We could not have finished this without your support. Since today is Record Store Day, please go to your local record store and buy all of the records where these 200 songs appear.
"Albums of the year" might take a few minutes, but it feels weird posting this without an albums page.
Over the past few years, we've also whupped together a "Vomit of the year" thing which is probably not happening this time around.
So here's the entire fat fucking Hot Mix. Songs 200 through 101 will be added to our Spotify playlist sometime in the next few days...............
| Hot Mix 2013 on Spotify |
| #100 - 91 | #90 - 81 | #80 - 71 | #70 - 61 | #60 - 51 |
| #50 - 41 | #40 - 31 | #30 - 21 | #20 - 11 | #10 - 1 |
200. Lil B ‘The BasedGod’ “4 Me”
199. No Age “An Impression”
198. Mack Wilds “Own It”
197. Classixx “All You're Waiting For”
196. Lizzo ft. Sophia Eris “Batches & Cookies”
195. Dinosaur Jr. “Now the Fall”
194. Polvo “Total Immersion”
193. Dyma-A-Duzin “New Brooklyn”
192. Deerhunter “Dream Captain”
191. Ariana Grande “Baby I”
190. Mario ft. Nicki Minaj “Somebody Else”
189. Gnarwhal “Gerald”
188. Clox King “Psalm Reading 16:$”
187. Bent Shapes “Brat Poison”
186. Pharmakon “Ache”
185. Palehound “Pet Carrot”
184. Washed Out “All I Know”
183. Guided By Voices “Islands (She Talks in Rainbows)”
182. Connections “Miller’s Grove”
181. Cave “Sweaty Fingers”
180. You Blew It “I’m Bill Paxton”
179. Kurt Vile “Pure Pain”
178. Bear Hands “Part I: What I've Learned”
177. Wild Nothing “The Body in Rainfall”
176. Vic Mensa “Orange Soda”
175. Sungod “Comrade Voyager”
174. My Bloody Valentine “Who Sees You”
173. Disco Doom “Ex Teenager”
172. Justin Timberlake “Strawberry Bubblegum”
171. Earl Sweatshirt featuring Vince Staples “Hive”
170. Run The Jewels featuring Big Boi “Banana Clipper”
169. Queens of the Stone Age “If I Had a Tail”
168. Pearl Jam “Sirens”
167. Lizzo “WERK Part 2”
166. Kim Deal “Are You Mine?”
165. Chelsea Light Moving “Burroughs”
164. No Joy “Hare Tarot Lies”
163. Daft Punk “Doin’ It Right”
162. Aye Nako “Molasses”
161. Roomrunner “Bait Car”
160. Parquet Courts “You've Got Me Wondering Now”
159. My Bloody Valentine “New You”
158. Annie “Tube Stops and Lonely Hearts”
157. Earl Sweatshirt featuring Tyler the Creator “Whoa”
156. Hebronix “Viral”
155. Chelsea Light Moving “Sleeping Where I Fall”
154. Parquet Courts “Stoned and Starving”
153. Kanye West “Send It Up”
152. Yo La Tengo “Paddle Forward”
151. Wire “Adore Your Island”
150. Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats “Mind Crawler”
149. Widowspeak “Harsh Realm”
148. Two Inch Astronaut “Little Short Guy”
147. No Age “Lock Box”
146. Dirty Ghosts “Ropes That Way”
145. Washed Out “Don’t Give Up”
144. Palehound “I Get Clean”
143. Tony Molina “Breakin Up”
142. No Age “Commerce, Comment, Commence”
141. Connections “Mall Lights”
140. Queens of the Stone Age “I Appear Missing”
139. Potty Mouth “Black and Studs”
138. My Bloody Valentine “In Another Way”
137. Kim Deal “Dirty Hessians”
136. Beak> “Mono”
135. Palehound “Drooler”
134. Ovlov “Milk”
133. Jackson Scott “Together Forever”
132. Washed Out “It All Feels Right”
131. Vampire Weekend “Diane Young”
130. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats “Evil Love”
129. No Age “C’mon Stimmung”
128. Dinosaur Jr. “Ricochet”
127. Destroyer “El Rito”
126. Deerhunter "T.H.M."
125. Connections "Girl's Night Out"
124. Chelsea Light Moving “Groovy & Linda”
123. Wavves “Lunge Forward”
122. Unknown Mortal Orchestra “So Good at Being in Trouble”
121. Thee Oh Sees “Night Crawler”
120. Oneohtrix Point Never “Boring Angel”
119. Drake featuring Majid Jordan “Hold On, We’re Going Home”
118. Of Montreal “Fugitive Air”
117. Beak> “0898”
116. Krill “Steve Hears Pile in Malden and Bursts into Tears”
115. Gunk “Just a Man”
114. Fins “Passing”
113. Pretty & Nice “New Czar”
112. Jackson Scott “Sandy”
111. Guided By Voices “Know Me As Heavy”
110. Drake “Started from the Bottom”
109. Thee Oh Sees “Toe Cutter - Thumb Buster”
108. Big Ups "Wool"
107. Grass Is Green “Sammy So Sick”
106. Fat History Month "Skin Divers in Action"
105. Jackson Scott "Evie"
104. Earl Sweatshirt ft. Vince Staples “Centurion”
103. Kim Deal “Walking With a Killer”
102. Kanye West “On Sight”
101. Gunk “Kill Em All”
100. Trinidad Jame$ "Female$ Welcomed"
99. Sungod "Gas is Better than Gas"
98. Lil B "Lov N Hate" / Lil B "Eat"
97. Selena Gomez "Come and Get It"
96. Vampire Weekend "Everlasting Arms"
95. Justin Timberlake "Tunnel Vision"
94. Little Big League "Brackish Water"
93. Cave "Shikaakwa"
92. Action Bronson & Party Supplies "Jackson Travolta"
91. California X "Pond Rot"
90. Yo La Tengo "Well You Better"
89. Good Throb "Culture Vulture"
88. Travis Porter ft. Jeremih "Err Damn Day"
87. Kanye West "Guilt Trip"
86. Robert Pollard "I Killed a Man Who Looks Like You"
85. Lady Gaga ft. R. Kelly "Do What U Want"
84. Ty Segall "Sleeper"
83. Connections "Stuck Lung"
82. True Widow "Four Teeth"
81. Omar Souleyman "Warni Warni"
80. Daniel Johnston "Space Ducks Theme Song"
79. Body/Head "Abstract"
78. Jay-Z "Tom Ford"
77. Deerhunter "Monomania"
76. Fake Shark Real Zombie "Get Weird"
75. Grass Is Green "Vacation 2.0"
74. Polvo "Light, Raking" / Polvo "Some Songs"
73. Queens of the Stone Age "I Sat By the Ocean"
72. Ariana Grande ft. Big Sean "Right There"
71. Beyonce "XO"
70. Jai Paul "Good Time (Track 8)"
69. Yuck "Rebirth"
68. Of Montreal "She Ain't Speakin' Now"
67. Two Inch Astronaut "Spank Jail"
66. Ciara ft. Nicki Minaj "Livin' It Up"
65. Kim Deal "Hot Shot"
64. Selena Gomez "Birthday"
63. Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats "Desert Ceremony"
62. Cloud Control "Dojo Rising"
61. Neon Indian "Change of Coast"
60. Big Sean ft. Nicki Minaj & Juicy J "MILF"
59. Ariana Grande ft. Mac Miller "The Way"
58. Krill "Never a Joke"
57. Cultes des Ghoules "The Passion of a Sorceress"
56. Jay-Z ft. Rick Ross "Fuckwithmeyouknowigotit"
55. Vanessa Paradis "Love Song"
54. Action Bronson & Party Supplies "Contemporary Man"
53. Nelly ft. Nicki Minaj & Pharrell "Get Like Me"
52. My Bloody Valentine "If I Am"
51. Daft Punk ft. Pharrell "Get Lucky (radio edit)"
50. Swearin' "Mermaid"
49. Yuck "Middle Sea"
48. Migos "Versace"
47. Roomrunner "Wojtek"
46. Pretty & Nice "Mummy Jets" / Pretty & Nice "Money Music"
45. Unknown Mortal Orchestra "One at a Time"
44. No Age "I Won't Be Your Generator"
43. Earl Sweatshirt ft. Frank Ocean "Sunday"
42. Tony Molina "Don't Come Back"
41. Beak> "Kenn"
40. Doe B featuring T.I. & Juicy J "Let Me Find Out (Remix)"
39. Kanye West ft. God "I Am a God"
38. Jute Gyte "The Haunting Sense of an Unrepeatable Unidirectional Vector"
37. Joanna Gruesome "Wussy Void"
36. Bad History Month "Sad History Month, January 2012"
35. Juana Molina "Sin Guia, No"
34. Queens of the Stone Age "My God is the Sun"
33. Jackson Scott "That Awful Sound"
32. Kurt Vile "Wakin' on a Pretty Day"
31. Connections "1980 Called"
30. Liars "I Saw You from the Lifeboat"
29. Potty Mouth "Damage"
28. Sebadoh "Beat"
27. Trinidad Jame$ "Givin' No Fucks"
26. Ovlov "Where's My Dini" / Ovlov "Moth Rock"
25. Gunk "Ice Cream"
24. J. Cole ft. TLC "Crooked Smile"
23. Sky Ferriera "I Will"
22. Krill "Theme from Krill"
21. Kurt Vile "Never Run Away" / Kurt Vile "Girl Called Alex"
20. Ciara "Overdose"
19. Surface to Air Missive "Surfacing"
18. Deerhunter "Back to the Middle"
17. Kanye West "Black Skinhead"
16. Swearin' "Watered Down"
15. Kurt Vile "KV Crimes"
14. Pity Sex "Drown Me Out"
13. Dornik "Something About You"
12. Two Inch Astronaut "Sternum"
11. Earl Sweatshirt ft. RZA "Molasses"
10. Pusha T "Numbers on the Boards"
9. Janelle Monae ft. Miguel "Primetime"
8. Kanye West "Bound 2"
7. Ovlov "The Well"
6. Jai Paul "Crush"
5. My Bloody Valentine "Only Tomorrow"
4. Trinidad Jame$ "All Gold Everything"
3. Kanye West "New Slaves"
2. Kurt Vile "Was All Talk"
1. Mariah Carey & Miguel "#Beautiful"
| Hot Mix 2013 on Spotify |
| #100 - 91 | #90 - 81 | #80 - 71 | #70 - 61 | #60 - 51 |
| #50 - 41 | #40 - 31 | #30 - 21 | #20 - 11 | #10 - 1 |
Kanye's sees what's been going on with Pusha T as he's been forced to reckon with some extreme wackness over the past few years. And we don't think we're giving Kanye too much credit to suggest that he can examine beats that Pusha responded to most efficiently, like the dark, sinister shit in "Grindin'" or "Wamp Wamp." Kanye then extracts the elements that will respark and fuel Pusha's ferocity while adding a personalized flair of dopeness. His beats are never the same twice, and certainly understated when he compared to recent mindfucks like Yeezus or "Mercy." Density is wisely emphasized as well; if it's a 3 minute song that feels like 5 minutes, it's because Pusha and Kanye cut out every last ounce of bullshit, responding to internet immediacy's recent influence on concise brevity. 1997-era Jay-Z makes a quick cameo: "Mothafuckas can't rhyme no more / About crime no more." Clipse's mismanaged estate has forced them back into the crack game so frequently over the past 10 years, keeping them hard out of necessity. They had no other choice. 
It's not exactly the quiet storm it might be aiming for, but in between its flaws rests a glimmering allure, compellingly gorgeous enough to yield an irresistible gaze. While guitar solos in modern R&B can be as unstable as walking a tightrope (such as the guitar tone in TLC's “Red Light Special”), Monae's flashy guitar-god throws it behind his head and plays with his teeth Hendrix-style as Janelle and Miguel watch from across the studio nodding and shaking their heads in unison. It's still a flawed moment but a similarly glimmering one, fitting as a proper coda to its dreamy, familiar chorus. Miguel is the found last puzzle piece as he discovers his niche, fitting as a co-songwriter and singer just as well as on “#Beautiful” and more efficiently than on any of his hiphop collab's from pre-2013.
What initially appears as a deceivingly easy and playful scenario quickly dissolves into intense mind games. For some, its infamously bizarre video and various parodies may have burnt out the appeal of “Bound 2.” But from our end, they've only helped to widen our perceptions. It speaks volumes as the concluding chapter of Yeezus, intensifying the depth that flows in between each lyric and “uh huh honey.” Kanye's love song doesn't necessarily need to be written by and for the rich, famous and powerful in order to transcend as brilliantly framed storytelling, somehow conjuring a confusing and wildly intricate scenario reminiscent of a Charlie Kaufman narrative (possibly Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) where love hangs by a thread and the lines between dreams and reality rest upon an unreliable auto-focus lens.
Inserting earplugs at their live shows may help, but guts are typically no match for Ovlov. You will feel Ovlov in your gut. While Mike Thomas's overdriven production on Am achieves an outstanding job of capturing the Ovlov earthquake in all its glory, it wouldn't be worth as much without the initial axis-shift in the songs themselves. Daniel Johnston once sang about dropping your last dime in a wishing well with nothing left to lose. However, Ovlov maintain that no magical forces played a part in the story. Boner explains: "It's about a well. A real well. Non-fiction shit." Steve Hartlett agrees and had actually inserted real life events into the lyrics: "The second verse is about losing my cat Steve. The neighbors could afford canned food for him." We asked if this event was also the inspiration for the non-album track "Wet Food / Dry Food" which is due to be released on a split sometime in 2014. "Yeah it is, but it's just not as clear in 'The Well.'" 2013 was also the year that Ovlov were partially responsible for the success of Fort Flesh, a now-defunct house venue that hosted about 10 of the most lively and intense rock shows in New Haven's recent musical history, every one of which were completely devoid of the arm-folding wallflower nature of similar DIY spaces from that area. 
Jai Paul's leaked demos sound a lot closer to the “singer-songwriter-producer” genre than straight-ahead R&B or chillwave despite the obvious influences pulled from both. His presentation as an elusive laptop genius sticks out among pretty much everything else happening in music right now, disregarding 2013's emphasis on immediacy and instead adopting a marketing package that cherishes the shroud. Whether this presentation was intentional or accidental is up for debate. As a would-be third or fourth single from this collection, “Crush” specifically falls in line with this mystique and carefulness. Initially titled on Bandcamp as “Track 7,” the jam's spacy jumpiness, sparking vague memories of Moon Boots commercials, might take some time before it reveals itself as a cover of Jennifer Paige's long-cherished classic from the early days of TRL when the show was merely called Total Request and featured Carson Daly with no live audience. It's not exactly the flavor-of-the-moment 90s-nostalgia jam that a TRL-era cover song would suggest in writing, an interpretation that leans heavily toward suggestions for the future of electronic music. And watch out for our favorite part: That shred solo in the coda arrives like a paintball shot out of nowhere, with all the same pummel, urgency and fun that Paul McCartney once tore into his solos for songs like “Taxman” and “Good Morning Good Morning.”
No matter how good it sounds, no album has ever been worth waiting 14 years or 22 years or however long it took for MBV, or The Detox, or Chinese Democracy, or that long-promised Hendrix-influenced D'angelo album, or whatever Lauryn Hill's been up to. For whatever reason, the past year or two of music has served more long-awaited surprise records than probably any other era of pop music. But unlike The Pixies' bafflingly off-course Indie Cindy LP, MBV is no square peg among the rest of their catalog, maintaining all their orbit-shifting enormity, with “Only Tomorrow” acting as the rocket ship itself, bridging the 22 year gap in a single 6-minute-long trip. (Imagine if The Phantom Menace had been as amazing as the anticipation surrounding it.) The grandiosity of its guitar tones are perhaps the best preserved element from their previous records, evoking a combination of drugginess and lethargy risen from the euphoria of only the heaviest hard drugs coursing and working their magic. And in that instant, “Only Tomorrow” joins the exclusive trove of MBV's signature collection. Maybe we'll receive another one of these 22 years from now.
2013's finest anthem for living well was first discovered by our staff on MTV-U in January 2013, where Jame$'s appearance - fresh and fly as fuck - worked amazingly to perfect his first impression as we shouted outlandish statements of awe at our TV screen (probably something to the effect of “Holy fucking shit this guy is amazing”). Repeated listens did follow: It took a few weeks before the GoldenEye sample and “Gold all on my chains, gold all on my rangs, gold all on my watch, don't believe me just watch n********************” finally became unstuck. Meanwhile, “Pop the molly/I'm sweatin'/WOO” had already broke as the sickest catchphrase/meme/whatever of late-2012/early-2013. By the 50th listen, its magically infectious dirt became unshakable, with at least 5 or 6 more classic lyrics scattered throughout. It's unfortunate that many initial reviewers didn't give it much time to burrow like a summer tic, since it's basically infused within our DNA at this point. But it's not like Jame$ really cares: “Who's hatin' on you this summer? Fuck 'em.”
Spring is here again, tender age in bloom. We wish drum patterns like those on “Was All Talk” could more frequently accompany relaxingly rich and layered detail, along with the nuances and fluctuations in Kurt Vile's delicate vocals. Its construction appears to have been an effortless endeavor, enough that Kurt has no problem admitting “Makin' music is easy; watch me.” One of the most amazing things about this song is that it could have very easily been victimized by its New Age tendencies - not quite entering the realm of Pure Moods but not out of place if used to assist in relaxation therapy. Clouds, waves, wind, spacious nature, clear-headed, sober, traveling into the future, moving forward from something worth forgetting.
No one else among the past 25 years of pop music can truly realize the power of the summer song like Mariah Carey. 2013 was no exception as she added “#Beautiful” to her wall of platinum records, joining a proud gathering of past carefree #1 summer jams like “Dream Lover,” “Fantasy,” “Heartbreaker” and “We Belong Together.” An instant fan favorite, it seemed ripe for a month or two of consistent radio domination that unfortunately never happened, stalling on the Hot 100 at the curiously low #15 position. This low placement may indicate a recently strange evolution of modern Top 40 radio; its nostalgic, timeless and dreamlike aura seemed almost too perfect and may have owned in any other summer. But as she's clearly outdone herself in the degree of summeriness, the record was instead swept under the rug as an afterthought. Similarly breezy nostalgia jams like Ariana Grande's “The Way” and Bruno Mars' “Treasure” charted slightly better, but the official sound-of-yesterday summer jams were ultimately chosen as “Get Lucky” and “Blurred Lines,” with Miley Cyrus's unexpected crash landing seeming almost like a forced act of exhibition - an unavoidably intense scream for attention. The competition was anything but breezy, and the US charts may have finally found its own equivalent of UK's Christmas #1. As for “#Beautiful,” we have stronger longterm predictions for the understated sleeper hits. Its indescribably magical allure hasn't been as frequent since the days of Kylie's “Love at First Sight,” Amerie's “1 Thing” or Annie's “Heartbeat” - jams that transcend chart success, shooting for the stars. We're almost certain that “#Beautiful” is our current choice for “song of the decade.”
Perhaps we've overdosed as well. We seem to be strung out on this website, leading to one of those unfortunate instances where it looks like we're on the verge of another extended break, similar to the one that took place between 2008 and 2009. We really should be finishing this up before officially declaring a hiatus. Between 2011 and 2012, “doing drugs” turned into a prevalent theme on hiphop and R&B stations, far surpassing themes regarding “selling drugs” that had ruled during the days of “C.R.E.A.M.” and “10 Crack Commandments” - a paradigm shift which may be partially attributed to the popularity of molly, but mostly thanks to Frank Ocean. As far as pop structure goes, “Overdose” surpasses anything throughout the past 10 years of releases from either Britney Spears or Kylie Minogue.
Technical virtuosity is not typically our thing, although the occasional fresh blast of prog-influenced brilliance never hurt anyone. "Surfacing" combines these cues with Elephant 6 flavored lo-fidelity, serving their brand as far more inspired than wanky. Dense with hooks, it's just as heavy as a few similarly packed mid-2000s mini-epics from their former tourmates Of Montreal, specifically "Requiem for OMM2" or "Voltaic Crusher." A curious recent signing to Stones Throw, Surface have already announced near-completion of LP2. Air-guitars in position.
The middle doesn't sound like such a great place. The middle is where all the eyes point: the center of attention. It's the easiest place to get lost. Once upon a time, Jimmy Eat World sang about "The Middle," and claimed it was not the best spot, but that eventually everything would be alright. Gerry Rafferty sang about getting "stuck in the middle with you," surrounded by stuff that didn't make no sense at all. It must be pretty shitty to return BACK to the middle, to that nasty uncomfortable place. "It's an endless cycle." The light at the end of the tunnel only acts to taunt and fuck with the head. This shit's getting old. Sick and tired of being sick and tired.
We can think of three quick and easy reasons why we love "Black Skinhead." #1 Monster riffs aren't as frequent these days, which may have assisted in this song's easy shoe-in as "Immigrant Song" or "Smoke on the Water" of 2013. RIFF OF THE YEAR. Let's be honest here. #2 Kanye supplies what is now probably the 19th major resurrection of the drums from "Rock n' Roll Part 2," also famously borrowed for Marilyn Manson in 1996 and also Rihanna in 2006, ushering a 2- or 3-year period when that particular drum pattern was ALL over Top 40 stations. Last but not least, #3: The yelp. Kanye's yelp on SNL contained a raw urgency that hadn't maintained its shape on the recording but was strong enough to resonate on all subsequent listens.
{EDIT 12:57PM APRIL 13} A paraphrased brief conversation with Sadie "The Jesus of Indie-Rock" Dupuis in response to our initial review of this song:
The most frequent critique of “Drown Me Out” that we've heard regards familiarity. “I've heard something that sounds like 'Drown Me Out' before,” but no one seems to be able to pin down exactly what. This supposed familiarity might best be attributed to the effortless simplicity of its craft. Songs like these are often created as a consequence of some magical accident, but in this case it appears far more purposely lethargic than lazy. Somewhere, pissed teens will always be understanding the power of barre chords played through Muff pedals. It's a combination as old as garage rock itself and not exclusive to any specific decade. “Drown Me Out” specifically descends from The Pixies just as much as a pair of 2011's sonically closest cousins, 
We love Two Inch Astronaut so much that we want to squeeze the daylights out of them. The intro of "Sternum" always reminds us of Trail of Dead's "How Near How Far," in a way that's hugely complimentary to both bands. Then after the story fades, "Sternum" utilizes probably its least heralded motif: A gradual rallentando leading into the final ominously unresolved chord. We don't hear songwriters busting out these classic moves as frequently in 2013, and why the fuck not? If it worked on "Lovefool," why not go for it? We're not sure if we've heard any recent claims along the lines of "What the fuck ever happened to Monster Ballads?" but "Sternum" comes fully loaded with a helpfully earwormy chorus, strong enough to push out whatever abysmal Staind knockoff got stuck in your head the day prior. For a slow-burner, its energy surpasses almost anything else on Bad Brother, impressively blending not only within the context of the album's running order, but also among the rest of Exploding In Sound's 2013 roster. 
Everyone seems to be ready and hopeful for the next era of Odd Future, one in which Tyler no longer reigns as the loudmouth rebel without a cause, opting instead for its new leaders - Frank and Earl - to usher in a new dawn, lyrically closer to the teachings of JD Salinger. While introspection and right of passage have been accompanying OFWGKTA's best music since 2012, the lopsided and off-kilter loop in "Molasses" (accompanied by its subject matter) seems closer to what would have happened if Earl had followed along the path of his 2010 self-titled mixtape. RZA's cameo suggests a passing the torch to his disciples while remaining just as curious as the rest of us to discover what becomes of the former wild kids.