Best 30 Songs of 2013

What I've loved the most about 2013: moving to Malmö.
What I've loathed the most about 2013: feeling like a burn-out at the age of 27.

But! Music gets you through. So, here goes.

My favorite 30 songs of 2013.

Honorable mention will have to go to this one, as I've listened to it fourteen million times to and from work this year.

Postiljonen

Best 20 Albums of 2013

My personal 20 favorites of the year. Neither ranking order nor pretentious explanations will be found in this post, just a simple list.

1. Rhye - Woman

2. Arcade Fire - Reflektor 

3. Blood Orange - Cupid Deluxe

4. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

5. My Bloody Valentine - MBV

6. Disclosure - Settle

7. The Knife - Shaking the Habitual

8. Beyoncé - Beyoncé 

9. Sigur Rós - Kveikur

10. Janelle Monáe - Electric Lady

11. The National - Trouble Will Find Me

12. HAIM - Days Are Gone

13. Darkside - Psychic 

14. Chelsea Wolfe - Pain is Beauty

15. CHVRCHES - The Bones of What You Believe

16. Polica - Shulamith

17. James Blake - Overgrown

18. Julianna Barwick - Nepenthe

19. Toro y Moi - Anything in Return

20. Julia Holter - Loud City Song

Broods

Up-and-coming New Zealand-duo Broods debuted with the song "Bridges", an emotional but still pretty catchy track, if you ask me. On this new, second single "Never gonna change", they show us a darker side of themselves. Broods is definitely a band to keep an eye on for 2014, and not just because they're two hotties.

How to Dress Well

Lo-fi-R&B-experimentalist How to Dress Well, who we haven't heard that much of lately, just recorded and released this beautiful version of Smog's 1998 song "Teenage Spaceship". Enjoy!

Disclosure

Disclosure's album Settle has ranked super high on best-of-2013-lists. Pretty much every track on the album is memorable! Here's the awesome video to the Sasha Keable-collab "Voices". Super duper infectious, I'm warning you.

jj

Independent record label Sincerely Yours give away some kind of Christmas gift pretty much every year, usually something new from Swedish dream pop duo jj. This year was no different as jj just unveiled the video for their lovely new track "My Boyz".

Laurel

With her catchy, drum-driven and somewhat darker pop melodies, London-newcomer Laurel might be the offspring of Niki & The Dove and Lana Del Rey! Enjoy the video to her debut single "Fire Breather".

IYES

Yesterday, Friday the 13th, is now also referred to as Beyday the 13th as Beyoncé Knowles surprised the world by announcing the release of her new self-titled album. It's hard not to love Beyoncé, and Brighton duo IYES show their love for her with this electro-pop cover of "Crazy in Love".

Saol Álainn

Burial

Um, MERRY CHRISTMAS, for fuck's sake. That is all I have to say. River Dealer is out December 16th.

Young Galaxy

Official video for "Fever" from their latest, fabulous album Ultramarine!

Pure Bathing Culture

Pure Bathing Culture give us a cover of Jessie Ware's "Wildest Moments". I personally prefer the original, but that's pretty much always the case, right? However, if you haven't checked out Pure Bathing Culture's debut album Moon Tides, I recommend you do.

Say Lou Lou

Please tell me I'm not the only one who gets a Lynch-like feeling whilst watching this latest video from Say Lou Lou?

Blouse

I lovelovelove shoegaze-y dream-pop Portland-based Blouse. Here's the official video to the track "A feeling like this", from their latest and fabulous second album Imperium. 

Beat Culture

Outside, there's a storm going on right now in Southern Sweden. Inside, however, there's lots of new music to check out, such as this new track "Drifter" from Beat Culture, where he's teamed up with Psychic Twin. Do I really have to mention that I love the combination of dreamy vocals and heavy 80's synths?

Daft Punk

Rosie Lowe

London's latest star is Rosie Lowe, who just recently released her captivating debut EP Right Thing. Enjoy the entirety here!

Lorde

Here's the official video to Lorde's "Team". If you haven't yet listened to her strong debut album Pure Heroine, I recommend you go do that immediately.

Young Galaxy

Mogwai

Rave Tapes is out in January via Sub Pop.

Digits

Twin Shadow

For his UNDER THE CVRS video series Twin Shadow's George Lewis Jr. has been recording covers of classic songs by artists such as Lou Reed and Tori Amos. Here's his latest cover, a moody, synthy version of U2's "With or Without You".

Superhumanoids

China

I really, really like this awesome debut-single from Stockholm's China, co-produced by Korallreven's Daniel Tjäder.

Arcade Fire

So far, this is my favorite song off the new album Reflector. Here's the official video!

Cuushe

I wrote about Tokyo's Cuushe back in September. Now, here's the video to her song "Lost my way" off the LP Butterfly Case, to be released in February.

Young Galaxy

How fantastic is this video?!

SBTRKT

It's been a while since we heard from the masked London-producer SBTRKT. Today, however, he posted this short, beautiful instrumental piece. He refers to it as "further audio and video experiments", untitled as it is.

Sportsman

Sportsman's EP Usher is out today via Best Fit Recording.

The Embassy

Here's a brand new video for The Embassy's track "I.D", off the almost one-year old album Sweet Senastion.

Teengirl Fantasy

Later this month, Amsterdam-based dance duo Teengirl Fantasy are releasing their new EP Nun. Here's the video to the title-track, which director Hans Lo created by putting together footage of Earth's ecosystems.

Blood Orange

LOVE.

Keep Shelly in Athens

Have I mentioned how much I love greek synth-pop emoters KSiA? If you haven't listened to their album At Home yet, please do. Just lovely. Here's the video to the track "Osteende". Gives me M83-vibes, which is always a great thing.

Solange

Solange just finished off her compilation Saint Heron with this jam "Cash In". Saint Heron is the first release on her own independent label Saint Records and will include 12 new and exciting songs all hand-picked by Solange herself.

GEMS

Enjoy this blissful opening-track to the wonderful GEMS' EP Medusa, which was just released this week.

Julianna Barwick

SZA

Sampha

Museum of Bellas Artes

Museum of Bellas Artes' long-awaited debut LP Pieces is officially here next week. Stream the entire thing below!

Mannequins on 7th street

Belgian duo Mannequins on 7th street recently debuted with the lovely, nostalgically beautiful song "Wailing of Hesione". Here's their latest track, "Sofia". Melancholy and just gorgeous, if you ask me. Hope to hear more from them soon!

CHVRCHES

Young Galaxy

Sapphire Slows + Eyedress

GOOD LORD. This remix is just about everything I want in music. Dark, moody, perfect for nightly walks through a huge city. Taken from the Japan-only edition of Allegoria, the brilliant new album from Tokyo's Sapphire Slows. Hightly recommended.

Keep Shelly in Athens + Postiljonen

Just a while back Keep Shelly in Athens reworked Postiljonen's reinterpretation of this Whitney Houston-classic. Now, Postiljonen return the favor by delivering this atmospheric remix of KSiA's "Oostende".

Warpaint

After hearing this absolutely gorgeous track, I'm really looking forward to Warpaint's new, self-titled album, to be released in January.

Dream Koala

Woman's Hour

Broods

Broods is dreamy, yet punchy pop from New Zealand. "Bridges" is their debut single. Enjoy!

Elliphant

Elliphant's debut album A Good Idea is out now so go listen to it immediately. Kick-ass girls, if you ask me. They deserve all your attention.

Bastille

You might have seen the earlier video for Bastille's "Of the Night"? I myself can't seem to find it now, but it was quite different from this new one, so have a look.

AlunaGeorge

High Highs

High Highs give us a dreamy cover of College & Electric Youth's "A Real Hero".

CFCF

Here's "Beyond Light", another shimmering track from CFCF's forthcoming LP Outside, expected to be released October 22nd.

Toro Y Moi

Múm

Museum of Bellas Artes

A new and infectious track from Museum of Bellas Artes! Their debut LP Pieces is out November 11.

Young Galaxy

Jon Hopkins + Purity Ring

Nicolas Jaar + Dave Harrington

Nicolas Jaar's frequent collaborator Dave Harrington (the other half of his other projekt Darkside) drops a remix of the track "Why Didn't You Save Me" from Nicolas' Don't Break My Love EP. Dark and gloomy, just like I want it.

Cuushe

With her airy vocals as her main instrument, Kyoto-native artist Cuushe creates dream pop of the more ethereal and melancholic kind. Her gorgeous debut album Butterfly Case is out this week via Flau. Stream it here!

S O H N

Movement

Postiljonen

Korallreven

The Knife + Planningtorock

The fabulous feminist Berlin-based Planningtorock last worked with The Knife on Tomorrow, in a Year. Now she's reworked their Shaking the Habitual-track "Full of Fire", transforming it into a playful remix entitled "Let's talk about gender, baby, let's talk about you and me". As you can hear for yourself, the remix actually takes more from Salt N' Pepas "Let's talk about sex" than from "Full of Fire". Awesome, nevertheless.

Julia Holter

Oceaán

LOVE this!

MØ

Glasser

Soft Metals

Youth Lagoon

Active Child

Yesterday, I got all excited when Active Child (Pat Grossi) announced on Facebook that "the wait is nearly over. New music arrives tmrw. - pat xo". And as promised he presented us with the new track today. "She cut me" is the first taste of the new EP Rapor. Bound to be fantastic, no doubt.