It didn't fit in last week's paper, but there are a handful of albums that deserve some special recognition. Check out the below list of honorable mention releases from 2013 and share our FACEBOOK post about them in order to be entered to win two of these albums.
You'll be able to get your hands on Lousy with Sylvianbriar from Of Montreal as well as the soundtrack for the new Coen brother's movie Inside Llewyn Davis. (the latter is your choice vinyl or CD)
So get to reading! (and sharing)
Lousy with Sylvianbriar
Of Montreal
High-definition nostalgia: that’s the best way to describe the artwork for Of Montreal’s twelfth studio album. A vintage motorcycle sits glistening in a sunny jewel-toned meadow capturing the kind of freedom-filled fantasies found in movies like Easy Rider and Almost Famous. Truly art, the cover of Lousy with Sylvianbriar does more than just set the mood for the album’s 60s-tinged rock songs; it’s a youthful escape all on its own.
Runner Up: Cabinet of Curiosities — Jacco Gardner
Inside Llewyn Davis
Various Artists
Returning the well that brought directors Ethan and Joel Coen the award-winning soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the songs for their folk music flick Inside Llewyn Davis are just as honest to the era the movie is set in.
Focusing on one week of the life of a Greenwich Village folk singer in 1961, the soundtrack for Inside Llewyn Davis is a collection of traditional songs sung by the movies actors, Oscar Isaac, Justin Timberlake and Carey Mulligan as well as with help from the likes of Marcus Mumford and The Punch Brothers.
And the music is already creating a stir, earning a Golden Globe nomination for best original song.
Runner Up: The History of Caves- Josh Tillman
Nadia Siorta- Baroque
Nadia Siorta
American Viola player Nadia Siorta turns in one of 2013’s strongest performances for any genre, easily earning her sophomore album Baroque the top nod for a classic work. Putting together layered tracks of viola to bring modern pieces from composers like New York’s Missy Mazzoli to brilliant life, Siorta is a singular talent with all the richness of a full quartet. The record is a stunning drama-filled hour.
Runner Up: Bach: Sonatas and Partitas — Chris Thile
The Next Day
David Bowie
On this, the 66 year old singer’s first album in a decade, David Bowie is, in a word: dominating. With spacey alt rock that charges ahead on each song, Bowie sticks to the formulas that built him a lasting career. The album artwork is even borrowed from his 1977 album Heroes indicating a connection to works past, but as the album name also promises, the next imagining of that era.
Runner Up: New- Paul McCartney
Collective Mon Amour
Elephant
The debut album from French pop duo Elephant doesn’t need to be in English in order to be fantastically fun listening. Syrupy harmonies and chipper synth beats play with acoustic guitar and organ largely making Collective Mon Amour a fast-paced pop album. Not to be overlooked however are the record’s more sultry moments like the tracks “Oui peut-etre non”—translated “Yes, Maybe No” and “Au fond (c’est beau)—translated “Basically, This is Beautiful” which punctuate the otherwise sunny album with classic French sexiness.
Runner Up: 1977 — Kolsch
