Top 10 albums of 2013

It’s January 2014 - super weird. I think I use to think about 2020 being a thing of the crazy far-off future; kinda like the Jetsons would be here in real life. While that’s not really very true… it’s within spitting distance, and we’re all getting old. Even you. 

That being said, it’s that time of year again. My top 10 albums of 2013. It was a pretty ok year for new artists and albums - but there have been better. However, 2013 was the best year for live music for me; and I saw a lot of it.

10. The National - Trouble Will Find Me

This is such a beautiful album - maybe the loveliest album of the year and always a treat to see. #bonnaroo2013 delight.

9. MS MR - Secondhand Rapture

#dreampop and dreams of having rainbow colored hair.

Another Neon Gold Records label win. If Poliça had a little sister… 

8. Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks

Ok, ok. Maybe not their "best" but COME. ON. They sound great, this album has several great tracks, it's borderline dancy at times. And Trent is hot. I could be biased because this is a 14 year crush.

7. St. Lucia - When the Night

I dare you to try and be angry about almost anything while listening to this album. #tripledogdare

6. Poliça - Shulamith

I wasn't sure if they could live up to "Give You the Ghost." I was wrong. Also, I wouldn't mind borrowing clothes from Channy's closet.

5. Local Natives - Hummingbird

I will never tire of LN. Not now. Not tomorrow. Not ever. Keep strumming my heartstrings.

4. Disclosure - Settle

When a fire starts to burn...

BEST. DANCE. ALBUM. OF. THE. YEAR.

3. Haim - Days are Gone

Um, hi Haim. It's me, Afton. I want to be just like you.

If I would have learned to play guitar or drums and pursued a music career, this is the kind of band my dad would be proud of. 

2. Cut Copy - Free Your Mind

Never a disappointment so my expectations were high, which they blew out of the water. Also one of my favorite live shows of 2013.

1. CHVRCHES - The Bones of What You Believe

Hands down my favorite album of the year. If you know me, this is no surprise because I've listened to it on repeat since this summer. It's dancy. It's deep. It's electric. It's melodic. Their tunes are remixed all the time. They have a hot lead lady singer. They did everything right.

Honorable mentions: 

Austra - Olympia

Sigur Ros - Kveikur

Alpine - A is for Alpine

Mazzy Star - Seasons of Your Day

Arcade Fire - Reflektor

Goldroom - Embrace

Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City

Foals - Inhaler 

Blood Orange - Cupid Delux

This is just part of a piece that I came across on the blog Rebel Society. Sometimes you read something that slaps you in the face and you're all like, "CHURRRCH!" It makes you retract, reconsider, and re-prioritize. But then an hour goes by, a phone call, a few texts, and we carry on with our lives unchanged and continuing down the same path it has been. And we wonder why we're unfulfilled.

...Prior to my inner pilgrimage, it felt like I was just spinning my wheels. I was always happy, but a bit confused. I knew there was more, but I just couldn’t get there. It was out of my reach. Now I felt distinct, fulfilled and happy — a wonderful combo platter.

Ultimately, as a result of my introspective time spent not dating, I figured out the best way to enter into a meaningful relationship:

Be the love you want; be the person you want to meet; be solid.

There is no point getting involved with another human when we need them to complete us. That is a recipe for emptiness, confusion & disaster. We are already complete; we just have to open our mind and soul to see it. It’s right there, inside of all of us. The key is that you have to experience it for yourself, not just read about it. You have to walk the walk, and there will be days that it’s going to hurt like hell.

Sometimes it takes losing your mind in order to find your soul; but, there is a major upside to all of this. We attract exactly who we are to ourselves. With that equation how can we lose? When you come together with another self-actualized person, the energy fueling that type of relationship is indescribable. It’s pure magic and much different than anything you may have experienced prior to your metamorphosis.

“Where there is great love, there are always miracles.” 

~Willa Cather

Time gave me the gift of realizing that I wasn’t my parents, my friends or anyone else but myself. This is my feature film. My love song. The fear of having the same experience as another person’s horrible relationship or re-living a bad break-up went right out the window.

Take the time to explore, meditate, pray and enjoy your life, alone. Figure your shit out, however painful it is. On the other side of that pain is a rainbow with unicorns that live in the land of possibilities. When you think about it, what is 6 or 12 months in the course of a lifetime? It’s a blink of an eye. We are setting the stage for the rest of our lives.

Settling, in our relationships — be it with a partner, the person we chose to be the mother or father of our children, even our friends — is not a viable option. Our time is too precious to waste it on the wrong relationship just because we’re lonely.

Blast through that lonely feeling; it’s not real. We are never alone.