Best local sounds of 2013

This year was stacked with great local releases. Some from familiar faces and some from new bands who blasted onto the local scene — the future continues to look very bright for music in the Pacific Northwest.

It should be mentioned that there were songs released by local artists this year that didn’t fit on the list. You really need to go check out Susy Sun, Campfire OK, Grizzled Mighty, Hot Bodies in Motion, Kairos and Manatee Commune, LAKE, Iska Dhaaf and some others I am sure I am forgetting.

Now lets get to the list!

1. The Moondoggies – “Don’t Ask Why”

This list could have easily ended up just being every song off of the new Moondoggies album Adios I’m A Ghost. The album is just that good. For some reason this song has really sat with me. It could be due to the fact that when I watched the band work on this song in the studio the line “I can see a lot better now” got stuck in my head and it was all I thought about for the next 9 months while I waited for the album to be released.

2. Mary Lambert – “She Keeps Me Warm”

Everett’s own Mary Lambert took her hook from the Macklemore song “Same Love” and turned it into this beautiful song and music video. Go get Mary’s new EP “Welcome To The Age of My Body” to hear more of her beautiful sounds and be sure to watch the Grammy’s next month to see if she takes home some Song of the Year hardware for “Same Love.”

3. Shelby Earl – “The Seer”

Shelby made a big splash this year with her new album Swift Arrows. Bringing Seattle favorite Damien Jurado in to produce the album didn’t hurt, but when Rolling Stone debuts the video for your new single and lists one of your songs as a suggestion for Zach Braff’s new movie soundtrack, you are kind of on top of the world. Swift Arrows is gorgeous and heartbreaking and it wasn’t easy to pick just one song.

4. Ruler – “Keep Moving”

I had never heard of the Seattle band Ruler, then one day I saw this song flying around the internet. What I heard when I pressed play was one of the best surprises to come out of the local scene in a while. I can’t wait to hear more from Ruler in the new year.

5. I Will Keep Your Ghost – “Nothing”

After three years of playing together, Everett-natives Bryan Bradley and Aaron Coughlin released their first official EP “It’s Natural” this year and it is pretty darn good. “Nothing” is a catchy, synth packed dance track and I can’t stop listening to it.

6. Learning Team – “Coterie”

Bellingham’s Learning Team is one of my favorite bands out there right now. Their set at Capitol Hill Block Party this year proved that it is only a matter of time before a lot of people know who these guys are. If you like “Coterie” then go pick up their Aporia Coda EP, and everything else they’ve released.

7. Brothers From Another – “Drunk Talk”

These are not your average college kids. These guys have been known to rap their way out of class so they can open for Macklemore. For real. I think it’s safe to say that nobody in the local music community is having as much fun as Brothers From Another. Just check the video for “Drunk Talk.”

8. Daniel Blue ft. Meagan Grandall – “I Don’t Need To Know”

Motopony front man Daniel Blue released some solo songs in 2013 and has more on the way. For “I Don’t Need To Know” Blue teamed up with Meagan Grandall of Lemolo and the finished product was perfect. I think 2014 is going to be a big year for Blue’s solo project and for his band Motopony.

9. RA Scion ft. Daniel Blue – “Constant”

This genre banding single from the new RA Scion album “The Sickle and The Sword” had to be one of the most highly anticipated local releases of the year, and it did not disappoint. Sadly, the release of the new album was torpedoed by a dispute between RA Scion and producer Rodney Hazard, but you can still download the whole thing for free over at rascion.com. Props to Mukilteo’s Casey Sjogren who shot and directed the video for “Constant.”

10. Fauna Shade – “10s 11s”

These Everett boys straight came out of nowhere. One day it was like “have you heard Fauna Shade?” and the next they were being talked about on KEXP, getting into Sound Off and opening for some very popular Seattle bands. I can’t wait to see what these guys do next. Check out “10s 11s” from their debut EP.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.