Brian's Favorite 40 Albums of 2013

To me, 2013 was a really great year for music. When making this list, every album from pretty much 33 up to 2 I wish was higher on the list, and any album in the top 10 could've been number 1, they were all that good to my ears. I won't belabor this with a lot of writing, hopefully you'll find something you enjoy out of this. Also, check out my favorite song from each album below. Thanks for reading!

 40. Andrew Cedermark - Home Life

39. Jagwar Ma - Howlin'

38. Cate Le Bon - Mug Museum

37. A$AP Rocky - Long.Live.ASAP

36. Chvrches - The Bones of What You Believe

35. Deerhunter - Monomania
 

34. Telekinesis - Domarion

33. Fuck Buttons - Slow Focus
 

 32. Sky Ferreira - Night Time My Time

31. Neko Case - The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
 

30. Arcade Fire - Reflektor

 29. Mikal Cronin - MCII

28. Matmos - The Marriage of True Minds

27. The National - Trouble Will Find Me

26. Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady

25. Thundercat - Apocalypse

24. The Ex and Brass Unbound - Enormous Door

23. Toro Y Moi - Anything in Return

22. Death Grips - Government Plates

21. Lemuria - The Distance is So Big

20. Austra - Olympia

19. Potty Mouth - Hell Bent

18. Phosphorescent - Muchacho

17. Darkside - Psychic

16. Lorde - Pure Heroine

15. Frightened Rabbit - Pedestrian Verse

14. DJ Koze - Amygdala

13. Mark Kozelek and Jimmy LaValle - Perils From the Sea

12. Danny Brown - Old

11. Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe

10. Foxygen - We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic

9. Kurt Vile - Wakin' on a Pretty Daze

8. Charli XCX - True Romance

7. HAIM - Days are Gone

6. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away

5. Thee Oh Sees - Floating Coffin

4. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels

3. Yo La Tengo - Fade

2. Eleanor Friedberger - Personal Record

1. Tegan and Sara - Heartthrob

Best of Tom Waits Mix

Let me tell you something dear viewer (and, I know you're not viewers *Mike and Tom Eat Snacks reference* listen now) ... anyway, let me tell you, this mix was so difficult ... Tom Waits is my favorite songwriter and possibly my favorite musical artist of all time (keeps going back and forth between him and Yo La Tengo) ... I have almost all of his albums, and know a majority of them very well ... this is not to brag, just to let you know how difficult it was to make a single disc "Best Of" mix of this incredible man ... But, I finally did it, and, I must say I'm very proud of it ... here you will find 78 glorious minutes, 21 mind blowing tracks, representing 9 different great albums from Tom Waits .... I encourage you to explore any albums that peak your interest after listening to this mix (which I hope at least one person does) .... anyway, without further ado, here is the tracklist, and the link can be found at the bottom of this post:

(side note - I guess by "Best of" I really mean "My Favorite," so if you're upset that a certain song didn't make it or whatever, just know, it was very difficult, and I did the best I can do)

Tracklist:

1. “Long Way Home” from Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards
2. “Hold On” from Mule Variations
3. “Such a Scream” from Bone Machine
4. “Clap Hands” from Rain Dogs
5. “In the Neighborhood” from Swordfishtrombones
6. “Table Top Joe” from Alice
7. “You Can Never Hold Back Spring” from Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards
8. “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up” from Bone Machine
9. “Gun Street Girl” from Rain Dogs
10. “Big in Japan” from Mule Variations
11. “Gin Soaked Boy” from Swordfishtrombones
12. “Goin Out West” from Bone Machine
13. “Singapore” from Rain Dogs
14. “All the World is Green” from Blood Money
15. “Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards) from Closing Time
16. “Shore Leave” from Swordfishtrombones
17. “Jockey Full of Bourbon” from Rain Dogs
18. “Alice” from Alice
19. “Black Wings” from Bone Machine
20. “Downtown Train” from Rain Dogs
21. “Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen) from Small Change


http://www.mediafire.com/?o4qg7o0vy950fxn

Chill Summer Folky Type Mix

Here's a mix full of some of my favorite songs of all time ... great for a nice chilled out summer evening, or while studying, or anything really .... enjoy!


1. The National – Slow Show
2. Sun Kil Moon – Glen Tipton
3. Neko Case – This Tornado Loves You
4. The Decemberists – Engine Driver
5. Nick Drake – Free Ride
6. Simon and Garfunkle – Scarborough Fair
7. Sufjan Stevens – Casmir Pulaski Day
8. Wilco – Jesus Etc.
9. M. Ward – Chinese Translation
10. Pedro the Lion – Of Minor Prophets and their Prostitute Wives
11. Bonnie Prince Billie – I’ll Be Glad
12. Iron and Wine – Jezebel
13. Neil Young – Heart of Gold
14. Joni Mitchell – Carey
15. Cat Stevens – Maybe You’re Right
16. Bowerbirds – Northern Lights
17. Bon Iver – For Emma
18. Andrew Bird – Plasticities
19. Yo La Tengo – You Can Have It All
20. The Walkmen – Canadian Girl
21. Grizzly Bear – While You Wait for the Others



http://www.mediafire.com/?llxmsgzrr478x4c

Bone Wizard - Dance Mix Volume 1

Looking for a really awesome track to play at your next dance party? Well have I got the thing for you ... It's an approximately 75 minute continuous track of current, classic, and indie dance songs .... tracklist formulated and edited together by yours truly .... Check it out!

--- (warning: explicit lyrics)
---- (download link below song list)
----- (time code before each song identifies the minute and second mark a song comes on)


0:00 - Ke$ha - Blow
3:32 - Fabolous - You Be Killin Em
6:32 - Robyn - Bad Gal
10:31- Miley Cyrus - Party in the USA
13:49- Big Boi - Shutterbug
17:12- Michael Jackson - P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
20:53- Lil Wayne and Birdman - Stuntin' Like My Daddy
25:17- Britney Spears - Hold it Against Me
29:01- Janelle Monae ft. Big Boi - Tightrope
33:00- Delorean - Deli
37:27- 2Pac - California Love
41:26- The Cure - Just Like Heaven
44:50- Mike Posner - Please Don't Go
48:03- Beyonce ft. Jay Z - Crazy in Love
52:01- Santogold ft. Kanye West - Gifted
55:27- Shakira - She Wolf
58:31-Notorious BIG - Hypnotize
62:20- Aliyah - Are You That Somebody?
66:38- Wiz Kahlifa - Black and Yellow
70:09- MGMT - Kids

http://www.mediafire.com/?gjzj8vpepdjzgb5

Bone Wizard - Heavy Rotation Mix Volume 1

So, I kind of have an electronic music project called Bone Wizard ... just fun stuff really .... but, here's something under that name, it's not like really like a real DJ Mix or anything .... but, here's a mix i'm calling "Heavy Rotation" and it's what I've been listening to a lot lately .... and, i put an original Bone Wizard song on there too, cause I'm full of myself .... here's the tracklist

(0:00) - Javelin - We Ah Wi
(2:57) - New Order - Ceremony
(7:12) - Pavement - Range Life
(12:03) - Fleet Foxes - The Plains / Bitter Dancer
(17:45) - Elliott Smith - Rose Parade
(21:10) - Guided by Voices - Twilight Campfighter
(24:11) - The Amps - Pacer
(26:34) - The Magnetic Fields - Strange Powers
(29:09) - TV On the Radio - Will Do
(32:44) - Lykke Li - Youth Knows No Pain
(35:36) - ceo - Illuminata
(38:28) - Bibio - K is For Kelson
(41:47) - Robyn - Bad Gal
(45:44) - Frank Ocean - Strawberry Swing
(48:47) - The Weeknd - The Morning
(53:47) - Bone Wizard - Fatigued Into Submission
(58:27) - Cut Copy - Need You Now

here's the link:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2ya7vb2y91h2lww

Hip-Hop Anthology Mix

Hello world, I want to give you a present. Honestly, and I don't mean to sound full of myself, this is a fantastic present. If I were to come across this and either be interested in starting to listen to Hip-Hop music or already knowledgeable about Hip-Hop music I would be really excited. My present to you is a 3 Disc Hip-Hop Anthology Mix I recently compiled myself, of 60 fantastic Hip-Hop songs from 60 different incredible Hip-Hop artists that come from 60 classic and definitely worth your time Hip-Hop albums. Below you will find the track lists from each "Disc" that will follow the format: ARTIST - SONG from ALBUM. At the end of each track list will be a link to a Mediafire file that I uploaded and did NOT infect with a virus. I think the songs should show up on Itunes or Windows Media Player with the Track information. Please enjoy and let me know what you think either on here or in person!

Disc One
1. Wu-Tang Clan – Bring Da Ruckus from Enter the 36 Chambers
2. MF Doom (as Viktor Vaughn) – Let Me Watch from Vaudeville Villain
3. Lupe Fiasco – Kick, Push from Food and Liquor
4. Jay-Z – Cashmere Thoughts from Reasonable Doubt
5. Dr. Octagon – Blue Flowers from Dr. Octagonecologyst
6. Mobb Deep – Shook Ones, Pt. 2 from The Infamous
7. Snoop Dogg – Tha Shiznit from Doggystyle
8. Jaylib – The Red from Champion Sound
9. Clipse – Trill from Hell Hath No Fury
10. Cam’ron – Killa Cam from Purple Haze
11. The Roots – 100% Dundee from Things Fall Apart
12. Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek – Eternalists from Reflection Eternal
13. Dizzee Rascal – Bubbles from Maths and English
14. Freestyle Fellowship – Cornbread from Inner City Griots
15. Boogie Down Productions – Part Time Suckers from By All Means Necessary
16. Ol’ Dirty Bastard – Shimmy Shimmy Ya from Return to the 36 Chambers
17. Nas – It Ain’t Hard to Tell from Illmatic
18. Kanye West – All Falls Down from College Dropout
19. Blackalicious – If I May from NIA
20. Hieroglyphics – Make Your Move from Full Circle

Link - http://www.mediafire.com/?wt7r86768o5bv9b

Disc Two
1. Souls of Mischief – 93 ‘Til Infinity from 93 ‘Til Infinity
2. DM and Jemini – The Only One from Ghetto Pop Life
3. Obie Trice – Cry Now from Second Rounds on Me
4. Big Boi – Shine Blockas from Sir Lucious Left Foot: Son of Chico Dusty
5. Eric B and Rakim – I Ain’t No Joke from Paid in Full
6. Doug E. Fresh – D.E.F. = Doug E. Fresh from The World’s Greatest Entertainer
7. Ludacris – Hip Hop Quotables from Chicken and Beer
8. N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton from Straight Outta Compton
9. Black Star – Definition from Black Star
10. The Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa from Ready to Die
11. T.I. – Top Back from King
12. Cormega – R U My Nigga from The Realness
13. Smif-N-Wessun – Wontime from Dah Shinin’
14. Gang Starr – Much too Much from Daily Operation
15. Digable Planets – Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) from Reachin’
16. Public Enemy – Rebel Without a Pause from It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
17. KRS-One – MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know from KRS-One
18. Das Racist – Rainbow in the Dark from Shut Up, Dude
19. Pharoahe Monch – Simon Says from Internal Affairs
20. Lyrics Born – Last Trumpet from Later That Day…

Link - http://www.mediafire.com/?d7t8w6ljqn9kzd7

Disc Three
1. De La Soul – Eye Know from 3 Feet High and Rising
2. Jurassic 5 – Quality Control from Quality Control
3. Too Short – Rhymes from Life Is … Too Short
4. Outkast – So Fresh, So Clean from Stankonia
5. Raekwon – Catalina from Only Built 4 Cuban Links, Pt. 2
6. LiL Wayne – Receipt from Tha Carter II
7. Insight – Seventeen MC’s from Blast Radius
8. Edan – Fumbling Over Words that Rhyme from Beauty and the Beat
9. The Pharcyde – Passin’ Me By from Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde
10. Curren$y – Audio Dope II from Pilot Talk
11. Company Flow – 8 Steps to Perfection from Funcrusher Plus
12. Method Man – All I Need from Tical
13. Ice Cube – It Was a Good Day from The Predator
14. A Tribe Called Quest – Check the Rhime from The Low End Theory
15. Mos Def – Hip Hop from Black on Both Sides
16. Common – The 6th Sense from Like Water for Chocolate
17. Q-Tip – Vivrant Thing from Amplified
18. 2Pac – Ambitionz Az a Ridah from All Eyez on Me
19. Freddie Gibbs – National Anthem (Fuck the World) from Str8 Killa
20. UGK feat. Outkast – Intl Playas Anthem (I Choose You) from Underground Kingz

Link - http://www.mediafire.com/?n75iep3xxb2tnxg

Why I Emphatically Support Park 51 (aka: Ground Zero Mosque")

With all of the controversy surrounding what has been labeled the “Ground Zero Mosque” I have been forced to reconcile in my mind how I feel about religious freedom and being socially considerate. I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who actually believes that the Park51 (formerly Cordoba House) group does not have the legal right to create this “Ground Zero Mosque”. Most of the attacks against the building have been concerning whether it is insensitive to New Yorkers and Americans hurt forever by the attacks of 9/11. So, the following is my commentary on why I feel that not only is it not insensitive, it is necessary and should be considered an uplifting event.

First of all, people are so caught up with the term Mosque. Americans seem to equate Mosques to terrorist breeding grounds. Some Americans see building a Mosque as insulting because they feel it’s the same thing as putting a flag in the ground of land that was just conquered. I believe this logic is extremely flawed, but, that’s not what this post is about, and I won’t go into detail on that. So, some people hear the term Mosque thrown around and are scared and angry; and ultimately disillusioned and ignorant of what the building actually is. The “Ground Zero Mosque” is not a Mosque at all, but a community center. I’m sure you’ve heard this all before, but, have you gone to Park51's website to see what their vision is in moving forward with the building? The following comes from their website, addressing the vision:

“In the spirit of tolerance and service, the Muslim community of New York envisions a world-class facility and an unprecedented community center as a gesture of our dedication to our city. At a time of economic hardship, Park51 will constitute an investment of over $100 million of infrastructure in lower Manhattan, creating over 150 full-time jobs and over 500 part-time jobs, and providing much needed space, open to all, for community activities, health and wellness, arts and culture and personal and professional development.”

The following is from a blog posting entitled “The Cordoba House is not a Mosque” by those involved with the planning of the building:

“What YCMA is to Christians or the JCC is for Jews, we want the Cordoba House to be for Muslim Americans. This demands that it meets certain standards, such as welcoming everyone from the community, and refraining from proselytizing. With an auditorium, swimming pool, fitness center, conference rooms, and a restaurant, by no standard of the imagination could this community center be considered a mosque.”

(see also the blog posting “What is a Community Center” from the same group)

There will be a prayer area for Muslims inside the building; however, the main focus of the Park 51 is to help the citizens in the area and to bring people of all faiths together in a place where peaceful discussion can happen. In a blog posting entitled “Why All Americans Have a Stake in Cordoba House” the author asserts that creating this building is declaring war on terrorism:

“Cordoba House is not a mosque but a community center that would be open to people of all faiths. There would be a private area for Muslim prayer set aside, but the majority of the complex would be for general community usage …. This is exactly the kind of thing that Anwar al Awlaki and Osama bin Laden most fear - muslims in America rejecting their call to jihad and instead embracing their identity as citizens of America and embracing their civic responsibilities to better themselves and their non-muslim neighbors. And in doing so, wage a true, effective jihad against terrorism.”

The imam, or religious leader, involved directly with this project is Feisal Abdul Rauf. In March 2003, Feisal Abdul Rauf consulted with the FBI involving counterterrorism efforts and relations with the Muslim community. In 2005 Rauf wrote a book entitled “What’s Right With Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West”. A description of the book states the following:

“What's Right with Islam elaborates in satisfying detail a vision for a Muslim world that can eventually embrace its own distinctive forms of democracy and capitalism, aspiring to a new Cordoba - a time when Jews, Christians, Muslims, and all other faith traditions will live together in peace and prosperity.”

(see also the New York Times Article “Feisal Abdul Rauf’s Balancing Act in Mosque Furor”)
Imam Feisal’s honest intent in creating this center is best captured an article from the New York Times entitled “Muslim Prayers Fuel Spiritual Rebuilding Project by Ground Zero”:

“A presence so close to the World Trade Center, ‘where a piece of the wreckage fell,’ said Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the cleric leading the project, ‘sends the opposite statement to what happened on 9/11. We want to push back against the extremists,’.”

Also, we shouldn’t forget that many of the New Yorkers and Americans hurt forever by the 9/11 attacks are Muslim Americans. To exclude them from those hurt by the attacks is unfair and insensitive to the population. For peaceful American Muslims, to have a community center in the surrounding area of Ground Zero should speak volumes to America and the World. It’s an idea that should be embraced, not vehemently and hatefully attacked.

As Americans we need to ask ourselves, why are the majority of us against this project and what does this say about us as a people?