If 2013 ended today, I am confident in saying that this year has already blown  2012 away by a mile. Between long awaited follow ups (Daft Punk), continued greatness (Deerhunter, The National, Vampire Weekend), and exciting debuts (Atoms for Peace, Rhye), 2013 has been one of those years that keeps me excited for the future of music. 

Over the next five days, our writers will be discussing their favorite albums and songs at the half way point of 2013. I know that personally, I always enjoy looking back at these lists to see how the second half of the year measures up to the first, and if early releases will hold up against the fresher, flavor of the moment, songs and LPs. Anyways, here begins our recap of 2013's first six months in music. Make sure to check back all week for what should be (at least I hope) a diverse collection of picks.



Steve Gordon

Album: Thee Oh Sees - Floating Coffin

San Francisco garage monsters Thee Oh Sees have been crazy busy the last couple years, dropping clumps of records and touring incessantly. 2013 saw the release of Floating Coffin, probably one of their best offerings in years. It's often quite heavy, but cleaner songwriting and an increase in production quality allow John Dwyer and Brigid Dawson's vocal harmonies to cut through the rancid, grimy mix, lending a sense accessibility amidst the decay.





Nick Sessanna

Album: Deafheaven - Sunbather





Cliff Parks

Album:  Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

I wrestled with this for a good while, but the album that’s taken over is Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories. It’s a record with a mission I can and do subscribe to, it’s super dense with information, you can actually shake your ass to it in a rhythmic fashion, and it’s a ton of fun to listen to. For all of its obvious artifice and sharp, stylized clarity, it has heart and soul, achieving genuine artistic transcendence. Plus, you can actually dance to it. Please note: I am in no way an EDM fan.

Song:  Daft Punk feat Pharrell & Nile Rodgers - "Get Lucky"

I wrestled with this one too. Should I go with something off of the new Vampire Weekend, Charles Bradley, or that epic M83/Susanne Sjundfor ditty for the Oblivion soundtrack? Nope, it’s more Daft Punk, because “Get Lucky” is wickedly, absurdly good. I can’t begin to guess how many times I’ve heard it in the last few months and I still adore it. It’s the song of the summer, and probably the song of the year. Nile Rodgers is a guitar genius, pure and simple.

For better or for worse, video games were our first exposure to music and, for that matter, electronic music. These chip produced background songs were ubiquitous and are now closely connected to the fun one had playing Mario, Zelda, Mega Man, or Sonic. And, it should be noted that many of these songs were quite good, containing simple but incredibly memorable hooks (I may be biased as I have been walking around with the Legend of Zelda’s main theme in my head for the past 23 years). Anamanaguchi, and other chiptune artists (bands whose primary means of composition is the sound chips from old consoles and Gameboys) have been mining this tradition for several years, and Anamanaguchi, if their wildly successful recent Kickstarter campaign is any indication, is currently poised to be the most well-known band within this genre.

Anamanaguchi’s first full length, after a string of singles, EPs, and the soundtrack to a rather good video game (seriously, the Scott Pilgrim game is a fantastic homage to insanely difficult arcade beat-em-ups), is actually a somewhat daunting prospect. At 76 minutes, it is one of the longest albums I can remember listening to this year. And also, I must note that this album is not for everyone. There is something fundamentally challenging about these songs, especially if you have an aversion to blaring midi sounds and synths (I do not, possibly for the reasons outlined above). Normally I would not make this point, but I think this really is made for a certain audience. Anamanaguchi work in a very specific vernacular and once you understand that and especially if you have grown up within that vernacular, Endless Fantasy can be an especially rewarding record.

Video game music is the very obvious major point of reference for Endless Fantasy, which contains a lot of strangely familiar moments. These songs consistently sounds like the epic soundtrack to a lost Super Nintendo game, one that may or may not have an anime tie-in or be an anime tie-in (hard to say). Even the title is reminiscent of video game and anime OST titles. It hits all the right buttons in that regard and it is impossible to deny that this music is extremely fun. But, it is structured to fit a video game and, thus, seems to be very hyper, propulsive and constantly changing. Endless Fantasy shoots for the ecstatic; it is pop music at an accelerated pace. Every song is centered around quick changes in tempo, sudden shifts in style and a constant reliance on soaring climaxes. In fact the album feels, at times, like a giant swirling chorus.

And this also leads to the main problem with Endless Fantasy; it is too long for what it tries to do. Taken individually, many of these tracks are well executed, fun, and catchy instrumentals; however, at 76 minutes, it is exhausting for even the most dedicated listener. Furthermore, the record’s bulk takes away from the individual tracks, it drowns everything out, especially the second half, which seems increasingly strong with each listen but can be tough to parse out after the frenetic pace of the first half. These are strong songs and could be put out in smaller chunks for a much better effect. It is obvious the group has a lot of ideas, but they don’t need to be put them together all at once.

Still, Endless Fantasyis an overall solid album, one that builds on the promise of their earlier releases. It can be addictive and it is definitely one of the most fun records of the year. As I said, it may not be for everyone but it works within its niche effectively. It channels the feeling these video games songs could evoke and, at the very least, argues for the need to take some of those tracks seriously as music, as a pop form that required skill and intelligence to create and that remains worthy of taking seriously.

Grade: B

The music of Anamanaguchi, once you get past trying to pronounce the name (An-aa-man-aa-gucci), is the sonic equivalent of an ice cream sunday. It is not particularly innovative, but it is so much fun that is hard to ignore. For those of us that grew up on a diet of video games, it doubly evokes a nostalgia for the best SNES or Genesis game one never played. Or, if you played the Scott Pilgrim game on XBOX or PS3 (which I recommend if you are a fan of classics like Double Dragon and Streets of Rage), then nostalgia for your time with that release, which the group scored.

Anamanaguchi will be releasing their full length, Endless Fantasy (a title also evocative of 90s' and early 00s' nerdiness, especially if you bought anime and video game soundtracks) on May 14. "Planet" is the second single, following the hyperactive "Meow," to be released off of that album. The new track is noticeably smoother than "Meow," its swirling synth melody held together by an even groove. If you listen closely, you might feel the 16-bit breeze coming off the digital beach you are now racing down.

Brooklyn based trio Fang Island describe their music as "everyone high fiving everyone". It's an apt comparison, as their new album Major swells with the ebullience of an early Weezer album on Prozac. They're bringing their catchy riff-a-thon to The Tralf tonight with chip tune artists Anamanaguchi, a four piece whose name is the reason copy and paste was invented. It's nice to see The Tralf booking younger bands, as it's one of the nicest sounding venues in town and deserves more attention. Be sure to show up early to catch local up and comers Fourwalls, relative newcomers to the Buffalo scene with a pretty accomplished blues sound. Doors are at 7:30, show at 8:30.  Tickets are still available, so buy them. I just noticed there are four hands in the picture above, creepy.