Randall Roberts’ best albums of 2013
Robotic French duo channel vibe of Studio 54, “Thriller” & Giorgio Moroder. Perfect clone for new android ears. #getlucky
MORE: Read the review (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Odd Future rapper’s work marked arrival of smart LA voice “in the midst of a tornado/Misfitted like Clark Gable.”
MORE: Interview with the artist | Album review | Concert review (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Rhythm + Haiti + James Murphy + David Bowie = Tornadic disco-dub-rock. Heavy but buoyantly ambitious and dynamic.
MORE: Concert review | Album review (Kevin Winter / Getty Images for CBS Radio)
Pain pills. Aqua Net, cigarettes, lipstick. Pistol. Tokes of pot. Crimes of fashion. Broken dishes. Twang.
MORE: Read the review (Terry Wyatt / Getty Images)
Melodic distortion from best hard rock band on Earth. Mesmerizing, honest, sweet but barbed.
MORE: Queens of the Stone Age are back on the clock | Album review | Live review (Paul Bergen / AFP / Getty Images)
Tripped-out reporting of bloody Chicago from teen breakout. Hard but witty, tough but emo. #lsd #cocoabutter
MORE: Read the review (Matthew Eisman / Getty Images)
“Sandinista!” of blues from Dickinson bros. Guitar, fife, drum — and Robert Plant on harp. (Erika Goldring / Getty Images)
Unrepentant, polarizing, furiously minimal, ‘Yeezus’ succeeded despite/because of the ego who built it. #croissants
MORE: ‘Yeezus’ chopped and screwed | Album review | Live review (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)