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User
Reviews 151
Approval 93%
Soundoffs 15
Album Ratings 202
Objectivity 64%
Last Active 12-19-15 5:17 pm
Joined 12-03-09
Review Comments 1,722
| Holiday Kirk's Favorite Songs Of 2013
(@holidaykirk/holidaykirk.com) | | 20 | Foals
Inhaler
Yes. Foals does shwimmering dance rock well. Nobody needed to be reminded of
that. But what I didn?t know Foals could do is rock the ever loving shit out of a
power chord. After twirling in its comfort zone for the first verse, Foals start revving
up a build that sound like it?s going to empty out into another verse. Instead, the
distortion pedal of the gods is stomped and lead singer Yannis Philippakis roars ?I
can?t get enough, SPACE!? and suddenly BMX bikers are doing slow motion canyon
backflips in my mind. Rock on, guys. | | 19 | S.B.E.
Killin' Shit
If you lived in Chicago during 2013 and had a modicum of interest in rap music you
couldn?t escape bop. The leg-swooshing dance was on every street corner on every
block in the city. Blame the extremely hook focused music it spawned (Or spawned
it?) for all the commotion. Nothing hit the spot quite like S.B.E.?s euphoric ?Killin?
Shit?. Soundin? like a bunch of teenagers goofing off in the studio over a beat made
of neon Diplo blocks falling into place, it was the happiest song about murder
released this year. | | 18 | Disclosure
Defeated No More ft. Edward Mcfarlane
In retrospect, Settle was probably the best singles album of the year. A couple of
absolute drop-dead stunners stranded amidst ?go nowhere, do nothing? filler. One
such deep cut gem was the coolly anxious ?Defeated No More?. The beat swerves,
surfaces, dives, but never quite comes up for air. It forces Friendly Fire?s Edward
Macfarlane to put the beat through it?s paces like an old soul man, perfectly
eschewing any one big payoff for a whole song full of little victories. | | 17 | Lil' Durk
Dis Aint What You Want
Chicago Drill never lit the charts on fire but it also never sounded like it particularly
wanted too. If anything, Chicago has become it?s own self-contained scene rather
than a gate crashing attempt at storming the Hot 100. The best song to come out of
Drill in 2013 was Durk?s laser focused ?Dis Aint What You Want?. Over Paris Buller?s
ridiculously dramatic beat, Durk displayed wisdom beyond his years, mulling over
his place in a city that grows more violent by the year. ?I can't do no shows cause I
terrify my city, they say I terrify my city.? | | 16 | Vampire Weekend
Worship You
Modern Vampires of the City was almost too good, it fell into that exact uncanney
valley state of perfection I once put Sgt. Peppers. But I?ll be damned if it didn?t
contain some of the best melodies ever laid to tape. After a delightful tounge
twister of a verse the song stretches out into the plains for a widescreen chorus,
the drums doing their choo-choo train impression all the while. | | 15 | Chance the Rapper
Favorite Song ft. Childish Gambino
The jealousy was real in 2013. Chance the goddamn Rapper. 20 years old with a
vice like grip on a style that has clear precedence but nobody that sounds quite like
it, a never ending buzz that culminated with an appearance on a Justin Bieber
single, and probably a few commas in his bank account. What makes it worse is he
deserves it. Nothing he made this year was quite as infectious and fun as the
effervescent ?Favorite Song?, which featured a Childish Gambino verse so great I
was actually excited for Because the Internet for a second. | | 14 | Young L
Atari
How depressing to be on the verge of stardom multiple times while falling just short
each time. Young L has always been one of the most talented producers to never
get the spotlight that he deserved. ?Atari? didn?t change those fortunes. I didn?t
hear anyone talk about it this year but damn, it should have made the guys name.
It?s four minutes of straight boasting sung through Auto-Tune but I?ll be damned if
the guy doesn?t sound absolutely furious. Over a sleek slice of 8-bit futurism, it
almost sounds justified. | | 13 | Migos
Versace
It was the years most genius hook. To wit: ?Versace. Versace, Versace. Versace,
Versace (Woo.)? Couple that with a flow that absolutely everyone had to get a
piece of one way or another and you have a monster single that recived an epic
profile boost when Drake hopped on it for the remix. Personally, I?ve always been
partial to the original (If for no other reason than I?ve been too lazy to resequence
their mixtape). | | 12 | Young Thug
Yeah Yeah ft. OG Boo and Dirty Harry
What can I say? I?m a sucker for simple shit like good hook or an MC finding a
pocket and staying there. So the opening cut of Young Thug?s excellent 1017 Thug
mixtape is three MCs turning in bulletproof verses in between a hyper catchy
chorus and a beguiling beat by Nard & B and nothing else. I listened to it like crazy.
Bonus: the most weirdly catchy lyric of the year, ?I?M A PAPER CHASER
MOTHERFUCK A BITCH!? | | 11 | Suede
Snowblind
Sometime in August I started my ongoing series on contemporary British music
and basically checked out for the rest of the year. I still haven?t listened to Danny
Brown?s Old (I?m sorry). Thank god Britpop-gods Suede released an album this
year. And thank god it?s incredible. Nothing on Bloodsports sounded better than the
crackling livewire blastoff of ?Snowblind?. Richard Oakes sounds particularly
inspired, distanced from comparisons to Bernard Butler he turns in a finger-twisting
riff with all the sexual swagger of the band?s glory days. | | 10 | Disclosure
Latch ft. Sam Smith
Latch never touches the ground. It starts off hovering just above the floor, elevated
by its own belief in love and thump. But as it hits its highest point, synth bubbling
away like fizzy lifting drinks and Sam Smith tenderly asking if he could lock in your
love, the song takes a massive turn downward, plummeting twords the ground like
a rollercoaster. Right before it hits, it takes a quick breather before floating up to
the sky again. Commitment never sounded so terrifying or thrilling. | | 9 | The National
Demons
I think it?s about goddamn time these guys release a bad album. When Trouble Will
Find Me was initially released, it was greeted with praise but hardly the kind of
hosannas that hailed the arrival of High Violet. But its been a grower all year,
sounding more and more like a classic every day. One more record of this quality
and we can take the ?Most Consistent Indie Band Award? from Spoon and hand it
over to The National. One of TWFM?s two mammoth highlights, ?Demons? finds lead
singer Matt Berniger in basically the same mode he?s been in for the last decade or
so. Quietly breaking down. ?Bats and buzzards in the sky, alligators in the sewer,?
observes Berniger while his band tightens up behind him. ?Can I stay here? I can
sleep on the floor/Paint the blood and hang the palms on the door.? ?Demons?
climaxes with the most evocative ?Fuck? of the year. May The National never find
peace. | | 8 | Vampire Weekend
Unbelievers
While Modern Vampires of the City grapples with religion and death it never drags
the album down for an instant, which, of course, makes it?s ruminations on where
we?re all going all the more hard hitting. ?If I?m born again I know that the world
will disagree/Want a little grace but who?s going to say a little grace for me?? 20
somethings aren?t supposed to be this wise; a crisis of faith isn?t usually this
bouncy. | | 7 | Shlomo ft. Jeremih
Bo Peep (Do You Right)
At first glance, there doesn?t seem to be much at work here. The beat crawls,
Jeremih croons unintelligible nothings, and the song never seems to go anywhere.
Therein lies the magic, ?Bo Peep? isn?t a typical ballad, it?s suffused with a creeping
menace that never quite takes ahold of the song instead floating at the margins.
Jeremih slinks around behind the beat, his lyrics are almost completely
unintelligible the whole time but he?s the perfect complement Shlohmo?s bewildering
beat, a stupefying combination of digital cowbell thud and Psycho violins. | | 6 | Wavves
Demon to Lean On
It only takes three fingers to play a power chord but it takes a minor genius to
rearrange them into something with actual, you know, power. For a little while,
?Demon to Lean On? was my favorite song of the year or at the least my most
listened to. It?s moment of absolute brilliance is that the first time the song kicks in
is just a fake out, a brief squeal of feedback and suddenly more guitar over dubs
than you thought possible crash the mix. But this isn?t your ordinary Warped Tour
banger, an exotic invasion of percussion, subtle strings, and even a bell kit that I
just noticed complement the second verse, turning the song into it?s own breed of
classic. I might fuck around and have to import this one into my custom Tony
Hawk?s Pro Skater 2X soundtrack. | | 5 | Vampire Weekend
Step
2013 marks the year I actually started getting worried about humans running out of
melodies. I mean, there can only be so many, right? Nobody told Vampire
Weekend I guess, Modern Vampires of the City?s principal achievement was just
being as melodically rich as any album ever. No more so is this true than on the
majestic chorus of ?Step?, a melody so sublime I reckon another 100 years of new
melodies before the cycle repeats. Plus it contains what just might be the defining
lyric of the year. One for millenials and old farts the same: ?Age is an honor, it?s
still not the truth.? | | 4 | The National
Sea of Love
?Sea of Love? is one of the best National singles for a reason you don?t normally
associate with The National: it is pop music perfection. The National layer
propulsive hooks like Phil Spector or Xenomania in their prime. The song maintains
a slow and steady build as individual hooks compete for space. Nightmare visions
of ?People on the floor/Sliding into the sea? are introduced then shoved aside as
the song rushes forward. ?Sea of Love? forsakes a true chorus for as many new
ideas and melodies as can be fit into 4 minutes. In its closing moments, you?re
certain Berniger?s anthemic shout of ?I see you rushing back! Tell me how to reach
you.? is the songs best hook. Then the background vocals come in over it, ?Don?t
drag me in!? Too late. | | 3 | Young Thug
2 Cups
I don?t think I heard a phrase more this year than ?Turn up?. I even heard it used
to calm people down (It works if you use the proper tone and delivery). But in a
year in which everyone got turnt, nobody turned up like Young Thug did on the
mighty ?2 Cups?. What made ?2 Cups? such a direct adreinline injection is that
Young Thug sounds genuinely unhinged. Like the recording console is spitting
lightning and the booth is on fire but he just keeps going. During the chorus he
threatens death against anyone who doesn?t bring him two full cups.
Unquestionable bar of the year: ?L-E-A-N-I-N-G! LEAN, LEAN, LEAN, LEAN, LEAN
LEAN LEAN!!? | | 2 | Fat Tony
Hood Party ft. Kool AD and Despot
Making conscious rap that still turns the party out is really difficult. The message
tends to crush any possibility of getting down. We?re trying to dance dude not listen
to your views on Afro centricity. But Fat Tony?s absolutely incredible ?Hood Party?
managed to be an instant ass shaker while threading in some interesting ideas
about gentrification without sounding even the slightest bit overbearing. On the
years most effortlessly catchy chorus Fat Tony observes ?I'm at the hood party,
even white people know that it's a good party/Look around your hood, they
probably rent a couple properties/Around my block I hear they're building buildings
with a lobby.? Tom Cruz?s beat is another wonder, crunchy and crisp with an
instantly memorable escalating synth line during the chorus. The guests come
correct too, Kool A.D. in particular turns in a stellar performance, a slyly funny and
thoughtful verse that?s loaded with quoteables. ?All I care about is money and the
city that I?m from/Isnt that exactly like the tea party platform?? | | 1 | Kevin Gates
Hold It Down
?That nigga there stupid as a motherfucker.?
It took a long time but rap has finally figured out how to do songs for the ladies.
What was once the pandering, tossed off obligation for radio play is now something
with genuine feeling and empathy. Granted, this is far from being 100% true but if
something as incredible as Kevin Gates? ?Hold It Down? can exist in 2013, I?m
calling it a sign of true change. ?Hold it Down? practically vibrates with the twin
anxiety and excitement of romance. Gates sounds like he can hardly believe his
luck, reveling in the tiny joys of getting high in the morning and holding hands in
public with the new love of his life. Even though the song is filled with graphic
sexual descriptions it sounds more like the excited fantasies of someone who just
finished a whirlwind third date and can?t wait to see her again. He even manages to
pull off the line ?Body language expressive I got her pussy farting? by following it
with a little chuckle and ?My bad, probably shouldn?t say that.? The beat, serviced
by Grizzly on the Beat, is a monster. It sounds like Lex Luger remixing Delorean
while vacationing in Ibiza, rave siren and everything. It?s light and effervescent
while still banging as hard as anything I?ve ever heard. ?Hold it Down? is far from
the most noteable song released this year. It wasn?t even released as a single of
any kind. But no song in 2013 made me happier. Sometimes that?s enough. | |
HolidayKirk
12.12.13 | Took me all goddamn day but I finished it. Please keep in mind, I didnt listen to as much music that came out this year as I wanted to so if it isnt on here I probably haven't heard it yet. | slagun
12.12.13 | 6 and 15 are pretty sweet, havent heard the rest | oltnabrick
12.12.13 | kirk listens to lil durk lol | Guzzo10
01.24.14 | #1 fucking yes. Wasn't my favorite song of the tape, but definitely one of the funnest. The beat goooeeesss. Just saw this list, deserved more attention bro. | FromDaHood
01.24.14 | Latch is so good | Guzzo10
01.24.14 | Agreed, that whole Disclosure album was just pure fun in general | HolidayKirk
01.24.14 | If I rewrote this, the top 4 slots would be Disclosure songs. | Guzzo10
01.24.14 | The album is the definition of fun. |
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