Here at Exclaim!, we spend all day every day scouring the corners of the music world for the latest news. Among the many artists we reported on in 2013, there were a few names that kept rising to the top — musicians who were a constant source of discussion, controversy and/or interest.
These aren't necessarily the best-liked artists, or even the most famous; rather, these are the ones who truly defined 2013. When we talked shop with our colleagues or discussed music with our non-industry friends, these are the folks that kept coming up in conversation over the last 12 months.
As we gear up for the news of 2014, let's take a look back at the year's biggest players. When you're done, check out the rest of our Year-End coverage in our 2013 in Lists section.
Top 10 Newsmakers of 2013:
10. Lauryn Hill
In 2012, Lauryn Hill pled guilty to tax evasion, but it wasn't until 2013 that the shit really hit the fan. We thought that she would be able to avoid jail time when she signed a deal with Sony in order to pay her taxes, but she ended up in the clink for three months nonetheless. Since being freed, she's given us a thank-you message and new material, and her song "Consumerism" shows that she's still as outspoken and uncompromising as ever.
9. FLAG/Black Flag
Black Flag earned a few groans around the water cooler early on in the year, as the legendary punk band announced that two separate lineups would be reuniting — one as Black Flag, as the other as FLAG. This, inevitably, led to a copyright infringement lawsuit, but things got downright silly when Black Flag had an ugly breakup with vocalist Ron Reyes just days before their comeback album, What The…, arrived in stores. The album got panned, but after all the messiness that preceded it, was anyone surprised? "What The…" is right.
8. Morrissey
Formers Smiths frontman Morrissey's year got off to a rocky start, as the singer cancelled tours due to chronic ill health, and his artistic output was overshadowed by his barbed political statements, his unflinching stance on animal rights and his feud with Jimmy Kimmel. Things began to turn around for him, however; he earned a ton of attention for his Autobiography, which hilariously came out on Penguin Classics in the UK. Throw in a live DVD, a Lou Reed-honouring single and some retrospective reissues, and you've got an extremely diverse and eventful year.
7. As I Lay Dying
One of 2013's most shocking stories occurred this spring when Tim Lambesis, frontman of Christian metalcore act As I Lay Dying, was arrested for allegedly attempting to hire an undercover cop posing as a hitman to kill his estranged wife. He pled not guilty, and reports have since suggested that Lambesis' steroid use may have been a factor. In November, it was reported that his wife is suing him for $2 million. We can't comment on what actually took place, but Lambesis has made (and retracted) a statement about the alleged incident.
6. Arcade Fire
For the most part, Arcade Fire's Reflektor was welcomed with open arms. With co-producer James Murphy in tow, they gave their sound a danceable makeover, and earned rave reviews in the process. The buzz soured somewhat when they asked fans to come to their shows in formal wear, but for the most part, the band remained our country's most beloved critical darlings. After all, the dress code is "super not mandatory." 5. Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus had long been a pop mega-star among teens, but the former Hannah Montana took pop culture by storm when she got naked, straddled a concrete ball, and licked a sledgehammer in her Terry Richardson-directed music video for "Wrecking Ball." Adding fuel to the fire, she did a whole lot of televised twerking, and she even stirred up a debate about mental health when she mocked Sinéad O'Connor. Plus, we were all sort of weirded out by the way Miley's tongue seems to constantly be sticking out of the side of her mouth.
4. Lou Reed
In 2013, no death rocked the music world quite as much as when Lou Reed passed away this fall due to liver disease. Since then, the Velvet Underground frontman has been honoured with heartfelt statements, a seemingly endless string of cover tunes (including ones by Macaulay Culkin's pizza-themed band the Pizza Underground), a documentary and more. He was one the most influential and groundbreaking music figure of the last 50 years, so it's only right that he's been justly honoured in death. Interestingly, he was making headlines even before his death, sticking up for Kanye West's controversial lyrics in a very positive review of Yeezus for The Talkhouse.
3. Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Post-rock lifers Godspeed You! Black Emperor weren't on hand when they won the 2013 Polaris Music Prize, but they stirred up a heated debate the next day when they issued a statement condemning the award and its corporate sponsors. According to the group, "asking the toyota motor company to help cover the tab for that gala, during a summer where the melting northern ice caps are live-streaming on the internet, IS FUCKING INSANE, and comes across as tone-deaf to the current horrifying malaise." While the group have since been fairly quiet on the issue, this was Canada's mostly widely-discussed music controversy in 2013.
2. Daft Punk
Legendary French electronic duo Daft Punk didn't have as crazy a year as some of the other artists on this list; their year didn't include any murder plots, gratuitous nudity, or prison sentences. But with Random Access Memories, they took their promotional efforts to the next level. Propelled by the mind-blowingly catchy "Get Lucky" and a high-profile cast of contributors including Julian Casablancas, Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers and Panda Bear, Daft Punk were all we could talk about for weeks. Throw in a widely publicized talk show cancellation, condoms of indeterminate origin, race cars, action figures and an Exclaim! cover story and you've got a banner year for one of electronic music's biggest acts.
1. Kanye West
Just in case Kanye West hadn't already earned the official title of music's most aggravating egomaniac, then 2013 was definitely the year in which he sealed the deal. He cancelled shows at the last minute, flew into a rage at Jimmy Kimmel, issued Confederate-themed merch items, had a baby named North West with his fiancée Kim Kardashian, faced an assault case from a paparazzo, shared grotesquely gory promotional videos, asked fans to pay $120 for plain T-shirts, and made interview comments like "I am a Christian revolutionary visionary. I'm also a creative genius by default." Oh, and did we mention that he named his album Yeezus? Thing is, he's at the top of his game, so it's hard to scoff at his behaviour when he's got the output to back it up.
These aren't necessarily the best-liked artists, or even the most famous; rather, these are the ones who truly defined 2013. When we talked shop with our colleagues or discussed music with our non-industry friends, these are the folks that kept coming up in conversation over the last 12 months.
As we gear up for the news of 2014, let's take a look back at the year's biggest players. When you're done, check out the rest of our Year-End coverage in our 2013 in Lists section.
Top 10 Newsmakers of 2013:
10. Lauryn Hill
In 2012, Lauryn Hill pled guilty to tax evasion, but it wasn't until 2013 that the shit really hit the fan. We thought that she would be able to avoid jail time when she signed a deal with Sony in order to pay her taxes, but she ended up in the clink for three months nonetheless. Since being freed, she's given us a thank-you message and new material, and her song "Consumerism" shows that she's still as outspoken and uncompromising as ever.
9. FLAG/Black Flag
Black Flag earned a few groans around the water cooler early on in the year, as the legendary punk band announced that two separate lineups would be reuniting — one as Black Flag, as the other as FLAG. This, inevitably, led to a copyright infringement lawsuit, but things got downright silly when Black Flag had an ugly breakup with vocalist Ron Reyes just days before their comeback album, What The…, arrived in stores. The album got panned, but after all the messiness that preceded it, was anyone surprised? "What The…" is right.
8. Morrissey
Formers Smiths frontman Morrissey's year got off to a rocky start, as the singer cancelled tours due to chronic ill health, and his artistic output was overshadowed by his barbed political statements, his unflinching stance on animal rights and his feud with Jimmy Kimmel. Things began to turn around for him, however; he earned a ton of attention for his Autobiography, which hilariously came out on Penguin Classics in the UK. Throw in a live DVD, a Lou Reed-honouring single and some retrospective reissues, and you've got an extremely diverse and eventful year.
7. As I Lay Dying
One of 2013's most shocking stories occurred this spring when Tim Lambesis, frontman of Christian metalcore act As I Lay Dying, was arrested for allegedly attempting to hire an undercover cop posing as a hitman to kill his estranged wife. He pled not guilty, and reports have since suggested that Lambesis' steroid use may have been a factor. In November, it was reported that his wife is suing him for $2 million. We can't comment on what actually took place, but Lambesis has made (and retracted) a statement about the alleged incident.
6. Arcade Fire
For the most part, Arcade Fire's Reflektor was welcomed with open arms. With co-producer James Murphy in tow, they gave their sound a danceable makeover, and earned rave reviews in the process. The buzz soured somewhat when they asked fans to come to their shows in formal wear, but for the most part, the band remained our country's most beloved critical darlings. After all, the dress code is "super not mandatory." 5. Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus had long been a pop mega-star among teens, but the former Hannah Montana took pop culture by storm when she got naked, straddled a concrete ball, and licked a sledgehammer in her Terry Richardson-directed music video for "Wrecking Ball." Adding fuel to the fire, she did a whole lot of televised twerking, and she even stirred up a debate about mental health when she mocked Sinéad O'Connor. Plus, we were all sort of weirded out by the way Miley's tongue seems to constantly be sticking out of the side of her mouth.
4. Lou Reed
In 2013, no death rocked the music world quite as much as when Lou Reed passed away this fall due to liver disease. Since then, the Velvet Underground frontman has been honoured with heartfelt statements, a seemingly endless string of cover tunes (including ones by Macaulay Culkin's pizza-themed band the Pizza Underground), a documentary and more. He was one the most influential and groundbreaking music figure of the last 50 years, so it's only right that he's been justly honoured in death. Interestingly, he was making headlines even before his death, sticking up for Kanye West's controversial lyrics in a very positive review of Yeezus for The Talkhouse.
3. Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Post-rock lifers Godspeed You! Black Emperor weren't on hand when they won the 2013 Polaris Music Prize, but they stirred up a heated debate the next day when they issued a statement condemning the award and its corporate sponsors. According to the group, "asking the toyota motor company to help cover the tab for that gala, during a summer where the melting northern ice caps are live-streaming on the internet, IS FUCKING INSANE, and comes across as tone-deaf to the current horrifying malaise." While the group have since been fairly quiet on the issue, this was Canada's mostly widely-discussed music controversy in 2013.
2. Daft Punk
Legendary French electronic duo Daft Punk didn't have as crazy a year as some of the other artists on this list; their year didn't include any murder plots, gratuitous nudity, or prison sentences. But with Random Access Memories, they took their promotional efforts to the next level. Propelled by the mind-blowingly catchy "Get Lucky" and a high-profile cast of contributors including Julian Casablancas, Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers and Panda Bear, Daft Punk were all we could talk about for weeks. Throw in a widely publicized talk show cancellation, condoms of indeterminate origin, race cars, action figures and an Exclaim! cover story and you've got a banner year for one of electronic music's biggest acts.
1. Kanye West
Just in case Kanye West hadn't already earned the official title of music's most aggravating egomaniac, then 2013 was definitely the year in which he sealed the deal. He cancelled shows at the last minute, flew into a rage at Jimmy Kimmel, issued Confederate-themed merch items, had a baby named North West with his fiancée Kim Kardashian, faced an assault case from a paparazzo, shared grotesquely gory promotional videos, asked fans to pay $120 for plain T-shirts, and made interview comments like "I am a Christian revolutionary visionary. I'm also a creative genius by default." Oh, and did we mention that he named his album Yeezus? Thing is, he's at the top of his game, so it's hard to scoff at his behaviour when he's got the output to back it up.