Top 100 songs of 2013 (tracks 80-71)

80.)
Afraid of the Dark - Ejecta
(The second half of the song is highly addictive. An album I had no expectations for, and turned out to be my favorite unknown artist of 2013. The album is currently in my top 10 of the year at #6)

79.)
Romanticise - Chela
(Just a catchy pop tune, with a spring in its step)


78.) Gimme What I Don't Know (I Want) - Justin Timberlake
(I had Suit & Tie on my mid-year list, but grew bored with that track. He released two albums in 2013, so there's a lot to choose from. Another of his new songs I enjoyed is Take Back The Night )


77.)
The Mother We Share - Chvrches
(Love the intro part. Recover is the other stand-out track on the album.)


76.)
Peace Sword – The Flaming Lips (from Ender’s Game soundtrack)
(From the end credits of Ender's Game, easily the best track on the EP soundtrack. Flaming Lips also released a studio album The Terror (2013), which I was impressed by initially, but sadly it didn't hold up to repeat listening, the best track for me is Butterfly, How Long It Takes to Die)


75.)
Rose Quartz – Toro Y Moi
(Just a beautiful track, which I have been playing all year, and don't tire of)


74.)
Days Are gone – HAIM
(I like this pop tune, more than the hyped track The Wire. The album to me is overpraised, though)


73.)
In Another Way - My Bloody Valentine
(I don't usually go for this type of experimental noise pop music. I liked it, didn't love it, good to try something different. I don't think I'm the key audience to judge the quality of it. Kind of like the return of Bowie this year, My Bloody Valentine had not put out an LP in a long time. Word is the band haven't reinvented themselves with the new album, but it should please existing fans of the group. )


72.)
Royals – Lorde
(Features on many year-end lists, and it really does stick in your head, once you've listened to it a few times)


71.)
Shaker Aamer - PJ Harvey
(While devotees await her next album, she released a protest song to draw attention to the last remaining British resident in the US prison at Guantanamo Bay)


Are you a fan of any of these artists? What's your favorite new music of 2013? As always, share your opinions in the comments. Tracks 70-61 coming soon!

Top 100 songs of 2013 (tracks 90-81)

90.)
The Sing - Bill Callahan
(This guy has a very distinctive vocal, which I feel has a lot of weight and authority to it)


89.)
Earthly Pleasures - Villagers
(Frontman and songwriter Conor O'Brien told Mojo magazine this tune focuses on a character sitting naked on a toilet suffering a nervous breakdown and believing he's a soldier in the Brazilian War of Independence in 1822: "The feeling of that song for me is somebody who's falling apart and I think the whole thing happens in his toilet," he explained. "He travels a lot in his head; he gets involved in the Brazilian War of Independence and he confronts his imaginary maker, this maternal, goddess figure. In the end he puts his head back on, puts his clothes back on and goes back into the world with a new love for humanity.")


88.)
Exit Wounds – Placebo
(Slow build up, and great change of tempo at 1.54. Probably the best track on a mediocre album)


87.)
Sports – The Eclectic Moniker
(Featured on my summer playlist, and it really does make you feel like it’s summer again. Also love the saxophone)


86.)
Darkness – Du Tonc
(A promising new band, and this is their first single. Especially like the guitar)


85.)
Together - The xx (From The Great Gatsby soundtrack)
(I was initially underwhelmed by the vocals, didn’t grab me right away, but after I heard it in the end credits of the movie, I started getting into the track. Deceptively haunting.)


84.)
Your Life is a Lie - MGMT
(Didn’t love the album, only this single. Do yourself a favour and watch the imaginative music video)


83.)
Physical Control – Hot Natured
(Stumbled into this album by accident, thanks Lisa Thatcher. You have to go to 1:05:58 on youtube for the track Physical Control. The sound kind of reminds me of Daft Punk)


82.)
I Didn’t See It Coming – Belle & Sebastian (Richard X mix)
(Just a catchy dance remix, which to me improves on the 2011 original. It may be too saccharin and cute for some listeners, though.
From their compilation Third Eye Centre (2013), Blue Eyes of a Millionaire is another highlight-which is closer to what the band usually sound like.)


81.)
Annabel – Goldfrapp
(From my favorite album of 2013, which honestly works best listening to the album in its entirety)


Listened to any of these albums? What is your favorite new music of the year? As always, share your opinions in the comments. Tracks 80-71 coming soon!

Top 100 songs of 2013 (tracks 100-91)

So lets kick off my top 100 list, nine more posts to come. Enjoy!




100.)
Change of Coast – Neon Indian (from Grand Theft Auto 5 soundtrack)
(For me, the best song on the soundtrack)


99.)
Lost Generation - Rizzle Kicks
(I don't usually listen to hip hop. This track is pretty fun and catchy, with a British vibe to the lyrics)


98.)
Cementality - King Krule
(Quite gloomy, but also strangely captivating.
The atmosphere of the album has been compared to Ian Curtis of Joy Division)


97.)
Just Another Girl - The Killers
(A pop song which strength is how uplifting it is. The video is worth a look. Whether it holds up to repeat listening I'm unsure about.)


96.)
Is There Anybody Out There? - Laura Mvula
(Laura Mvula's debut LP is not bad, though at times the delivery of lyrics is rushed, and doesn't fit with the melody, which she should work on in future. I almost went with Can't Live With The World)


95.)
Cheap Shots - Holy Ghost!
(I love how the song builds up. Probably a homage to Tangerine Dream - Love on a real train)


94.)
Atlas – Coldplay (from Hunger Games Catching Fire soundtrack)
(Possibily the most powerful track on the soundtrack. My other favorite from the disc is by The National)


93.)
Doin' It Right - Daft Punk ft. Panda Bear
(The electronic vocal is not for everyone. This track has grown on me, I didn't love it on first listen. The Panda Bear vocal works a treat here.)


92.)
The Line it Curves - David Lynch
(My favorite from Lynch's latest LP, and for me the album track where he expresses the most emotion)


91.)
Home - Austra
(Not really familiar with the band. Foot-tapping stuff!)


Listened to any of these albums? Which are your favorites of the year? As always, share your opinions in the comments. Tracks 90-81 coming soon!

Hiatus!

For various reasons, I need an extended break from the blogosphere, so that is what I'll do. I'm considering moving to a new place, I'm tired of living in a small flat, where I can't play music like I want to, and have to put up with noise from neighbours. I also have a stack of 50+ unread books, which I have neglected.

I'll probably still rate films on letterboxd, and will answer comments on previous posts. Just don't expect any new blog posts in the upcoming weeks. Commenting on other sites I'm taking a break from. I'll be back for year-end lists in December or January.

In case you're interested, I've compiled a list of movies I want to catch up on in 2014 and beyond.


In my absence, why not visit these other great film blogs, who also do monthly recaps:
Flixchatter
Inspired Ground
To The Movies And Back
I Love That Film
Lime Reviews
The Warning Sign
U, Me and Films
Surrender to the Void
The Cinematic Spectacle
Time Well Spent
Tips from Chip
Lights Camera Reaction
Let's be splendid about this
The Matinee (weekly recaps)


I'll miss you. Take care everyone!
Chris

Book review: Under The Skin - Michel Faber

So I read the novel, because the movie adaptation with Scarlett Johansson premieres in 2014.

This is one book that you cannot really synopsize without giving it away so, I'll instead talk about the novel's premise.
Set in northern Scotland, there are elements of thriller, sci-fi, horror, the macabre, social commentary, and animal ethics. We perceive the world through the eyes of Isserley, an odd-looking, determined young woman, who at times seems alone, and at other times too busy to be lonely.

There is a spontaneous thrill about picking up hitchhikers, which the author taps into. For me, the best parts are when we meet the colorful characters whom Isserley picks up in her car. However to me the hitchhiker scenes do become a bit repetitive, and it feels like when the author doesn’t know where to go next with the plot, he adds another hitchhiker chapter.

Well-written and atmospheric. Perhaps the descriptions are too longwinded at times, but you realize there is a reason for this, because of the protagonist’s perspective.

Does a terrific job of preserving the mystery, that keeps you reading, to figure out Isserley’s actual agenda. The hitchhikers get “icpathua toggle”. The reader wonders what that is.

Even though mercy is an unknown word to her, and she is just doing her job, there are signs of guilt and tears. I cared about what would happen to Isserley.

The animal rights social commentary was thought-provoking, and it won’t encourage you to hitch a ride any time soon.
The ending was a bit of a cop out, though, and several threads lack payoff, where I feel the author took the easy way out.

The supporting characters Amlis Vess and Esswiss are very vague, perhaps purposely so. I felt they were not as memorable as the hitchhikers, and Isserley’s character.

Not for the squeamish. A bit too macabre and underdeveloped to become a favorite of mine, but an impressive horror debut novel, with a number of surprises. Shortlisted for the 2000 Whitbread Award.

If you are a fan of reading horror fiction, you should give it a go.

Favorite quotes:
P60: “This inability of some of the most superbly fit and well-adapted vodsels to be happy while they were alive was, for Isserley, one of the great mysteries she encountered in her job.”

P43: “When I was young I have travelled a lot in Europe with my parents. But I think, in a way, I saw everything through my parents’ eyes. Now, I want to see things through my own eyes”

Rating 7.5/10