Top 5 Released Albums of February 2013

This really has been a great month of what looks to be simply a great year for music. As good as January was for music, this month just blew January out of the water and hopefully more and more good music will be released from here on.  Here’s the top five:

1. m b v – My Bloody Valentine

My Bloody Valentine had already gone down in history as one of the seminal bands in the history of music with their now legendary album Loveless, but in the following twenty years they released almost no music whatsoever (two cover songs on separate compilation albums) and so it got to the point where basically everyone just accepted they would never release any music again.  Despite Kevin Shield’s promise that the band would indeed put out an album soon, no one really believed him because he had said this thing many times before in the past, but this time Shields and the rest of MBV delivered.  m b v is MBV developing their signature sound even further and to great effect.  m b v may not be as good as Loveless but it’s definitely the best album of February.

Favorite Tracks: “She Found Now,” “If I Am,” “In Another Way”

2. AMOK - Atoms for Peace

Atoms for Peace has actually been around since 2009, when they would go around performing songs off of lead singer Thom Yorke’s (lead singer of Radiohead as well) solo album The Eraser.  Now, nearly four years later, they’ve actually released a solo album and the result is something that finds the middle ground between Radiohead’s 2011 album The King of Limbs and Thom Yorke’s aforementioned solo album The Eraser.  The result is an album that’s better than both albums that preceded it: AMOK has much better and more arresting rhythms than those heard in The King of Limbs, but more arresting vocals and interesting song structures than those on The Eraser.

Favorite Tracks: “Default,” “Ingenue,” “Reverse Running”

3.  You’re Nothing - Iceage

As good as Parquet Courts’ album Light Up Gold was Iceage has released what is so far the best punk album of the year, picking up right where they left off from 2011′s New Brigade.  Iceage have clearly matured as songwriters having songs that resemble piano ballads to disco tracks, they’re still very much a punk band blowing through the album in a mere 28 minutes.

Favorite Tracks: “Coalition,” “Morals,” “Awake”

4. Clash the Truth - Beach Fossils

Yeah the lyrics are pretty mediocre, but Beach Fossils weren’t renowned for their world-class lyricism beforehand. So although the lyrics may be worse than before, the songs are tighter and the guitars are sharper, and there’s more interesting and varied instrumentation.  It may have taken a long time for Beach Fossils to put out a new album but they successfully built on and improved on their previous material.

Favorite Tracks: “Shallow,” “Birthday,” “Crashed Out”

5. The Luca Brasi Story - Kevin Gates

This mixtape/album isn’t exactly an entirely consistent listen as there are some clear low points (“Flex” and “Weight”). Kevin Gates shows that he’s one of the best up and coming rappers in the game right now showcasing virtuoso rapping on tracks like “Neon Lights” and “IHOP (True Story)” but shows his versatility and singing prowess on tracks like “Arms of a Stranger” and “Hold It Down” while showcasing both skills on the song “Just Ride.” Kevin Gates is definitely a rapper to keep an eye on.

Favorite Tracks: “Neon Lights”, “Arms of a Stranger”, “Just Ride”