Disclosure (featuring Lorde) - "Magnets"

After the critical acclaim for Settle, the debut album from Disclosure, it was a bit surprising how dismissed their follow-up record was. I don't like Caracal as much, either, but it's got its boss tracks. Like "Magnets." (Although, OK fine, the video is kinda dumb.)

2013 Pazz & Jop Poll Predictions

Next week, The Village Voice announces the results of its annual Pazz & Jop music poll. (Amazingly, this is my 14th year of submitting a ballot.) Last year, I did a pretty impressive job of predicting the Top 10 in the albums list. So, let's try again this year.....

1. Kanye West, Yeezus
2. Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City
3. Daft Punk, Random Access Memories
4. Arcade Fire, Reflektor
5. Lorde, Pure Heroine
6. Disclosure, Settle
7. Chance the Rapper, Acid Rap
8. HAIM, Days Are Gone
9. The National, Trouble Will Find Me
10. My Bloody Valentine, MBV

If I'm right and Kanye wins, it'll be the fourth time he's topped the poll, tying him for the most times by any artist in the poll's 40-year history. (Bob Dylan has won Pazz & Jop three four times. Outkast, the Clash and Elvis Costello have won it twice.) The published results are expected to be live by January 15. I'll talk about my own Top 10 then.

(Update: Well, the list is out now. I got six of the Top 10 right, including the top three in order. I just had a feeling that Beyoncé was going to be a surprise entry -- I wish I'd had the guts to include it. And I thought about putting in Wakin on a Pretty Daze as well but went with Trouble Will Find Me instead. Dumb, dumb, dumb. If you're interested in seeing my ballot, it's right here.)

Disclosure - "F for You"

With the Pazz & Jop ballot deadline on Christmas Eve, I'm currently spending a lot of my time going back through the year's best albums to decide which ones are going to make the cut. I feel pretty confident one of them will be Settle, the debut album from Disclosure, a duo made up of brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence. Just about everything on Settle grabs the ear, but today I'm really feeling "F for You."