Music Reviews

Ok I won’t be beating around the bush as much with this one, this is a much briefer list of just around 15 songs I think were some of the best to come out this year. Oh and all of these are essentially 10/10 songs for me so keep that in mind. With that being said, let’s kick things of with…

15.) Tyler, The Creator – SORRY NOT SORRY

Really good introspective and emotional song from Tyler, one of his best actually. Really recommend the music video for this one too, it helps to contextualize this one even more. Great lush instrumentation and all of Tyler’s different sides and egos showing through, great in concept even better in execution.

14.) Poppy – Spit

It’s kinda nuts how she can come out with one of her middest albums ever and one of her best songs ever both in the same year, this being of course the latter of the two. This is probably one of the most insane female vocalist metal songs I’ve heard in a hot minute, this song is the ultimate musical beat-down and a perfect example of what I’d like more from Poppy in the future. Amazing tune, with really great lyrics too.

13.) Lil Yachty – the BLACK seminole.

Yeah this one is a whole experience, probably my favorite from this album if I had to say. Very multi-layered, super psychedelic and for Lil Yachty the song sounds AMAZING. Enough said about this one, it’s a Lil Yachty song with a guitar solo and a psychedelic final crescendo at the end, what else do you want.

12.) Ludwing Göransson – Can You Hear The Music

I get chills everytime I hear this one, it’s truly special, as is the film. With a runtime in only under two minutes this song manages to completely encapsulate me in this beautiful, mystical and ambitious orchestral sound that just feels larger than life. Definitely worthy of a spot.

11.) slowthai – Yum

This is the album opener for slowthai’s fantastic new album and wow, does it not hold back right from the get go. The industrial abrasive instrumental, demented erotic lyrics and a last minute freakout during a psychiatric session, this song really sets the mood for the rest of the album and by itself perfectly captures Tyron’s state of mind. Insane song.

10.) underscores – Cops and robbers

This song just has no right of being so darn catchy and fun. The pop-punkish instrumental kicks ass, the story is really intresting and very well portrayed and goes with the instrumental really well, everything blends together beautifully and I just can’t get enogh of this one, right from the opening few notes.

9.) Travis Scott – MY EYES

Yeah yeah yeah, say whatever you want about this man and his actions but I’m telling he hasn’t got a song like this in him again for a while. Nevermind the verse that is absolutely fire, nevermind the really beautiful two minute intro… But the moment the switch-up of this song starts to fade in is just something else. The last two minutes alone are easily one of the best experiences with music I had this year. Beautiful tune.

8.) DYL – Gimlé

Speaking of really gorgeous tunes, this one is definitely a one alright. I’ve learned about this song and by extension about this artist through Brad Taste In Music’s stream and I gotta say, this is one of the best finds of 2023 for me. Beautiful and mezmerizing from start to finnish, really recommend checking it out, it’s not a song with a huge crescendo or anything but it doesn’t need to have that. Really spectacular.

7.) Sprain – Man Proposes, God Disposes

This song is like if every trope that I enjoy in music came into one gigantic euphoric experience. It has like 5 different layers to it and all of them are amazing and it goes through all that in only around 7 and a half minutes, really just an insanely impressive song that also happens to be super right up my alley and really catchy too.

6.) Black Country, New Road – Turbines/Pigs

It’s really intresting how this song went from one of my biggest dissapointments to one of my favorite songs of the year – you could say that I finally got it. It also helped that I saw them perform this live and let me tell you live on 3 hours of sleep this song is an entirely different experience. It’s really flawless from front to back and insanely gorgeous too, May Kershaw kills it on the vocals.

5.) Jeff Rosenstock – 3 SUMMERS

The king of modern pop-punk is back with a solid good album without a doubt, but this song just takes the cake for me. In just around 7 minutes this song provides one of the most energetic, heartfelt, cathartic and catchy music experiences of the year for me, the last two minutes of just the same repeated chant over and over of „you can’t help me anymore“ in this really shiny bright pop-punk sound is just top notch.

4.) Liturgy – 93696 (the song)

This whole song was actually released as an EP earlier this year too I think, which just goes to show how much of an absolute insanity this song is. The last 4 minutes are the best in all of metal this year hands down no contest whatsoever. Perfect song for an almost flawless album, I’ll just leave it with that.

3.) Sufjan Stevens – So You Are Tired and Shit Talk

Yeah I know it’s a bit of a cheat to put two songs in one place but here I really couldn’t decide. The atmospheric long-winded outro of Shit Talk could probably put it on here for just that alone, but So You Are Tired is, at least for me, like on of the most just physically down to the bone sad songs I’ve heard in forever. Both are great though and are part of an amazing project that will no doubt go down as one of Sufjan’s best.

2.) Foo Fighters – Rest

Part of their latest project honoring their late drummer Taylor Hawkins and this song was directly written to him… Yeah, it’s a rough listen. And probably the best Foo Fighters songs since Everlong. Just absolutely gutt-wrenching and one of the best tributes Hawkins could have recieved from the band. Love this one to death and R.I.P. Taylor Hawkins, God knows you are very much missed.

1.) Parannoul – Into the Endless Night (Live)

I mean what did you expect… If you’ve read my review of this album or my top 10 albums list, you know this song is for me one of the best things I’ve ever heard at this point. It’s 46 MINUTES LONG. It alone is longer than a lot of the albums I review on here. And it manages to feel like probably half of that. It’s literally the perfect song for me but it is kinda unfair to the other tracks on here due to it’s length… Still, that won’t stop me from putting it here.

So that is my list of my favorite songs of the year – which songs grabbed your ear this year? Let me know in the comments belllow and I’ll see you in the next one :).

So to start things off with this list, I would just like to further specify that these also include EPs and that they are not perhaps the definitive 10 worst albums of this year, but just the 10 worst I HAVE personally heard, because I definitely didn’t listen to even half of some of the awful albums that came out this year. But with that out of the way, let’s kick this list off with…

10. The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein (strong 3/10)

Yeah it really hurts to put this here but there is just no other way – this album is like biting into a piece of cardboard. And that’s coming from a pretty big The National fan honestly – but there is just little to no substance on this. And I also just don’t get how you manage to fumble the bag SO BAD with features like SUFJAN STEVENS and TAYLOR SWIFT. Like seriously, what went wrong here? Because the album they release after this one later this year „Laugh Track“ is actually once again pretty good, so I just don’t get what happened here – either way it’s a disappointing release to say the least.

9. Sleep Token – Take Me Back To Eden (decent 3/10)

I just don’t get this one. Some of the ideas are pretty great honestly, BUT… The blend between metal and pop on this project has to be one of the most awkward and forced things I’ve EVER heard. Like don’t get me wrong, as I already mentioned, some of the metal passages are like seriously great, it’s just that whenever something starts sounding just somewhat decent, the really ear-grading vocals come in or some random out-of-nowhere pop/trap/R&B switch-up comes in and completely butchers anything that could have possibly been going on. This could have been at least okay but no, the majority of ideas on here are just so processed, so sloppy and just soo non-human.

8. NF – HOPE (light 3/10)

Look, there are 1 or 2 songs on this that I quite enjoy – the rest of the album though is either just fast-rapping and at the same time saying nothing braggadocious garbage or some poppy lovey-dovey nothing burgers of songs and together it makes for what I think is so far easily NF’s worst project. I don’t remember a single key from this, nor a single bar, it’s once again just a void of super melo-dramatic synematic avengers type beat production with little-to-no substance in the lyrics department. NF really needs to switch things up at this point, because this one was especially emberrassing.

7. Lewis Capaldi – Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent (strong 2/10)

I mean the title just says it all… Pretentious paino ballad garbage songs all about the same thing with the literal worst voice that’s ever hit the mainstream pop music. This album is really competing with the Sleep Token album for which one can make the singer sound more annoying, but at least the Sleep Token had some intresting instrumental moments here and there, this album has NOTHING. Okay well I mean the first song kinds slaps, but after that it’s just a total pain to sit through. I hate this guy’s music with a passion, seriously devoid of any actual emotion.

6. Slipknot – Adderall EP (decent 2/10??) (profanity warning ahead)

I mean what the hell even is this. I’m more putting it here just to make a point… That point being to RETIRE ALREADY. Like holy shit, if you say you’re gonna retire then do it, stop feeding us shit like this. Like what even is this??? There are 6 „tracks“ total, 2 of which are the literal most low-effort garbage interludes ever made and the rest of the songs are just different versions OF THE SAME FUCKING SONG and NONE of them add anything new. This literally has no right to exist, the song upon which is this album based around is mid to begin with but WOW there is just nothing here. Just RETIRE.

5. Lil Pump – Lil Pump 2 (light 2/10)

uhhh.. The first songs is kinda fire? No yeah, this has no right to exist either, I tried to enter the same mindset of stupid fun songs I had with his previous projects and just enjoy myself but I just couldn’t do that here… These songs just absolutely suck so hard, I’m sorry but like this is just pathetic at this point. You’re not reviving your career with this, I’ll tell you that much and as someone who semi-defended some of Lil Pump’s music when it was first huge, yeah this just ain’t it.

4. Roger Waters – The Dark Side of the Moon Redux (strong 1 – light 2/10)

What the hell is this. No seriously, this has to be one of the worst ruinings of an album’s legacy since Green Day dropped „The Father Of All…“. Like WHAT are you doing Roger Waters, you’re ruining your own album! The instrumentals are just slower and worse and less exciting and almost devoid of anything and Roger Waters is just having his schizo rant abour life and stuff and I’m sorry but I’m not gonna listen to that for over an hour – I literally haven’t even heard half of this in full, but from the little snipets I went through yeah, this doesn’t change at all. Wow what a waste of time this was.

3. 30 Seconds To Mars – It’s the End of the World but It’s a Beautiful Day (strong 1)

I’m SO glad to finally be able to put this on here because seriously I can’t stand everything this „band“ is and represents. This new offering from Jared Leto and the gang is probably their worst yet, which after 2018’s „America“ is one hell of an achievment. Besides the opening song being kinda catchy, this album actualy has no redeeming qualities – Jared Leto is so disconnected from reality that he makes music for Walmarts and clothing stores. This is just sad to hear, please just go back to making listenable music or just give up on this project, because next time you release an album like this, I’m honestly just not gonna give you any streams.

2. 6ix9ine – Leyenda Viva (light 1/10)

The only reason this isn’t a 0 is because some of the production sounds okay. That’s lliterally it. This is the worst thing 6ix9ine EVER made and that’s saying a lot. I honestly just don’t wanna give this guy any more attention than he so obviously wants, so let’s just move on to…

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Skrillex – Don’t Get Too Close

Waterparks – Intellectual Property

Daft Punk – Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition)

AJR – The Maybe Man (it’s the best AJR album though!)

anything DA BABY released this year (haven’t even heard anything, just saw some of the bars and heard little snippets… More than enough if I’m being honest)

+ probably more

1. Dream – To Whoever Want To Hear (strong 0 – light 1)

This is the musical embodiment of being chronically on-line and out of touch with the real world. WOOOW this is bad, like you can’t even imagine how uninspired a person’s music can be. There is kinda nothing to write about here, because this is literal wallpaper music. Young Gravy is the best part about this album. YOUNG GRAVY. I sincerely hope Dream either just give music up all together or just starts actually putting something listenable out.

So there you have it, this year I hated myself even more and made this list on top of the best 10 albums. Hope you enjoyed and if you have your own list, or you just have an album you think should have been on here (which I am aware there are many), let me know in the comments bellow!

So, the year is coming to an end, and as per usual, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite music of this year. I’ve gotta say the year started of really strong, but somewhere down the line the quality just sort of became all over the place. Don’t get me wrong, there were some AMAZING records this year (as you’ll see in a minute), but overall, this year has honestly almost been more dissapointing than it was rewarding. Even still, here’s some of my favorite music of this year, so I hope you enjoy.

10.) Paramore – This Is Why (strong 8/10)

I’ve been kinda struggling what to put at this place honestly, as many records have been competing for it, but after a while of thinking it through, it just had to be this one. Yeah, with each listen this record more and more slowly becomes what’s probably my favorite Paramore album. I just can’t get enough of it – every song is like a combination of their whole discography up to this point, the lyrics are really relatable and depressing, the sound super danceable, the guitars so clean and Hayley Williams is just as charming as ever as a vocalist. No yeah, this album is what it’s about, bangers front to back, just a great and versatile rock record, enough said.

9.) Black Country, New Road – Live at Bush Hall (strong 8/10)

I’m honestly just an absolute super fan of this band at this point. This probably barely wouldn’t have made the top 10 if it wasn’t for the fact that I’ve seen them perform this album live this year and it has been one of the most enchanting experiences I’ve had the pleasure of whitnessing this year. After the departure of the former lead vocalist Isaac Wood, I’ve been really worried about the future of this band, but my worries couldn’t have been more pointless, as Tyler Hyde and the gang make up for it masterfully on this project. There are just so many great highlights and melodies on this, I could go on for hours about some of the songs on here, but there are a few duds too. Those are maybe like one or two songs which I find not as memorable as the others, but honestly besides that, this is basically a flawless live album from the band. Can’t wait for they do next honestly and I wish them the best moving forward.

8.) Model/Actriz – Dogsbody (strong 8/10)

Yeah the first half of this album is basically a 10. Some of the songs in the second half start to get a bit repetetive, but this album is still just something to behold. I’ll be completely frank, it took me a while to really get completely adjusted to the lyrics and the way they’re sung, but I’ve really gained a big apprecation for what this project is ultimately about. The themes of sexuality, one find themselves and the struggles of young adulthood are fully on display here with really intense and vivid imagery that can sometimes honestly be a little too much. But when you’re in the mood for it yeah, this album does it all – danceable grooves, drone instrumentation, really out there lyrics and delivery, completely frantic songs, just an absolute ride front to back and I love every second of it.

7.) Slowthai – UGLY (strong 8/10)

So I’ll be the first one to admit that this one shrunk on me just the tiniest bit, especially some of the moments in the second half HOWEVER I still stand by the fact, that this album is Slowthai’s magnum opus (at least so far). The opener and the follow-up song are some of his best yet and a great majority of the songs on here have been in my constant rotation the entire year. The themes of self-loathing, constant intoxication etc. are brough to live with Slowthai’s excentric perfromances throughout this entire project. Besides like one or two so-so songs, this album’s just constant action, all killer no filler. Easy placement on this list for me, love what he did here.

6.) Sampha – Lahai (light 9/10)

I mean wow, what a gorgeous record. From front to back, this record sounds exactly like how the album cover looks – smooth, beautiful, ethereal, peaceful and totally breath-taking. Sampha’s voice is like the cure for the soul, the way this man sings is beyond gorgeous. Then you combine it with the really introspective and thought-provoking lyrical themes and the stunningly beautiful production all throughout this project and you get this album. Honestly if it wasn’t for the second half once again in my opinion being just the tiniest bit weaker than the first, this album probably would’ve ranked even higher, but as it’s still just a literal journey. I can’t recommend this record enough, some other-worldly stuff right here.

5.) Sprain – The Lamb as Effigy (light 9/10)

This album is an enigma. I really don’t understand it all, but I just love the hell out of it. The first song is like the combination of all your favorite Anthony Fantano-isms and from there you have one really dynamic all over the place song, one song that’s basically just an ambient drone with a string outro, than a 24 MINUTE SONG just thrown in after that, than two 10 minute-ish long songs with the word „Nude“ in their title, than a short 4 minute songs, which is the most heavy and abrasive on the album, and than ANOTHER 20 MINUTE SONG. And yet it makes just perfect sense when you listen to it. Granted it DOES require A LOT of patience, like really a lot, but it rewards you immensely for it, an absolutely stellar experimental noise rock record that just keeps on giving everytime i hear it.

4.) JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown – SCARING THE HOES (decent 9/10)

I mean what can I say about this album that hasn’t been said already. If it wasn’t for Danny being just a little bit overshadowed by JPEGMAFIA this easily could just be a 10. Like have you heard the songs on here? It’s just bangers back to back and it doesn’t stop for even a second. It’s kinda unreal how two dudes can just make this, the production is like so good it’s unreal. Really I don’t have much to say about this record because it just speaks for itself, a total ride from front to back, if you haven’t somehow heard this yet just do yourself a favor and go listen because you’re really missing out.

3.) Sufjan Stevens – Javelin (decent-strong 9/10)

This one somehow grew on me even more. Like it’s just such a powerful and moving record. It’s the perfect Sufjan Stevens album too, like you have your piano ballads, you have your weird experimental electronic parts, you have your gorgeous, and I mean GORGEOUS, string outros, you have your typical guitar-driven songs and all of that delivered into this hauntingly beautifully package that is this album. With the context of everything surrounding this album, this only enhances the already over-whelming emotional impact it has. Yeah this album is really something else and a great return to from for Sufjan, definitely one of his best records which is saying A TON.

2.) Liturgy – 93696 (strong 9/10) (small profanity warning for this one)

Holy. Shit. Like, okay, I kinda wrote this album off as not being as good as Liturgy’s previous one when I first heard it. But like… This is easily one of the best black-metal records I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Unreal volume. The way everything is orchestrated. It feels like something out of some sacred book, like I’m really struggling to explain the grandiosity of this album. It’s just overbearing in every sense of the word. The 4 big 8+ minutes long tracks are all fantastic, all the angel interludes are a really nice change of pace between everything and all of the other shorter songs and little weird interludes only enhance everything. Besides a few like minor gripes with little passages here and there, this thing is just, basically perfect.

Except there is just one album that came out this year that I think is even better than that… Before we get to that one though, I’d like to show you some honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the list, but are stilla amazing records that are worth being mentioned here.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Lil Yachty – LET’S START HERE

boygenius – the record

yeule – softscars

Jane Remover – Census Designated

underscores – Wallsocket

Swans – The Beggar

Of course those aren’t all the albums I’d like to have on this list (like the new King Krule record, or the 100 Gecs record earlier this year just to add a few), but this will have to do. Now without further ado, and to the surprise of nobody, my number one album of the year is…

1.) Parannoul – After The Night (Live) (10/10)

If you’ve read my review for this album (which I strongly recommend) you already know how I feel about Parannoul. They placed number 3 on my year-end list two years ago and now, two years later, they’ve finally made it. At least that’s how I see it – this album is just perfect for me. And don’t even get me started on the last 40+ minutes long song… That’s easily one of the best musical experiences I’ve ever heard. Yeah I could go on for hours about how comforting the sound of this album is, how perfect are the song choices for the live set, how the last song is the best thing to ever be made, but I think you get the picture. For a live album, this thing is pure magic. Front to back, like when you really let yourself get immersed in this, it makes you feel just so many beautiful things. It feels super nostalgic and powerful, I really think Parannoul achieved something truly special here. I ADORE this thing.

And yeah, that was my 2023 best albums of the year list – let me know what were yours in the comments bellow and I wish you all a happy 2024!

Drake – For All The Dogs (pop rap, alternative R&B)

The middest project that ever midded. Some cool highlights. Some pretty attrocious lows. Most of the songs just sort of exist. That being said the first half REALLY out-shines the other though, like the drop-off oo this already so-so album is insane around the 12th song. Drake should honestly either just retire at this point or really take some time to make an album that’s actually worth everyone’s time.

Light 5/10

Danny Brown – QUARANTA (conscious hip-hop)

Now this is more like it! Yeah this album goes – even though it maybe isn’t as ground-breaking as Atrocity or XXX, it shows great maturity and Danny coming to terms with him being already 40. The production is really lucious and well-mixed and much more tame (with some exceptions such as „Jenn’s Terrific Vacation“). It’s far from my favorite Danny release, but it’s definitely one of the more important ones in his catalogue. Great album.

Light 8/10

Sampha – Lahai (Neo-Soul, alternative R&B)

This man’s voice could fix all the world’s problems.

Light 9/10

AJR – The Maybe Man (alt-pop, indie pop)

I mean… It’s better than their previous releases. The lyrics are still the main problem really, aswell as some of the production choices that really drag this thing down. The awkward pointless profanity, the trash clap beats, the random instrumental freak-outs at the end of the songs for no other reasons other than subverting your expectations. It’s still got your typical AJR-isms, but there are some improvements. The production overall is much more tolerable and at points even pretty enjoyable, some tracks (like 2 or 3 really, ESPECIALLY „The Dumb Song“) are actually pretty cool and the attitude feels a little bit less disconnected. Honestly? It ain’t the worst thing in the world.

Strong 3/10

Poppy – Zig (post-industrial, electronic)

What happened here? Like I LOVED her LP „I Disagree“, which was a really tasteful combination of metal and pop and the follow-up to that „Flux“ wasn’t that bad either, but this is just… Like I don’t know, there isn’t much here. The sound is much more electronical and industrial, which isn’t a bad thing by itself, but the sound just isn’t done in a way that’s intresting. There are almost zero stand-out tracks, it all sounds the same and the lows are actually kinda low, at least for Poppy standarts. Also the more heavier moments are honestly kinda the roughest (case in point the title track). I don’t know, it isn’t horrible but just really dissapointing in my eyes. Don’t see myself returning to this honestly.

Strong 4/10

Wilbur Soot – Mammalian Sighing Reflex (singer-songwriter, indie folk)

I find this type of intimate sound really endearing + I honestly really enjoy Wilbur as a lyricist, so I was kinda destined to at least like this. The electronics are sometimes a bit awkaward though and I overall think that this is a slight step-down from WIlbur’s last project even though I appriciate the slight experimentation of this album and some of the autotune uses are really tasteful too.

Light 7/10

underscores – Wallsocket (indietronica, electro-pop, pop-punk elements)

Yeah, it slaps. The slower moments are really heartfelt and the bagners, well they bang. Really solid throughout. First two songs on this album are probably some of the, if not THE, best two songs that go after each other on any album released this year.

Light 8/10

Jane Remover – Census Designated (shoegaze, post-rock)

I mean, it takes a lot of listens to fully grasp and a lot of patience to fully appreciate, but I feel like the imagery of this album is overall really strong. And even though I’m not in love with every bit of everything that’s always going on I feel like the highlights are really high, enough for me to consider it worth sitting through. Very rewarding, very ambitious, a bit long-winded, but overall really well crafted. It’s a slow-burner, but it’s one that at the end of the day burns really bright.

Decent 8/10

Earthbong – Church Of Bong (doom metal, stoner metal)

This took me completely somewhere else. I’m not always in the mood for this album, but when you give it the patience it needs it’s actually a really transcending doom metal experience, especially the first song „Bong Aeterna“. It’s still got its issues, it honestly drags out a little too long, but I can look past that as the overall experience is just really solid.

Strong 7/10