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The 25 Best Songs of 2013 (So Far)

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2013: The (Half) Year in Review

By @woolyknickersJune 26, 20130
Gaelle Beri / Redferns via Getty Images

James Blake perfoms on stage on Day 1 of Primavera Sound Porto Festival on May 30, 2013, in Porto, Portugal.

While 2013 is only half over, we can’t help but stop to consider the best tracks of the year thus far.

Our list includes everything from hip-hop anthems to tear-jerking ballads and synth-pop sing-alongs perfect for driving around with the windows down. There are contributions from seasoned veterans as well as brand-new talent — all stepping up, with toe-tapping, head bobbing results.

From post-punk to poppy hip-hop to indie dance to whatever you want to call the dub-step hip-hop mash-up that is the Skrillex/A$AP Rocky song “Wild for the Night,” 2013 appears to be the year of genre-bending. And, for the most part, the songs are incredible. If the rest of 2013 proves as fruitful, the end-of-the-year list is going to be just as hard to put together.

And we’ll start with our 25th favorite track…

Next No. 25 … “Mirrors,” Justin Timberlake

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    138 comments
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    PrototypeCyborg
    PrototypeCyborg

    This list is scandalous for many reasons, but first and foremost of those is not including Ariana Grande's The Way.

    ZacPetit
    ZacPetit

    "Get Lucky" needs to be #1. It's not a serious list otherwise.

    SophiaGraham
    SophiaGraham

    My friends mother has been making 78$ per hour.This is shocking and unbelievable,but true.Start here> w­w­w.B­a­y­9­3.ℂ­o­m

    oscar29l-p3
    oscar29l-p3

    ONE MORE THING: that Nickelodeon Ariana Grando girl ROBBED Mariah Carey's voice and that is NOT acceptable. No one can say, "well, I didn't much about her" or "Mariah is my inspiration." Mariah's voice IS THE most unique voice in pop music since she came out in the early 1990's. THE most unique. It should not be duplicated. If that Ariano girl is so good, then surely she can create HER OWN voice. Bye.

    oscar29l-p3
    oscar29l-p3

    A WHOLE bunch of indie-like songs, and they MUST throw in Blurred Lines and Get Lucky?! And that Pink Bull zh at?!!! HOWEVER, this is the POP/Hit Top 40 Best Songs so far (in no bias or specific order): 1-Ho Hey 2-Get Lucky 3-Come & Get It 4-My Songs Know... 5-Feel This Moment 6-I Knew You Were... 7-It's Time 8-Blurred Lines 9-Clarity 10-Home.

    rihannk
    rihannk

    I don't listen to music to feel guilty.  

    Who on earth decided that this should be number 1?


    DomFetherston
    DomFetherston

    I almost enjoyed watching this as much as I did listening to it.  It's a heartfelt, self-aware, thought-provoking ballad.  

    What was the barber brushing on John's face before he steamed it? Its at 2:56.  That was some type of barbering I've never seen before.  That and the burning the beard hairs.  Anyway, it worked!

     Keep up the brilliant work!


    gaquman
    gaquman

    Man, what's with all these bitter old men in the comments? Music changes, get over it. Your parents and pastors said the exact same ignorant things about your precious rock n' roll back in the 50s, and we knew they were both wrong.

    cbe6903
    cbe6903

    Does anyone else hear the background music that sounds exactly like Michael Jackson's, "I want to rock with you"? 

    TobyKinnear
    TobyKinnear

    @cbe6903Since I started with my online business I earn $62 every 15 minutes. It sounds unbelievable but you wont forgive yourself if you don't check it out w­w­w.W­O­R­K­7­0.ℂ­o­m

    Swallow
    Swallow

    Not bad. But have you checked out the songs on www.trendengel.com ?

    ew
    ew

    I love Kanye and all but come on... no Kiss Land??

    cameronmasters
    cameronmasters

    New Slaves is very good, the whole album is pretty strong. I think 'Without You My Life Would Be Boring" is the best song this year though, very under-appreciated. 

    Think_again
    Think_again

    Lists of '25 Best', '10 Best' whatever are designed to generated clicks for the site. More controversy, more clicks, more advertising $. Time doesn't really care, and the list doesn't mean anything. As long as you click through all 25 to see who's #1.

    gfatnev
    gfatnev

    What the hell was that?


    badgerbiscuits
    badgerbiscuits

    seems like alot of people in the comments section are afraid of being penetrated by BBC.

    sdmorgan
    sdmorgan

    Definitely agree with Laura Marling and Vampire Weekend, probably James Blake too. I think that Southern Sun by Boy & Bear should be there too, but I'm not sure how well known they are outside of Aus

    wakeupcall
    wakeupcall

    To those of you hating on this list and these artists, I recommend checking out thetalkhouse.com where musicians from one genre review artists of a very different genre, for example lou reed reviews kanye's album. It can give you perspective on music you dont like, from someone who creates music you may like. Most of us here probably aren't truly qualified to pass the judgements we are passing. Just because you dont like something doesn't mean its bad and the musician lacks talent. I don't entirely understand classical music but I would never say it's terrible and they aren't musicians. Also, if you don't like new music, it just means you are getting older and don't like new stuff, remember when your parents hated you listening to led zeppelin or nirvana? If you hate new music then you should remember when you were young and older people cringed at the sound of what you liked. It doesn't mean there is no good new music. This isn't how my list would look, but it hits on some common threads w/ my tastes, and I understand this list, I think it's a good diverse set of songs that help show current trends in music. 

    rooney72
    rooney72

    @wakeupcall You're using Classical music to create a false equivalency.  Classical music has been around for HUNDREDS OF YEARS.  You think any of the music on this list is going to be around next year? Here's the problem--there's very little musicianship here.  There's no hours a day for years mastering a craft.  Everything here reeks of wanting to be famous rather than good, of short cuts and indulgences, of dumbed-down 'music' for a public that doesn't know any better. You would do well to study the classical music you don't understand--maybe you'd get a sense of the sacrifice needed to become a serious musician.

    cjh2nd
    cjh2nd

    TIME on a normal day: 8==D

    TIME while talking about Kanye or Jay-Z: 8=============D

    wakeupcall
    wakeupcall

    @cjh2nd not a surprise that all 171 of your comments are just you trolling people. 

    cjh2nd
    cjh2nd like.author.displayName 1 Like

    @wakeupcall 

    says the guy trolling me? hi pot, my name's kettle. guess what? we're both black


    NicoleCorreale
    NicoleCorreale

    Good, you do that. Justin Vernon thinking West is a "brilliant producer/musician/artist" doesn't deter from my comment. Kanye's still a selfish bigot. 

    wakeupcall
    wakeupcall

    @NicoleCorreale so because you view a person you've never met as a selfish bigot that means they don't deserve to be on this list and are not a musician? i think other musicians, who know more about this than you, probably does discredit your comment that kanye is not a musician and doesnt deserve to be on this list. 

    JaimeArzuaga
    JaimeArzuaga like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 3 Like

    There was a time when we had music.  As Don McLean would put it, "I saw Satan laughing with delight  the day the music died."  We don't have lyrics anymore, but a bunch of garbled syllables.  So sad.  Thankfully I keep my extensive collection of good music.

    wakeupcall
    wakeupcall

    @JaimeArzuaga well don't you just sound like an old person who dislikes new stuff because they don't understand it, remember when your parents thought what you liked was garbage? that's you now. 

    cjh2nd
    cjh2nd like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

    @wakeupcall

    what about me? i'm in my early 20s and i completely agree with Jaime. this list is garbage and an assault to the ears of those of us who appreciate instruments and singing instead of computer-produced beats, autotune, and shallow lyrics.  but i'm curious as to what your (very, very basic) armchair analysis of me is

    wakeupcall
    wakeupcall like.author.displayName 1 Like

    @cjh2nd well first off these electro/rap songs do use instrumenation - new slaves and get lucky both use instruments, heavy instrumentation used by daft punk in fact, and also has singing and both songs have lyrics that are pretty current. if you are in your early 20's you can probably relate to a song about staying up all night w/ a girl and she's just up to hang out and you are trying to hook up. second do you think those comments apply to bands like phosphorescent, chvrches, tegan & sara, mikal cronin, vampire weekend, foals, haim, savages, laura marling, waxahatchee? those are 10 bands on this list that are actual bands - playing instruments, not shallow lyrics, singing w/out use of auto-tune, and most of them are really awesome live. i listen to a lot of jazz and blues but also get down with plenty of current indie rock in its various genre spin-offs. i like old school hip hop but get down on lots of modern rap.  basically, i love music from all time periods and think referencing don mclean is a pretty poor way of going about knocking what's new. and to say "there was a time when we had music... i keep my extensive collection of good music" is a pretty obnoxious way of suggesting that everything new is bad. i'd be interested in what a early 20's who agrees with that sentiment listens to and goes to see in concert. 

    JulianMcRoeth
    JulianMcRoeth

    I have a feeling the 5 songs out of this list I was officially allowed to watch in Germany were the only ones worth listening to ...

    cjh2nd
    cjh2nd like.author.displayName 1 Like

    @JulianMcRoeth 

     you really think half of this list was worth listening to? wow...

    Chimptacular
    Chimptacular

    Taylor Swift????!!!!! Really??? That doesn't even register as anything other than corporate produced horse s!#t. I say good day to you sir!!! Good day!!! 

    WhoDatYat
    WhoDatYat

    My my Kanye, and Paula Deen is being crucified for saying the N word 30 years ago.....Leave my Hampton house alone

    KirkBennett
    KirkBennett like.author.displayName 1 Like

    What a bunch of crap sandwiches!! Where's Five Finger Death Punch, Pop Evil, or Texas Hippie Coalition? How bout Taylor Swift for goodness sake. Rap is Crap. 

    WhoDatYat
    WhoDatYat like.author.displayName 1 Like

    Who made this list????


    terryclifton1
    terryclifton1 like.author.displayName 1 Like

    I would recommend that the people from Time get out and listen to some real music..Now some of these songs were released prior to 2013, but they are some of my personal faves. Give them a listen and post some feedback. These artist's aren't household names, but they should be, in my humble opinion.

    1. Uncle Lucius-Keep The Wolves Away

    2. Jason Isbell-Traveling Alone

    3. The Avett Brothers-Father's First Spring

    4. City and Colour- The Hurry and The Harm

    5. Grace Potter and The Nocturnals- Stars 

    6. Langhorne Slim- The Way We Move



    wakeupcall
    wakeupcall

    @terryclifton1 yeah everyone should only listen to indie folk, have some diversity dude. there is plenty of real music on this list. 

    cjh2nd
    cjh2nd

    @wakeupcall

    such as? it's pretty much all computer-produced beats and autotuned lyrics. not much actual singing or musicianship

    wakeupcall
    wakeupcall

    @cjh2nd do you even listen to these bands? there are at least 10 bands that would fit your protocol for actual singing and musicianship, my guess is you don't know many of these bands and won't take the time to listen to them. also, some things that you think are computer-produced and autotuned are actually people playing instruments, such as daft punk's get lucky. you seem to not know what you are talking about so i should probably ignore your trollish existence, "autotuned lyrics" is a pretty good example of being ignorant to what goes into making music. 

    mx27
    mx27 like.author.displayName 1 Like

    @terryclifton1

     @terryclifton1 Calling something you don't like not "real music" is the most tired thing you could say. Especially when you follow it up with a bunch of boring roots artists that aren't doing anything but what the big trend is now in 'indie' which is relying on your acoustic instruments for authenticity and making halfhearted, vaguely positive versions of better songs from 40-50 years ago. If that's all you consider 'real music' you have a hopelessly narrow and dated idea of what music is.

    I don't think "New Slaves" is the best song this year, but there's a lot of cool tracks on Time's list. "Get Lucky" might not be what you'd expect from Daft Punk, but it's a killer dance track with great musicianship, exceptional production and a retro vibe that's different from everything else that's out these days. Vampire Weekend's new album is a stellar pop/rock album unlike anything I've heard, that echoes the inventiveness of classic rock groups without needing to copy their musical styles. Waxahatchee has a great lo-fi singer-songwriter thing going, and it helps that she can write great songs that are actually about something. I could go on, but my point is that this isn't a bad list, and insisting on your own definition of 'real music' just shows off how narrow-minded you are.

    terryclifton1
    terryclifton1 like.author.displayName 1 Like

    @mx27 @terryclifton1  

    I so beg to differ. I have a vast musical back round to draw my conclusions from my friend . I have been on this earth for 45 years, and seen trends come and go. My teenage years was spent listening to The Talking Heads, U2, Public Enemy, David Bowie, The Beastie Boys, and every Punk, New Wave, Heavy Metal Band you could possibly know. I have been to well over 60 concerts, and numerous Music Festivals. The bands I listed are just some of my favorites from the top of my head. I also like Jack White, Radiohead, The Black Keys, Sublime, Weezer, and others. I'm too old to dance, and find no soul or substance in techno-themed bands or artists that depend on heavy sampling for hooks. I prefer to hear instruments and listen to songs that convey a message to me. These bands are hardly the big trend, that would be Justin Beiber and other pop acts that hold hostage to the radio and music charts. Did you even listen to the songs? Lastly, having seen all but one (Uncle Lucius) of these acts live, I cherish the experience, and can't wait to go back to see The Avett Brothers tear down the house with Laundry Room or I, Love, and You..

    terryclifton1
    terryclifton1

    @mx27  

    To follow up my above statement, I thought I might share a partial list of my "narrow" music back round. The following list is the bands I cared enough to buy a ticket and see them live and in person..

    The Black Keys, The Avett Brothers, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Gary Clark Jr., Nelly, Akon, Train, Weezer, Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, The B-52's, AC DC, Kiss, Motley Crue, Dave Mathews, The Black Crowes, Heart, Aerosmith, Langhorne Slim, U2, Muse, Amos Lee, Jimmy Buffett, Drive By Truckers, The White Stripes,Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Violent Femmes, Guns & Roses, Run DMC, Green Day, David Bowie, Lenny Kravitz, The Police, Social Distortion, The Cure, and tons of other bands that you probably wouldn't know. 

    Again, for me, it's about about substance, and not so much about trends.