Did you see that Fat Possum? He's, like, wearing sunglasses.

Independent label Fat Possum has some great new titles to offer. The label's motto is, after all, "We're trying our best." Their track record is pretty stellar and I'm liking the catalog more and more since I first ordered Christopher Owens' Lysandre early last year. I'm also looking forward to Each Other's debut LP in March.

Mutual Benefit Love's Crushing Diamond
A leftover from 2013, and one I would have liked to include in the honorable mentions. It's open and sparse, like Califone or Dirty Three. Soft harmonies, interesting percussion, and unique instrumentation make this short release a pretty satisfying listen. The songs are welcoming, romantic, and a tad hypnotic. A perfect afternoon spin.

Temples Sun Structures
Modern psychedelia is all the rage, kids. In contrast to the last few records I've touted, Temples' debut LP is quite well produced, even a bit polished. All the classic guitar tones, panning tricks, and call and answer vocals are here, however. Sun Structures is also fairly diverse, sometimes reminiscent of Unknown Mortal Orchestra or Tame Impala, other times Oasis or Travis. Basically, just good throwback british psych rock played by british kids.

Water Liars s/t
I absolutely loved last year's Wyoming, and was impressed to hear these guys hit the studio again so quickly. Their self-titled third LP could be considered a part two of last year's record, there's not a huge departure in sound. Justin Kinkel-Schuster's songs seem just as strong, sentimental, and sorry as the previous offering, but this one is still pretty fresh. Think alt-country singer-songwriter stuff with some dirt on it after a few drinks. On a side note, Water Lairs play Off Broadway on March 8 and I shan't miss them.

Warm Your Feet By the Psychedelic Fire

January kicked our butts, but there's good news on the horizon. Warm psychedelic jams are on order in the first two records to capture my attention this year. Both records are unique in that they manage to be shimmering and layered, whilst avoiding being too heady and overbearing. They're available now, so go and dig it!

Quilt Held In Splendor (Mexican Summer)

Quilt's second record is pretty traditional psych, with chambered vocal harmonies and shimmery phased-out guitar. Each song has at least one instrument that sits above the smoke while the band jams along. Also, the songs are different enough that it's not boring, and most of the melodies are fairly memorable, when not lofty and repetitive. Sometimes it's dreamy, sometimes it's dark, but it's pretty strong. Retro 60's psych seems to be a hot ticket these days, what with the Tame Impala's and the Unknown Mortal Orchestra's, but there is certainly enough on this LP to make it unique. 

Morgan Delt s/t (Trouble in Mind)

Okay I lied, this one is pretty heady. It's worth it, though. Lo-fi sound and mix, degraded samples, creepy melodies, psych freak out guitar, fuzz bass, this one's a doozy. It's also the debut record from this guy. Some of it reminds me of White Fence, some of it the Flaming Lips, if Stephen were the leader. These kinds of records fascinate me in their creativity and density, and Delt is as strong a songwriter as you need. He's imaginative, but really tempers that challenging quality and churns out an LP full of distorted pop goodness.  

New Spins // Honorable Mention Edition

Here are a few honorable mentions on the list this year that were a bit lesser-known, in my opinion, and I think they deserve the new spins treatment. Check 'em out if you can. 

T Hardy Morris Audition Tapes (Dangerbird Spain)

Dead Confederate founder's solo debut. This record is a strong set of songs that range from folk, alt country, rock; and it's all pretty accessible. He has a unique voice (think Delta Spirit), and inhabits the even-paced songs very naturally. This is probably my favorite one of the above four. The more I listen to it, the more I think it should've made the top ten.

Dent May Warm Blanket (Paw Tracks)

2012 found him an honorable mention too, and this 2013 LP is equally strong. On the surface, this one is a bit weird. His voice is syrupy sweet, like discount cough medicine. The arrangements sometimes have a George Harrison feel (see "Do I Cross Your Mind?") Overall, though, a very hypnotic and unique record that lingers if you give it a shot. 

Diane Coffee My Friend Fish (Western Vinyl)

The drummer from Foxygen has some pipes. There's lots of the throwback qualities that band employs here, and a bit of it's sense of humor, too. The mix has a nice open sound, and you can pick out all the little extras. This record reminds me a bit of RAM that way, and it's probably why I like it so much. This guy is pretty impressive and seems like a bit of a weirdo. That's cool, though. 

Generationals Heza (Polyvinyl)

Discovered this one when I was ordering Of Montreal's new one from Polyvinyl. I guess you'd call this 'indie' rock. Lots of synth editions, but pretty straightforward throughout. The opening track "Spinoza" has so much energy, it had me starting the thing over every time. In that, I found a catchy, memorable record that I never tired of.

Top Ten of 2013

The enjoyable yet tiring process of choosing my favorite ten records of 2013 is finished. There was so much great music this year, I can't believe it. Spotify was a great help digging through it all as usual. Here's the master list and some honorable mentions. Cheers!

1. Portugal. The Man Evil Friends (Atlantic)
2. Cass McCombs Big Wheel & Others (Domino)
3. Foxygen We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic (Jagjaguwar)
4. Pokey LaFarge s/t (Third Man)
5. Happy Jawbone Family Band s/t (Mexican Summer)
6. The Strokes Comedown Machine (RCA)
7. Kurt Vile Wakin on A Pretty Daze (Matador)
8. Queens Of The Stone Age …Like Clockwork (Matador)
9. Jim James Regions of Light and Sound of God (ATO/RED)
10. Unknown Mortal Orchestra II (Jagjaguwar)

Honorable Mentions