2013. Impressions. Thoughts. Ideas. Now, I don't blog as regularly as I used to do, but I still devour as much music and culture as previously. In this fractured and complicated world in which we live there is still plenty of good stuff out there. You just have to wade through the muck and the mire to get there. This year has already brought plenty of highlights for me. In the live arena there was the visit to these shores of the mythic and epic Godspeed You! Black Emperor. I actually saw them twice as we paid a trip to glorious Melbourne for the ATP Festival. There was January too with the Sydney Festival, plus visits from Woods and Mount Eerie. Then there was Laneway Festival which brought us Divine Fits and The Men amongst others. There were plenty of great shows at the Opera House too with Wilco, Nick Cave and the Vivid Festival. But one band rose above all.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND. In January we saw them live for the first time and it was a night of watermelon smiles and sunshine hearts. They played two songs too off their yet to be released new album. Then in May it landed. "Modern Vampires Of The City" was a sucker punch to the heart. Their third album would prove to be their best yet. A master class in melody and melancholy. If you under rate this band then you are seriously missing out. Up until then my favourite album was the second Local Natives album. Another album deep in melody and melancholy. Kurt Vile and Phosphorescent would also present us with albums of huge depth and feeling. Locally Dick Diver gave us the best Australian album. A record brimming with sublime tunes. I also liked the Absolute Boys record and the just released Whitley comeback album is impressing already. Then in June the one and only Kanye dropped his latest opus. It's a fierce and bewildering beast. There were of course disappointments and records that I felt were over hyped. But I'm here to spread the love not the hate. So here is a list of my favourite albums of the year so far. Plus a small selection of my favourite songs. Please enjoy!

Best of 2013 (So far)
1. Modern Vampires Of The City-Vampire Weekend
2. Hummingbird-Local Natives
3. Wakin On A Pretty Daze-Kurt Vile
4. Muchacho-Phosphorescent
5. Yeezus-Kanye West
6. Sub Verses-Akron/Family
7. New Moon-The Men
8. MCII-Mikal Cronin
9. Monomania-Deerhunter
10. We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace and Magic-Foxygen
11. Calendar Days-Dick Diver
12. Trouble Will Find Me-The National
13. Pedestrian Verse-Frightened Rabbit
14. Floating Coffin-Thee Oh Sees
15. Wondrous Bughouse-Youth Lagoon
16. Impersonator-Majical Cloudz
17. The Terror-The Flaming Lips
18. Caveman-Caveman
19. Push The Sky Away-Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
20. The Beast In Its Tracks-Josh Ritter

Honourable Mentions
New History Warfare Vol 3: To See More Light-Colin Stetson
Blood Oaths of the New Blues-Wooden Wand
Fade-Yo La Tengo
American Kid-Patty Griffin
Cruise Your Illusion-Milk Music
Afraid of Heights-Wavves
Jackleg Devotional To The Heart-The Baptist Generals
Clash The Truth-Beach Fossils
Cerulean Salt-Waxahatchee
Amok-Atoms for Peace
III-Eat Skull
Tomorrow, Tomorrow-Campfires
Live Old Die Young-Cowboy Indian Bear
Heavy Flow-Absolute Boys