The Best Songs of 2013 (So Far)

Related: The Best Songs of 2014 (So Far)

Related: The Best Albums of 2014 (So Far)

When Earl Sweatshirt returned in late 2012 with the arrestingly personal single "Chum," its more mature subject matter seemed to signal a new direction for the teenage rap prodigy. For any that feared he'd gotten out of the business of rapping his ass off for the sake of rapping his ass off, follow-up "Whoa" proved Earl could still spit dizzying verses that were as mindlessly entertaining as they were virtuosic. It recalls the music that made the Odd Future emcee an internet phenom, without the wanton vulgarity that also spurred his rise (perhaps another sign of the maturation "Chum" suggested). And, for good measure, Tyler rolls through on the chorus to remind us that it wouldn't be a proper OF party without him.

"Retina Television" uses negative space more beautifully than any other song this year. Stunningly pretty, the sparse production and rare moments of complete silence turn this into one of those songs that makes you want to stop everything you're doing and just listen. In an environment of party tracks, atmospheric background music, and mindless pop, this was a song that is powerful in its gripping ability to make everything else fade away when it plays.

Kid Cudi has never been afraid to experiment with his music. In fact, that’s all the introspective rapper/rocker/actor has done since his debut mixtape in 2008. Fans have largely applauded these random swings in artistic direction, perhaps with the exception of WZRD, and it’s largely because of his devout following that Cudi’s been able to grow so creatively as a musician. On Indicud, his vision and quest for evolution resulted in one the album’s best tracks, “Red Eye,” which features a leading contribution from the lovely Haim sisters. This song may not fit in perfectly with the rest of the album, but its sleek production and catchy hook make it a standout for all the right reasons.

It's only the first half of 2013 but Drake has already given us a lot of material to work with. While "Started From The Bottom" and "No New Friends" may see more radio plays and club spins, his strongest offering comes in the form of "Girls Love Beyonce." Coated with an old school R&B vibe, the track peaks with a throwback-chorus to Destiny's Child's hit "Say My Name," and Drake slows things down to rap-sing about dealing with dating now that he's famous. What makes this track truly special though, is both unassuming and striking. The first few times you sort of listen to it ironically, rolling your eyes thinking "there goes Drizzy again with his emotional rap." But then after a few times through it hits you: all jokes aside, this is actually an incredibly strong song. This is Drake's strength—he's mastered the powerful after-shock effect in his songs, which continues to make him not only one of the most popular artists today, but also indicates that he's one of the most talented.

Female artists with a powerful vocal presence aren't necessarily hard to come by, but to find a vocalist that can actually imbue a song with passionate, riveting emotion is a rare thing, and 2013 has found one in Meg Myers. Although P&P has been following her career since the beginning, Myers recently signed to Atlantic, and this song is her first officially released through them. It's nice to see that despite her major label status, Myers possesses the poise and persistence to stay true to her unique direction. There's no vampy posturing or simpering here—it's about the music and the emotion—and Myers pulls off the whole package like a pro.

While George continues to demonstrate a love of off-kilter but always accessible production, Aluna delivers another performance worthy of her new status as the queen of saccharine sweet pop music. When pop music is done well, it is one of life's greatest musical pleasures, and "Diver" is exactly that, with a hook that will be in your head for days, and enough thump to get your feet moving.

After you get over the fact that Lil Wayne isn't in his Mixtape Weezy zone (and may never be in that zone again), you can appreciate I Am Not A Human Being II for what it is: a mediocre rap album with a few undeniable hits sprinkled in. "Rich As Fuck" isn't the song that we're going to look back on in 20 years like, "Damn, Lil Wayne's art was timeless." It is, however, one of the few songs we, without fail, want to hear every time we get drunk with friends. That counts for something, right?

THE 30 BEST LIL WAYNE MIXTAPE TRACKS

Danish songstress MØ knows exactly how to create songs that are unique and catchy without being too gimmicky or over the top. It sounds simple, but in the world of pop music that balance is hard to find. Her fantastic single "Glass" opens with with her delicate vocals layered over subdued, skittering dubstep-tinged production until it reaches the chorus, where the song erupts into that euphoric peak. It has just the right amount of edge to make it worth repeat listens, and with a whole sea of female pop artists waiting in the wings, that's an invaluable trait to have in 2013.

When all is said and done, nothing matters in music as much as songwriting. There are thousands of other factors and even good songwriting is worthless by itself, but there is nothing more immediate and satisfying than a melody and arrangement that makes sense and comforts our complicated brains. MisterWives' "Coffins" is one of those rare songs that hits all the right notes and almost makes you amazed that this is a new song, that in the history of humans nobody has already come up with this specific sequence of sounds. Now it's here, it's perfect, and it belongs in the middle of a sad movie with a happy ending.

While Justin Timberlake may have stolen headlines and dominated the charts with his lounge-y return to the public eye, Robin Thicke not-so-quietly released the feel-good throwback track of the year. Riding a simple, sexy groove and practically overflowing with not so subtle dance floor come-on's, "Blurred Lines" is a perfect party starter, party closer, icebreaker and theme music for lost inhibitions. Even if you're not having a night on the town, it's still a hell of a lot of fun; get down to it alone in your bedroom.

Gucci Mane sometimes gets lumped in with other rappers who mostly talk about drugs, violence, and women. Under this big umbrella he gets labeled with words like "ignorant" and "basic," but those familiar with Guwop know that there's an odd charm and an unmistakeably unique quality to the Atlanta veteran that most rappers can't come close to. At his best, Gucci is dark, compelling, and weird; the second verse of "Darker" is Gucci at his best. On paper, lyrics like "Gucci Mane keep pulling up in darkly painted cars/Dropped the top on your bitch, now she looking at the stars" might not seem stunning, but his delivery is frighteningly brilliant.

Those familiar with Heems' Greedhead label as a mix of intelligent and humorous hip-hop probably weren't expecting this. There is nothing funny about "Black Satin Living Room." Over sparse production, Safe sings about that blurry, difficult line between friendship and love. It's one of the most emotionally raw and effective songs we've heard this year, and the intense video made it resonate with even more power.

Manchester's Bipolar Sunshine has kept the legions fiending since first dropping "Fire" last November. Luckily, this one scrap he's thrown our way is juicy enough to keep the wolves at bay. Fundamentally at odds with pillowy reverb and deep space heartache we find in "Fire," "Rivers" is a punk-gospel freakout. Adio's soulful bellow is still there but the tenderness of his first track has mutated into pure insistent energy. Driving drums and some good ol' rock and roll propel "Rivers" onto this list and into your head for the next three hours. Days. Months.

Look out for Bipolar Sunshine's inaugural Aesthetics EP June 17th.

Though A$AP Rocky's debut album LONG.LIVE.A$AP largely failed to recapture the spirit and sound that spurred his ascent, "Ghetto Symphony" provided a glimpse into how the murky epics that dotted breakthrough mixtape Live.Love.A$AP could sound updated for mainstream consumption. With a stellar verse from the increasingly reliable Gunplay, a high energy turn from A$AP Ferg, and a cinematic backdrop in tow, Rocky crafts something both stadium-sized and vaguely haunting (like mixtape standout "Palace" before it).

The mark of a good song is that every element fits together. Cole Williams, aka The Child of Lov (which stands for light, oxygen, and voltage), provides the perfect haunting, slow-building backdrop for the "doom and gloom" present in Damon Albarn's voice. The parts of this song enhance and play off of one another, ultimately coming together to yield a relentless, stick-to-your-ribs whole. Getting the Blur frontman/Gorillaz creator to jump on your song is no easy task, but to be able to craft music that fits Albarn's voice so well is a sign of Williams' real skill.

Deptford Goth quietly and unassumingly came out of nowhere with a great album of moody, often sparse electronic landscapes and softly poignant lyrics. "Union," with its gently beating heart of warm drums and hazy synth washes, ecapsulates all that is best about Daniel Woolhouse's project, creating powerful, personal music with the utmost restraint and subtlety. Soundtrack your sadness with the melancholy "Union."

Foals have, over the course of three albums, evolved from punky, spiky, math-rock outliers into one of most well-rounded and highly focused British rock bands out. Their most recent album, Holy Fire takes in upbeat dance-rock, reverb heavy freak-outs, and sweeping ballads, and the high point is "Late Night." Coming at the album's mid-point, it builds in a slow, controlled manner to the impassioned crescendo of the devastatingly simple chorus, which drops away to let a delicious little riff carry the song towards its close.

As if the song wasn't stunning enough on its own, it got an X-rated, but genuinely powerful, thought-provoking video directed by Nabil, who's worked with Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Bon Iver, and Daft Punk.

Stick that in your TNGHT and smoke it. Anyone thinking HudMo and Lunice were the only one making beats big enough to literally crush a building needs to check Rustie's most recent release on Numbers, "Triadzz / Slasherr." While "Slasherr" is like some Glass Swords tracks (but on steroids), "Triadzz" sees the Glasweigian exploring new territory, taking what he needs from the omnipresent trap sound, mixing it with his razor-edged synth stabs, and concocting the sort of monstrous beat that only someone like Danny Brown could handle, and only Rustie could have made.

15 SONGS THAT NEED TO BE REMIXED BY RAPPERS

With producer Ariel Rechtshaid (Usher, Major Lazer, Charli XCX, HAIM) behind the boards, Vampire Weekend have taken their music to new, grander heights on their recently released third album. The standout is "Ya Hey," a sweeping, ambitious song that is full of brilliant little touches (the pitched up vocals, the choral backing, the spoken word interlude) all of which contribute to the overall excellence of the final product. Vampire Weekend, it's a pleasure to watch you evolve.

Artists have long wrestled with the topic of love in their music. Depending on one’s motivations, a song can either be jubilant or tragic. “Song For Zula” is deeply rooted in the latter, and although it sounds very soothing, the detailed lyrics paint an entirely different picture. Phosphorescent uses a series of vivid analogies to tell the story of a man who has been spiritually demoralized and physically defeated by a spoiled love. It’s not an easy subject, but the lyrical imagery is too beautiful to overlook, making “Song For Zula” one of the most emotional and oddly relatable songs to come along in quite some time.

Synth pop trio CHVRCHES may be relatively new to this whole music thing, but that hasn’t stopped the Glasgow-based outfit from creating something very complex and battle-scarred with their breakthrough single, “Recover.” While externally the record glistens with all that is cheerful and bright, the guts of this tune are murky and at times somewhat depressing. That’s part of what makes it such an excellent release. There’s depth beneath the surface if you care to dig, and polished bubbling fun on the outside if you don’t.

If you've ever seen Arthur Ashin, better known as Autre Ne Veut, perform live, then you might understand why he's been included on this list. While Anxiety is an impressive album through and through, "Counting" shines as one of the record's more obvious highlights. For most, it was your first taste of Ashin—a unique blend of stabbing synths and blaring instruments that err on the side of obtrusive, varying in texture and velvety, soaring vocals—and it stuck with you. Ashin's music is an assault on one's senses, challenging you to process all of its layers at once. But the moment that all those layers come together, it ultimately becomes an incredibly unique music listening experience.

After the surprise release of Jay-Z's "Open Letter," Kanye fired off a since deleted tweet, “Our family Hov brought that real hip hop shit this morning so me and Pusha wanna keep that feeling going.” "Keep that feeling going" meant "Numbers On The Boards," a clanging conoction of RZA-esque bass drones, Premo-inspired drums (with a bit more distortion than the legend would toss in), and an overall ominousness that serves up the perfect palette for Pusha to spit some of his most venomous verses in recent memory. It's battle call to rival rappers and an indicator that G.O.O.D. Music is getting mean in 2013 (especially if Kanye's recent activity is any indicator).

Although most people loved "Get Lucky" from the moment they heard it, for some, this song was a grower. But grow it does, as the guitar parts become more than just little bright spots and develop into full-blown sun rays. Pharrell's voice grooves into the future while still pulling from the past somehow, creating this pocket in the time-space-continuum that's suddenly happening all at once. Is this what heaven feels like? The song encapsulates that perfect night, the one where it feels like time really does disappear because everything is shimmering with the joyous, unstoppable power of music. Daft Punk, you've done it again. In the year 3013, this song will be heralded as a golden track from our time, and there will probably be actual robots dancing to it by then.

Sometimes it seems like if James Blake wanted to, he could write the kind of classic material that would fit in comfortably with artists like Nina Simone, Elton John, or Paul McCartney. But the thing about all those artists is that they have already existed. They've already made that music. What really makes James Blake special is that he's not only got the skill, he's got the artistic ambition to keep things moving forward. All it takes is reading one interview to get the idea that James Blake cares deeply about making music and maintaining progress. These days, a lot of that gets lost in the shuffle because just keeping up is hard enough. With a song like "Retrograde," James Blake proves why he's never struggling to keep up: he's already ahead.