Wait, what's that? You say our company's hired a full time entertainment writer with fairly stellar tastes who's already written a great piece about the best albums of the year? And it'd probably be a little redundant and confusing if I wrote one, too? Oh, but you also understand just how much of a crazy music nerd I am and how I'd probably go insane if I wasn't allowed to do my own year-end best-of list? Whew. Thank goodness we got that cleared up. Therefore, behold my favorite records of 2023:
#10 - Drop Nineteens - Hard Light - When I was in college, I was obsessed with the ethereal distortion and sonic maelstrom of the shoegaze music genre. Shoegaze was born in the UK, but there was ONE American band oft lumped into the original purveyors of the scene: Boston's Drop Nineteens, who blessedly reunited in 2023: a bit older, a bit more polite, but every bit as lovely. The most welcome return of the year.
#9 - Sufjan Stevens - Javelin - I don't wish ill upon Sufjan Stevens, but America's greatest singer-songwriter is oft at his best when inspired by tragedy. This year, Stevens sadly lost his long-time partner AND had to re-learn to walk after a lengthy hospitalization for Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Consequently, "Javelin" is one of the best and most emotional records he's ever made.
#8 - Post Malone - Austin - Not every record has to be a statement on the human condition that takes you on an emotional roller-coaster. Sometimes you can just sing about how sick your Lamborghini is and have it be every bit as satisfying. "Austin" is Post Malone playing by his own rules, genre-jumping with glee, and proving his chart-topping success hasn't just been a fluke.
#7 - Carla J. Easton - Sugar Honey - Scotland's best-kept secret returns with another record of coarse bubblegum majesty, where layers of unpolished synthpop perfection hide songs of melancholy, defiance, and strength. If she lived in the Quad Cities, we'd either be friends or I'd be WAY too afraid to talk to anyone so awesome.
#6 - Sigur Ros - Atta - Iceland's leading purveyors of moody atmospherics hadn't released a proper album in a decade, and many thought the recent scandalous departure of their drummer would be the death knell for one of the world's most hauntingly beautiful bands. Instead, they soldiered on, replacing the drums with a 41-piece orchestra and a passion that doesn't need percussion. It's apparently about climate change, but all I hear is catharsis.
#5 - Emma Anderson - Pearlies - The seminal UK band Lush attempted a reunion in 2016 that fizzled after just one (brilliant) EP. But rather than chuck everything into the bin, co-leader Emma Anderson continued working on the new material she'd brought to the table, resulting in her first solo record. "Pearlies" doesn't exactly break new ground, but carries on Lush's legacy of shimmering austere dreampop, which has been much missed at my musical table.
#4 - Vagabon - Sorry I Haven't Called - Born in Cameroon but raised in New York, Laetitia Tamko has been something of a musical chameleon under his guise as Vagabon. Her first record was crunchy DIY indie rock, and its follow-up was a soupy R&B-laden mish-mash. On her new record, she's escaped the mire into a world of foggily charming electropop. When Tamko's fragile hooks rise above the clouds, it's magic.
#3 - Hotline TNT - Cartwheel - We've established that I love the fuzzy bliss of shoegaze, but too often, modern shoegaze bands focus more on the effects-laden production of their records and forget to write decent songs along the way. Not the case with New-York-by-way-of-Minneapolis noisemakers Hotline TNT, who often get lumped into the shoegaze genre but owe just as much of their sound to bands like Husker Du and early Teenage Fanclub. The result is a hybrid mix of shoegaze and powerpop that results in blissed-out sonic fury you can still sing along to in the shower. It's a triumph.
#2 - SUSTO - My Entire Life - I never thought a country-tinged South Carolina roots rock band would become one of my favorite groups of all time, but that's the power of SUSTO. An ever-changing vehicle to deliver the songwriting of frontman Justin Osborne, SUSTO won my snobbish tastes over in record time and I'm officially a fanboy. Specializing in psychedelic country rock with pop sensibilities, Osborne's refreshingly honest lyrics continue to charm and amaze. It's a pleasure listening to him grow up.
#1 - RAYE - My 21st Century Blues - British singer RAYE (real name Rachel Keen) spent years locked in a fruitless record deal, unable to make the solo album she dreamt of while lending her vocals to multiple chart-topping dance hits from DJs like David Guetta and Joel Corry. Eventually, she put her record label on blast via Twitter, got booted from her contract, and retreated to the studio to finally craft her dream album. The result is a stunning tour-de-force of fiery rage, captivating storytelling, heartache, survival, and freedom. RAYE attended the same prestigious music school as Amy Winehouse and Adele, and it shows. Largely self-written and self-produced, its the sound of someone capturing their self-confidence and finding their own voice in real time. I hope it's everything she wanted it to be. It's certainly the best thing I've heard all year.
Next stop, 2024. Thanks for letting me nerd out a bit, gang. Go buy some records, they're good for your soul.
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