It’s list season! The best time of the year as far as I’m concerned. That actually might be because I get to stuff my face with delicious food and spend time with family, but whatever.

I usually agree fairly well with the critical consensus and year-end lists that come out, but I have to say that this year I think there’s been a lot of shit tossed around (no offense to everyone else posting lists here…). Almost all of the major releases that came out in 2013 were horrendous or at the very least forgettable. There were a few good ones in there – I must say that I do like the new Sigur Ros and Daft Punk albums – but even those didn’t have the staying power through the end of the year. There was a ton of good metal that came out this year but I feel like the rest of the music world was a bit of a desert. Oh well. Here are my honorable mentions anyway:

Fire! Orchestra – Exit!
Gris – À l’âme enflammée, l’äme constellée…
Wardruna – Runaljod: Yggdrasil
Eluvium – Nightmare Ending
Kayo Dot – Hubardo
Lycus – Tempest
Laura Marling – Once I Was an Eagle
Progenie Terrestre Pura – UMA