2013 was both a testament to the staying power and creativity of established artists and bands (Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend, Kanye, Arcade Fire) and an explosion of new artists (Haim, Chvrches, Jagwar Ma, Lorde, A$AP Rocky, Jake Bugg, and St. Lucia, to name some) who, despite the trending emphasis on singles, created phenomenal albums of substance, pace, and ingenuity.

First, lets start with the veterans since two of them took the #1 and #2 spots. I wrote at length about my love of Arctic Monkey’s as well as their amazing album, AM. But what impresses me the most - and why I ultimately chose them ahead of Vampire Weekend - is that they could make an album like this on their FIFTH album.

Not only is it hard to find bands these days that can last five albums, but typically the quality starts to fall off after the first few albums. I’m racking my brain to think of a band in the past whose fifth album I liked as much this one. Can’t do it.

Vampire Weekend’s Modern Vampires of the City is a gorgeous landscape of bright colors and sounds mixed into dark tones that will age with time. Lead singer and songwriter (along with Rostam Batmanglij), Ezra Koenig, is no longer singing about a fucking oxford comma - he’s gotten older and wearier and its effect is apparent. In the first track, “Unbelievers,” Koenig sings, “Got a little soul / The world is a cold, cold place to be / Want a little warmth / but who’s going to save a little warmth for me?…Want a little grace / but who’s going to say a little grace for me?”

His pessimism turns into an obsession with death for the remainder of the album. “Gods’ loves die young,” he says in “Don’t Lie,” and explains, “We know the true death - the true way of all flesh / Everyone’s dying, but girl you’re not old yet.” So there’s still hope for the young! Oh wait, “Diane Young” was actually supposed to be called “Dying Young,” but the band changed it because they thought it was too morbid! Even "Hudson" starts out with a drowning in the Hudson Bay and Koenig stating that "the time has come, the clock is such a drag." The tone of this album shifted so dramatically from Vampire Weekend's first two albums, and it may be one of the reasons it works so well.

Although many of the subjects are dark, the composition of songs is the best Vampire Weekend’s ever done. My favorite song on the album, “Hannah Hunt,” starts as a simple song about a boy and a girl (who, thankfully, do not die!) with Koenig’s vocals accompanied by a piano. It’s relaxing as the song coasts through the story, but the culmination of the song (at 2:41) is sublime. Just listen as the piano cries and Koenig softly screams in his inimitable falsetto, “If I can’t trust you, then damnit, Hannah, there’s no future, there’s no answer.” It’s sad yet beautiful. There are so many songs to explore on this album. And I’m still listening to it. A mark of a classic album, and Vampire Weekend’s best album to date.

As for the other veterans, Kanye’s Yeezus was generally dismissed yet critically acclaimed. It’s abrasive, industrial, and hard to listen to, but I still think it’s brilliant. I liken it a bit to Radiohead’s Kid A - not as good, but no one else could have made that album.

As for Arcade Fire - this album ranks closer to the bottom in my rankings of their albums, but they are one of the best bands of the past decade, and it’s still a good album that gets better during live performances (as was apparent by their unbelievable Coachella 2014 Headlining set). “It’s Never Over (Hey Orpheus)” and “Reflektor” are the standout tracks.

But the rookie class of 2013 overpowered the vets in sheer numbers. Haim’s album was my #3 for damn good reason - it’s the best pop record I’ve heard in years and track after track is fantastic. It never lets go of you. The girls kick ass live, seem like awesome people in general (hello bass face), and Danielle Haim is not only a babe but has a great stage presence and can even rock on drums!

There could't have been too many other songs I listed to more than “The Mother We Share” by Chvrches. And I’m still not sick of it. Their debut, The Bones of What You Believe, commands attention with its production, and the voice of the beautiful Lauren Mayberry melds perfectly to create a unique sounding Electro-Pop band. Chvrches is one of the most popular bands in its genre but it’s well deserved as it was my favorite Electro-Pop album this year.

Lorde’s album needs no further explanation. She was a cultural phenomenon for a reason - a teenager writing unique songs with a grimy and sexy voice remarking on the world today in all its craziness and stupidity.

A$AP Rocky, the self proclaimed “pretty motherfucka,” clearly needs no boost of confidence. He's taken NYC by storm the past few years by both his raps and style, and “1Train” may have been my favorite rap song of the year (other than “On Sight” by Kanye). “Suddenly” is also a gem worth the wait when he brings a deluge of flow (2:28) and kills the track.

Jake Bugg showed his promise as a singer/songwriter, Syd Arthur came on as hybrid of Andrew Bird and White Denim, St. Lucia made one of the best Electro-Pop albums of the year, and Foxygen created one fun tripped-out stoner rock and folk EP with my favorite named album of the year, We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic.

There are so many other albums that in the least need to be mentioned:

- I was blown away by Young Man's album, Beyond Was All Around Me. I heard about this guy from my cousin who randomly knew the guitarist in the band from childhood. The second I heard "Josie," I was floored. Josie was my #2 Song of 2013. The buildup in the beginning ascends a peak of banging rhythms and a piercing guitar. It's my favorite minute of a song this year. And I loved the composition and originality of the other tracks as well.

- Drake’s album wasn’t just better than Kanye’s, it was the best rap album of the year. “Hold On, We’re Going Home” is on another level of sweetness. Drake’s comfortable and confident enough to write songs this vulnerable, and it’s what separates him from the the mainly machismo rappers. That song will be played for years and years to come.

- I cannot emphasize how much I loved the Ducktails (the solo project of Matthew Mondanile from Real Estate) album. Start to finish just phenomenally done.

- Toro y Moi is under appreciated. Anything in Return mixes so many genres of music, it’s hard to peg it to anything specific. The production is original, and Chaz Bundwick continues to improve as an artist. This album is really worth a listen.

- Local Natives sophomore album, Hummingbird, was an incredibly solid effort. “Celilings” was my favorite song of the year. “You and I” another standout track.

- The Underachievers are my favorite hip-hop group to come about in a while. “The Mahdi,” “Land of Lords,” and “Gold Soul Theory” all standing on their own as tracks to bop your head to. The New Yorkers taking over hip-hop, including the Underachievers, Flatbush Zombies, Joey Bada$$, and A$AP, are plenty reason to be confident that rap and hip-hop are alive and well.

It was a great year in music. Not as good as 2012 but pretty damn close. Till next year!