Jessi D writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2013: Jessi D

Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its members’ top albums of 2013. Our next list is from DJ Jessi D.

• Basia Bulat – Tall Tall Shadow (Secret City)
  BUY: Reckless / Permanent / Insound / iTunes / eMusic
  
  This was Bulat’s third album, and her grandest yet. Bursting with an assembly of folksy instruments and her own honeyed voice, Tall Tall Shadow is raw, emotional, and liberating. Bulat’s heartbreak deeply resonates throughout each track, and the album tells the story of a difficult year in her life, and what got her through her loss. It’s one of those albums that spoke to me immediately; we talked like old friends the moment we met.
• Neko Case – The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You (ANTI-)
  BUY: Reckless / Permanent / Insound / iTunes / eMusic
  
  Perhaps my sister album to Tall Tall Shadow, The Worse Things Get is a deeply personal album, filled with attempting to make sense of loss, anger, and sadness. Case gets as vulnerable as ever on this album, her noir alt-country brand almost completely shed for a more eccentric and experimental feel. Her uncompromising will to fight her depression weaves its presence through every piece of this album, from the title to the bold way she sings her cutting lyrics. This was a much-praised release from one of my favorite artists, and was a welcome deliverance.
• Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City (XL)
  BUY: Reckless / Permanent / Insound / iTunes / eMusic
  
  There is so much delicately arranged in this album: the high attention to detail in production, the varying musical styles, the growing pains of your 20s, the world-weariness, the God stuff. It took a couple rounds of listening for this album to grow on me. The first time through, I knew I was missing out on something big. I guess it took hearing “Ya Hey” loudly filling a room after a couple old fashioneds shortly after quitting a job I hated. Vampires acts as a third chapter to Vampire Weekend’s impressive catalogue, reflecting the maturation of the band and the oscillation between confusion and acceptance in the quest to find yourself in your mid- to late-20s.
• Arcade Fire – Reflektor (Merge)
  BUY: Reckless / Permanent / Insound / iTunes / eMusic
  
  Arcade Fire was all, ‘Hey, we’re gonna make a double album inspired by Haitian rara music, do some weird viral campaign, and then you guys are going to dance.” I have to admit that I was a little skeptical before Reflektor came out because I fell in love with The Suburbs so hard I was sure there was no topping it. The first time I heard the self-titled single, I was continually surprised and wowed by each passing second; each percussive shift, each call and answer between Régine Chassagne and Win Butler, each instrumentation change of the track. And then I was so, so stoked. Arcade Fire continues to evolve with each release, and Reflektor is their most advanced yet. While the album contains some pretty classic Arcade Fire themes – isolation, death, memory, modern times – this is the product of an advanced band.
• Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience (RCA)
  BUY: Reckless / Permanent / Insound / iTunes / eMusic
  
  After I would tell people that I was a DJ at CHIRP radio, they would usually end up asking what I was listening to at the moment, probably expecting something super obscure and interesting. Too bad for them; all I did was listen to JT on repeat the whole summer long, and I feel the opposite of regret about it. You can’t argue with romantic 8-minute 1960s-70s structured neo soul catchy-ass 8-minute-long dance odysseys. You just can’t.
• Washed Out – Paracosm (Sub Pop)
  BUY: Reckless / Permanent / Insound / iTunes / eMusic
  
  I cycle through a couple of different playlists at the beginning of each new season – some artists tend to lend themselves better to fall (one wouldn’t play Nico’s Chelsea Girl in June) than they would to summer, which happens to be my favorite… listening season? Washed Out’s second release is summer music realized. Ernest Greene, the man behind Washed Out, reportedly used 50 instruments in the creation of this kaleidoscopic MacBook chillwave staple. Paracosm was the highlight of my Indian Summer jamfest, always in the background of those last sunny days (besides Justin Timberlake, obviously).
• Toro y Moi – Anything in Return (Carpark)
  BUY: Reckless / Permanent / Insound / iTunes / eMusic
  
  Chaz Bundick offered up what was probably the best show I saw this year. I was curious to see how his specific blend of hip-hop influenced chillwave would pan out in a live setting, and the result was spectacular. He really knows how to make his music function on many levels, whether it’s through headphones or in a venue with over a hundred people. That said, Bundick’s third album under the Toro y Moi name was an alluring summary of his past releases, with a much more mature voice and strong instrumentation. With many allusions to young adulthood over dreamy synths, this was my go-to “feeling cool” album.

Honorable Mentions

• Andrew Bird – I Want to See Pulaski at Night
  Blood Orange – Cupid Deluxe
  RJD2 – More Is Than Isn’t
  Thao & The Get Down Stay Down – We the Common