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#Best Albums of 2023

neodreamgirl · 4 months

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I don't know if the sentiment is the same here on tumblr, but every time I go on Twitter and look up "Freefall" by TXT, I see many negative tweets. Folks say things like "Chasing That Feeling" was the wrong direction for the guys to go and I'm just like ??? how ??? It's such a great masterpiece. Literally. Not only that, but some moas say that the album is trash. HUH? My mouth was on the floor when I listened to it the first time. On some real shit, I personally feel like TXT released some of the best music in 2023. Both projects were packed with hits after hits. WTF are you all talking about??

#tomorrow x together #soobin #yeonjun #beomgyu #taehyun #hueningkai #kpop #best albums of 2023

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underachievers-please-try-harder · 5 months

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Best of 2023

These were my favourite albums of 2023:

Fever Ray - Radical Romantics

Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy

Blondshell - Blondshell

Boygenius - The Record

Jessy Lanza - Love Hallucination

Kara Jackson - Why Does The Earth Give Us People To Love?

JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - Scaring The Hoes

Kelela - Raven

Lucinda Chua - YIAN

Olivia Rodrigo - Guts

Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

Sufjan Stevens - Javelin

Lil Yachty - Let's Start Here

CMAT - Crazymad, For Me

Romy - Mid Air

Casisdead - Famous Last Words

Overmono - Good Lies

Billy Nomates - Cacti

Mega Bog - End Of Everything

Mandy, Indiana - I've Seen A Way

Vagabon - Sorry I Haven't Called

Youth Lagoon - Heaven Is A Junkyard

Anohni and the Johnsons – My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross

Amaarae - Fountain Baby

Yaeji - With A Hammer

And my favourite songs of 2023 were:

Lana Del Rey - A&W

Patrick Wolf - The Night Safari

Kylie Minogue - Padam Padam

Boygenius - Not Strong Enough

Mitski - Bug Like An Angel

Click here for a longer playlist of music I enjoyed in 2023.

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manysmallhands · 5 months

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Top 10 Albums of 2023!

This was all supposed to work out differently. As i recall from the now long distant past, my original plan was to do a countdown where i put up one post a day throughout December. However, I got Covid on December 1st and that plan immediately became lame and useless. After that, my assumption was basically that i wouldn't be able to do any of this, but i got better more quickly than i'd anticipated and found myself working on these reviews in bits as the month has gone on. So, having rushed through all the the song blurbs that i wanted to do, here i am on New Year's Eve with a more or less finished Top 10 albums to put up.

The only problem is that there are ten quite lengthy reviews here and the vibe is already pretty tl:dr. But tbh that's fine: there really is only my girlfriend who ever reads everything (and i believe her, trust is what love is all about after all) so for anyone looking at this and thinking blimey, that's a lot of text, my advice is: you don't have to read any of it. Just look at the albums, scan thru to see if it sounds like something you might like and give one or two of them a listen if that looks like the case. The words are really just to keep me occupied but i'd like to hope that someone likes some of the records.

I said yesterday that i would reveal what the best one is and so I am now delivering on that important promise. The best one is Scarlet by Doja Cat. Anyone who follows me on whatever platform already knows that the best one is Scarlet by Doja Cat. Don't make me say it again.

Barbie - The Album

Few people have seemed much interested in the Barbie soundtrack, other than the punters who kept it atop the compilations chart for four months. I, as ever, channel the spirit of the populous. The sound is basically 80s synth pop updated for a modern audience - the likes of Haim and Ava Max slot in predictably well - but its the extra dimensions created by how the artists interact with the film that provide some of its more interesting aspects. Sam Smith’s Man I Am reflects a surprisingly LGBTQ Ken despite protestations (certainly its "I'm not gay bro, but..." T-shirt is prompting a lot of questions already answered by the shirt), while Billie Eilish dwelling on life as a manufactured product makes for interesting and uncomfortable parallels in What Was I Made For. Mark Ronson’s plasticky production suits its subject to a tee, further cementing the conceptual unity of the project.

Star turns abound throughout the album as A-listers like Dua Lipa and Lizzo bring their best games alongside some terrific and unlikely downcard cameos. What Was I Made For? and Dance The Night were both deserved #1s, but the pacey pop punk of GAYLE’s Butterflies and Dominic Fike’s breezy, hook laden Hey Blondie are as much highlights as any of the bigger names here. Special mention should be made for Ryan Gosling’s I’m Just Ken, a blockbuster 70s rock number that, whilst puncturing the wider stylistic template, is batshit and hilarious enough to more than justify its place as well as netting him a surprise hit too. The quality lapses once or twice (Tame Impala in particular are bloody awful) but by the time Ava fires the final laser I’m generally happy to go back and start all over again. With banger after banger here, my verdict is in: the Barbie soundtrack is *Charli voice* HOT!

Claire Rosinkranz - Just Because

While this has been a year that I’ve gotten more fully into pop, it took a while for me to find many new albums that I’ve been interested in. This may partly be to do with me clinging to an idea that LPs ought to be substantial beyond having good hooks and charm. In truth, all I needed to do was revert to my indiepop training, where bands have never knowingly been fussed about having any great weightiness. But even so, it took Just Because to make it clear to me that no, you really don’t need any grand vision at all: a high number of great if frothy pop songs will do just fine. It’s a record which bounces from banger to banger in an endearingly sunny style, with each tune so catchy that their lightness becomes a strength rather than a weakness.

Rosinkranz’s voice seems to mark her out as one of the many Billie clones who populate the current pop scene but her musical ambitions are both simpler and more instantly engaging. Not yet 20, her songs have an element of schoolyard whispers which add a welcome silliness here and there, but she also plays with the intensity of youthful emotions to make them a little heartrending even as she goofs off. Highlights include Dreamer, a break up song where the vocal makes it clear that she’s far from as done as she says she is, and Wes Anderson, which offers some sombre advice but packages it in a song so sweet that you’d never know. But in spite of all this it makes no end of year lists (well, maybe just the one), being merely a lovable set of songs that are very hard to forget. Need it be more? I don't believe so.

Doja Cat - Scarlet

Mired in discourse throughout the year, Doja Cat still found time to make a chart topping single (Paint The Town Red) that took the world by storm and a cracking album which, sadly, did not. Scarlet was in my opinion the better of the two: largely ditching the afrobeat pop of Planet Her, Doja staked her claim as an old skool rapper and brought it off pretty well, mixing hard rhyming with her more scattershot pop delivery and sounding entirely comfortable wherever she landed. While flitting musically between modern RnB and neo-soul grooves, her subject matter was largely taken up by how much she hated her fans, a bold strategy that found her shedding support even as blistering tracks like Fuck The Girls shaped up as some of my favourites of the year.

Whilst I’ve found myself uncomfortable with both the company that she keeps and the views which she may or may not subscribe to (i feel safe in saying that she's a right wing edgelord but i suspect that’s the least of it), Scarlet is such a good album that I’ve found myself, if not making excuses for her, then at least deftly navigating around my distaste in order to keep listening to it. While Agora Hills often reminded me how serious she is about her scumbag of a boyfriend, it’s still a song that can submerge me in its beauty entirely; while some of the complaints from her online audience are less easily dismissed than others, it’s more comfortable just to think about the morons calling her a devil worshiper, especially when she mocks them so wickedly on the elegant Skull And Bones. Am I the problem? Maybe I am: it’s a place I often find myself in with hip hop, where faves are frequently problematic and exceptions beg to be made. As such, I can not wholeheartedly recommend this record to people who might want to take a principled stand against some of her bullshit. I can only say that, as a musical talent, there was no one better all year.

Lana Del Rey - Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard?

After 2021’s fairly middling brace of albums, Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd always felt like it was going to be a return to form and this time the faithful were not disappointed. It was another epic and sprawling record which unfolded like a cross between The Bible and a 50s musical. While changeable in style, ranging from hammy country ballads to trap beats and beyond, the thing that springs to mind most often is the Great American Songbook, as Lana takes the melodramatic grandeur of those standards and soaks them in her own messy and complicated worldview. This draws in family, romance, the future, her relationship with religion and how it all scrappily fits together, ranging widely and wildly across 75 extraordinary minutes.

Much of the album feels like it’s being broadcast from a kind of dreamworld, although one that overlays with reality neatly enough. Lana’s dismissive “if you want some basic bitch go to the Beverly Centre and find her” line undercuts the mood on the otherwise lush and evocative Sweet but the impact is hilarious rather than jarring, a perfect marriage of the strange and mundane. In contrast, the brooding A&W initially brings that realism to a far more uncomfortable level, before goofing off wonderfully in the second half in a way that only Lana ever really dares to do. Much of the record feels like it's creating its own language, as key phrases (“let the light in”, “when you know, you know”) are repeated and musical themes come back around in strange modulations. All in all, while perhaps less satisfying as a pop record than Norman Fucking Rockwell, Did You Know… feels like her most complete statement on a personal level yet, whilst still working well within the broader world that she’s spent over a decade constructing.

Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We

Despite liking the odd song or two, I have until now been largely immune to Mitski over the full length of an album. But The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We has a much more organic sound than I’m used to hearing from her, well adrift from the polished guitar rock of her big 10s records. Instead, it takes many of its cues from classic folk and country, occasionally lush and expansive, often determinedly sombre but always at a distance from the areas where she’s generally been at home. Opener Bug Like An Angel is a brooding scene setter, where Mitski unveils the terse and grumpy presence we will grow familiar with over the next half hour. The main elements of the album are already in place - the spare instrumentation; Mitski’s extraordinary voice, hard and intransigent but still full of yearning; the occasional, overwhelming interjections from the wings. It all creates a distinctive atmosphere, extremely intense but intimate too: we’re allowed into Mitski’s world but there’s a lot to take in.

Lyrically, the songs are both heavily allusive and extremely personal, like hearing ancient parables told by the characters from the story. Surprise hit My Love Mine All Mine seems to sit apart as a relatively standard love song but a closer listen reveals deeper layers; the placing of her love as something independent from its object makes it feel more of a piece with the album’s other enigmas. At a time where Mitski seemed to be cooling on being a rock star, The Land Is Inhospitable adds a new twist to her long musical journey, seemingly presenting a more intimate portrait while in fact retaining most of her essential mystery. As an album, it really is quite something: what that is I’m less certain of but I like it regardless.

Olivia Rodrigo - Guts

Tho I wouldn't have called myself a hater (I don’t think I would have been bothered enough), I don't really like Olivia’s all conquering debut Sour, which I thought a bit too one-note and overpopulated with slushy ballads. But by the time Guts came around I was open to listening again, drawn in by its excellent singles and primed for a different experience. Vampire, the best of them and more or less of this year, was a fantastic example of taking something that Olivia is clearly very accomplished at (the grand piano lament) and then, rather than running that into the ground, instead using it as a springboard for an entirely different idea. Get Him Back and Bad Idea Right hark back to earlier guitar based tracks like Brutal, but on Guts they form a much more substantive part of the album, cementing its brand of addictive pop grunge and working up a much goofier version of her messy teen persona.

Elsewhere, the ballads did in fact return. Some have speculated that this may have been a bad idea (right?) but for me they’ve been growers, particularly the likes of Lacy and The Grudge, where Olivia explores the bitterness of youth and uses it to tear holes in the people who’ve wronged her. But if I’m honest, it’s the rockers that I’m usually waiting for: whether the new wave pastiche of Love Is Embarrassing or autumnal Cure homage Pretty Isn’t Pretty, each one feels like a mini-revelation and it’s the style that I hope she leans on most in the future.

Palehound - Eye On The Bat

Palehound have been around for a while now and every so often I’ve given their records a try and haven't really managed to connect with them properly. Eye on the Bat has been the first exception, though whether that's because it’s any better than the others or I just made more of an effort with it I don’t know. Its template is certainly well worn in the indie world - country rock with varying degrees of aggression or melodic sweetness - but there’s still a lot here that grabs my attention, especially in the charming indie pop of the title track and the heart-rending melancholy of Route 22.

But the thing that caught my ear the most was Ellen Kempner’s disarming honesty, with much of the album spent documenting what sounds like a deeply messy break up. Whether she’s bitterly picking through the fall out on Independence Day or remembering some hilariously embarrassing bedroom scene on opener Good Sex, Eye On The Bat's almost diaristic view is mesmerising throughout, making you warm to Kempner even as she works thru some of her own worst traits. And aside from anything else, her understanding of relationships underlines her strengths as a lyricist, as she dissects their complexities with wit, sympathy and occasional anger to capture all the stuff that transcends whatever we were hoping for in the first place.

Poppy - Zig

After the wild ride that commenced with 2020’s extraordinary pop/metal mash up I Disagree, Poppy has journeyed thru indie rock, goth and punk to wind up back where she started, only not quite. Zig may represent a return to pop - indeed it’s produced by Weeknd affiliate Ali Payami - but it’s one that’s filtered thru all of the places she stopped off along the way.

The crepuscular grind of Church Outfit and Knockoff sound like more danceable versions of the I Disagree sound, while the crunching title track suggests that she can still go as hard as ever. But there are nods to a lighter side here as well, particularly in the strong trio that wind up the album: The Attic recasts her sound in a euphoric drum n bass clatter whilst closer Prove It kicks up a remarkable blend of manic hyperpop and gentle electro-balladry, whilst still working in the rich emotional palette that she’s developed in recent years.

In one sense this is a huge departure from the frenetic punk of last year’s Stagger EP but the vibes here stake out territory that you’d still find oddly familiar. Some of the gothy ballads are less immediate than other songs but nothing on Zig is boring, just varying refinements on her ever evolving musical journey. The critics were split, occasionally rattled and sometimes just plain baffled, but that’s only to be expected by now. Poppy follows her own plan and rarely sticks to the same tune: in truth it’s a privilege just to be a witness to the chaos.

Sweeping Promises - Good Living Is Coming For You

One thing that I find missing in a lot of modern guitar based music is snappy songs with good catchy hooks. While Sweeping Promises appear to place their focus elsewhere - their high concept sound is best understood as someone broadcasting direct from 1979 through a wristwatch speaker - their second album still finds time to deliver fully on the tunes. Good Living Is Coming To You is steeped in bubblegum melodies and memorable choruses, with songs that become earworms before you’ve even registered how catchy they are.

More than anything, it's dominated by Lira Mondal’s imperious vocals: whether it’s in the cascading harmonies of Throw Of The Dice, the fierce yells and hisses that close out the title track or her sweet voiced switch-outs on Ideal No, her character springs out of every song in a way that few singers ever really manage to impose. While you might think that the post punk era has been mined to death by now, Sweeping Promises drag new life into it by going back further: their sound may be heavily rooted in a specific moment but the elements of songcraft often have more in common with 60s girl group classics than gnarled art rockers. Ten bangers and no filler: Good Living Is Coming For You is everything I wanted from it and more.

Wednesday - Rat Saw God

While the queasy vibes of 2021’s Twin Plagues are still high in the mix here, it was the welcome injection of melody on Wednesday's third album that managed to alert the media. That lightness was more apparent in Karly Hartzman's lyrics than you might notice on a passing listen too: though often praised for her grimly amusing takes on middle American backwaters, the key to them was her deceptively soft touch, casting a sympathetic eye over grisly scenes even as she retained their gnarlier undertones.

Single Chosen To Deserve, with its crunching chorus and heartwarming romantic turnaround, feels like the designated big moment from the record but in reality Rat Saw God has an embarrassment of riches. Quarry in particular, with its Waterloo Sunset-esque signature and matter-of-fact dissection of grim local gossip, is an almost pop version of the most haunting aspects of Hartzman's craft, while the washed out bounce of closer TV in the Gas Pump pitches a lonelier scene in a similarly gorgeous manner.

This is not to forget that Wedneday can still rock extremely hard when they want to, especially on the brutal 8 minute Bull Believer, an ambitious multipart epic that ends with Hartzman screaming “FINISH HIM!!!” repeatedly over the chaotic finale. But while Rat Saw God brought this kind of sawtoothed sound back to widespread acclaim, its real trick was how it sugared the pill just enough to get it past even the most determinedly sweet tooth.

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fetichesonoro · 6 months

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Fetiche Sonoro's Best Albums of 2023

Guys! these are the best collection of recordings issued as a single piece of 2023, and we are very excited that you can enjoy these delightful albums.

Madres by Sofia Kourtesis

At first glance, The Peruvian's first album appears to effortlessly combine European house music with Latin American influences, exuding a predominantly joyful atmosphere. However, beneath the surface, it reveals itself as a profound, emotionally intricate, and contemplative work that invites the listener to dance. While addressing weighty themes, the album remains fundamentally grateful, joy-infused, and celebratory in its essence.

Corsé by Clara Peya

The Catalan artist has assembled a talented group of thirteen diverse performers known for their exceptional interpretation skills, combining profound lyrics with dynamic shifts in emotion. Every track on the album exudes the same level of passion and elegance, each in its unique style. The impressive production –driven by a subtle form of electronica that doesn’t overpower the rest, and featuring a piano with graceful touches– is truly remarkable.

Habita by Pahua

The Mexican musician has continuously released songs since 2020 but this time she finally releases her debut album, which is jam-packed with international collaborators. While not overly ambitious the production aims to experiment with different genres gracefully encased in dazzling electronic folk.

Lucha by Y La Bamba

It's unusual for a project to realize its complete potential after so many years, but that appears to be precisely the case with Y La Bamba from Portland. Luz Elena Mendoza's music has taken on an unprecedentedly smooth, immersive, and surreal quality, as familiar sounds continuously transform into unfamiliar forms. The unique dimensions, layers, and shadows within this music are genuinely perceptible in this production.

Vidrio by Titanic

Exploring innovative pathways in contemporary composition, jazz, and art song, Guatemala-native cellist and vocalist Mabe Fratti collaborates with Mexico City multi-instrumentalist Hector Tosta. Their artistic direction defies genre constraints, with each composition centered around the distinct clarity of Fratti's prominent voice. The musical journey traverses a spectrum of styles, ranging from jazz and chamber pop to intricate guitar polyrhythms.

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basement-galaxy · 6 months

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Our Tattered Beauty

One thing I’ve learned over the last eight years is to stop obsessively chasing new metal music, constantly in search of the NEXT BIGGEST THING. For 40 years I’ve been keenly interested in the history of heavy music as well as its continuing evolution; having been a teenaged witness to the genre’s spectacular growth in the 1980s, where the genre would see a new, epochal release every month or two…

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#best albums of 2023 #best metal albums of 2023 #best music of 2023 #best of 2023 #canadian metal #canadian music #death metal #experimental #heavy metal #metal #progressive metal #progressive rock #tomb mold

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postambientlux · 6 months

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BEST AMBIENT OF 2023

BEST AMBIENT ALBUMS of 2023 curated by @holsgr

50 : Linus Alberg - Elements

49 : Laurel Halo - Atlas

48 : Alex Smalley - Moments at the Re-engage

47 : Pepo Galán - Family Harmony

46 : Oval - Romantiq

45 : Lunar Corp - Tourism

44 : Henrik Lindstrand - Klangland

43 : Memory Scale - And All Things Begin to Drift

42 : Elskavon - Origins

41 : Bruno Sanfilippo - Ver Sacrum

40 : André 3000 - New Blue Sun

39 : Eluvium - (Whirring Marvels In) Consensus Reality

38 : Martin Kohlstedt - Feld

37 : Loris S. Sarid - A Tiny Reminder

36 : Subheim - Raeon

35 : Claire M Singer - Saor

34 : Faten Kanaan - Afterpoem

33 : Matt Elliott - The End of Days

32 : Gunn Truscinski Nace - Glass Band

31 : Bill Seaman, Tim Diagram & Stephen Spera - The World Was Turning Before

30 : Yosuke Tokunaga - 8 Quadrants

29 : Deepriver - Volume One

28 : Ali Sethi & Nicolas Jaar - Intiha

27 : Maps And Diagrams - A Study of Ends or Purpose

26 : Tim Hecker - No Highs

25 : Tobias Preisig - Closer

24 : Maxime Dangles - Les Délivrés

23 : Graham Lambkin - Aphorisms

22 : Loscil & Lawrence English - Colours Of Air

21 : Hania Rani - Ghosts

20 : Chaz Knapp & Mariel Roberts - Setting Fire to These Dark Times

19 : Sissoko Segal Parisien Peirani - Les Égarés

18 : Grotta Veterano & Music For Sleep - Endless Vacation

17 : Cicada - 棲居在溪源之上 (Seeking the Sources of Streams)

16 : Takashi Kokubo & Andrea Esperti - Music For A Cosmic Garden

15 : Oneohtrix Point Never - Again

14: Raphael Rogiński - Talàn

13 : Lucy Liyou - Dog Dreams (개꿈)

12 : Greg Foat & Gigi Masin - Dolphin

11 : Mette Henriette - Drifting

10 : Marine Eyes & IKSRE - Nurture

9 : Awakened Souls - Unlikely Places

8 : Lemon Quartet - ArtsFest

7 : Zander Raymond - Secrets From A Squirrel

6 : Purelink - Signs

5 : Mary Lattimore - Goodbye, Hotel Arkada

4 : Matthew Halsall - An Ever Changing View

3 : Lia Kohl - The Ceiling Reposes

2 : Rắn Cạp Đuôi Collective - *1

1 : Canaan Balsam - Eternity Lies Within Or Nowhere

BEST AMBIENT EP's OF 2023

10 : KMRU & Abul Mogard - Drawing Water

9 : Hannes Kretzer - Species

8 : Billow Observatory - Calque

7 : Alex Smalley & Lucia Adam - Shapes

6 : Max Ananyev - Scenery

5 : Ben Zucker - After Along the Way

4 : Ideophone - April

3 : James Osland - Sharing Time With You Has Been My Biggest Joy

2 : Jeremixyz - xyz

1 : Lake Haze - Pure Movements

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clemencepoles · 6 months

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Clémence’s Top Ten Albums of 2023

Nourished by Time 'Erotic Probiotic 2' [Scenic Route]

Kelela 'Raven' [Warp]

André 3000 'New Blue Sun' [Epic Records]

Mabe Fratti 'Se Ve Desde Aquí' [Unheard of Hope]

Dreamcrusher 'Suite TWO' [Self-released]

Sweeping Promises 'Good Living Is Coming For You' [Feel it Records]

Tirzah 'trip9love...???' [Domino ]

Donna Candy 'Blooming' [Bison]

Overmono 'Good Lies' [XL]

Feeble Little Horse 'Girl With Fish' [Saddle Creek]

*Favorite tracks of 2022 can be listened HERE.

**Notable mentions:

Biosphere 'Inland Delta' [Biophon Records]

Amor Muere 'A time to love, a time to die' [Scrawl World]

Yo La Tengo 'This Stupid World' [Matador]

Dry Cleaning 'Swampy EP' [4AD]

Tolerance 'Anonym' [MESH-KEY Records]

Hajj 'No Soul, No God, No Devil, No Existence' [Youth]

Josiah Steinbrick 'For Anyone That Knows You' [Unseen Worlds]

Christina Vantzou and John Also Bennett 'Κλίμα (Klima)' [Editions Basilic]

ytboutthataction 'love & vex' [DE22 & DMY]

Tzusing "绿帽 Green Hat" [Pan]

Snow Strippers 'April Mixtape 3' [Surf Gang Records]

David Edren & H.Takahashi 'Flow | 流れ' [Aguirre Records]

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theindyreview · 6 months

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Top Albums of 2023

Top Albums of 2023 Our favs of the year, feat @YoungFathers @AlgiersMusic @AdeemtheArtist @QOTSA @StephenMarley @blink182 #Marvelous3 @xboygeniusx @RollingStones @SamiamBand #TheIronRoses @Guerotheband @DurryMusic @TheHives @RustonKelly @Mustard_Plug

What a year. Exciting new artists burst onto the scene. Classic bands returned to form. There were reunions, both expected and surprises. All genres showed up with something to prove, or to destroy the very definition of genre they had established. From Dec 2022 – Nov 2023 (since we drop this list in December, and don’t want to disservice any artists with Dec releases), these are our Top Albums…

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twbmagazine · 5 months

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The Top 20 Bestselling Albums of 2023

Swinging in the ever-evolving world of music, where trends come and go like summer flings, some albums manage to carve out a timeless place in our hearts and playlists. As we bid adieu to the melodious journey that was 2023, it’s time to unravel the mysteries behind the albums that dominated the charts, shattered records, and left us humming their tunes long after the final chord faded away. So,…

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#best albums of 2023 #best music albums of 2023 #bestselling albums of 2023 #featured #listicles #The World&039;s Best

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theadamantium · 5 months

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Harri's Picks for 2023

John Wick: Chapter 4

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Saltburn

Barbie

Poor Things

The Iron Claw

Maestro

The Flash

Blackberry

Leave the World Behind

The Last of Us - Season 01

Daisy Jones & The Six

Ted Lasso - Season 03

Beef

Only Murders In The Building - Season 03

Måneskin - RUSH! (ARE U COMING?)

Fall Out Boy - So Much (For) Stardust

Inhaler - Cuts & Bruises

The Struts - Pretty Vicious

Hozier - Unreal Unearth

Blink-182 - ONE MORE TIME...

Post Malone - AUSTIN

Greta Van Fleet - Starcatcher

Crown Lands - Fearless

Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS

U2 - U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere

Hozier - Eat Your Young Pop Up Tour

Muse, Evanescence & One OK Rock - Will Of The People Tour

Fall Out Boy - So Much For (Tour) Dust

Dermot Kennedy - Sonder Tour

Baldur's Gate 3

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Resident Evil 4 (Remake)

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Hogwarts Legacy

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fka-aj · 5 months

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If u even care btw

Also have my reviews of my top 25 albums of 2023 on my insta story highlight @alexjbellavia

#music #2023 music #music 2023 #best albums of 2023 #best songs of 2023 #best tracks of 2023 #top albums 2023 #top songs 2023 #Spotify

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manysmallhands · 6 months

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Albums of the Year - The Lower Card

My plan is to do two album posts. The second one, which may or may not go up tomorrow, will be my top 10 albums of 2023 (not really ranked although i'll tell you which is the best one). This one is dedicated to the second tier of my favourite albums. These are the records that i liked a lot this year but which were either straightforwardly not as good as the top ten or slightly compromised in my appreciation of them somehow. A few are albums that I really liked but just haven't been arsed to listen to that much. Others are things that i first heard only recently and would say right now that they're as good as anything in the Top 10, only I haven't known them long enough to commit myself to that. Other reasons are perhaps more idiosyncratic but we'll come to that as we go along.

Baby Queen - Quarter Life Crisis

Arabella Latham - the Baby Queen herself! - skirts a tricky line between knowing and vulnerable on Quarter Life Crisis, sniping waspishly at the modern world one minute before opening herself up enough to leave me in tears. She brings it all off surprisingly well, with her cynical persona always shot through with enough charm to take the weight off of each tonal shift. Musically the album feels reminiscent of Sucker-era Charli, moving between 80s style pop and more modern ideas while occasionally working in a softer, indie-style palette. But its Latham’s vocals which are the star of the record, with her pointed barbs and semi-rapped confessionals by turns funny, relatable and deeply, desperately sad. Kid Genius annoyed me at first with its straightforwardly dumb internet critique but it soon became a highlight, with nods of hypocritical agreement marking every hit on the target. At the other end of the scale is the devastating ballad Obvious, where Latham's pain is shattering enough to cancel out every last knowing wink.

Caroline Polachek - Desire I Want To Turn Into You

Caroline Polachek’s vastly hyped second album is not quite the triumph for me that it is for others, but in all fairness I still liked it a lot. While many of the best songs (Bunny, Billions) were already familiar, euphoric club bangers like Smoke and I Believe proved that there were still some big pop moments left to be mined. The slower material was more subtle in its appeal but repeat listens gave life to tracks like the hymnal Hopedrunk Everasking too. For me the real issue with the album was an occasional excess of politeness, as songs like Fly To You rambled along anonymously to little notable effect. But Desire... is certainly a step on from 2020's lacklustre Pang and contains enough great songs to slot in comfortably alongside the best of Polachek's past guises.

El Michels Affair/Black Thought - Glorious Game

Following on from 2022's excellent Danger Mouse collaboration Cheat Codes, Black Thought took the obvious move this year and found another producer with a strong, idiosyncratic approach. Leon Michels switched things around - sometimes backing the Roots star with a live band, sometimes recording material to chop up for samples - in the course of creating a 70s soul/funk sound that’s not so much laid back as stoned beyond redemption. In keeping with these more nostalgic elements, the rhymes have gentler vibe here than on Cheat Codes, but Black Thought is still prepared to dig deep, dissecting highly personal memories and stretching into sharp social analysis. Unsurprisingly, his performances are as fiercely on-point as ever on an album that displays all of the rapper's warmth and brusque charm.

Free Love - Insides

Husband and wife duo Free Love’s second album is an extraordinarily eclectic business. Whilst staying within the broad tent of electronic dance music, they journey through wibbling ambient house, acid pop and droning experimentalism, keeping a spirit of adventure about them which sees each bold step as a fairly reasonable response to the last, even as they sometimes seem to come entirely out of the blue. While I can honestly say that Insides is never a dull record, it’s the Virginia Wing style dance pop that sticks in the mind most firmly, with Suzi Cook’s smart Glaswegian patter adding another element of mischief to an already stacked LP.

PinkPantheress - Heaven Knows

Heaven Knows is not really a great leap forward for PinkPantheress so much as a refinement and consolidation: while some of the rhythms have softened a bit and the tracks grown more accomplished, we’re still very much in the sad girl drum n bass territory that we’ve all come to know and love. But the melodies are as sweet as ever, the emotions perhaps even more sore and relatable and her ability to resonate at a wider level seems increasingly assured throughout. The hit single Boy’s A Liar Pt 2 combines video game style charm with a cracking Ice Spice cameo but it's only one part of the album's greatness, with Mosquito’s gentle happy/sad melancholy and the eerie atmospherics and fierce breaks of Capable of Love being the songs that stuck with me the most.

SZA - SOS

I’ve frequently enjoyed SZA’s sprawling RnB epic throughout the year but I can’t really say that I got to know it that well. It’s too long to me to sit down and listen to in one go, so I’ve tended to wander about with it on the mp3 player as bits of it drifted in and out of my consciousness. What has stuck is, first and foremost, the hits - we all know Kill Bill surely, and Snooze’s just slower than it ought to be vibe is also a highlight - as well as the surprising moments and deep cut highlights, of which the folky Too Late is the absolute queen. But I think what are perhaps my favourite moments are the lines where SZA gives us plainly too much information - “now I’m ovulating and I need raw sex!”, “I don’t get the dick that I deserve”, “I’m horny, like suck these!” - which have made me warm to her on a personal level and appreciate the messy lyrical weight of her talent. So if I’m honest, the reason I come back to SOS is to hear about SZA’s sex life: not in a prurient way - it’s too humdrum to be sexy - but just because I find how she talks about it extremely funny. Never let it be said that this blog is high-minded.

Tate McRae - Think Later

Despite the brace of fantastic singles that preceded it, my hopes really weren’t that high for Think Later, largely because of how shabby last year’s I Used To Think I Could Fly LP had been. Happily, Tate has shifted up her style and gotten a bit of attitude and, as a consequence, presents herself as a much more interesting figure across an album of far stronger material. Combining her already keen sense of melody with a succession of rattling beats, McRae feels more assured here, turning in a string of bangers full of soaring hooks which rarely fail to hit their mark. Greedy was a massive and well deserved hit but the supremely catchy Exes, the windswept ballad Stay Done or the rumbling, guitar driven We're Not Alike are all equally as good. In truth, the only reason I didn’t elevate this to the top tier is cos it’s only been out for a week or two and I was worried that I might change my mind up (like it’s origami).

The Clientele - I Am Not There Anymore

Much was made of the new directions on The Clientele’s seventh album. Computers were talked about, experimental cut up techniques: it all sounded very fancy in the abstract. And yet if I’m honest, I Am Not There Anymore sounds suspiciously like just another very good Clientele record: maybe a little different but not so you'd find it hard to tell who it was. Fables Of The Silverlink synthesised their classic sound with a glitchy modern approach and there was a dark, rumbling vibe to much of the first half of the LP which definitely felt expansive in its ambitions. But there was still plenty of room for the autumnal elegance of Hey Siobhan and I Dreamed Of You Maria, on a record that sounded enjoyably familiar even within that extended range.

The Mountain Goats - Jenny From Thebes

TMG’s return to the characters from All Hail West Texas may not have recreated its ultra lo-fi sound, but the key attributes of compassion and intensity were still placed front and centre. While perhaps not the most immediate of records, Jenny From Thebes repaid repeat listening, with its compelling storylines, John Darnielle’s deft, intelligent lyrics and, more than anything, his unsinkable ability to carry a song proving over time to be the album’s most important qualities. And stepping away from the bigger picture, Clean Slate, Fresh Tattoo and Same As Cash were powerful standouts which packed a huge emotional punch, songs as good as anything in The Mountain Goats’ long and illustrious catalogue.

U.S. Girls - Bless This Mess

After the relatively scattershot Heavy Light, Meg Remy spent most of Bless This Mess playing with squelchy synthetic funk, sounding for all the world like she’d time travelled back to 1981 and was living it up in an artist’s commune. But despite the close thematic focus, she was still able to vary her approach a little, moving comfortably between pounding disco bangers, warm RnB and gentle psychedelic rock whilst staying well within the sound template that she'd set for herself. So Typically Now’s twitchy paranoid pop and the extended floor filler Tux were instant highlights, but it was songs like the moving Covid ballad Screen Face that increased its emotional depth, drawing out themes of connection and separation while adding some welcome humanity.

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throughdigitaleyes · 5 months

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Best of 2023: My Top 10 Albums!

1. Zach Bryan - Zach Bryan

Just a killer collection of songs, including two of my favorites of the year, period: Smaller Acts & Hey Driver (Feat. The War and Treaty). I Remember Everything (Feat. Kacey Musgraves) is an absolute beast, as well.

2. Dispatch - Live from the Boston Woods

I don't usually include live albums, but I was at this show and it was my first time seeing Dispatch in over nine years and they were every bit as amazing as they ever were. Their opening with Passerby was so, so good. And, naturally, hearing their newer songs live for the first time was special, even if the old favorites still stole the show.

3. The Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds

Damn... they still got it. What a rockin' album. Bite My Head Off is a blast!

4. The War and Treaty - Lover's Game

I've been a fan since catching their set at the Newport Folk Festival some years back, but damn did they have an amazing 2023. Love this whole album, but mostly Dumb Luck, which is surely My Favorite Song of 2023... period.

5. boygenius - the record

The talent on display here stops me in my tracks every time. Favorite tracks are Satanist and Cool About It, but they're all damn good.

6. Foo Fighters - But Here We Are

I've always wanted more of Dave Grohl on the drums, but I never wanted it to happen this way. An emotionally devastating album that still rocks so f*cking hard. Taylor's out there somewhere with this on repeat.

7. Chris Stapleton - Higher

Can't wait to see more from this album live. Crosswind was fantastic, last summer, but White Horse and Think I'm In Love With You are going to tear the f*cking roof off the joint, and Mountains Of My Mind will most definitely be something truly special.

8. The Milk Carton Kids - I Only See the Moon

The Milk Carton Kids out here destroying me with their harmonies, once again. Opening with All of the Time in the World to Kill just floored me.

9. K.Flay - MONO

This is only so low because I haven't listened to it nearly enough, yet. Yes I'm Serious is so f*cking fantastic, though.

10. Zach Bryan - Boys of Faith

Only so low because it's an EP. Damn these songs are good. Especially that title track. Seriously, damn.

Note: I hardly listened to music this year, unless it was live. These are in Loose Preferential Order and were chosen out of an absurdly low and unknown number of albums I actually listened to in their entirety throughout 2023. I do most of my listening while writing, editing photos or working out, and once again all that shit was a scarcity in ‘23. I’m also once again positive this is missing some albums I’d go wild about, but I either haven’t heard them yet or wasn’t in the right mindset when I initially gave them a go. Oh well. Where it stands, these are the ones I found myself going back to when I did spend time on Spotify. And I’ll stand by each and every one of them.

I'm probably not posting My Top Photos of 2023, seeing as I photographed so few shows. But if you go check out my coverage of Lindsey Stirling's show last month, you'll immediately see My Favorite Photos of 2023. As always, Thank You for reading!

Happy New Year!!

#music #zach bryan #dispatch #chris stapleton #k.flay #the war and treaty #the rolling stones #foo fighters #boygenius #the milk carton kids #best of 2023 #mybestof2023 #lists #best albums of 2023

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basement-galaxy · 6 months

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Bullets on Skin

When Olivia Rodrigo became a sensation in the wake of her mega-viral song “Driver’s License”, I admired the melodramatic hyper-emotionality of the lyrics, but ultimately I convinced myself she was just one of the many other Disney kids that are continually spawned in pods, deep in the darkest recesses of Robert Iger’s dungeon. You know, the dungeon underneath the trap door hidden in front of his…