Most-read articles in 2013

Here are the 10 most-read articles on Sacred Cowpats in 2013:

10 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds:

 

Kicking Against the Pricks - http://sacredcowpats.blogspot.ie/2013/06/album-review-nick-cave-and-bad-seeds.html

 

Henry's Dream - http://sacredcowpats.blogspot.ie/2013/10/album-review-nick-cave-bad-seeds-henrys.html

 

Thanks to those who stuck with this as I have hobbled through Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' back catalogue.  A joint entry at number 10 for covers album Kicking Against the Pricks and for 1992's Henry's Dream.

 

9 J Mascis + The Fog - More Light:

 

http://sacredcowpats.blogspot.ie/2013/01/album-review-j-mascis-fog-more-light.html

 

Mascis goes solo on this 2000 effort.

 

8 Mark Kozelek & Jimmy Lavalle - Perils From The Sea:

 

http://www.meg.ie/mark-kozelek-jimmy-lavalle-perils-from-the-sea/

 

Kozelek's most unusual release of his career to date, and undoubtedly a triumph.

 

7 Bob Mould - Body of Song:

 

http://sacredcowpats.blogspot.ie/2013/07/album-review-bob-mould-body-of-song.html

 

Late period Mould from 2005.

 

6 Top albums of 2013:

 

http://sacredcowpats.blogspot.ie/2013/12/top-10-albums-of-2013.html

 

You liked this.  Or it so it seems.

 

5 The Mission - The Brightest Light:

 

http://sacredcowpats.blogspot.ie/2013/08/album-review-mission-brightest-light.html

 

Hussey and co miraculously still around.

 

4 The Savings and Loan - Today I Need Light:

 

http://sacredcowpats.blogspot.ie/2013/08/album-review-savings-and-loan-today-i.html

 

Scottish band, not too many of those on this blog usually...

 

3 Sparklehorse - Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly of A Mountain

 

http://sacredcowpats.blogspot.ie/2013/01/album-review-sparklehorse-dreamt-for.html

 

Final album from Linkous.

 

2 Small Town Boredom - Notes From The Infirmary

 

http://sacredcowpats.blogspot.ie/2013/01/album-review-small-town-boredom-notes.html

 

And another (defunct) Scottish band.

 

1 Mark Eitzel - Glory

 

http://sacredcowpats.blogspot.ie/2013/03/album-review-mark-eitzel-glory.html

 

Fans only release and I take it everyone who bought it read this!

Top 10 albums of 2013

This list will be more controversial for what I'm leaving out.  So no Bowie, National or Queens of the Stone Age:

 

10 My Bloody Valentine - m b v

 

Never thought I'd be including Kevin Shields and co in a list like this.  This album succeeds by simply doing what MBV are good at.  It sounds like it could have come out in 1993 as opposed to 2013, yet it's not dated.

 

http://www.meg.ie/my-bloody-valentine-m-b-v/

 

9 Low - The Invisible Way

 

A remarkably consistent band.  This album is more stripped down than of late for them, allowing Sparhawk and Parker's harmonies lots of room to breathe.

 

http://www.meg.ie/low-the-invisible-way/

 

8 Bill Callahan - Dream River

 

Callahan is on fairly opaque form here, and it's an album that I suspect still has to fully reveal itself 3 months on.  Still, you can't argue with that voice or his band.

 

http://www.meg.ie/bill-callahan-dream-river/

 

7 Mark Kozelek & Jimmy Lavalle - Perils From The Sea

 

A brave move for Kozelek to leave his voice completely at the mercy of Lavalle's lush, electronic soundbeds.  The end result is an undoubted triumph, unlike anything else in his back catalogue.

 

http://www.meg.ie/mark-kozelek-jimmy-lavalle-perils-from-the-sea/

 

6 Chequerboard - The Unfolding

 

A beautiful guitar instrumental album from John Lambert aka Chequerboard.

 

http://www.meg.ie/chequerboard-the-unfolding/

 

5 Boards of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest

 

An unexpected return from BoC to produce an addictive soundtrack for dark, uncertain times.

 

http://www.meg.ie/boards-of-canada-tomorrows-harvest/

 

4 Mogwai - Les Revenants

 

The soundtrack to the TV series of the year, it works beautifully with the programme.  But on its own it works really well, pushing Mogwai's music in an understated, keyboard heavy direction.

 

http://www.meg.ie/mogwai-les-revenants-ost/

 

3 Mark Kozelek & Desertshore

 

Kozelek returned to a classic guitar, bass, drums combination.  There's nothing earth-shattering here, but some of the songs contained are among his strongest in many years.

 

http://www.meg.ie/mark-kozelek-desertshore/

 

2 Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood - Black Pudding

 

Lanegan show his more rootsy side on a collaboration that echoes his early 90s solo material in a really good way.

 

http://www.meg.ie/mark-lanegan-duke-garwood-black-pudding/

 

1 Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away

 

Nick Cave and co have had an extraordinary career, yet this album, 10 months on continues to astound, revealing hidden qualities as it goes.  Wonderful stuff.

 

http://www.meg.ie/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-push-the-sky-away/

Album Review: Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle | Perils From The Sea

Review for www.meg.ie

http://www.meg.ie/mark-kozelek-jimmy-lavalle-perils-from-the-sea/