As we gear up for all the new music that 2014 will have to offer, we're taking a look back at the past year's 10 most popular posts from our Music/Video section. We repeat: we aren't ranking this according to artistic merit or personal preference; it's a purely statistical tally of which posts in our Music/Video section earned the most traffic from our readers.
The diverse selection includes plenty of Canadian and international artists that span a range of genres. The real takeaway here? That although people have predicted for years that iTunes would bring about the downfall of the full-length album format, most listeners are still a fan of the good ol' fashioned long-player.
Scroll down to find out what our readers were listening to in 2013, then head over to our 2013 in Lists section to see more of our Year-End coverage.
Exclaim!'s Top 10 Music/Video Posts of 2013:
10. Crusades - 'Perhaps You Deliver This Judgment With Greater Fear Than I Receive It' (album stream)
Kicking off our countdown are a Canadian band who take an ambitious approach to punk. Crusades mix their hard-hitting tunes with literary lyrics inspired by the teachings of Italian friar and philosopher Giordano Bruno. As frontman Dave Williams told Exclaim!, "The record's title is a rough translation of Giordano Bruno's response to his sentence of death by the Roman Inquisition for crimes of heresy at the end of the 16th century. Bruno was imprisoned in a lightless dungeon for eight years before being burned to death in a crowded marketplace for 'holding opinions contrary to the Catholic faith.' He was a brilliant philosopher, artist, mathematician, astronomer and poet. This LP is a reflection on his life and death, on his ideas and writings, and on his place in history as a martyr for free thought, science and anti-Christianity. He is the archetype for the modern atheist."
9. Daft Punk - "Get Lucky" (video) (dir. by Peter Serafinowicz)
Daft Punk's insanely catchy single "Get Lucky" was everywhere this spring, drumming up heaps of anticipation for the electronic duo's album, Random Access Memories. This prompted English funnyman Peter Serafinowicz to unveil an unofficial music video featuring a triple-headed version of himself shimmying, lip-syncing and mugging for the camera. Even through the clip was less than two minutes long, it was one of our most popular videos of the year.
8. Major Lazer - "Bubble Butt" (ft. Bruno Mars, 2 Chainz, Mystic and Tyga) (video)
After lengthy delays, Major Lazer finally released Free the Universe this spring, and followed it with a music video for the song "Bubble Butt." There are lots of likely reasons why this video earned so many clicks; the song features Bruno Mars, 2 Chainz, Mystic and Tyga; it was directed by comedian Eric Wareheim; and it contains lots of bizarre imagery including the triple-faced woman from our screengrab.
7. Austra - 'Olympia' (album stream)
Austra's 2011 debut, Feel It Break, turned them into one of the country's hottest buzz bands, and we were all eager to hear the follow-up. Olympia offers a brighter, more bubbly style than the icy electronic textures of the prior LP, with more organic sounds and a greater emphasis on collaboration. Austra was on Exclaim!'s cover for the album release, and lots of readers were keen to sample the new direction.
6. Baptists - 'Bushcraft' (album stream)
Here's another fantastic album from a much-loved Canadian act. Vancouver-based metal/hardcore outfit Baptists recorded their album Bushcraft with Kurt Ballou of Converge, and the producer helped the band achieve the sound they had always envisioned for their music. Guitarist Danny Marshall told Exclaim!, "I think that Kurt's production and playing on many of our favourite records has shaped much of the overall feel of our band, not just this record. In past recording sessions, we found ourselves giving Ballou-engineered albums as overall production/mixing references, so to me we're now hearing our band the way we had always wanted it to sound."
[Editor's note: This album stream was removed by the artist/label] 5. Washed Out - 'Paracosm' (album stream)
The chillwave craze has died down, but Washed Out (a.k.a. songwriter Ernest Greene) has outlived the trend by overhauling his sound. While Paracosm still features his signature dreamy dance-pop tunes, it also boasts lush sonic textures including acoustic elements, natural-sounding percussion and a more diverse palette of synths and keyboards.
[Editor's note: This album stream was partially removed by the artist/label]
4. Jim Guthrie - 'Takes Time' (album stream)
Canadian journeyman songwriter Jim Guthrie has been working on his latest solo album for years. The songs were recored between 2007 and 2012, and Guthrie had told Exclaim! way back in 2010, "I actually started it three years ago and then just stopped working on it only to pick it up again and then put it back down! I'm hoping to finish it soon because it's getting to the point of just plain lame." Fans were clearly excited to hear the aptly named Takes Time, since it was one of our most listened to album streams of the year.
3. Daniel Romano - 'Come Cry with Me' (album stream)
Daniel Romano's Come Cry with Me recently topped Exclaim!'s list of the Top 10 Country, Folk & Blues Albums of 2013, so it's only fitting that the album stream was a popular one. This is a classic country record, with raw and rootsy production, vintage-flavoured acoustic ballads, and one of the most fantastically retro album covers we've ever seen.
2. Born Ruffians - 'Birthmarks' (album stream)
Born Ruffians frontman Luke Lalonde has had a very busy stretch recently, releasing a solo album just half a year before Born Ruffians dropped Birthmarks this spring. The songs span three years of writing and demoing, and our readers were clearly thrilled with the results; comments on the post included, "Jesus christ this is good," "holy mother of whatever. this album fucking rocks." and "This is so good, I need a shower!"
1. Lil Wayne "Good Kush and Alcohol (Bitches Love Me)" (ft. Drake & Future)
Here we are: our most popular Music/Video post of the year. Technically speaking, this one actually came out in 2012, since it dropped on New Year's Eve of last year. But it remained so popular throughout the year that it topped our 2013 list. Lil Wayne may not be the critical darling he once was, but his song "Good Kush and Alcohol (Bitches Love Me)" proved that he's still got a fervent following. Or maybe readers were simply attracted by kush, alcohol and Drake? Whatever the case, this song ruled our Click/Hear section this year.
The diverse selection includes plenty of Canadian and international artists that span a range of genres. The real takeaway here? That although people have predicted for years that iTunes would bring about the downfall of the full-length album format, most listeners are still a fan of the good ol' fashioned long-player.
Scroll down to find out what our readers were listening to in 2013, then head over to our 2013 in Lists section to see more of our Year-End coverage.
Exclaim!'s Top 10 Music/Video Posts of 2013:
10. Crusades - 'Perhaps You Deliver This Judgment With Greater Fear Than I Receive It' (album stream)
Kicking off our countdown are a Canadian band who take an ambitious approach to punk. Crusades mix their hard-hitting tunes with literary lyrics inspired by the teachings of Italian friar and philosopher Giordano Bruno. As frontman Dave Williams told Exclaim!, "The record's title is a rough translation of Giordano Bruno's response to his sentence of death by the Roman Inquisition for crimes of heresy at the end of the 16th century. Bruno was imprisoned in a lightless dungeon for eight years before being burned to death in a crowded marketplace for 'holding opinions contrary to the Catholic faith.' He was a brilliant philosopher, artist, mathematician, astronomer and poet. This LP is a reflection on his life and death, on his ideas and writings, and on his place in history as a martyr for free thought, science and anti-Christianity. He is the archetype for the modern atheist."
9. Daft Punk - "Get Lucky" (video) (dir. by Peter Serafinowicz)
Daft Punk's insanely catchy single "Get Lucky" was everywhere this spring, drumming up heaps of anticipation for the electronic duo's album, Random Access Memories. This prompted English funnyman Peter Serafinowicz to unveil an unofficial music video featuring a triple-headed version of himself shimmying, lip-syncing and mugging for the camera. Even through the clip was less than two minutes long, it was one of our most popular videos of the year.
8. Major Lazer - "Bubble Butt" (ft. Bruno Mars, 2 Chainz, Mystic and Tyga) (video)
After lengthy delays, Major Lazer finally released Free the Universe this spring, and followed it with a music video for the song "Bubble Butt." There are lots of likely reasons why this video earned so many clicks; the song features Bruno Mars, 2 Chainz, Mystic and Tyga; it was directed by comedian Eric Wareheim; and it contains lots of bizarre imagery including the triple-faced woman from our screengrab.
7. Austra - 'Olympia' (album stream)
Austra's 2011 debut, Feel It Break, turned them into one of the country's hottest buzz bands, and we were all eager to hear the follow-up. Olympia offers a brighter, more bubbly style than the icy electronic textures of the prior LP, with more organic sounds and a greater emphasis on collaboration. Austra was on Exclaim!'s cover for the album release, and lots of readers were keen to sample the new direction.
6. Baptists - 'Bushcraft' (album stream)
Here's another fantastic album from a much-loved Canadian act. Vancouver-based metal/hardcore outfit Baptists recorded their album Bushcraft with Kurt Ballou of Converge, and the producer helped the band achieve the sound they had always envisioned for their music. Guitarist Danny Marshall told Exclaim!, "I think that Kurt's production and playing on many of our favourite records has shaped much of the overall feel of our band, not just this record. In past recording sessions, we found ourselves giving Ballou-engineered albums as overall production/mixing references, so to me we're now hearing our band the way we had always wanted it to sound."
[Editor's note: This album stream was removed by the artist/label] 5. Washed Out - 'Paracosm' (album stream)
The chillwave craze has died down, but Washed Out (a.k.a. songwriter Ernest Greene) has outlived the trend by overhauling his sound. While Paracosm still features his signature dreamy dance-pop tunes, it also boasts lush sonic textures including acoustic elements, natural-sounding percussion and a more diverse palette of synths and keyboards.
[Editor's note: This album stream was partially removed by the artist/label]
4. Jim Guthrie - 'Takes Time' (album stream)
Canadian journeyman songwriter Jim Guthrie has been working on his latest solo album for years. The songs were recored between 2007 and 2012, and Guthrie had told Exclaim! way back in 2010, "I actually started it three years ago and then just stopped working on it only to pick it up again and then put it back down! I'm hoping to finish it soon because it's getting to the point of just plain lame." Fans were clearly excited to hear the aptly named Takes Time, since it was one of our most listened to album streams of the year.
3. Daniel Romano - 'Come Cry with Me' (album stream)
Daniel Romano's Come Cry with Me recently topped Exclaim!'s list of the Top 10 Country, Folk & Blues Albums of 2013, so it's only fitting that the album stream was a popular one. This is a classic country record, with raw and rootsy production, vintage-flavoured acoustic ballads, and one of the most fantastically retro album covers we've ever seen.
2. Born Ruffians - 'Birthmarks' (album stream)
Born Ruffians frontman Luke Lalonde has had a very busy stretch recently, releasing a solo album just half a year before Born Ruffians dropped Birthmarks this spring. The songs span three years of writing and demoing, and our readers were clearly thrilled with the results; comments on the post included, "Jesus christ this is good," "holy mother of whatever. this album fucking rocks." and "This is so good, I need a shower!"
1. Lil Wayne "Good Kush and Alcohol (Bitches Love Me)" (ft. Drake & Future)
Here we are: our most popular Music/Video post of the year. Technically speaking, this one actually came out in 2012, since it dropped on New Year's Eve of last year. But it remained so popular throughout the year that it topped our 2013 list. Lil Wayne may not be the critical darling he once was, but his song "Good Kush and Alcohol (Bitches Love Me)" proved that he's still got a fervent following. Or maybe readers were simply attracted by kush, alcohol and Drake? Whatever the case, this song ruled our Click/Hear section this year.