10. Lotus Plaza, Spooky Action At A Distance - The title might have qualified even if the music weren't so good. From the Deerhunter family, this is Lockett Pundt's latest project. It's got all the jangly guitars I could ever ask for and a soaring feel that can take your breath away. These are simple songs, really, but they are all dressed up for a long night out that might end in a place like "Strangers":
9. Roller Trio, Roller Trio - "Serious" jazz, with honking saxophone? Do we have to, Jack? Well, no, but if you miss the fresh sounds this British trio are making, you may go on thinking that there's been no jazz for you since "Kind of Blue". Roller Trio's debut is a record that will take you new place and let you hear the roar, so that you can clearly hear the quiet beauty that follows. There's a reason these guys were Mercury Prize nominees this year, and you can hear it beautifully on "R-O-R."
8. Poolside, Pacific Standard Time - While it sounds nothing like it, Poolside sits in the place that Aja-era once Steely Dan occupied in my life: a durable, smart pop sound that offers all-day, everyday pleasure. There's a charming cover of Neil Young's Harvest Moon buried here, but this is the sound of modern Los Angeles, bubbling and blipping along on the digital freeway.
7. Beach House, Bloom - Beach House's dream-pop is the sound of being happily high on a summer afternoon (er, at least as I remember it). Think Time of the Season-period Zombies, put on your Earth Shoes and lay around in the hammock. While it feels a little too fragile on first listening, it opens up in warm way like the best Fleetwood Mac, to whom Poolside owes a big debt.
6. Michael Kiwanuka, Home Again - In the months since I first heard him I've become an even bigger believer in his talent. This music feels absolutely authentic, every note heartfelt. He's Bill Withers, Taj Mahal, Van Morrison and Jack Johnson all rolled up in one Ugandan body. Now that's a neat trick.
5. Lampchop, Mr. M - Kurt Wagner was new to me last summer when I saw him on a weird, but magical Lincoln Center bill with the Blind Boys of Alabama, Yo La Tengo and Jim James. As "Lambchop" he has a whole catalogue of music that's as sweetly eccentric as anything Randy Newman recorded, and as steeped in Americana as The Band's best. Like Newman, he's unafraid to give his songs elaborate and stylistically varied settings. His latest is a fine place to start discovering this great American original. "Gone Tomorrow" shows his talents beautifully.
4. Divine Fits, A Thing Called Divine Fits - I'm a big fan of Spoon, the Austin outfit whose music has a dark, hard, staccato feel that's straight from the swamp. There are no ballads on a Spoon record. The buzz on Divine Fit was all about the "supergroup" coupling of Spoon and Wolf Parade. But when you get a rock record that makes you want to move as much as this one does, I say "Shut up and dance."
3. Meshell Ndegeocello, por une ame souveraine - A Dedication to Nina Simone - Not quite a tribute album, this is where the defiantly original bassist connects the dots between Roberta Flack, Nora Jones and the diva to whom the disk is dedicated. A stunning surprise from a woman whose long, slow musical evolution has been astounding to hear.
2. Alabama Shakes, Boys & Girls - I can't get enough of this bone-rattling, southern rock with its big Muscle Shoals bottom. Brittany's Howard's Janis Joplin pipes are the centerpiece, but this is one tight little band that I think will be around for a while. A classic.
1. Frank Ocean, Channel ORANGE - If there had been no other new music released this year, this would have been enough for me. He is unquestionably Marvin's hier, with his sweet falsetto and his convention-bending songwriting and yet at the same time he is sui generis - we have not seen the likes of Frank before. When I first wrote about Channel ORANGE, I downplayed the "coming out" story that drew so much press. But courage is what this music is all about. Celebrate the New Year with this fine talent. Be brave in 2013.
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