2013: Records. Themes. Gigs. The Lot.

Like every other self-respecting music freak, I'm more than partial to the annual December list-athon, but what I cannot fathom are those which instantly speculate how a given year will be remembered. Sure, it's an intriguing aspect to the whole discussion, but alleging certain records will remain classics for years and decades to come is ultimately a hiding to nothing. Who's to say that Yeezus, for example, won't gather dust as its production tricks and shock value succumb to age, or that come 2020 we won't snigger at Modern Vampires of the City as an "album of the year" catastrophe? On the other side of the coin, how can we be sure we've not dismissed another Odessey and Oracle or Velvet Underground & Nico; an overlooked gem whose early obscurity masks a future cult classic?

With these and other bloopers in mind, I prefer to avoid declaring which LPs we'll view as "the best" or "the most important" with retrospect, and instead focus on the patterns and events which have unquestionably left an impression on the here and now. Without further ado, then, here the themes which have shaped my own musical year, together with a selection of personal favourites from what present impressions suggest has been another solid 12-month innings...

Best Of The Year 2013: First Half Update

Welcome to MuzikDizcovery's quarterly article on our favorite releases of the year to date. Each of our staff members has posted a list of our five favorite albums of the year to date, with a little blurb showing why we love each one so much. Every album released in 2013 that we have heard was eligible, even if the album has not been released to the public just yet. As always, there's a wide variety of music on these lists, and every release on here is worth checking out. Owel, The World Is A Beautiful Place, Kanye West, Captain, We're Sinking, Rare Monk, Justin Timberlake, Sigur Ros, The Knife, Tegan And Sara, Youth Lagoon, The Wonder Years and Lights and Motion all take prominent spots in multiple lists, and represent some of the best that 2013 has to offer. Check out of all of our lists below, and click on any links in the album names for our reviews.

Album Review: Sigur Ros - Kveikur

Album Rating: A

I honestly cannot recall an opener in recent times that's excited me as much as "Brennisteinn:" The strained, distorted build, simmering to a point where it seems set to collapse under its own weight... Those immense, molten slabs of bass, splurging through your speakers, hitting you head-on like a ton of lead bricks... That ominous, foreboding drop, leaving you swamped in violent swathes of bow guitar work... It's an introduction listeners have become accustomed to over the past few weeks, yet familiarity does nothing to dampen the formidable impact once it's set into motion. More significantly, these dense industrial shock waves essentially signal the return of the Sigur Ros we know and love; the lukewarm reception afforded to initial comeback Valtari having barely even been granted time to dissipate. It's almost as though that LP was merely a teaser — a low-key slow-burner devised to curb expectations and whet appetites ahead of the true re-emergence of one of the great bands of our time.

Live Review: Sigur Rós, Hall 3, SECC, Glasgow, 03/02/2013

03/02/2013, 09:40: Ok, before we get started, I have a confession to make - I'm beginning this write-up before the show in question, and am thereby breaking my own golden rule of live reviewing. It's not something I want to make a habit of - nothing after all is more detrimental to objectivity than pre-formed opinions - but I think I can make an exception for my first Sigur Rós experience, as I anticipating it to be just that - an experience. One of the finest bands of our times, promising a mixture of old classics and brand new material, before thousands of lovely Scots in my favourite city on Earth; don't tell me I shouldn't have expectations! Anyway, I've always felt that feelings are best expressed in the heat of the moment, so what I'm going to attempt is a sparodic, and no doubt shambolic, running commentary of the night's events, completely unedited, aside perhaps for the odd unnecessary expletive once the beverages kick in. As of now, I'm on the train from Newcastle to Glasgow. I'm absolutely shattered having stayed up way too late gawping at Heima in preparation, and I'm trying to stave off that tiredness with a selection of the city's finest: Rick Redbeard, RM Hubbert, Belle & Sebastian, etc. I love Glasgow!

New Muzik Monday 3/26/2012

So, here we are at the end of March, and despite a fine start to this month, you still get the overwhelming feeling that 2012 hasn't really kicked into gear yet. That in itself is disappointing, but April and May promise much with some of the most hotly anticipated releases of the year, and it's tasters from those - as well of a pair of records already unveiled - which have dominated my listening over the past few days.

HIGH ON FIRE - De Vermis Mysteriis

This Californian trio have been among the leading lights in the sludge scene for quite a few years now, but this sixth LP could be their finest moment yet. Kurt Ballou's distinctive sharp production techniques add an extra edge to Matt Pike's thick barrage of riffs, while the bands songwriting is among their hardest-hitting to date. Stream it here!

Album Preview: Sigur Ros - Valtari

It's not often that I get so excited for a new release that the prospect of waiting two short months has me writhing in painful anticipation.  However, Sigur Ros has that sort of effect on me.  After hearing of the band's reunion from their rather curt hiatus, I--as well as music fans world wide--was entranced by the notion that everyone's favorite Icelandic band could pump out an album as early as 2012.  A longshot, yes, but it was something to hope for.  Yet after last years live DVD, Inni, Sigur Ros announced its return to the studio, promising a return to a more "ambient" sound, a la (  ).

Not only a new album, but one akin to perhaps their best?  Surely this is too good, right?  Well, to make things even sweeter, the band has also announced the album name, as well as the release date.  Even better still is a preview of an upcoming song.

Yes that's right.  Not only has Sigur Ros returned, giving us a new album, but it's sooner than one would think.  In two months we will have Valtari gracing our ears.  But you don't have to wait till then to get a taste.  Click here to sample a track, and let the always beautiful sounds of Sigur Ros take you away.

Tracklist:
'Ég Anda'
'Ekki Múkk'
'Varúð'
'Rembihnútur'
'Dauðalogn'
'Varðeldur'
'Valtari'

Album Retrospective: Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

Album Rating: A

We use the word beautiful everyday but probably could not come up with a clear definition of what it really means. We cannot come up with a clear definition of what is beautiful because beauty is somewhat conditional. What is beautiful to me might be ugly to another person, and what is beautiful to that person might be something that I think is totally disgusting. It is why we have people who hang crosses in their living room and other people that want to hang them from those crosses, it is why we have people who are addicted to porn and why we have people who get their porn from a PBS special on "The Lost Dinosaurs," and, it is why a snobby white basketball player looks beautiful to Duke fans but looks like a jackass to the rest of America. It is tough to define beauty as anything but conditional.

The Daily Blair: An NFL Playoff Musical

Hey the NFL Playoffs are coming up! So I am going to compare every NFL playoff team to a 2012 album.

1. SUPER BOWL CHAMPION: New Orleans Saints

2012 album that reminds me of the New Orleans Saints: Fun.- Some Nights

On Aim and Ignite, Fun. was the Pittsburgh Steelers: they combined old school influences (Beach Boys and Queen) with new school ideas and execution. The Pittsburgh Steelers love to run the ball and deal out helmet to helmet hits like it is 1965 (Beach Boys and Queen) but they also have one of the best passing games in the league led by nightclub enthusiast Ben Roethlisberger (new school ideas and execution.) A&I had something for everyone to love just like the Pittsburgh Steelers have something for everyone to hate.

This year Fun. seem to be focused on perfecting a modern sound: "We Are Young" is a beat driven anthem that kind of sounds like a tamer version of "Baby Girl, I'm A Blur," "WTF" is a five minute uncensored version of "At Least I'm Not As Sad As I Used To Be," "Carry On"sounds like a 2011 remixed song off of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and "It Gets Better" has the chance to have the generational impact that "Imagine" had over thirty years ago. So while Fun. has not totally forgotten their old school influences they seem to be using less and less of these influences to make their next modern masterpiece. The new fun. album is the Saints modern offense that passes over fifty times a game then sneaks in a draw to Darren Sproles to keep the defense on their toes. Some Nights will make Fun. the biggest band in the world just like the Saints passing offense made them the best team in the National Football League.

Artist Spotlight: Sigur Ros

The day many a post-rock fan has been waiting for has arrived--the return of Sigur Ros.  Admittedly, the band has not been gone for long (and it's arguable to say that they even left), as their last album dropped back in 2008, to the typical commercial and critical sucess.  After the release of said album, the band announced a hiatus of sorts, which led to the lead singer, Jonsi, to lead a very successful solo career.   And while the sudden announcement left man with pangs in their hearts, the dry spell has been short, as Sigur Ros has revealed plans for an early 2012 release.

Coming off their first ever live album (if you don't count the documentary, Heima), Inni, Sigur Ros plan to head to the studio to create a follow up to 2008's Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, with a slated release of Spring 2012.  The band has stated that the forthcoming album will be much more atmospheric and ambient than their last few releases, hearking back to the early days of Sigur Ros.  And while this announcement is a tad bit dated, it is pertinent because the band has released their first new material in years for free.  That's right, the absolutely beautiful  "Lúppulagið" featured on Inni has been posted online just in time for the holidays.  The sound the band spoke of is definitely present here, as the atmospheric track is incredibly sparse, but fantastically effective.

With the release of a fantastic live album a month ago, and the promise of a new album on the horizon, it's been a great time to be a Sigur Ros fan.

You can (and should) check out "Lúppulagið" here: http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/news/2011/12/21/download-luppulagid-for-free/

A Year in Post-Rock: 2011

To be quite honest, 2011 has been a fairly mild year for top tier post-rock releases. No Mono, no Godspeed You! Black Emperor (called it), and no Pg. Lost. Sadly missing, sure, but that isn’t to say that 2011 has been a complete bust for the genre. In fact, this year, more so than ever in recent memory, bands have been breaking the mold, and setting off on paths that progress the genre even further. There have been a lot of breaths of fresh air imbued into the tired formula, creating a wonderful bevy of albums that have made 2011 one hell of an excellent year for post-rock. Here is just a sample:

Mogwai - Earth Division:
Alright, alright, this may not be the Mogwai release that you were expecting. However, their latest album, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, left a lot to be desired. This little gem of an EP sounds somewhat different than anything else the band has done before. It’s lush and beautiful; a record that relies less on gimmicks, and more on the sheer excellence of Mogwai. A true stand out.