FRIDAY 24TH JANUARY | ISSUE 150
MUSIC
The Rabbit Music looks back at a great year
Best Singles
Top Moments
Arctic Monkeys – One for the Road
2013 was an amazing year in music; new artists appeared overnight and climbed the charts whilst the most famous ones made their comeback. Let’s go back and look at some of the most important musical events that shaped 2013. The year started with Justin Timberlake releasing Suit & Tie; his first single in six years and since he had time to record tons of tracks, he released not one but two amazing albums. He was shortly followed by Robin Thicke with the controversial Blurred Lines. After topping the charts in numerous countries, Thicke managed somehow to have his song banned in Universities across the UK. We’ve been up so many nights to Get Lucky just because the legendary duo Daft Punk created the ideal anthem to make the planet dance. Passenger and his touching song Let Her Go came as the perfect remedy for the broken-hearted-it’s probably the best ballad of 2013. The amazing duo from Seattle, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, proved that one can release an independent album, climb to the top of the charts and garner millions of views on YouTube. Lady Gaga came back with a highly anticipated album, Artpop. Although it didn’t perform as well as expected, Applause and Do What U Want still had significant airtime. Then Miley Cyrus came in like a Wrecking Ball- no more Hannah Montana kids. She managed to be more controversial than Gaga herself, from singing about drugs to twerking shamelessly at the VMAs, to licking a hammer whilst singing about heartache. The end of 2013 was definitely marked by Beyonce’s totally unexpected album. Her highly acclaimed fifth LP broke records and reinvented how to release music. Thousands of words could be written about 2013. All that’s left to say is WOW.
Dragos Ion
Best New Artists Lorde
Crash Mansion
Last year music offered some great surprises in regards to new artists, one of them was the amazingly talented Lorde. Although only 16 years old, the New Zealander hit the music charts like a grown up. Her first single “Royals” rapidly shifted from an unknown song on Spotify to a number one hit single in several countries and it doesn’t stop there. Due to her highly acclaimed debut album “Pure Heroine” she is now nominated for no more than 4 Grammys. All things considered, Lorde is certainly one of the best new artists of 2013. Hopefully this year she will continue to be just as awesome and to supply us with more quality music.
Hailing from Southend, Crash Mansion are hard rock quintet signed to Transcend Music (Malefice, Sacred Mother Tongue, etc). Currently the band are preparing to play at the Oxford O2 Academy on the 14th February. As far as newness is concerned, these lads have been on the circuit for a bit before picking up speed. Their achievements to date include playing at Download Festival and the video for their track ‘Money’. Therefore it will be interesting to see what 2014 will enable the lads to do and what they plan to do. Watch this space.
Dragos Ion
Rhys Stevenson
Everything about this song is a testament to their decades of musicality, from the medium paced yet absorbing beat Matt Helders lays on the drums to Alex Turner’s charmingly sung lyrics. One For The Road is excellently produced, with a strong structure and a perfectly timed chorus; the track is among James Ford’s best work. Alex Turner rhetorically questions whether there is a mutual arousal in the relationship, “I’ve been wondering whether later when you tell everybody to go, Will you pour me one for the road?” This idea of the other half in a relationship being distant or arcane is a prominent theme throughout the album AM, with songs such as Do I Wanna Know? and R U Mine?
Charles Fideli
Kingdom feat. Kelela – Bank Head The title track from the L.A. producer’s EP Vertical XL caused an immediate stir courtesy of sublime vocals from newcomer Kelela, who went on to have a fantastic year with the release of her debut mixtape Cut 4 Me. Whilst understated and restrained, ‘Bank Head’ still manages to pack a punch with Kingdom’s expansive production which Kelela effortlessly floats over. For concocting a slice of futuristic R&B that is both accessible and innovative, the pair are more than worthy of recognition.
Deborah Findlater
Haim - The Wire Californian sister trio Haim were one of 2013’s major buzz bands, and the top-20 single The Wire is a highlight from their vastly acclaimed debut Days Are Gone. Tasty guitar embellishments and 80s-style synth strings flesh out a song universally lovable to those young and old. While the song may not cover new ground lyrically, charismatic flourishes in their vocal deliveries help separate it from other songs about dumping partners. Husky, understated singing and catchy sing-a-long yelps make this bluesy rock ‘n’ roll frolic the best Fleetwood Mac song that wasn’t written by Fleetwood Mac.
Alex Driscoll
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