Album of the year? The internet can't decide

Herald online·

10 Dec, 2013 09:45 PM3 mins to read

Kanye West's album 'Yeezus' is thought to be one of the best albums of the year. Photo / AP

Is it the bruising narcicism of Kanye West's thrillingingly noisy Yeezus? Is it the throwback robo-soul of French dance titans Daft Punk?

Is it the raw rock 'n' roll of Queens of the Stone Age or the Arctic Monkeys? Or is it the double album delights of art-rockers Arcade Fire?

Or does this year's album of the year award deserve to go to the minimilistic pop and teen musings of our very own Lorde?

Whoever you think deserves the title, the internet is having a very hard time deciding on exactly what this year's best album is.

As the year ender lists start rolling out, it seems there is little agreement between big music publications on the No. 1 spot.

Rolling Stone gave it to Vampire Weekend's concept album Modern Vampires of the City, while Stereogum gave it to Yeezus.

Fasterlouder.com.au awards its No.1 spot to Pure Heroine, while British rags Q and NME gave it to the The Arctic Monkeys' rugged and raw AM.

Other albums that appear frequently in music experts' top 10 lists include Deafheaven's Sunbather, My Bloody Valentine's mbv, Chance the Rapper's Acid Rap and Danny Brown's Old.

Some publications, like Pitchfork and The Guardian, haven't yet released their top albums of the year lists.

But perhaps the real decision won't be known until the New Zealand Herald announces its top 30 albums of the year in next Thursday's edition of TimeOut.

Rolling Stone
1. Modern Vampires of the City - Vampire Weekend
2. Yeezus - Kanye West
3. Random Access Memories - Daft Punk
4. New - Paul McCartney
5. Reflektor - Arcade Fire

Q magazine
1. AM - The Arctic Monkeys
2. Modern Vampires of the City - Vampire Weekend
3. The Next Day - David Bowie
4. Random Access Memories - Daft Punk
5. Immunity - Jon Hopkins

Stereogum
1. Yeezus - Kanye West
2. Sunbather - Deafheaven
3. Modern Vampires of the City - Vampire Weekend
4. Settle - Disclosure
5. mbv - My Bloody Valentine

FasterLouder.com.au
1. Pure Heroine - Lorde
2. ...Like Clockwork - Queens of the Stone Age
3. Yeezus - Kanye West
4. Hungry Ghost - Violent Soho
5. Random Access Memories - Daft Punk

TimeOut (London)
1. Settle - Disclosure
2. AM - The Arctic Monkeys
3. The Next Day - David Bowie
4. mbv - My Bloody Valentine
5. Cut 4 Me - Kelela

NME
1. AM - The Arctic Monkeys
2. Yeezus - Kanye West
3. ...Like Clockwork - Queens of the Stone Age
4. Holy Fire - Foals
5. Silence Yourself - Savages

Complex
1. Yeezus - Kanye West
2. Nothing was the Same - Drake
3. My Name is my Name - Pusha T
4. Acid Rap - Chance the Rapper
5. Old - Danny Brown

Spin
1. Yeezus - Kanye West
2. Acid Rap - Chance the Rapper
3. Modern Vampires of the City - Vampire Weekend
4. Days Are Gone - Haim
5. Settle - Disclosure