2023 Real Music Review
The 10 Best Albums of 2023
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Completely Subjective, Absolutely True
It was a great year for music, I say it every year. I had a great time listening to artists that I know and love, seeing their evolution and progression, along with discovering new and relevant artists who’s future I’m really excited for. This year felt like the year of cohesion. The expert-level potion mixing of different genres and sounds to create something familiar yet completely new. Perhaps the word I’m looking for is “innovation.” When the path ahead looked uncertain, channeling those doubts into creativity resulted in some truly memorable albums this year
Hotline TNT: Cartwheel
Ok I don’t know what I’m talking about, but shoegaze is it. I remember a few months ago embarrassingly googling “popular shoegaze bands” since I’ve been really getting into the more modern shoegaze scene (TAGABOW, Blue Smiley, Knifeplay, etc) and Hotline TNT came up as a band to check out. I did, and I liked a few songs off their last album, Nineteen in Love, (Stampede is great) but nothing was instantly grabbing me. When Cartwheel popped up on Spotify, I gave it a go (great album art), I had no idea how much it would truly get into my head. It has everything I love about indie rock, post punk, and shoegaze, combining them all with great care. It’s cohesive as hell but still ebs and flows. Songs like Spot Me 100 feel familiar and close emotionally and then the breakdown just completely takes it in a new direction. It’s fantastic. The whole album reminds me of Basement or Turnover with heavier distortion and thoughtful lyrics. It’s catchy, it’s unique, but it’s still great to throw on at a party. One of my favorites from this year and it came out later so I know it’ll be spinning well into 2024.
Golden Apples: Bananasugarfire
This was a surprise. Before this year I had never even heard of this band, but that’s the beauty in tech and the Spotify algorithm that served this up in Discover Weekly. This just fits perfectly into the early 2010 brand of indie rock music I love. I’m a sucker for the voice looping/echoing and any piano riffs and this album is full of it. I was first introduced with the song Sugarfire. I loved the keyboard and distortion and wanted more. I noticed that their album had just dropped and listened cover to cover. NO skips. It just felt classic and memorable and I instantly loved it. Nothing wrong with the indie classics that remind you of your adolescent origin. Bands like Bombay Bicycle Club or maybe Neon Indian come to mind. A bit of 80’s licks sprinkled in too. Good, really good. Maybe not profound, but definitely special. Great to throw on when you’re driving across town, chillin, etc.
Sufjan Stevens: Javelin
I was really trying to be neutral about my expectations for this album but this was exactly what I wanted from Sufjan. I’m a big fan, more into the experimental eras from him like Age of Adz, or Come On Feel the, Illinois (definitely a top 25 album for me) so I was glad to have a mix of the two in Javelin. Crying publicly on BART listening to Goodbye Evergreen literally because I got sunscreen in my eyes and the older man across from me asking if I was ok, felt too real. No, I’m not ok! Sufjan’s partner passed, Sufjan also suffered from an autoimmune emergency, nearly died, lost his ability to move his entire body, and is hopefully going to be nursed back to health. Ok being dramatic, but this album made me realize how special Sufjan is to me personally. Sufjan has always helped me to connect deeper with my emotions. Process grief, faith, and other complexities in life. It’s dramatic, but I truly would not have the same connection I do with music if it was not for Sufjan. I never want to lose him, and listening to this album I could feel the pain that Sufjan has gone through this year and will continue to go through. It’s tragic and beautiful and flows together as an entire album so gracefully. But yeah, I absolutely recommend blasting Goodbye Evergreen in your car, crying, releasing. It’s cathartic, it’s tragic.
Wednesday: Rat Saw God
Wednesday. You need to give these guys a listen. I feel so lucky to say that I saw them perform in spring of this year because hearing the 8 minute epic, Bull Believer, was a life-changing experience. “Finish him!!!!” I love how despite being a part of the indie genre, Wednesday feels new and innovative. Performance-wise the talent is stunning. I left the show feeling like they were truly onto something. I hope they stay in the smaller but appreciated realm that they are now, but I feel as though it’s a matter of time before everyone is appreciating their talent. It’s original but accessible, such a hard line to ride. It’s astonishing to me how well they combine indie with a pinch of country and a nice dousing of shoegaze. Something that is not easy to do. It reminded me a lot of Hotline TNT but the major bonus for me was the added country twinge. Rat Saw God and truly all of Wednesday’s discography will stick with me forever if I can help it. I can’t wait to see what else they produce.
Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA: Scaring the Hoes
Danny Brown AND Peggy? Say less. This album helped me PR on my running routes and reminded me just how much I love both of these artists. I was fortunate enough to see JPEGMAFIA open for Turnstile this year. Their initial show got pushed due to illness, but the silver lining was that JPEG had more new things to share and was also just so incredible live. The energy and the passion is unstoppable. I was hyped when this project came out, still am. The production quality and creativity of both of these artists has always been a main reason why I’ve been a fan, so putting the two together resulted in some unique and daring results that for me, worked really well. If I’m trying to get people into Danny or Peggy for the first time, this might not be the album I’d use to introduce them, but long-time fans will love it. It’s a great one to keep coming back to. Each time I hear something new and realize the complexity. I hope there’s more collaborations from these two because it’s invigorating.
Feeble Little Horse: Girl with Fish
I think people don’t always take my music taste seriously because I like bands with insane band names. I get it, but trust me when I tell you, Feeble Little Horse is worth considering. Hayday, their first album, is essentially perfect. I discovered it last year and could not stop playing Chores and Termites (full body2 remix). Their second album, Girl With Fish just expands on this to deliver what I consider the perfect production of indie, electronic, grunge, and shoegaze. One aspect that I think works so well is the balance between the vocals and the music. The drawback of shoegaze for some is the heavy emphasis on the sound rather than the vocals or lyrics, but FLH balances it out to emphasize each equally. It’s essential for me because the lyrics drive home the impact of the arrangements. It’s truly hard to describe Feeble Little Horse only because there are so many layers to the album and their style. If you have to pick one album from my list, do me a favor, check them out. It’s short and sweet, and honestly that’s the only negative. It’s over too quickly but each short song is packed in with all these different techniques and sounds. I’m really excited about this band and hope they can continue and even commit to a tour soon. It would be an incredible show.
Elvis Depressedly: Who Owns the Graveyard?
When On Earth came out as the single for this album, I was excited. Comma Cinema and all of Mat Cothran’s projects are always so good, so gut wrenching. I remember a few years ago I saw Turnover and Elvis Depressedly was opening. I knew their one song, Warm Honey but overall had little expectations for the performance and almost didn’t make it. I’m so glad I did because Mat was incredible live. He performed Comma Cinema’s Running Wide Open, which to date is still one of my favorite songs. He’s severely underrated which is a bummer because his art is beautiful. In typical ED fashion, there are some really big hits and also some misses. It’s not a no-skip album for me, but the songs that I loved from the album I kept replaying. Per usual, his lyrics made me honestly wish that he’s ok. With a name like “Elvis Depressedly”, you know it’ll be sad. I think I love his style so much because it’s honest and immersive and absolutely dark. His lyrics get to the heart of it while his music helps to emphasize it all. I will say, On Earth, though such a good song, didn’t quite set the tone of the whole album for me. I wanted a little more of the depth and weight that the single brought. In That Sound was beautiful and so sad. Piper was a standout for me - just was a gut punch tune that fit perfectly into the colder autumn weather.
@: Mind Palace Music
This was such a good one!! Folky, indie, acoustic. So much talent. It feels pretty personal, like this is a group of friends just getting together and playing some tunes extremely well. The box drum, hand calls, and harmonies gave that more humble feel, but it’s exciting because I could totally see this band progressing in a really special way. “I see nothing short of magical” truly! @ got to me and I found myself coming back to this album often. I want more banjo please! Where Did You Put Me was such a teaser. First Journal guitar picking was beautiful and I hope the range of talent from this band crystallizes even further into a cohesive and developed sound. I’ll look forward to what’s next from them, and in the meantime keep spinning. This would be an amazing album to have on vinyl to play when friends come over just to chill.
Slowpulp: Yard
Slowpulp’s last album, Moveys, was a great sad time in 2020 and one of my favorites. I wasn’t expecting too much from Yard, but I was instantly snapped in when they dropped Cramps and it felt like a personal ballad. Seriously though, this album has the grittier shoegaze distortion that I love mixed with their laid-back rock indie style. Think Blue Rev by Alvvays but more guitar! I appreciated that this album felt more optimistic than Moveys and the hooks were addictive. A truly solid album through and through. When the harmonica pops on, oh boy! Yeah I’m sold. I appreciated the more hopeful feeling this album evoked too. Their last made me so sad. Yard was essential for me and showed how this band is evolving nicely and probably in a better place both professionally and personally. Yards is such a great time — an album I can throw on at almost any time. I look forward to listening to it well into 2024.
King Krule: Space Heavy
More like, space good! It always astonishes me that King Krule only made three albums before this. I mean, a lot of collaborations and projects so it feels like more, but still, he’s such a talent from the start. It’s nice to see his evolution slowly but surely and Space Heavy did feel like more of that for me. Man Alive! was fine, but just didn’t stick with me like The OOZ or 6ft. I’m relieved that Space Heavy brought me back to the depth and production that I love from KK. Vast, open, vulnerable. It’s got deep pools of isolationism and longing. Apparently this album reflects on his time as a father, separated from his partner, and the feelings that time has created. It’s definitely a more accessible and warmer sounding album. I feel like if you’ve never listened before, it’s a great intro to him. Real fans may argue that it doesn’t do enough, but I appreciate the restraint. The use of guitar feels hopeful at times rather than typically soul crushing. Raveena on the track? Perfect. Also, Wednesday Overcast is such a beautiful way to end an album. Sublime.