Not the top ten "best" albums of 2013, just my top ten favorites of the albums I bought this year.

1. Tallhart - We Are the Same
Props to anyone who knows this band or this album. Its fairly unknown. This album rides the line between being instrumentally minimalist but still being loud as well as the line between being deeply emotional but also a fun as hell sing along. In ten songs it gets to the point. It was the perfect album for any occasion this year.
2. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
I love sad songs. This album is full of them. Not always depressing. Rarely angst-filled or over dramatic. The National masters a mature sadness. Sometimes the sadness on this album is almost uplifting or inspiring. This is the classic type of album that I love. Its emotional, and beautiful and even hard to listen to at times.
3. Paramore - Paramore
Having been a fan of Paramore for several years, but never a huge fan I always liked their albums but never loved them. Their loud teenage punk sound never really appealed to me hugely. Then with three members they made an album that just swept me off of my feet all spring and basically came to define the first half of my year.
4. Eisley - Currents
I'm completely biased towards this band. I've loved them for years. Their album this year was good. Not their best but I love the band so much I just kept listening to it and it turned out to be one of my favorites of the year.
5. The Maine - Forever Halloween
The Maine is another band that could release anything and I'd like it to a certain extent. Forever Halloween is an album though that beyond being by a good band just has a life of its own. The album feels incredibly full and it flows really well. Its also incredibly fun and has songs for any occasion.
6. Kevin Devine & the Goddamn Band - Bubblegum
When singer songwriters try to make noisy rock albums and the singer for your favorite band produces it, good things happen. As was the case with Bubblegum. Solid album all around.
7. Sigur Ros - Kveiker
Sigur Ros usually makes incredibly ambient, almost angelic post-rock. Need an uplifting song for a movie with uninteligable lyrics? Sigur Ros can do that. I've certainly liked all their work but then on this album they just went nuts and the album is loud and sometimes unsettling even. Its great.
8. HRVRD - From the Bird's Cage
Another fairly unknown group, I saw HRVRD live and they were incredible. The songs on this album are good. They come across even better live.
9. CHVRCHES - The Bones of What You Believe
This album is damn fun. I'm kind of tentative about its place on my list because I only bought it last month and it hasnt fully sunk in yet. But its fun for sure.
10. Typhoon - White Lighter
Also tentative about this one. But it is really dynamic and powerful and honestly I may decide it deserves a much higher place. Just check it out.

1. The 1975 - The 1975
No album comes close to competing with this for me. A 16-track album filled with killer content. The 80's pop vibes are clear here and the vocals are absolutely outstanding. Been following them for over a year now, waiting for this album to drop and it certainly didn't disappoint. Lyrical content is something all moody and angst teenagers/young adults can relate to. Absolutely outstanding, also a strong contender for best live band of the year.

2. FIDLAR - FIDLAR
Well, what can we say here. Doesn't seem like this album came out this year, it's already becoming a classic in the punk genre. Since it's release, so many new punk bands have come to the forefront in an attempt to replicate FIDLAR's reckless music. An album filled with drugs, alcohol, skating and sex. Was a favourite the whole way through the year until September came. Looking forward to more from these guys in 2014.

3. Kurt Vile - Walking On A Pretty Daze
Been lauded as Amazon's Rock Artist of the Year and included in many bloggers' top 10 list, this is a masterpiece. As far as musicianship is concerned, this is number one. Vile manages to create an album using the sheer basics, but challenging himself with every song. The outcome is superb. For any fans of lo-fi rock n roll, this is essential.

4. Sky Ferreira - Night Time, My Time
Probably the best pop debut of the year. Had been waiting on this album for over a year due to constant delays, but the final product was worth the wait. Much like The 1975, she channel's the 80's so well in this record. Not much more to say about this, any fans of 'good' pop music will enjoy this.

5. Arctic Monkeys - AM
Most anticipated album of the year. Unfortunately for some the hype took over the album, which led to a few disappointed fans. It's a stunning album and a great development from the band. They've shrugged of their British sound slightly, and took a more darker approach to this album. It holds the song of the year 'Do I Wanna Know?' and many more anthems which will be played for years and years. I would even say that they are currently the biggest band in the world.

6. Peace - In Love
Indie rock doesn't get any better than this. This album has been a few years in the making and Peace have created 12 songs which will get your feet tapping and your head bobbling. Described by NME as the 'most romantic indie rock album of the year'. That it certainly is. Tracks like Lovesick channel The Cure so well, it's just a bit of a shock that songs like that didn't get more airplay when released. This album has established Peace of one the lead contenders in indie music.

7. CHVRCHES - The Bones of What You Believe
Another album I had been waiting on. Electro-pop at its best right here. Singer Lauren Mayberry may have one of the most seductive voices in recent years, despite hints of her Scottish accent poking through. The three piece have created gem after gem on this record and certainly confirmed they are not one-hit wonders after the critical success of 'The Mother We Share'. Another fantastic pop record.

8. Haim - Days Are Gone
Winners of the BBC sound of 2013 poll, Haim had massive expectations coming into this year. The sisterly trio released three singles, all of which had serious airplay and were critically praised by just about every blogger out there. Their unique rnb with a twist of pop-rock blend meant that there was something for everyone on this record. Only criticism was that it felt like some songs were forced upon them, whether they wanted to record them or not.

9. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
The years most heartbreaking album of the year goes to; The National. Known for their heartfelt lyrics and melancholic songs, The National returned with a brand new album which may have proven to be their best yet. Sometimes criticised for being too 'boring', the band struck back with a 14 track album which will tug on everyones heartstrings.

10. Wavves - Afraid of Heights
This was a strange one. Known for his lo-fi punk ways, Nathan Williams declared that the new album will edge the band away from lo-fi territory. However, the release of this album just showed Williams' diversity and just hot good of a musician he actually is. Lead single 'Demon To Lean On' is one of the best tracks of the year. The album did however have too much 'filler', not enough killer. Luckily for Wavves however, the killer was superb.

(This isn't in order or anything, just some of my favourites this year)

Natalia Kills - Trouble
Amazing sophomore album from who I think is the most underrated woman in pop, she took on a new sound, adding more guitars into her music and I think it works great for her. She worked on the whole record with Jeff Bhasker who's worked with Lana, fun., Kanye, etc and gives an insight into her troubled earlier years with lyrics that make me incredibly jealous, she's insanely talented.
Favourites: Saturday Night, Daddy's Girl, Trouble, Rabbit Hole

Sky Ferreira - Night Time, My Time
An album I've waited YEARS for, but it was well worth the wait and is definitely my favourite debut in a long, long time. She took a while to craft her sound, but I think this works so much better for her than the regular pop she was going for before. Amazing, not one song I dislike.
Favourites: Ain't Your Right, I Blame Myself, 24 Hours, Heavy Metal Heart

The National - Trouble Will Find Me
A relaxed, mellow record with some really great, deep lyrics. It's an album you have to take time for to appreciate each and every line in the songs, it's definitely something I have to be in the mood for, but it's always an enjoyable listen whenever it's on.
Favourites: Graceless, Don't Swallow the Cap, Sea of Love

Phoenix - Bankrupt!
I hadn't listened to any of Phoenix's previous albums, so I wasn't too sure with what to expect, but it's a quirky, fun album that's been one of my most played this year. It's the kinda album I can just leave on and enjoy without having to skip a song, consistent all the way through.
Favourites: Entertainment, Bourgeois, The Real Thing, Trying to Be Cool

Britney Spears - Britney Jean
Britney put out yet another strong pop record, what you see is what you get with her, she doesn't try to be anything she isn't and I love her for that. It's far from her best and hasn't really had the longevity with me that her others have had, but it's still one of the best pop albums of the year to my ears.
Favourites: Alien, Til It's Gone, Passenger, Now That I Found You

Lady Gaga - ARTPOP
The same applies to ARTPOP, not her best, but still a very good pop album. There's a few filler songs, but the good ones are very good and stop the album from being weighed down too much. Gaga's not everyone's cup of tea, but I appreciate her for always bringing something different into pop music and taking a risk, plus I think she has an incredible voice.
Favourites: Gypsy, G.U.Y., Sexxx Dreams, Venus

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Took a little while to grow on me, but the more I listened, the more I ended up enjoying it as a whole. "Get Lucky" was far from a good representation of the album in my opinion, but it's a strong record overall, and my second favourite from them.
Favourites: Give Life Back to Music, Instant Crush, Doin' It Right

The 1975 - The 1975
I had been anticipating this one for a while after downloading many of their EP's, which were all of high standard. I wasn't expecting to love this album as much as I do, once again, another album without a bad track in my opinion, which is surprising considering the sixteen songs on it. They definitely deserve all of their success, and I'm sure they'll be huge in the future if the quality of their albums continue.
Favourites: Heart Out, Girls, She Way Out, Settle Down

Charli XCX - True Romance
Known as the girl featured on that Icona Pop song, Charli XCX's own music is a lot different to that and takes a slightly darker twist, fusing in various different genres and putting a pop spin on it. Something a little different from your average pop record.
Favourites: Black Roses, Take My Hand, So Far Away, Lock You Up

Sleigh Bells - Bitter Rivals
Sadly, I think each Sleigh Bells record has been slightly worse than the one before, but there's enough here to keep me interested. Treats will be hard to top, but this is still an album I enjoy and makes me wonder where they'll go next, hopefully it'll be a step in the right direction.
Favourites: Young Legends, Sing Like a Wire, You Don't Get Me Twice

Childish Gambino - Because the Internet
Camp was a really surprising listen for me, because I don't listen to hip hop much at all, but he's one of the few in the genre that I take the time to listen to. To me, his sophomore is even better and while the album doesn't go without its flaws and few low points, there's some really catchy stuff on here that keeps bringing me back to it.
Favourites: Sweatpants, 3005, Telegraph Ave, Shadows, Earth: The Oldest Computer

CHVRCHES - The Bones of What You Believe
I had been looking forward to this album after hearing "The Mother We Share" and "Gun" in particular. Really strong synthpop with great beats and lyrics, plus the main vocalist Lauren's voice is really unique and never lets the music take the main focus which I think happens a lot in the genre.
Favourites: Gun, Science / Visions, You Caught the Light, Strong Hand

HAIM - Days Are Gone
Incredible debut, it was one that struck me instantly, except the more I played it, the higher my rating went for it. It's largely just easy listening, upbeat, feel good music with an old school feel to it, I definitely feel there's been a gap in the market for a band like them and they came at a perfect time.
Favourites: Forever, Falling, Honey & I, Running If You Call My Name

Arctic Monkeys - AM
I've never listened to a great deal of Arctic Monkeys before, but this album really creeped up on me in the end and ended up becoming a favourite of this year. I heard "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?" and was interested enough to give the album a listen, and I was surprised with how much I liked it. Very good.
Favourites: Do I Wanna Know?, R U Mine?, Knee Socks, Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?

Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience
It's no FutureSex/LoveSounds, but once you put part one and part two together of The 20/20 Experience, there's a number of standouts. I think if he just picked the highlights of the two and trimmed the songs down to make them less of a mission to listen to, he'd have a higher quality album.
Favourites: Not a Bad Thing, Strawberry Bubblegum, Let the Groove In, Drink You Away

Favorite Albums of 2013

1. John Mayer - Paradise Valley

Any year John Mayer releases an album, it's going to be my album of the year. There is no other artist that I can invest and connect with their music more than Mayer. Paradise Valley is not my favorite record by John Mayer, still falls short of Continuum and Born and Raised. Sonically it feels like the natural, orgaic follow-up to Born and Raised. It's a warm sounding record, extremely intimate. Mayer's songwriting continues to grow, through simplicity. In no moment on this record is there a feel of the music or the lyrics being false to the artist. The guitar work and general musicianship on Paradise Valley is top-notch.

2. The National - Trouble Will Find Me

It wasn't until this year upon hearing Trouble Will Find Me, did I really understand this whole The National thing. I heard in the past most of their work, yet nothing really made me love one of their albums. Trouble Will Find Me changed my prespective of them. On first listen I loved the record. Matt Berninger is one of the best songwriters of the 21st century and his baritone voice just fits perfectly with these melancholy, yearning songs. I took in their back catologue and enjoyed every album, but this stands as their best album yet for me.

3. HAIM - Days Are Gone

HAIM is one of those rare cases where mainstream and snotty hipster bloggers both agree on. The Haim sisters created the most infectious, catchy album of the year. I'm glad I waited for the entire album to listen to them because it made every single they released before the full-length, fresh and new to me. The way they craft these very 1980s hooks and melodies into modern sounding songs is nothing short of wonderful. The inspiration from of the golden age of pop music is clear and I love it. Also, they are likely the most likeable band in the world right now.

4. Kacey Musgraves - Same Trailer Different Park

I first heard of Kacey Musgraves in the spring of 2012, when she was set to open for John Mayer for that tour got cancelled. I took a listen to her first single "Merry Go Round" around that time as well and it took me aback by how witty it was and the realstic country outlook it showed. Despite only hearing a single song, I was looking forward to her debut and it did not let me down. Musgraves created an album that's not aiming to be a hit or a traditional country album. Her lyrics very much invoke a new age of country music, past the beer drinking and heartbreak sterotypical country lyrics. She has a gorgeous voice that suits what is being aimed for on this album. She shouldn't be compared to Taylor Swift. Musgraves has the clear talent to write past the subject of love and doesn't carry pop factor Swift does. Those Best New Artist and Best Country Album nods she has at the upcoming Grammy Awards are well deserved here.

5. Jason Isbell - Southeastern

Southeastern is one of the darker albums of the year. It has some haunting lyrics and a gritty voice behind them. "Elephant" is simply put one of the best songs ever written. It's the type of album where you need to listen to it from top to bottom to really understand it. It's dark, it's moody, it's beautiful. The lyrical content varies from love, cancer, death, sexual abuse, suicide, alcoholism.

6. The 1975 - The 1975

I was not a fan of their EPs. I felt that "Sex" and "Chocolate" were the best they could do from those first few EPs. There was nothing else that caught my ear, so my hopes weren't very high going into their self-titled full-length. Safe to say, my opinion of them has changed and they've become one of my favorite bands. The 80's, early 90's pop instrumentation is great. It's not without its flaws, "M.O.N.E.Y." and "Talk!" just sound like filler material. But the rest of the album makes up for those two missteps to create a catchy, yet insightful record.

7. Drake - Nothing Was the Same

"This is nothin' for the radio, but they'll still play it though / 'Cause it's that new Drizzy Drake, that's just the way it go." I have a lot of respect for an artist who can get better with each album. Drake has done that and his third studio album is probably the only hip-hop record that I could get into from top to bottom in a long time. Not since Gambino's Camp and Drake's last record, Take Care. It's mainstream rap and singing. There's no denying that. But by no means does that mean it's not a well crafted record.

Note: Except that Big Sean verse on All Me is fucking abysmal.

8. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City

I was not a fan of Vampire Weekend until this album. I cannot get into their old material still. MVOTC captures perfect imagery in every track. It's a gorgeous record taken from a whole. They remove the shtick that made me dislike them on S/T and Contra.

9. Frightened Rabbit – Pedestrian Verse

A straightforward record with no bumps in the road. It was one of those albums where I just put it on without any pre-knowledge on the band or their discography prior to this record. It made for an album that only gets better after repeated listens.

10. Dessa - Parts of Speech

Dessa is a singer/rapper from Minnesota, who should really be more known than she is. There's no one else better at what she does. She has a lovely voice when she sings and the wordplay to be the best female rapper around, despite not dropping rap verses in every song.

11. The Civil Wars - The Civil Wars

The Civil Wars will probably nerver create another album, nor was this album created in traditional terms, but it's personal and sharp-tonuged with the conflicts between the duo. Despite the internal problems, Joy Williams and John Paul White compliement each other perfectly.

12. Sara Bareilles - The Blessed Unrest

The Blessed Unrest is the best album released this year by a female pop artist. Past the catchiness that is "Brave," the record is filled with pop gems that keep that radio airplay factor, without sacrificing musicianship. Bareilles is incredibly talented and this album is her best offering yet.

13. Daughter - If You Leave

Hauting, beautiful, sad, atmospheric, poetic. Even the songs that were re-recorded to be included in their debut sound full and lush. I can put this record on and not skip a song because they blend in so well in the context of a full-length.

14. Fall Out Boy - Save Rock and Roll

I was a huge fan of Fall Out Boy before their hiatus. My music taste back then was down a different lane. Yet I can still enjoy Save Rock and Roll greatly. Fall Out Boy are likely the only band to come from that pop-punk resurgence in the mid-200s that still hold the ability to craft solid albums. Patrick Stump's voice has never been stronger than it is on this record and Pete Wentz's lyricism remains unique and untouched.

15. Katy Perry - PRISM

What can I say? I like Katy Perry. From the whole mainstream pop female artist machine with Beyonce, Gaga, Rihanna, Spears, etc. Perry is my favorite among those. Particularly because her voice can fit into so many different styles that can go beyond pop music. Which she hasn't done yet. Prism is still very much a pop record and one of the most enjoyable pop records at that.

16. Dawes - Stories Don't End

Dawes capture that 1970s, Southern California folk rock sound to a tee. Taylor Goldsmith, the frontman and songwriter, creates some of the best stories within these songs that you won't find anywhere else.

17. Volcano Choir – Repave

It's tough to dislike a project that Justin Vernon is involved in. Repave is as good as it gets for projects not under the Bon Iver moniker.

18. Gabrielle Aplin - English Rain

If I had heard this album earlier in the year, it might have just cracked into my top 10 of the year. Aplin has a beautiful voice and English Rain is a lovely, calm debut from a singer-songwriter who I'm sure we will be hearing more from in the years to come.

19. Phosphorescent - Muchacho

While Muchacho is not filled with tracks that sound like "Song for Zula" one of the top songs released this year. It's Phosphorescent's strongest all-around record.

20. The Weeknd - Kiss Land

I know most Weeknd fans shit on this album compared to his first three mixtapes. It's not as good as House of Ballons or Echoes of Silence. It's what you expect from Abel Tesfaye and you either dig it or you don't. I for one, enjoyed this album very much.

Honorable Mentions

Local Natives - Hummingbird
Ashley Monroe - Like a Rose
Jimmy Eat World - Damage
Night Beds - Country Sleep
Beyoncé - Beyoncé

Disappointments

Childish Gambino - Because the Internet

I understand what he was going for. It's just not my taste.

Paramore - Paramore

I use to love this band when I was younger. In 2009, Brand New Eyes was one of my favorite albums released that year. Since then, my music taste has evolved. There are some fun, wistful songs to be found, yet it falls very short for me as an entire album.

Kanye West - Yeezus

Yep.

Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience

I liked exactly one song on each part of the entire 20/20 experience.

5. Stone Sour - House of Gold and Bones Pt.2

Just altogether a great album from Stone Sour. Pt.1 brought amazing guitar rifts and vocals, and Pt.2 goes right along with it.

4. Pearl Jam - Lightning Bolt

The band sounds better than ever with the new album Lightning Bolt. Pearl Jam shows with this album that they are still in the game.

3. Black Sabbath - 13

A great album from the forefathers of metal. Just like Pearl Jam, Black Sabbath shows that the old still got the edge on the new.

2. Five Finger Death Punch - The Wrongside of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell Vol.2

A great album here that brought some great music. I was amazed by the vocals on this one.

1. Five Finger Death Punch - The Wrongside of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell Vol.1

No other album even comes close to the big part 1. Released in July, it has amazing vocals and instruments and the appearance of Rob Halford from Judas Priest only adds to the amazingness. A must have for any metalhead.