Year in Review 2023: Music, Part 2

Best Albums I Listened to in 2023

• Citizen Sleeper (Original Soundtrack) by Amos Roddy (2022)

Once again my favorite game of the year was an artsy indie RPG with an amazing soundtrack, one that perfectly communicates everything about the game: it’s got space, it’s got chill vibes, it’s also got a few intense vibes, it’s got all the feelings, and it’s got mushrooms. Between this and In Other Waters (which soundtrack is currently trapped in my Bandcamp cart because I put myself on Bandcamp time out until I got through some of my backlog) Roddy has quickly become one of my favorite composers—he and Lena Raine are basically at the top of my list, I’ll buy their stuff even if it’s for games I haven’t played.

• Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy by Bartees Strange (2020)

• Honeymoon by Beach Bunny (2020)

This is going to be one of those times when I say I like an album and then proceed to make it sound like I don’t actually. So to be clear, I do like this album. Or I guess it’s more accurate to say I like most of the songs on this album. It’s listening to them all together that I’m less enthusiastic about.

And if it sounds like I’m waffling, well this is an album all about indecisiveness. As frontwoman Lili Trifilio sings on “Rearview,” she’s “blessed with doubt.” I’d argue it’s maybe more of a curse, though. The album suffers from a lack of momentum as Trifilio retreads the same heartbreak over and over, never finding closure but also never really saying anything new about it. So while any one of these songs works great as an exploration of that theme, the album as a whole just feels a little repetitive, lyrically.

Musically, there’s actually a surprising amount of variety, albeit within the confines of indie-rock and pop-punk (a la latter-day Paramore, particularly on “Colorblind”). And there are some solid quieter tracks (“Rearview,” “Racetrack”) to give it dynamic range. The only song I really disliked is “Ms. California,” whose Fountains-of-Wayne-meets-(and then complains about)-Katy-Perry chorus is legitimately grating in its familiarity, though I guess kudos for bridging a 7-year gap to make me feel like those songs were being overplayed at the same time. I don’t even necessarily think it’s bad, I mean assuming the references are intentional it’s very effective, I just personally can’t stand it.

But remember, I did like most of the songs.

• The Great Escape by Blue Wednesday (2020)

• the record by boygenius (2023)

“Without You Without Them” picks up right where “Ketchum, ID” left off, but don’t let that you fool you into thinking this is just more of the same. Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus are all operating at the top of their game as songwriters, but more importantly as collaborators and as producers, taking these personal, idiosyncratic songs and crafting them into a cohesive object, an album and not just a collection of songs. It’s full of grief for lost love and joy for new love, all projected through this lush, warm space that never once dissipates from the first note the last (even as they make a point of reminding you they can rock, too). Where the debut EP was predictably good, the record is truly great.

p.s. There are all sorts of references to their previous work in here, but the interpolation/reprise of “Me & My Dog” in “Letter to an Old Poet” gives me chills every time I listen to it.

p.p.s. There’s this warbly synth on “True Blue” that’s so charmingly haphazard, even holding on a wrong note for a couple seconds. I can’t find any info on who played it but I’m glad they got to just vibe out.

• Better, Lost by Breakbeat Heartbeat (2020)

I have no idea where this came from. Like, I found it in my collection, so I must have bought it at some point, but as far as I know I’ve never heard of Breakbeat Heartbreak. Maybe I looked up a song that I heard in a YouTube video? Maybe someone recommended it? Who knows. All I know is it’s apparently called chipbreak and I love it.

• From The Valley by Ilsey (2023)

A solid debut album from someone who’s apparently been lurking behind the scenes for a while, though my first time hearing her was, unsurprisingly, her feature on Big Red Machine’s “Mimi.” Some of that sound is present here, partially via multiple Justin Vernon features, partially via the production team comprising frequent Bon Iver collaborator BJ Burton and pop impresario A. G. Cook (founder of PC Music); you can hear their influence on the lush arrangements that beautifully meld acoustic and electronic elements. But those mainly serve to support the core of the album, which is Ilsey’s voice (think Stevie Nicks meets Dolly Parton) delivering the kind of uncontrived, emotionally resonant songs that represent pop-country (or country-pop) at its best.

p.s. It would feel weird to pick this as the highlight song but you’ve gotta listen to her “Heart of Gold” cover (featuring Justin Vernon, of course).

• Harmony: The Fall of Reverie (Original Game Soundtrack) by Lena Raine (2023)

A soundtrack so good it got me to buy the game.

• ALTA by loscil (2023)

• Inside Every Fig is a Dead Wasp by Lunar Vacation (2021)

I don’t really have a thesis about the album as a whole, but I’m really interested in “Mold.” Like, that lead line that comes in on the chorus is way too loud, right? And it seems like sloppy mixing, but then in the next verse she sings “I’m surrounded by L.A. / It’s way more than my brain can take” while some bongos filter in, and the music only gets more chaotic from there, so is that way-too-loud lead on purpose? And that distorted synthy bass continues into the next song, “Gears,” just like L.A. slowly subsumed all the cities around it. I’m probably reading way too much into it but it’s not like there any other obvious mixing mistakes on the rest of the album so it feels like it must be intentional and then the rest just kind of follows from that.

• Megabear by ME REX (2021)

So, according to ME REX, the idea behind this album is you should be able to listen to it in any order and still get a cohesive experience. Unfortunately that just isn’t the case.

The first time I listened to it I went in the default order, and that version is a really good album. It’s got a beginning, middle, and end, it’s got an arc, it flows really well, and all the recurring lyrical and musical motifs are arranged perfectly for maximum fascination, each one popping up at just the right time with just the right spin on it to be like “hey, remember me, well now I’m slightly different and you get to think about why for 30 seconds.” And believe me, there is a lot there, most of my notes is just a giant list of all the recurring motifs, references to their previous work (most obviously “Bull Muscle,” from which “Hydrogen” is derived, and “Rites,” which states one of the major recurring themes), and possibly even references to other artists (I clocked a semi-plausible but unlikely potential Meat Loaf reference, and a somewhat more likely potential Frightened Rabbit reference). It’s fun to listen to, fun to think about, just an all around good time.

I did note certain songs and transitions which I felt would not work well when the order was shuffled, and unfortunately I was right about all of them. I couldn’t even get all the way through my second listen, stopping about halfway because it was so clunky. Where the default order feels perfectly paced and arranged, here we have identical motifs crowding around each other without giving each room to breath, we have transitions that don’t flow at all (e.g. neither “Hydrogen” nor “Xenon” work well in the middle of the album), and the whole thing just feels jittery and awkward, like a poorly constructed automaton attempting to walk. (I’ve also had some of the songs come up on shuffle as part of a larger playlist, and they really don’t stand up on their own, though they were probably never intended to.)

Now, I failed the Statistics & Probability section in my high school math class, but with 52 songs I’m sure there is at least 1 other permutation that works relatively well. But having identified so many possibly points of failure I’m not at all confident that anyone is likely to find those other permutations. So, while it’s a neat idea, I think it is ultimately kind of a failure.

Fortunately, as I said, the default ordering is actually a great album and well worth several listens.

• All Eternals Deck by the Mountain Goats (2011)

• Krazy Karl by NNAMDÏ (2020)

• Herald by Odette (2021)

Finally got around to this album and it’s even better than I expected. Front to back hits, sound designed and orchestrated to the nines, just an absolutely stunning pop album (pop? is it pop? it’s pop-inflected at least. Insofar as it is pop it elevates pop.)

• Conflats by Out Lines (2017)

Obviously what drew me to Out Lines was James Graham of the The Twilight Sad, and you can definitely read this album as translating that band’s dark intensity into a slower, more acoustic sound. But I don’t want to give short shrift to Kathryn Joseph and Marcus Mackay, who are clearly equal collaborators in this endeavor. In some ways it reminds me of Raising Sand, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant’s first outing together (I think they have a second album now but I haven’t listened to it), that rock-meets-folk-to-create-an-unlikely-beauty thing.

My only problem with it is that it’s too short.

• I Told You How Important You Would Be by Pale Bird and Lily Sloane (2020)

• Dreamer Awake by Rachel Sermanni (2023)

Dreamer Awake has the unpretentious vulnerability of a classic 60’s singer/songwriter album, with what sounds like mostly live recordings (at least on some of the songs) and a pure vocal that’s not trying to hide anything. Some artists might not fare well being so exposed, but every song here is delivered beautifully and there’s not a single dud in the bunch.

And I really want to highlight Sermanni’s vocal performance. She’s always had a breathiness to her voice, and while that works well on some songs, others are hampered by that lack of support, particularly at the low end. But she’s grown into her voice here, pushing that breathiness on the low notes into an earthy rasp that adds depth and character. Not to mention she’s further developed her vibrato (or tremolo if you wanna fight about it) and deploys it liberally. It’s just cool to hear someone continue to improve 5 albums in.

Overall Dreamer Awake is the kind of warm hug of an album we all need from time to time, and showcases an artist with over a decade of experience and no signs of dropping off.

• SEESAW by The Rest (2011)

So I’ve had two songs stuck in my head since 2011, “John Huston” by The Rest and “Good Morning (The Future)” by Rogue Wave, and you’ll notice that they start with almost the exact same three notes—I don’t think they’re quite the exact same, just as I don’t think either of them are quite the exact same as the opening theme to The Simpsons, but they’re really close, and so for over 10 years I’m constantly singing things like, “John Huston / take me to the future / I’m not surprised” which is just a meaningless mishmash of these two songs because I can never keep them straight in my head.

None of that is strictly relevant but if I’ve done my job right you should now have both songs stuck in your head too (and maybe the opening theme to The Simpsons) and can understand me a little better.

Anyway in 2023 I discovered that I’d actually been sitting on SEESAW for I don’t even know how long and had never listened to it and it turns out it’s actually pretty good. I’m sure I’ll get to that Rogue Wave album any day now.

• “L I V E” by Shakey Graves (2021)

It wouldn’t be a Year in Review list without a pitch for Shakey Graves Day (which, fingers crossed, will actually be after I publish this instead of over a month before). If you’re new here, during the Shakey Graves Day celebrations (which somewhat counterintuitively last three days, February 9th-11th) all Shakey Graves releases are “pay what you want” on Bandcamp, including 2 new Shakey Graves Day exclusives (as well as all previous SGD exclusives) which are only available during that time. Given the consistency of his output it’s basically the best deal in music, so I’m going to keep shilling for it every year (even if I don’t get around to every release that year).

Fortunately, as with last year’s selection, while you can’t get this on Bandcamp outside of SGD, you can watch it on YouTube, as it was recorded for the Philly Folk Festival during the 2020 quarantine. Featuring all new versions of songs from the Look Alive EP and Can’t Wake Up (plus a few older tunes), it’s the perfect live album, because there’s no audience ruining every song by clapping along inappropriately or cheering for literally any reference to a city or state.

• Movie of the Week by Shakey Graves (2023)

And as a special treat this year also brought us a new full-length Shakey Graves album—side note: Roll the Bones was 2011, And the War Came was 2014, Can’t Wake Up was 2018, and now Movie of the Week is 2023, so I’m officially predicting his next full-length will come out in 2029.

Anyway, Movie of the Week builds on the swampedelic sound of Shakey Grave’s recent work while thematically really digging into the kind of disenchanted malaise that he’s been kicking around since Can’t Wake Up (think “Kids These Days,” “Dining Alone,” or “Tin Man”). Even the most upbeat-sounding song, “Ready or Not,” is actually pretty depressing when you pay attention. And that’s mostly the experience of the whole album, a melancholy-masked-by-vibes formula that—crap, I’ve use this construction before haven’t I? Well anyway, it’s a mostly fun album that’s secretly depressing until you get to the album closer, which might be the saddest song Shakey Graves has ever written. It’s still real good though, and as a lover of sad songs you’ll get no complaints from me.

• Communion by Sister Ray (2022)

• Underground Complex No. 1 by TYPHOON (2022)

I have mixed feelings about this album, not just because it’s the first one since their debut that hasn’t really hit for me, but also because I don’t like it when artists put out albums in parts. I want to hear the whole thing, and I don’t want to pay for it three times (because inevitably there will be a “Complete Edition” with like 2 bonus tracks). It just feels a little cash grabby and doesn’t seem like it’s serving the art at all.

But while I’m mostly including this so I can complain about it, it is TYPHOON so obviously there are some great songs on here. Just not as many as there should be.

• Wet Leg by Wet Leg (2022)

I’ll admit, I was a little hesitant to get into Wet Leg. Obviously I liked “Chaise Longue,” “Wet Dream,” and “Oh No” just as much as everyone else, but even when it’s executed well I’m still getting pretty tired of the aesthetic of ironic detachment (complete with Mean Girls references (jesus christ I can’t believe they’re remaking that, what the fuck are they thinking (I know what they’re thinking, they’re thinking they have a built in audience of people who still refer to living on their own as “adulting” and will watch it in theaters (with no mask) 5 times and make a big deal about how it’s not a Marvel movie and therefore Hollywood is not artistically bankrupt))) that characterizes a lot of late-Millennials/early-Gen-Zs, not just their art or their humor but their entire persona and the way the interact with the world. Not to mention it’s been weaponized by just the absolute shittiest people. So while I enjoyed the lead singles, I really wasn’t interested in a whole album of just that.

Fortunately it’s not a whole album of just that. There’s more depth here, both satirically and emotionally, and “I Don’t Wanna Go Out” shows they’re at least self-aware about their detachment. I’m still going to hope that on the next album they pursue the more dimensionalized approach, but at least now I can enjoy the fun songs without feeling kinda icky about it.

• Something Heavy by you, me, and everyone we know (2021)

Speaking of feeling kinda icky about it—So I had no idea what I was getting into when I decided to listen to this. I have no pre-existing relationship with this band (to my knowledge I’ve never even heard them before), I just bought this on a whim after watching their recent Audiotree session. Turns out there’s a whole lot of history leading up to this album, involving substance abuse and mental health issues and maybe embezzlement and I’m not going to get into it, mostly because I don’t know what I’m talking about and just read the Wikipedia page. Suffice it to say this album comes after years of drama between frontperson Ben Liebsch and now-former members of the band (and the industry at large, at least according to him), and is very much telling just his side of the story.

And sure, I’m not going to fault someone who has seemingly been through a lot for wanting to take control of their own narrative and frame it as one of struggle and triumph, but he also comes off as a little full of himself. And backs it up with some truly awful lyrics—well, wait, let’s start with an example of the good stuff, because there are some really good lines on here. Eg. from “F.I.N.E.”: “Now that all our dreams are dead / I can finally live life outside my head.” That’s a great line. But it’s somewhat undercut by the next track being called “Ram Dass Dick Pics” and featuring the war crime “Like Ram Dass taking dick pics / Or a platypus to use wildlife / I am changed at my fundamental / But not quite free of past strife.” Bernie Taupin eat your heart out, there’s a new master of tortured rhymes that don’t mean anything.

It’s a mixed bag, is the point. The whole album is incredibly earnest, and it basically lives or dies on how well he sells that earnestness. Ultimately I’d say it’s about 60/40, which at face value is good enough, but then that’s not taking into account the giant grain of salt we have to take with all this because of the whole “he maybe screwed over his whole band but is now painting himself as the victim” thing, at which point what does it even mean to say it’s earnest? So I don’t know where I sit with it. I’d be curious how people more knowledgeable about the band feel about it, not so much in a “who’s right, who’s wrong, pick a side” kind of way but just, I don’t know, does this feel true enough? Or is he way too far up his own ass? (I mean, he’s definitely a little up his own ass. When he announced the new album he wrote: “There are gatekeepers in the music industry that do not want you to hear this record. The idea that you are existentially essential and the reality that you are Enough as you are in each moment is too dangerous to the warm blanket of catharsis and consumerism they have wrapped around this wide genre, fashioned from the commodification and romanticizing of our mental health issues and search for belonging.” And like, that’s not entirely untrue, but jesus dude you’re not starting a revolution with a song called “Ram Dass Dick Pics” and lyrics about probiotics. There’s a difference between the industry being scared of you and just not being interested (not to mention they maybe just see you as a liability on a practical level, given your admitted history of drinking away all your band’s money).)

And that’s about all I have to say about that.