[troutman]

MAGNET’s Top 25 Albums Of 2013

http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2013/1...lbums-of-2013/

1. The Silver Gymnasium by Okkervil River
2. The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You by Neko Case
3. Fade by Yo La Tengo
4. Amok by Atoms for Peace
5. Trouble Will Find Me by The National
6. Monomania by Deerhunter
7. I Hate Music by Superchunk
8. Random Access Memories by Daft Punk
9. Tonight You Look Like A Spider by David Yow
10. We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic by Foxygen

1. Okkervil River | The Silver Gymnasium (ATO)
Will Sheff has always written and sung with great empathy, finding the humanity in not always sympathetic characters—from philandering spouses to thrill killers to poets in mid-suicide. On Okkervil River’s seventh and finest album, Sheff focuses that empathetic eye on himself and his hometown. The 11 songs explore the comforts and unreliability of memory, the way our experiences and relationships take on the quality of mythology (at least in our own minds), and the simple fact that “We can never go back, we can only remember” our pasts—as Sheff sings on “Down Down The Deep River.” Sounds heavy, and it is. But it is all conveyed in beautiful, life-affirming, just plain enjoyable songs. With the estimable John Agnello producing, Sheff’s wordsmithery is delivered with big hooks, sing-along choruses and a million little musical treats: the piano that carries opening track “It Was My Season,” the horns and harmonica that weave through the breathtaking “Stay Young,” the tight rhythm section throughout. But it’s Sheff’s from-the-heart words and singing that carry the album. A quick check of a map confirms that Meriden, N.H., exists. But it’s the town and the people in Sheff’s memory that are worth spending time with. —Phil Sheridan -