What I missed in 2013!

Sometimes really cool stuff just passes me by.  Here are a few releases that had snuck past me in 2013, almost certainly would have ended up in my top 10 last year:
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NUMBER 5
Hajimetal
Super Solo - EP

So, I was bored one day, deciding it would be a good idea to look up ミドリ on last.fm. They're a short lived bonkers punk band, and I figured I'd at least read a few amusing comments about them.  There on the band's page was the keyboard player, plugging his EP.  It's a completely different style than ミドリ, but a very nice surprise.  Top shelf synthpop.  "Last Violence" should be in the sequel to Killer7 that Suda51 will never make.

NUMBER 4
Enemies
Embark, Embrace

A friend of mine shared this with me when we were talking about our 2013 favs around this time last year.  I love instrumental music, especially in the catchy + technical vein (think Battles).  Yup, Enemies has this down pat.  Some great head-bobbing driving tunes here. First few seconds of "Executive Cut" had me hooked all the way through the rest of the album.

NUMBER 3
Kenichi Asai
PIL

Despite all the praise I laid at the feet of Kenichi Asai for this year's Nancy, it never occurred to me in 2013 to check in on what he was up to.  PIL happened to be one of Asai's most catchy albums.  That's including all of his bands.  Just listen to the swagger of "Old Punx Video".  The man is ageless.

NUMBER 2
The Golden Wet Fingers
Kill After Kiss

Okay, now this is just getting embarrassing.  Listen; you may think I'm some kind of Japanese rock music megafan or something.  I'm not.  I just like the bands I like.  The ones I like that arent covered on most music sites (like bands Chiba fucking Yusuke are in!!!) kind of slip by me.  Especially if they have a really gross and stupid name like The Golden Wet Fingers.  Typical Yusuke band name.  Their sleazy rock and roll style in songs like "Chicks" live up to their name.  It's Yusuke.  It rocks.

NUMBER 1
The Julie Ruin
Run Fast

I love Kathleen Hanna.  Not as much as I want to love her, mind you.  The first Le Tigre album is the only thing I can honestly say I 100% enjoy.  She's cut from my kind of punk-rock cloth though.  The Julie Ruin is the perfect little bow to wrap around her bratty spitfire delivery.  This album could have just been 10 takes of "Cookie Rd." and I still would have been through the roof over it.