My name is James Gummel and I love music, expecially listening to new music I haven’t heard before that’s topping the charts. Allow me to share some of those albums that released in 2023 with you. I’m going from my
One artist who I’ve always raved about having one of the best male voices of the 21st century is King Krule. His vocal talent is beyond incredible, not even to mention his guitar playing as well. He sings with a very thick accent but I wouldn’t usually find myself enjoying, but Archy Marshall has always stood as one of my favorites of all time. He brings forward Space Heavy in 2023. My one major problem with this album is how little it DOES show off his singing ability. He opts for other musical tactics instead that give some songs a lot of character. 6 Feet Beneath the Moon, another album of his which turned 10 this year is almost the exact opposite, but that’s one of the great things about having your own brand as an artist, you can do as you please. Although it’s the most popular and even creeped into the mainstream a bit, the song Seaforth has got to be the best. It’s so simple but the repeated lines and great guitar melodies add up to such a fantastic tune. Seagirl and Pink Shell are also among tracks that I enjoy. While I was grateful to have a new Archy album this year, it was a bit lacking for me. (still loved it)
Underground hip-hop artist McKinley Dixon brings Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? to the table in 2023. Immediately when starting this album you’re met with a spoken-word track, Hanif Reads Toni, which are always refreshing to hear when listening to something all the way through. This isn’t an uncommon way to begin a project, especially one in the context that McKinley writes about. One example of this is in Wesley’s Theory by Kendrick Lamar where Josef Leimberg reads out the secondary intro to the album immediately after the sample from Boris Gardiner. In McKinley’s rendition, he includes a sample from Hanif Abdurraqib reading an excerpt from “Jazz” by Toni Morrison. This section being read details what it’s like to live as a Black person in a large city. The name of his album comes from Morrison’s books, 3 put together. There’s a sci-fi sounding synth and some other ambient elements that are played alongside. After this, it goes directly into Sun, I Rise, which is not only one of my favorite tracks from this album, but also a great piece of writing and lyrical substance. It starts off a little slow, but just wait until the 30 second mark. I got chills on my first listen. His vocals across the whole album are outstanding. He utilizes his voice so well and puts it together with some fantastic and unique rap flows. Two tracks I knew would be instant classics the second I heard them were Run, Run, Run and Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? (the title track), both of which contain unbelievable chorus sections and fantastic verses. The rest of the album also continues with the themes mentioned before, where a lot of the lyrical content is referencing or outright commenting on Black issues and struggles. I think everybody should listen to this, whether you care about the meaning or just want to hear some great music.
The hyperpop scene in music started to grow exponentially during 2020 with the introduction of many artists who adopted the sound. It is one of the most expressive genres in music, where all kinds of people come together to make music that those same kinds of people can listen to. The most important group of people within hyperpop are trangender individuals, especially MTF ones who are behind most of the biggest names. The commonly pitched-up and bitcrushed vocals behind hyperpop give a voice and identity to individuals who are looking to feel more and more validated. Laura Les (100 gecs), Jane Remover, Kim Petras, SOPHIE, Dorian Electra, Arca, and plenty more are all part of this group. One more name to add to this list is Underscores, an artist who released Wallsocket this year. This is one of the most inherantly hyperpop albums I’ve ever heard and perfectly encapsulates the genre. If you’re familiar with the kind of music, you’ll be very familiar listening to it for the first time. For others it may seem quite experimental on your first listen but that’s a large part of the appeal. The opening song Cops and robbers immediately throws you into the experience. Locals (Girls like us) and Johnny johnny johnny are probably my favorites of the selection, mainly because of the amount of energy they’re able to sustain through the entire track. I’d also like to mention Geez louise, where the ending contains one of the most epic parts I’ve heard in any song all year. I would strongly recommend this is anyone who’s friendly with the genre.
I could make a great argument that the largest genre in the UK at the moment (besides pop) has got to be post-punk. Soooo many bands have adopted their own sound to the genre within the last few years, and it’s really been taking off. Most of what comes out of it is also consistantly good, commonly at result of the unique instrumentals you find. Vocals in post-punk are also different, with an angry tone, but not in an angry way. The band shame has been around for a little while now, but grew in popularity after their 2023 release Food for Worms. Their take doesn’t differentiate from a lot of what you can expect to hear elsewhere, with the most similarities coming from peer band Squid. Some of the songs on this album are fast, some slow, and some both. It’s always great to hear a variety of tracks like these. Adderall has been my favorite since my first listen to the album, probably because of the emotion and themes behind the song. In addition, the layered vocals and line deliverance are fantastic. Other songs like Alibis and Fingers of Steel are also among my favorites, especially the latter, which immediately pulls you right into the atmosphere of the album.
3D Country by Geese is…. interesting to say the least. If you haven’t noticed a theme already, I eat it up. I can’t even put a genre to this album because it is just SO out of the ordinary. The song I See Myself quite actually changes everything about itself and starts over halfway through?? This is something I feel like I should have heard live when I listened for the first time just because that’s probably the best way to experience it. The way the vocals change from song to song is incredible, I feel like I’m listening to Michael Jackson on one song and then Johnny Cash on the next. Cameron Winter’s range is unbelievable and probably one of the greatest aspects of this for me. I guess it’s like kind of Indie but it also sounds like it’s country but it’s also not at all? I literally don’t even know. I hope this encourages you to check it out for yourself.
I never expected to be listening to an album full of disco music in 2023, but here I am. That! Feels Good! by Jessie Ware charted near the top for best albums of 2023 during the spring, and when I finally got around to listening to it I was definitely surprised. I didn’t know what to expect going in, but wow, I loved it. Reading the genres listed as disco and dance-pop I was wondering how much I’d enjoy it, but WOW this album is catchy. I found myself singing Pearls to myself the whole summer as well as some parts from other songs. This project makes you feel like you can dance for months on end without ever getting tired. Nothing about Jessie’s style of music is too out of the ordinary (what I tend to enjoy more), but she still manages to produce something I think most people could find a lot of interest in. The lyrical content behind the songs is very sexually-liberative, where she’s not afraid to say what she wants and speak her mind. It’s not even vulgar either, it reminds me a lot of those songs you’d hear playing on the radio when you were younger and never knew the meaning behind until you got to your teen years. All of these songs have so so so much to offer, meaning I would totally say to listen to any of them because you can get something different and great out of each one. Shake The Bottle however stands out from the others in my opinion. The singing and melody behind this song is so much different than a lot of the others, and it’s a great change of pace. Not something I’d put on any of my playlists, but I love it for so many different reasons.
Yeule entranced me with the first album I heard from them back in early 2022, and they return the following year with one that definitely blows it out of the water. softscars is this Singaporean synth/glitch-pop artist’s third full length album, and with each new one they release they put on a new persona. Think other artists like Tyler, The Creator, who create a character that they portray surrounding each new project. Maybe not on as dramatic of a level, but Yeule does something very similar. In terms of the musical content, it’s easily the best I’ve heard from them, and really shows how they’ve developed their sound. The first track x w x is probably within the top 3 intros I’ve heard on any album this year, since it introduces what’s to come perfectly. Yeule’s vocals are haunting, yet simultaneously beautiful. I adore the way they’re mixed differently on each song. Not only are they mixed well, but Yeule’s voice itself is incredible. During 4ui12, it’s even hard to differenteriate between the synth noises and their voice. The title track softscars might be my favorite, likely because of how replayable it is. I recommend that one if you don’t have time to listen to the entire thing. It’s not a song I’d say is really as alluring as the rest, but it’s the one I’ve put on the most playlists. There really are so many great songs here that you just have to experience for yourself. dazies is a song that follows the popular format of transitioning between huge and loud to soft and quieter parts, which is always a great addition to any album. In a similar but different way, aphex twin flame (a reference to the massively acclaimed electronic artist) contains soft, quiet bridges that build to the climax of the song, before quieting down again. Although still experimental, I really appreciate the accessible nature behind this album.
This year made me really love one artist that I never had too much interest in before. Rapper Ken Carson signed to Playboi Carti’s opium label back in 2019 and has been steadily releasing projects ever since. For me, his previous music has just had zero substance to it. There wasn’t really much to hold on to or remember. Sure, it was good for casual listening, but it was just whatever. He really turned it around this year for me after releasing A Great Chaos. While his rapping and flows definitely did take a turn for the better, the thing that really pulls this together for me is the production. WOW. These are instrumentals and beats you are not going to hear anywhere else. Me N My Kup might have to be one of the most impressive rap songs ever from just a technical standpoint. There are so many instruments going on at once, and even with all of them it sounds FANTASTIC. This is not only my favorite rap song of 2023, but probably one of my favorites ever. Multiple songs from this album also had a lot of cultural significance after the release, mainly Fighting My Demons where the opening lines where quoted over and over, or Jennifer’s Body, which people put their own humorous takes and remixes on TikTok during the end of the year, and i need u, popularized by the sensation of Diddybop, a random high schooler who threw together some short dances to the song. There are also features throughout from Destroy Lonely and Lil Uzi Vert, very similar artists. Singapore (feat. Destroy Lonely) is another one of my favorites. Like I mentioned before, the production on this album is really something to marvel at.
Probably my favorite project to talk about from this year, simply because of how unexpected and insane it is for the genre. Let’s Start Here. by Lil Yachty absolutely rips through it’s runtime, and accomplishes exactly what Yachty was going for. In my opinion, the best thing to start with here when analyzing this album is actually the cover, which shows some sort of AI generated board meeting with a handful of executives laughing at the viewer, with overexaggerated expressions on their faces. This falls right in line with exactly what the album is also trying to do, where he wanted to create something very out of the box, and something that really hasn’t been done in the mainstream. That is, creating an album that doesn’t just change slightly from one type of hip-hop to another, but instead changes the entire genre to something the artist would’ve never been envisioned to do. Besides the concept, the project itself is also fantastic. The genre that Yachty transitions to is a heavy psychadelic rock based environment combined with his signature elements. If you’re already a fan of psychadelic rock, you’ll immediately notice the influence of 70s band Pink Floyd. Some of their instruments are even sampled on songs, such as 1971 track “One of These Days”. the BLACK seminole. doesn’t try to hide this at all, sounding almost like a cover of “The Great Gig in the Sky”, a song that gained a lot of popularity online 50 years after it’s release. There are numerous other songs that show off how great he does with this experimentation, notably drive ME crazy! and my favorite, sHouLd i B?. My favorite thing about the entire album is the use of autotune, which he’s very known for in his previous rap music. It adds so much to this genre, and fits so well with the drawn out guitars that span across each and every song. I hope to see more mainstream artists try out things like this in the future.
JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown come together to release SCARING THE HOES, a long awaited album from the both of them. For years, they had been releasing music seperately that had a very similar sound, and even their personas outside of their art are also comparable. JPEGMAFIA (DeVaughn Hendricks or Peggy) has always been experimenting with the sound of the hip-hop genre, trying out abstract things that most wouldn’t begin to touch. This really began with his 2018 album Veteran, where not only does he rap about whatever he feels like (such as wishing death upon The Smith’s lead singer Morrissey, Home Alone actor Macaulay Culkin, or even the satirical “Libtard Anthem”), but also just throws together some of the craziest mixing you can find on any rap album. Danny Brown however is known widely for his voice, which is one of the most outlandish ones you could hear from any modern rapper. I’d compare it to Westside Gunn, who’s has a bit more recognition. A lot of SCARING THE HOES was produced by JPEG, but Danny has most of the better verses in my opinion. Some songs where he goes absolutely crazy in his parts are Fentanyl Tester, God Loves You, Burfict!, and Jack Harlow Combo Meal. From the first singles that were put out before the album, it was apparent this would be one of, if not the most experimental rap album of all time. They actually had to go back and remix Lean Beef Patty (first single) because you could not even hear Danny. Kingdom Hearts Key, which is the only song with a feature (from redveil), has to be a top 5 rap song of 2023. Each verse is fantastic, and the percussion which is a fronted by a CLICKING NOISE (like what) is SO great. Every time Peggy says, “Just one time ***** think,” you’re pulled right back into the song. In addition to this project, a “SCARING THE HOES: DLC PACK” was released, containing a few extra songs which were also all fantastic.
Although I do believe that there is a superior Korean shoegaze album from this year, I’d feel criminal to go without mentioning Parannoul’s second solo studio release After the Magic is beyond amazing. Even though his prior album is the one with the word “Dream” in it’s title, the best way to describe Ater the Magic is just that. It feels like you’re having the wildest and most magical dreams of your entire life. The opening song Polaris will show you this immediately if you doubt me. It’s really loud and noisy, but in the best way possible. I don’t think this is the easiest thing to get into, especially if you’re not accustomed to noisier shoegaze or rock music. If not, I’d start with the song Insomnia which was included on his collaboration album “Downfall of the Neon Youth”. It shows off his vocals and the signature breakbeat drums that he uses to back all of the noise. Speaking of his vocals, they are noticeably fantastic on this project compared to some of his previous. To be completely honest, some earlier songs from him almost annoyed me a bit, but here I just fell in love with them. His voice and the effects he puts over it are truly heavenly, and probably the highest point of the entire release. Parade is another one of my favorites, and although a bit longer, it makes up for the length in terms of the quality. I get chills listening to the repeated lines and drawn out words. I can’t understand a thing he’s saying on the entire thing, but sometimes that’s exactly what you need to really enjoy the music for what it is.
Swans have been praised for a very long time for their nothing-short-of GRAND albums that they release. Swans are a band that have been around forever, and don’t have plans to stop releasing great project after great project. Their first one was all the way back in 1983, and 40 years later we get another one just as fantastic (and probably better), titled The Beggar. There’s a small circle of these sorts of long, droning, and existential albums that include bands like Daughters, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Have a Nice Life. Swans has always stood out among them for their ability to keep creating the same, but at the same time, new things with each release. This isn’t an album for the casual music listener, as not only are all the songs long, but they take a while to build up and show their true nature. The Beggar Lover (Three) stands out in terms of this, for having a length of almost 44 minutes. This song is an experience in itself, which reminds me of Long Season by Fishmans, another very long song that you really have to experience. Most songs on this project contain very similar elements to eachother, however each one has it’s own substance that when put together really make the whole thing fantastic. If you are looking for a short example of what to expect, look no further than Los Angeles: City of Death, which is one of the better songs and only sits at 3:29. If you liked that, then give my favorite song a listen, Ebbing, which although is longer, remains probably my favorite song because of how striking and monumental it is. The choir vocals that resonate through most of it are so beautiful. Overall, not for everybody, but if you have a minute to focus on an album, check it out.
Jeff Rosenstock’s HELLMODE is what I’d describe as powerful. This album starts off with WILL U STILL U, which introduces some dreamy guitar chords and a fast drum fill. One of the most notable things here is the blown-out sound of the mic. His voice is pretty quiet, but it sounds as if it’s being played through a speaker that’s spent it’s life underwater (it’s great, trust me). After the first minute or so of the track goes by, it kicks into gear with the drums growing faster and the guitar transitioning to the forefront. It then settles once again, only before introducing the real song. Once this part of the track starts to play around the 2 minute mark, the true sound of the album is revealed. You can hear Jeff’s passion as he spits the lyrics into the now much more clear mic. He layers his vocals on top of eachother, creating this sound of a choir joining him on certain lines. It transitions between these melodic sections to much more fast and passionate parts. You can hear this on the song LIKED U BETTER, where the chorus sounds like a group of friends protesting together at a rally. If I could pick one word to describe this project, it would simply be catchy. The melodies and his lyrics that go beside them will be stuck in your head for days. Each and every song contains parts you will remember for weeks to come. The first time I listened to this album I was essentially sleeping through most of it on a long bus ride to my cross country meet, and it still managed to keep my attention. So much so that the next time I relistened, I could sing all these lyrics to myself that I had only heard through sleep. You can just tell when Rosenstock made this project he knew it was going to almost be this imposing figure that really stands out. Songs like HEAD and I WANNA BE WRONG capture this exactly, while others like LIFE ADMIN and DOUBT (my favorite) are things you could probably grab a guitar and sing while sitting around a campfire.
One album from 2023 you really just can’t hear anywhere else is Dogsbody by Model/Actriz. The evolution of crank wave has been very apparent within this decade so far. Bands like Black Midi, Squid, Jockstrap, and Black Country, New Road have all been headlining it so far, with great albums released in the last few years. Many bands that have been around for a while are starting to transition toward it, as well as many new bands emerging. M/A is an example of this, as they’ve been together as a band for a minute, but have only released their debut album this year. The first thing you’ll notice about this album, even as soon as seeing the album cover, is the provocative nature behind it. Much of the lyrical content and themes focus on ideas I can’t touch too much upon, but it’s also something you wouldn’t hear too often which makes it interesting. The thing I love most about this project is the use of the instruments within it. It’s not like they’re using anything out of the ordinary, just the way the members play them is so interesting. You’ll notice this straight from the first song Donkey Show, where the guitar sounds like it’s straight out of a horror movie. Most of the songs are indicated by a STRONG bassline and POWERFUL drums. I love it. My favorite song and the most popular at the moment is Crossing Guard. I don’t even know if it’s a guitar that you’re hearing at the 0:23 second mark because it sounds so insane? Either way it’s fantastic. I adore how loud the bass is on this song and every other one, it has got to be the most important instrument to this album. On top of that, Cole Haden’s vocals are out of this world. He puts so much emotion into parts where he’s hardly doing more than even whispering. There’s quite a few parts where he’s not even singing, and even without it, you’re just left to admire how great the instrumentals are. This is absolutely not for everone, but if it’s something you can get into, I strongly recommend it.
Ooh Rap I Ya by George Clanton had to be one of the most pleasant surprises that I got out of 2023. I have been a fan of George for a little while prior to this, but never too big on him because of the almost annoying production on a lot of his popular tracks. When I saw the first review of this on my social media timeline I said to myself here we go again and clicked play. Wow. I couldn’t have been more happy after the first song was over. I remember my first experience listening to the whole thing was during a long run through my neighborhood at dusk. This was probably one of the best first listens I’ve ever had. The musical content combined perfectly with the cool air and setting sun. I believe this to be an inherantly summer album, but an argument could be made that it’d fit any mood. The first song to really put me in a trance was Punching Down. The line “What does it feel like?” (which I would have never guessed he was saying) is repeated alongside a raging synth, broken-up drums, and a plethora of additional instruments which really leave you speechless. The title track (Ooh Rap I Ya) was another one I resonated with a lot, as it really shows off what this guy can do. On the opposite spectrum, F.U.M.L. contains some elements of the annoying production I mentioned before, although it’s definitely an improvement from past stuff I’ve heard. Last song to quickly mention is the opening track, Everything I Want, potentially the best modern-psychadelia song I’ve ever heard. Overall fantastic album, and not something you’re simply able to hear from any artist.
Nihilistic albums are typically great, especially when they’re in the form of post-rock. This genre comes with a lot, and many bands can be classified as such, but the ones that fit it the best in my opinion are the ones that are experimental enough to the point you’re not playing them on aux in any situation. Sprain does just that, bringing us The Lamb as Effigy. It would be an understatement to say this album was acclaimed the moment it came out, especially when it was released under The Flenser label, one known for having some of the most depressing yet expressive and amazing albums. Similarites can be drawn from Sprain to many other bands associated with these words, such as Swans which was mentioned earlier. The lyrical content goes from being dark to almost funny at times, but the instrumentation just NEVER lets up. Different songs introduce different instruments that you wouldn’t expect to hear a whole lot, and is just something you have to hear and discover for yourself. You are going to feel like you’re getting buried deeper and deeper underground begging for the shoveler to stop shoveling but unknown to you they’re deaf and can’t hear a thing you’re saying. Yeah that sounds harsh, but this is great, listen to it.
Brokenteeth’s breakout album (even though he’s still incredibly underrated) came in the form of How to Sink Slowly. Kim Minha is a passionate shoegaze musician from Seoul, South Korea who has been releasing music since early 2021. I myself started following him online after his live collaboration with my favorite musician Asian Glow, and he has been one of my favorite underground discoveries to this date. The quality of his music compared to the recognition he’s seen is unparralelled. I don’t believe I’d urge people to listen to any other album from this year more than this one. The combination of the guitars that make you feel like you’re absolutely floating through an array of pastel clouds combined with his heavenly voice create an unforgettable listen. Farewell to a Long Night is the only track on the album without any lyrics, and it may just be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard, on par with songs like Avril 14th or #3 by Aphex Twin. Every song stands out so well but I think my favorites land between Heaven Express(again) and How to Avoid The Bends, especially with the MASSIVE finish to the whole experience on the end of the last one. Kim also released a live album much later in the year which contains select performances of his catalogue, including great picks from this album (which I totally recommend as many are even better than the predecessors). The live version of HE(again) is unreal. This album embodies an attempt to achieve bliss, with looming reflections of the past that are impossible to let go of. The level of talent here is unbelievable, please check it out.
Here we go, my favorite from 2023. The most comforting listen that I experienced from a new album this year had to have come from Javelin by Sufjan Stevens. He’s always had that vibe for me, but how he expands on it in 2023 is something that I really loved on my first, second, and seventh listen to this project. My favorite from Sufjan has always been The Age of Adz, where he takes an ever-so-slightly different approach regarding the sound, incorporating just more elements in each song (something I always look for in music, and how well they go together). Javelin throws that in the garbage can and says “yup, i got it.” There are so many examples of some of the best layered vocals I’ve heard anywhere before. Everything That Rises has Sufjan singing some parts alone, and others with many feminine voices joined together. If you want to hear a comforting song, go right to My Red Little Fox. No matter how many times I play this, I continue to get chills from the production every single time. It’s so great. Another one that resembles this, and in my opinion does it even better, is Shit Talk. By far the longest song at 8 and a half minutes, it just NEVER lets up. There wasn’t one moment listening to this album where I was bored. Even during the quieter and slow moments, they are there to balance out the grand ones. Goodbye Evergreen, which starts the album off, is the most heavily produced song out of any. This one is pretty loud, and despite me still being in love on my first listen to it, it did give me a different impression about what the rest would have in store. Will Anybody Ever Love Me? is even known by many to be one of the most DEPRESSING songs from all of this year, and although I can see that vision, don’t let that dictate your view of this great albumIf you find yourself sitting next to a fire drinking cocoa or just spending some time by yourself and need something to keep you company, start playing this album.
