2013 Albums of da year
#3: Daughn Gibson - Me Moan (Sub Pop)
Daughn Gibson is sui generis, but most importantly he’s a self-made man. Emphasis on “man.” Last year’s All Hell was a shot across chillwave's bow, laying the smack down on generation y’s laptop beta males with a dark mix of surreal country/loop-driven soundscapes and the working-man swagger of a hard living artist. Me Moan ups the ante with live instrumentation, unapologetic ambition, and heaps of cosmic-honky-tonk-sleaze. DG’s alchemy remains impeccable: seamlessly melding contemporary DIY/electronic ethos to country and AM radio tropes, always at least one step ahead of gimmick and cliche. The first three songs show off his new live-band muscularity (particularly the instant classic “Phantom Rider”), while the rest of the album finds our man stretching his deft songwriting into the different nooks and crannies of his sound. It all works, just like Daughn. Drinking record of the year.
