Category Archives for Opinion

The Rundown: June 2024

Cast your minds back to March or so, when I discussed a work thing keeping me impaired from listening to as much music as I wanted to. Well that has happened again this month, at least briefly. I was tearing through albums when I was suddenly restricted to just listening to stuff on my commute. But have no fear, I’m still doing blast reviews, and this post contains a whopping 28 of them. I debated cutting it into two posts so I don’t crash your browser. I didn’t. Sorry! These aren’t in any real order, just tossed around so you don’t get genre- or length-fatigue.

Despite everything, my 2024 listen-to list is still hovering around 180 releases, an absolutely impenetrable number. In this post, you’ll get some great alternative, throwback punk, a lot of passable metal, a trio of semi-Spanish indie artists, check-ins from a pair of veteran rock bands, and two of the biggest pop albums of the year. I have barricaded my apartment and armed myself, because I will dive deep into the Taylor Swift record. Lord help us.

Orville Peck – Stampede, Vol. 1

Happy pride month to all my cowboys, cowgirls, and cows who don’t fit on a binary. Any of you who follow me on social media know my borderline obsession with the masked man. Our yeehaw ambassador is back with “new” music – an EP of mostly covers, performed with many of the original artists. The standout is, of course, the opening track “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other,” done with Willie Nelson, who made the song famous back in the 80’s. The EP is very gay and joyous, and isn’t meant to be any grand statement. Most of the songs are…fine! Peck is listed as a writer on three of the seven songs, with the rest being covers. An Elton John cover is fun, as is a Billy Ray Cyrus cover done with Noah Cyrus. Other tracks are fine but not memorable. A Latin track “Miénteme” is a bit misguided. This is not an important release, but as a holdover until the next record, it’s fun enough. Given that this is a volume, and given that Peck’s last album came in installments, there will surely be more. However he has yet to announce a follow-up, so for now I’m seeing it as a standalone EP.

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 5/10/24

Charli XCX – BRAT

For years, Charli XCX has been in sole possession of a sweet spot in pop music. She’s consistently made music poppy enough for wide appeal, but offbeat enough to avoid Top 40 weight and arena tours. It’s allowed her to keep getting blank checks to make big-budget weirdness, and time to exist in the fashion and modeling worlds. Put simply: she’s the coolest artist around. So I was disappointed in her 2023 album Crash which, despite the literal car crash cover, was her most conventional album since her rudimentary debut. I was afraid to address it at the time, solely because I was worried that that path would continue. It didn’t. BRAT is completely wild. This is hyperpop at its finest: boppy and melodic, but extremely unpredictable and glitchy everywhere. No, not on the level 100 Gecs or anything, but still chaotic. Save a couple of more tender songs, these are jams.

Charli has spent years branding herself as a cold, partying brat with an impressive clique – “Mean girls” backs this up. But despite this image, Charli is very upfront with her emotions on this record. There’s songs of self-doubt and gender questionings. These are vulnerable songs, sung loudly, but still masked behind boisterous music. The lyrics are there for dissecting, but they’re easy to miss as well. That I picked up on all of this in one listen is itself impressive – I normally don’t pay attention to lyrics much on the first go-around. This is such a complete portrait of an artist who knows her personal strengths and weaknesses. I don’t really listen to full records multiple times unless they’re instant favorites, but I will for this one. It demands it. Maybe it’ll be a favorite anyways. One of the best pop records of 2024, easily.

Grade: 8.5/10   Initial release date: 6/7/24

Mount Kimbie – The Sunset Violet

I don’t quite “get” Mount Kimbie, but that doesn’t stop their 2017 song “Blue Train Lines” from being one of my all-time favorites. The UK duo makes electronic music that doesn’t really align itself with any one genre. Similar to someone like DJ Shadow or even late career Gorillaz, some of their songs are collaborations, and they morph their sound to the style of music that their guest normally makes. This results in multiple King Krule songs that sound like, King Krule. But most of these songs are unassisted, and they straddle an invisible line between electronic and indie. They don’t really do a lot with either, honestly. These songs are richly textured and feel very warm, but most of them finish where they started; they’re based on vibes solely. It’s a summery album, I can see it getting put it on at a tame beach party. But as something to put on just to listen to, well it leaves something to be desired. “A Figure In The Surf” was my favorite of the bunch, and probably the only song I’ll go back to. Definitely one of the best album covers of the year, though.

Grade: 6.5/10   Initial release date: 4/5/24

Cloud Nothings – Final Summer

I love Cloud Nothings, for two reasons. One, their base template is sweaty and tantric full-force indie rock, in a manner that isn’t done much these days. The other reason is that sometimes they just take full album detours, and Final Summer is one of those. The songs on this album are much more restrained than normal. They’re still completely guitar-centric, and the band is as melody-focused as always, but these songs edge closer to pop-punk than post-hardcore. That’s not really my type of thing, mind you, and this is one of my least favorite records of theirs because of it. However, they nail the new direction. One can imagine someone getting into the poppiness of the title tune only to dig deeper and get pummeled by “Wasted Days.” I can see this being an album that grows on me. Hell, I may have just not been in the right mood. On the first listen, it was pleasant, but nothing particularly exciting. Very great, but not really “for me.” On a second listen, who’s to say. If I was rating these on an impartial scale, the grade would be higher.

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 4/19

Stompbox – Final Summer

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you – we’ve hit the highly improbable double album title. The Boston post-hardcore underdogs are back with their first new music in 30 years, a five-track EP that sounds ripped from the 1994 world that Stompbox walked away from. It also shares a title with the new Cloud Nothings release! Admittedly, I don’t know much about these guys, despite being in the Boston punk scene – I mostly included it because of the title thing. Honestly, I stumbled onto this on Bandcamp! I’m glad I did though, as someone who can never get enough local and/or post-hardcore music. TAD showed up as the top related artist, and fittingly so. These are post-hardcore songs that edge on metal. They’re not exactly original, but they’re great throwback tunes. I’d be down for a second run.

Grade: 6.5/10   Initial release date: 3/26/24

Lime Garden – One More Thing

I know little of this band, but picked them out from a radio show I heard early in the year. Their debut record is a little indie gem! Ostensibly, they’re an electro-indie group, with some strong synth influences. In most cases, this is true – songs like “Floor” and “Pop Star” have a vibrant sound that borrows equally from 80’s pop and the current hyperpop scene, all bundled in a package that’s more quaint than that combo might suggest. But there’s misdirections, too. Opener “Love Song” (the one that initially hooked me) is more of a true indie song, primed for alt-rock radio. And “Fears” is a more experimental, muddied mess of glitch and buried vocals. There’s a lot going on in this record, and basically all of it works. While it’s not one of the albums of the year or anything, I was taken aback by how much I enjoyed it. It’s sitting at a 7.5 right now, but it could get bumped into the elite 8 section. 

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 2/16/24

King Hannah – Big Swimmer

Another fascinating British indie album from a group I know little about. The title track from this album is one that’s been picking up steam on the indie radio station I listen to, and Merrick’s smooth vocals and unconventional song structure really hooked me. This duo sounds very zeitgeist-y in their production, but the songwriting goes back to 90’s alternative. Many of the songs here are soft and vulnerable, but some of them opt instead for chaotic guitar. There’s two ends of the spectrum, and even when the songs investigate both, they never do it in the middle. Not to mention, Hannah Merrick’s vocals are entrancing. She sings wistfully, poetically, like she’s telling you a secret. Often there aren’t really vocal rhythms, her voice just naturally sounds melodic. These songs wouldn’t work with a more indifferent singer. The album does suffer from too many slower moments on the back half, and a pair of songs at the midpoint that are a touch too long, but on the whole, this is a stellar release. If nothing else, check out the title track. 

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 5/31

Necrot – Lifeless Birth

This album already had a high hurdle to climb; Necrot’s previous album all the way back in 2020 was an out-of-nowhere gold standard for modern death metal. It remains one of the best metal albums I’ve listened to in the past few years. Unfortunately this one did not live up to the standard. But that’s not to say it’s bad, because it still rips. I mean, look at the cover. You know exactly what you’re getting here. Lifeless Birth is full of nonstop death metal rippers with a tongue placed halfway-in-cheek. The best songs are the ones that do truly just let loose, like the title track and “Cut the Cord.” Other longer tracks don’t sustain the energy, so even a short album gets some lag at times. But most of these songs are a full drill to the skull.

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 4/12/24

Of Montreal – Lady On The Cusp

I’ve never really been onboard the Of Montreal train, to be honest. It’s partially the daunting catalog, and partially the mix of experimental and straightforward indie stuff that doesn’t really work for me. I’ve never separated them from the Flaming Lips in my head, even though the bands aren’t too similar. I haven’t listened to too much of their catalog, and I should also note that some of this album was consumed while I was in a subway station, humid and getting increasingly frustrated at a nonexistent train. But, I got very little out of this. The top half of the album is pretty fun, with a bunch of songs that add some sonic experimentation into melodic pop-rock songs. The songs are enjoyable, but none of them are particularly exciting. The back half is mostly softer stuff, and it’s equally pleasant but forgettable. These songs have a home and an audience, and I wish I could diagnose why I don’t connect with the music of Kevin Barnes but, this isn’t for me. 

Grade: 6/10   Initial release date: 5/17/24

Perennial – Art History

Another local artist that has broken containment and is getting a proper review here. I have had the absolute pleasure of interviewing two members of this band, two people as bubbly as the music is. I’m a massive sucker for mid-00’s dance-punk, a la The Hives and Be Your Own Pet, and that’s exactly what Perennial does. Their third album continues the trend, just a bunch of quick little blasts of melodic punk. No song sticks around long – the record is 12 songs and 21 minutes. Most of them are sonic bursts, high-energy party songs, with a couple more experimental tracks (or segments) thrown in to break the pattern. Clean guitars, dual vocals and nonstop ferocious energy will make you feel like you’re in a club in 2005 seeing a great short-lived band with a terribly long and stupid name all over again. This is punk for everyone, get to this one immediately. Long live Perennial. 

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 6/7/24

Dehd – Poetry

I didn’t really vibe with the singles off of Dehd’s last album, but I didn’t listen to the full thing and I’m always down to give a band a fair shot. Unfortunately this really didn’t do anything for me. The indie band takes on a lot of different influences, and it would be objectively incorrect to say that their works are repetitive. But there isn’t really any juice here, either. They come off like they’re still looking for their signature sound, and I think they are. Some songs work, and all of them are pleasant enough. But a big majority of them just don’t have anything going for them. They end where they start and they fill the silence, nothing more. I’m not writing them off, the band’s multi-singer approach and varying influences have a lot of promise still. Poetry isn’t what it’s titled, though. It’s boring. 

Grade: 6/10   Initial release date: 5/10/24

NØ MAN – Glitter and Spit

I don’t know anything about this band so I’ll keep this brief. This is solid hardcore! It doesn’t edge too far on the abrasive side, mostly keeping things on the punk side of things instead. It’s fairly melodic, most of these tunes have something to latch on to. Opener “Eat My Twin” is expansive, pounding like a post-hardcore tune. “Poison Darts” and “Can’t Kill Us All” rip, they were my two picks. Otherwise these songs are enjoyable punk tracks. Nothing revolutionary, but worth a listen.

Grade: 6.5/10   Initial release date: 3/29

Lily Seabird – Alas,

Another indie artist I know little at all about. Shout out to Allston Pudding radio for introducing me to this one (hey Andrew, when does it air? Every Monday 4-6pm and Tuesday 10-noon EST!). This album has all the makings of a quaint little affair, but some of these songs get deep and heavy. The heavier songs start to take on a 90’s fuzzy quality, even shoegaze-y at points. But not all the time, often Lily keeps things softer. Everything works, there isn’t too much of a good thing. Every song feels introspective, some feeling vulnerable while some feel distant and cold. This is earnest music, and that something so well-developed and well-produced can come from an upcoming indie solo artist like this is just impressive. To be blunt, I loved this. 

Grade: 8.5/10   Initial release date: 1/12/24

Witch Vomit – Funeral Sanctum

With a name like Witch Vomit, you have to know that you’re getting semi-serious death metal. And it’s exactly that: dense, fun and forgettable death metal. This is very standard-fare stuff, I already don’t remember this album much after a few days. But the opening tracks “Endless Fall” and “Blood of Abomination” go hard as hell, nice little treats. If you like death metal, you can do better, but you can certainly do worse. Completely passable. Not much else to say!

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 4/5/24

Pearl Jam – Dark Matter

While I was listening to this, I kept thinking about Pearl Jam’s 2006 self-titled album. I was 16 when it came out, and although I was already deep in the throes of their catalog, it was the first new Pearl Jam album I got to hear. In my teenage baby brain, the band’s 1991 debut felt like a century ago, and I accepted from the jump that this was an older and different band. That was eighteen years ago, now in the first half of their careers. And yet, in my now adult baby brain, that initial divide still seems bigger than the current one. 

This album really is similar to the S/T, though. On the surface, this is a relatively nondescript PJ record. It lacks the groundbreaking qualities of their earliest records, and the experimentation of their surprisingly excellent previous effort Gigaton. But it’s punchy, an album that’s got a lot of energy to it. A lot of bands entering their fourth decade will shit out complacent albums of half-baked slow-burners, content to play the hits on tour. These songs are still tenderly cared for. Many of them are slower, but they’re not without effort and inspiration. There are still some real bursts of energy, too, the guys have still got the punk spirit. That hasn’t always been the case (check out the dreadful 2013 album Lightning Bolt). Although the self-titled wasn’t their first album in a new decade, it felt like the first in their second phase. It was the first album where they had nothing to prove. Dark Matter is remarkably similar to that record; the only thing they have to prove is that they can still prove something. 

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 4/19

Bossman Dlow – Mr Beat The Road

I know little of this rapper, including how he ended up on my list in the first place. It looks like one of his songs blew on on the tick tock website, I wouldn’t know much about that (old). Regardless, this is a fun ass record. It’s more of a throwback to 00’s rap, with big beats, clean production and a general boisterousness. The album is not very serious, with frequent sound effects and tongue-in-cheek boasts. It’s designed to be fun and funny, and it largely succeeds at both. Most of the tracks are under three minutes, so no idea sticks around too long. Nearly every song (and there are seventeen of them) is identical in structure, tone and tempo, so the album is repetitive long past a fault. The weaker songs are forgotten immediately, in the wake of the sprinkled-in big songs. But, every track is fun, and even the skippable ones don’t reduce the record all that much.

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 3/15

Mdou Moctar – Funeral For Justice

I was pumped for this one, I love Moctar’s previous album Afrique Victime. The Nigerien songwriter blends traditional African music sung in Tuareg with western indie and healthy amounts of guitar licks. A little secret about me is that I love African music, despite my translucent Irish skin. So naturally I took a liking to Moctar. This album has a few songs that are frustratingly slow, so it didn’t really meet my expectations, but those expectations were also high. It’s a lot of fun, and it does come with a lot of excellent guitar work. This album is unique, and in a just world it’ll open up western audiences to African music. I think it’s already working. Some of these songs may work tremendously live – I’ll let you know, I’m seeing him in a couple of hours. EDIT: Confirmed that he absolutely kicks ass live, you need to see him when he comes to your city.

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 5/3/24

Shabaka – Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace

I needed this as a Monday morning commute album, as a hangover for the Sunday night Mdou Moctar show. I listened to Shabaka’s previous solo effort, as well as some of his work with Sons of Kemet, but this is a proper debut album. And I was not prepared for it at all! Shabaka dials things back, softening his jazz and way softening his African elements, resulting in something that’s beautiful world music, and not the funkier jazz I was anticipating. It is very flute-based, and yes, Andre 3000 does have an uncredited assist. The best songs are the two longest, right at the album’s midpoint – “Body to Inhabit,” which is aided by some straight rap from E L U C I D, and “I’ll Do Whatever You Want,” a journey of a tune with some helpful collaborations from Floating Points and Laraaji. These songs are quiet and peaceful, but well-developed. It’s music I’ll only purposefully seek out in a very specific mood, but it’s a gem. It’s Monday morning music. 

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 4/12

Chicano Batman – Notebook Fantasy

This band came on my radar years ago due to, naturally, their name. I caught one of their sets on some livestream (Coachella?) and was impressed with their punk spirit and melodic tunes. Years later and they’ve really only expanded. The punk influences are mostly gone, which is usually a no-no in my book. However these songs are good enough that I took no issue. The tracks here range from low-key indie to hypnotic soul to Latin pop, changing on a dime. If you don’t like the sound of one song, no matter, the next one is different. And it all congeals well, because there’s an authenticity spawning from the multicultural heritage of the band’s background. Ultimately, it draws close to indie-pop, if that’s your speed. Whatever – I recommend.

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 3/29/24

Alisa Amador – Multitudes

Just like Chicano Batman, this record blends Latin & American influences well. Amador is a local, another album that I feel has broken containment from the corner I relegate local stuff to. If you’re a fan of NPR’s Tiny Desk shows, then this name may seem familiar – Amador won the contest they ran a few years back. Her debut album, one I’ve been quietly anticipating for a long while, is a delightful and glistening indie-pop romp. Spanish-language ballads and American bedroom pop songs live in harmony, and are often better than anticipated. There’s a number of sneakily excellent songs here, and they’re all unique from each other while still being familiar in concept. Get in on the ground floor here!

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 6/7

The Marias – Submarine

I have a few friends obsessed with this group, so I’ve been making sure to keep them on my list even though I felt like it might not be a me thing. Unfortunately, it’s not. The band does quaint, Spanish-influenced bedroom pop. Like Chicano Batman and Alisa Amador, the quartet mixes Spanish language lyrics and Latin music influences with American indie, making music that is soft, breezy and a bit sultry. It’s a bit too dry for me. While I like bedroom pop sometimes, it can easily get repetitive, and I struggled to glean individual tracks from this. I can see why people are getting quickly hooked on this group – and it’s a great summer record. With more listens I could warm up to it. But for now, I was left wanting more. 

Grade: 6.5/10   Initial release date: 5/31/24

Kings of Leon – Can We Please Have Some Fun

I’d ask you the same question! Much like The Black Keys in a previous post, this quintessentially American rock band was already peaking when they struck gold in the late-00’s. It’s now 2024, and they’ve settled for complacency. While the Black Keys have entered a middle-aged paranoia, the Kings seem content to release the same album they’ve been releasing for fifteen years. To their credit, it’s probably better than the Keys album; it’s simply boring. It isn’t try-hard, in fact they’re not trying at all. There’s even a song that has lyrics about not having anything to say! This is mom music, not many steps removed from Coldplay*. There’s a place for music like this, and maybe we wouldn’t be so critical if these guys hadn’t transformed so much. But this isn’t the same band that did “Four Steps.” There are some highlights – the opener “Ballerina Radio” is a touching and hyperaware song about the current state, and “Nothing To Do” is a rollicking song that sounds like the old KOL. But the other songs just exist, and “Nothing” makes one wonder why the guys don’t force themselves to have, well, fun. 

* – I love Coldplay, genuinely, and I’m hype for their new one. Sue me!

Grade: 6.5/10   Initial release date: 5/10/24

Les Savy Fav – OUI, LSF

If you can follow the trends across these posts, then it should come as no surprise that I adore this band. I mostly missed them on their original run, only really latching on once I saw a reunion set at Riot Fest on a whim. Their first new album in a 10+ years is both a continuation and an extension of their sound. The album currently sitting on the #1 throne on my ranked list is Pissed Jeans’ Half Divorced, and LSF have always been comparable to those guys – fun, raucous post-hardcore that’s often fast and heavy but not exactly abrasive. Some songs here carry on the tradition – “Guzzle Blood,” “Void Moon” and “Oi! Division” are all old school LSF classics. But there’s more patient and mature tracks, too; a symptom of reunion albums. The balance works remarkably well, and the resulting album is one that’s emotionally complete. Even if half of the songs are on the softer side, the band is still melodic, funny, and just a blast to listen to. These guys deserved a bigger spotlight, maybe this time around they’ll get it. 

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 5/10/24

Full Of Hell – Coagulated Bliss

If you asked me to list my favorite metal bands, I’d list a couple of heavy-hitters before spouting Full Of Hell right out. The extreme metal band has been pushing the sonic limits of metal and noise for years now, in between more experimental collaborative albums. But their latest solo (?) album takes a half-step back. Sure, these songs are still ostensibly grindcore, often clocking in at under 120 seconds, but there’s elements of hard rock and classic heavy metal thrown in. There are breaks, and more development to (some) songs. I mean look at the cover – their previous non-collaborative albums all feature dismal black and white art, but this one is vibrant. It represents a minor but maybe necessary shift in their music. This record fits in with the others, but has enough going to stand out, too. Plus, there’s plenty of abrasive bruisers still. Great stuff from an always excellent band. People going in thinking “metal” may mean something like Sabaton are going to be shocked and disappointed, but for those that like the experimental noise, this is the one to beat. 

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 4/26/24

Lord Dying – Clandestine Transcendence

Don’t judge a book by its cover, don’t judge a metal subgenre by its band name/album name/album art. I went into this one blind, expecting some good old pounding death metal, but what I got was much more. There’s elements of stoner metal, heavy metal, even hard rock. No two songs are the same, not even close really. This isn’t a recommendation for those close-minded metalheads who only like their ONE style, this is for all the metal freaks. It’s a little too long, and it feels like it’s missing that one key song to really sell it. But, it’s unique and basically every song is fun and original in some way. I’m itching to spin this one again.

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 1/19/24

Rejoice – All Of Heaven’s Luck

This is another metal album I went into blind. This appears to be the band Rejoice’s first full release – the band isn’t even on the expansive metal archive website yet. It’s super blackened hardcore, somewhat in line with black metal even. It’s exhausting music, even at a grand total of 17 minutes. There’s a few different ideas floating around the eight tracks, though the back half gets pretty rote at times. There’s a lot of promise here though; if this group can learn to diversify ideas and stretch some songs out (if they want to), then they’ve got a good path forward. Good start!

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 1/5/24

Bad Nerves – Still Nervous

Hell yes some old-school punk, this is extremely me music. The first handful of songs on this album are fast, clean and extremely high-energy. They sound ripped from the songbooks of my favorite bands like The Damned or The Adverts. By the album’s end, there’s more matured and diversified songs, though I’m usually always partial to the bangers. This was a pleasant little find, I forget where exactly I picked it up from. Even in a brief release, there’s a little too much downtime. But, when this hits it really hits. I’m a sucker for no-frills punk!

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 5/31/24

Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department (Anthology version)

Alright folks here’s your main event. I may be one of the few remaining Americans who has a measured view of Taylor’s music. I love Red and 1989. I liked Midnights. I hated Reputation. Hell, I liked Lover! Mostly, her music doesn’t really leave much of a mark on me positive or negative – but I’m not against her. I say all this to hopefully wave off the Swifties when I say that this new behemoth album is truly, truly bad. 

I listened to this album in segments on the subway and made a bunch of notes on my phone, ready to vomit up a minor treatise on what works and doesn’t. But it wasn’t until I was in the trenches of the extended edition’s tracklist that one cohesive thread clicked: this is just inauthentic. Swift has never been a particularly adept singer or musician, knowing her strength is in songwriting. Even when she’s weaving a fictional story (and even on her bad releases), there’s a thick layer of genuine care present. From day one up until Midnights, it’s been her greatest strength. It’s gone here. This album presents itself as one of poetry, and Swift seems to use that to take on personae that she could never use before. There’s nothing wrong with that – imagine how boring music would be if every song were truth! – but the ends she reaches towards are comically out-of-scope. The record is littered with references to things like heroin, asylums, the Chelsea Hotel, and are all sung with the glee of a teen saying the F-word for the first time. The Patti Smith and Stevie Nicks namechecks are cool, but if she’s going to insert herself into this scene, the artist she should be saying should be bigger would be, like, Yo La Tengo, and not the king of ho-hum Charlie Puth. 

Very little about this record makes sense lyrically, and even the moments where she’s clearly singing about real events come off as fake. Swift has spent years cultivating her image as that of an everyday American girl; she has cats, she dates a football player, she probably falls asleep at 10pm watching TV like the rest of us. It’s an image of inoffensive easiness, one that’s relatable and almost impossible to hate (despite Republicans spending a couple months trying for reasons that are still unclear). So to hear her suddenly sing about Aston Martins is off-putting in a way that’s fatal to the rest of the record, even the real tunes. One highlight, though, is the proper album’s final track “Clara Bow,” an earnest look at Taylor’s own relationship with the media that dog her relentlessly – the sheer earnestness of that song nearly makes it all worthwhile.

There’s almost nothing interesting about this album musically. That’s not really Taylor’s fault; you’ll find in previous posts that I really, really hate the production work of the scoundrel Jack Antonoff. His crusade to dilute any interesting female artist he can get his hands on continues. Swift’s voice just isn’t strong enough to carry these songs on their own, but she has to, because many of these songs are nothing musically. Aaron Dessner actually tackles about half of the production (mostly on the expanded edition), and his tunes fare a bit better – but not by much. Crucially, the most interesting song from a melody standpoint is “The Black Dog,” one of the only five songs that Swift is credited on alone. So many of these songs, especially early on, are just windy pop songs, soft on volume and melody, and even softer on ideas. 

The major sites all tripped over themselves to be the first ones to review the album. That led to some bizarrely hilarious outcomes like an automatic 5 stars from Rolling Stone and an anonymous review in Paste. But regardless of what their reviews said, they all missed something important – this is an inessential record. In the age of immediate opinions, it’s easy to forget that sometimes artists just whiff. This is a whiff. It happens! It was released in the middle of the biggest tour in music history, so it’s not like she’s going to be affected in the slightest. Her stature does not exclude her from whiffs. Dylan whiffed, Springsteen whiffed. It’s okay to just say it! There are some songs here I liked (“Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?”) and some I really didn’t (“I Hate It Here”). The expanded edition is 31 songs long. The good ones are not particularly memorable, the bad ones are new career lows. As for the 26 or so other songs? So forgettable that they already don’t exist. 

As it stands, this is my lowest-reviewed album of 2024. I hope it doesn’t stay this way; I want to like it more. 

Grade: 4.5/10   Initial release date: 4/19/24

Sorry about all of that text, shout out to anyone who read all of it, I only skimmed it personally. I hope you can cherry-pick some albums from here that you may have missed, I always urge people to dig deeper and find new stuff. Even if I personally gave something a middling grade, you may enjoy it more, and there’s only one way to find out.

I’ve been enjoying this a lot even though it is tedious. I had no idea this year was going to be this ridiculously stacked, I hope I can keep making dents in my unwieldy listen-to playlist. Time will only tell what next month will feature, but I can give you a couple that I’ve already listened to: Friko, Mk.gee, Local Natives, and Thou. And knowing me, probably ~25 others. See ya next month!

The Rundown: May 2024

Hello! How’s it going? How’s your year been? Over in the music world, it’s one of the best years I’ve ever seen. Comparable with 2016, if not even better. I wish I had known that would be the case when I decided to do flash reviews of every new album I listen to! I’m tired, folks. We’ve got a lot of great stuff this month, and a few weaker ones. These are not in any order whatsoever. There’s a lot of big names this post, but I hope you find some gems from this. Check out the third record here, in particular.

Shellac – To All Trains

Rest in peace Steve Albini. If you’re reading this, then you’re probably well-versed in Albini’s work already, but he was a god in the music scene. A talented musician who utterly despised the industry, most of his work was production. He produced records for anyone ranging from Nirvana to your shithead neighbor’s weird noise band – and never took a penny for his work. His last record as a musician came only days after his sudden passing, and it’s hauntingly beautiful. It’s also a pretty normal Shellac record; chunky and bass-heavy post-punk with snarled and often witty lyrics. The band was self-described as “minimalist,” I wouldn’t exactly use that term but these songs are all surprisingly easy. Most of them are perfectly digestible and just off-putting enough to drive away casual folks. Opener “WSOD” jams on a fun riff for a while. But the real ominous standout is closer “I Don’t Fear Hell,” where Albini sings about waiting to join all his friends down below. Classic Albini – dark, funny, groovy and eerily prescient. Albini was one of the best guys around but if he ended up in Hell, then brother, we’ll all see you there. 

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 5/17/24

Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood

I was saving, cherishing this one for the perfect day. Well it’s a sunny, warm Friday just before a long weekend and I’m in a good mood, finally time. My expectations were set pretty high, given that “Right Back To It” is my favorite song of the year and I don’t see anything else topping it. I’m also a lifelong Waxahatchee fan, although she’s not someone who I listen to often. The rest of the record isn’t 100% consistent, but it often hits. While the lead single is her most straight-up country song yet, the rest of the album is familiar indie-folk, with occasional bursts of guitar. These tunes are very sweet, very casual and just extremely well-developed. Katie’s voice is as good as always, but this album is more about summer-y vibes anyways. These are songs for aimless car rides with the windows down, songs for drinking a beer on the front lawn. And yet, I can tell this is a record I’ll come back to during all seasons. As expected, one of the best of the year. 

Grade: 8.5/10   Initial release date: 3/22/24

Salt Cathedral – Before It’s Gone

I heard one of the songs from this album on the radio many moons ago and kept a mental note to check back for an album. Finally, it’s here, and it’s glorious. There’s nothing particularly inventive happening here, yet it all feels original. I know little about this duo, but what they make is beautiful. This is atmospheric indie, almost gospel-like. There’s always rhythms, but some are fainter than others. Some exist only on a breeze and a vocal lick, others bring in hand drums and conventional pop songwriting. Add in some authentic and balanced lyrics, and you’ve got a multi-influenced gem of a record. This is pop music for people who don’t like pop music. Real winner!

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 3/22/24

Latrell James – Running In Place

If I had to pick a word to describe this album, it would be: vibrant. The local (Boston) rapper’s new album is quick and diverse, a bunch of short songs that range from muddied to sweet. Mostly, the album is very fun. Pristine production is a key factor here, making the brightest songs pop with effortless energy. No idea sticks around too long, making every song seem like a fleeting thought in a complicated mind. There’s some easy, brilliant stuff happening here. 

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 3/15/24

Middle Kids – Faith Crisis, Pt. 1

Middle Kids have never been the most exciting band, but they’ve always put out some great songs here and there. The band is mostly known for guitar indie-rock, a mix of 90’s throwback and current poppier indie. Their new album stays close to home, a group of pleasantly banging alternative tunes. The opening track “Petition” is a ripper, and the two real closing tracks (excusing an interlude) are great tunes on the ballad side of things. The entire middle of the album is made of fun but largely uninspired cuts, songs to enjoy once and forget immediately. This is kinda what they do, and they’ve carved out their own niche, but it doesn’t make for the most exciting listen.

Grade: 6.5/10   Initial release date: 2/16/24

Dua Lipa – Radical Optimism

I love Dua Lipa, but the public’s expectations were set too high for this one. Her first two albums proved that someone can still be entertaining and authentic within the confines of overproduced pop music; her third album falls victim to sterilization. Radical Optimism was promoted as more of an experimental, disco-influenced album, something that does not come through at all. Instead, it’s a collection of songs that are still very fun, but the blandest she’s sounded. This might be her best vocal work to date, and some songs on the front half have enough working for them to be replayable and memorable. But, a majority of these tunes are frustratingly rote. Dua Lipa has always been confident, an artist who is into herself and not making music because she’s a corporation – an idea taken too far, as these songs sound like they were made for an audience of one: Dua Lipa. The album is still a blast front-to-back, but after two of the best pop albums of the last decade, it’s a massive letdown. Listen once, digest it and forget it. 

A few days after I wrote the above paragraph, I was sitting in a dentist chair listening to dentist radio. “Houdini,” one of the singles off this album, played and it took three quarters of the song to realize what it was. A good note as to how disposable these songs really feel. 

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 5/3/24

Jlin – Akoma

Ok so I put this one on blind, thinking Jlin was more of a pseudo-R&B artist and not someone working more in glitch electronic. This is a whole world I know little about. Since I’m out of my wheelhouse, I can just say that I loved the bookend tracks here, especially a fun and rousing closer with an assist from Philip Glass (!). In between those was a set of avant-garde, lighter tracks that maybe didn’t do much for me but certainly weren’t unpleasant to listen to. I know just enough to understand that for the respective genre, this is a masterclass – strictly personally, it mostly went over my head.

Grade: 7.5/10  Initial release date: 3/22/24

Flo Milli – Fine Ho, Stay

I’m absolutely not qualified to be writing about artists like Flo Milli but hell I loved this. The songs are relatively rudimentary in nature but Flo Milli has an amazing, well, flow. Comically big boasts litter the rap tracks, and touches of tenderness hit the more R&B-inspired ones. But it’s mostly the former – this is a big, fun record. Don’t listen to it around your parents; this one is horny as all hell. SZA and Cardi B show up on a remix, almost predictably. They represent the best of a few solid assists throughout; enough to feel like a party, few enough that the focus is still on Flo Milli. If you like fun and carefree rap, add it to the list.

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 3/15/24

High On Fire – Cometh the Storm

As much as I’ve always been obsessed with Sleep, Matt Pike’s other, less-prolific-but-arguably-more-well-known metal band, High On Fire has never truly hit for me. Their ninth album is a pummeling burst of sludge metal, with nonstop guitar assault and Pike’s characteristic screamed vocals. More than ever, he sounds like he’s being tortured in the studio. With the exception of a mid-album lull, these songs offer no breaks at all, exhaustingly heavy from start to finish. They cast a wide rope, as this record really isn’t “sludge metal” and could pull in more standard heavy metal fans. The album’s big concern is bloat. The album starts with four songs over five minutes, which is not uncommon for a Pike band – my favorite song of his is the 13 minute “Sonic Titan.” But when the album itself is just shy of an hour, and nearly every song follows the same formula, it becomes too much. The album is too long-winded, although the back half is actually better than the front. Still, this is a hell of a metal record, and one that I could see myself going back to. 

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 4/19/24

Ride – Interplay

This one feels bad to write. Ride were always one of the loudest of the shoegaze bands, pushing guitar distortion to new levels. Even on their reunion albums prior, we’ve seen the band turn the amps up and crush out. But practically everything on their seventh album just sort of…exists. The songs are well-written but aimless, not really searching for that signature sound. It’s a shame, because I’ve been hearing “Portland Rocks” on the radio and have loved it – as it is a signature Ride song. And it’s not the only one on the album; “Stay Free” and “Essaouira” are vintage Ride. But a lot of these tracks just don’t really achieve much and don’t have much of anything to say. Some good foundations here, and a lot of missed opportunities.

Grade: 6.5/10   Initial release date: 3/29/24

Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Past Is Still Alive

The alt-country scene is alive and well. This album seems to have already gotten swept up in the wake of Waxahatchee’s similar and more prominent release, but it shouldn’t. Alynda Segarra has always known how to wear their heart on their sleeve, and this record is no different. I guess it’s “more of the same,” really, but when the same is this good, does it matter? These americana songs are soulful, breezy, earnest and twangy. Segarra is a natural when it comes to country-fied folk songs like this. While it won’t stand as the best record of this nature this year, it should turn some heads. Watch for local legend Anjimile pop up on the excellent “Ogallala”! 

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 2/23/24

Empress Of – For Your Consideration

2024 has been such an unprecedented year for music so far that plenty of “pretty good” albums are going to get completely lost in the shuffle. Unfortunately I think that’s true for the fourth Empress Of album, which already seems to be getting overlooked unfairly. The Honduran singer is back with more bedroom alternative-via-R&B smoothness. The album’s front half is very solid, with “Lorelei” and the Rina Sawayama-aided “Kiss Me” being the best of the best. These songs straddle the line between sultry and indie, an alt-pop barrier that’s eroding with each month. The album’s back half is more of the same, it doesn’t really stand up to the front half. The full picture is one that’s worth checking out if it’s your type of thing, but it isn’t going to change the world.

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 3/22/24

girl in red – I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!

I’ll admit that I went into this one with low expectations – girl in red’s debut album was a bold mix of indie and trap influences, but something about it really didn’t grab me personally. Obviously I was alone, as it immediately launched her into a stratosphere rarely seen by indie artists. Well I’m aboard now, because this sophomore album is a blast start to finish. These songs are abrupt, and mostly very energizing and manic. When they’re not, they’re sweet and earnest. It’s a mix of stuff more chaotic and varied than her debut, and all the better for it. At 27 minutes, the only real downside is that it could’ve used some more. A genuine surprise to me, and one of the best listens of the year so far.

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 4/12/24

Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To

Knocked Loose are one of those bands that I absolutely love but never know how to write about. The metal group doesn’t exist within the bounds of any specific subgenre, but they aren’t so radical as to define a new one, either. What they do is absolutely rip, and their third album rips even harder than their first two. They’re technically metalcore, a genre I usually don’t pay much attention to due to sheer repetition between bands. But Knocked Loose infuse it with elements of hardcore punk and death metal, emitting short and brutal transmissions that always make sure to be on the fun side of things. The songs on this album (especially the first half) don’t so much start and end as they do operate as one puzzling suite. There’s an assist from Poppy that should go down as one of the best guest verses of the year, too. This is absolute fire start to finish. EDIT: Since writing this, I’ve seen them live, and they absolutely smashed it. Premier live band, too.

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 5/10/24

Knoll – As Spoken

Look at the cover of this record – an ominous, black and white photo of a mirror, pointing diagonally away from the camera. It’s unsettling. I put this record on knowing it was metal, but not much more. This is powerful black metal. Abrasive, pounding, sounding like the depths of Hell. What I’m saying is, it’s extremely me music. I love raw black metal. Oddly, this album eschews one of the normal characteristics of black metal – lengthy songs. It’s a genre devoted to wearing you down through both repetition and ferocity, but the band does away with the former. Only four of the album’s eleven tracks are over five minutes, and the rest are all under four. Instead of repetition, the band gives you whiplash transitions. It’s just as effective. Great stuff.

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 1/26/24

Alluvial – Death Is But A Door

This is just a 4-track EP so I’ll keep this quick. This is proper death metal, grinding and brutal but still pretty fun. Three of the four songs didn’t truly leave an effect on me, even though I enjoyed them. But the song “Fogbelt” is rapidly becoming one of my favorite songs of the year. It’s got a nasty guitar riff in the chorus that sounds more nu-metal than anything; compliment, from my mouth. If nothing else, check that track out.

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 1/12/24

B3CCA4EVER – SMILEY FACE

This is an artist I’ve seen live. Last year, around my birthday, when B3CCA and her tag team partner Aaron Rourke took on The Miracle Generation for the IWTV Tag Team Titles in Beyond Wrestling. It’s one of the best matches I’ve ever seen in person. Since then, the wrestler has been focusing her efforts on music (check the penultimate track for a fellow grappler). It’s an EP of bubblegum pop, decently produced and not overlong. In classic kayfabe fashion, it’s not really clear if it’s a joke or not. B3CCA is a riot on social media, and there’s some tongue-in-cheek lyrics across this release – but some songs seem serious! It’s a fairly promising start, either way. It’s still real to me, dammit.

Grade: Meltzer gave this a 7.5/5   Initial release date: 5/3

Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard And Soft

I really respect the boldness of this record. Eilish’s first two records both had distinct identities, and were wholly separate from each other. Her third seems to intentionally go against this idea, combining elements from her first two dichotomous albums and filtering in new ideas, too. The album opens with “Skinny,” a stripped down and powerful vocal ballad. The second track is “Lunch,” a synth-heavy tongue-in-cheek song that sounds ripped from her abrasive debut. This album is clearly one made by and for Eilish, and she throws everything at the wall. While some songs stay within familiar territory, others are unpredictable. After some time, we may agree that “L’Amour de Ma Vie” is her best song yet, a track that starts as a ballad and ends with wild club beats. While I don’t think this album quite stands up to her enigmatic debut album, it’s still a very solid pop release – and a refreshingly bold direction for a star at the top. 

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 5/17/24

Sum 41 – Heaven :x: Hell

Sum 41 was completely formative for me – All Killer No Filler was the first album I ever bought, and one I still know every word to. The band quickly moved beyond the immature pop-punk into other territories, but for their final album, they’ve devoted one-half to old habits. The first half of the two-disc record is old-school pop-punk, the musical equivalent of fitting perfectly into that suit/dress you wore to prom. It’s some of the best pop-punk stuff they’ve ever done, which is really saying something. Energetic, fun and raucous, it’s a reminder how powerful this band once was. 

In their later years, the band transitioned into metal. And as such that this is a double-album, it’s a double-review. The back half of this album is ten (well, nine) metal tracks that show the odd trajectory that the canucks have been on. Side B is fine, but it’s pretty middling compared to what came before it. The issue isn’t that the songs are bad, it’s that they have no place. Sum 41 carved out a unique and important niche in punk, something they never did successfully in metal. Metalheads rejected them for the pop-punk origins, and the songs weren’t unique enough to bring in old fans. These aren’t bad songs, but they don’t have much to do. It’s telling that the ten songs on this side include a short intro and a Stones cover (that sounds remarkably like the one done by The Unseen some 20 years ago). The back half is fun in comparison to the front, but it’s skippable. Still – as a whole, this is a wonderful sendoff for the band.

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 3/29/24

Sheesh! What a month. Lot of great releases this month, I don’t think this year can sustain this momentum. We need some garbage to even this out. Maybe I’ll find some for June. I can’t tell you fully what I’ll be listening between then and now, but you will see some British indie, some local dance-punk, and Charli XCX. Also, I am investing in strengthening my home security system, because I will finally be tackling Taylor Swift. Oh dear. Check back in July!

The Rundown: March/April, Pt. 2

No I am NOT behind in posting these, why would you even suggest that?

As stated in my previous post, I decided to consolidate my 2024 album blasts because I did not have a lot of time in March to actually spin new music. And then, I had too much time in April. So I consolidated the two months into two posts. Make sense? No? My bad. Here’s thirteen more quick album reviews and a couple of local recs!

January | February | March

Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us

Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut will always be one of my favorite albums, but the aura of “rich (mostly) white boys repurpose African music” aged like milk almost immediately. In the years since, the band has taken different approaches to incorporate maturity. Their fourth album, Father Of The Bride, is easily their worst, a set of adult-alternative yawners only one step above CVS radio. For their fifth album, they overcorrected, releasing what is actually their most manic and experimental set to date. Every song on this album has crafted, unpredictable elements, and many of them are absurdly high-energy. It feels like their record that builds upon their debut the most – even going so far as to sample “Mansard Roof.” The lyrics remain a mix of serious and tongue-in-cheek. Even though I really dug the singles I heard in advance, I didn’t expect something this remarkably engaged from them. One of the highlights of the year so far.

Grade: 8.5/10   Initial release date: 4/5/24

Pouty – Forgot About Me

I’m starting to slack on these reviews pretty badly, so credit to the album title because I did forget about Pouty. But I really dug this, it’s grungy guitar-pop with a youthful attitude. It’s like a less-immaculately produced version of Blondshell, which is a compliment. Catchy, emotional and equal parts noisy and smooth. Who doesn’t like their pop with some rough around the edges?

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 2/9/24

METZ – Up On Gravity Hill

When I heard the first METZ album, I thought two things. 1) This is insane and the exact kind of music I want to make, 2) The band has nowhere to go from here. Ever since their debut, the band has sought ways to grow their metrical, diabolically heavy post-hardcore sound so it doesn’t get repetitive, while still keeping the formula there. This album, their fifth, separates those two ideas into distinct ones. There’s brain-poundingly heavy songs, and there’s ones that aren’t so abrasive but have a midtempo denseness to them. While the band excels at both, the album definitely feels disjointed because of this dichotomy. I don’t know if there’s a way for METZ to truly escape repetition, especially at this stage. But, the album still has a bunch of quality tracks, and it’ll still knock you straight to the floor of the bar.

Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 4/12/24

Static-X – Project Regeneration, Vol. 2

To put it first: I don’t think this album should exist. Neither Wayne Static nor his wife are still with us to preserve his original unreleased recordings. No one is really around to properly give the thumbs-up for his old bandmates to use his name and legacy as a continuation. That said, it is also nice to see the original band decide to truck on for his legacy, especially in the face of the nu-metal revival. Also, even though half of the songs here actually feature a new singer, they’re just good. Not fantastic, this is ultimately pretty normal industrial-metal, but for a band that was always disjointed and only had one hit 25 years ago, these tracks are very well-developed. It’s a fun and heavy metal album, a welcome addition to their underrated catalog. But I also hope it’s the last one – the band seems to have depleted Wayne’s vault material anyways. 

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 1/26/24

GUHTS – Regeneration

Ok I feel bad here, because one of the purposes of doing these blast reviews is pitting lesser-known acts against bigger ones; I keep sleeping on writing the ones for the lesser-known acts though! I listened to this album weeks ago and it simply is not fresh in my memory, which does not speak on the quality at all. A decade removed from Deafheaven’s tectonic plate-shifting black metal album Sunbather, another band is going the pink cover route. While the book cover-judging comparison can be made, this album packs a different punch. Sludgy, unpredictable post-metal dominates this release, hitting all points between smooth and sinister. It’s abrasive, but not to the point of, say, Full Of Hell or anything. It’s one of the most well-rounded metal albums of the year so far – and one of the best of the genre in any capacity. Don’t sleep on this one, if it’s your tune. 

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 1/26/24

Jennifer Lopez – This Is Me … Now

This is conversely an album that demands a renewed spotlight on a former pop music queen, and an album with practically nothing to say. However, the latter fact is fine because it’s really an ode to love. As the title says, it’s just about how happy Lopez is with Ben. This is by no means a great album, but it’s never boring. The songs are all collectively interesting enough, and her voice is easily great enough, so each tune holds value. This won’t be an album that’s in the public eye very long – despite best efforts from the artist – but it’s a nice and easy listen for a somber day. And, we get a whole album about how great Ben Affleck is. He’s doing our city proud. Crushing blow to Alex Rodriguez. 

Grade: 6/10   Initial release date: 2/16/24

Prize Horse – Under Sound

I listened to this one a while back and it didn’t really leave much of an impression on me, so this is quick – this is pleasant if not template midtempo indie. I’ve mentioned in a few other reviews that midtempo indie hasn’t been grabbing me lately, and this record doesn’t completely fall victim to it, but it still didn’t resonate much with me unfortunately. The tunes are pleasant, and some of them have some cool shoegaze influence. This album will find a good home, and these tracks probably sound great live. It just didn’t do enough to retain my love, unfortunately.

Grade: 6/10 Initial release date: 2/16/24

St. Vincent – All Born Screaming

St. Vincent’s now ten-year-old self-titled will always be my favorite release of hers; it’s a top 10 favorite of mine in general. For me, she’ll never top it – but this comes damn close. I was really not into her last album, Daddy’s Home, a set of mostly tepid ballads centered around a tone-deaf concept, and her trajectory into duller rock was a familiar one across the indie landscape. So shocking, then, when she dropped a record of heavy, industrial-inspired tunes instead. While the album fluctuates between crushing songs like “Flea” and softer ones like “Reckless,” the influence of heavier, offbeat alternative is clear throughout. Cate Le Bon steps in for a crucial assistance on the lengthy, flowing final track, and it’s a fitting welcome. I could write and probably will write something about how Jack Antonoff is ruining pop music – this record proves that artists can shake the stink of him off and still be alright. 

Grade: 8.5/10   Initial release date: 4/26/24

ScHoolboy Q – Blue Lips

2024 has been a year for form-returning albums. St. Vincent and Vampire Weekend improved on their respective weakest releases, and the same goes for ScHoolboy. His previous album, 2019’s Crash Talk, was a change of pace, as the rapper opted for much shorter tracks. Rather than his normal 5+ minute journeys, the album was full of 2-minute bursts. It was also a change of pace in quality, as everything felt incomplete or off-hand. Blue Lips is a welcome return, technically “more of the same” for a rapper who always wears his heart on his sleeve, but the formula still pays dividends. Emotional, funny, raw and absolute banging: this is what you want from a ScHoolboy album. And there aren’t even any 5+ minute songs – there’s just a lot more energy and effort put in here. 

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 3/1/24

GRRL – Side By Side

Dance and electronic music is not really my thing just in the sense that I never really seek it out – when something like GRRL falls into my lap, I usually enjoy it. I saw GRRL open for dance-adjacent indie group Sylvan Esso last year, spinning a 30-minute opening jam. This new release is just plain old, hyped-up dance music, and I’m really into it. While I’m usually in the mood for offbeat indie or dismal metal, something like this strikes my fancy sometimes. I don’t know how to write about dance music, so I’ll just say – if you like it, you’ll like this.

Grade: 7.5/10 Initial release date: 2/16/24

Ducks Ltd. – Harm’s Way

I’ve been hearing lead single “Train Full Of Gasoline” on the radio pretty regularly, a rollicking, fun guitar tune. But with all guitar indie, I approached the album with a little apprehension, as singles are often livelier than the album. Not so! I know next to nothing of this duo, but this is a collection of fast-paced, clean indie-punk. At only 27 minutes, it doesn’t overstay the welcome, honestly could use a little more. While “Train” is one of the more rambunctious tunes, the whole release is just unfiltered fun. Think the song “Money” by The Drums – born of the surf-punk movement of the 2010s, but distinctly indie. Wide appeal on this one I think. 

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 2/9/24

Judas Priest – Invincible Shield

Okay first off it’s so funny that Judas Priest have adopted full power metal aesthetics – even taking Sabaton on tour with them – without actually being power metal. And thank god because I do not like power metal. Anyways, these guys are old enough to be put in a home and do not need to be making albums this great. This won’t go down as one of the metal albums of the year or anything, but it’s genuinely very good. I’ve talked about not giving brownie points to legacy bands on this blog – they earn the grade here. The band rips through a couple heaters before taking on a number of midtempo but very heavy cuts. Rob Halford sounds as good as he always has. And, most importantly, there’s something interesting going on in every song. These aren’t cut-and-paste Judas Priest songs, even if they do follow familiar structures. This album isn’t a reminder of existence or a contract fulfillment – it’s a statement from a band that’s still got a lot to say. Rock on, kings. 

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 3/8/24

The Black Keys – Ohio Players

This album isn’t bad, but it is just kind of sad. When the Black Keys broke through all those years ago, they were already beginning their creative decline. Brothers was a great album, but it was arguably the last great BK album. Since then they’ve mostly spiraled down into the land of diminishing returns. On this release, they’ve retooled, opting for a poppier, broader style of songwriting than their normal alt-blues-rock. Optimistically, it shows a band in their later years not afraid to try new things. Pessimistically, and more realistically, it’s a former-arena band desperately trying to secure more radio hits. There’s some good songs here, but the ones really being pushed by the band are all big swings and misses. Two songs feature guest verses by rappers – Lil Noid and Juicy J (!) respectively – and neither song knows how to work. Both guest verses are tacked on to the end of the song, at different tempos from what came before it. They’re Frankenstein pop songs, designed for crossover appeal but destined to be forgotten. The album’s highlight – “Beautiful People (Stay High)” – is a miserable example of sanitized Kohls-core rock geared towards the radio, any radio. 

And yet, the album really isn’t bad, overall. The album tracks bolster it. “Don’t Let Me Go” is fun. So is “Read Em And Weep.” The album’s best song is the penultimate track, “Fever Tree,” an unassuming tune that’s just the old style of blues-rock circa 2008 Black Keys. It’s odd, and almost fun, that it takes an album of misses to appreciate what a throwback can bring. I appreciate what the band went for here, cynicism included, but it’s a very mixed bag.

Grade: 6.5/10   Initial release date: 4/5/24

LOCAL NOOK: If you’ve just stumbled on this and have for some self-flagellating reason decided to read the whole post, then you should know that I am born and bred Boston and am heavily involved in the New England music scene. It feels a little weird to me to include local bands in these posts, because I often know them or know people who do. But it would be contradictory to not include them in posts highlighting international underground artists, too! So here’s a couple local records I’ve loved lately.

Wooll – Unwind. I was lucky enough to get to cover this wonderful debut over at my primary home, Allston Pudding. This is an indie record that takes hearty inspiration from shoegaze, resulting in something that sounds like Beach House by way of The Beths. I really, really dug this one and I think you will too.

bark, dog – i’ll eat you, i love you. I know nothing of this artist, it was a random stumble on Bandcamp. Again, it’s a pleasant and fuzz-inspired indie record, authentic from start to finish. This artist has a wide catalog already, something I’ll be digging into soon. Very fun and original stuff here.

Edward Glen – Loss, Angeles. This is a quick indie 4-track and, given that the band has released a few singles since, I might be jumping the gun on a review. But! these songs are great and each pulls inspiration from something vastly different. It gets a thumbs-up from me.

And with that, this giant block is done. I am already growing tired of this project, I can’t guarantee I’ll keep it up all year. My list of new albums that I *have not* listened to yet sits at 155 entries, and still includes names like Waxahatchee, Kacey Musgraves, and (sigh) Justin Timberlake. I can already tell you that the next month’s post will include Knocked Loose, Middle Kids, Dua Lipa, Salt Cathedral and Jlin. What else will it cover? Who knows! I pick my listens on a whim. See you next month!

The Rundown: March/April 2024, Pt. 1

Okay what happened here? I didn’t do a post in March. I got stuck on a project at work that saw me working on a restricted laptop that did NOT have access to any music streaming sites, so I really didn’t have anything to update. I figured I’d do a two month consolidation post. But….then I listened to 29 new releases in April, and I don’t want to crash your web browser (or mine). So, here’s half of those, in no real order. There’s some indie heavy-hitters, a couple offbeat gems, possibly the only true jazz album I review all year, and cowbey.

January | February

The Smile – Wall Of Eyes

I finally listened to it! I mean, what’s there to say about this one that hasn’t already been said? Radiohead have always been a band to have productive recording sessions, often crafting entire second albums and shelving them for later. The offshoot of Radiohead feels the same. This album comes shortly after their debut, but it feels incredibly separate from it. While the debut was mostly just lighter, looser Radiohead, this one has songs that are longer, more drawn-out, and more complex. It’s jazzy and mathy, with occasional fits of noise. They’re appealing more to the prog-side, a crossover opportunity Radiohead has always had but never explored. These songs aren’t for those who like strictly 4/4 v-c-v-c-b-c or 12 bar blues, these are songs for the critics and analysts. Oddly enough, I found some stretches of it worked better than others. But it’s an album that demands more listens, and I’ve only given it one. So consider this review to be a placeholder.

Grade: 7.5/10  Initial release date: 1/26/24

Adrianne Lenker – Bright Future

The hot streak continues. You may know Lenker best as the singer of Big Thief, a band seemingly incapable of writing a song even slightly mediocre. Well, she’s racked up more than enough songs to make a runoff solo album. Donned with just an acoustic guitar, Lenker delivers another set of heart-wrenching ditties, as well as a solo version of Big Thief’s “Vampire Empire,” one of my favorite tunes from 2023. Simple and devastating, it’s what you expect from indie’s best songwriter. Also, she released a Bandcamp-only accompany EP with all proceeds going to Gazan relief efforts, which is a nice 180 from what I had heard about her previous politics (possibly hearsay!). 

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 3/22/24

Boeckner – Boeckner!

Wolf Parade is one of the dozen or so legacy indie bands that I’ve just never really spent any time with, so I can’t really compare and/or contrast the band’s music with the debut album from its singer, Dan Bockner. The album is as playful as its title, owing more to low-stakes classic rock than anything else. This is just a collection of fun, little rock songs; some big, some small, none trying to change the world. It’s the true definition of a side project. Musically and vocally, he sounds like Bob Mould, but a little less abrasive. It’s an album for the cool dads in your life. 

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 3/15/24

The Jesus & Mary Chain – Glasgow Eyes

Similarly, this is a legacy group that I don’t know well beyond the hits. I was immediately taken aback by how accessible this sounds, as if I was expecting the band to still be doing “Just Like Honey” forty years later. It’s much more rock-oriented, even by recent standards. It’s very inconsistent. “Venal Joy” and “jamcod” are urgent tunes, complex and heavy. “Pure Poor” and “The Eagles and The Beatles” meanwhile are just…sad. Lyrically they have nothing to say and they seem like obligatory spot-fillers. The tone of this album varies wildly from industrial into hokey rock-n-roll. Some good elements, but not really for me. 

Grade: 6/10   Initial release date: 3/22/24

PACKS – Melt the Honey

Due to the aforementioned work project, I’m writing this review probably a full month after I listened to this album, which never does any artist any favors. That said, this is great, but it also wasn’t really for me. This set of songs is punchy indie, guitar-driven alt-rock that could reasonably crossover into the punk threshold. It’s authentic, and walks the line between vulnerable and intense. It is entirely midtempo, though, which is a bit of a death knell for me personally. It all starts to sound pretty similar partway through, and never really recovers. Again – this comes down to personal taste. With the exception of the recently-departed group Dilly Dally, I’ve never been much for albums that are entirely midtempo. It comes off to me as sluggish, a few high-energy jaunts or true ballads could’ve broken this up more. Still though, this is great. 

Grade: 6.5/10   Initial release date: 1/19/24

Real Estate – Daniel

I’ve never been particularly keen on this band, they’ve always seemed to me like the most diluted, template indie band possible. So imagine my surprise when I immediately fell in love with the lead single “Water Underground.” I’m not sure if the long-running band really hit it out of the park, or my tastes have matured, or both. I think it’s both. Either way, the subsequent album was predictably not as great as the song, but is chock full of sweet and melodic indie tunes for you. Released in the dead of winter, this could become a pleasant summer album. 

Grade: 6.5/10    Initial release date: 2/23/24

Gouge Away – Deep Sage

I love Gouge Away, some good ferocious hardcore with melodic punk woven in. There’s tons of bands that sound like Gouge Away, and yet they’ve always had something distinct I can never put my finger on. It might be Christina Michelle’s profoundly intense vocals, or the fact that the band always seems to straddle the hardcore and post-hardcore line – two genres similar in name only. Their newest release takes a slightly softer approach, with more patient songwriting and more downtime across the record. It’s still mighty, it’s just more vulnerable, too. I’m not sure if the enhanced formula works quite as well as the original one, but I think further listens will truly determine that. It might just be that this album is more of a grower than previous ones. Either way, it’s still one of my favorites of the year. The grading curve is high. 

Grade: 8/10 Initial release date: 3/15/24

Dissimulator – Lower Form Resistance

Based on the album cover, which looks ripped from Tetsuo: The Iron Man, I was definitely expecting something more along the lines of industrial metal. Consider it a minor letdown that it was closer to standard death metal. Their debut album still rips, though, and takes a lot of unpredictable turns. There’s a lot of thrash elements here to counteract any death metal monotony. I listened to this one a while ago so it isn’t fresh in my brain, but it really is a solid, enjoyable metal album – especially for a debut. 

Grade: 7/10  Initial release date: 1/24/24

Molly Lewis – On The Lips

This one nearly slipped through the cracks – I listened to it many weeks ago and forgot to do a flash review. So, it also isn’t still in my memory lobes, unfortunately. But this album is certainly unique! I put it on knowing nothing about the artist, and it took until about halfway into the second song that I realized exactly what I had gotten into. There are no sung vocals on this album – every song is centered around whistling. The music is distinctly indie, but it has a necessary 50’s throwback country sound too. The music is cheerful but dense, which is key, so that the whistling doesn’t always have to bolster the album. I don’t really know what else to say about this! This is ultimately a bit repetitive in concept, and inconsistent, but it’s really something you should experience, too. 

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 2/16/24

Omni – Souvenir

I touched on this in the first round of reviews when I wrote about Cheekface, but, my tastes have absolutely shifted. I spent a long time appreciating but not really liking new wave and post-punk music. There isn’t really anything that jolted me into loving it, it just kind of happened, but it’s super apparent with Omni. I didn’t care for this band’s first couple albums, and when I saw them as an opening band, I was bored. But this was super fun, I really dug it. These are robotic but carefree post-punk songs, like a smoothed down and mellowed out Gang of Four. High-energy but good, clean fun. This is really making me want to go back and reconsider their earlier albums; this one really might be better, but maybe I’ve changed, too.

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 2/16/24

The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy

It’s been a long time since an indie debut was this hotly anticipated, the fervor was nearly at ’08 Vampire Weekend levels. What I’m saying is, if you’re interested in this type of thing, then you’ve probably heard it already. But! It so lives up to the hype. This is a set of well-balanced, bombastic indie tunes with a lot of spunk and even more intelligence. These ladies have a tinge of chamber pop in their songs, with a lot of raucous elements. It’s a unique blend that calls back to the early riotous live shows – but not recorded material – of Arcade Fire. In fashion, this band allegedly has wild and destructive shows themselves. Also a small tic, I love when a band doesn’t just chuck the singles at the front of the album but places them in where they make sense sequentially. The second single and my favorite track, “Sinner,” comes near the end!

Grade: 8.5/10   Initial release date: 2/2/24

The Messthetics/James Brandon Lewis – The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis

I love jazz, but I simply never keep up with any new jazz. The description for this hooked me, though, due to who the Messthetics are – they’re the rhythm section of goddamned Fugazi. And this album is exactly what you get when you take a bunch of punk veterans who have transitioned into jazz. It’s hot, often very free-form and improvised but never so much so that the songs lose structure. Most of the tracks are uptempo, aided by the full-album collaboration with saxophonist James Brandon Lewis. This album is, just to put it simply, hot and undiluted fun. A hearty recommendation to anyone, even folks who don’t spin jazz. 

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 3/15/24

Torres – What an enormous room

Ok so I actually spun this one twice back in January in preparation of (finally!) seeing her live, but I gave it a proper headphones whirl in April. The indie singer has been bubbling under the radar for a good decade now, and I’m hoping this propels her forward. It might be her best album yet, a culmination of all the ideas she’s put forward till now. It’s got threatening guitar jams, tender ballads and poppy synth tunes. She continues to blend sexual and religious references like a more deranged Sufjan Stevens. There’s more individual ideas here than on previous Torres records, but she makes them all coalesce. Something for everyone, at least in the indie world. The third spin of this will certainly not be my last. 

Grade: 8.5/10   Initial release date: 1/26/24

Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter

Right, so. The point of these are to do quick blasts for practice & fun, and, no one needs to hear me go long about what will almost certainly be the biggest album of the year. But! I have thoughts. So much of this album is about dual identities – Bey explores country for the first time (outside of the excellent 2016 cut “Daddy Lessons”), while still infusing it with some toss-in R&B and hip-hop. The resulting combination feels experimental, and when it works, it works. But it sometimes doesn’t. 

There’s a whiplash across different ideas, sometimes. The opener “Ameriican Requiem” is country-fied, before launching into a song that entirely samples The Beatles’ “Blackbird.” The album never feels grounded, which can sometimes be fun. “Spaghettii” is closer to straight hip-hop, and it’s fun as hell. There’s samples from the Beach Boys, Underworld and Fleetwood Mac. There’s a lot of respect paying directed at the elders, and not just in the world of country.

But the album remains befuddling all the same. There’s the already too-heavily-discussed cover of “Jolene,” which changes the lyrics. It’s divisive, and for me it just serves no purpose. It tries to update the song for modern girlboss era, which shows an inherent lack of understanding towards what makes old country so great. Also, there’s a glaring editing issue. The album is 88 minutes long, and there’s a lot of filler tracks. Some early songs have a lot of aimless noodling, and there’s a Post Malone-featured song that’s dead on arrival. In an album centered on experimentation, there’s too much of the old. 

And this is where dual identity comes into play. Beyoncé posits herself as a Texan here – and she is, and the positive impact that this is having on country music is already palpable. She’s improving it, immediately, from the outside. But she’s also an R&B artist, married to one of the most New York men alive. She’s also a billionaire, and as revolutionary as her music can sometimes be, it’s still corporate pop. This dual identity is a treacherous one, and while her fame and goodwill will probably keep it intact, there’s a potential for it to cave disastrously. The pairing could work, if Bey embraces it fully. But details like the head-scratching “Jolene,” the Post Malone feature, and the seemingly AI-generated album cover, don’t give me a lot of hope.

Sorry – the album’s solid. I had fun. It’s too long though.

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 3/29/24

Are we having fun yet? I’ll be putting another post up hopefully next weekend, with another 14 flash reviews and a couple local recommendations, too. Thanks for laboring through this!

The Rundown: February 2024

Welcome back, time for another quick rundown of some 2024 albums I’ve listened to! You can check out the January edition, where I did brief reviews of about a dozen 2024 releases. This time around, I’ve got 14 quick blasts, and one local rec for good measure. First time around the albums were ordered by grade, this time around it’s by release date. I hope you like the number 7.5, because there’s a disproportionate number of albums with that grade. I still haven’t done the Smile’s album, somehow, whoops. Let’s crack on:

Infant Island – Obsidian Wreath

I’ll be honest, I put this one on when I was putzing around the apartment cleaning, so it didn’t quite get the same kind of attention that most albums get (when I’m mindlessly processing stuff at work with headphones on). That said, I deeply appreciated the way this band made a wholly unique and creative blackgaze album within the confines of traditional metal. There’s nothing particularly special on a surface level, but scratch even just a bit into these songs and they reveal a density, a cruelness, and a certain sereneness that counteracts the volume. It’s always refreshing to hear a cool blackgaze album like this. 

Initial release date: 1/12/24   Grade: 7.5/10

Kid Cudi – INSANO

Oof. First off, I respect that Cudi isn’t trying to make a grand statement. This is an issue that plagues modern albums, especially in hip-hop – the thought that every record needs to be an Atrocity Exhibition or an Astroworld, something Earth-shattering. Cudi eschews this for a relaxed, fun reminder of his strengths. The monkey’s paw of that is that this album is just weak all-around; loud but boring beats are matched with bland lyrics. Cudi sounds like he’s having fun, which does translate over, but it isn’t enough to carry the record’s ridiculous 64 minute runtime. You can extrapolate the best five songs or so and trash the other fifteen. It’s a stopgap album.

Initial release date: 1/12/24   Grade: 5.5/10

Katy Kirby – Blue Raspberry

An album as sweet as its title. This is standard-fare pretty indie, to the point where one of the singles sounds a little too reminiscent of Angel Olsen’s “All Mirrors.” But when everything works as well as it does here, who cares? I was taken aback by how much I liked this one, something I mindlessly threw on based on two songs I’d heard. Very patient, gorgeous indie-folk that knows when to be soft or bombastic. The focus is on melody above all, with obvious care put into every track. And while it mostly stays soft, the whole album builds to a much grander, 2-minute finale that takes you by surprise. Genuinely loved this one. 

Initial release date: 1/26/24 Grade: 8/10

Vitriol – Suffer & Become

Not much to say about this really other than it’s some articulated, dense, and rip-ass death metal. This feels akin to the band Aborted, featuring maximalist songs with little to no breaks, chaotic rhythms and pristine production. It’s not as tongue-in-cheek as those legends though, played very seriously here. I ended up having to listen to this one in parts, which I don’t like doing, so once I give it a full one-day runthrough I might bump the grade up.

Initial release date: 1/26/24   Grade: 7.5/10

J. Mascis – What Do We Do Now

Ok so same thing goes for this as with the Infant Island record – I was moving around the apartment with this one playing. I’m always a bit trepidatious about J. Mascis’s solo music, because it’s often just him and a guitar, which is my least favorite version of him. But this is much more, it often sounds like a full band, just one that is a lot janglier than Dinosaur, Jr. is. This music is loose and midtempo, enough energy to be fun but not so much so that it just sounds like more Dino. The album does suffer from repetition, as practically every song follows the same template. But, the best tracks here do what J. does best; jangly guitar, lyrics about regrets and miscommunications, and strained talk-sung vocals. Definitely one of his better solo releases.

Initial release date: 2/2/24   Grade: 7.5/10

Little Simz – Drop 7

I probably wouldn’t review something this brief – it is a drop, after all, and clocks in at just under 15 minutes. But when you’ve got the dark horse candidate for best current rapper in play, even the one-offs are extraordinary. While some of Little Simz’s previous works have been steady and heady, this is her at her most impatient, firing a bunch of short songs off the cuff. Big beats and quick tempos make this a whirlwind of a little EP. 

Initial release date: 2/9/24   Grade: 8/10

Chelsea Wolfe – She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She

If you’re a Chelsea Wolfe fan, you pretty much know what you’re going to get here. This album is full of slow, patient, goth-folk. The tracks here are brooding, dark and still melodic. Though the songs are not lengthy, the consistent eerieness and relaxed tempos give them a lot of space (and make them feel longer – which is not a complaint). This is Southern Gothic at its finest, a soundtrack for a Flannery O’Connor work. It falls victim to repetition on the back half, which is unfortunate, but the whole thing is saved with a stunning closing track. It’s not Wolfe’s best, but that’s a high benchmark.

Initial release date: 2/9/24   Grade: 7.5/10 

Laura Jane Grace – Hole In My Head

I appreciate how Laura Jane Grace always makes sure that her solo albums are not just Against Me! records under a different name. I haven’t been too fond of some of her more pop-punk solo outings over the past few years, but this one worked for me. The first couple songs on this one do sound like Against Me! runoffs, aka excellent punk bruisers, but most of the album has more of a folk-punk feel. It’s largely acoustic, but still energetic, witty and original. It does feel like a solo record in the proper sense – put a backing band and you’ve got an AM! record, but they’re not missed, either. It’s a fun avenue for Laura, one she really hasn’t explored since Reinventing Axl Rose all the way back in 2002. There’s nothing life-changing here, but it’s a very fun and earnest record if you’re a fan.

Initial release date: 2/16/24 Grade: 7.5/10  

IDLES – TANGK

I’m doing the exact thing I shouldn’t do with an album like this and vomiting some thoughts immediately after listening to it. I love the UK indie-punk hybrid IDLES, but I specifically love Joy As An Act Of Resistance. and I always want my IDLES albums to sound just like that one. Naturally, they don’t, because staying fresh is always the name of the IDLES game. TANGK, in fact, tries to be the polar opposite of Resistance, in that it relies heavily on slower tracks. There’s a haunting quality to this one, even with bangers like “Hall and Oates” and the LCD Soundsystem-assisted “Dancer.” The opening and closing tracks are particularly slow and quiet, but there’s patience throughout. I don’t think it really works well! The band utilizes these downbeats effectively when they’re infrequent – but here it’s every other song. Going along with that, it doesn’t feel like the band has much to say this time around. Admittedly, I haven’t dug into the lyrics much yet and I should, but this band has always been at the forefront of urgency, and here they sound like backseat drivers. With all of that said, the album still bangs hard sometimes, it’s still a solid release – I just expected more oomph. 

Initial release date: 2/16/24  Grade: 7/10

serpentwithfeet – GRIP

I simultaneously went into this one having never really heard the music of serpentwithfeet and still getting exactly what I expected – sultry, beautiful R&B. This exists in the realm of artistic R&B artists like Janelle Monae that make rhythmic, seductive music that nonetheless feels like it eschews any kind of “radio value.” Chalk it up to the homoerotic album cover, maybe, but this is absolutely on the alternative, experimental side of things. Breezy and hypnotic, this is a gem.

Initial release date: 2/16/24   Grade: 7.5/10

MGMT – Loss Of Life

A lot of the albums on this list I’ve had to listen to in segments (because I’m listening at work – don’t ask). For this one, I’m glad I did. This is a quietly gorgeous album, from a band not really known for that type of thing. Their first album is of course an experimental classic, but the next two shit the bed. Album #4 was a great-if-not-standard synth pop record, and it’s what I expected here. Really, it’s more guitar-focused, the plainest songs they’ve written to date but far from the worst. There’s some fun ones (especially the whiplash “Bubblegum Dog”) but a lot of songs are just excellent indie ballads. The back half has some patient, subtly impactful songs, and I would’ve missed them if I did this record in one swoop. Allow yourself some time to absorb these songs. 

Initial release date: 2/23/24   Grade: 7.5/10

Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven

This album had a lot to live up to. Mannequin Pussy are one of the only bands where I generally love every song they’ve put out. Ferocious, unpredictable and catchy, they’re a punk band that doesn’t really seem to think they’re a punk band. And on their fourth album, they do branch out a lot more. I don’t think the 100% streak continues, however, the best songs here are the best they’ve ever done. It’s a ripper of a record, and one that has more ideas and, *ahem,* patience than previous releases. Missy Dabice gives her best-yet vocal performance on “Sometimes,” a song that stretches closer to indie than anything else. But there’s still punk bruisers everywhere, too. Tremendous stuff.

Initial release date: 3/1/24 Grade: 8/10

Pissed Jeans – Half Divorced

In direct opposition to a lot of albums in this post, and the norm in general, this is the leanest and meanest version of Pissed Jeans we’ve ever seen. The post-hardcore band has always treated its aggressive music as a pseudo-joke, as they satirize specific topics like middle managers and guys who have humiliation fetishes. There’s some of that here, specifically in screeds against used underwear sales and guys who disturb you when you’re on break. But there’s also a general, visceral anger here. These songs are way shorter than normal, most under two minutes, just ferocious punk blasts from a band that normally stretches things out. The best song is still tongue-in-cheek; “Everywhere is Bad,” a parody of songs where singers get easy clout by listing cities, instead decrying every city, planet, galaxy, and dimension. Best album of the year so far. 

Initial release date: 3/1/24   Grade: 9/10

Kim Gordon – The Collective

Haha what the hell. The beautiful thing about listening to the solo projects from Sonic Youth members was seeing what influences they individually brought to the table – Thurston Moore brought the noise guitars, Lee Ranaldo brought the classic rock vibes, and Kim supplied the most experimental elements. On her second solo record (mind you, she is SEVENTY years old), she creates something entirely new and diabolical. This is noise-trap. It’s a noise-rock record centered around hip-hop beats, but not in any kind of Death Grips way. Some of these songs were intended for Playboi Carti, but somehow ended up in her lap. And that’s really the only way to describe them. I’ve never heard anything like this, even from Kim. It’s pure experimentation, and it certainly won’t work for everyone. But I absolutely loved it. 2016 rap filtered through 80’s no wave. After several decades, Kim is still just operating on a different level.

Initial release date: 3/8/24 Grade: 8.5/10

LOCAL NOOK: So, given that I already write for a local blog, and I naturally listen to artists I or we cover, it feels a little weird to me to write about them here too. However, I’ll use some space for recs. The indie group Happy Just to See You dropped a great, fun and heartwarming indie album, garnering yet another 7.5 rating from me.

Check back next month for more reviews!

The Rundown: January 2024

Happy new year everybody! Is February 13th a bit late to say that? It probably is. Anyways, I’m always thinking of ways I can use this blog more, so I figured I might as well do monthly check-ins with all of the new albums I listen to. This is 1) a way to promote more music than just a year-end post, and 2) a way to help me remember exactly what I liked or didn’t like about middle-tier albums! I probably won’t include everything, just what I feel like. However, this first post has all 14 of the 2024 albums I’ve spun so far. I also don’t know what the order will be each month (it’s by rating this time). No, somehow I haven’t dropped the needle on the Smile album yet. Check back next month and spin these while you’re waiting.

SPRINTS – Letter To Self

Live music can be transcendent. Legend has it that Stu MacKenzie was inspired to start a band (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard) while at a Tame Impala show. Sprints was birthed by a couple people at a Savages gig – one of the best live bands, and most dearly missed bands of the last 15 years. They realized they could simply make the music they want to hear, and years later, we’ve got their debut. It sounds like Savages. That couldn’t be more of a compliment for me. Loud, noisy, melodic and just restrained enough to fall under indie. This is already going to be a top contender for 2024.

Initial release date: 1/5/24 Grade: 8.5/10

Ty Segall – Three Bells

It’s probably no secret that I’m a Ty Segall fanboy across all his projects, but I do generally prefer his barebones garage punk stuff more – Slaughterhouse, Freedom’s Goblin, Pre Strike Sweep. Some of his more recent, more experimental releases have been a bit above my head (First Taste in particular). So I approached this one with apprehension – only to find that this album ties the knot between Freedom’s Goblin and Manipulator, a great whale sized album that is lighter and more varied in tone, but doesn’t stray too far from Ty’s garage roots, too. It’s maybe his most well-rounded album yet, lengthy but varied where every song feels important and unique. It’s experimental and exciting, but warmer than an average Segall release all the same.

Initial release date: 1/26/24 Grade: 8.5/10

Bruiser Wolf – My Stories Got Stories

Bruiser Wolf and Danny Brown go way back, and it shows here – this album is full of darkly comic tales of binges and dangerous situations. Brown guests early too, on a whiplash track. Bruiser Wolf builds his lyrics in the same way DB does, poetic and funny with dense meters. But he also couldn’t sound different, rapping matter-of-factly and methodically, like he’s teaching a lesson. His vocals and lyrics are engaging, all bolstered by booming and exciting beats behind him. This is my first foray into his music, I’m gonna check out the previous album now too.

Initial release date: 1/12/24 Grade: 8/10

Kali Uchis – Orquídeas

My knowledge of Latin music is limited, and my knowledge of the Spanish language is nonexistent, so I will always have to view music like this as an outsider. This album is a companion piece to last year’s Red Moon In Venus – an English language album and #63 on my 2023 year end list. Orquídeas is a blast, a comprehensive album that both sticks to traditional reggaeton and strays well beyond it. Even as a companion piece, it feels distinctly separate from Red Moon, highlighting Uchis as a multi-threat artist. Have fun with this one.

Initial release date: 1/12/24 Grade: 8/10

Brittany Howard – What Now

The fun thing about Howard’s debut solo album was the way it expanded well beyond the scope of her band Alabama Shakes. Her sophomore solo release sharpens her broader influences, incorporating elements of blues, punk, R&B, whatever, into an album that’s equally comprehensive but more singular than Jaime. Her vocals are, of course, incredible. That’s always been her strength. But everything works very well across this one. It’s a ton of fun, a winding and unpredictable experience. 

Initial release date: 2/9/24 Grade: 7.5/10

Pile – Hot Air Balloon EP

Pile, who claimed a top 10 spot on my Best Albums of 2023 list, supplement that release with a back-to-basics EP. This isn’t a “leftover tracks” EP, this is a band who have strayed far from their original indie roots returning to a sound of the past. It’s just as good as their dense, heavy 2023 album was but wholly different. A quick burst of fun from a band proving that they can still have some, when they want.

Initial release date: 1/5/24 Grade: 7.5/10

Cheekface – It’s Sorted

This has all the makings of something I wouldn’t like – talked vocals, jangly post-punk guitar rhythms and lyrics focused heavily on ‘IYKYK references.’ And yet, a lot of this worked for me. The band sounds more like a cleaned-up version of Gang of Four than they do a reflection of the middling talk-punk bands of the moment. And the comedy lyrics are often quite funny, even if they are often references to memes. The line “I love mixed messages, I hate mixed messages” has stuck with me. There’s a lot of love and perfectionism hiding behind these jangly tunes.

Initial release date: 1/22/24 Grade: 7.5/10

glass beach – plastic death

I’m far from being a member of the hive that has an unhealthy obsession with this group’s debut album, but I did really enjoy the way it refused to nail itself down to any one genre. They’re like the indie-punk answer to 100 gecs. The sophomore album, long-awaited, is the same! It jumps wildly between punk, acoustic ballads and noisy, screamy stuff. Even the song lengths are unpredictable. You could argue it’s unfocused – I personally would argue it’s too long – but it is a fully singular entity. Something for everyone, and yet not for everyone. Good stuff.

Initial release date: 1/19/24 Grade: 7.5/10

21 Savage – american dream

Thanks to his album with Drake, 21 Savage has hit a level of fame equivalent to Drake. And if he wanted to, he could crap out an album of rudimentary beats and improvised, high-school poetry just like Drake. But Savage still has things to prove, and this album runs laps around the track. It does suffer from unevenness and bloat, but it hits more often than not. Savage’s flow is engaging and his lyrics are vulnerable, raw and earnest. It’s a human record, one that cements Savage as a new top-shelf force. 

Initial release date: 1/12/24 Grade: 7.5/10

Sleater-Kinney – Little Rope

This album was inspired by some very real turmoil in the life of Carrie Brownstein and, when coupled with internal turmoil the once-trio-now-duo went through a few years ago, the album is super-charged. SL-K hasn’t sounded this energized since their 2015 reunion album, or possibly even since 2000. These are short, punchy indie-punk songs that don’t reinvent the SL-K wheel, for once, and just bang. The front half of the album definitely punches harder than the back half, which falls somewhat into repetitive territory. Still, it’s an improvement over the last two records and another entry into a nearly flawless catalog.

Initial release date: 1/19/24 Grade: 7.5/10

Resin Tomb – Cerebral Purgatory

My first attempt at a metal album in 2024 gave me a sad realization I’ve been putting off having – my tinnitus has gotten to the point where I can’t reasonably listen to loud music with headphones on anymore. Resin Tomb’s new one had to be the one to sell me on that fact, and my listening was hampered by pausing it after three songs and resuming the next day. However, it is a fantastic album, a noisy and fun maximalist death metal album that feels somewhat akin to Aborted – nonstop full volume, fast paced, and not exactly serious (four of the eight songs are exactly 4:20). I will run this one back when I find a better listening method, I want to love this one more.

Initial release date: 1/19/24 Grade: 7/10

Green Day – Saviors 

The fact that this album is as good as it is serves as a testament to the legacy of Green Day. After the muck of cinematic poppy stuff like “21st Century Breakdown,” Green Day could’ve easily become 1) Fall Out Boy, who transformed into a fully corporate pop-slop band that seems to exist to play NFL pre-game shows, or 2) Pennywise, a punk band constantly touring and releasing the same album over and over again. Instead, they’ve settled into something in between. They’re not beholden to their original morals, but this album is just lean, fun punk. The first three songs are the standouts, three future minor classics. What follows is fun and forgettable power chord rippers. Too many, for sure, but it’s energetic and fun. 

Initial release date: 1/19/24 Grade: 6.5/10

Future Islands – People Who Aren’t There Anymore

Not a surprise here, “Seasons (Waiting For You)” is one of my all-time favorite songs but Future Islands in general don’t do it for me. I find that my interest in a FI song is directly tied to how upbeat it is, and they do far more ballads than not. The first few tracks here are interesting – especially the transition between tracks 1 and 2. But it quickly falls into repetition. Not for me, sorry!

Initial release date: 1/26/24 Grade: 6/10

Bolts of Melody – Film Noir

I don’t know much of anything about this artist but the album title/art both grabbed hold of me. True to note, this feels more like a film score than anything, like a less comedic version of that Chris Farren film score album. The music here is transcendent, mostly instrumental, and feels aimless in a way that is complimentary. It’s breezy, working as both background music and something that can really grab hold of you. It ultimately isn’t really my thing, and it sorta shuffled into the background for me, but it’s certainly intriguing.

Initial release date: 1/19/24 Grade: 6/10

Round 1 done! I meant to get this up at the end of January so…who knows when I’ll do round 2. But check back for more reviews!

0.0 – Worst New News

Well, I’m gutted. Surely everyone who stumbles on this has heard, but in case you haven’t – Pitchfork is being “folded into GQ.” It’s a nice way of saying that one of the internet’s most premiere and long-running music blogs is being liquified and dumped down the sink. The staff is gone. And the timing really couldn’t be worse.

Pitchfork was a necessary evil in the music world. You can, and should, lambast the earliest days of Pitchfork, but once they were established, they became a proper thorn in the side of the industry. Pitchfork was a rare outlet that had both a wide reach and an ability to say no to arena artists. How often have you been perusing Wikipedia for some shit U2 album and seen that Pitchfork were the only ones that gave it a middling review? In the earliest days, it was done out of spite and ego, sure. But with those rough few years removed, Pitchfork will be remembered as a site that told it like it was.

The site offered constructive criticism in a way no other outlet really does. Pitchfork were forward-thinkers, offering advice to artists on how to build on the album actively being reviewed. They also thought in the past, helping listeners to understand why they may or may not like an album, and what the context is, always done with a deep knowledge of the backstory. Pitchfork offered the rare service of teaching you something about an artist you didn’t already know, even if you disagreed with the review. And that’s what proper music criticism is.

Even after the purchase by Conde Nast, when claims of “poptimism” became ubiquitous with P4k, the site still offered a ton of value. They covered metal, they gave insight into muddied artist histories, they still weren’t afraid to bash the walls out of another crapped-out Ed Sheeran release. The biggest thing they ever taught me was not to give credence to an artist just because they’re a name. This blog and this writer loves to celebrate music – I don’t really like to write negative reviews! I find I enjoy most music. But let’s look at my least favorite albums from 2023 – Mac Demarco, Metallica, Maneskin, Miley Cyrus. These albums from big-name artists all got mostly positive coverage, but not from P4k. I believe strongly in speaking positively about music, but I am vehemently against poptimism – which is effectively giving positive coverage to big-name artists because negative coverage might hurt their feelings. Poptimism is also, naturally, a concept that disregards artists that aren’t headlining festivals because why would anyone ever listen to them? It’s as algorithmic as a human can develop.

Vulture – excuse me, venture capitalists are a plague amongst American society. Just recently, they knifed and bled out Jezebel. Sports Illustrated, one of the most important magazines in American history, is gutted in favor of libel-inducing AI. I have already had so many friends laid off because a VC bought a popular blog just to fold it. David Zaslav will have animators work tirelessly on a movie that everyone is hyped for only to toss it in the bin as a tax writeoff. Jim Spanfeller, the G/O owner, is making it his personal mission to lay off every employee until his company has 0 writers, 0 clicks, and $0. These men deserve an ending more cruel and more unceremonious than Saddam Hussein. These people are actively destroying the internet and all that we love about it, so they can save a few hundred on taxes. It’s despicable. And they’ve now come to Pitchfork with, well,

There may be feuds in music, but there’s none in music criticism. I am far from the first person unaffiliated with Pitchfork to woe its likely demise. One of their main competitors, Consequence of Sound, published a touching piece on how necessary the site was. The best I can do is to mimic others, but it’s something that needs to be mimicked regardless.

It was always my dream to write to Pitchfork. When the site was peaking (in my opinion!) in the mid-2010’s, I used to read every review. There was nothing more exciting to me than listening to an earth-shattering new album, going to Pitchfork, and seeing the bright red circle with “8.7 – BNM” in it. I found so much new music there, and taught myself a lot of about music writing. Since “Hollywood screenwriter” will probably never play out, I thought Pitchfork would be a more modest dream goal. I even had an introductory post thought up, I just never knew how to get my foot in the door. Now screenwriter is looking more likely after all.

So what’s next for P4k? I have no idea. That’s GQ’s problem to figure out. Maybe they’ll keep it running as is – horribly unlikely though. Most likely, each edition of GQ will have one paragraph on page 45 giving a perfect 10.0 to the new Selena Gomez album with no $10 adjectives. Maybe it’ll be AI-generated.

Pitchfork was at times a villain. But if it has to go, it deserved a much more honorable death than this.

100 Best Albums of 2023: 25-1

Jump to: Songs | 100-76 | 75-51 | 50-26

I hope you’ve been doing a drumroll for four days, because it’s time: here’s my 25 perfectly ordered, objectively correct favorite albums of 2023. This has been a year of pleasant surprises, massive disappointments, and huge handful of wonderful discoveries. There are a couple big name artists on this list, and probably few surprises, but this final edition is mostly under-the-radar albums that I found myself returning over and over again. Happy new year’s folks, and here’s to another great year of music in 2024.

#25. Fucked Up – One Day

This album is suspiciously basic. Fucked Up have made careers out of universe-spanning, deeply complex and dense conceptual albums. Their last release was actually a four-disc, four-song “album” that was part of their ongoing Year of the ____ series. This album is back to basics hardcore, something they haven’t done in over a decade. It also proves that they can still put out one of the most brutal and blisteringly-intense albums of the year even with their ambition reined in 1000%. This album isn’t as good as, say, Dose Your Dreams or David Comes to Life, but its placement is a testament to how unbelievably good those heady, lengthy albums really are. The run this band has been on is unprecedented.

RIYL: Converge, Titus Andronicus, feeling angry every moment you’re awake

#24. Throat Locust – Dragged Through Glass

I’ve been going back and forth on the inclusion of this one, as it is just a 3-track demo EP. But if we’re calling it an EP, then it’s eligible for the list. There’s also little to say other than “it’s good ass death metal.” This is very standard death metal, with immaculate production and a confidence of a band that’s been doing it for decades. And they’re named after my favorite TAD song to boot. Metalheads, get this on your radar now. You heard it here first!

RIYL: Cannibal Corpse, Bolt Thrower, you know, death metal

#23. boygenius – the record

The first boygenius EP was near perfection, taking three of the brightest and best indie talents and tossing them all together. The full-length, initially a surprise but now a wildly popular release, only builds on it. There’s more diversity in the songs here, as some songs like “Satanist” and “$20” are closer to rock than you’d expect. Others, like “Not Strong Enough,” sound exactly like you’d expect a Julian Baker/Phoebe Bridgers/Lucy Dacus song to sound like. Soft, sensitive and sad. What makes boygenius work so well is that they clearly came together as friends first and musicians second. The interplay between the members is more natural than most supergroups. This could still be a one-off, but I hope we get more from the Traveling She’llburys. 

RIYL: Big Thief, Snail Mail, either being or loving a sad girl

#22. Noname – Sundial

For some reason Noname seems to have dropped off the radar. This came out in August but I only noticed in November. The reason could be, of course, her utter refusal to play by the rules of the industry. The rap icon has always worn her heart on her sleeve, unabashedly political and earnest in a way even the “political” musicians shy away from. In one key song here, she connects the dots on how superstars contribute to the country’s insultingly overinflated defense budget, namechecking Kendrick and Beyonce (and herself) for playing Coachella. On top of the refreshingly honest politics, there’s just great rhythms and raps here. These songs are quick, full and fun. It’s a short but intense rap record from someone choosing to stand alone.

RIYL: Flatbush Zombies, Clipping., getting nauseated at whatever the hell “hologram Tupac” was

#21. Black Country, New Road – Live At Bush Hall

Under normal circumstances, I would never consider a live album for a year end list, as they are collections of previous material, usually at least somewhat the artist’s best. But Black Country are never ones for normal circumstances. After dropping their first two albums in quick succession, their singer dipped. Rather than break up or hold tryouts for a replacement, they brought in a handful of guest singers and recorded a live album of entirely new material. And because this is Black Country, these songs are everything from smooth and jazzy to manic and unpredictable. The band loves to stretch themselves in every direction, ostensibly under the “alternative” banner but touching many different points. The use of multiple singers and a live setting lends a particular vibrancy to these tracks. On the DL, I didn’t care for their second album – and this one is a marked improvement! There’s something for everyone here.

RIYL: black midi, the Hold Steady, going to a classy party you’re dreading but having a surprisingly good time

#20. feeble little horse – Girl with Fish

This is the exact byproduct when you take 90’s fuzzed out alternative and channel it through today’s DIY bedroom movement. At only 26 minutes, this album looks slight. But jump in and you get a number of intricately-layered, crunchy and introspective alternative songs. They may be brief, but they are not underdeveloped. There is a painful earnestness to the vocals and lyrics of this record, which can often get buried (intentionally?) under the ceaseless distorted guitars. If you’re a sucker for 90’s grunge-adjacent sad rock, like me, then grab this one right away.

RIYL: Pavement, Hotline TNT, reading your old journal entries

#19. Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy

The British funk scene is strong right now, all things considered, and the biggest standout of 2023 was Young Fathers. The group has always embraced their funky ways, but “Heavy Heavy” is a downright party. It’s a short album, and the tracks don’t stick around too long, which only adds to the ambiance. Songs come and go, occasionally feeling incomplete, like wandering through a party listening to parts of conversations. But one thing is for sure: it’s impossible to not have fun listening to this.

RIYL: Sudan Archives, Four Tet, making friends with everyone at the party (i don’t know what this one is like)

#18. Boris/Uniform – Brand New Disease

The collaborative album from Boris and Uniform brings exactly what you would expect and, perhaps more importantly, a lot of things you wouldn’t. Japanese noise institution Boris have frequently left their comfort zone, releasing straightforward rock or even jazzier albums. But NY noise upstarts Uniform – who have graced my lists before – generally stay in one noisy, angry lane. This album is bookended by harsh, bitter and grinding songs that you wouldn’t want to play at a party. But in the album’s middle is some more meandering, introspective tunes. Frankly, I wasn’t expecting it. The whole end result is a well-rounded album that doesn’t feel constrained to the walls of noise music, but takes time to revel in them gleefully nonetheless.

RIYL: The Body, Melt Banana, thinking about an interaction that made you angry and getting angry about it again

#17. Genesis Owusu – STRUGGLER

Oh man I love this one. I had the lucky opportunity to cover Genesis twice this year and let me say, this man puts on one of the most thrilling live shows you’ll ever see. The tracks on STRUGGLER are very funky, very synthy, very jazzy and still shaped around conventional rock songs. Everything feels very simple, and yet it is a mindmeld of genre fusion. And it is done completely effortlessly. For a man with very little experience under his belt, Owusu has supreme confidence in the power of his tunes. That this is also a concept album – about still finding reasons to love and cherish in the midst of an apocalypse – only adds to the strength. I have said it before: get this man on your radar.

RIYL: Talking Heads, Parliament, dancing as the bombs fall

#16. The Hirs Collective – We’re Still Here

The metal band that made their name doing albums full of 90-100 songs that are all <1:30 made a bold decision: do something a little more normal. The album clocks in at 31 minutes, less than half the length of some of their bolder works, but features their strongest production and most well-written songs to date. The band ropes in elements of grindcore and black metal into a ceaseless aural pounding. As always, they’re joined by huge name guests, like Melt Banana, Shirley Manson and Soul Glo, among others. How hard does this band go? They did a two-month tour behind the album and didn’t take a single night off.

RIYL: G.L.O.S.S., The Locust, slamdancing until you get so sweaty that your mohawk collapses

#15. 100 Gecs – 10,000 gecs

Listening to the first 100 gecs album was a humbling experience, because it was the first time I felt too old for an album. I didn’t entirely “get” it, and thought it was wildly hit-and-miss. For whatever reason though, their sophomore album clicked. From ska songs about frogs to genuine nu-metal, this album revels in everything that is uncool, thus making it cool again. These two kids have firm control over the zeitgeist, bringing old influences into brand-new hyperpop madness. Find me an album released this year more unique than this.

RIYL: Fire-Toolz, Machine Girl, every song on every machine at an arcade playing at the same time

#14. Oozing Wound – We Cater to Cowards

Oozing Wound have long been one of my favorite metal bands, with a distinct blend of rough thrash and tongue-in-cheek, pessimistic vocals. Well, this album is different, as the band takes more of a grunge approach. The tracks are slower and even rougher, with less of a focus on vocals/lyrics. And I’m a massive grunge-head, so I think I like this one *even more* than their previous albums. The new direction blindsided me, but once I adjusted I welcomed it wholeheartedly.

RIYL: Soundgarden, TAD, committing vehicular manslaughter

#13. JPEGMAFIA/Danny Brown – Scaring the Hoes

Peggy and Danny have always been masters of the same thing – rap that exists on the fringe of the mainstream, balancing the precision of radio sweetness with the ambition of pure avant-garde, and both men have allowed their solo work to swing in both directions. On their collaborative album, they simply both do what they do best: wild raps with huge beats, over the top comedy and intensely catchy rhythms. There’s a certain sense of derangement here, comedically apocalyptic. It’s fun as hell. It was only a matter of time before these two linked up, and it produced some of the finest work of both men. Check out the bonus EP they put out, which is just as great as the album. 

RIYL: Run the Jewels, Denzel Curry, the Alfred Molina scene from Boogie Nights

#12. Pile – All Fiction

I’m all in on bands messing around with genres and experimenting, but sometimes you just need some good old-fashioned rock, too. Pile does get sympathy points for being a Boston group, but their newest earns a high spot solely on songwriting. This album is full of dense and conceptual alt-rock, often lingering towards post-hardcore rather than indie. The band favors complexity over melody, which makes for a general lack of earworms, but a tremendous amount of curiosity. This is a rare mix that demands immediate replays – and not because the songs are stuck in your head. Tremendously original stuff.

RIYL: Pissed Jeans, Big Ups, knowing that you have better music taste than someone else

#11. Mandy, Indiana – i’ve seen a way

There seems to be a growing trend in music to blend genres beyond the normal definitions. Now this has always happened, of course, but there are always new avenues to explore. Mandy, Indiana – hailing from Europe – are a moody but fun group that tosses elements of dark synth and noise rock into indie. The final concoction is one of the best debut albums of the year, and one of the most eclectic albums in general. Recorded in a cave, you’ve got noisy guitars, foreboding synths and lyrics all in French. And yet it’s groovy. I can’t figure it out, maybe you can. I found them on indie radio, but I also didn’t bat an eye when one of their songs was remixed by Clipping. It’s all over the place, in serenely unpredictable chaos. 

RIYL: Sonic Youth, Savages, the general feeling of confusion

#10. Jeff Rosenstock – HELLMODE

My favorite musician, so it’s almost guaranteed he’d rank highly here. Rosenstock made his name doing immature, lonely and inebriated ska-punk songs, so with each passing year, he finds his muses further and further away. This is his prettiest record, with a number of songs softer and/or poppier than fans are used to. This is maturity, and while his lifelong themes of jealousy, loneliness and occasional fun are still present, they’re now more nuanced and diluted. But it’s also still distinctly punk – 90-second bruiser “Head” is one of the wildest songs he’s ever done. Rosenstock may have changed a lot over the years, but he’ll never be different. Perfect sound, whatever.

RIYL: Against Me!, PUP, hangovers

#9. Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

This one got super hyped, and for good reason. Polachek took her decent previous albums and elevated every single good element, giving us an unexpected classic on impact. Polachek has been pivotal in the mainstream development of hyperpop, and this may be the first album to successfully dilute hyperpop to a broader audience while still keeping it interesting. Really, it’s just a fantastic pop album, one that bangs start to finish. It’s all bangers, all songs that are fun and wildly unique. It rocks. Chances are, you know that already.

RIYL: SOPHIE, FKA Twigs, basement raves

#8. Margo Price – Strays

With a release date of January 13th, this is the earliest entry on the list, and it sat at #1 for quite a while. Of course, a country album was always going to be a longshot to be the chart-topper here at PGMR, but I do love a good one when I hear it. Price fine-tuned every track on this album so they are all distinct and memorable songs, and most of them are bangers; there’s no getting bogged down in repetitive weepers here. Throw in some guest spots from decidedly non-country artists (Lucius, Sharon Van Etten, and Mike Campbell, guitarist for Tom Petty), and you’ve got an absolutely delightful stew of songs that really sneak up on you. The album doesn’t feel memorable at first, until you realize your feet have been tapping the whole time, and you toss it on repeat.

RIYL: Nikki Lane, Jason Isbell, havin’ a cold one on a hot night

#7. Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good!

With an album title like this, you kinda know what you’re getting into. Jessie Ware’s fifth album doesn’t reinvent the wheel, because it doesn’t need to. It’s the biggest party of the year, an album chock-full of disco-pop bangers crafted solely to make you, well, feel good. If you gave these songs to a different artist, you could very well end up with overly-produced plastic slop. But with Ware, we’re gifted by her outstanding vocals and healthy touches of soul music. These songs feel startlingly original and earnest within the confines of a genre that often disavows that. It’s simply the most fun album released all year.

RIYL: Lady Gaga, Rina Sawayama, playing that funky music, white boy

#6. Bully – Lucky For You

After the year opened with a string of disappointing albums from artists I adore, I was delighted that Alicia Bognanno released her best album yet. This compact album follows in the ways of her previous three albums, of indie rock heavily influenced by grunge and, more specifically, grunge-adjacent 90’s icons like Dino Jr. and Pavement. These songs, largely inspired by the passing of Bognanno’s dog, are despondent and jealous, and her snarl has never sounded better. Crisp production matches her best songwriting yet. A late-album pinch hit by Soccer Mommy is great, but it’s not needed – the whole album is already a distorted, melodic and depressive home run. It’s gonna make you feel like shit, but it’s so catchy that you won’t even care.

RIYL: Screaming Females, Hole, obsessively checking your ex’s social media to see that yes, they’re still doing better than you 

#5. Kelela – Raven

Something about me, possibly evident from this list, is that I always tend towards the bangers. Nine times out of ten, I’ll choose the louder and faster songs, whether that’s hardcore or bubblegum pop. Well, this is that tenth time. The R&B singer’s sophomore album is so minimalist and so fluid that it serves as one long 62 minute song cut into fifteen tracks. The album rarely moves at anything louder than a whisper, resulting in something that’s both calming and haunting at the same time, somehow. And even though there is fundamentally very little going on here, it grabs you from the opening moments and doesn’t let go. The album never wavers or falters, staying remarkably consistent across all fifteen songs. It is smooth and addictive, with positive lyrics about inclusivity within the dance music scene. It’s soft and feel-good, admittedly a nice antidote to many albums on this list.

RIYL: The Fugees, FKA Twigs, sitting inside and watching the rain

#4. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation

Yeah, yeah, more Gizz. I’m fully initiated into the cult of Gizz. This album is about as ridiculous as the title implies, and they aren’t doing any favors to the naysaying crowd that for some reason thinks this band is to be taken seriously. This album – their second true metal album after Infest the Rat’s Nest – covers an extremely familiar Gizz topic: the apocalypse. In this one, the world is destroyed, and the survivors begin to praise a new god, in the form of a Gila Monster. Unlike their first metal album, which mind you was also about the apocalypse, this one is dense and slow. They’ve ditched the thrash influences that permeated both their previous metal album and some of the psych albums in favor of an old school hard rock album. It sounds similar to last year’s good-not-great album Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava, in that everything feels very dense and murky. There’s a full production to this. It’s the opposite of Rat’s Nest, which wasn’t even recorded with the full band. It isn’t exactly the newest ground they’re treading in this one, but there isn’t another Gizz album like it, either.

RIYL: Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, cool little lizards

#3. Model/Actriz – Dogsbody

Bands often come out of the gate hot, but this is one hell of a debut album. This band occupies the same sort of paranoid noise hellspace that Daughters vacated (because there is no jail that Alexis Marshall is worthy of being buried under). These are songs that have a certain paranoia to them, but one drawn through patient melodies. It’s not really post-hardcore, but it’s even less anything else. It’s extremely noisy and crazy while remaining even-tempoed, like the anxiety of realizing you’re bombing at an important job interview. This music is straight up stressful. Fun for the whole family!

RIYL: Daughters, black midi, accidentally perjuring yourself in a court of law

#2. Liturgy – 93696

If you’ve ever seen movies like Come and See or Ikiru or even Requiem For A Dream then you’ve probably described them as “absolutely incredible and I never wanna watch it again.” Well that same logic applies here. Liturgy, a paradoxically religious black metal band, have dropped some classic albums during their run; but the last couple have been weak, and I didn’t think they had the juice left. Well, 93696 proves otherwise, taking everything they’ve done in their career from heady and complex metal to maximalist harsh noise, and throwing it all into one 82-minute long album. It’s too much for one listen – it is two discs – as it is just too heavy, too daunting. I haven’t relistened to this one yet, and I may never. But my brain, which often forgets songs and albums the second they end, remembers this one start to finish. Thank you for reading this list, this is the single heaviest album on it.

RIYL: Deafheaven, Thou, suffering from religious trauma

#1. Wednesday – Rat Saw God

Instant classic. You may have seen my songs list, where this band took up three spots – and the guitarist took another with a solo track. This album is proving as a worthy breakthrough for the North Carolina group, which defies all classifications while remaining grounded in a grim reality. The band was already making waves in the indie underworld for their blending of country, americana and grunge into something resembling early Wilco, Drive-by Truckers, or – strictly contextually – Neil Young. Songs like “Chosen to Deserve” have a lot of country flair, while “Bull Believer” is straight grunge, the heaviest song the band has recorded to date. Lyrically, singer Karly Hartzman explores all of the lonely alleyways of America; these are songs of teenage alcoholism, domestic disturbances, loveless marriages and days spent just passing the time. There’s a specific type of American loneliness that runs rampant on this album, something that isn’t necessarily sad but just exists. It’s more flyover state, but all Americans feel it. Ten years from now, we’ll be holding this in the same regard that we hold Sonic Youth in now. 

RIYL: Neko Case, Drive-By Truckers, visiting your hometown and realizing all your childhood friends are in jail 

Thank you for reading this or, at least, thank you for scrolling to the bottom. As always, there were tons of other records I wanted to write about but didn’t have the space. Just to highlight a couple, those are: Dryad – The Abyssal Pain, an awe-inspiring metal album that blends tons of subgenres into one; The Armed – Perfect Saviors, a once-pop-metal band turned indie in an album that’s suspiciously conventional; Purling Hiss – Drag on Girard, one that initially made the list but didn’t stick in my brain enough – think a rougher Dino Jr.; The Croaks – Croakus Pokus, a wickedly fun local band that mixes all types of folk from folk-punk to straight medieval music; Death Valley Girls – Islands in the Sky, a punk group I absolutely adore that is reluctantly growing up and moving towards indie – maybe their weakest album, and still almost made the cut.

My wrists hurt. See you next year!

100 Best Albums of 2023: 50-26

Tired of this yet? I am! For previous coverage, check out: Songs | 100-76 | 75-51 | 25-1

We continue on with my expertly planned-out, lab-tested top 100 albums of 2023. No reason to say any more here, so let’s dig in.

#50. Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS

Gatekeepers be damned, this kid rocks. Rodrigo has an obvious affinity for rock and alternative bands of years passed, and incorporates them into her pop music in ways that her peers haven’t even attempted to do. I mean, she’s got the Breeders opening for her next year. The Breeders! Anyways, this album is full of appropriately youthful energy, full of high school tales and music that is both digestible, bouncy pop and punchy rock elements. She also corrects the one flaw I had in her debut – too many slow tunes. This album is a more consistent collection, a rare sophomore album that stays in the same lane as a debut while improving on it steadily.

RIYL: Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, i mean chances are you know this one already

#49. Susanne Sundfør – Blómi 

Easily, and I mean easily, one of my favorite artists, the Norwegian singer-songwriter is constantly reimagining things. Her first two solo albums are ho-hum singer-songwriter stuff, but every album since then has had a unique, fascinating identity. Her newest is in some ways a continuation of the sparse, acoustic guitar-vocals-piano of her last record Music For People in Trouble, but where that album had a creeping ominous aura, this one feels warm and nostalgic. That may be due in part to fewer songs in English, as well as a “back to basics” feel that feels refreshing after a journey through a bunch of other influences. Her music is often complex and difficult, but this record is still very approachable. That she isn’t on the radar of Americans is criminal.

RIYL: Marissa Nadler, Angel Olsen, pulling the covers back over your head

#48. Everything But the Girl – Fuse

I went into this one as an outsider. The softer side of new wave (i.e. Tears for Fears) is something I have only very recently learned to appreciate, so I didn’t have the highest hopes for this. It’s their first album in 24 years! Instead, I absolutely ate it up. This is a collection of dance songs for a sophisticated audience, a reminder for professional adults to go out and have some damn fun. It is difficult to make dance music that doesn’t sound at least a bit plastic, but these songs are emotional and raw, not to mention immaculately produced. With mixes of electronic and acoustic, it is a diverse set, all brought together by earnestness, crisp mastering and raw vocals. 

RIYL: Tears For Fears, Massive Attack, stretching before you dance

#47. Frankie and the Witch Fingers – Data Doom

Many of the artists on this list I have a deep knowledge on. This is not one of those artists. I know practically nothing about this group, but I saw them mentioned alongside plenty of bands I love. It’s easy to say that this band is name-brand Oh Sees. But, Dwyer & gang are one of my favorite bands, and their sole release this year was super underwhelming, so there was a hole to be filled. This is incredibly fun psych-rock, designed purely to stimulate and clear the seats of butts. When I say “psych-rock,” don’t think prolonged, meandering Jerry Garcia jams. These are brief songs jampacked with energy, rawness and a million little ideas. A pure blast.

RIYL: Thee Oh Sees, early Tame Impala, two hits of acid

#46. Billy Woods/Kenny Segal – Maps

Billy Woods was one of my favorite finds of 2022, releasing two albums I adored, and he keeps the train rolling here. His sole album is a travelog, chronicling the intense touring schedule he underwent “post”-COVID. Segal provides production across the album, and both men keep things simple and serene. Woods is a natural raconteur, and the stories he weaves across the album are so innately interesting and revealing. Woods might be one of the most undersung talents in the rap scene, hopefully this one proves to be the breakthrough. 

RIYL: Ghais Guevara, R.A.P. Ferreira, telling your friends you were listening to the hot new artist five years ago

#45. Lana Del Rabies – Strega Beata

Yeah yeah, the name is a throwaway pun, but it lets you into the music too. LDR – this LDR, the primary one is coming later – is a harsh noise artist, chunneling in the exact opposite of Lana Del Rey in every possible way. This specific album, though, is a much lighter approach, incorporating hefty amounts of ambient. The fishhook divide between harsh noise and ambient is one that has been explored countless times, but rarely as effectively as here. This is sheer catharsis, at the hands of both extreme noise and the absence of. Very limited audience on this one, but those that stumble on it should appreciate it.

RIYL: Pharmakon, Uboa, that one particular Deafheaven album where they pissed people off by doing ambient music

#44. Paris Texas – MID AIR

Just some good ass rap. When you name yourselves after one of the most notoriously despondent films, you’re already setting yourself apart from your peers. Paris Texas makes very thrilling and bombastic music, avoiding both the cliches of conventional hip-hop and the noisiness of experimental rap. Their debut album sees a hefty load of songs that are occasionally difficult, but always fun. For bonus points, check out the tongue-in-cheek late addition “Lana Del Rey,” named as such because Lana put a song on her album called “Paris Texas.”

RIYL: OutKast, Injury Reserve, your car’s speakers

#43. Slowdive – everything is alive

There are a hundred million different timelines where we aren’t getting new Slowdive albums, so we should take anything from the shoegaze legends as a blessing. The fact that their reunion albums are this good, especially when the shoegaze reunion albums are usually awful? Unbelievable. Everything about this release is soft, even for them. Even the title is lowercase. This album is a gentle touch, a spring breeze, a bunny hopping through a field. Some songs have rhythm and percussion, some are just aura, but all are full, affirming and warm. It’s a nice antidote to much of the hostility on this list.

RIYL: Cocteau Twins, Mazzy Twins, opening the windows for some spring air

#42. James Blake – Playing Robots Into Heaven

After a solid debut and a sophomore album I adored, the English alt-electronic artist James Blake went on a run of albums that were at worst total duds and at best decent but forgettable. Luckily, that streak is over, as his newest recaptures the energy that made his early music so palpable. This album is all over the place – cohesion is the biggest drawback – but Blake is clearly playing with competing aspirations. Nearly everything works, from the moodier, slower songs that we’ve become used to, to the wall-to-wall electro-bangers of years past. If you’re into dance music, then rest assured: James Blake is back. 

RIYL: Hot Chip, Jamie XX, crying in da club

#41. Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean – Obsession Destruction

From my home city and named after a Thou song, this band already had points in their favor for me. But the album is that good, too. I’m not a big doom metal guy, but I appreciate good doom when I hear it, and this is some of the best of the year. With titles like “Ten Thousand Years of Unending Failure” you know you’re going to get some sludgy, heavy and morose stuff. The riffs are incredible, the songs are extended without ever growing tedious, and there’s just enough non-doom influence to spice up every song. If doom is your thing, you may have missed this one – rectify that.

RIYL: Sleep, Thou, the misery of continued existence

#40. Arlo Parks – My Soft Machine

I had lofty expectations for the Arlo Parks sophomore album. Her debut Collapsed in Sunbeams was arguably my favorite album of 2021. This one doesn’t quiiiite live up, but it’s still remarkable. Parks somewhat trades in the jazzy and loose elements of her debut in favor of more standard pop instrumentation and songwriting, to no diminished effect. There’s still plenty to pull apart here, mostly surrounding her consistently heartfelt and earnest lyrics. Her voice is as strong as ever. Her music remains an enigmatic mix of alternative and R&B that sounds totally natural. This one goes down real smooth.

RIYL: Sudan Archives, SAULT, morning snuggles

#39. Yaeji – With A Hammer

Yaeji first popped up on my radar way back in 2018 with an introductory single, but I didn’t keep much of a tab on her until she rocketed back into the limelight with her debut album. The title and accompanying image make a grand statement, that the multi-genre pop singer isn’t here to play. Like many of the best pop singers out there now, she’s reinterpreting the genre to be diverse tunes that aren’t factory-assembled chintzy radio bangers. These are songs with incredible amounts of depth, influence and unpredictability. It isn’t really hyperpop, but more along the lines of a very mature and patient type of pop like we’ve seen out of Rina Sawayama. It’s super unique stuff.

RIYL: Rina Sawayama, Toro Y Moi, hooks upon hooks upon hooks

#38. Lifeguard – Dressed in Trenches

Another one that snuck past debatability! I normally do not include EP’s but there were too many excellent ones this year. Unlike some headier entries on this list, this is just 18 minutes of rippage. These kids (yes, children) know how to write a damn good rock song, or five. “Alarm” features one of the simplest but most effective riffs you’ll hear all year, coupled with one of the catchiest choruses. The other four songs mostly follow this path, with some slower deviations. This group has the energy of literal teenagers with the confidence of musicians much older. 

RIYL: Superchunk, Sleater-Kinney, moshing in dry heat at a festival

#37. Pacing – Real poetry is always about plants and birds and trees and the animals and milk and honey breathing in the pink but real life is behind a screen

I don’t know anything about this artist. I don’t know how they ended up on my listen-to queue, whether it was a recommendation from someone or they’re friends with a friend, or what. What I do know is that it caught me completely off-guard. I’m hit and miss on lo-fi bedroom stuff, but this was a collection of songs that were mostly fun, occasionally dramatic, and 100% earnest. These quick ditties are full of earworm melodies, jokes, honest reflections, and uncomfortable truths. Every song wins. Genuinely loved this.

RIYL: Kimya Dawson, claire rousay, still spinning the Juno soundtrack

#36. Ada Rook – Rookie’s Bustle

Alright so I listened to this one early in the year and I don’t remember it fondly, but it’s a great Ada Rook so I can tell how it goes anyways – a blend of particularly forceful and strained screamo mixed with synths and a healthy touch of pop music. Rook is part of Black Dresses, hyperpop extraordinaires, and their solo music pushes the intense elements even further. Rook is my favorite screamer in music right now, and this mini-album is chock full of it. Heavy and emotional stuff.

RIYL: Uboa, Pharmakon, the hottest and most deranged goth girl you’ve ever seen

#35. Burner – It All Returns to Nothing

I’ve mentioned it elsewhere on this list, but there is a current trend in making the most abrasive and dense music possible. Burner might have cracked the code completely. This album, which exists on the fringes of noise and metal, is 34 minutes of relentless chaos designed to shun away even the most ardent noise fan. It is a pure spectacle, and the fact that these are well-constructed songs takes a backseat. But they are, as otherwise this would be a pointless exercise in noise. I’m rambling. Check this out if you like the heaviest of heavy.

RIYL: Nails, Full of Hell, folk horror

#34. Lana Del Rey – Did you know that there’s a tunnel under ocean boulevard

I’m an unabashed Lana fan, but I always take her new releases with a grain of salt. Her catalog has been so inconsistent over the years; thankfully, this is a top 3 Lana album. Despite the daunting length, every song feels important. We also get Lana at her most diverse – we have trap on A&M, we get Jon Batiste, we get a Father John Misty collab that’s the most 50’s song either artist has ever done. It’s a winding collection of inspired tunes. It’s not quite the best album Lana has done, but it’s easily the best album Lana has done. But surely you’ve already got an opinion on this one.

RIYL: Adele, Ethel Cain, being a housewife in the 1950’s

#33. Sightless Pit – Lockstep Bloodwar

The band/album names may insinuate something heavy. The members of Sightless Pit – Dylan Walker of Full of Hell and Lee Buford of the Body – insinuate something disgustingly heavy. And for the most part, it is. Members of two of the heaviest and most unpredictable bands in all of music come together for their second official collaboration. Two kings of sheer noise bring a natural melding of their music. But they bring other influences too – across this album, there’s all sorts of trap, jazz and ambient influences mixed into the normal abrasive chaos. Everyone from melodic ambient upstart claire rousay to rap legend Gangsta Boo make appearances. The album brings everything you’d expect, and everything you wouldn’t, from the men involved.

RIYL: Lingua Ignota, Nothing, just any kind of music you don’t hear on the radio

#32. Foo Fighters – But Here We Are

I’m not much of a big Foo guy. I think they’ve got a pair of great albums, and a career of weak ones that have 2-4 great songs. On the whole, low batting average. But sometimes a tragedy can bring out the best in a group, even when it’s the biggest rock band in the world. The Fighters haven’t sounded this energized in decades, and haven’t sounded this despondent ever. It’s obvious the band looked inward, trashed their template and wrote from the heart. These songs are earnest, difficult and affirming, declarations from a band that is choosing to soldier on without Taylor Hawkins. These songs also, of course, rip total ass. 

RIYL: Queens of the Stone Age, the Smashing Pumpkins, did you really need to read this one?

#31. Portrayal of Guilt – Devil Music

Upstarts Portrayal of Guilt had already established themselves as one of the most ambitious and unique bands in modern metal before this album, which boasts one of the most intriguing concepts of the year. Side A of this album is five standard POG songs, aka short and abrasive noise jams that stray away from anything melodic or familiar and thrust the listener into a world of unknown. Side B consists of the same songs, performed with a string section instead of the normal band. The whole album is only 31 minutes, and frankly both sides could’ve had more juice. The concept just flat out works and provides for one of the single most unique releases of the year.

RIYL: Full of Hell, the Body, dreams that start out scary but get weirdly normal

#30. GEL: Only Constant

There is a new (?) blend of punk out there, with bands pushing the ‘hardcore’ label to the extreme levels and producing something that sounds like thrash metal’s dirtbag cousin. The divide between hardcore punk and noise music has never been more blurry, and GEL is just one of a few examples of it on this list. This album – all 16 minutes of it – is blistering, bruising hardcore specifically designed to pummel your senses in a convention hall basement. This band seems to have rockets strapped to their backs, so if you see their names crop up on a festival bill or as an opening act, get there in time. 

RIYL: Mannequin Pussy, Knocked Loose, music venues that are fire hazards

#29. Yves Tumor – Praise A Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)

The multi-genre music athlete Yves Tumor follows the trend he hinted at in his previous LP, ditching the abrasive and complex synths in favor of sultry guitar tracks. There is a lot of uncharted territory here for Sean to explore, and they touch most of it. A whiplash of tracks sends the listener through indie, experimental and hard rock tunes, all wrapped together in seductive production and appropriately religious lyrics. Fans of their older work will eat this one up, even with a general change-up in instrumentation. The one drawback of this album, it seems to be lacking in staying power; it was hotly discussed upon its release in March and is barely registering a blip these days. Still, it’s a powerful release.

RIYL: Lenny Kravitz, Miguel, fornicating

#28. The Men – New York City

No reason to spend a lot of time on this one – it’s just some exceptional garage rock. The Men sometimes like to drift off into other territories, so it’s refreshing to hear them pivot back to their punky, noisy roots. This album is super back-to-basics, even in its title; a simple declaration from one of the premier NYC bands. Rock on.

RIYL: Cloud Nothings, Ty Segall, getting the band back together

#27. Perennial – The Leaves of Autumn Symmetry

This EP doesn’t even crack 8 minutes but it’s some of the most fun you’ll have with headphones on. I’m pals with them so of course I had to include them. The five songs here show the band at their most chaotic, quick little fireballs of dance-punk. You don’t need more than 8 minutes here because you’ll be out of breath by the end.

RIYL: The Hives, The Fratellis, adderall

#26. Yo La Tengo – This Stupid World

I’ll hold my hands up and say I went into this album knowing little about YLT. There’s a handful of legacy indie bands – YLT, GBV, New Pornographers, Belle & Sebastian, etc – who have lengthy catalogs that I’ve just never tackled. Well I’m halfway through theirs now, because I loved this album. Patient, mature, and still refreshingly energetic, this album represents a legacy band still at their highest ambitions. I’ve listened to a number of YLT albums now, and I still think the opening track here (“Sinatra Drive Breakdown”) is my favorite. Yo La Tengo has the confidence to be ambitious, and the experience to know where to stop. Legacy bands aren’t supposed to be this good.

RIYL: Wilco, Belle & Sebastian, taking your son to the music festival

Before we jump into the final section, I should point out that there are so many albums from 2023 I still haven’t gotten to. Nicki Minaj and DJ Shadow dropped albums late in the year I didn’t have time for. Drake, Kim Petras, Metric, Sofia Kourtesis and Blackbraid all released albums I simply haven’t gotten to. I haven’t finished the Andre flute album yet. I missed new ones from Marnie Stern and Radiator Hospital until it was too late. Bell Witch, the Drums, Chris Stapleton, and who can forget Smokey Robinson’s “GASMS”? My apologies to the artists and their 99 albums still on my listen-to list. I won’t adjust this list, but if your favorite is missing – it’s possible I simply haven’t gotten to it yet!

Check back tomorrow for the big finale! You can expect: a metal band turned grunge, hyperpop, a death metal demo, a raucous rap collab album, multiple indie debuts, hardcore legends, and something that I normally disqualify from a best of list – a live album.

100 Best Albums of 2023: 75-51

Jump to: Songs | 100-76 | 50-26 | 25-1

Hello and welcome to day two of counting down a needlessly high amount of records! Catch up on the first 25 records if you haven’t already. Otherwise, let’s roll.

#75. Scowl – Psychic Dance Routine

Scowl sounds practically identical to the band Gouge Away – which is fine by me, as the latter band left a void by taking a hiatus (though they themselves returned with a new song this year). This is aggressive and abrasive hardcore, but without sacrificing melody. Despite only being 10 minutes long, this EP leaves room for experimentation and temptation within brutal hardcore. This group does not have a proper full-length out yet; when they do, the throne is theirs to take.

RIYL: Gouge Away, Birds In Row, getting your nose broken

#74. Ratboys – The Window

To call Ratboys “exciting” is a slight stretch, but it is cool how the band makes songs that are so familiar and digestible and yet don’t really follow any proper genre conventions. They’re ostensibly an indie band, but they’ve always infused their songs with enough raw energy to be punk (and have toured with proper punk bands). Their new album tosses in more roots rock elements, too, which only complicates things. And yet the songs are so smooth, so catchy, and mostly extremely fun. Good for the whole family!

RIYL: PUP, Beach Bunny, rocking out but safely

#73. Antony and the Johnsons – My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross

ANOHNI makes beautiful music, this is not news to anyone familiar with her work. Her heartbreaking lyrics are always matched by her unique, lounge throwback crooning voice. She reunited her old band and their first album in 13 years is a dreary, soulful affair. The experimental indie vibes of ANOHNI’s solo albums are mostly gone, replaced by more straightforward soul. It suits her voice well, which was fit for 50’s sounding ballads. With a photo of Marsha P. Johnson on the album’s cover, you know we’re not getting any less political.

RIYL: Perfume Genius, Zola Jesus

#72. Carly Rae Jepsen – The Loveliest Time

Another banger album from the best pop singer on the scene now. Ever since the days of E*MO*TION, the best pop album of the last decade, Jepsen has had a brilliant niche for herself. Her music is straightforward pop, and her vocals are breezy and smooth in a way that hints at a youthful innocence. But her lyrics always give nuance – usually in the form of mixed emotions or counterintuitive responses to social situations. It’s just as true here, as Jepsen acts a barely-veiled raconteur for human complexity. As always, this is a two parter – this album is a sequel to 2022’s The Loneliest Time. We gotta love someone who always gives us some extra.

RIYL: Tove Lo, Jessie J, solo dance parties

#71. Dream Wife – Social Lubrication

Yeah okay, you only name your album something like Social Lubrication in certain spaces. Dream Wife are a chaotically fun band, who fuse punk and pop together in a way that is distinctly not pop-punk, but two forces working against each other. Toss in some indie elements too, and you’ve got a super unique blend. The band’s bluntly feminist lyrics are a plus, often as tongue-in-cheek as they are serious. I mean the lead single is “Hot (Don’t Date A Musician).” Thrilling, unique and urgent – this is the future of punk. 

RIYL: Hinds, The Menstrual Cramps, fucking up an abuser

#70. Kenny Mason – 6

Rappers have been blending rock into their music for decades now, but few do it in the way Kenny Mason does. Across his brief album 6, he uses rock influences sparingly. Sometimes, it’s straight rap, sometimes there’s hints, other times it goes full on shoegaze. Unpredictability is the key player here, leaving the listener guessing as to where Mason might go next. The flares of horror influence give this album a proper morose mood, too. Rock influences are used to deepen the grim tone, not to make bangers. And yet, it’s exciting.

RIYL: clipping., Brockhampton, pretending not to like nu-metal but secretly enjoying it

#69. Danny Brown – Quaranta

After the raucous insanity of his classic album Atrocity Exhibition, I found his more centralized follow-up album to be disappointing. After a few years away, Brown bounced back big, dropping two albums in 2023. The first was a collaborative album with JPEGMAFIA – more on that later – and the second is an album that works to recapture some of the old, wild magic. Brown is newly sober, and that change permeates this record. Quaranta follows the same darkly funny, manic rapping from years past, but leveled out a bit. It’s a more mature side of Danny, which he seeks out while still being one of the most exciting musicians in the country.

RIYL: Run the Jewels, Vince Staples, limbering up for the pit

#68. Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter – SAVED!

You may know Kristin Hayter more as Lingua Ignota, a now finished noise project where she matched her operatic vocals with harsh screaming and disturbing lyrics of self-hatred and religious paranoia. She’s now operating under this moniker, delving further into the religious aspects of the music. This album has plenty of fire and brimstone moments, but it ultimately lies closer to a Southern gothic sound than a noise one – think Ethel Cain or, I guess, Flannery O’Connor. The result is music that is more accessible than the stuff with Lingua Ignota, but would still send people screaming. 

RIYL: Ethel Cain, Xiu Xiu, demonic possession

#67. AJJ – Disposable Everything

For a number of reasons, I’ve taken myself off the AJJ train over the last decade. But, an opportunity to cover one of their shows came up, and I figured I might as well for old times sake. Turns out, it was in support of their best album in a long, long time. The band had struggled for a while to meld their older songs, which were hyper-fast folk-punk with shocking lyrics, with a more mature sound. They finally nailed it here, as they embrace some of their older ways (short songs, raw lyrics) with more nuanced melodies and discussion topics. It’s quick, diverse, adult, and all still distinctly AJJ.

RIYL: Defiance Ohio, Mountain Goats, finally taking a shower

#66. Nickel Creek – Celebrants

I don’t think anyone expected a new Nickel Creek album in 2023. Their first album in 9 years was released with little announcement and little fanfare. The bluegrass legends came firing back with a damn near perfect bluegrass release. I don’t really go for music like this much, but threw it on just as something new to listen to. It’s a hefty album, and yet every track feels vital, as if the band has secretly been saving all of these songs up for the last decade. This album is just naturally fun, with insanely talented musicians confidently steering it. 

RIYL: Alison Krauss, Willie Nelson, doing square dances? idk anything about this way of life sorry

#65. Anjimile – The King

A formerly local artist, Anjimile’s music has always been emotional and raw. Their newest triples down on it, analyzing life as a black nonbinary artist in America (hint: it’s not great!). It’s a beautiful and impactful folk record, with some of the most powerful songs of the year. That it’s also an intricate release musically makes the album that much better. These songs are bleak, and they sound bleak, but they also sound a lot fuller than you may expect from such morose folk. 

RIYL: Vagabon, Bartees Strange

#64. Kali Uchis – Red Moon In Venus

This is just good ass R&B! I’d never really listened to Uchis prior to this, so it was a pleasant surprise. She blends English- and Spanish-language lyrics together in a super-fun neosoul record, a perfect summer soundtrack. Everything here feels refreshing, and the fifteen tracks ensure that no idea sticks around too long. Not much else to say: it’s fun as hell.

RIYL: SZA, Frank Ocean, block parties

#63. Nation of Language – Strange Disciple

I discovered this band by chance just after I had a moment where the music of Tears For Fears finally ‘clicked’ for me. Having the poppier side of new wave, which I had always maligned, finally make sense to me opened up a world of new music. These folks do exactly that, and they’re very good songwriters. Their synthy-indie pop could get boring quickly, but they put care into making every song unique and excellent. These tracks are smooth, rhythmic and built with just a touch of tenderness. I anticipate getting even more into them in the future.

RIYL: Tears For Fears, Erasure, putting your hair up in a way that’s going to look very dumb in a few years

#62. Feist – Multitudes

There were a handful of welcome returns this year, few more welcome than indie goddess Feist. Her first album in six years doesn’t see any real change from her previous albums, and why should it? The Feist template of nuanced and mature folk-rock songs with pretty rhythms, haunting vocals and complex emotions is still running strong. She hasn’t missed a beat, as Multitudes is another notch in an excellent catalog. 

RIYL: Cat Power, Sharon Van Etten, getting one drink at a show and taking the next day off work

#61. Janelle Monáe – The Age of Pleasure

I mean, it’s Janelle. What do I need to say here? This is far from her best work, and it’s still among the best albums of the year. Smooth, breezy and sultry, there’s fewer distinct bangers here and more of a prolonged vibe. And that vibe is, well, coital. There’s only two tracks over 3 minutes, highlighting just how flowing and digestible this album is, like a sweaty summer day. The fact that people were expecting grand political statements by Janelle’s return to music is incredibly funny, as we instead got a rousing sex playlist.

RIYL: Prince, Tinashe, [redacted]

#60. Lonnie Holley – Oh Me Oh My

You may or may not know the name Lonnie Holley as a visual artist with a career spanning back decades. At a spry 73 years old, he’s released his third piece of audio art, and that’s exactly what it is. This is abstract, experimental music, full of songs that couple a political angriness with a religious wholesomeness. It’s a complete persona, the positive and negative. A lot of experimental music falls victim to an ironic repetitiveness, but this album will always keep you guessing. There are some heavy assists, too: Bon Iver, Sharon Van Etten and Michael Stipe all show up, among others. 

RIYL: Kara Jackson, William Basinski, achieving a complete and total clarity about the world

#59. Blondshell – Blondshell

Feels a little weird to call this a debut given that Blondshell, aka Sabrina Teitelbaum, had previously released pop music under a different moniker. But those songs went nowhere, and she’s done a hard reboot with a set of fuzzy, guitar-based indie. Many albums on this list try to reinvent the wheel; Blondshell revels in the already-established. These are just great, punchy indie tunes that hearken back to a 90’s sound. Poppy, noisy, and innately rhythmic, this is indie rock at its finest. 

RIYL: Momma, Snail Mail, pleasantly liking some of the songs your teen kid is playing

#58. Lil Uzi Vert – Pink Tape

What a victory lap. Uzi is one of the last stars of the cursed mumble rap scene, but he’s on top of the world. And this album sees him throwing all of his ambitions and excesses at the wall and seeing what sticks. There’s no idea too ridiculous – in fact, the two best songs are a song that samples Shinsuke Nakamura’s entrance music, and a full cover of “Chop Suey!” At 87 minutes, I will concede that it could’ve been edited down a lot, but a vast majority of the songs here are fun bangers that don’t overstay their welcome. It may be a slog to get through – but it’s rewarding.

RIYL: Young Thug, Playboi Carti, the party of the century

#57. Spanish Love Songs – No Joy

This band has a natural knack for writing grown-up, despondent tunes that feel like a much-matured version of pop-punk. These songs are a little too indie to be punk, a little too prickly to be indie, and way too adult to be pop-punk. They owe more to the irreverent raconteurs in the Hold Steady than anything else, yet most often get namedropped alongside bands like the Menzingers. It’s a patient and engaging album. The characters across the songs feel earnest and real. There’s simply a lot to relate to here.

RIYL: The Menzingers, the Gaslight Anthem, having the stark realization that you’ve lived enough to relate to Springsteen lyrics

#56. Geld – Currency // Castration

I’ve written about it earlier in the list and I’ll write about it again later, so let’s keep this brief – hardcore bands are currently pushing themselves to the absolute limit. This quick release (22 minutes) stands firmly on the trifold border of hardcore punk, thrash metal and harsh noise. It’s a limited audience record, but for those who find it, it’s wildly great.

RIYL: Knocked Loose, Mammoth Grinder, listen I’m running out of hardcore jokes here. Uhh uhh smashing a PBR can against your head

#55. Depeche Mode – Memento Mori

There isn’t much I can say about MM that I haven’t already said in my Depeche Chronicles series from earlier this year. This collection was born out of tragedy, of the loss of Andy Fletcher. And although some of these songs were already in progress when he passed, his ghost haunts the album. The two remaining members face their own mortality up and down, with a number of diverse and intricate tunes that nonetheless revel in the morose. It’s one of their better albums! And while they may face their own mortality, they didn’t let it get to them – embarking at their age on a massive, arena tour.

RIYL: Gary Numan, The Cure, calculating how much you’ve spent on black eyeliner in the last 35 years

#54. LURK – Natural Causes

There’s a lot of punk on this list, and most of it is similar in the way the groups push the boundaries of labels and sheer sonic terror. LURK, though, is closer to traditional hardcore punk. I only found this band because a coworker’s group played a gig with them, but I’ve spun this one a couple times now. It’s just an EP, so nice and brief, but the band packs a lot into it. Some songs are noisy and abrasive, some are focused more on melody. Despite only being 20 minutes, it’s a diverse effort within the realms of punk. Really left me wanting more.

RIYL: Rise Against, Knocked Loose, idk i’m totally out of hardcore jokes here 

#53. PJ Harvey – I Inside the Old Year Dying

PJ Harvey remains unpredictable. She’s one of the few artists with a perfect batting record when it comes to albums, but it’s fair to say that her previous work, 2016’s Hope Six Demolition Project, was one of her weaker efforts. This album, she’s decided to take things back to medieval times. Not actually, but the album is based on an epic poem and is littered with biblical and Shakespearean references, and the near-constant minimalist feel gives it more of a chamber aura. It isn’t like anything Harvey has done before, chalked up at least a bit to the improvisation on the album. It’s not her most accessible work, and it took me a few tracks to vibe with it. But there’s a mesmerizing core to this album, even in the moments where there is very little happening.

RIYL: Nick Cave, Patti Smith, reading a book in the woods

#52. Kesha – Gag Order

Kesha’s initial turn towards earnestness still felt a bit forced, even in spite of the implosions happening within her career and personal life. Now, these years later, she’s never sounded more sincere. This album is brutally emotional, and sees Kesha offer her best-ever vocals and her most vulnerable lyrics. It’s also probably her most diverse album musically, refusing to pigeonhole her into one sound. Kesha – or Ke$ha, even – had always been as much a character as an artist. That character is finally, fully, shed. This is a deeply and darkly human album, and easily her most impressive work to date.

RIYL: Britney, Christina, gonna be honest it feels very wrong to do a joke response to this one

#51. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – The Silver Cord

Immediately upon release, this record – the band’s 25th (!!) – proved to be one of their most divisive among fans. A lot of the band’s guitar purist fans don’t like the electronic/krautrock direction the Aussies have decided to go in. And that’s fine, the sheer point of Gizz is that you’re not going to like everything they do (for me, it’s the boogie stuff). I was expecting to be bored, honestly, but this one is pure fun. The band channels Kraftwerk into some songs that are both metrical and exciting, particularly the urgent songs “Set” and “Gilgamesh.” There’s a ton of lyrics about ancient gods and what not – it’s still Gizz after all. And of course, there’s the album’s gimmick – the record comes in two versions, one running about 30 minutes and one running about 90 minutes, where every song is “extended,” stretching past 10 minutes. The extended “Theia” goes 21 minutes. Both versions are excellent, and work together to service all electronic fans. 

RIYL: Kraftwerk, Can, when Dylan went electric 

Thanks for reading! Tomorrow we soldier on with entries 50-26. The albums will only get better (or worse, this is all personal tastes). Up tomorrow, we’ve got some local metal, shoegaze legends, electronica legends, one of the biggest albums of 2023, a band with a song called “Lana Del Rey,” an artist who parodies Lana Del Rey, and Lana Del Rey Stay tuned!