Best Music 2013: Our 10 Favorite EPs/Mixtapes Of The Year

Idolator Staff | December 12, 2013 5:30 am

Jhene Aiko – Sail Out EP

JHENE AIKO SAIL OUT

Jhene Aiko has long been the best-kept secret in R&B. Her subtle, jazz-tinged vocals featured on hits by Big Sean and Drake in 2013 but she finally showcased the full extent of her daunting talent on the much-praised debut EP Sail Out. The Def Jam diva’s incisive lyrics offer a fresh perspective on staple R&B themes like heartbreak, weed and cheating. “Please don’t take this personal but you ain’t shit and you weren’t special until I made you so,” she hisses over sparse beats on “The Worst.” That’s restrained in comparison to the exasperated, vulnerable smackdown she gives her man on “Comfort Inn Ending (Freestyle).” 2014 is Jhene’s for the taking. — MIKE WASS

Say Lou Lou – Better In The Dark EP

say lou lou better in the dark
The debut EP from Swedish-Australian sister duo Say Lou Lou earns its place on this list with ease, even though it only contains two original songs — but when those two songs are better than almost anything released this year, does it even matter? Between the lush title track and its deliriously heartbreaking B-side “Beloved,” this is peerless pop magic, the kind of thing that all the mediocre divas only wish they could have released this year. The three remixes that pad out the EP are all great, of course, but you’ll never hear them: you’ll be too busy listening to the first two songs on repeat. — SAM LANSKY
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