William Tyler

Let’s Get Lost: The Best American Primitive Albums of 2013 compiled by Peter Lillis for the Frontier Psychiatrist music blog.

At number one in this guys chart is Impossible Truth by William Tyler (Merge), a record I also played a lot last year and one that I’d definitely include in my own top three of 2013 (reviewed on this site by Andy Childs back in June). Before reading this top ten I’d say it was the only new record of that genre that I even listened to in the past twelve months but I was curious to whatever else had been going on in the world of American Priimitive so I had a look and I’m glad that I did because it led me to Chris Forsyth and his astonishing LP, Solar Motel. The Aquarium Drunkard nails it by saying “try to imagine Television circa 1977 recording a cover of Pharoah Sanders’ “The Creator Has A Master Plan” and you’re halfway there”. So now I have two American Primitive records in my end of year top three and that’s a first.

Steve Mason – Monkey Minds in the Devil’s Time (Domino LP). My record of the year. Great live shows too, most notably the one at Green Man.
Bibio – Silver Wilkinson (Warp)
Kenya Special: Selected East African Recordings from the 1970s & ‘80s (Soundways)
John Wizards -John Wizards (Planet Mu)
Primal Scream – Invisible City (Daniel Avery Drone City Remix)
Bill Callahan – Blue River (Drag City LP)
Kelly Stoltz – Double Exposure (Third Man LP)
Goat – Run To Your Mama (Tom Furse remix 12″)
Lace Curtain – Falling (I) (Mexican Summer 12″)
Kurt Vile – Walkin On A Pretty Daze (Matador LP)
Kurt Vile & Jennifer Herrema – Before They Make Me Run (Volcom Vinyl Club 7″)
Dirty Beaches – Drifters / Love is the Devil. Special mention for the super 8 melancholy of Elli.

Dirty Beaches – ELLI from Off Cells on Vimeo.

and this one from Australia, just out in the UK, Courtney Barnett – The Double EP (Milk!Records) which I’m really enjoying a lot, especially this one with it’s great lyrics, wonked out guitars and very cool vocal delivery:

(Jeff)