The “wall of sound” is still there, but it’s built less on jet-engine guitars and more on nuance. It took My Bloody Valentine 22 years to finally deliver a follow-up to “Loveless,” resulting in a work that takes the band in fascinating new directions. The grooves are retro, recalling Erasure, Giorgio Moroder-era Donna Summer, the “Rapture” of Blondie and Yaz, and the lyrics absolutely sparkle.ģ, “m b v,” My Bloody Valentine (m b v): It’s not the second coming of “Loveless.” That’s a shame, in a way, since that 1991 outing stands as one of the greatest rock records of all time. At last count, this Scottish trio’s debut had produced three solid singles (“The Mother We Share”, “Recover” and “Gun”), but that could represent the tip of the iceberg. “The Bones of What You Believe,” Chvrches (Virgin): It’s the best synth-pop album in years, filled with enough anthems to ensure that Chvrches is a dance-club favorite for years to come. “Pure Heroine” is such a shockingly mature and fully realized artistic statement that it’s amazing to think its author just turned 17 last month.Ģ.

Lorde makes music that is equally artsy and catchy, distancing herself from most of her contemporaries on the pop charts and drawing comparisons to such all-time greats as Björk and Tori Amos. Let that tune lead you into the New Zealand singer-songwriter’s full-length debut, and you’ll find nine other cuts that also are quite mesmerizing. “Pure Heroine,” Lorde (Universal): You’ve probably heard the smash “Royals,” which was the best single of the year, but hopefully you won’t stop there. The newcomers picked up the slack, with several debuts ranking among the year’s best albums. In addition, it definitely wasn’t as strong a year for hip-hop as 2012, although many of the genre’s biggest artists (Jay Z, Kanye West, Eminem, Lil Wayne, etc.) delivered new albums. Many of the most heavily hyped records, from such artists as Arcade Fire and Vampire Weekend, weren’t all that good. I found quite a few this year, even though it was a strange year in music.

Yet with a little patience and persistence, listeners can still find plenty of platters that matter from start to finish. Sure, the notion of the traditional “record album” is gravely wounded.

The single-song digital download hasn’t killed the full-length album yet. Best of 2013 pop: Newcomer Lorde delivered year’s best album – The Mercury News Close Menu

Eminem and lil wayne new album 2012