The Fashionably Late Top 60 of 2013: #15 – Arcade Fire

When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2013 there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I have pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2013 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and yes, even dessert). And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of one heck of a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. These are records and songs that really mattered to me for one reason of another. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it quite enough. A big, big thank you to all of the artists who created the music on this list, the music that I fell in love with last year.

WHO: Arcade Fire

WHAT: Reflektor

WHEN: October 2013

WHERE: Capitol/Merge

WHY: What is there to say about Arcade Fire that hasn’t already been said? It’s funny to think back to Funeral, when the band of Canadians rocked everyone’s world in this wonderful, unexpected way. I can almost hear some ghosts of Funeral here in Reflektor, and some Reflektor in Funeral. I was actually hooked on this record right away, thanks in no small part to the cinematic sprawl of “Reflektor” (and DAVID BOWIE!). There’s so many nuances, so many interesting sounds, they cram so much into each song that it’s really quite a gluttonous feast for the ears. And as far as I’m concerned, this band’s still more than got it.

MY JAMS: “Reflektor” “Flashbulb Eyes” “You Already Know” “Joan Of Arc” “Awful Sound” “Porno” “Afterlife”

[posted 3.18.14]