Jury's Top Ten Records of 2013: #5

#5: Deafheaven - Sunbather

It took me awhile to ‘get’ it, and I was, at first, a bit put off by the shrieking black metal vocals, but the beautiful, soaring music manages to transcend any and all shortcomings. Alternating desperate torment & angst with wonderfully pretty or contemplative interlude pieces is a different way to break up the unrelenting AAARRRRGH. Frantically strummed guitars carrying gorgeous melodies remind me, strangely, of some old Unrest records. Extremely enjoyable.

Ilydaen – Digressions: Uninspiring, derivative post-rock, no better or worse than a hundred other similar recordings.

King Krule – 6 Feet Beneath the Moon: A hit-and-miss effort. When he hits, it’s original, dynamic, poetic and just plan terrific. When he misses, however, this bizarre bastard child of Shane MacGowan and Billy Bragg (no one knows who the mother is) is hardly listenable and, as this album is about 50/50 on the hit/miss ratio I find it more enjoyable to pluck a few tracks for playlists.