During 2023, I spent a lot of time making my way through 2022 releases, as well as a significant time being immersed in 70s, 80s, and 90s music. Aside from this, I was able to pick up a few good favorites along the way! Here are my top five albums from the year. I hope you find one to listen to, take with you, or even some shared favorites.
Favorite Tracks - Tough Love, Don't Forget About Us, Amy, Bedtime Reminder
Flyte doesn't let love off the hook in their third, self-titled album. After exceptional release after release, I've come to expect nothing but perfection from them. It becomes easier to downplay the talent of your favorites, but watching their mini-documentaries quickly remedied that and reignited my respect for Flyte (and artists in general honestly). This album relies on the acoustic guitar more than the previous two, tracks like "Chelsea Smiles", "Better Than Blue" and "Amy" (with a luscious tape roll), adding creative dynamic to the album. Composition is key on the album, seemingly assigning roles on "Tough Love" with Laura Marling's soft voice, smoothing the edges of the song as if to account for the "Love" part. Flyte (album) is predictable, but in a good way -- a way that's familiar like an old friend. If you never caught Flyte's beautiful writing before, then this album ought to make it known.
Favorite Tracks - Patina, Southern Star, When Country Came Back to Town, On't Know When
...and the whole album. Southern Star was an instant hit from the moment the first few singles were released, holding the memorability of a classic. From the sunset-driving love song of "Patina", to the ode of modern artists in "When Country Came Back to Town", and the storytelling of "Miss Ater", and the all-around incorporation of blues, gospel, and rock, Brett Cobb hits all the checklist items for an album that encapsulates the sounds of the South. This pick is heavily subjective for me, as it holds a special kind of charm sounding eerily reminiscent of my days in the South. One listen will have you feeling that this is what those who mourn the loss of "real" Country music are looking for...
Favorite Tracks - Run To The Moon, Numb, Waterfall
My first Beach Fossils impression was by hearing "Clash The Truth", which *cliche warning* is the ultimate if not definition of a coming-of-age song. As someone who previously spent a decent amount of time watching indie movies (the low-budget ones that were always up for some niche film festival award, yeah...) and many YA novels, I think I've earned some rights to that term. All of this to say, Bunny doesn't stray away from this theme for one second never leaving moments for the heart to feel empty. Track after track is dreamy, bedroom indie heaven, filled with emotion-evoking glimpses, almost stepping into the land of shoegaze at times. "Run To The Moon" was the literal opening song to my summer as my first listen aligned with it. Throughout the summer, the rest of the tracks followed in a sort of chronological manner, the latter end of the album being listened to more towards the end of summer. Bunny will always be a summer album to me, drenched in ringing rhythm guitar melodies and hazy vocals, that leave a feeling of lingering bliss. In the same way American Football never fails to transport me to Fall, this album does to Summer.
Favorite Tracks - Good Nights Gone, Hurts So Good, Darkness At My Door
The Paper Kites continues to be one of the most consistent bands in my roster of artists. At the Roadhouse takes The Paper Kites all the way down Americana Lane, with pedal steel, banjo, and harmonica all over the album, setting a crawling pace. At The Roadhouse takes a warmer, homier tone than Roses (2022). The outliers being "Black & Thunder" and "June's Stolen Car" which by far is the most blues and rock The Paper Kites have ever gotten. This album is a great one to throw on any time of day, being such an easy listen. On At The Roadhouse, themes of love, longing, and sadness, are explored, each song settling down in one or the other, taking a moment to dwell. The sixteen-track album shows no attempt to rush, rolling on easy.
Favorite Tracks - Making It Through, Fireball Whiskey, Saturn Returning
Album LOVE at first sight. This was a release that I very well anticipated, her previous album Salt (2019) holding a special place in my music heart. Light Dark, Light Again navigates growth and uncertainty, embracing the inevitable nature of both. Between tracks that spiral like "I Am Already Enough", "Letting Go", and "Exploding", Angie manages to do so in a controlled nature, still sounding composed and sophisticated. LDLA is diverse, attributing to McMahon's capability as an artist, "Saturn Returning" reflects the cadence of a Bon Iver song, and the drums and synths on "Fish" mimic the pace of an 80s hit. This album holds a lot of proclamations, an ode to new beginnings, understandings, and everything in between that we call life. The album closer, "Making It Through" encapsulates it all in the build-up of the chorus, as if to excuse all words to follow, and the letdown of the end with the repeated grounding mantra. I've been a big The War on Drugs & Gang of Youths fan these past years, coming to indulge in and even seek cinematic approaches in music. I find similar hints of this expansive search in Light Dark, Light Again. Angie's voice is bigger than ever. This album is one that despite my 50-something streams, will never fail to absolutely floor me.
All in all, 2023 was a great year in music for me. I find myself slowing down more these days allowing myself to listen to whatever, paying no mind to the Release Radar (okay, maybe some). Here are some other albums released this year that I had in rotation.
Notable Mentions
Forever Never Cares - Busty and the Bass This Land is Inhospitable and So Are We - Mitski
For Everyone - Joe Vann
In The End It Always Does - The Japanese House
Higher - Chris Stapleton
Bluebeard - The Brook & The Bluff
Kimosabe - Dope Lemon
Tired Hearts - BAILEN Wishes To Fulfill - Another Michael