niblett (her work with Molina was how I discovered her initially) add additional depth with their respective lead vocal tracks.

Is this Jason Molina's best album? It's hard to say, at least for me. It's hard to top "Didn't It Rain" (my personal favorite) or "The Lioness", but "Magnolia Electric Co." comes damn close. It is certainly one of Molina's finest recordings. Making this particular reissue all the more painful for me is the inclusion of the song "The Big Game Is Every Night." This track and the previously released "31 Seasons In the Minor Leagues" remind me that Molina was a big baseball fan (the Indians in particular), which is yet another way I related to this incredibly talented man. The additional fact that both Molina and another favorite, Jason Isbell, both wrote songs (somewhat) about John Henry is not lost on me - especially since both songs are excellent. Both are stellar songwriters whose songs can reduce you to tears without necessarily knowing why at first.

All of the sadness surrounding Jason Molina's death aside, I can't say this reissue is a total negative, and there is no denying its necessity. Like with most other reissues, "Magnolia Electric Co." leaves us with previously unreleased material to comb through and appreciate. And as far as depressing albums go, this really isn't one for a Jason Molina release. But knowing that just before his death he had released one of his finest albums ("Autumn Bird Songs") makes all of it that much harder to take in the end. Perhaps the timing of this reissue is particularly bad for me because it comes on the heels of having lost two family friends within the last month. Between those losses, Jason Molina, Lou Reed and my cat Derek (all of which except the first have happened in the last 6-7 weeks), it's just a lot of death in a short period of time for me. Why would I put Jason Molina and Lou Reed in that mix? They were two musicians who really inspired me and who I deeply admired. And their deaths will be felt in the music world for a long time to come.

If nothing else, the reissue of "Magnolia Electric Co." will further cement Jason Molina's legacy as one of the finest songwriters and musicians of his time. He was undoubtedly one of the best.  And more material from him is never a bad thing, only a gift.