Favorite Music of 2013

A lot of really good music has come out this year...so I thought I'd make a list (in no particular order) of some of my favorite music this year.

Inland by Jars of Clay: Jars of Clay will forever and always be one of my favorite groups. Their debut album is one of my favorite albums in the entire world...none of their later albums have been able to live up to it (although many of them were very good). Inland gets pretty close to being as good (maybe if I didn't feel so nostalgic about the debut album, I could say that Inland is just as good). I don't think I've ever listened to an album that so skillfully gives insights into humans and the intricacies of relationships. Favorite song on the album: Inland. (Awesome John Donne reference)


Bad Blood by Bastille: Gosh, this album is amazing. I haven't stopped listening to Bad Blood since it came out. The first time I heard Bastille, I heard a stripped back, more orchestral, version of Flaws and I cried. Immediately, I knew that they were special and I needed their album. Their album lived up to the high expectations I had. Bad Blood has a mix of upbeat, fun songs and slower, insightful songs--all with an electric feel. Dan Smith so skillfully weaves in literary and historical allusions (which I love)--he's an amazing writer. Obsessed. The whole album is amazing, and I can't pick just one favorite.


Halcyon Days by Ellie Goulding: Technically, Halcyon came out in late 2012, but was re-released with several bonus tracks, so I'm including it in my list! The first time I heard Ellie Goulding, I wasn't a huge fan of her voice, certain notes she hit rubbed me the wrong way. I don't even recall how I started listening to her after that, but I'm glad I did--her voice is absolutely incredible and she's one of my favorite female singers now. Halcyon Days is one of those albums that I turn the volume up really high and just get work done. Such a fun album, but there are also some really beautiful, slower songs. My favorite song on here is Anything Could Happen...I'm pretty sure that this is one of the best pop songs ever. 


Pure Heroine by Lorde: This will be on loads of people's lists this year. It's such a good album. Everybody has heard Royals, but Lorde's album is so much better than just that one song. This was another, when I heard Royals back in May, I knew this girl had talent and was about to make it big. I'm so excited for her! She's such a talented writer...I think it's amazing how she's explained so well in her music what it's like to be a teenager and grow up. It's not the fluff that so much of media makes people thing youth is. My favorite songs on here are probably Team and Buzzcut Season.

Joy of Nothing by Foy Vance: Bless Ed Sheeran for tweeting about Foy Vance. Foy Vance is a middle-aged, North Irish man with an amazing soulful voice. Joy of Nothing gets better with each listen and the whole album is a work of art. Foy conveys real, true emotion in every single song. I can't pick a favorite on this album, either.

Glorious Ruins by Hillsong: I highly anticipated this album, and it didn't let down! I love that this album includes songs that just make me want to burst with joy while worshiping God and then there are the more quiet, reflective, worshipful moments. Definitely my favorite worship album from this past year. I love all of the songs on here, but the title track is probably one of my favorites...I mean this is beautiful: "I'll walk through the fire/With my head lifted high/And my spirit revived in Your story/And I'll look to the cross/As my failure is lost/In the light of Your glorious grace."

English Rain by Gabrielle Aplin: Joelle (my sister) introduced me to Gabrielle Aplin's music this year and we have since both been gobbling up her music. I had to have English Rain imported because it wasn't being released in the US until sometime next year. All of the songs on here are beautifully written poems, really. Gabrielle sings all of the songs in her clear, ethereal voice and conveys doubts, questioning, sorrow, pain, and love. Certain parts of this album are so sublime while other songs are more simple. My favorite song is either Gabrielle's cover of Power of Love or else Human. Beautiful.

Several other's that I've been loving or I am still working on thoroughly listening to: In a Perfect World (Kodaline), Fire Within (Birdy), If You Wait (London Grammar), Midnight In the Garden (Lily Kershaw). And haters gonna hate, but I'm loving Midnight Memories by One Direction right now (it's a fun, 'guilty pleasure' listen).

Also, I have to mention that one of my favorite songs this year is "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" by Hillsong United. Beautiful, powerful song. This song is always such a worship moment for me...and it's pretty much daily my prayer.

You should check out all of this different music!