My Top 10 Albums of 2013

So, new year, right? I didn't blog much other than my book reviews in 2013, but I have to say overall it was a fantastic year -- probably the best year I've had in a long time. I met a ton of new people, tried new things, and finally was able to lose some weight that was sticking on my body since about my senior year of college.

So that is my fast update about me. But I'm actually posting because I felt like since the only productive things I did on this blog in the past year were to post books and music, I should do some kind of top 10 wrap up of those things. I'm not a music critic or someone with any objectivity, so obviously my top 10 is just my favorites and not meant to be any kind of statement on, like, the state of music or what is objectively 'art' or anything.

10. Icona Pop - This Is... Icona Pop



9. Chvrches - The Bones of What We Believe



8. Classixx - Hanging Gardens



7. St. Lucia - When the Night



6. James Blake - Overgrown



5. Haim - Days Are Gone



4. London Grammar - If You Wait



3. Autre Ne Veut - Autre Ne Veut



2. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories



1. Disclosure - Settle

I salute this comment

I don't really get comments on this blog, so any one comment is a cause for celebration. A comment like this takes that celebration out of the range of "block party" and into "city-wide riot":

omg when i got this f*cking book from my professor who's a totally asshole i simply thought wtf
i've never ever read a title so stupid and tomorrow is my test so i'm dying fuckkkkk
btw DRUGS ARE MAINSTREAM omfg
adios biatchos

It was left on my review of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, a book which certainly could drive people to hardcore drugs, or, at the very least, 180-proof everclear. As I responded, I only wish I knew who it was that left this thing of beauty on my blog.

adios biatchos

Lineup is out. I have notes

That's right, the Coachella lineup was released about 20 minutes ago, so like the good little obsessive fangirl I am, I have THINGS TO SAY

click to make legible

For those of you wondering how my wishlist panned out (aw, thanks!), I made it easy for you:

YES:

• Bat for Lashes
• Yeasayer
• Grizzly Bear
• Grimes
• Janelle Monae
• the xx
• Paul Oakenfold
• Sigur Ros

NO:

• Garbage -- No! This was a serious missed opportunity, I think. They just reunited and released an album; this should have been a no-brainer.
• Friendly Fires
• Glitch Mob
• HAIM -- Another huge missed opportunity. An indie group out of Los Angeles that is starting to get huge buzz should have been an easy get for Coachella.
• Gabriel and Dresden
• Royksopp
• Massive Attack
• School of Seven Bells -- This wouldn't have been an obvious choice, I don't think, but they had a new album out this year...
• Dash Berlin
• The Knife/Fever Ray -- I would have called this a long shot, except that Primavera Sound festival just announced their lineup and The Knife was on it! So I actually started to get my hopes up that this was actually a possibility for Coachella. Bummin' now.
• James Lavelle
• Pendulum
• Monst
• Burial
• The Antlers -- I also think this should have happened, since they had a new album too.
• Ladytron
• and, of course, though it will never happen... Daft Punk -- It didn't happen, so no shit

Also excited about: Bassnectar, Metric, Four Tet, Phoenix, New Order, Moby (!!), Tame Impala, Dead Can Dance, La Roux, Adrian Lux.

More predictive media gettin' to know me

Spotify Radio seems to think I am Scandinavian as fuck:

I mean, sure, I guess...

Netflix gettin' to know me

...Accurate

Things we call ourselves

Everyone has nicknames, even those who vehemently oppose them. I've had several over time, including the standard abbreviation (Manda,) the creative --and now one of my internet handles of choice -- (mandoir,) and the aughts-age trendy (ACrow.)

The only name I've ever rejected was "Mandy." Only two people have ever called me this, and both have done it at least a little ironically. My high school dance teacher, seemingly in an effort to construct the barfiest name possible, named me "Mandy Cane." This crossed over the "offensively annoying" line into "campy and hilarious," and I allowed it. The second person is my dad. I do this thing where I make what I call the "snuggly bunny face" (there are a few different variations of this, but they all involve cutesy hands and a shit-eating grin) and I say "Daaaddy" in a cutesy voice, and then he makes snuggly bunny face back and goes "Maaaandy" in the same cutesy voice. This is one of those things that is either not funny unless you're us, or funny because you know us and it's ridiculous.

What are some of your favorite and most despised nicknames?

Here are some scattered thoughts.

-- Ack! Totally different Blogger format! Deep breaths. Okay. It just looks like the rest of Google now. Freakout averted.

--I made a Mad Men GIF of Peggy's "WTF? ...nm" face

-- So, Coachella. I went. I'm going to do a more in-depth write up later (mostly so that I can remember my life when I'm old) but I wanted to address a lolworthy comment here really quick. So, it's kind of obvious that Coachella is in a bit of a Brochella phase and that, well, there are a lot more douchey people there than in years past. But what's funny is when people say "Coachella got too mainstream. People who are there now only care about the image. I don't want to go any more because I care about the music." Let me make it clear: only people who do, in fact, care about image would choose not to go to a music festival because of the other people who go there.

-- If you're interested in beer write-ups, don't forget about my other blog at http://alwaysanswerbeer.blogspot.com !

Derp

Justified GIF

I made a new GIF. It's from the show Justified, featuring the delectable Timothy Olyphant. This GIF is not him, though; it's tough bitch Ava Crowder pimp-slapping someone with a frying pan.

MOAR GIFs

If I can be bothered to update this thing regularly at all, it will be to participate in a new special feature entitled "GIFs from shit I liked last week"

 

I even made these myself! They're a little slow, but I'm learning.

-_-

To those of you with slow internet connections: I'M SORRY

There has been a whole lot of text in between this post and the bottom of the page. I like colors and things, so here are some GIFs.