2023: MIDWAY_well
We are halfway through the year and um it has been okay? I've seen a lot of people complaining about this one and vaguely agree insofar as it's been short on huge highlights (especially compared to last year), but there's been a steady-ish trickle of decent stuff and I haven't hated following it? Here is a cheat sheet for your NEEDS :] |
1 | | KILLING JOKE KILLING JOKE
THINGS THAT YOU SHOULD MUST WILL CHECK [and are maybe more likely not to have heard yet] |
2 | | Aoki Takamasa SOUNDS for IDVSBL_SBSTC
Techno / IDM / glitch
Oh yes, strong atmospheres, good glitch, good beats, delightfully varied and cohesive range of tracks given how far a lot of this guy's past stuff has clung to one sound and/or rabbitholed into oblivion. Originally developed as a score, but holds up a treat as a 25-min album.
FFO: Shinichi Atobe, Ryoji Ikeda |
3 | | Ben Howard Is It?
Folktronica
So Ben Howard took way too many psychs, listened to too much Tarwater/Mum/Caribou, recorded a new album in a stupor, asked his producer to make it sound like it had come out in a new age alternative version of the 80s because Reasons, and the whole thing somehow ended up as one of his best records? Byebye Noonday Dream, no more honourable mentions for you!
This makes the you-ain't-heard? tier because 1) it is new 2) godawful artwork maybe put you off 3) mediocre af previous album definitely should have put you off checking. Pay no mind! Essential Ben here!
FFO: Sweet Trip, Tarwater, Caribou, Lali Puna, Four Tet, Arthur Russell |
4 | | Dream Dolphin Gaia: Selected Ambient & Downtempo Works (1996-2023)
AMBIENT / DOWNTEMPO / New Age
Lovely long generous archival comp showcasing the blissful side of a previously obscure '90s gem. Dream Dolphin's take on new age ambient is wonderful and runs deep throughout her sprawling discog - this thing is very well curated, if less invested in her downtempo side than it might have been (there are a LOAD of beat-driven chill songs in that discog). Don't go into this unless you're prepared for a Journey, but it's a great starting point for her chill side and an easy ambient highlight for this year.
FFO: Steve Roach, Solar Fields, Tujiko Noriko |
5 | | DreamWeaver (JP) blue garden
Atmospheric drum and bass / dream pop / ambient
this is the most blissed-out gratifying cleansing sugarthing i have heard this year and your summer will be incomplete without it get on board
FFO: Doss, DJ Close Your Eyes to Find Me, Yeule, Shogun, TDJ |
6 | | Gezan with Million Wish Collective Anochi
Art rock / post-hardcore
Rock record of the year so far, and it ain't particularly close. This thing flits (successfully) through a dizzying range of styles to articulate its endearingly hippyish concept (cling to love, cling to life, spit brimstone on war etc.) - its rock firestorms pack palpable vitriol, but the real draw here is its absolutely gorgeous sentimental side. I've seen rock more and more as an hollow, often overproduced lab genre in the last few years, but this is that rare record that sets out do-or-die emotional stakes with a proper sense of conviction, smacks of genuine inspiration in the range of voices (figurative and literal) it draws upon, and seems genuinely earnest in the *enormous* value it sets on the full scope of its sensory maximalism. Obligatory stuff if you (sigh) need your affirmed.
By that token, consider this optional if you're someone who turns their greasy cynical nose up at heart on sleeve outpourings in the meaning-of-life ballpark, but for anyone else this is an easy year highlight.
FFO: Number Girl, Eastern Youth, Phoxjaw, betcover!! |
7 | | Kinoteki Dawn of the Final Hour
Footwork jungle / breaks
Favourite claustro electronic meltdown record of the year so far - get this for all your ADHD needs. Highly replayable fever dream material - its breaks fuck, its vocal sampling should carry a seizure warning, its songwriting is versatile and never short of engaging developments. Load of standalone bops, but this holds up a treat from end to end.
FFO: Venetian Snares, Machine Girl, Burial |
8 | | Kostnateni Úpal
Avant-bm / noiz rock
Metal AOTY so far. First half is a cross-cultural hornets nest of chaotic melodies, second half is some darker clamorous heckstorm that will sate all your dissoshit needs. Whole thing has a scrappy, punkish energy to it, which maybe extends to the mix more than necessary (tones are perfect, but some of the panning makes it seem a little diffuse on headphones, but is overall incredibly refreshing. Tones are perfect, pacing is HIGH and succinct. Don't skip this.
FFO: Thy Catafalque, Thantifaxath, Sigh, Imperial Triumphant |
9 | | Lankum False Lankum
Irish folk / drone
Best folk of the year so far and I cannot wait to spend more time on this. This is certainly a patience album, but only as a reflection of slow-paced songwriting - these atmospheres are so tenacious that the pure drone sections go by faster than you'd believe. Band's flair for ominous drama (opener), pensive sorrow ("Newcastle") and heartbreakingly tragedy ("Lord Abore and Mary Flynn", a strong contender for SOTY) are astounding at points. Remarkably uncontingent on Irish folk being your #thing
FFO: Stara Rzeka, Ireland! |
10 | | The Necks Travel
Jazz / dark jazz / minimalism
Do you jazz? Do Necks! Do you not jazz? Do Necks anyway - this is about as digestible as they come. First track esp is basically your Bohren Club Gore-grade smooth-dark jazz done to perfection with a bit of added class, and you can binge it for DAYS. Rest of the record plays with suspense a little more dynamically (there's usually a not-so-secret MVP on a Necks album, and I'd argue that this time it's the bass - some great improvised licks, but that *twang* is the heartbeat of this thing). Tbh I'm glad I took some time to explore their discog after hearing this - struck me as a little bit Easy Listening on first pass, but having warmed up to their group chemistry there is so, so much to focus on here. Get it.
FFO: Bohren und der Club of Gore, Marilyn Mazur |
11 | | Moreru l0V3L3$$R0BxT
Noisecore / noise pop / post-music
This 5-minute carnage EP combines a frankly fucking absurd mix of sounds with insane levels of violence and disarming cohesion and there is no scenario in which you are allowed to make it through the year without peeping it at least once.
FFO: Sissy Spacek, Orchid, Babymetal |
12 | | Skee Mask ISS009
Breaks / house / techno
At this point y'all know Skee Mask, which is good and fine and almost enough for me to move this to the following segment of this list - but boy, have you *heard* this one? Some impeccable stuff here - love how up-front danceable this is without losing any of his bedroom-ready atmospheric charm. Can't compete with Pool's immersive expanse, but these 4 tracks have some of his peak material - play them often and in any circumstances.
FFO: Andrea, Burial |
13 | | Tujiko Noriko Crépuscule I & II
Ambient / drone / electroacoustic
AOTY so far - this is just gorgeous. Goes on forever in the best way and has probably the most depth and well-placed creative muscle of any record I've heard this year (which says a lot given how much it does with so little). Gets added value for being a delightfully unexpected (double!) comeback to full-on studio albums from an artist who's spent almost a decade now focusing on OSTs and direction arthouse flicks. Such rich, generous, soothing goodness to be had here.
FFO: Grouper, Claire Rousay, Julia Holter |
14 | | Yune Pinku BABYLON IX
Breaks / garage / dream pop
Yune Pinku saved the entire site from certain destruction at the hands of progcore, bow your heads in gratitude and listen to her bops they are good this is not the best EP it is better than your favourite EP.
FFO: Yeule, Doss, Grimes |
15 | | KILLING JOKE KILLING JOKE
THINGS YOU WERE PROBABLY RIGHT TO HAVE CHECKED ALREADY |
16 | | Amaarae Fountain Baby
Pop / R&B
This has not exactly been a great year for capital-p POP pop, but Amaarae's latest package alt-R&B airwave stimulators is easily one of the more gratifying, well-paced options available to U rn. A couple of misplaced feints into cheerleader-viable riot grrl territory aside, this is some smooth silky shit that will sound whatever you playlist it next to (do not test this) Lorge highlights (Co-Star, Reckless & Sweet) always appreciated
FFO: Doja Cat, Shygirl, SZA, The Weeknd, Janelle Monae [2023 only], Grimes, Rina Sawayama, Grimes, Bjork, Sigur Ros, Biffy Clyro |
17 | | Andrea Due In Color
Breaks / ambient
This one was more of a grower for me than it seems to have been for most people, but it's solid as anything for what it goes for. I'm more interested in the space-outs than the heavier bangers - there's a real gravity to Andrea's sound (check out the monstrous low end on "Sephr"), but I love the way he siphons this into more diffuse forms ("Dove Mai", "Am Der") without losing any momentum.
FFO: Skee Mask, HAAi, Yagya |
18 | | Bell Witch Future's Shadow I: The Clandestine Gate
Funeral doom
I feel a little awkward for this one having not spent nearly as much time with it as I would have liked, but this band's sound and songwriting have something extremely special to them for those with the patience and sensitivity to appreciate.
I get the same attraction here as on the extraordinarily great Mirror Reaper, only I don't think it hits quite the same highs - but this take is shaky and needs more reflection and time with the record on its own terms. Doubt anyone who hasn't heard this already (and should) will see this, but it's kinda a mandatory placement.
FFO: Bell Witch |
19 | | BrokenTeeth How to Sink Slowly
Shoegaze / emo
This year has been mediocre as all fuck for shoegaze, so I don't want to give this the poisoned chalice of gazeOTY quite yet, but it honestly is one of the better realised things I've heard from the Korean emo-adjacent e-scene so far (topped only by Downfall of the Neon Youth and both Della Zyr records). Robust songwriting chops that stretch simple ideas into satisfying shapes, decent enough tones, good knack for vocal melodies, the occasional crescendo, and a whole load of sappy pathos. Get on this if any of that shit is your speed.
FFO: Parannoul, Della Zyr |
20 | | Cicada (Taiwan) Seeking the Sources of Streams
Chamber / ambient
Pleasantly surprised at how this one caught on here - I guess it was such an early early year highlight that it didn't face much competition? Anyway, this is still a lovely chamber blissout that will bring you closer to nature and harmony no matter how far you've drifted you dissociated fuck.
Put this on, bake a cake, think foresty mountainy thoughts, open a window, thank me later.
Bonus points for getting Skele permabanned from the site. Again.
FFO: Haruka Nakamura, Ichiko Aoba |
21 | | Dodheimsgard Black Medium Current
Avant-black metal
This was much more polished, less harrowing and occasionally more corny than I was expecting - it's less a challenging album that a super entertaining bonanza of familiar Norwegian metal goodness with a bunch of left turns thrown in, and that's definitely something I have time for.
Not every idea sticks the landing for me ("Abyss Perihelion Transit" second half ah) and a few might have been developed further ("Abyss Perihelion Transit" first half grr), but this is impressive and surprisingly accessible for what it goes for. Worth at least a curiosity spin.
FFO: Arcturus, Sigh, Thy Catafalque |
22 | | Endless, Nameless Living Without
Post-hardcore, emo, math rock, infrequent gratuitous black metal
This came out a decade too late and would have been an absolutely prime addition to the 2013 (blessed year) Sputcore canon of loud nostalgic guitarthsis that smashed together every facet of the above genres with as much passion as possible. If that sparks off fond reminiscence, get on this immediately - it's not the most cohesive or consistent, but there's enough moments of spark here to make up for it. Could see this band writing a Sputcore classic in future, but this is endearing enough for now.
FFO: Kidcrash, Tera Melos |
23 | | Fever Ray Radical Romantics
Art synth pop pop bop pop
Fever Ray is here their bangers bang their tones are exquisite their voice is full of life and contour did you hear this huh
FFO: The Knife, Bork, Otay:onii, Doss |
24 | | Jeromes Dream The Gray In Between
Skramz
give me that fucking sadness violence music
FFO: Orchid, Pg.99 |
25 | | Ling Tosite Sigure last aurorally
Post-hardcore / power shoegaze trio / all the effects pedalsmusic
These guys are stull the best + most atmospheric band still in the game for fast food post-hardcore, and um they do not miss. This ain't their best work, but as far as a fat-free sequence of their most high octane bangers goes, you could hardly ask for more.
FFO: Tricot, Number Girl, The Fall of Troy |
26 | | MSPaint Post-American
Synth punk
30 mins of sardonic acid reflux ft. sturdy as all hell vocal performance that hits every grudge or irritation you can wave at it
Slightly hangs itself on the noose of every track taking a similar approach but the highlights ("Delete It", "Titan of Hope" esp) being a notable cut above the rest, but this is a worthy worthy jam regardless
FFO: um Turnstile |
27 | | Otay:onii 夢之駭客 Dream Hacker
Post-industrial / fever-dream pop / aRt POp
Otay:onii's greyscale soundscapes, clattering industrial beats, and powerhouse vocals are back and freshly streamlined for your consumption. Some of the ideas here are a little cursively developed for my liking, but her voice is one of the best (certainly most haunting) in the game today, and this thing's final salvo is the business. About as user-friendly as quote-unquote experimental pop gets.
FFO: Portishead, Pan Daijing, The Knife, Elizabeth Color Wheel |
28 | | Ryuichi Sakamoto 12
Ambient / minimal
Heartbreaking/empowering final record from the late maestro. Gorgeous, simple, unobtrusively craftful and so amazingly intimate. Not one I've felt able to come back to often, but an amazing final statement RIP.
FFO: Brian Eno, Hiroshi Yoshimura |
29 | | Tenhi Valkama
Dark folk / Nordic folk
Not a style of folk I usually get excited about (kitsch darkness and insistence on riff-adjacent melodies are too close to cheap metal thrills and give me the ick), but this band is solid, and the artwork and early hype for this were irresistible - and largely warranted, it turns out. Atmosphere on this is lovely, wouldn't say it keeps up an impeccable standard through its (long!) runtime, but the highlights are high and just about many enough, and the record overall is ultimately very cleansing. Good stuff.
FFO: Sangre de Muerdago, (*sigh*) Musk Ox |
30 | | The Veils ...And Out of the Void Came Love
Indie
One of the last heart-on-sleeve candid loveable brimstone songwriters still a) kicking and b) worth listening to, Finn Andrews writes a double album about the many faces and fallacies of LOVE, and because he's an absolute angel, the runtime is still comfortably within an hour. It sounds like light and kindness and endearing stray thoughts and it is great! Highly rewarding across repeats, and probably the best INDIE record of the year.
FFO: Nick Cave, Jeff Buckley |
31 | | Yo La Tengo This Stupid World
Indie
…and at the other end of the indie-indie spectrum (the oblique/awkward-in-public/2kool4school camp), hey the new YLT ain't too bad either. Some delicious flashes of noiz and feedback on this, but languorous introspection and hugs all round.
FFO: '00s Sonic Youth, Lightning Bug, The Antlers |
32 | | KILLING JOKE KILLING JOKE
THINGS THAT ARE PROBABLY WORTHWHILE IF THEY LOOK LIKE UR SHIT |
33 | | Alfa Mist Variables
Nu-jazz
More playlist than album, but also very chill good smooth listening there are good cuts on here you need them |
34 | | Avenged Sevenfold Life Is But a Dream...
Avant-mallcore
Avenged Sevenfold shit in the kitchen sink, and hurl it (along with everything else in the closet prog fan playbook) at the wall. Pleasantly surprised (i.e. shocked) by how much sticks. |
35 | | Ayano Kaneko タオルケットは穏やかな (Towelket wa Odayaka na)
Folk pop
Might actually be underrating this one a pinch - Ayano Kaneko brings a psychedelic edge and a glorious husky voice to wholesome straightforward folk pop songwriting, and this is the most varied and probably best effort I've heard from her so far. Lotta keepers here |
36 | | Colin Stetson When we were that what wept for the sea
Post-minimalism
Colin Stetson dishes out 70 mins of meticulously cleanly produced Steve Reich-inflected sax noodles with the occasional highly appreciated vocal feature and things are good - sometimes great. Some beautiful lulls on this, as well as to odd rippers ("The Surface and the Light" oh yesss) |
37 | | Everything But the Girl Fuse
Synthpop / house
Perfectly whelming comeback from long-missed two legends. Songwriting often holds this one back, but the production and performances on this are as masterful as ever. |
38 | | Eyes (DK) Congratulations
Noise rock
Daughters s/t -lite; bangs reasonably hard. Fun. |
39 | | Jessie Ware That! Feels Good!
Disco / pop / ex-nu-disco
Jessie Ware follows up her landmark record What's Your Pleasure? with an undisastrous, overblown, often very catchy and sometimes good record that goes all-in on discog and um doesn't quite retain the cool of its predecessor. fun? |
40 | | Kaizo Slumber How Are We Feeling Today?
Digital hardcore
This is a silly, silly shrapnel album from a boi who normally makes boring breakcore - goes by fast and fraught, not exactly the most enduring pick of the year but highly entertaining if this is a sound you usually fuck with |
41 | | Kikuo Kikuo Miku 7
Art pop / vocaloid
"I'm not a vocaloid truther, but-" music. Good fucking production on this. First tracks are innocuous and irritating, final run is cracked and infectious as hell. Freak robot folklore disconcertion vibes |
42 | | midxna control is an illusion
Atmospheric DnB / Breakcore
Really solid upper-tempo breaks + glacial synth pads. Highly bingeable (26 mins is just perfect for this), gets increasingly chaotic as it goes on. Would have been higher, but the palette is a little monotonous at points. |
43 | | Ohzora Kimishima Eitaisuru Kemuri
Folktronica / psychedelic / pop
Really lovely blissed out atmosphere and creative palette on this - songs themselves are occasionally a little shapeless, but stiil easily viable for all your beach sunset needs |
44 | | Oval Romantiq
Glitch / ambient / IDM
Best Oval album since Popp - still not entirely convinced by how cohesive his song-pieces are, but Romantiq is a pretty respectable refinement on his last run of albums and takes his current melodic approach in its stride (though it pales in comparison to the 'pure' glitch tones on here - no-one makes a computer purr like this guy) |
45 | | Parannoul After The Magic
Shoegaze / emo / post-rock
Slightly disappointing given how excellent his Downfall of the Neon Youth contributions were - but given that one of those appears here, I think this is more a reflection of how Parannoul's sentimentalism-as-cement approach to songwriting quickly gets tiring. Solid step up from his debut though, his production is finally cutting the cake and there are some neat innovations beyond his original Loud Midi Rock toolkit |
46 | | Perfect Angel at Heaven EP
indie ROCK
do you like indie rock is it important to you that your indie ROCKS um if so this new band is pretty good they rock and their songs are decent |
47 | | Ran Cap Duoi Collective *1
Glitch
Iglooghost with a newfound chill factor. Good cracked-out zany jank, well worth a punt |
48 | | Sangre de Muerdago O Vento que Lambe as miñas Feridas
Galician folk / dark folk
Not quite on par with Xuntas, but another solid album from this bunch. Really neat drone folk cut near the end |
49 | | Saya Gray QWERTY
Indie folk hari-kiri
Saya Grey amplifies all of her zaniest songwriting tendencies and throws in a bunch of breakbeats and metalcore riffs into her ghostly folk matrix because reasons. Whole thing is incredibly confident, disarmingly well-realised and *sometimes* very gratifying. It's not a near-masterpiece like last year's 19 MASTERS, but if you're down to hear the most talented musician in indie folk shitpost a firestorm for quarter of an hour or so, get on this. |
50 | | Sign Language (USA-OH) Madison and Floral
Post-hardcore / "grungegaze"
I hate about 90% of everything I hear from this washed-up Deftones worshipping armpit niche, so if I can admit that *actually these guys are pretty solid* and have a good time with em, chances are so can you. |
51 | | Spangle call Lilli line Ampersand
Indie pop / dream pop
One of my favourite comfort listens from this year for Good Reasons, but this is realistically half a fantastic record mixed in with half a colossally half-baked one and I can't put it any higher as such. The 30-min runtime mitigates its inconsistency though - definitely hop on this if you like your downtime slick and starlit, vocals are gorgeous and *some* of the arrangements are v neat |
52 | | Wednesday Rat Saw God
Tumbleweed indie / shoegaze / country music about country music
2023's token overlauded indie record that scratches any and all cathartic whimsy needs and is actually pretty decent overall. If you somehow haven't heard this yet, you might as well. |
53 | | Xiao Burn
Grind
it grinds alright. |
54 | | KILLING JOKE KILLING JOKE
ADEQUATE THINGS [they are fine - and if you ain't heard them, so are you]
This tier is realistically most of the year, but here are a few that I think deserve special mention for humanitarian or other optical reasons |
55 | | Asian Glow and sonhos tomam conta dreamglow
Dreamgaze / Emo / Skramz
Best bits of this absolutely rip and the palette is frostbite sex, but shit damn it do be patchy. |
56 | | Big|Brave nature morte
Post/doom/drone metal
acceptable slow metal with severe shortage of expansive sprawling depth of tone. thin atmosphere, zero murk |
57 | | Billy Woods and Kenny Segal Maps
Hip-hop
Kenny Segal enables rather than elevates Billy Woods in making a perfectly fine record on which some tracks are better than others but few leave more than a scratch (bar that Danny Brown feature, a lowlight of the decade so far).
Huge step down from Aethiopes/Hiding Places. Will peep Church later. |
58 | | Fall Out Boy So Much (For) Stardust
POP PUNK
[copypaste In Flames blurb and change band name] |
59 | | In Flames Foregone
Nu-alternative melodeath
album is at once a ham and cheese disaster story and the best thing this band has done in years. avoid at all costs unless for whatever reason you still give half a shit about in flames, in which case listen immediately. |
60 | | Indigo de Souza All of This Will End
Indie rock/pop
One of the best voices in indie does her best to piss her songwriting out the window in a series of stroppy vignettes. Some gold near the end of this one. |
61 | | Kassem Mosse Workshop 32
Techno
Couldn't click with this outside of the opener unfortunately, will give it another shot later in the year |
62 | | Phoxjaw notverynicecream
Post-hardcore / UK jank rock
These guys have *almost* got it - their genre mix is smooth and their highs are high (icecreamwitch oh yes oh yes) but their songwriting is surprisingly unadventurous (so many of these songs set up a single first chorus and then promptly run out of ideas, and their approach to heaviness wears off quickly - as does their emphasis on quirk. Definitely one of the most promising acts of their kind to have popped up in the UK though, will be watching. |
63 | | Queens of the Stone Age In Times New Roman...
Rock Music
is rock dead is it alive are queens of the stone age keeping it alive do you care about the answer to any of these questions |
64 | | Thantifaxath Hive Mind Narcosis
Avant black metal psychidelicuntixufox
do you like regurgitated key changes of oppressive darkness can i fuck |
65 | | Tim Hecker No Highs
Ambient ambience
Tim Hecker makes a tasteful gratification-averse record about burnout and oh fucking boy can you tell? Better than Anoyo but not a whole lot more. |
66 | | Xiu Xiu Ignore Grief
Post-industrial
clatter smash bash don't be afraid of this record is this is a necessary warning |
67 | | KILLING JOKE KILLING JOKE
REMOVE THESE FROM YOUR CATCH-UP LIST IF THEY WERE THERE FOR WHATEVER REASON |
68 | | Black Country, New Road Live at Bush Hall
yes band still exists no their new songwriting does not have it |
69 | | Katatonia Sky Void of Stars
overproduced mallgoth claims a new set of victims |
70 | | King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of...
meme band makes meme concept record in one of the worst metal subgenres |
71 | | Lana Del Rey Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
this is the experience of being an american bore |
72 | | Metallica 72 Seasons
nostalgia my arse, this is proper flat tire music |
73 | | Model/Actriz Dogsbody
walk me, don't call me |
74 | | Narrow Head Moments of Clarity
petitioning for a retirement home for C-tier deftones clone bands |
75 | | The Ocean Holocene
trust me i respect your patience more than this fucking album does |
76 | | Ruston Kelly The Weakness
accurate yardstick for the state of sputnik country |
77 | | KILLING JOKE KILLING JOKE
SCHADENFREUDE / OBJECTIVITY FODDER |
78 | | Ava Max Diamonds and Dancefloors |
79 | | Beach House Become |
80 | | ezra varier estonian snow |
81 | | Morgan Wallen One Thing At A Time |
82 | | M83 Fantasy |
83 | | The National First Two Pages of Frankenstein |
84 | | Paramore This Is Why |
85 | | Periphery Periphery V: Djent is Not a Genre |
86 | | Sleep Token Take Me Back to Eden |
87 | | Vylet Pony Carousel |
88 | | KILLING JOKE KILLING JOKE
hope this is useful in some way to some of you. post thoughts + anything i've missed so far (this isn't an exhaustive write-up of what i've heard, but am sure there were Silly Omissions)!!! |
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