ACL 2013: The Top 20 Albums of the Year

Over the course of the past year, we received thousands of albums and EPs to pore over, review and discuss.  Out of these, we reviewed approximately 500.  In this feature, we answer the Big Question: Which releases were the best?

ACL 2013: Top Ten Electronic

A quick glance around the few remaining outposts of the printed UK music press suggests that guitar bands are still very much ruling the roost, although it’s pretty obvious to anyone outside of a small coterie of indie-obsessed music hacks

ACL 2013: The Happiest Music of the Year

When last year’s list was published, it wasn’t very popular.  But over the course of the year, the hits kept increasing, until it became our number one specialty list.  Why?  Because people need happy music, and search for it online.

Public Service Broadcasting ~ Inform – Educate – Entertain

Summer’s guilty pleasure comes from Southampton duo Public Service Broadcasting, the rare ACL band to appear on the pop charts and to receive widespread mainstream attention.  The duo comes across as an odd blend of Coldcut and iLiKETRAiNS, in that they