It was an unusually strong year for music. Several new (to me) artists that quickly became favorites, as well as a number of excellent releases from artists I already dug. Some years it’s tough to come up with a top 10. This year the competition was fierce and some really fine music was relegated to the honorable mentions.
Best of 2023 (in order)
Wednesday Rat Saw God. Album of the year. Great from start to finish. Also picked up all their earlier releases after realizing that Rat Saw God was their fourth album—-all of them terrific, I might add. Throw in Lenderman’s solo stuff and these youngsters from Asheville, NC were far and away my most listened to act(s) of 2023.
Hotline TNT Cartwheel. Plays like a classic from the first wave of shoegaze, yet completely contemporary. A heavy Ride influence with some Swervedriver and a pinch of Sugar thrown in for good measure. Fantastic album.
Squirrel Flower Tomorrow’s Fire. Muscular, brooding indie rock from Chicago transplant Ella Williams. (fwiw, Jake Lenderman plays in her studio band for Tomorrow's Fire, so you know the guitars are on point.)
Laurel Halo Atlas. Instrumental music that is simultaneously dreamy, yet slightly disorienting. Found it to be a great soundtrack for both painting and cooking. She is a frequent collaborator with Bootsy favorite Julia Holter.
Blonde Redhead Sit Down for Dinner. After nearly a decade on the sidelines, BRH return with a lovely, mellow release that grows and grows with repeated listens.
dusk Glass Pastures. Alt-country band from 'Sconi with more than a little late-60’s San Fran, rough-neck/hippy vibe. (Think Moby Grape, right down to the 3 guitar attack and multiple lead vocalists.)
MJ Lenderman and The Wind Live and Loose. Jake Lenderman and his crackerjack band blaze through 14 originals and close with a fabulous cover of “Long Black Veil.” Dude is only 24 years old. He is definitely one to watch.
Deerhoof Miracle Level. What can I say? These guys continue to deliver the goods. Entirely sung in Japanese.
Cory Hanson Western Cum. Like Foxygen covering the Eagles. lol Seriously, an axe-wielding tour de force from the Wand dude. Ridiculously horrible album title, though. (shout-out to Zach for turning me onto Pale Horse Rider a few years back in these same year-end best of's.)
Angel Olsen Forever Means EP. Two of the four songs rate amongst her finest work. I’m on board for whatever Angel wants to do
Honorable Mentions (in no particular order)
Ratboys The Window
Lana Del Rey Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd?
Sufjan Stevens Javelin
Slow Pulp Yard
Mitski The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We
Feist Multitudes
feeble little horse Girl with Fish
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Hotline TNT getting a lot of late 2023 love I noticed. I need to check out those Angel Olsen EPs. I lost track that she had released them.
I completely forgot that new Sufjan came out. I haven’t been listening to anything new lately. 😔
It’s really good, but terribly sad. I started finding it hard to listen to without getting emotional.
Hotline TNT first came on my radar when Wednesday covered them on Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling Them Up.
Painter, nice to see you. Did you check out that Cusp album?
Based on the fact that you called it your favorite release of the year, I went to Bandcamp and started streaming it. Two songs in and I bought it. We have quite a bit of overlap in our tastes and I felt safe pulling the trigger. I’ve only been able to listen all the way through a couple of times, but so far I’m really digging it. Thanks for the tip.
Always love the painter lists. Always full of stuff I've heard and loved, and stuff I haven't heard yet, but will love soon enough.
Thank you, sir.
That Blonde Redhead is easily the best thing they've done since Misery is a Butterfly. I had pretty much written them off since Penny Sparkle, but I am thrilled that I was wrong.
I agree that Penny Sparkle was pretty “meh”, but 23 was a really good album. Misery is a Butterfly, is arguably their high water mark, but I still have a soft spot for Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons. Was kind of blown away that Rick and Morty kept using the closing track from it.
Also, meant to give this video a 9 but my sausage fingers caused me to hit 10. Oh, well. It’s pretty great.