The D Man's Top Twenty Albums of 2013

2013 was a great year in music.  Similar to 2000, 2003, and 2007, the year teemed with excellent albums.  Big and important artists--indie and mainstream--released big and important records. Vampire Weekend released an American pop classic.  Arcade Fire hit #1 on the charts with the dark and dancey Reflektor.  The National made it four great albums in a row with the velvety arrangements of Trouble Will Find Me.  Even established and successfully arty bands like Sigur Ros and The Flaming Lips defied conventions and dropped potent records deep into their respective careers.  And Daft Punk, of course, ruled the world.

Kanye West made headlines with the most provocative record of his career.  Where his earlier records used deftly curated soul samples for musical uplift, Yeezus used them for pulverizing confrontations.  Though the production values, song structures, and lyrical themes are forcefully rendered, the record's relentless assault proved to be too much.  The D Man has always balanced his appreciation of aesthetic greatness with that most basic of pursuits: the pleasure of listen after listen.  The records on this list settle into that sweet spot of praiseworthy (even challenging) artistic merit and accessible enjoyment.

Speaking of the polarizing West, sometimes The D Man hears from well-meaning people that there is no good music anymore.  The music on the radio is trash and the lyrics are offensive, etcetera etcetera etcetera.  One odd duck even told me that there has not been a decent record since The Beatle's Rubber Soul.  My response: you have no clue where to look.  Let me help you.

The D Man agrees that mainstream radio is a wasteland of over-sexed, uninteresting, and, yes, offensive music.  But if you are looking there for artistic or moral guideposts, you will be lost and left wanting.  Notwithstanding such deplorable distractions, the world is still alive with beautiful human noise.  Go exploring.  Check the interweb.  Read some magazines.  Visit a record store.  Click on this blog.  Ask for directions.  Trust me, there are many artists who make them like they used to, and their music can augment your aesthetic and emotional sensibilities.

If you proudly limit yourself to Mozart or show tunes, you are not sitting on higher moral ground.  The Western world and its music wasn't exactly pure when Eine kleine Nachtmusik or Oklahoma premiered (slavery or Nazis anyone?).  Mozart had multiple affairs with his pupils and Broadway has long been a den of iniquity, so can their fruit possibly be good?  What makes a classical chamber piece or an overwrought musical number more meaningful or dignified than, say, The National's "I Should Live in Salt?"  In my mind, such cultural and moral assumptions are quaint, misplaced, or uninformed.  Notable artists have created superb music in every age and in every format.  George Handel's Messiah is a religious and devotedly Christian masterpiece.  But so is Sufjan Stevens's lesser known, quiet folk album Seven Swans.  They were created more than 260 years apart by singular artists in tune with inspiration.

If you have decided that you can live without contemporary music, there is nothing inherently wrong with your decision.  Just know that your life will be a little less interesting.  This year alone, you would have missed out on the pure ecstasy of a Daft Punk track, the melodic wordplay and striking originality of Vampire Weekend's "Step," the devastating (and danceable!) Reflektor, or the instrumental awesomeness of Sigur Ros.  If you are a Believer like The D Man, you probably feel strongly that the world has been lovingly arrayed for your benefit and enjoyment.  Don't stick your head in the sand because you may accidentally run into an awful Miley Cyrus song.  Keep your head up.  Be open.  Pay attention.  And you just might hear the beautiful human noise.

There is a new documentary about Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin & Hobbes.  It reminded me of his final comic strip in the splendid series.  His philosophical and aesthetic outlook sums up best what The D Man is trying to say.