10. BOARDS OF CANADA: Reach for the Dead (from Tomorrow's Harvest)
Following the 2005 masterpiece The Campfire Headphase, the next Boards of Canada album was waited for with eager anticipation. Unfortunately, for the most part Tomorrow's Harvest turned out to be nothing special. I was more than only slightly disappointed following eight years of silence. Luckily, I found at least one track on the album that works. The brilliant, atmospheric Reach for the Dead is great already on its own and even better when combined with the scenic video embedded above.
9. DREAM THEATER: Illumination Theory (from Dream Theater)
Yes, I know, this is a slightly silly choice for inclusion in the Top 10 but I cannot resist Dream Theater's passion for grandiose, overblown combinations of prog metal and classical music. Rarely have these two fit together as poorly as here, yet there is something endlessly endearing about the effort. It is hilarious and moving at the same time. To be fair, the classical sequence is actually quite beautiful. I think the maker of the video above has accidentally included the "hidden" bonus track at the end of the album. The actual Illumination Theory ends at 19:15.
8. DAVID BOWIE: Where Are We Now? (from The Next Day)
Besides Boards of Canada, another artist who had taken a long break in recording new material prior to this year was of course David Bowie. His previous studio album Reality came out as long ago as 2003 (I actually saw him perform live back then, during the Reality tour). Nearly a decade later, The Next Day came out last spring, even more out of the blue than the new Nine Inch Nails album did. The first single Where Are We Now? remains my favorite, although the closing track Heat is also very strong.
7. GOLDFRAPP: Jo (from Tales of Us)
The sixth studio album by Goldfrapp is a rather uneven affair, but still manages to achieve greatness. And not only once, but twice... Compared to Tales of Us, my favorite Goldfrapp album The Seventh Tree (2008) is very good all the way through but none of its individual songs can quite reach the heights that the best tracks on the two later albums have. Jo is a perfect example of how music can be fairly simple in its format, yet contain undeniable power.
6. HAKEN: Pareidolia (from The Mountain)
London based prog metal masters Haken are the first artist to appear on the list for a second time. Pareidolia was released as a promotional video, embedded above, already prior to the actual The Mountain album. It still remains by far the best prog metal song of the year. It is brimming with ideas, is impeccably played, and contains some of the year's weirdest time signatures. I cannot wait to see what this group can achieve in the future, after having found a new bassist that they are currently looking for.
5. DONNY WHO LOVED BOWLING: Thrombosis Sonata (from Headstone)
Donny Who Loved Bowling is an American two man experimental art rock group whose latest album Headstone contains this stunning instrumental. Thrombosis Sonata reminds me of the works of film composer Howard Shore - namely those he composed to the late seventies and early eighties films of David Cronenberg. From around the two minute mark onward, Thrombosis Sonata sounds like it came from the soundtrack of Videodrome, except that it is even better. Shore did not employ electric guitar in that period, but here it works wonders.
4. COLDPLAY: Atlas (from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack)
To be honest, I had already forgotten about Coldplay following the repeated disappointments that their previous recordings caused me over the last few years. And now this. An absolutely perfect pop song in every way, Atlas caused my jaw to drop back when I heard it the first time. It might just be the best song the British group has ever made. And just look at the gorgeous video that accompanies it. Perhaps they have rediscovered their songwriting inspiration, following the two mostly crappy albums they have made since their previous noteworthy album X&Y (2005).
3. GOLDFRAPP: Clay (from Tales of Us)
But, as it turns out, Atlas still isn't the best pop song of 2013. That honor goes to Goldfrapp, who is the second artist to appear on the list for a second time. In Clay, not only is the songwriting of the very highest order, but just listen to that string arrangement. The strings are the icing on the cake that complements the song itself and lifts it way above just about everything else that was released this year. Considering that music of this kind of quality still gets made, perhaps pop music scene is still salvageable.
2. STEVEN WILSON: Drive Home (from The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories))
OK, now is the time to face the facts. Ever since Steven Wilson released his third solo album under his own name, called The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories), no other artist stood a chance. Not only are the two best tracks on the album easily the best two songs of the entire year, but they are further enhanced by the brilliantly animated videos by Jess Cope. Drive Home, embedded above, is a stunning achievement, yet it is the weaker one of the two.
1. STEVEN WILSON: The Raven That Refused to Sing (from The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories))
Steven Wilson is the third artist to appear twice on the list. The unbelievable title track of his new album cannot be beaten to number one, which surely comes as no surprise to anyone who has followed this blog earlier this same year. You can read my thoughts about the song, written down on 9 February, right here. It might be worthwhile to also note the importance of the video: it actually adds and elaborates elements of the song's story that might otherwise be missed. Not only is this the greatest musical achievement of the year; it is one of the greatest ever.
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