“From the brim to the dregs,
It poured sweet and clear,
It was a very good year …”
“It Was A Very Good Year” [Frank Sinatra - 1965]
JR’s Best of 2013:
We live in an era where some commentators will claim that the album is dead. In spite of that there is no doubt that many musicians in 2013 have embraced the medium as a vehicle for serious artistic expression. Among them were Janelle Monáe and Daft Punk whose albums were thematic, if not totally conceptual. Where Ms. Monáe looked to the future to continue with the Android theme established on her previous album, Daft Punk looked to the past, reviving the world’s interest in Giorgio Moroder and Nile Rodgers into the process.
Other creative minds, notably including those of Bill Callahan, Jonathan Wilson, Nick Cave and David Thomas (of Art-Punk collective, Pere Ubu) have used the album as a canvas to create records which in turn, were pastoral (Callahan), psychedelic (Wilson), broodingly literate (Cave) or experimentally fractured (Pere Ubu).
There were also albums we heard this year which, while not thematically linked, were more than just a collection of songs. England’s Arctic Monkeys made a huge leap forward with their 5th album ‘AM’ easily being the best of their career. Meanwhile, more evidence of artistic maturity came from Vampire Weekend, Country singer Kacey Musgraves and Roots musician Valerie June. Former Drive-By Truckers guitarist, Jason Isbell also released his strongest solo album to date in ‘Souheastern’ with its confessional stories of reaching rock-bottom, rehab and redemption.
We’re not ranking these albums and songs in any kind of order or handing out awards but merely giving credit where we believe it is due. However, just as we did last year, we do name our ‘JR Song Of The Year’ for the record that achieved greatness in 2013, for all the right reasons.
The holiday season is almost upon us but before we plot the flight plan for the summer escape, we hope you can join us for next week’s 3rd annual ‘JR Christmas Special’.
Valerie June: “Workin’ Woman Blues” (from the album, ‘Pushin’ Against A Stone’)
Vampire Weekend: “Step” (from the album, ‘Modern Vampires Of The City)
Arctic Monkeys: “I Wanna Be Yours” (from the album, ‘AM’)
Bill Callahan: “Ride My Arrow” (from the album, ‘Dream River’)
Jonathan Wilson: “Fazon” (from the album, ‘Fanfare’)
Janelle Monáe featuring Erykah Badu: “Q.U.E.E.N.” (from the album, ‘The Electric Lady’)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: “Water’s Edge” (from the album, ‘Push The Sky Away’)
Jason Isbell: “Songs That She Sang In The Shower” (from the album, ‘Southeastern’)
Kacey Musgraves: “Merry Go Round” (from the album, ‘Same Trailer, Different Park’)
Robin Thicke featuring T.I & Pharrell: “Blurred Lines” (excerpt)
Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams: “Get Lucky” (excerpt)
Lorde: “Royals” (from the album, ‘Pure Heroine’) [JR Song of 2013]
Pere Ubu: “Feuksley Ma’am, The Hearing” (from the album, ‘Lady From Shanghai’)
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Just Released: Heard Saturdays at 12pm & repeated Sundays at 4pm (AEDST or AEST) on ABC Digital Radio through Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne,Adelaide and Perth, and streaming on demand at the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Hobart and Darwin web pages. JR can also be heard on Radio Australia throughout Asia & the Pacific.
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♫ {](-_-)[} ♫ Thanks for listening.
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