2013 Year in Review - "Celebrate " Empire of the Sun

"Celebrate" Empire of the Sun

Now I can't review the best songs of the year without digging back into early 2013 and remembering all the gems that made my brain melt. It's not top of mind anymore, but Empire of the Sun's "Ice on the Dune" was one of the best albums of the summer, if not the year. "Celebrate" is not definitively my favorite track, but it feels like getting awesomely punched in the face by a crazy rainbow dance unicorn. It sparkles, the bass drops, there are perfect moments for falsetto sing-a-longs, there's a smooth galactic break around 2:30. It makes me feel like I'm without a care on top of the dancing sun world.

How you'll move: Loads of shoulders, crazy feet, big smiles - this is a full body endeavor.

When to play it: Pool party dancing in your bikini while buzzed.

Side note: Other notable tracks include "Awakening" and "Old Flavours," the former being the hippy cousin and the latter the more mature, enduring big brother of all three tracks.

2013 Year in Review - "Hannah Hunt" Vampire Weekend

"Hannah Hunt" Vampire Weekend

What a beautiful departure for Vampire Weekend. "Hannah Hunt" is a simple sleepy, sweetly-sang track that feels like a 3-minute movie about young love. Like all Vampire Weekend, it makes me feel like I'm breathing fresh air and feeling warm sun on my skin. But here I don't want to bop and dance. This particular song drags and searches and feels like what it's about, a young couple's wandering cross country road trip. The break in this song feels like a screaming fight turn storming out of a room turn sniffly hand-holding nap. That guitar warble meets piano feels like 1,000 heartbreaks.

When to play it: Lazy summer lie on the hammock while trying to re-evaluate your love life; tanning on a boat in a blue calm lake.

Side note: Other fantastic tracks include "Ya Hey," "Diane Young," and "Everlasting Arms."

2013 Year in Review - "Days are Gone" HAIM

"Days are Gone" HAIM

HAIM is breakout band of the year. And I'll admit it, I was a HAIM-hater off the bat. Saw that Williamsburg hair, those anemic arms, and bus stop billboards and thought pop barf. But after seeing them perform notably on SNL, I listened to their album in its entirety and learned a hard lesson: don't judge a band by its annoying mainstream publicity campaign and summer skirt/winter boot combos. My favorite song off the album is the title track, "Days are Gone." It's an incredible blend of old school R&B and 80s pop rock. It's a white, Jewish SWV track with perfectly-timed vocal distortions. The verse is power lady, and the chorus juxtaposes a fantastic sticky falsetto voice with the message, "Yo being in a relationship with you sucked." It's a great song for a young band and truly one of the best of 2013.

When to play it: Walking on an incline on the treadmill while lip syncing and doing sassy points with your fingers; anytime really.

How you'll move it: See above noted sassy points.

Side note: The entire album is a cohesive, well-written pop rock gem. Other notable tracks are "Falling," "Don't Save Me," "Go Slow," and "Let Me Go." Just buy the damn thing. Oh, and many bonus points for the bass player's ugly playing face.