Best Music of 2023 Discussion Thread

[Tweet]

Goodbye pigs this was last your thing

Still too early to put anything in a real order, but The Tubs and Lil Yachty are tops of my list. There will be other stuff.

I'd share my yearly playlist but like half of y'all aren't on Spotify anymore so lets name and rank albums and songs

[Tweet]

Here's the other stuff from January I liked:

Fireworks- Higher Lonely Power
Oddissee- To What End
John Cale- Mercy
HC McEntire- Every Acre

And I agree with Timbo the Black Belt Eagle Scout is gonna get a lot of play.

[mookie]

Young Fathers and Yo La Tengo are the easy front runners right now

[monasterymonochrome]

I’ve listened to 4 albums this year and they’ve all been great. Got a lot to catch up on tho.

1. James Brandon Lewis - Eye of I
2. The Tubs - Dead Meat
3. Danny Arakaki - Tumble in Shade
4. Florry - Sick Guitar Solos (EP)

[Tweet]

Co-sign that Florry EP. V Philadelphian

[doso]

Yo La Tengo for sure

New records from the following artists will probably end up on my list when they're released:
- boygenius
- Savannah Conley
- The National
- Screaming Females

[postfontaine]

I feel like this year’s gotten off to a pretty slow start, but the new Caroline Polachek album came out today, and that’s probably already my favorite so far. In addition to that I’ve enjoyed (to various extents) the new albums by Parannoul, Fireworks, Samia, Young Fathers, Núria Graham, and Iggy Pop

[teekoh]

Here’s what I’ve listened to so far. Just about all have been pretty good.

Iggy Pop - Every Loser
Fireworks - Higher Lonely Power
Nicole Dollanganger - Married in Mount Airy
Anti-Flag - Lies They Tell Our Children
Babytron - Bin Reaper 3: The New Testament
Obituary - Dying of Everything
Belle & Sebastian - Late Developers
Gloss Up - Before The Gloss Up*
Tribunal - The Weight of Remembrance
Molly - Picturesque
Oddisee - To What End
Grief Symposium - …in the Absence of Life
Lil Yachty - Let’s Start Here.
Guided By Voices - La La Land

[goodson]

kelela - raven
crushed - extra life
jonatan leandoer 96 - sugar world
skrillex - quest for fire
parannoul - after the magic
ohzora kimishima - eitaisuru kimuri
kali malone - does spring hide its joy
ryuichi sakamoto - 12
james brandon lewis - eye of i
babytron - bin reaper 3

[monasterymonochrome]

Feb 19, 2023 9:21:39 GMT -6 goodson said:

kelela - raven
crushed - extra life
jonatan leandoer 96 - sugar world
skrillex - quest for fire
parannoul - after the magic
ohzora kimishima - eitaisuru kimuri
kali malone - does spring hide its joy
ryuichi sakamoto - 12
james brandon lewis - eye of i
babytron - bin reaper 3

You listen to the whole Kali Malone record in one go?  It's been on my queue for a month, but I haven't jumped into it yet.  Maybe I ought to piece it up?

[venom]

i've enjoyed the cvc debut, the new margo price, and the men's latest so far.

[thebosma]

Feb 19, 2023 10:08:10 GMT -6 monasterymonochrome said:

Feb 19, 2023 9:21:39 GMT -6 goodson said:

kelela - raven
crushed - extra life
jonatan leandoer 96 - sugar world
skrillex - quest for fire
parannoul - after the magic
ohzora kimishima - eitaisuru kimuri
kali malone - does spring hide its joy
ryuichi sakamoto - 12
james brandon lewis - eye of i
babytron - bin reaper 3

You listen to the whole Kali Malone record in one go?  It's been on my queue for a month, but I haven't jumped into it yet.  Maybe I ought to piece it up?

I did and it was worth it. The hour long segments can be listened to separately

[obmit]

Feb faves


The Telescopes
Black Belt Eagle Scout
Shame
Maxo
Yo La Tengo
The Men
Screaming Females
Kelela
Liv.e

[chvrchbarrel]

wowww this parannoul album is great

[monasterymonochrome]

I've only listened to 22 albums from this year - but here's an extremely shooting-from-the-hip early Top 15 for Q1. I expect a lot of this to change in the coming weeks / days, even.

1. Dougie Poole - The Rainbow Wheel of Death
2. James Brandon Lewis - Eye of I
3. Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy
4. Lonnie Holley - Oh Me, Oh My
5. Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You
6. The Tubs - Dead Meat
7. Algiers - Shook
8. Yo La Tengo - This Stupid World
9. Parannoul - After the Magic
10. Iris DeMent - Workin' on a World
11. Christian McBride's New Jawn - Prime
12. Danny Arakaki - Tumble in Shade
13. Florry - Sick Guitar Solos
14. Meg Baird - Furling
15. Gee Tee - Goodnight Neanderthal

[thebosma]

I got the leak of the Lana album last week and it’s hard to imagine much topping it this year sans like, a new Sade album or something

[postfontaine]

2023 Q1

1. Fireworks - Higher Lonely Power
2. U.S. Girls - Bless This Mess
3. Aly & AJ - With Love From
4. Parannoul - After the Magic
5. Samia - Honey
6. 100 gecs - 10,000 gecs
7. Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You
8. boygenius - the record
9. Nuria Graham - Cyclamen
10. Iggy Pop - EVERY LOSER
11. Ava Max - Diamonds & Dancefloors
12. shame - Food for Worms
13. JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - Scaring the Hoes Vol 1
14. Yves Tumor - Praise A Lord Who Chews But Does Not Consume;
15. Miley Cyrus - Endless Summer Vacation
16. Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy
17. Algiers - Shook
18. Gorillaz - Cracker Island
19. Black Country, New Road - Live at Bush Hall
20. Rebecca Black - Let Her Burn
21. Kali Uchis - Red Moon in Venus
22. Lil Yachty - Let’s Start Here
23. DEBBY FRIDAY - GOOD LUCK
24. Black Belt Eagle Scout - The Land, The Water, The Sky
25. Belle and Sebastian - Late Developers
26. KAROL G - MAÑANA SERÁ BONITO
27. Margo Price - Strays
28. Kelela - Raven
29. The Murder Capital - Gigi’s Recovery
30. RAYE - My 21st Century Blues

[mookie]

I think this is my list for the year so far. Not much really blowing me away so far aside from the top 10 or so. Hopefully it picks up in the second half of the year

Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy
100 gecs – 10,000 gecs
Model/Actriz – Dogsbody
Daughter – Stereo Mind Game
Ava Max – Diamonds & Dancefloors
Mandy, Indiana – I’ve seen a way
Water From Your Eyes – Everyone’s Crushed
Miss Grit – Follow the Cyborg
Gracie Abrams – Good Riddance
Feist – Multitudes
Maude Latour – Twin Flame
sear – Grief in V Stages
Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good!
Frost Children – SPEED RUN
boygenius – the record
Clark – Sus Dog
Indigo De Souza – All of This Will End
Gia Margaret – Romantic Piano
Fireworks – Higher Lonely Power
Two Shell – lil spirits (ep)
Yo La Tengo – This Stupid World
Weval – Don’t Lose Time (ep)
Feeble little horse – Girl with Fish
Kerosene Heights – Southeast of Somewhere
Overmono – Good Lies
The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein
Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
Sigur Ros – ATTA
Molly – Picturesque

[doso]

I’ve listened to the new Bully record more than anything else in the first half of this year - it’s top tier for 2023 and the other releases I’ve enjoyed so far are all a tier or two below.

[Tweet]

The Tubs- Dead Meat
BOYGENIUS- the record
Protomartyr- Formal Growth in the Desert

Lil Yachty- Let’s start here
Black Belt Eagle Scout- The Land, The Water, The Sky
Drayton Farley- Twenty on High
The Men- New York City
Skrillex- Quest for Fire
Navy Blue- Ways of Knowing
John Cale- Mercy
Algiers- Shook
Overmono- Good Lies
Blondshell- s/t
London Brew- s/t
Plastic Presidents- Good Times Can’t Last
Militarie Gun- Life Under The Gun
ANOHNI & The Johnsons- My Back was a Bridge for You to Cross
Disclosure- Alchemy
Shame- Food For Worms
PIGS x7- Land of Sleeper
Wednesday- Rat Saw God
Fireworks- Higher Lonely Power
Yves Tumor- Hot Between Worlds
Joanna Sternberg- I’ve Got Me

Oddissee- To What End
hC McEntire- Every Acre
Hellripper- Warlocks Grim & Weathered Hags
Fever Ray- Radical Romantics
M83- Fantasy
Deathcrash- less
Angel Bat Dawid- Requiem for Jazz
Young Fathers- Heavy Heavy
Iggy Pop- Every Loser
Model/Actriz- Dogsbody
Esther Rose- Safe to Run
Indigo de Souza- All of This Will End
Tanlines- The Big Mess
Speakers Corner Quartet- Further Out Than the Edge
Jess Williamson- Time Ain’t Accidental
Rose City Band- Garden Party
Sigur Ros- ATTA
Desire Marea- On the Romance of Being
Big Freedia- central city
Geese- 3D Country
Bonny Doon- Let There Be Light
Snooper- Super Snooper
Youth Lagoon- Heaven is a Junkyard
Blur- The Ballad of Darren
Anna St. Louis- In the Air
Noname- Sundial
North Americans- Long Cool World
Big Laugh- Consume Me
MSPAINT- Post-American
JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown- Scaring the Hoes
Turnpike Troubadors- A Cat in the Rain
Jaimie Branch- Fly or Die 3
Mya ongaku- Approach to Anima
Sparklehorse- Bird Machine
Scenario.- When All Is Said and Done


And then also:

SZA- SOS
Margo Price- Strays
Ulrika Spacek- Compact Trauma
Caroline Polachek- Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
Narrow Head- Moments of Clarity
FIDLAR- That’s Life EP
Scowl- Psychic Dance Routine
Dick Stusso- SP
Brian Eno & Fred Again…- Secret Life

MOLLY- Picturesque
Florry- Sweet Guitar Solos EP
Flume- Things Don’t Always Go The Way You Plan
Skrillex- Don’t Get Too Close
Gorillaz- Cracker Island
Runner- Like Dying Stars, We’re Reaching Out
Ruhal Qausier- Fatima
Dougie Poole- The Rainbow Wheel of Death
Jen Cloher- I am the River, The River is Me
Miley Cyrus- Endless Summer Vacation
100 gecs- 10000 gecs
EST Gee- Mad
Lana Del Ray- …Under Ocean Blvd.
Black Country, New Road- Live From Bush Hall
Gel- Only Constant
Davido- Timeless
Yaeji- With a Hammer
Rae Sremmerd- Sremm 4 Life
GoGo Penguin- Everything is Going to be Ok
Kara Jackson- Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?
Fenne Lilly- Big Picture
Jessie Ware- That! Feels Good!
Avalon Emerson- & The Charm
Skinny Pelembe- Hardly the Same Snake
Billy woods & Kenny Segal- Maps
Ok cool- fawn EP
The bollweevales- Essentials
The Lemon Twigs- Everything Harmony
Mui Zyu- Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century
Crocodiles- Upside Down in Heaven
Surgery Cult- Torso Exchange
Gumm- Slogan Machine
Kesha- Gag Order
Stuck- Freak Frequency
Water From Your Eyes- Everyone’s Crushed
Gia Margaret- romantic piano
Bar Italia- Tracey denim
Kari Faux- Real B*tches Don’t Die
HiTech- DETWAT
Bully- Lucky For You
Buggin- Concrete Cowboys
Nourished by Time- Erotic Probiotic 2
Feeble little horse- Girl with Fish
Pynch- Howling at a concrete moon
Dave & Central Dee- Split Decision EP
Squid- O Monolith
Portrayal of Guilt- Devil Music
Killer Mike- MICHAEL
Peso Pluma- GENESIS
King Gizzard- Petrodragonic Apocalypse
Calvin Johnson- Gallows Wine
Mike Dimes- Texas Boy
Chester Watson- Fish Don’t climb trees
The Bonk- Greater Than or Equal To The Bonk
Local Natives- Time Will Wait For No One
Colter Wall- Little Songs
Palehound- Eye on the Bat
Natural Wonder Beauty Concept- s/t
Sweeping Promises- Good Living Is Coming For You
Grian Chatten- Chaos For the Fly
PJ Harvey- I Inside the Old Year Dying
Strange Ranger- Pure Music
Valee & Harry Fraud- Virtuoso
Paris Texas- MID AIR
Cut Worms- s/t
Travis Scott- UTOPIA
Aphex Twin- Blackbox Life Recorder 21f EP
The Clientele- I am Not There Anymore
Cory Hansen- Western Cum
Kyle Nix & The 38s- After The Flood, Vol. 1
Joy Oladakun- Proof of Life
M Sage- Paradise Crick
BAMBII- Infinity Club
George Clanton- Ohh Rap I Ya
Jessie Lanza- Love Hallucination
Fiddlehead- Death is Nothing to Us
Molly Tuttle- City of Gold
Cumgirl8- phantasea pharm EP
Blue Lake- Sun Arcs
Zach Bryan- s/t
Morgan Wade- Psychopath
Ratboys- The Window
Burna Boy- I Told Them…
Slowdive- Everything is alive
Deeper- Careful!
The chemical Brothers- For That Beautiful Feeling
Romy- Midair
Angel Du$t- Brand New Soul
James Blake- Playing Robots Into Heaven
The National- Laugh Track
Margo Cilker- Valley of Heart’s Delight
Tomb Mold- The Enduring Spirit
Wheeler Walker Jr.- Ram

[Tweet]

What I'm realizing is that I listened to a shitton more music while I was unemployed than I figured I would

[Tweet]

After the feedback from last year I am going to open up voting on EOY lists mid-December and roll the year of 2023's music out around the King holiday. Sounds good?

[postfontaine]

Haven’t updated my list in a couple weeks, but here’s where I’m at headed into the end of the year:

Bully - Lucky For You
Fireworks - Higher Lonely Power
Georgia - Euphoric
Ruston Kelly - The Weakness
Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
Zach Bryan - Zach Bryan
Chris Farren - Doom Singer
Aly & AJ - With Love From
Samia - Honey
100 gecs - 10,000 gecs
U.S. Girls - Bless This Mess
Indigo De Souza - All of This Will End
Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS
Wednesday - Rat Saw God
Avalon Emerson - & the Charm
Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You
boygenius - the record
Romy - Mid Air
Miya Folick - ROACH
Nuria Graham - Cyclamen
Jeff Rosenstock - HELLMODE
Vagabon - Sorry I Haven’t Called
Maude Latour - Twin Flame EP
James Ivy - Everything Perfect
Parannoul - After the Magic
Everything But The Girl - Fuse
Overcoats - Winner
Iggy Pop - EVERY LOSER
bar italia - Tracey Denim
Buck Meek - Haunted Mountain
Kim Petras - Feed the Beast
Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Weathervanes
Arlo Parks - My Soft Machine
Ava Max - Diamonds & Dancefloors
shame - Food for Worms
JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - Scaring the Hoes Vol 1
Dream Wife - Social Lubrication
Tanlines - The Big Mess
KAYTRAMINE - KAYTRAMINE
Yves Tumor - Praise A Lord Who Chews But Does Not Consume;
Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy
Algiers - Shook
Jessy Lanza - Love Hallucination
The New Pornographers - Continue as a Guest
Alex Lahey - The Answer is Always Yes
caro♡ - wild at ♡
Rebecca Black - Let Her Burn
Gorillaz - Cracker Island
Black Country, New Road - Live at Bush Hall

[monasterymonochrome]

Idk, I kinda want to start using this thread to discuss albums I've been frequently returning to in the run-up to list season. Maybe I'll stick with it? Maybe this will be a one or two-off. But first up...



The Clientele - I Am Not There Anymore

Can you believe these guys came out of nowhere and dropped a bona fide masterpiece in 2023? This is some early 2000s indie-core shit. If this came out in 2003, there would've been anniversaries thinkpieces fawning over such a bold, conceptually realized follow-up to Suburban Light. Regardless, it's a little miracle to have it here and now. It's delicate, it's daring in its scope. It's only a liiiitle bit pretentious with all the instrumental interludes and that poetry track. But, guys. It's just really, really fucking pretty. I love it.

Fave track: Chalk Flowers



Did you hear this album? What did you think? What were your favorite / least favorite moments?

[Tweet]

I dug it and am planning to get back to it in the coming weeks. I quibble with “came out of nowhere” since Suburban Light is still an indie masterpiece. I had an anxiety attack and couldn’t go to the show with Rango at Lincoln Hall back in august

[monasterymonochrome]

Nov 7, 2023 14:46:42 GMT -6 Tweet said:

I dug it and am planning to get back to it in the coming weeks. I quibble with “came out of nowhere” since Suburban Light is still an indie masterpiece. I had an anxiety attack and couldn’t go to the show with Rango at Lincoln Hall back in august

Yeah I mainly meant I didn't expect them to drop another record that I really loved, more broadly.  Their 2017 LP was good, but not something I've revisited since.  This one hit harder in a way I didn't expect for a 20+ year old band.

[monasterymonochrome]

Today's album is...



Home is Where - The Whaler

One of the best rock records of 2023, from one of the most exciting young bands out there. I'm not a big emo guy, never really connected with, like, American Football or any of Ian Cohen's faves. But this band kills me. Brash, impassioned, going-for-broke music. Equal parts Rites of Spring, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, body horror, and fuckin' like Tom Petty or something. They're so good. And this record is a perfect, succinct statement. Not sure there's a better summary of how it feels to live in America in the 2000s than "And on September 12th, 2001 / Everyone went back to work." The end of the world is, indeed, taking forever.

Fave song: yes! yes! a thousand times yes!

Did you hear this album? What did you think? What were your favorite / least favorite moments?

[mookie]

I tried both of those albums earlier this year based on others hype, but neither one landed with me at all.
Home is Where should be right in my wheelhouse as a big emo fan, but I've given it two listens and am just not feeling it. Too bad though.

[monasterymonochrome]

Nov 8, 2023 13:15:39 GMT -6 mookie said:

I tried both of those albums earlier this year based on others hype, but neither one landed with me at all.
Home is Where should be right in my wheelhouse as a big emo fan, but I've given it two listens and am just not feeling it. Too bad though.

Huh, I wonder if something about them that appeals to me, as a non emo-fan, wouldn't go over with fans of the genre?  

[monasterymonochrome]

Today's 2023 album is...



Geese - 3D Country

I like this one, but this is the first record in this series that I don't outright love. Don't get me wrong - there's plenty of good stuff going on here. Musicianship is excellent, the thing sounds great, the arrangements are wacked out in fun ways, and I enjoy how they're poking around a bunch of different genres (post-punk / prog / classic rock) instead of doing pastiche of one in particular. And when the songs hit, they hit. "Cowboy Nudes" and the title track are among my favorite 2023 tracks.

So how come the whole record doesn't quite bowl me over? I'm curious what y'all think about this one - positive and negative. For me, I struggle to locate the emotional core of this music. What are these songs expressing? Is there something buried in there that I'm missing? Because sometimes it feels like a talented group of ^rich kids flexing their chops for the sake of it. Like an exercise in being a 2020s post-Parquet Courts NYC punk band. There's a longer tangent in me about the rise of, let's call it "Decorative Screaming" in 2020s indie music, but I'll save that for another day. And hey, writing fun songs for the sake of it is cool. I loved Twin Peaks too. But these songs sometimes feel constructed to deliver emotional payoff, but something doesn't translate to my brain. For now, I'm labeling them with groups like Lemon Twigs. Fun, immensely talented young bands that I'm still waiting for something more from.

Did you hear this album? What did you think? Am I way-overthinking this? Should I just shut up and enjoy the music?