The 2013 albums I enjoyed most:

Iron & Wine – Ghost On Ghost

• Strong songwriting, extraordinary musicianship (jazz great Brian Blade on drums!), a string and horn section, a classic 70’s styled record.

My Bloody Valentine – MBV

• Who knew that My Bloody Valentine’s beautiful ethereal noise would sound just as amazing in 2013 as Loveless did back in 1991?

The Heavy Blinkers – Health

• No one does orchestral pop any finer than these Haligonians. Really quite magnificent.

Rhye – Woman

• Slow, sultry, smokey, smooth, sexy, soulful, Sade-like … superb.

Adam Franklin & Bolts Of Melody – Black Horses

• Weird and wonderful, trippy and disorienting soundtrack-inspired psychedelia.

Michael Feuerstack – Tambourine Death Bed

• Well, okay, top 6 then. Warm and well-crafted acoustic guitar-based songs with tasteful clarinet and saxophone by Colin Stetson.