Hello, everyone! Welcome to my first individual album review of 2023! Today, I’m reviewing the second studio album from MSN Rafiki, Be Holy.

One question I feel like I’ve been asked pretty often by friends and family is, ‘Simon, how do you discover albums you’re going to review?’ And there are a bunch of ways—sometimes it’s a huge mainstream release that you can’t avoid hearing about, and sometimes I’ll have to look for it by doing searches for new albums online, and I’ll often come across a lot of really obscure albums that most people have probably never heard of. And yes, I do typically lean more toward reviewing albums that are more well known, but I also think it’s good to support smaller artists, and over the last few months I’ve been reviewing a lot more really obscure music.

Where it gets more complicated is when I don’t really like an album by a smaller artist—and that happens a lot. Often when I listen to something less obscure it’s because I’ve seen/heard things about it that make it seem up my alley, and it’s harder to find genre descriptions, popular consensus, etc. when it’s a much more obscure album, which means it’s harder for me to decide which ones to listen to as I’m more likely to listen to albums I actually think I’m going to like.

And when I don’t really like an album by a smaller artist, there is a part of me that feels bad for posting about it online … but at the end of the day I hope my reviews help smaller artists’ music get discovered by more people, regardless of whether or not I personally like the music. At the end of the day I’m just sharing my own personal feelings on the albums I review.

So, there’s a good chance you’re thinking this is another one of those albums I randomly came across online when searching for new albums to review … however, that’s not actually the case. MSN Rafiki is the stage name of Zach Mereigh, who is a friend of mine in real life. And this is his second studio album, following up his 2022 album Reformed, which I listened to a few times before listening to this album, and … well, I especially hate to say this considering a friend of mine made the album, but if I’m being totally honest, I didn’t really like the album all that much; it’s not that I dislike it—I don’t—and he’s definitely got a strong presence behind the mic, but the instrumentals didn’t really do much for me, and some of the production held it back for me as well, with the way the effects on the backing vocals can be kind of distracting, and the percussion often felt clunkier than I would have liked.

Also, lyrically, that album is very, very Christian, and while I’m not here to judge anyone’s religious beliefs, as a non-religious person myself it made it harder for me to connect with, even though I respect the passion in the lyricism, especially with some of the more personal lyrics, including some about his own relationship with god.

Overall, while I don’t really like that album, there are some elements of it that made me excited to listen to his newest album, Be Holy. So, I gave this nearly a dozen listens …

And I think the first thing I should say is … well, considering I’m not religious, I can’t say I fully understand all the lyrics, and I’ll fully acknowledge that’s a me thing. And I will be talking about the lyrics in this review, but like with any album, my interpretations could be way off. And again, as always, these are just my own personal feelings on the album.

But even though I don’t fully understand the album, there is still a lot to like here, and I like it a decent amount more than his debut. That’s not to say I like everything about this album, because I don’t, but overall I mostly enjoyed this!

And the first thing I want to talk about is the production, which is probably the element here that I feel is most improved. It’s got a much tighter sound to it, with the backing vocals feeling less distant from everything else in the production than they did on Reformed, and I think it adds a lot here, helping the mix feel less empty without feeling too forced.

And the percussion sounds a lot better too if you ask me. It feels much more crisp when paired with the rest of the instrumentals, such as with the glossy keyboard on “Act So Bold” or what sounds like a plucked guitar melody on the title track. It really helps keep the stakes of these songs feeling high without feeling forced or anything. I often hear songs that feel like they’re going for a huge, epic sound in this style of music that just end up feeling like they’re trying way too hard, but on this album I don’t think that’s the case—and it’s not just because of the percussion, but also the way the instrumental timbres blend really well together as well as Zach’s great flows, which I’ll come back to later in the review.

And even aside from the production, these instrumentals also feel quite a bit less confined creatively, with some standout moments that I think fit really well within the context of these songs, such as the parts in “Rebels” when the percussion cuts out.

Now, with all that being said, what about the lyrics? Well, again, take what I say here with a grain of salt … but you can tell how much he cares about what he’s rapping/singing about just from listening to the album, and that’s a great thing! But while there are a lot of lyrics here that I really like, I’m going to start by talking about what feels to me like the elephant in the room. And that’s a line in “Bow Down” where he says, ‘They rub on youth’s faces that it’s okay to change gender, but I’m telling them we can’t mix up, we ain’t no blender.’ I’m not really sure what he meant by this line … I know he wasn’t intending to disrespect trans people—I know the guy in real life, and that would be very unlike him, and he even specifically said that wasn’t the intent—but this line does still rub me the wrong way, as it can sound like an anti-trans line regardless of what was intended. Again, I’m not really sure what he was trying to say here.

Now, I will say, though, there is some interesting commentary in “Bow Down” where he seems to be talking about the wrong things being glamourized, but also acknowledging how difficult it is not to be tempted to make decisions you know are bad.

And there are a lot of lyrics here that I really like, a lot of which are about his own relationship with Christianity and how important it is to him.

“Intermission” is a track I kind of can’t believe I like as much as I do, considering it’s not even much of a song. It’s pretty much just an interlude where he reads some quotes from the bible and then shares his own interpretations of them. I mean, it doesn’t sound like something that would appeal to me at all, but there are some really interesting things he says in it.

Now, with all this being said, there are more nitpicks here I could make, and while I do mostly like the production here, it’s also where a lot of those nitpicks are for me. For example, I’m not always a huge fan of the mixing here, and I’m mostly talking about the vocals not being as loud in the mix as I would have liked. A lot of these songs, such as “Act So Bold” or “Save Me”, feel like they’d hit a lot harder if the vocals sounded closer to the front of the mix; it’s something that I’ve noticed throughout a lot of the album that does take away from the anthemic feeling of these songs at least a little bit.

And there’s also “Rebels”, in which the bass sounds annoyingly boosted in the mix, and I don’t really like the stiff percussion on this track, either. And there are more nitpicks I could make about certain elements of the production sounding a little awkward—like a slightly airier sound than I would have liked in “Save Me” or the kind of clunky snare in the opening track—even though I do mostly like the production on this album.

But what about the rapping and singing? Well, I think it’s pretty solid! The flows are really well timed with these instrumentals, which really help with whatever mood the song is going for, whether that be the drama in “Save Me”, the ambition of “Act So Bold”, or the feeling of envy on “(Wanna Be) Just Like You”.

And I also really like a lot of the hooks here. The closing track, “Smoke On the Altar”, has a very moody feeling to it which is amplified by that eerie vocal melody in the chorus, and the synths in the background are a nice touch as well. And the repetition in the chorus of the title track is oddly catchy in a good way.

There’s also “Bow Down”, in which the featured artist, Lei, sings the chorus which sounds very Halsey-esque, and I’m saying that as someone who likes Halsey’s music probably a lot more than the majority of critics.

And I can’t forget to mention probably my favourite track on the album, “Act So Bold”, which has a really strong chorus with the timing of the vocals with the instrumental, and those strings sound really good! It’s got some of the best flows on the album, too!

So, overall … well, again, it’s an album that I don’t relate to nor do I fully understand it, and I could see an argument to be made that it could feel kind of preachy at points, with some specific lines at least … but for the most part, it doesn’t feel that way to me. It feels more like he’s just sharing his strong beliefs, and each listener can find their own meaning in it. I mean, it really depends how you hear it, but at the end of the day it’s a very religious album, and just like if I tell you how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ an album is, at the end of the day there’s no confirmed right or wrong answer.

So, when it comes to a rating … as always, I’m going to rate it based on how much or how little I personally like it, and in this case, I think a 6.5/10 feels fitting. Again, I’m not very religious, which I do think made it harder for me to get into this album, but there’s still a lot about this album that I like.

So, while there are some notable flaws in my opinion, I’d definitely recommend this album. Partially because I think it’s a pretty good album, but also … well, yeah, also because my friend made it, and I’m sure it would mean a lot to him if you take the time to listen to it. Of course, that’s up to you—if you think this doesn’t sound up your alley at all and you don’t feel like taking the time to listen, that’s totally fair—but to me, this opened up my mind a bit more to a kind of music I don’t usually listen to. I don’t think I’ll be going out of my way to listen to a lot of Christian music, but I guess you could say it’s given me more of an appreciation for it.

As always, thanks for reading my review. I’m honestly kind of surprised how much I ended up liking this album considering I wasn’t really a fan of his debut, but I’m glad I did. I mean, of course I especially want to give positive reviews when I know the artist and when the artist is going to read my review, but at the end of the day I’m going to treat it like another review and be honest about my feelings on the album. I don’t think his debut album is bad, but to quote this album, ‘If we didn’t know what was bad, how could we know what is good?’ I mean, I’m not even sure what my feelings on that are, but I wanted to mention it anyway.

I’ve got a couple more individual album reviews I’m planning to post soon, as well as more mini reviews. Feel free to let me know what you thought of this album and/or what you thought of my review, and once again, thanks for reading!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Act So Bold”, “Be Holy”, “(Wanna Be) Just Like You”, “Intermission”
Least Favourite Track: “Rebels”

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to my website! Today, I’m doing 9 more mini album reviews!

As always, these are just my personal feelings on these albums. None of this is meant to be mean or anything, even if I say something negative. I’m just sharing how I personally feel about these albums.

Also, I will be keeping these very brief for now. It feels good giving myself a head start on reviews early in the year, especially considering I’m going to be super busy with reviews very soon, and also considering the fact that I have a life outside of my music reviews. I mean, that’s kind of the point of these mini review posts anyway.

Alright, time for the reviews …

Classification by Dip Your Teeth:

Here’s an album that’s been getting a little bit of buzz online this year. It was released on the first day of the year, and it’s by an artist I’d never heard of until now … and I’m not even sure if Dip Your Teeth is a solo artist or a band.

But anyway, I can’t really say this is for me. It’s another ‘sound collage’ album that uses samples—I’m not sure where the samples are, though, or how much of the album is samples—and while I can see how it might be fitting for a certain vibe, it’s not an album I personally am gonna really want to listen to.

There are some good melodies at points, and the mixing is mostly solid. Overall, I don’t find the album annoying to listen to outside of some specific moments, but it just doesn’t grab my attention all that much, if at all.

So, yeah … I can’t say this is for me. 5.5/10 if you ask me. But if you love sound collages, especially eerie sound collages, this might be up your alley.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Sail Away Ladies”, “I’m Going To Germany”
Least Favourite Track: “The Nasty Swing”

Aegis by Notochord:

This is the debut album from rock band Notochord, fronted by Jonathan Carpenter, a former member of The Contortionist, a band whom I don’t think I’ve ever listened to at all.

Anyway, is this a good first impression? Well, it does make me intrigued to hear more from this band … not only are there some good grooves here, but the mixing is really strong, and the bass fits really well when paired with the guitar distortion!

And yet … something feels missing here, and I’m not entirely sure what. Maybe it’s just more strong hooks, or maybe the album just feels shorter than I would have liked … and also, some of the heavier moments musically do feel strangely out of place here, and I’m not really sure why.

Again, I am intrigued to hear more from this band, and I also think the album starts pretty strong, but overall for me this is a 6/10. I don’t dislike it, but it’s just not clicking for me all that much.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Indelible”, “Microbial”, “Xylem”
Least Favourite Track: “Plasmodia”

AM/FM USA by Phil Geraldi:

Alright, time for another ambient album for me to review early in the year … and this one’s not really doing a whole lot for me.

This is the debut album by Phil Geraldi, and it seems to be getting a tiny bit of buzz online, although it’s not for me at all. It’s another sound collage album, and this one uses sounds from the radio—although I’m not sure whether or not the musical moments are samples or not.

Either way, each time I listen through this album, I’m left feeling like it’s yet another one of those albums that feels to me like a scattered mess. It doesn’t feel like it connects together into anything all that special. However, I don’t dislike it, and if you’re looking for a nice, calming album to take you on a musical journey … well, it’s not what I personally would go to, but you might get way more out of it than me.

But I rate albums based on how much or how little I personally like them … and thus, this is getting a 5/10 from me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Track: “Chase Your Love”
Least Favourite Track: “Oklahoma After Dark”

I Want To Love Again by doefriends:

This is the debut album by a solo artist whom I hadn’t heard of until just recently, but it’s been gaining some traction online, and I was curious to give it some listens …

And there are a lot of interesting lyrics full of longing, and I think the glitchy sounds fit really well without taking away from the punch of these tracks. But I don’t find the melodies super strong for the most part, and as a whole it just doesn’t feel super satisfying, and I’m not entirely sure why.

Part of it is the mixing at points sounding kind of messy, including some spots where the vocals feel drowned out. And also a lot of the repetition doesn’t really work for me.

But still, if you’re looking for a unique writing style that feels kind of like a diary at points, full of glitchy production … well, it’s certainly worth recommending. For me it’s a 6/10—a few standout moments but not really a satisfying whole if you ask me—but it’s definitely interesting, I’ll give it that much. And I respect the creativity a lot.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “How To Feel Alive”, “Waiting”
Least Favourite Track: “Drunk Again”

Lately by ocarth:

I was looking online at a bunch of albums I could review and I came across this very short album which runs for just over twenty minutes.

ocarth is a sixteen-year-old artist from Australia who I’m pretty sure started releasing music online in 2022, although this is the first ocarth album I’ve listened to.

And it’s a very mellow album with a lot of emotion, and there’s some cool musical experimentation, too.

And honestly, the album makes me kind of worried about the artist, considering the very suicidal lyrics toward the end—most importantly, I hope ocarth is doing well, regardless of whether or not I like the album—and I hate to say it, but I’m not really a huge fan of this album, and a big part of that is the ending in which the narrator commits suicide. And yes, I get that it’s art, and it’s not trying to send a pro-suicide message, but albums that end with the narrator committing suicide don’t usually sit well with me, even if it’s a fictional story. There would have to be some sort of extra context in the album that makes it work for me, and I just haven’t found that in this case.

But I also do find the production a little messy and the melodies a bit boring at points … but overall, if you’re looking for an emotional listen with some interesting experimentation, I’d recommend this album. For me personally it’s a 5/10, but my scores are just based on how much/little I personally like the album. I’m intrigued to hear more from this artist.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Sometimes I look at strangers and wonder what their most…”, “Real life problems and their effect on the consumption of media”
Least Favourite Track: “There’s nothing out there for me.”

Vicarious Life by the apology club:

Here’s an artist I hadn’t heard of until recently. I saw this described as slowcore, and while that’s not really a genre I usually love, I do want to try exploring the genre a bit more, so I decided to give this album some listens and to include it here.

And I really like the style of the lyrics, with the kind of straightforwardness that is probably a lot less common than you’d think. It doesn’t feel disguised in metaphor or anything like that, it just feels like someone sharing a bunch of personal feelings for the first time without holding anything in.

And there are some dark moments here, such as the opener “school” which mentions a dream the narrator has had about hurting other people, and the narrator is wondering if that dream meant anything or not, a topic that continues into the next track, “what i might see”.

But I just can’t get into the way this sounds at all … compositionally, these songs just feel so boring to me. I’m not saying that to be mean or anything, I just personally find so little to like about the way this sounds, especially with the fogginess of the production.

And then there’s “Smoking/Dying” which almost feels like a pro-smoking anthem, which I’m sure wasn’t the point, but it does rub me the wrong way. And yes, whether or not you smoke should be a personal decision, but I think we all know smoking is a bad idea and the lyrics here kind of sound like this song is denying that.

So, overall … well, again, I like a lot of this album’s lyrics, but it’s just not resonating with me much emotionally. 6/10 for me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “School”, “What I Might See”, “It Felt Weird”
Least Favourite Track: “Smoking/Dying”

I Beg Your Pardon by Polarlicht:

So, this album is exactly a half hour long, and I guess you could call it a ‘harsh noise’ album … and I’m not really sure how to review this.

To me this just feels like a bunch of static with nothing interesting at all about it. Sure, there are some small details here and there that do feel artistic, but it’s a hard album for me to recommend … and I hate to say that, because I’m all for supporting smaller artists—and if you love super distorted sounds in music, maybe this’ll be up your alley—but I just couldn’t get into this at all and I don’t understand the appeal.

Maybe I’m missing something, and there’s more to this than I realize … but while this is listenable, I’m going to have to give it a 4/10, because it doesn’t grip me at all in any way.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 4/10
Favourite Tracks: N/A
Least Favourite Tracks: N/A

Wildergrave by Windark:

This is some atmospheric black metal by an act I hadn’t heard of until recently. And I’m not even sure if Windark is a solo artist or a band, but either way, I’m pretty sure this is the third Windark album … and unfortunately, I can’t really say it’s clicking for me.

I can’t comment on the lyrics here, as I couldn’t find them when I looked for them and I can’t hear what they are. But I do think it’s got some decent atmosphere to it, with the sort of airy sound that still gives the drums a lot of punch and the guitars some real firepower, and I also think this is mixed pretty well … but outside of the occasional moment, I don’t find the melodies to really click for me.

The basslines have some nice presence, helping these songs feel more complete … but there’s also the vocal production, which doesn’t really fit with the instrumentals in my opinion … there’s an odd feeling of disconnect there.

Again, there are some good moments—I especially like the rising synth melody on “Dark Wind Of A Forest Forgotten”—but as a whole, it’s just not really for me. It’s not very long, but it still doesn’t feel like it fully earns its running time to me. But I do kind of see the appeal of this … it’s a 6/10 for me, and I’d recommend it if you’re a fan of black metal … but even as a fan of black metal myself, this didn’t do a whole lot for me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Dark Wind Of A Forest Forgotten”, “Black Mountain Beyond The Moonlight”
Least Favourite Track: “Winter Grave Below The Forest Midnight”

All Of Heaven’s Luck by Rejoice:

Here’s a metal band who have been releasing music for at least a few years, but this is their official debut studio album … and you could argue it’s more of an EP, considering it’s not even twenty minutes long. Although I’m pretty sure it’s officially a studio album, so it’s eligible for this post.

And unfortunately it’s not really for me … don’t get me wrong, there are elements of this that I like—the drumming is good, the band sounds pretty locked in for the most part, and the lyrics about commodification are pretty powerful, and I especially like the line on “Bloodsucker”, ‘Bloodsucking was never lost as an art. They exchanged their fangs for credit cards.’

But to me this doesn’t feel like it’s really doing anything all that unique with this style of music, and there aren’t a lot of strong guitar melodies or catchy moments here.

Maybe I’m missing something, but especially considering I do often find the production pretty messy as well … I just can’t really call myself much of a fan of this. I think it’s decent, but I don’t love it … so, for me it’s a 6/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Bloodsucker”, “Burnt By Dusk”
Least Favourite Track: “Dancing On the Cross”

Hello, everyone! I can’t believe it’s 2024 already!

Well, now that all my year-end lists for 2023 are done (on time this year), I guess that means it’s time for me to start reviewing 2024 albums! I got right to work on 2024 reviews pretty much as soon as the calendar switched to 2024, and I’ve already got 10 mini reviews ready! (I very much used the strategy of mostly picking shorter albums.)

As always, these are just my own personal feelings on these albums. Feel free to disagree with me on any of these. None of this is an attempt to be mean or anything, even if I say something negative. It’s just me sharing how I personally feel about these albums.

Alright, let’s start with …

Kääös Ünlëäshëd by Dischurch:

I was looking for new albums to review, and I came across this short black metal album which I also saw some other genre descriptions of that intrigued me.

This is Dischurch’s second studio album, and I decided to listen to the first Dischurch album before listening to this one, that being 2020’s Ready To Die. I only listened to that album once and I couldn’t find the lyrics when I looked it up—and I can’t hear the lyrics—but overall my first impression of it is that it’s not really my cup of tea. But still, I wanted to go into this new album with an open mind, so I gave it some listens, and … well, I can’t really say this is doing much for me, either, and that’s after multiple listens.

I also couldn’t find the lyrics to this album when I looked them up, and I can’t hear them, either … but musically, this album often feels a lot messier that I would have liked, with the way the guitars feel kind of out of place with the rest of the production, with the scuzzy sound not quite hitting as hard for me as I think it’s supposed to.

And overall, this just doesn’t feel all that interesting to me. I can’t help but feel like I’ve heard this sound done over and over again, and at least to me it doesn’t feel like it really brings anything new to the table—yes, it combines metal, punk, and some other genres, but in my opinion it’s left feeling too all-over-the-place without bringing these sounds together into a satisfying whole. And, of course, whether or not it’s ‘bringing anything new to the table’ is subjective, as is the quality of the album, and I’m not going to pretend I know everything about music and how ‘original’ each album I listen to is … what I do know is that this doesn’t really make me want to go back to it. I don’t think it’s bad, but it’s definitely not for me. If you’re looking for some genre-combining metal, this might be for you, but I personally am feeling a 5/10 on this.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “The Beginning”, “Clarity & Defiance”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Dying From Inside”, “Rüin”

Letter to Self by SPRINTS:

I was seeing some acclaim online for this punk band from Ireland who just released their debut album Letter to Self. And while I’ve heard lots of punk albums in recent years that just haven’t clicked for me much, overall I am mostly a fan of the genre. So, did this debut album make me a fan of the band?

Well, I’ll admit I didn’t have super high expectations going into this, and I’m not really sure why … and it turns out I was pleasantly surprised, because this is some really solid punk music, often feeling like a post-punk album, and the kind of post-punk that I really like!

The distorted guitar has some real crunch to it as well as some strong guitar melodies that pair really well with the drumming, and the drums also sound great in the mix with lots of really nice snare hits that give the chugging grooves so much more energy, and the basslines fit well with the mood of these songs.

Lead vocalist Karla Chubb mentioned ‘rising against the powers that be,’ seeming to be implying that’s a lot of what this album is about, and I think it approaches these subjects with some real teeth, and I think ‘the powers that be’ could potentially not only be about politics, but also personal demons and one’s overall surroundings, like the angsty frustration with being misperceived on “Cathedral”, or the cry for help of “Shadow of a Doubt” which features arguably the best vocal performance on the whole album!

Overall, there are some really potent moments here, like “Adore Adore Adore” which just feels like a huge middle finger to misogyny—and it’s kind of ironic considering the ‘Bechdel test’ line on “A Wreck (A Mess)”, although that line clearly isn’t meant seriously. And “Shaking Their Hands” is a musically tense track with the warbly guitar and eerie vocal melodies that fit with the cryptic lyrics like, ‘I’m counting the minutes until the clock strikes six.’

Also, keep in mind I could totally be interpreting these songs wrong. But I’m just telling you how I hear them.

I do think a decent amount of these songs could go off a lot harder with a little more musical experimentation and giving certain elements more presence, and the interpolation of Weezer’s “Undone – The Sweater Song” on “Ticking” is actually really annoying—terrible way to start the album in my opinion—even though that song does have some pretty killer guitar distortion later on. But still, as a whole … I think it’s the first legit really good album I’ve reviewed in 2024!

It does take a little bit to really get going if you ask me, but if you’re looking for some hard-hitting punk rock with a lot of power and angst which combine for a pummeling listen in which the band sounds very locked in with each other, I’d very much recommend this album! Light 7.5/10 for me!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Shaking Their Hands”, “Adore Adore Adore”, “Shadow of a Doubt”, “A Wreck (A Mess)”
Least Favourite Track: “Ticking”

Black Hole by park zero:

This is my second time reviewing a park zero album on this website, the first of which was a little under a year ago when I reviewed her album M, which is still the only park zero album I’ve listened to aside from this new one. And while I was not a fan of that album at all, I was still curious to hear this new album.

And I do like this quite a bit more! It’s got a much more ethereal sound that fits well with the kind of vapourwave-esque synths throughout this album, and it doesn’t have the same annoying moments as M.

But I’m still not super wowed. The vibes aren’t as strong as I’d like them to be, not really bringing much imagery to my mind or really making me feel all that much. I’m low-key fascinated by the sound, but I say ‘low-key’ because really this feels a lot like albums I’ve heard before.

There are samples used on this album, and I’m not entirely sure where they are, but still there seems to be a lot of attempted creativity here, and while it didn’t really work for me, you might find this a lot more interesting—I mean, it doesn’t feel like a super ‘creative’ album to me, but that’s subjective, and I can kind of see the appeal of this album.

And thus, for me it’s a 6/10. I don’t find it super interesting personally, but I guess I find it kind of nice while it’s on … so, overall, I think it’s decent, and I’d recommend it.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Black Hole”, “Window Pane”, “Summer Vacation”
Least Favourite Track: “Planet Xeno”

rabiscos by Bruno Medeiros:

I saw this described as a ‘sound collage’, and while that’s far from my favourite style of music, there are albums in that style that have really clicked for me.

But I feel like I’m at a distance from this album … because as much as there is creativity here, it’s really not doing much for me at all. There’s no real strong feeling I get from listening to this album … which means I don’t dislike it. I just don’t really like it, either.

If you’re a fan of sound collage albums I think you might end up really liking this, but to me it doesn’t feel like these passages/sounds really connect in a way where it feels like it’s creating its own world. And a lot of it just bores me.

So, for me it’s a 5/10. I like some of the more musical moments on the album, but the rest just isn’t doing much for me at all. A bit of a cool experiment here, but it doesn’t feel as fully fleshed out to me as I’d like. Still, though, to fans of this style, you might find way more to like about it than me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Track: “rabisco 2”
Least Favourite Track: “rabisco 1”

No Scavenging by Artifact Memory:

This is the first album from 2024 that I listened to, and it’s the follow-up to his debut album which dropped only a few months ago, in October of 2023. And I’m not gonna lie, it feels too soon for me to check that album out now, just days after posting my list of my favourite albums of 2023, just in case it turns out to be great and I end up wishing I’d heard it just slightly sooner—is it a bad reason not to listen to it? Yeah, it probably is, but I don’t care.

But based on this, I highly doubt I would’ve ended up liking that album that much anyway, considering the fact that I’m not really a big fan of this album. It’s an experimental ambient album which features a very jumpy sound, with the percussion not having any sort of steady rhythm to it, and honestly just sounding more like a YouTube video of someone making music with household items … and the synths have a similar style of arrangement.

And it’s not bad, but it’s not really my cup of tea. The tones of a lot of these sounds are nice, and I think the mixing is pretty solid … although I don’t really like how abbreviated the synth hits are.

But at the end of the day, this doesn’t feel like it’s trying too hard to be out of the ordinary, while also not feeling like it’s trying to be trendy, even within the smaller scope of glitchy, ambient/sound collage albums … it feels more like he’s just doing his thing, having fun with these sounds. And not only do I respect that, but it makes for a mildly enjoyable listen, too! If you’re looking for some glitchy ambient music that feels pretty much the furthest thing from ‘accessible’, I think this is worth a shot! For me it’s a 6/10, as it doesn’t really wow me, but I don’t think it’s a total dud, either.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Clock Drift”, “Angels in Disguise”, “No Scavenging”
Least Favourite Track: “Disclosure Triangle”

Sipai by Michiru Aoyama:

This is one of two albums Michiru Aoyama released to start the year, and every song is pretty much the same exact length, which I find interesting.

Anyway, this is my first time listening to a Michiru Aoyama album … and to me it sounds mostly bland, without a lot really gripping me. But I can kind of see the appeal of this sort of dreamy ambient music, with some nice guitar plucking (at least I think that’s the right way of describing it) on some of these tracks.

I’m not a huge fan of the synth timbres—they just don’t really feel all that interesting to me with this production—but for a certain mood, while it’s not really my thing, I see how it could work, maybe as a calming album to listen to before bed.

It’s got a slightly enchanting vibe to it—very strong emphasis on ‘slightly’—which has some similarities to some music that I really love, but in this case I’m just left feeling underwhelmed as it does feel like it could use some huge buildup at some point, but it never happens.

But again, for a certain mood, I can see the appeal of this … it’s just not really for me. I’ll give it a 5/10, but if you really like ambient music, while I’m an ambient music fan and it didn’t click for me, I still think it’s probably worth hearing.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Kaihatuhi”, “Team”, “Dokonokuni”
Least Favourite Track: “Kitaisinai”

Imaginary Friends by Clean & Rich:

Here’s a sound collage album from this duo I’d never heard of until just recently. It’s their third album, and while this album uses samples, I don’t know exactly where all the samples are—although I would guess it’s a lot of the spoken parts of the album.

Anyway, I can’t really say this is my style of ambient music. It feels mostly like a bunch of elements put together that don’t have anything to do with each other. And while I get why someone might like this, it is not for me at all.

And it’s not like I’m usually a huge fan of the instrumental timbres here anyway, with the synths often having an oddly thin sound to them that I don’t really like, especially with the sound of the percussion feeling out of place.

There is the occasional good melody or interesting moment, and I can kind of see the appeal … but for me it’s a light 5/10. If you love sound collage albums you might really like it, but it’s not for me at all.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Imaginary Friends”, “The Grand Prix”
Least Favourite Track: “Nice to Know Someone Cares”

One More Night in Absalom by Evergreen Avenue:

I’m pretty sure this is the fifth album I’ve reviewed by Evergreen Avenue, an artist whose music I discovered when looking for short instrumental ambient albums last year, and like with the other Evergreen Avenue albums I’ve reviewed, it’s fairly short and only consists of one track—although the one track is over half an hour. So, I can’t pick favourite and least favourite tracks.

And while I haven’t loved the music I’ve heard from Evergreen Avenue, I have at least been slightly intrigued, and when it comes to this album … well, there are some nice textures, with the way the different layers bend around each other in the mix, creating a subtly stormy vibe.

But I’m also not going to pretend this really had much of an impact on me. To me it mostly just feels like background music, and I personally don’t find it all that gripping. And some of the higher-frequency sounds do feel a little bit annoying and are a little hard to unhear, as they can kind of ruin the atmosphere.

But still, I don’t think this is a bad album, and at points it brings me feelings of nostalgia. And again, as background music it feels like it would be mildly pleasant, but I don’t think I’m going back to it, at least not anytime soon. So, for me it’s a 6/10. I’m still yet to hear an Evergreen Avenue album that really clicks for me … but if you want some instrumental ambient music with some nice textures with well-produced synth timbres, this might do the job.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: N/A
Least Favourite Tracks: N/A

Bicycle by Patricia Taxxon:

American musician, producer, and singer Patricia Taxxon has a new album out that was released on the first day of the year, and while I haven’t listened to much of her music, the one other album of hers I’ve listened to in full is 2022’s Aeroplane, which is among my favourite albums of that year!

And thus, I was very excited to check out this new album of hers … and yet I can’t really call myself much of a fan of this album. I don’t think it’s bad, but it’s not hitting as strongly for me as Aeroplane, and honestly it’s not even close. Now, of course, I should acknowledge that Aeroplane is an absolutely fantastic album that creates so many incredible moods with lots of experimentation and excellent production, so it is a hard album to top … but I’m surprised at just how much less I ended up liking this album.

And first of all I want to talk about the production, with the synths often having a much more liquidy sound than I would’ve liked, making it feel less organic and making it feel more distant from the percussion, which isn’t what I really want to hear on an electronic dance album. It really kills the mood of these tracks in my opinion. And while I think the low-end is mostly pretty solid here, the instrumental timbres don’t connect together as well as I would have liked, and the mixing feels inconsistent.

And the percussion in general could be a lot stronger if you ask me, as it often feels out of place to me in a lot of these songs, although maybe it’s just because of the synths, I’m not sure. But still, there are definitely some elements of the percussion I don’t really like, such as its distracting business in “Cavalry”, and also that annoying clicking in the background of “Furry”.

Now, I will say I do like some of the melodies here, and the last two tracks are legit really good, but it also doesn’t feel like an album I’ll probably revisit much.

So, at the end of the day … yeah, this is not for me. I’ll give it a 6/10 in large part because I do think it ends pretty strong, but as a whole it was a disappointment for me. Just being honest here.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Frat Claws”, “Big Wheel”, “I Do”
Least Favourite Track: “Chipshop”

Faith and the Vessel by Kinoteki:

Up until recently, I hadn’t heard of Kinoteki, a solo artist who’s been pretty consistently releasing at least one album a year under this name for the past few years. And I decided to quickly check out 2022’s Human Noise and 2023’s Dawn of the Final Hour before going into this album—to explain why I did this despite what I said earlier about listening to 2023 albums this early in the year … well, I forgot in this case. Anyway I mostly liked what I heard, which made me curious to check out this album …

And unfortunately it’s just not really grabbing my attention all that much. Kinoteki has talked about the concept behind this album, with a cultural capital known as The Vessel, and the main character, Faith, is looking for an escape and feeling controlled. I hope I explained that all accurately, otherwise you can read the description on Bandcamp.

But this album is mostly instrumental, and I find it hard to connect it to that concept because of that. And this is something that is a case-by-case basis for me, but it’s similar to how I often struggle to get into music in languages I don’t know, even if I’ve seen the translation—it doesn’t make it worse, but I personally have a harder time getting into it.

I do mostly like the breakbeat percussion, especially against those glossy synths in “BB/Heart+Soul” and the ethereal vibes all throughout “Foreverfaith”.

And overall the bass sounds good in the mix, too, providing some really nice texture, but overall there’s just not a whole lot about this album that really draws me to go back to it. It feels like an album with an appearance of grandness, and while I understand how you might hear it that way—especially if you don’t separate it from its concept—to me it just doesn’t feel as huge or epic as I think it’s trying to be.

And then with the overly loud percussion and the unpleasantly meaty synths in “Bystander (Everyone’s Dead)” … I just can’t rate this higher than a 6/10. If you love mostly instrumental electronic music it might be up your alley, but I just couldn’t really get into it.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “BB/Heart+Soul”, “Struggle (But I’ll Try)”, “Foreverfaith”
Least Favourite Track: “Bystander (Everyone’s Dead)”

Hi, everyone! Welcome to part 2 of my top 100 favourite songs of 2023! I highly recommend if you’re going to read this post that you read part 1 (100-51) first, or at the very least that you read the intro of that post, as it has the eligibility rules and stuff like that. Also, there may be spoilers of 100-51 in this post.

Anyway, let’s continue:

#50: “curtains” by Kara Jackson

This isn’t one of the most ‘out there’ songs on Kara Jackson’s new album, but it’s still phenomenal! Kara’s vocals are excellent, just like on the rest of the album, and there’s so much excellent layering in the production, with those backing vocals sounding absolutely gorgeous!

#49: “Be On Your Way” by Daughter

Like I talked about in my albums list, Daughter guitarist Igor Haefeli mentioned emotional maturity when discussing this album, and I think this track is a great example of that, with the narrator clearly missing a particular individual—probably a former romantic partner—but having the maturity to accept the fact that the relationship is over and the person has moved on … and there’s a little bit of hope that maybe things will work out again between them, but if not it’ll be okay.

And with such gorgeous strings and vocals, with amazing production, I think this is one of the best songs I’ve heard all year! Absolutely incredible stuff!

#48: “Evidence” by Sampha

Like I said earlier, Sampha’s vocals throughout this album are absolutely phenomenal, and this is another amazingly well produced song!

And I really like the lyrics that seem to be about Sampha’s daughter and seeing the positives in life despite all the terrible things happening in the world. It’s not a song that really gives me a whole lot to say, but if you hear it there’s a good chance you’ll understand why it’s here!

#47: “Butchered Tongue” by Hozier

I’ll admit I’m not the biggest Hozier fan, but I think this year he made his best album to date, and also his best song to date (of the ones I’ve heard, and I’ve heard all his studio albums) in “Butchered Tongue”, a song about the 1798 Wexford Rebellion which has a really creative double-meaning in the chorus.

#46: “Fawning” by East of the Wall

Alright, I didn’t love East of the Wall’s newest album, but this is a super hard-hitting track with excellent musicianship and a snare that sounds fantastic in the mix!

#45: “Rapper Weed” by billy woods & Kenny Segal

This is some excellent abstract hip hop from billy woods and Kenny Segal—not the last of them we’ll see on this list—and there are so many excellent rhymes and flows here, along with some great lyrics full of clever lines!

#44: “Madres” by Sofia Kourtesis

One of the best album openers of the year that I’ve heard is the title track from Sofia Kourtesis’ excellent debut studio album Madres. The vocals are incredible, and the production has such a nice, warm vibe to it that creates for a calm dance song—I mean, I wouldn’t usually want a dance song to be calm, but in this case it really works! This song kind of has a similar magic to it as Taylor Swift’s “mirrorball”, another song I absolutely love, except this one is much more upbeat and joyful … and honestly, I like this even better than “mirrorball”—that’s extremely high praise!

#43: “I bled on stage at first ave” by Open Mike Eagle 

And speaking of album openers, this is one of the most experimental rap songs I have heard all year—and yes, I did listen to and review SCARING THE HOES by Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA. I love the kind of jumpy feeling of this song, and there are so many great rhymes here, too! And the production is fantastic, with those awesome snares and an overall slightly glitchy feeling to the production!

#42: “Night After Night” by Julia Holter & Spektral Quartet

One of the most beautiful songs from this album, “Night After Night” is full of more incredible storytelling with some absolutely incredible strings, and everything sounds pretty much perfect in the mix! And Julia Holter’s vocals are fantastic!

#41: “Party” by Daughter

But this is my favourite song from Daughter’s newest album. Lead singer Elena Tonra said this song was written about her decision to give up alcohol, a decision she made years before this, and while she probably made the right choice, there’s still a sense of guilt in this song—or maybe not even guilt, but just wondering what would’ve happened if she hadn’t quit drinking. At least that’s how I interpret it, and either way, it’s a beautiful track!

Also, the guitar distortion is excellent, the snare sounds awesome, and I don’t even know what to say about that first transition into the chorus!

#40: “Dragonborn” by Twilight Force

I wasn’t a huge fan of Twilight Force’s album from 2023, but “Dragonborn” has always been the big standout on that album for me ever since I reviewed it! This is incredibly fun, soaring power metal which has the awesome production to make it really go off like it’s supposed to! And those vocal melodies are awesome, and so are the vocals and the vocal layering!

#39: “Boy in the Storm” by Grandbrothers

This piece has a very nostalgic feeling to it for me. Yes, it came out in 2023, and it was less than a year ago that I heard this track for the first time, but something about those pianos (which sound incredibly well miked, by the way) just brings me back to my childhood in a way that very few songs are able to do.

It’s a phenomenal closing track to a top tier 2023 album for me, and it absolutely blew my mind!

#38: “Running” by Snõõper

So, you could argue maybe this shouldn’t be eligible, because a shorter version of this song was released a few years ago. But I’m pretty sure this full-length version wasn’t released until 2023, so I’m counting it as eligible. And it’s by far the longest song on Snõõper’s newest album at almost five and a half minutes.

And it’s a really fun, catchy punk track with awesome percussion, great vocal effects, and great guitar that adds so much more flavour!

#37: “Locals (Girls like us)” by underscores & gabby start

Well … this is quite something, that’s for sure!

I had a lot to say in my mini review of the newest underscores album, but if you want the short version … well, I don’t believe in music being objectively good or bad, but if I had to pick an album from this year that I genuinely think is really great but that I don’t like all that much, it’s probably that album.

Although “Locals (Girls like us)” is a track that I absolutely love, with the super catchy chorus as well as that awesome loop of ‘arms, body, legs, flesh, skin, bone, sinew, good luck’ that is also incredibly catchy!

I love how underscores plays two characters in this song, and gabby start’s guest verse is amazing, too! It’s one of the most unique songs I’ve heard all year, and also one of the best!

#36: “Soundcheck” by billy woods & Kenny Segal (ft. Quelle Chris)

I love that driving keyboard in the instrumental which sounds excellent when paired with the percussion, and billy woods once again delivers some fascinating lyrics with many potential interpretations, and his flows are great, too, as are Quelle Chris’s!

#35: “Without a Whisper” by Invent Animate

Invent Aminate’s guitarist Keaton Goldwire said this was about his grandmother’s passing, and it’s a heartbreaking, emotional listen in which the great guitar groove doesn’t feel out of place for some reason. The vocals are incredible, and while I don’t think the lyrics are super deep, they are very effective at conveying emotions. Great song!

#34: “In Spite of War” by Yves Tumor

“In Spite of War” is a sinister post-punk track with some of the best groovy production I’ve heard from this year, and a chorus in which the blazing guitar washes over everything without feeling too overpowering, leading to a phenomenal effect! And the lyrics in which the narrator seems to be trying to ignore someone else’s dark side are very gripping!

#33: “NYC Tapwater” by billy woods & Kenny Segal

This is the moment on this album when billy woods returns home, and even aside from the great line near the start, ‘I miss this place ‘til I’m back,’ this song feels full of mixed emotions, where billy mentions ‘survivor’s guilt with a side of buyer’s remorse’, but he’s still trying to have a good time, while also wishing he had a different strain of weed. And there’s so much great imagery and storytelling here!

#32: “Fulfillment Center” by Protomartyr

This is the shortest song on Protomartyr’s newest album, but there’s so much packed into less than 2 minutes here!

It’s got a strange slightly upbeat sound with a strong feeling of bleakness to it as well, with the ambiguous lyrics with haunting storytelling which seems to be describing a dream, and unfulfilled desires.

#31: “d******d blues” by Kara Jackson

This is definitely one of the most creative self-love anthems of the year that I’ve heard, not only with the instrumentation that blends different styles really well and has great cohesivity between the different passages, but there are also a lot of really interesting metaphors and great lines, such as, ‘Damn, the dickhead blues, when you are stuck sinking in someone’s lagoon, like a spoon drowns in stew. What kind of meal are they making of you?’ That might be one of my favourite lyrics of 2023!

#30: “Meteora Blues” by Yves Tumor

Easily one of my favourite rock songs of 2023, “Meteora Blues” has some fantastic vocal melodies as well as great lyrics which seem to be showing the narrator’s desire to get back into an old relationship, and having hope for it despite the fact that it’s extremely unlikely … and whether or not having that hope is a good idea is really up to the listener. I mean, maybe that’s not what the song is about, so I guess the overall meaning of the song is up to the listener. But you know what I mean.

#29: “Wheel” by Victory Over the Sun

I totally understand how someone might just hear this as a noisy mess that has nothing to it … and yes, it is a noisy mess, I agree … well, in a way I agree. Because this is one of the hardest hitting metal tracks I’ve heard all year, and I think it’s incredibly experimental!

The vocals barely even sound like vocals and sound more like static, and the heavily distorted guitar has this super grimy feeling to it that fits incredibly well with this track! And there’s also those filthy snares that just hit so incredibly hard!

And by the way, the rest of the album absolutely rules as well, and I highly, highly recommend it!

#28: “American Daughter” by Beach House

But “Black Magic” isn’t the best song Beach House put out this year, because “American Daughter” has some of the best production I’ve heard all year, with absolutely phenomenal synths that have such a great, sharp sound to them but not too much that they become overpowering. And I love how the percussion subtly adds so much to the track!

#27: “Shed That Fear” by Nourished by Time

Glossy synths and great percussion go together really well on this upbeat track about not letting fear get in the way of enjoying life, and the vocal melodies are really strong, too, with a great chorus that makes this song a lot more fun!

#26: “Tell Me” by James Blake

James Blake’s newest album, while not quite great in my opinion, definitely doesn’t lack strong moments … and this song is a difficult one for me to talk about. So, I’ll just keep it really brief and say you can pretty much copy/paste what I said about Sleep Token’s “DYWTYLM”, except I think this one hits even harder for me.

#25: “Unobtainium” by Spunkshine

One of the best instrumental pieces I’ve heard all year—well, mostly instrumental—“Unobtainium” is full of great hypnotizing repetition and awesome synths that wash over you, and the slightly airy production gives this song so much more atmosphere, while still having a bit of a grimy sound to it that I think works super well!

#24: “Ghost” by Lydia Loveless

There are certain songs where I feel like I found them at just the right time, and for as uplifting and gorgeous as this song is, it’s also heartbreaking. It describes the narrator as a ghost, who’s feeling free, with the refrain of, ‘Now that I’m dead, nothing’s gonna stand in my way again.’ And yet, there’s this sense of sadness with the way this song sounds, which could represent the fact that the narrator is wishing to still be alive.

It’s a very creative song, and the production fits super well with Lydia Loveless’s gorgeous vocals!

#23: “World Outside” by Oneohtrix Point Never

The stormy, glitchy intro of this track might be a top 10 musical moment for me in 2023! But that’s not to say the rest of the song is a total waste, because when it’s this well produced and experimental … yeah, easily the biggest standout from the album for me, and one of my favourite songs of the year!

#22: “Rain Garden” by Protomartyr

That’s right! Yet another Protomartyr song! Although I don’t think that’ll come as a surprise considering how high their newest album was on my albums list.

This has one of Joe Casey’s best vocal performances on the album, and it’s such an excellent closing track to the album, as he shows a lot of self-love, and this song feels like a moment of clarity that closes this messy, complex album!

#21: “Spend The Grace” by Full of Hell & Nothing

This is the closing track to one of my favourite albums of 2023, and it’s got such an excellent build to it with so many small production details that work so goddamn well! The crunch in the guitar distortion, the way the screams and guitars blend together, the strong presence of the bass that just creeps beneath the surface … and it’s all mixed incredibly well, too!

#20: “Moving Houses” by Sofia Kourtesis

This might be one of the most experimental songs I’ve heard all year, and I think it’s phenomenal! The haunting vocal effect, what sounds like a fire crackling, and those eerie synths are all combined to create a track that feels surrounded by mystery, and I’m totally here for it!

#19: “My Song Will Never Die” by Luke Combs

Luke Combs’ newest album Gettin’ Old was such a big improvement over its predecessor in my opinion, and “My Song Will Never Die” is easily my favourite track from the album! It’s just such a sweet song in which Luke Combs knows he’ll eventually die one day, but he hopes his music will live on forever. I think it’s a pretty simple song, but it’s just such a comforting listen that I absolutely love!

#18: “Dancing Circles” by Sampha

This has to be one of the most haunting songs of the year that I’ve heard, with the staccato piano that feels like the driving force of this song, and the amazing vocal melodies, all of which add up to a song that feels like a moment in time, giving the feeling of uncertainty and fear of what’s going to happen next, and whether or not that was intentional I think it hits incredibly hard!

#17: “Primal Sinister” by Closure In Moscow

This is an incredibly funky rock track with an absolutely awesome bass, with a brilliant guitar solo toward the end of the track, and one of the catchiest choruses of the year! The grooves are awesome, and the combination of the music and lyrics creates what sounds like it would be an awesome movie soundtrack song!

#16: “Speedracer” by Teenage Dads

This might not seem like the type of song you’d expect me to put on this list, especially this high, but I was so happy to discover this song, which is a total bop!

I mean, yeah, it’s kind of kooky in a playful way that made a lot of early 2010s hit songs incredibly obnoxious, but I think it’s a big part of what gives this so much charm, because what made a lot of that music so annoying is the lack of substance, which, in this style, can make for a very unpleasant listen. But with such an awesome, catchy hook and extremely strong vocal melodies, it sends this song to the moon!

And it’s brought to another level entirely with some absolutely incredible production, which gives the clean guitars a lot of bite, and that pause in the chorus right before that great snare is the cherry on top!

#15: “I Live in a Small Town” by Flyying Colours

I couldn’t find the lyrics to this song when I looked them up, although I can hear some of them, and based on what I can hear, the music fits well with the lyrics!

And the main guitar melody of this song is awesome, too, as are the vocal melodies! This song just washes over you in the best way!

#14: “Pontius Pilate’s Home Movies” by The New Pornographers

Here’s one of the biggest bangers of the year if you ask me, with those booming kick drum hits, what might be one of my favourite basslines of the year, and excellent vocals … and then there’s the first chorus and the transition into the verse where everything just builds incredibly well—and the horns add so much as well!

And I love the imagery used in this song, especially in the chorus!

#13: “Tiny Holes” by Spektral Quartet & Julia Holter

This is an extremely unique song which seems to be about trypophobia, and it seems to be trying to untangle what caused it for someone. And aside from that I don’t really know what else to say, because you can’t understand just how haunting this track is without hearing it!

#12: “Chipping Mill” by Turnpike Troubadours

I’m not quite sure what it is about this song that makes me love it this much … but it’s just such a nice, sweet love song with excellent melodies and great production! And the vocals are great, too!

And I love how busy the instrumentation is in the chorus, with nothing feeling out of place!

#11: “How Music Makes You Feel Better” by Sofia Kourtesis

This song feels like it’s transporting me to another universe! And it’s so magical!

The synth sounds absolutely beautiful with that awesome clicking percussion, and the busy hi-hat adds so much subtle texture to make this song way more danceable!

There are so many small details here that create such a calming song that feels perfect to listen to after a long, hard day—fitting for a song with this title.

#10: “Cat and Mouse With the Light” by The New Pornographers

As much as I love “Pontius Pilate’s Home Movies”, this is my favourite song from this New Pornographers album. Lyrically, this song seems to at least partially be about fame, and the dark side of it that many people want to try and deny, and how celebrities are often viewed more as objects than as people. But the writing shows the complex emotions the narrator is feeling, kind of wanting the attention but kind of not. And the simile of the ‘inside trading’ line is very clever!

And with the possible reference to cancel culture in the third verse, it adds even more complexity, as the narrator has somehow avoided controversy—which is hard to do when you’re famous!

But this song can’t escape its feeling of glamour which the narrator kind of doesn’t want to even acknowledge, but as Neko Case sings that incredibly sticky chorus which feels like an attempt by the narrator to try and deflect the attention away, those glossy keyboards are lurking beneath the surface!

And maybe I’m overthinking this, but that’s one thing I love about analyzing music—but even sonically alone, this is awesome! Not only does Neko Case give probably her best vocal performance on the album, but the melodies are really strong, and the percussion, while subtle, provides some real tightness to the feeling of the production. It’s a subtle behemoth of an indie rock song that’ll crush everything in its path! I don’t think you’ll want to miss this!

#9: “Daybreak” by Grandbrothers

This is the opening track from Late Reflections, and pretty much every moment of it is perfect. I don’t know how to describe it without just saying the same things I’ve said about so many other Grandbrothers songs on this list, although I’ve been saying similar things about a lot of the songs on this list in general. But still, I’m not going to repeat myself with this one … I’m just gonna say I highly recommend you listen to this one for yourself!

#8: “brain” by Kara Jackson

The acoustic guitar and the mellow electric guitar in this song go together incredibly well to create such a beautiful atmosphere that gives me feelings of nostalgia for whatever reason, and the vocal layering on top of all that is the cherry on top!

Once again, there’s more absolutely excellent poetry from Kara Jackson that just makes me wonder why I didn’t listen to this album sooner!

And with such a unique sound to it and phenomenal mixing that gives every element of the mix the right role, this just sounds absolutely breathtaking!

#7: “Daddy” by Nourished by Time

This might be the biggest bop on this entire list, and it’s probably my favourite dance song of the year! Not only are the glossy synths super fun to listen to, especially with that booming snare, but some of the refrains here are super sticky—it’s an earworm of a song!

And lyrically, for a song that seems to be about unrequited love, it’s surprisingly upbeat and not in a way that feels awkward. I mean, there are subtle moments that feel much more heartbreaking than what might meet the eye at first—most notably a line like, ‘I say ‘I love you’, you say ‘whatever’’ … but while Marcus’s deep vocals seem to have a touch of sadness, it doesn’t take away from the ‘fun’ elements of the song—it’s almost like he just has an attitude of, ‘whatever’, similarly to his love interest. It’s like he’d rather just move on and enjoy life regardless!

And to me that’s what it feels like this song represents—trying not to let things get you down too much … and if the other person wasn’t interested, it wasn’t meant to be.

And it’s also amazingly well produced and arranged, with the way the synths all find the right time to come in and to go away, and that hazy bass adds so much to the fun vibe of this!

And the polyphony of the synth and vocal melodies contributes to the contrasting moods this song pulls off so incredibly well! Again, this is probably my favourite dance song of 2023—maybe a bit of a strange choice, but absolutely an awesome one!

#6: “why does the earth give us people to love?” by Kara Jackson

The title track from Kara Jackson’s 2023 album feels like a frustration anthem, despite the fact that the music is very far from anthemic … instead, it’s very moody and downbeat, with the sombre acoustic guitar and vocal melodies.

And the lyrics are so powerful, with some great individual lines such as, ‘Why does the earth give us people to love, then take them away, out of reach?’ And whether you interpret it as being about death or just about people falling apart, the questioning of why things happen here is so powerful! And while this isn’t a new topic, the music really helps bring those feelings of uncertainty to life for the listener, especially with those absolutely gorgeous strings that feel like the silver lining of all this madness.

And Kara’s vocals on this song are some of the most haunting vocals I’ve heard all year—the sense of helplessness here is heartbreaking, with all of this coming back to that main question about all this: why?

And this would be an opportunity for her to show acceptance of the fact that we can’t really have all the answers … and yet, I think it makes this song hit so much harder because she doesn’t do that here, instead opting for lines such as, ‘Like aiming arrows at my eye, scraping the skin off of my thigh, trained my corneas not to cry, but they will not obey this time.’ I mean, some songs just hit so fucking hard in a way that I feel like can’t be replicated, and this is one of them. It feels like it brings me back to the most haunting moods of my forest walks back in 2020 during the pandemic—and as many of the effects of the pandemic have not gone away, and won’t for a while, this song provides comfort to me, as uncomfortable as it is.

But while we’re on the topic of songs that evoke a sense of frustration …

#5: “Nursing Home Riot” by Home Is Where

This is totally unlike the first Home Is Where song on this list … and while the album is full of great tracks, and I think “Yes! Yes! A Thousand Times Yes!” is also among the best tracks I heard all year, “Nursing Home Riot” is leagues above the rest of the album for me!

When discussing this song, Brandon MacDonald mentioned well-meaning failures, which might be one of the most relatable song topics anyone could write about, but very few can find a way to make a song on that topic that hits this hard for me … but to me, this song is so much deeper, and the center of it all is the chorus: ‘I’m trying to show you I’m trying’—which is the way I personally hear it, with no comma in that sentence … and if you hear it the same way I do, regardless of what was intended, it feels like her ego is struggling with the possibility that people might see her good intentions the wrong way, and that’s scary to think about!

And I honestly wonder if the ‘I’ in the chorus is the same as the ‘you’ in the verses, as if the verses are narrated by someone else, with the implied guilt of a hunter and the eerie imagery of the glow of the television from the distance. But it also could be the guilt of someone for judging the hunter who’s just trying to survive—and I’m not going to get into the complicated conversation about hunting for food, and whether or not eating meat is wrong … it’s great to have conversations about these kinds of things, but I don’t think that’s the point of this song. But there’s no doubt to me that this is a messy situation, and with Brandon’s vocals in the chorus, it really feels like the narrator is showing fear of disapproval from others.

And I don’t think there’s a better way to really express this mood than with the bass that adds to the emotional heaviness, the drums that add some real crunch, and those excellent guitars that wash over the listener, and that chorus just fucking rules! The way the vocals are buried in the chorus just adds to that fearful urgency of the song!

Once again, I’m probably totally overthinking all of this and completely misunderstanding it … but I hear it how I hear it, and this specific kind of bleakness in a song, while it came out of nowhere for me, it really hits hard! Although it’s not quite my favourite song of the year to possibly have something to do with the moral dilemma of hunting for food … but we’ll get to that very soon.

#4: “Fading” by The River

You may remember my mini review of A Hollow Full of Hope, and while I gave it a 6/10, I think it might have been one of those extremely rare cases of an album in which just the difference in quality between the opening track and the rest of the album feels like a weakness in the album … but I’m still super glad I heard the album, because if I had to pick a most ‘beautiful’ song of 2023, it’s probably this one.

And while I couldn’t find the lyrics for this and can only make out what some of them are—and thus it’s harder for me to analyze—this is a haunting song that feels like it might be about the passage of time, potentially describing someone being close to death, one potential meaning of the line, ‘The light is fading.’ And I can’t really find the words to describe the way this makes me feel or why it makes me feel that way … really, it’s a song that needs to be heard to be believed.

#3: “The Rut” by Turnpike Troubadours

But now for a bit more optimism—although the bleakness is still here—we have my favourite song from the newest Turnpike Troubadours album, and easily one of the biggest highlights of my year, music or otherwise!

And with the lyrics about hunting for food—again, I don’t want to get into that morally complex conversation right now—I wonder if there’s supposed to be a sense of guilt here, and even if there isn’t, I still kind of hear it as if there is, potentially being what the narrator is trying to escape from, regardless of whether or not you agree with hunting for food.

But whatever is causing this rut the narrator is in—and keep in mind there may be a double-meaning of the word ‘rut’ considering the lyrics about wildlife—it’s a song of optimism and determination. I don’t think it’s a very complicated song, but with such gorgeous production and melodies that fit so incredibly well in a song in which things aren’t all that much better, but the narrator is determined to make sure they will be … well, there are so many moments in 2023 in which this resonated for me so deeply for reasons I don’t fully feel like getting into right now. It’s an incredibly special song to me that feels so much more uplifting than so many other songs in this vein, for reasons even I don’t fully understand. But if you want bleakness …

#2: “How To Swim Down” by Svalbard

I’m not as huge a fan of Svalbard’s newest album as a lot of critics are—I think it’s really, really good, but not quite great—but … holy fuck. This song just rips my heart out every time. It’s so goddamn beautiful and it’s so fucking heartbreaking at the same time—and everything falls into place perfectly. I’m not sure if I believe in perfect songs or not, but at the very least this is incredibly close to perfection, if not true perfection.

Vocalist Serena Cherry said this song is about unrequited love, but honestly, to me, the point isn’t what this song is about … it’s what this song makes me feel. I still feel like there are many ways these words can be interpreted, and it’s the kind of crushing black metal song—if this even counts as black metal—that I’m still shocked by. How does anyone make music this fucking phenomenal?

And honestly, this pretty much feels like peak music, the sort of song that you’re never going to find just from looking for it, because when would I ever expect to love a specific song quite this much? And all of this brings up the question: what could possibly top this?

Well …

#1: “Michael Keaton” by Ruston Kelly

If you remember my lukewarm-at-best review of Ruston Kelly’s 2023 album The Weakness, you’ll probably be surprised by this choice. But the more I thought about it, the less I could deny just how much this song resonated for me. And it got to the point where I had a gut feeling for months that nothing would top this for me this year, and here we are now, as I’m naming this my #1 favourite song of 2023! And it actually caused me to recently revisit the entire album start to finish to see if I had missed something—and while the album is partially about his divorce, and there’s a lot of emotion, the album still isn’t clicking for me as a whole, and I stand by my original review.

But “Michael Keaton” is a song that’s so incredibly special to me, and it absolutely ruled my year! And look, I’m obviously not some sort of music god who sets the standard for what music is good and what music is bad—nobody is, and even if anyone was it wouldn’t be me, as I don’t think I’m nearly as good at analyzing music as a lot of people are … but even if I tried to pretend that I am that kind of music reviewing god, it wouldn’t work with the placement of this song here, because its placement at #1, while I think it says a ton about the song itself, might say more about me than anything.

I mean, first of all, it’s got such a nostalgic feeling for me, as it feels very reminiscent of the kind of music I listened to as a kid, with the blazing acoustic guitar, the catchy chorus, and the indie rock groove, even though I feel like this is mostly a country song. And with such specific lyrics all throughout this song that risk coming across as cheesy or corny, it honestly makes it all the more magical to me, maybe in part because of the nostalgia factor and it reminding me of specific songs from my childhood, but there’s a specific charm to it that very few songs can really pull off … and this song doesn’t just pull that off incredibly well, it transcends what feels possible with just how well every line fits perfectly!

And speaking of the lyrics … Ruston Kelly told Consequence this song was written when he tried to use CBD, but he didn’t realize he had accidentally bought a Delta-8 joint, and if I understand his wording correctly he wrote this that night when he accidentally got high, and I can hear it even as someone who has never gotten high before.

And first of all, the storytelling here is great, starting by setting the scene. In that interview with Consequence, Ruston Kelly also said this song was written when he was attempting to date and realized he wasn’t ready for that, which potentially implies the ‘she’ in the first verse might refer to someone he started dating and it didn’t work out, and now they’ve both moved on and are doing their own thing.

And then he mentions accidentally getting high, and wondering whether or not it would be genocide if Doug Kinney—portrayed by Michael Keaton—had committed suicide in the famous 1996 science fiction film Multiplicity, in which Doug creates duplicate versions of himself. And as random as this is, it absolutely works to add to the sense of haziness with his mind wandering to the most bizarre places, and it also makes the song even catchier!

But then there’s another person in the story, described with the pronoun ‘you’ … and who this person is doesn’t seem to really matter here, because it’s all about the narrator’s attitude. Although one of my favourite music critics mentioned the possibility that the ‘you’ in this song might be himself, and I like that interpretation as well. And this person is trying to get over a breakup and asks him for help, and while it seems like this person is taking all their problems out on him and won’t leave him alone even when he tries his best to help, it could also be interpreted that he doesn’t even try to help and is overreacting at someone innocently being emotional, with the line ‘now you’re tryin’ to take my words for ransom’ potentially being interpreted as an exaggeration. And, of course, all of this is up for debate and open to interpretation, but the reckless abandon of the narrator’s attitude here feels like it represents that douchey part of (probably) all of us that loves being careless and self-centered, feeling like you’re against the world. Because it’s also not made clear that he even showed any sympathy for this person in the first place, and when he says he’s going to set the house on fire … well, usually that would be the kind of line in a song where despite the fact I know it’s not meant literally it would still hurt the song in my opinion … and yet, here it doesn’t. In fact, the melodrama amplifies that reckless abandon that makes this song so incredibly special to me!

And I’ve barely even talked about the way this song sounds, and it sounds awesome! The guitar sounds absolutely phenomenal, and I love the way each verse feels like it builds on the last, the drums sound excellent, with that super hard-hitting snare fitting with the chorus super well, the bassline is probably among my favourite basslines of the year, and it’s all so amazingly well produced, with all the timbres uniting to create such a heavenly sound that feels like gliding along in paradise, and the vocal performance just floors me, with the raspy delivery sounding incredible over this instrumental, with the way he belts out that final chorus! And the vocal layering adds so much awesome texture, it’s so goddamn amazing!

And that chorus … where do I even begin with that chorus? Even aside from that absolutely killer perfect fourth in the bass when transitioning back into the verse, that chorus has got such a magical brightness to it, feeling like the cleanse I needed any time I felt guilty over the parts of myself I don’t like getting the best of me. And while this website doesn’t feel like the place for me to get really personal, I think I need to get somewhat personal to really explain why this song resonated with me so much. Because as much as I’ve tried to be a good person, I’ve still got a little bit of dickishness, like we probably all do. It’s a small part of myself, but one that does sometimes cause me to act in ways I end up regretting—I mean, that probably happens with all of us. But I know in my case it has on many occasions led to an intense feeling of guilt. And while I don’t want to glamourize bad behaviour, there’s probably at least a small part of all of us that I mentioned earlier that loves to pit ourselves against the rest of the world, and a song that feels like it acknowledges that in a better way than I could have imagined just resonated with me so deeply … and despite the likelihood that the other person in the story is also not being very respectful, this song still feels like the sort of douchey country song I didn’t know I needed in 2023!

And also, the mixing is fantastic, with all the instruments perfectly complementing each other, and it feels incredibly well balanced, especially to let that hook hit as hard as it does! And I haven’t even mentioned the awesome synths yet!

Even late in the year with my massive time crunch for getting all these year-end lists out, this song alone made me not only decide to revisit the whole album, an album I don’t like all that much, but I also rented and watched the movie Multiplicity, and it’s rare that I watch movies!

And just because a song is my most played of the year doesn’t necessarily make it my favourite of the year … although this was my most played song of 2023, and I don’t think it was particularly close, either, with all those late nights when I stayed up way later than I should have, and this felt like the perfect song to listen to! I’m not really sure what all of this says about me, but if I had to pick a song that felt like the anthem of my year in 2023, it’s “Michael Keaton” by Ruston Kelly, my favourite song of 2023!

…

Alright, before I wrap up this post, I want to talk a little bit about my plans for 2024 when it comes to reviews.

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this on this site yet or not, but I’m thinking about possibly switching to making my reviews in video form—you might actually see my face—whether that be YouTube or some other video form. Now, I’m not necessarily saying this will happen in 2024, but it might.

But for now, I’m just going to be going back to what I did in 2023, where I mostly post mini reviews with the occasional individual album review. In fact, I’ve already started working on some reviews of 2024 albums.

Also, while I reviewed over 315 albums in 2023, which is way more than I thought I would … I’d honestly like to set a goal for myself to review even more this year! Again, that’s a goal, which doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll reach that goal, but I want to try. And I’d also like to try and make my reviews better, too. It’ll be difficult, but I’m feeling ambitious.

Thank you so much to everyone who has read my posts over the last year—or ever, really—and of course, feel free to let me know your favourite songs of 2023 in the comment section!

And with that, I’ll be back soon with some mini reviews! Let’s see what 2024 brings!

Hello, everyone, and welcome to my final year-end list for 2023! (Which comes less than four months after my final year-end list for 2022 … wow.) Today, I’m counting down my top 100 favourite songs of 2023!

Despite the word ‘best’ in the title, really this is just a list of my own personal favourite songs of 2023, but that’s not as catchy a title. Music is subjective, and my list probably looks very different from yours.

The eligibility rules for this list is that the song has to have been released sometime from January 1st, 2023 and December 31st, 2023, whether its first release was on an album or as a single, or in some other way, like on an EP or something.

And maybe there are songs on here that were released earlier and I just didn’t realize, but that’s okay.

Also, keep in mind a lot of my lyrical analyzation is just me totally guessing things, or even making interpretations I’m pretty sure are wrong. And I’m not sure exactly how many of these lyrics are about personal stories, so if I refer to the artist, I very well could just be talking about the character the artist portrays (example: if I say, ‘in this song [insert artist name] wants to escape a relationship’). I think you get the point.

Also, I do keep a lot of these brief because I wanted to get this posted before too long, and it often can take some extra time and effort for me to figure out why songs make me feel the way they do. So, don’t expect super deep analysis here.

At the end of this post there will be a link to my top 50 of the year, but in this post I’ll just be going over the bottom half of the list … starting with:

#100: “Let’s Tip the Creator” by Protomartyr

We’re kicking off this list with some great alternative rock with an excellent bassline and great unique vocals from Protomartyr’s frontman Joe Casey, who brings so much personality to not only this track, but the entire album!

#99: “On Solid Ground” by Grandbrothers

This track doesn’t give me a whole lot to say, but it’s one of many awesome songs on Grandbrothers’ newest album, and it’s just got such an excellent vibe to it that feels magical!

#98: “Property Line” by Gabe Lee

This is easily one of the catchiest tracks on Gabe Lee’s newest album, and with the great storytelling and that awesome acoustic guitar, it makes for a great album closer!

#97: “Operator” by Yves Tumor

This track has a great groove, a great chorus, great production, and really interesting lyrics which seem to show the narrator trying to fix a broken relationship … this song has strong 80s vibes to it, and I think it rules!

#96: “Brain Capers” by Yo La Tengo

I’m just noticing now how similar “Operator” and “Brain Capers” sound … I mean, they don’t sound identical or anything, but they have a similar sound.

Anyway, I love that super sharp snare, and that super powerful bass really contributes a lot to this great groove! What a fantastic track!

#95: “An Equivalent Exchange” by Sleepsculptor

Those drums! The screaming! That awesome scuzzy guitar! It all sounds so excellent! I’m not usually a huge fan of this kind of metalcore that’s just full of nonstop heaviness and screaming, but this song goes incredibly hard!

#94: “North/South” by Grandbrothers

This was probably the biggest grower for me on Grandbrothers’ newest album, with the awesome staccato piano and sharp percussion, and also the unpredictability that still has the same magic once you know what’s coming!

#93: “HATEFUL” by HEALTH (ft. SIERRA)”

That synth groove absolutely rules, and I really like the dynamics of this track! I think you could describe it as ‘edgy in a fun way’, if that makes any sense … but honestly, if it sounded a tiny bit less compressed, this might even be in the top 50! There’s just so much to love about this track, especially with the excellent distortion and the way this song builds, as well as the vocal effect!

#92: “Who We Love” by Sam Smith & Ed Sheeran

Well, Sam Smith is making both my worst songs list and my best songs list, because as annoying as “Gimme” is, “Who We Love” is a beautiful collaboration with Ed Sheeran, who wasn’t far from making the list with songs from the first of his two albums from this year.

I don’t think there’s a whole lot to this song, but both singers give great vocal performances, it’s very well produced, and the lyrics are simple but effective, celebrating the LGBT+ community and celebrating all love.

#91: “What If You Hypnotise Me?” by Sampha (ft. Léa Sen)

I did a mini review of Sampha’s newest album not too long ago—by the way, I think the album’s great—and the penultimate track is absolutely excellent! The piano sounds gorgeous, Sampha’s vocals are incredible, and I love the production! But this isn’t my favourite song from the album … we’ll get to that later on.

#90: “Penthouse” by Kelsea Ballerini

This is a heartbreaking song that Kelsea Ballerini wrote about her divorce, and as simple as this track is, it’s an absolutely excellent track with fantastic production and so many lines that will tear at your heartstrings.

#89: “Effecting Local Realism” by Spunkshine

I wouldn’t say this is the most creative song on Spunkshine’s newest album, but it’s probably the most calming, with its beautiful synths and incredible atmosphere, and there are a lot of subtle details that really help this click for me a lot!

#88: “enknee1” by Hemlocke Springs

This is some excellent synth-pop with a super catchy, infectious chorus with a great vocal melody! And it’s really well produced, too!

I haven’t heard any other Hemlocke Springs music yet, but this is a great first impression for me!

#87: “Void Surfacing” by Invent Animate

There are more Invent Animate songs coming up on this list, but this one is still excellent in my opinion, with those absolutely killer guitar riffs, and the screams and production that make so much of this album so amazing!

#86: “Sweet” by feeble little horse

I reviewed feeble little horse’s newest album very positively, and this song has some of the best guitar work on the entire album! And it’s got such an eerie vibe to it while also being a lot of fun to listen to, with fascinating lyrics that are very open to interpretation!

It’s not my absolute favourite song on the album—we’ll get to that—but it’s still a phenomenal alternative rock track with a lot of punch to it, especially with those great snares!

#85: “Bloom” by Grandbrothers

I already talked about the newest Grandbrothers album in my list of my favourite albums of the year, and this is one of many unbelievably good songs from the album … the production is just so gorgeous, and the atmosphere it creates is incredible! I can’t really describe this song with words all that well, but it’s phenomenal!

#84: “Polacrilex Kid” by Protomartyr

This is one of the most pummeling post-punk tracks of the year that I’ve heard! The bass groove is awesome, there are great usages of repetition, and I love the thought-provoking lyrics, especially the line, ‘Can you hate yourself and still deserve love?’

#83: “Wet Vagina” by Doja Cat

I guess I should just get used to the fact that every year there’s going to be at least one song on this list which feels like a very controversial pick … but screw it, this song is a banger! I mean, you can laugh all you want about me putting a song called “Wet Vagina” on this list—in fact, I find it kind of funny, too—but those awesome synths fit really well with the awesome trap beat, and Doja Cat brings a ton of personality to this track, with great line after great line, and a super infectious chorus! I’m still not a fan of the album, but this song rules!

#82: “Amped” by Lil Uzi Vert

Sam Smith isn’t the only artist on both my best and worst list … and while Lil Uzi Vert’s 26-song album is kind of a mess in my opinion, with an album that long there’s a good chance you’re going to get at least one strong standout … and Uzi sounds awesome over this super well-produced instrumental with great percussion and awesome guitars!

#81: “Brass Bell” by Screaming Females

The distorted guitars, the powerful drums, and frontwoman Marissa Paternoster’s incredible vocals are only a few of the many fantastic things about this excellent album opener!

This is pretty much everything you can ask for in a rock song, and that guitar solo adds even more to the track! Lyrically, while there is clearly a lot of metaphor here, it all seems to relate to just being your authentic self, and while the lyrics go to some extremes which clearly are not meant to be taken literally, the music that goes absolutely wild fits with the lyrics, making this an incredibly fun time!

#80: “Black Magic” by Beach House

I decided to really quickly check out Beach House’s newest EP late in the year, considering how much I love their album from 2022 … and this song has a similar magic to it—no pun intended—as a lot of that album! It’s just pure bliss with such soothing vocals and synths, and it reminds me a lot of “The Bells”!

#79: “Boy of Stranger Things” by Ana Frango Elétrico

Ana Frango Elétrico’s album from this year wasn’t too far outside my top 50 of the year, and this is my favourite song from the album! It’s got such a fantastic chorus, and that bass groove is awesome, with the horns sounding pretty much perfect in the mix, creating a super fun track that seems like it would be awesome to see live!

#78: “30 Under 13” by Better Lovers

I’m not one to praise music simply for being heavy, but holy shit, this is some incredible heavy rock which hits like a ton of bricks! The ferocious vocals fit super well when combined with the excellent guitar distortion and drums, and the bass sounds awesome as well! And there’s so much variety packed into this four-minute song, it’s incredible!

#77: “Best” by Gracie Abrams

When I first hit play on Gracie Abrams’ newest album and I heard this opening track, I had a feeling the album was going to be great! It’s a breakup song where Gracie looks back at a past relationship and has to admit to mistreating her partner, and that she understands why this person regrets the relationship—and she also regrets it herself, wishing she’d done better. And I love so many of the small details here, most notably the line, ‘Used to lie to your face twenty times in a day. It was my little strange addiction.’

This is such an emotional track, and easily one of my favourites of 2023.

#76: “Midnight Bus” by Spektral Quartet & Julia Holter & Alex Temple

This one was a bit of a grower for me, but the haunting instrumentation and lyrics with the gorgeous production creates one of the most mysterious songs I’ve heard from 2023, and I think it’s excellent!

#75: “Karma Wheel” by Night Verses

This is one of many great songs on Night Verses’ newest album, and it’s a total banger full of awesome drumming that hits super hard, and both the clean and distorted guitars add so much to this track! And then there’s that guitar solo which absolutely rules!

#74: “Disguise” by Amaarae

I kind of spoiled the fact that this was going to be here in my mini review of Amaarae’s newest album, despite the fact that I don’t really like the album all that much.

But this song absolutely rules! It seems to have a similar concept to “bad idea right?” by Olivia Rodrigo, but with gorgeous production and the darkness to it that fits considering the lyrics, in which she seems to be struggling to decide whether or not to engage in this hookup. And especially with those strings, this sounds absolutely awesome!

#73: “rat” by Kara Jackson

This nearly eight-minute track is the longest on Kara Jackson’s debut album, and it’s a big example of why she’s one of my favourite new artists! The acoustic guitar sounds great, there’s very interesting storytelling here, and the strings sound excellent!

#72: “Steamroller” by feeble little horse

It feels fitting that this song is called “Steamroller”, considering how crushing the instrumentation sounds! And yeah, the guitar and drums sound absolutely awesome together, and I can’t forget how great the bass sounds!

This is a fantastic rock song with lots of interesting lyrical metaphors, and it’s my favourite song from this great album!

#71: “Graft Vs. Host” by Protomartyr

Protomartyr’s frontman Joe Casey said that “Graft Vs. Host” was written about his mother’s passing, and while it is a very emotional song with a very sad subject matter, the song itself doesn’t feel all that sad, as he mentions that she wouldn’t want him to let her passing ruin his life, so he may as well try to have a positive mindset … but you can tell from the music and his vocals which sound full of mixed emotions that he’s having a very hard time with it. And I think it’s a really powerful song!

#70: “Siphon Song” by Squid

Of all the songs on Squid’s newest album, this is probably the one that stands out the most as being the most different … but it’s also probably the one that best represents the album as a whole, at least to me, as it shows the band’s creativity on full display, with some haunting lyrics and a very eerie vibe that adds up to the centrepiece of the album if you ask me!

#69: “Si Te Portas Bonito” by Sofia Kourtesis

This is an excellent house track with a steady percussion groove that goes amazingly well with that slightly dragged out and slightly staccato synth! And the vocals and melodies are great, too! It’s not a song that really gives me much to say, especially considering the lyrics are in Spanish and I don’t speak Spanish, but I do absolutely love this track!

#68: “Sleeping On My Own” by Beach Fossils

I’m not usually the biggest fan of dream pop, but this new Beach Fossils album really scratched an itch for me, and this is such an excellent album opener!

It’s the kind of breakup song in which it’s unclear who’s in the wrong, if anyone is at all, but the mindset the narrator has seems to be, ‘I just want to move on and not worry too much about who’s to blame.’ And those guitars sound phenomenal!

#67: “Lovelash” by Closure In Moscow

This is an excellent track that I think combines synth-pop with funk-rock and post-punk amazingly well, with that awesome snare which is super well produced, and I love the awesome vocals, especially with that great falsetto!

#66: “DYWTYLM” by Sleep Token

Of all the 2023 albums, I think the one with the most mixed critical reception is probably the newest Sleep Token album, Take Me Back To Eden. It doesn’t feel like it would be controversial to call it one of the best albums of the year nor would it feel controversial to call it one of the worst of the year. I fall somewhere in between on it, and while I do mostly like the album I also wouldn’t put it anywhere near my favourites of the year … but it is interesting that the one song from the album that I really, really love is the one that pretty much everyone seems to agree is the worst song on the album—both those who like the album and those who don’t.

But despite how much some people despise this song, I won’t deny it resonated with me emotionally in a way that feels personal in a really strange way that I don’t feel like getting into … and that I myself don’t really fully understand. But it’s a special song to me, I’ll say that much.

#65: “Yes! Yes! A Thousand Times Yes!” by Home Is Where

This is a tricky song to untangle lyrically, but it’s absolutely fascinating! Home Is Where’s lead singer Brandon MacDonald said the song tells the story of ‘two people faking normalcy in the normalcy of faking,’ possibly referring to arranged marriages, and it’s even more interesting when you factor in the line, ‘We don a regalia of useless genitalia’ coming after the line about a wedding dress made from semen—no pun intended, by the way. This just brings up so many possible interpretations of this song, and while you could argue I’m totally overthinking this, the irony of those lines put together does make this fascinating, potentially pointing out a bunch of flawed concepts in the world.

And I also love the intense music here, especially with that awesome guitar melody!

#64: “Jonathan L. Seagull” by Sampha

As much as I do love “What If You Hypnotise Me?”, this is a much better song in my opinion, with lyrics which seem to partially be about the reality that nobody ever really has the same experience, and that we’re all different—I mean, that’s not a new concept at all, but I think it’s very well written, and I especially love the line, ‘Even though we’ve been through the same doesn’t always mean we feel the same.’

And the production just has such a nice, warm vibe to it that, combined with the excellent vocal melodies, creates a very magical listening experience. And I think a lot of the lyrics are very open to interpretation, too, and are beautifully written. This is an absolutely excellent song from a great album that I highly recommend!

#63: “False Meridian” by Invent Animate

Invent Animate made one of my favourite albums of 2023, full of incredible melodies and super hard-hitting guitars and snares, and “False Meridian” is one of many huge standouts on the album for me!

Vocalist Marcus Vik said this song is about identity crisis, and you can feel the emotion in the instrumentation alone, only made better with the vocals, the melodies, and the lyrics.

#62: “When No Birds Sang” by Full of Hell & Nothing

This is the title track from this collaborative album by Full of Hell & Nothing, and I think the foggy production really helps with the bleak atmosphere of this song! And with the eerie vocal melodies and gorgeous instrumentation, this song fits a very specific mood that’s hard for me to describe, but I absolutely love this track!

#61: “Worth Dying For” by Within Temptation

Within Temptation made my album of the year, and “Worth Dying For” is a song that feels like it represents a lot of what makes that album so incredibly special for me—it feels like the perfect movie soundtrack song where the stakes are incredibly high, and it’s got the production to make it hit so much harder!

The snare and bass are great driving forces, and I love the distorted guitar which feels kind of subtle at points but also just erupts in the mix when it needs to … and there’s also the strings, which are the cherry on top that sends this from really goddamn great to just fucking incredible! Oh yeah, and there’s also the phenomenal vocals!

#60: “Overcome” by Nothing But Thieves

Yeah, I know, I didn’t like Nothing But Thieves’ newest album. But while nothing else on the album comes even the slightest bit close, “Overcome” is such an excellent alternative rock song with a huge, anthemic chorus, with great vocals and the production to let this really soar like it’s trying to! And that guitar solo is the perfect touch!

#59: “Absolute Terror Field” by Closure In Moscow (ft. Aphir)

Closure In Moscow teamed up with Aphir for this excellent track with funky grooves, and the shouty chorus is super awesome! And I love how the instrumental builds throughout the track, especially with how well produced it is!

#58: “REACH THE SUNSHINE.” by Lil Yachty

If I remember correctly, I didn’t really like this song when I first heard it … and now it’s one of my favourite songs of the year!

I mean, yeah, it starts off with a Daniel Caesar feature which interpolates Radiohead’s “Pyramid Song”, and at first that was off-putting to me, but the more I listened to it the less it annoyed me, and the song overall is phenomenal, with some amazing synths and, like most of the album, amazing production! Oh, and there’s also that awesome outro!

It’s such an excellent closing track on one of my favourite albums of 2023, and if you love this, I highly recommend you check out the rest of the album as well!

#57: “Golden Dust” by Grandbrothers

This one doesn’t give me much to say, but it’s a beautiful piece that feels like the calm within a storm … and then it ends kind of suddenly, which you can interpret however you want.

#56: “Spirit 2.0” by Sampha

No, we’re not done yet with songs from Sampha’s newest album, because “Spirit 2.0” is one of those songs that just has to be heard to be believed! The rhythm to this song is absolutely awesome with those fantastic vocal melodies, and like with most of this album Sampha’s vocals are so amazing!

And it’s just got such a magical feeling to it with the lyrics that are hopeful despite all the bad things going on, while still acknowledging those unfortunate realities.

It’s yet another total gem from Sampha’s newest album, and I fucking love this song!

#55: “Lucille” by Turnpike Troubadours

Arguably some of my favourite vocal melodies of the year show up on this great track from Turnpike Troubadours, which is a very interesting breakup song which ends the chorus with the line, ‘But I wonder who’s keepin’ the baby tonight,’ and the music has the dramatic feeling to it to fit with the high stakes of the lyrics!

#54: “Goodbye To Music” by Flyying Colours

I couldn’t find the lyrics for this song when I looked them up, but I love how open to interpretation it seems to be based on what I can hear … the line ‘goodbye to music forever’ feels like it comes out of nowhere, but I do find it fascinating!

And that chorus is so goddamn catchy and absolutely amazing, and I love the way the vocals sound slightly drowned out in the mix but not too much … it really fits with the lyrics for some reason.

#53: “Miracle” by El Michels Affair & Black Thought

This is my favourite song from El Michels Affair’s & Black Thought’s collab album from this year, with Black Thought’s great storytelling about his childhood and a fantastic instrumental! It’s a pretty simple song, at least as far as I can tell, but it’s a great listen which also feels very replayable, and it’s one of many great tracks from one of my favourite hip hop albums of the year!

#52: “3800 Tigers” by Protomartyr

Here’s a pummeling post-punk track with an excellent use of a double-meaning of both the Detroit Tigers and literal tigers. And I love the line, ‘There’s 3800 tigers in this world, but there’s far too many of you, of you fools.’ And with that awesome guitar, I think this hits super hard!

#51: “Absence Persistent” by Invent Animate

Invent Animate’s lead singer Marcus Vik said this song is partially about feeling overwhelmed by finding yourself in constant growth, and I can definitely see it when I read the lyrics. It’s full of great poetry and heartbreaking vocal melodies that fit the song really well, and the production is incredibly hard-hitting!

…

Alright, that wraps up the bottom half of this list … if you want to see my top 50 favourite songs of the year, click here.

Hello, everyone! Welcome to my second-to-last year-end list for 2023! Today, I’m counting down The Top 50 Best Albums of 2023!

So, this list is not only being finished on time this year (unlike last year), but it’s actually a bit earlier than I thought it would be.

Anyway, I will say right now that I’m not going into a ton of detail on these albums … this post isn’t as in-depth as I would have liked it to be, but that just gets exhausting trying to make it super in-depth, and I’m about to be going back to college in a few days, so I just wanted to prioritize getting these lists done. Hopefully for 2024 I’ll find a strategy that helps me have more time at the end of the year to make these posts more detailed.

Also, please take my lyrical analyzation with a grain of salt … a lot of it is pure speculation and my own interpretations.

And, of course, this list is all just based on how I personally feel. These are my favourite albums of the year, not the objective best. Music is subjective, and the only reason I put ‘best’ in the title is because it makes for a catchier title in my opinion.

So, out of the nearly 350 albums from 2023 that I listened to, here are my top 50 favourites!

#50 – Romantic Piano by Gia Margaret

We’re kicking off this list with an album that doesn’t give me a whole lot to say … for better and for worse. You see, this album is mostly instrumental, and the images it brings to my mind and the feelings I get from listening to it really depend on the time. And overall, it’s quite a calming listen that I really do like … but at the same time, I’m not going to pretend I was super wowed by this or anything. There’s reasons it isn’t higher on the list, mostly just because it doesn’t feel particularly out of the ordinary nor is it exceptional at what it’s supposed to be … but hey, it’s still really damn good at it.

I haven’t listened to any of Gia Margaret’s other albums yet, but this at least makes me curious to do that. I don’t think this will blow your mind or anything, but it’s still a very pretty album that mostly clicked for me. If you’re a fan of ambient music I’d definitely recommend this.

#49 – olhar pra trás by terraplana

And just like with Romantic Piano I can’t really say I’m super amazed by this album. I mean, I like it a lot, but it doesn’t feel super unique to me—I’ve heard this sound done in more interesting ways in my opinion.

This album could be described as shoegaze and/or dream pop, and while it mostly works for what it is, I’m also not going to pretend it really wowed me as much as some other albums we’ll get to later on.

Yes, this album is mostly well produced despite the snares feeling underpowered at points, and the vocals and vocal melodies are really good, and I really like the basslines, but it doesn’t wow me as much as some dream pop/shoegaze that I’ve heard.

Honestly aside from being really good at what it is, I’m not really sure it’s got much more to offer … but when it does this good a job at it, while it may not stand out to me as much as I would have liked, it still lands a spot on this list!

#48 – Good Riddance by Gracie Abrams

I feel like I’ve had a bit of a love/hate relationship with this album—or maybe that’s not the right way to word it, but I remember discovering this album early in the year and writing very positive things about it on this website. I mean, it’s a very emotional album that’s probably something between pop and folk, and it blends those styles together in a way that feels accessible without losing the creativity. And then I started listening to this album a lot, and I got sick of it pretty quickly.

But I’m not denying that the production fits really well with the writing, a lot of which is about unhealthy relationships and codependency, with the narrator falling into unhealthy patterns and feeling the guilt of it … I mean, maybe that explains why the overplay killed it for me, keeping this from being higher on the list.

But still, revisiting it later in the year I understood why I gave it such a positive review in the first place, and in the right mood it can still hit pretty hard. So, while the album has probably soured on me a little bit, and around the middle of the album it loses my interest a bit, this is still a very emotional album with a lot of the right production choices to make this album hit hard in the right moments.

Oh, and the opener, “Best”, with the blame that she just can’t quite bring herself to fully deflect, needing to acknowledge her own mistakes … it’s an absolutely heartbreaking track that really hit super hard for me.

#47 – Every Sound Has A Color In The Valley Of Night: Part 1 by Night Verses

I didn’t review this album. And I didn’t want to review every album that was going to make this list, mostly because I like having some surprises in this list—if you read all my reviews, there will still be albums you probably didn’t expect to make it!

This is some mostly instrumental metal/rock music with super hard-hitting drums and full of excellent guitar melodies! 

I do think the second half is a bit weaker than the first, and the timbres don’t always fit together as well as I’d like, but it’s got such a stormy vibe to it that works with such great musicianship! 

It’s Night Verses’ first album in over five years, and even as someone who hasn’t listened to any of their other albums yet, I think it’s an impressive return! Pretty great stuff!

#46 – Weathervanes by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Over the last few years, I feel like I’ve started to become a country fan, and this is one of the most layered, complex, and emotional country albums I’ve heard all year.

Yes, there are some production nitpicks I could make, and while there are some great songs here I think it works better as a whole than in pieces, but Jason Isbell’s storytelling is not only very compelling but also very emotional, and this album covers a wide variety of topics, often relating to sociology, and the reality that the culture/environment we grow up in has a big impact on who we grow up to be … but at the same time Jason’s not pretending to have all the answers, as he’s often asking a lot of complicated philosophical questions here.

This is an album that talks about the uncertainty of life, and how it’s impossible to know what’s going to happen, and there’s only so much we can control … and it’s a scary thought, but we have to acknowledge that reality.

#45 – Born Again by Danger Mouse & Jemini The Gifted One

Yeah, I know, there’s a very valid argument to be made that this shouldn’t be eligible for this list. But even though it was recorded decades ago, it was never released until 2023, and thus it’s eligible.

And while I couldn’t find most of the lyrics to this album when I looked them up, I do still think this album is full of bangers.

Danger Mouse’s production sounds great and Jemini The Gifted One has lots of great flows, and while it’s another album that didn’t blow my mind or anything, it’s still quite impressive and I’m glad I gave it a chance!

#44 – Desire Pathway by Screaming Females

Here’s yet another album that doesn’t feel like it’s doing anything too out of the ordinary, and as far as I can tell it’s not … I mean, it’s an alternative rock album, and it doesn’t feel super unique or anything … but it’s a really damn good alternative rock album, that’s for sure!

It turns out this is going to be Screaming Females’ last album, as they broke up earlier this month. But I’m still excited to check out their other albums!

The production here is rock solid, Marissa Paternoster is a fantastic vocalist, and there are so many memorable, catchy hooks here that have kept me going back to this album!

Again, if you’re looking for something outside of the typical alternative rock formula, I don’t think this will satisfy that wish, but it’s still great for what it is. Oh yeah, and “Brass Bell” absolutely rules; one of my favourite songs of 2023!

#43 – Glorious Game by Black Thought & El Michels Affair

Rapper Black Thought and soul band El Michels Affair teamed up on Glorious Game, an album I don’t love as much as Black Thought’s collaboration album with Danger Mouse from last year, but it’s still a really nice, smoothly produced rap album with a handful of great tracks!

Black Thought’s storytelling is really strong, and there’s a lot of fascinating lyrics, both about society as a whole as well as some personal lyrics, and some of which have some of both, such as the struggles of being a black man in America.

There are a lot of great rhymes on this album, and a lot of great individual lines, with excellent flows from Black Thought and some really interesting instrumentals! So, while this doesn’t reach the same level for me as Cheat Codes, this is still pretty great!

#42 – O Monolith by Squid

Squid are one of the most creative post-punk acts I’ve heard from recent years, with the way they combine the genre with other styles and create such a fun-yet-eerie mood in their songs.

There are some really cool noisier sections, and I love how the basslines just creep beneath the surface, really enhancing that eerie vibe, and their frontman Ollie Judge has very recognizable vocals that fit pretty much perfectly!

Squid pull you into their world incredibly well on this project which feels about the perfect length at just over forty minutes, and while I don’t love it as much as their debut, it’s still a great record that I highly recommend!

#41 – Blame My Ex by The Beaches

One of the albums that pleasantly surprised me the most this year was The Beaches’ sophomore album … their debut felt to me like it blended in with a lot of other alternative rock, without bringing a lot of strong hooks or real band identity to the table, at least not in my eyes.

But I was legit shocked just how much I ended up liking this album! The vocal melodies are strong, there are some great choruses, and despite a few cringey lines here and there I really like the creativity of the lyrics, which have a range of topics but all feel unique to The Beaches, from the frustration with misogyny on “Everything is Boring” to getting caught up in bad habits on “Shower Beer”.

I mean, yeah, there are a few production nitpicks I could make, like how the reverb doesn’t always fit, but at least the mixing is great, and some of these songs are amazingly produced, like “Edge of the Earth” which I think has the best use of reverb on the album. Overall, I do think the album is great, but I’m really excited to hear what’s next for this band, because with a few improvements I think they could be really close to making something incredible.

#40 – Soft Hell by Closure In Moscow

Closure In Moscow returned this year with their first album in nearly a decade, and while I still haven’t listened to any of their other albums, I do like this one a lot! It’s very well produced funk-rock with lots of great choruses and some blazing guitars!

This feels like it might make a good movie soundtrack, or at least certain tracks do, and while it maybe overstays its welcome a little bit at fifty minutes, there’s still a lot to like about this, the best songs are incredible, and I think it’s a pretty great record overall!

#39 – Lahai by Sampha

This is a very well produced album with some of the best vocals I’ve heard all year, and there are so many great vocal melodies, too!

Overall, this is a very uplifting album with a lot of lyrics that seem to be about looking for the positives in life despite the unfortunate realities of the world, and I’m pretty sure a lot of this album was inspired by Sampha becoming a father.

It’s not an album that gives me a ton to say, but it’s a great listen with such a nice, warm vibe to most of it despite some very eerie moments, which are also great!

#38 – This Stupid World by Yo La Tengo

This is one of the first great albums I discovered in 2023, and I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of this band before this, considering how long they’ve been releasing music and how much critical acclaim they’ve gotten.

And I still haven’t gone through their very large discography, but I absolutely get the hype with this album! It’s full of great grooves with some awesome percussion and guitar, and the vocal melodies are really strong … and it all adds up to a very eerie mood of a lot of these songs, such as the excellent “Until It Happens” which I’m pretty sure is about the inevitability of death.

This feels like a mix of ‘indie rock’ (whatever that means) and post-punk … at least I think it does. I don’t know that much about genres, but either way, it sure hits hard! Because when the basslines are this good and the lyrics are so fascinating and open to interpretation, as well as all those other things I mentioned, it leads to a pretty great album if you ask me!

#37 – Compositions by Deathprod

Alright, it’s about time I explain this one. My mini review of this album back in February has to be one of the strangest reviews I’ve ever done … and really, that was the point of the review.

I gave this album an 8/10 but also said I’m probably not going to go back to it much at all and I also recommended that you don’t listen to it … and I don’t really like recommending people don’t listen to certain albums, because my intent isn’t to try and stop the artists from being successful, but I also understand that even if I give that recommendation in my post, if enough people see it, some people will choose to listen to it, and my review might expose more people to the album … but if I liked this enough to give it an 8, why did I recommend avoiding it?

Well, it added to the mystery of the review, but really what I was trying to say is … well, a few things. First of all, considering the kind of ambient drone music that it is—it’s a specific style of ambient drone that I don’t really know how to describe—I don’t really know why I like it as much as I do. And second of all, I was really just saying that even though I really enjoyed it, it feels like the kind of album I would guess a lot of people would have a really hard time getting into. But still, if you’re looking for a really fascinating and haunting listening experience, this might be what you’re looking for!

And like I said in my review, I don’t think I’m going back to it much. It’s such a difficult listen that it’s arguably the least replayable album on this list. I’m not saying I’ll never listen to it in full again, but it probably won’t be for a while. Still, though, I’m very glad I heard it.

#36 – TUN021 – Vector Strike by Devroka

I wasn’t really expecting much going into this album. I was just looking online for some obscure albums to listen to, and I came across this instrumental dance album which is very short and replayable!

I really like the sharp snares throughout this album, and the instrumental layering is fantastic as well! I don’t really have a ton to say about this album, but if you’re looking for some instrumental dance music that I think absolutely rules, I highly recommend this!

#35 – Agriculture by Agriculture

The self-titled debut album from this band is a pretty awesome black metal album that has the crushing drums and excellent basslines that you’d expect for a great black metal album, but there’s so much experimentation here, too, with really interesting repetition choices, variety between songs, and some really interesting genre-blending, where at times it can feel like a cross between death metal and black metal—yes, I know that’s not the most unique genre combination ever, but the way they do that here is fascinating, in a way that’s hard to describe with words!

And when the lyrics feel so layered and open to interpretation, it can really help create a haunting listening experience … but at the same time it doesn’t make this any less fun! I totally get the hype with this album!

#34 – 93696 by Liturgy

If you’re not a fan of metal I highly doubt this album will appeal to you, but as a metal fan myself I think Liturgy’s newest album is great! But with that being said, it is a somewhat tough album to revisit in full often, partially considering the length … but still, I really like a lot of the guitar distortion and the instruments usually blend together really well.

And while I don’t fully understand the lyrics, they are very fascinating, I’ll say that much, and I like how mysterious and open to interpretation they are.

So, overall, I think this is an excellent metal album that might work better in pieces than as a whole, but I still think it’s worth hearing all the way through!

#33 – Girl with Fish by feeble little horse

This album was such a nice pleasant surprise for me! It’s a very short listen, but it’s got the feeling of a full album experience, and I think it hits super hard, with lots of fascinating lyrics that feel very open to interpretation, and there’s a lot of musical variety throughout this album as well!

If you’re looking for a really fun and introspective rock album with great guitar distortion and lots of cool experimentation, I highly recommend checking this out!

#32 – Nothing’s Gonna Stand in My Way Again by Lydia Loveless

This is the first Lydia Loveless album I ever listened to, and it’s a great first impression!

This album feels like it represents a crossroads, where the narrator can tell something’s wrong and it’s unclear if they want to admit it to themselves or not. And while there are some nitpicks I could make about it, the album does hit pretty hard for me, especially as I discovered it right around the time I was starting a big new chapter of my life.

And there are so many excellent moments and details here, from the gorgeous piano in “Runaway” to the vocal effect on “Feel” which fits super well with the lyrics on that song, and “Ghost” is just absolutely stunning and heartbreaking!

This album is anthemic while having a lot of introspective lyrics that portray someone whose emotions and actions are complicated, just like everyone else. And it creates a cohesive whole that I think I discovered at the right time … and even if I had discovered it at another time, I think I’d still be putting it here, because this is a really great album!

#31 – A Fate Worse Than Home by Iravu

Iravu’s debut album is an excellent record with some heartbreaking storytelling, as the narrator is defeated and struggles to find hope … now, what these possible metaphors represent is very open to interpretation, but I actually think the music gives this some feeling of optimism, with the way the instruments blend together with the hard-hitting snares and distorted guitars somehow creating a sense that the narrator is fighting back against this unknown thing … I mean, it’s a hard album to really describe all that well, but it’s a fantastic listening experience! Great stuff!

#30 – You Never Know by Flyying Colours

I listened to this album not long after it came out, all the way back in March. But I never reviewed it.

Now, it’s worth mentioning that I couldn’t find the lyrics for this album when I looked them up, and I have a hard time hearing a lot of them. But even as someone who’s not the biggest fan of dreamy alternative rock, this album has got the production and melodies to really help this click for me!

The basslines are absolutely killer and sound awesome in the mix, the snares have some really nice punch to them, and there’s so much awesome guitar distortion here! And the mixing is incredible—I even like how the vocals sound drowned out in the mix! Why? I’m not sure, but it fits!

I’m not going to say this is the most unique album ever or anything like that, but with so many awesome hooks and some of the best production of the year that I’ve heard, I do think this is pretty special!

#29 – Stereo Mind Game by Daughter

Daughter are one of those bands I feel like I’d heard about a lot, but I hadn’t really listened to them … and while I still haven’t listened to them much outside of this album, I do think this is pretty great!

The band’s guitarist Igor Haefeli mentioned emotional maturity when talking about this album, and I think this album really shows that, while also showing a slight bit of immaturity, which is something we all have in ourselves … and I think the desire in a lot of the lyrics really fits with the reverb that to me represents the narrator feeling distant from these secret desires, and maybe even feeling distant from the world.

But the narrator is also willing to move forward from any past demons, despite how many things haunt this person, and not only is the poetry here really great, but it fits really well with the music, especially those awesome basslines that often feel like the driving force here! It’s a really beautiful album that also has a couple of my favourite songs of the year … but we’ll get to that in another post soon.

#28 – Drink The River by Gabe Lee

This album grew on me quite a bit. When I first reviewed it back in August it wasn’t clicking for me as much as it was for a lot of critics, but with each listen I started to like it more and more!

Maybe it’s because I’ve been getting more and more into country music, but either way, this album absolutely rules! It’s an album that discusses a wide range of topics, and the whole album has such a nice, warm feeling to it with the fantastic production, especially the acoustic guitar which sounds phenomenal on so many of these tracks!

At first I felt like it could have been more fully fleshed out … and yeah, it could, but this feels like a ‘collection of songs’ album where it doesn’t really matter what order the track list is in. On paper it’s not the most ‘cohesive’ album, but I actually think it works really well that way. If you’re into country music I think you might really love this, and even if you aren’t, it might be a good gateway album for the genre. It’s albums like this that are the reason I’d now call myself a country music fan.

#27 – Cold Blood by Fully Involved

Alternative rock and punk combine incredibly well on this incredibly catchy album by Mark Berman AKA Fully Involved, with all of its hard-hitting snares, blazing guitars, and fascinating lyrics about neurodivergence.

And while I don’t know whether or not I personally am neurodivergent (I know I have OCD, but I’m not sure if that counts or not), some of these lyrics do hit close to home for me, especially the social awkwardness of “Wait No Don’t Go”, and I love the super fitting jumpy instrumentation adding to that sense of awkwardness!

This album is incredibly well mixed, too, and there are so many great instrumental details here, like the synth that fits pretty much perfectly in “They Can’t Tell”, to the way the guitars just erupt in tracks like “Publick Occurences” and “Give It a Name”, and so much more! This is a great listen with great storytelling and lots of musical variety! You probably haven’t heard it yet, but I recommend you change that! 

#26 – The Whaler by Home Is Where

This kind of feels like an existential crisis in album form … in a good way, that is.

Brandon MacDonald is an absolutely excellent frontwoman with a ton of personality behind the mic, and you can hear the emotion in her vocals in so many of these songs, and I think it fits really well with the noisy, chaotic sounds of this album! And I love the back-to-back of “Everyday Feels Like 9 / 11” and “9 / 12”, one of the most haunting moments on the album.

The lyrics on this album are complex and layered, but most of them seem to relate to the same themes of struggling to find optimism, and fear about the future. And yet, despite all this, it can be an oddly fun listen in a lot of ways, and I don’t think that makes for a bad combination here! I mean, even when it feels like there’s nothing you can do to make things better, you may as well have some fun, right?

If you’re looking for some post-hardcore/noise rock that’s been getting a lot of critical acclaim and that I think absolutely deserves it, I don’t think you’re gonna want to miss this! This is a great album that I think totally lives up to the hype!

#25 – Chthonic by Lawrence English & Lea Bertucci

This is kind of a tricky album to talk about. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s a very eerie yet calming ambient album—I guess I could call it a sound collage—but it’s one that pulls you into its own world in a way that’s hard to describe with words. I mean, there’s also the fact that I’m trying to get all these lists out on time instead of just going into tons and tons of detail on every album here, but there are some albums on this list where it doesn’t even feel right to say all that much about them here, and I think this might be one of them. But I highly recommend you listen to it if you haven’t already.

#24 – Bunny by Beach Fossils

I often find a lot of dream pop/shoegaze and stuff like that just doesn’t really do a whole lot for me … but in 2023, Beach Fossils made an excellent dreamy alternative rock album with gorgeous guitar production, sharp snares that hit really hard but don’t feel overpowering, and great vocal melodies!

From the super bright hook of “Anything Is Anything” to the excellent bassline in “Dare Me” to the great mellow closing track “Waterfall”, this album finds a way to make lots of unique songs all within a similar genre, and it’s such a great summer album!

#23 – another triumph of ghetto engineering by Open Mike Eagle

My first experience with an Open Mike Eagle album was certainly an interesting one! To me, this album doesn’t seem like it’s supposed to be super deep or anything—although there’s a very real chance I’m missing something—but it sure is fun to listen to, with the awesome flows, great production, and a bunch of really cool experimentation, especially in the opening track!

This album often seems very to-the-point, but when there are so many great guest features and so many great lines, as well as everything I’ve already mentioned, this has to be among my favourite hip hop albums of the year!

#22 – Let’s Start Here. by Lil Yachty

Going into this album, all I really knew of Lil Yachty’s music was a couple of guest features and the song, “Poland”. And considering how much of a banger “Poland” is, I was curious to hear this album … and I don’t know who would’ve predicted a Lil Yachty psychedelic rock album in 2023, but I’m really glad this happened!

This is a musical and lyrical journey that pulls you into its world incredibly well, with some of the best production I’ve heard all year, and Lil Yachty’s unique vocals add so much to make this such an entertaining (and at times, funny) listen, with some more serious moments as well.

#21 – Playground by House of Harm

This was such a great surprise late in the year! It’s some amazingly well produced darkwave with very strong 80s vibes, in which the basslines really help create some very strong grooves, and really helping the synths just wash over you without the album having a sound too empty … it does feel airy and very atmospheric, though … and with the somewhat vague lyrics, it creates a very eerie experience!

It feels like an album to listen to if you just want to throw away all your worries and regrets, and it’s such a joy to listen to despite the dark and haunting elements!

This is easily some of the best post-punk I’ve heard all year (if it counts as post-punk), and I’m so glad I gave it a chance! Excellent stuff!

#20 …

From now on in this list I’m going to start giving these little introductions before revealing what the albums are, and this has to be one of my top favourite (mostly) instrumental albums of the year!

#20 – The Ceiling Reposes by Lia Kohl

Despite what I said about Chthonic by Lawrence English and Lea Bertucci, I wouldn’t call it my favourite sound collage album of 2023, as this album also falls into a similar category for me, as another totally enchanting listen with so many excellent small details, and some samples of the radio that fit incredibly well!

It’s another album that doesn’t give me a ton to say—these kinds of sound collage albums usually don’t—but it is excellent!

#19 …

And speaking of mostly instrumental albums …

#19 – catharsis by COVET

I’ll admit this album hasn’t had a ton of replay value for me, but every time I listen to it I wonder why I don’t go back to it more. It’s some great (mostly) instrumental rock, with great production and a lot of great guitar melodies!

Like I said in my mini review of the album, it’s not really one that’s easy to describe with words, but it’s very enjoyable to listen to, and it’s less than a half hour, too!

#18 …

There are certain albums that feel like they could work really well for a bunch of different moods, and I think this is one of them, even though the vibes are still the same no matter what …

#18 – Erotic Probiotic 2 by Nourished by Time

I’m not really sure how to describe this stylistically—is it synth-pop? Is it R&B? Is it dance? I’m not sure, but whatever it is, it’s awesome!

The production gives the glossy synths a chance to really shine, with the percussion really helping give these tracks more punch, and the lyrics feel kind of bleak but optimistic at the same time, with a lot of potential interpretations.

This is a great collection of tunes with excellent production and mixing, and the vocal melodies are really strong, too! And it’s pretty short, too, which makes it much more replayable! What a great debut album!

#17 …

I remember seeing this artist’s name all over the internet for so long, but I hadn’t listened to their music. And for whatever reason, going into this album, I didn’t really have high expectations … but then I listened to it …

#17 – Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) by Yves Tumor

Easily the longest album title on this list, and some of the best post-punk I’ve heard all year! That is, if this counts as a post-punk album.

Lyrically there seem to be a lot of references to broken relationships, and there are a lot of layers here, especially early in the album with songs like “God Is a Circle” which seems to be showing the differences in mindset between two partners.

And there are so many excellent guitar moments here and fantastic basslines! It was an excellent find for me early in the year that I’m really glad I gave a chance!

#16 …

Now here’s a very short punk album with some of the shortest songs I have heard all year … but when there’s so much awesomeness packed into the short running time, I can’t complain!

#16 – Super Snõõper by Snõõper

This is a super well produced punk album that’s not even twenty five minutes long, but it still feels like a great full album experience!

This album is full of sharp snares that are really hard hitting, excellent guitar distortion, great vocals, and unconventional song topics that I think fit really well for this album!

This album just brushes by you with its short run time, but there’s a good chance you’ll be hitting the replay button right after, because it’s so goddamn infectious!

#15 …

I keep talking about how I’ve been getting more and more into country music this year. But if there’s one album in particular which was the point when I feel I truly became a country music fan, it’s probably this one:

#15 – A Cat in the Rain by Turnpike Troubadours

To me, Turnpike Troubadours made easily one of the best country albums I heard in 2023—I mean, really, one of the best albums of 2023 that I heard. I mean, that’s why it’s here!

There are so many great lyrics here about a variety of topics, from a love song like “Chipping Mill” to a dramatic breakup song like “Lucille” to some excellent covers near the end with “Black Sky” and “Won’t You Give Me One More Chance”, the latter of which especially is such a joy to listen to, especially with such fantastic production!

The vocal melodies are fantastic, the strings and guitars are incredibly well produced, and when you put it all together it creates a stunning country album with a ton of variety, and don’t be surprised to see some songs from it on my upcoming favourite songs of 2023 list!

#14 …

This was a late-year discovery for me, and while my expectations were pretty high considering all the critical acclaim, I didn’t expect to love this quite as much as I do!

#14 – Madres by Sofia Kourtesis

In my final mini review post of 2023, I reviewed this album, giving it a 9/10 and describing it as the perfect album to listen to on your own late at night! And I stand by that, as the house vibes are phenomenal, with fantastic grooves and amazing production!

There are so many small details here that stand out so much to me, like the twinkling synths in “Vajkoczy”, the clicking beat that’s mixed perfectly in “How Music Makes You Feel Better”, the great low-end in the mixing of “Funkhaus”, and the slight ringing feeling of the percussion in “Cecilia”.

A lot of the lyrics are in Spanish, and I don’t speak Spanish, but based on the English lyrics and the English translations of the Spanish lyrics that I’ve seen (although I’m not sure how accurate they are), I don’t think this album is really all that deep or anything. But the lyrics fit so well with this magical sound that I can’t really describe with words!

This has some of the best production I’ve heard all year, and it’s such an easy listen, too! The vibes are incredible, and it’s a lot of fun, too! Absolutely excellent stuff, and I’m super excited for whatever she does next!

#13 …

I don’t want to pretend to be a know-it-all when it comes to music, especially because I don’t think my musical knowledge is that great. But as someone who’s been listening to hundreds of new albums a year the past couple of years and who tries to discover some older music as well, I guess it’s harder to be impressed by new albums as a lot of them feel like stuff I’ve heard before. And often when reviewing experimental black metal albums, I keep mentioning that I’ve heard what I think is much more interesting and experimental black metal this year … for example:

#13 – Dance You Monster To My Soft Song! by Victory Over the Sun

Victory Over the Sun is a one-woman black metal project by Vivian Tylinska, whose newest album is probably the most experimental black metal album I’ve heard from 2023! There are so many excellent passages here with some fantastic melodies, but it also feels like it all goes together as a whole!

There is so much experimentation musically with the unique way it builds tension and uses such a huge amount of musical variety in a black metal album, with some melodies I wouldn’t expect to hear on a black metal album as well.

And the lyrics fit with the music incredibly well, despite the fact that I have no idea what it’s about … but there kind of seems to be a sense of being trapped—although I think I mostly get that interpretation from the sound of the music, which will often stay in the same passage for longer than you’d expect, and every time it changes to a different passage, it still feels like you’re trapped in this experience.

I guess the best way for me to describe this album might be that listening to it feels like you’re trapped inside a haunted house, and it might make a great horror movie soundtrack! And the dark, cryptic lyrics are super, super fitting!

I could talk about the incredible drama created with a really interesting time signature in “The Gold of Having Nothing”—I’m not even sure if ‘time signature’ is the right wording … it sounds like it’s in 4/4 but then it feels like it picks a really stange time to repeat everything, and it’s awesome—or there’s that awesome marching band-esque buildup partway through “Madeline Becoming Judy”, or so many more awesome moments … but I also highly recommend you listen to this for yourself, even if you’re not into metal. Because this is fucking excellent!

#12 …

I mean, I’m not sure billy woods topped his album from early 2022 that made this list last year … but he at least came close!

#12 – Maps by billy woods & Kenny Segal

This is one of the most lyrically complex albums I’ve heard all year, and I’m not surprised considering it’s a billy woods album. And Kenny Segal’s production is absolutely awesome, too, with lots of great experimentation in these fascinating instrumentals!

billy woods’ flows are excellent and fit really well with the instrumentals timing-wise, and there are so many fascinating lyrics here!

The lyrics are so open to interpretation that I feel like I interpret them all differently with each listen. Although there are some clear topics throughout the album, such as travelling and missing home.

There are so many double-meanings, great lines, and catchy moments here, and it’s another reminder to me to check out more of billy woods’ discography.

#11 …

I struggle to fully understand what ‘indie rock’ is. I mean, most of the bands I’ve seen described that way are signed to major labels, so are they really ‘indie’?

But I guess that’s kind of become a genre, and there’s a specific sound that might qualify as ‘indie rock’. And while a lot of it doesn’t have much of an impact on me, at its best that sound can be phenomenal! And this year, The New Pornographers made something incredibly special!

#11 – Continue as a Guest by The New Pornographers

I knew early on that this was going to be very high on the list, not only because of some fascinating lyrics, but also because sonically this is incredible!

Yes, it’s got a bit of a rough sound to it, but I honestly think that improves the album! Especially because the basslines feel like perfect building blocks for the rest of the instrumentation to give this way more punch!

And with some fascinating lyrics which seem to use a lot of metaphors and hyperbole, with connections between personal and larger-scale … I think there’s a lot of depth here, and it’s one of the hardest-hitting indie rock albums I’ve heard all year! This is an absolutely terrific album full of massive bangers!

#10 …

When it comes to picking the most mysterious album of the year for me … well, this is at least a contender.

#10 – Behind the Wallpaper by Spektral Quartet & Julia Holter & Alex Temple

You’re probably tired of me constantly saying ‘this one doesn’t give me much to say’ … and yeah, most of that is just me wanting to get all of these year-end lists out sooner rather than later, but in this case I’m not even sure what to say about this record that’ll do it justice … it’s the kind of album that really just needs to be heard to be believed!

And I think I’m gonna have to leave it at that.

#9 …

Just because Victory Over the Sun’s newest album might be the most experimental black metal album I’ve heard all year doesn’t necessarily make it the best black metal album I’ve heard all year … because to me, that goes to:

#9 – Arrival by Mesarthim

This album is an absolutely phenomenal musical journey with absolutely awesome synths and some of the best melodies in any black metal album I’ve heard this year!

I feel like this is another album that might make for a great movie soundtrack … but to me, it already feels like a movie in itself, with so many awe-inspiring passages with a spacey vibe to them, without ever feeling like they’re trying too hard.

And at least by black metal standards, this album is very catchy! And while I couldn’t find the lyrics for this album—which led to my review being very delayed before I eventually decided to just review it anyway—musically it feels like a journey through a newly discovered universe, with some of the brightest synths you’ll hear all year, and the punchy drums make this hit so much harder!

#8 …

So, black metal is probably my favourite kind of metal overall … but melodic metalcore, when done well, can totally rule in my opinion!

#8 – Heavener by Invent Animate

Back when this album came out, I said it was my favourite album of the year at the time … and I kind of knew there would be more competition that would push it down on that list a little bit, but this is still absolutely incredible!

The epic guitar work, the drumming, the bass, both the screamed and melodic vocals—it’s all top notch to create incredible atmosphere and groove, and some of these songs hit like a massive pile of bricks!

And there are also some nice unexpected elements like the spacey synths in “Purity Weeps” which sound great!

This feels like another one of those ‘existential crisis’ albums which seems to be showing the narrator feeling distant from reality, although the lyrics do feel very open to interpretation. And with so many excellent tracks and some of the best musicianship I’ve heard on any 2023 album, I think this absolutely rules! Incredible stuff!

#7 …

So, here’s another album I didn’t review … but in this case, it wasn’t to surprise people at all. It’s just that I finally got around to checking this out so late in the year when I’d finished all my reviews for the year, and I just decided to wait until I included it here to talk about it!

#7 – This Supreme Experience by Spunkshine

This is my second experience listening to a Spunkshine album, and as great as his album from last year was, I didn’t see this coming at all!

This is a mostly ambient album with some dance elements, too, and it’s full of creative production and passages that might feel out of place at first, but I think they add so much to the awesome creativity of the album!

The production is incredibly sharp, with the synths often dominating without taking anything away from the other elements, and the percussion sounds incredible!

I feel like this album would probably hit really hard any time of year, with its mix of many different vibes that all coalesce into a monster of a record that feels like the world spinning around you, leaving you feeling like nothing but a speck of dust as you watch in awe.

Yes, it’s a long album, running at over an hour … but even as someone who often struggles to get into really long albums, I recommend you trust me when I say this is absolutely worth it! And while this album is (mostly) instrumental, I’d even recommend it to people who aren’t typically into instrumental music. Seriously, this is something else!

#6 …

And speaking of albums I discovered late in the year …

#6 – When No Birds Sang by Nothing & Full of Hell

This album came out on the first of December, and I didn’t really have very high expectations going into it … but wow! This album totally blew my mind! I’m not sure I’ve ever had an experience like this before, with the specific ways in which the bleakness of this album’s sound combines with the seemingly philosophical lyrics all to create a very moody experience that I just can’t put into words.

There is so much beautiful poetry here, and so many unpredictable musical moments that all feel incredibly fitting within the song. And while the production is messy at points, I think it amplifies the sense of feeling broken, and makes this just hit so much harder!

#5 …

I guess you could say the last album I reviewed in 2023—that is, the last album listed in my last mini review post of the year—was Sprain’s The Lamb as Effigy, a long, experimental noise rock album that’s been getting a ton of critical acclaim … and yet I was pretty lukewarm on it. It has some cool ideas, but the execution left a lot to be desired for me.

This album I think falls into a similar category of experimental noise rock, but to me it feels much more fully fleshed out, and it goes to some places that no other album I’ve heard this year would go. And in a year when so many of the most critically acclaimed albums just haven’t fully clicked for me, this is the one that I think deserves every ounce of the hype!

#5 – The Beggar by Swans

Easily one of the most challenging and difficult listens you’ll probably experience of all 2023 albums, The Beggar is absolutely stunning, with not only some of the darkest lyrics I’ve heard all year, but the instrumentation to match with the haunting of the lyrics … and yet, it’s not all bleak, as there are some much more uplifting moments.

It’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions that I could go on and on talking about, but I don’t want to spoil the album, as it’s the kind of album I highly recommend your first listen be an entire listen of the whole album all at once with no interruptions, even though it’s two hours long.

I would say more about it, but I think I’ll have to just let you find your own meaning in it … I mean, really, that’s the case with any album, but especially this one.

#4 …

But now for another album I discovered very late in the year which blew past all my expectations …

#4 – Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? by Kara Jackson

Ever since this album came out back in April, I’ve been seeing tons and tons of critical acclaim for this album, and while it made me optimistic about it … well, I didn’t see this coming, that’s for sure!

With all the warm acoustic guitar and incredible vocals and vocal production, it’s unlike any other album I’ve heard from this year as it’s got a very specific sound to it that’s hard to really describe, but it sounds absolutely gorgeous! Seriously, this is one of the best produced albums I’ve heard all year!

Kara Jackson’s voice reminds me a lot of Lucy Dacus, and nothing against Lucy Dacus as a singer, but I like Kara Jackson’s vocals even better! And that’s coming from someone whose favourite singer in boygenius is probably Lucy Dacus!

And Kara Jackson’s lyrics and poetry all over this album are absolutely beautiful, with a lot of lyrics about self-love and self-acceptance, and there are a lot of potential double-meanings.

The imagery as well as the complexity of the narrator are two things that really stand out to me here, and it’s such a comforting listen that I really hope goes down as a classic one day—and I kind of can’t help but feel like it will. At the very least, it certainly deserves it! To fans of singer-songwriter/folk music and anything in that vein, if you haven’t heard this yet, I cannot put into words how much I think you’re missing out! This is absolutely amazing!

#3 …

I’ll admit I struggle to accept the passage of time … and I think most of us do, really. But it’s extremely powerful when I feel like an album can change my perception of the passage of time, giving me a more optimistic mindset. And with an album full of tracks that feel perfect for just one moment …

#3 – Late Reflections by Grandbrothers

I mean, even on the surface level this is absolutely great. Everything sounds miked amazingly well, especially those pianos which have so many absolutely incredible moments to shine in this album, the percussion gives these textures a much thicker feeling that I really like, and it’s all mixed super well!

But the way this album makes me feel is not as noticeable on the surface. So many of these tracks perfectly represent a moment in time, and that’s it … and it brings back so many specific emotions I feel like I hadn’t felt in so long—emotions and feelings that are specific to me, just like we all have. I mean, no one’s had the same experience, and this album can really bring past moments to life for me—but again, it’s just a moment.

And I really like how some of these songs make it feel like they’re going to circle back to previous passages and it doesn’t really happen, which feels really fitting, once again going along with that theme of everything feeling like a specific moment that’ll never come again. And keep in mind, this album is instrumental!

And there are just so many small details and so many great moments, whether it be the stormy sounds on “Golden Dust”, the super catchy staccato piano on “North/South”, or the sort shuffling percussion in “Vertigo” … I mean, I could just go on and on. This feels like it has so much meaning packed into this entirely instrumental album, and while my interpretation may be totally different from yours … well, that’s one of the great things about music, isn’t it?

#2 …

There’s a certain kind of music which very few bands can pull off with a specific combination of sad, serious, and funny. But even when bands do manage to pull this off really well, they don’t usually do it this well!

#2 – Formal Growth in the Desert by Protomartyr

This is the kind of magnificent post-punk album that’s pretty much impossible to find! It’s full of excellent rhymes, phrasing, and cadences, with clever poetry which covers a variety of topics, in which lead singer Joe Casey portrays a variety of characters, with so much lyrical variety!

And the sense of humor despite some of the dark subject matters is a huge part of this album’s charm if you ask me. Because it feels like it represents an attempted escape … no, ‘escape’ isn’t the right word, because while the humour here isn’t trying to make light of these issues, it’s also not trying to ignore them … I guess it’s kind of about finding a silver lining? And they have their own unique twist on this kind of music, especially with all the musical experimentation!

There are some excellent chugging riffs, with super punchy snares and really interesting rhythms!

It’s an extremely fun album that also has its sad moments, but at its core I think it’s a bleak but realistic look at the world, just trying to find joy within all the darkness. And it’s also incredibly catchy! Phenomenal stuff!

#1 …

If you follow my reviews closely, I don’t think you’ll be surprised to see this here, considering how positively I reviewed it, and also using process of elimination. And while so far this is just my introduction to the band and I haven’t listened to their other albums, I’d be surprised if they have any more albums quite this great …

#1 – Bleed Out by Within Temptation

Despite the close competition, I think if I had to pick one album from this year that really hit the hardest for me, made me want to go back to it the most, and just wowed me so much … yeah, it’s the new Within Temptation album.

This is the kind of symphonic metal that aims super high, going for this huge, epic, anthemic sound … and they actually nail it! This has some of the best production I’ve heard all year, with the spacey sound of so many of these songs that doesn’t take away from the punch the drums have, with the crushing guitars sounding excellent!

But I think what might impress me the most is how well these tracks go together to create a full album experience, and also how well the music and lyrics fit together. As I said in my review of the album, the lyrics—as great as they are—are not mind-blowing, but they’re the kind of lyrics an album like this needed. The album is a heavy, emotional listen while also being a ton of fun, depending on the song … but it all fits together to create an album that feels like it’s fighting back against something—and what that something is depends on the listener.

And with so many excellent strings and synths that feel perfectly placed in the mix, as well as the powerhouse vocals from their frontwoman, Sharon den Adel … at the end of the day, I just had to choose this as my album of the year. Albums like these are a rare find, and I’m so glad I gave this a chance! What an incredibly special album!

…

Alright, thanks for reading, everyone! Next up is my favourite songs of 2023, and then it’s time for 2024 reviews!

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the fourth of my six year-end lists, The Top 10 Worst Albums of 2023!

Just like with the worst songs list, I’m not putting a ton of effort into this post. Over the holidays I’d much rather spend time with friends and family and work on my positive year-end lists over these ‘worst’ lists … but it’s tradition for me—yes, I know it’s only the second year I’ve done this, but it feels like tradition—so here is my final ‘worst’ list for this year, and then we can move on to the good stuff!

These are just my personal least favourite albums of the year … feel free to disagree with any of it. I’m just some guy talking about my least favourite albums of the year, and the only reason I put ‘worst’ in the title is because it’s a catchier title.

And most importantly, I’m not making this post to be mean or anything. So, if you’re an artist, producer, etc. whose album appears on this list, I hope you don’t take this personally. Not that I think anyone who made these albums is actually reading this, but I should make this clear just in case. And also, if you’re a fan of these albums, that’s great! We can agree to disagree!

Alright, time for the list:

#10 – …So Unknown by Jesus Piece

I don’t really know what to say about this one other than that it’s pretty much the furthest thing from being the kind of metal music I actually like. To me it just sounds like noise, and while I’m sure there’s more to it than that, I just get pretty much nothing out of it.

I do think the album ends really well with “The Bond” which I think is pretty well mixed and has some really good guitar distortion and punchy snares, but pretty much everything up to that point is barely listenable in my opinion.

I mean, I’m not the biggest death metal fan, but even by death metal standards I feel like I’ve heard way better.

#9 – Five Easy Hot Dogs by Mac DeMarco

I decided not to listen to Mac DeMarco’s 199-song album from 2023 for obvious reasons, but if there’s an album that felt like the snooze fest of the year for me, it’s probably this one … I don’t think there’s much about it that’s unlistenable, but I just get so bored listening to it. There’s pretty much nothing here that stands out to me in a positive way at all.

#8 – For All The Dogs by Drake

At this point, I’m just really tired of talking about Drake’s music. And here we have an overly long Drake album that doesn’t feel nearly as interesting as I think it’s supposed to be … and maybe there’s more to it than I realize—I’ll be honest, I kind of half-assed my review of the album—no, I really half-assed it—but I did sit through it twice and that was enough for me to know I didn’t want to sit through it any more … so, yeah, maybe I’m being hypocritical considering how little effort I put into my review of this and how little I’m saying about it, but if I’m being honest I just couldn’t get into this album at all, and I don’t want to spend more time listening to it to try and get into it.

#7 – This Town is Death by NEUPINK

Sam Strawberry’s final two albums under the name NEUPINK were released in 2023 (although Sam has released more music since), and one of those albums—opt-in to remove myself—is a really strong album with some gorgeous moments on it!

But this album … holy shit, the difference in quality (in my opinion) between these two albums is … I don’t even know what to say.

The thing is, while I don’t find these tracks super interesting compositionally, I don’t think the compositions are all that bad—in fact, there are seeds of a good album here in my opinion.

But this might be the least I’ve liked the production on any 2023 album! I get that it was probably an artistic choice, but in my opinion, the mixing sounds awful with the way the drums are buried and the guitar distortion is super overpowering. The production sounds super blown out.

#6 – Life Is But a Dream… by Avenged Sevenfold

This album feels like it’s trying so hard to be super deep, and yet it doesn’t feel deep at all … it feels like it’s all disguised by grand instrumentation, and it doesn’t really feel interesting at all.

Actually, that’s not true … it is an interesting album, although not in a good way.

The first half of the album, while it isn’t even close to something I would go out of my way to listen to, is not awful. However, once we get into the second half of the album, it gets much more annoying, with some awful choruses and vocal effects, and the production gets worse.

And also, this album is full of nihilism to a toxic extent … and yes, I know it’s art and it’s open to interpretation, and I have nothing against the songwriters personally, but the song writing here feels really questionable. And the album is a total slog to get through in my opinion.

#5 – The Album by Jonas Brothers

Yay! More super generic pop songs with annoying choruses and terrible production! I mean, as always this is all just my opinion, but I really struggle to see the appeal of this album. There’s almost nothing about it that I like at all.

And I’m getting tired of talking about terrible albums, so for now all I’m going to say is this: if all you’ve heard from this album is “Waffle House” and you think that song is terrible, well … as someone who also doesn’t like that song at all, this album gets MUCH worse!

#4 – Grapes Upon the Vine by TV Girl

I remember reviewing this album months ago … and it wasn’t even much of a review. And that’s because it’s yet another example of an album I just didn’t feel like putting in the effort to really talk about much, and I spent more time talking around it.

And again, I’m not great at analyzing lyrics, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but it feels like this album is being disguised as really deep and meaningful, but to me it doesn’t feel like it has much to say. I mean, maybe there’s more to it than I realize, but I don’t even think it has a good musical disguise—at least Life Is But a Dream… by Avenged Sevenfold has some musical moments with a big sound to it that feels like an attempt at grandness, even though I don’t think it works at all. This album just makes me wonder, ‘How did this get released as it is?’

And I don’t even like the production, with so many really awkward percussion choices in my opinion and mixing that doesn’t work for me at all.

#3 – It’s The End Of The World But It’s A Beautiful Day by Thirty Seconds to Mars

Not too long ago curiosity got the best of me and I listened to AMERICA by Thirty Seconds to Mars, their 2018 album which has received super negative reviews. And I thought it was awful on first listen, and I haven’t listened to it since … hmm, I wonder why.

Well, curiosity got the best of me once again and I decided to check out this new album, partially because, well … yes, I’ll admit I’m one of those people who will sometimes go looking for worst list material … and this is absolutely worst list material in my opinion!

I guess this is what people who don’t like Imagine Dragons hear when listening to their music? Maybe? Because this feels so overblown musically and it sounds like it’s going for this huge, epic sound and in my opinion it fails miserably. There’s pretty much nothing about this that I find even the slightest bit interesting.

And I think the production is awful, with the instrumental timbres not fitting with each other at all, and it’s the kind of combination of pop and rock elements that feels like it can’t decide what it wants to be.

So, like I expected, I found this to be among the worst albums I’ve heard all year … and believe it or not, there are 2 albums I heard from 2023 that I think are worse than this!

#2 – Maybe It’s Me… by DDG

Yes, once again we’re getting to the point where I feel like I’m out of things to say. I’m excited to move on to the ‘best’ lists, but I’m pretty much just doing these ‘worst’ lists because I want to have this tradition, and also I feel like it makes the albums/songs on the ‘best’ lists stand out more, if that makes any sense.

Late in the year, I was looking for worst list material, and I came across this album getting super negative reviews, and curiosity got the best of me … and I honestly kind of wish it didn’t, even though I found material for this list. It’s not even like this is bad in a funny way, it’s just miserable to listen to … and also very misogynistic, as far as I can tell. And yes, I know it’s art, and art is open to interpretation, but to me this just feels gross, and it makes me wonder, ‘Was this even supposed to be good?’ Especially when pretty much everything about it is awful in my opinion—the lyrics, the flows, the instrumentals … there’s pretty much nothing about it that stands out to me in a positive way, and I think the lyrics suck pretty much consistently throughout the album, and the flows and instrumentals get really annoying, too.

And even the production, while not the worst I’ve heard all year, isn’t very good, either, in my opinion, with the instruments blending together in such a strange way that it just feels like a muddy mess, and the mixing doesn’t sound very tight, either, with DDG’s rapping usually sounding too loud compared to the instrumentals. So, honestly I just recommend you stay away from this album. Even if you’re looking for worst list material like I was, I’d recommend pretty much any other album on this list except for this one … although, there might be one exception …

But before we get to that …

Dishonourable Mentions:

In no particular order …

4 (The Pink Album) by Lukas Graham: I struggle to see why this is being considered one of the absolute worst albums of the year. I get the appeal of the emotional song writing here, but I just don’t really feel gripped by it, and there are some really annoying choruses on this album.

This Is Why by Paramore: Well, I guess this is where I get cancelled … but the messy production just doesn’t work for me here at all, and I don’t find the melodies interesting.

Strangeworld by Throw the Fight: I mentioned in my mini review of this album that it reminds me of STARSET, and like with most of the STARSET music I’ve heard, I just really struggle to get into it. I find the production annoying at points, and there’s just not much about it that I like all that much … in fact, it feels bland to the point where it gets annoying.

everything is alive by Slowdive: Dream pop at its worst? I mean, I’m not much of a Slowdive fan in general, but I definitely thought I would like this more than I do. The production just feels like a mess to me, and I think it’s a total snooze fest.

Tell Me I’m Alive by All Time Low: If it weren’t for “New Religion” this would definitely have a shot at the top 10, with arguably some of the worst airy production I’ve heard all year, and the vocals often sound drowned out in the mix. And there’s no shortage of annoying hooks, either.

Good Living Is Coming For You by Sweeping Promises: This is definitely not my style of post-punk. Very little about it really gripped me, and the foggy production really holds me back from liking it more.

But now, it’s time for #1 …

#1 – Lil Pump 2 by Lil Pump

Yes, this is that Lil Pump. The Lil Pump who made everyone’s favourite song to hate, “Gucci Gang” … and while I don’t like that song at all, was it really that bad? I don’t think so. At least not compared to his new album.

I often listen to parts of the albums on my worst albums list right before posting it so I can refresh my memory a bit, but I don’t want to do that here. I don’t want to listen to this any more. If you want, you can read my review of the album, which isn’t really much of a review at all. But based on my memory, this album is full of morally problematic lyrics and awful production, with some of the worst flows I’ve heard all year. And I’d say that still, to this date, this is the worst album I’ve reviewed on my website in my opinion … let’s see if anyone can top that in 2024.

…

But what I’m more excited about than that is talking about the best music of 2023! Next up is The Top 50 Best Albums of 2023, and then The Top 100 Best Songs of 2023!

Once again, I hope no one took any of this personally. These are just my personal feelings on these albums at the end of the day.

As always, thanks for reading this post, and I’ll be back soon with the best albums of the year!

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another of my year-end lists! Today I’m counting down my picks for The Top 25 Worst Songs of 2023. If you thought The Top 10 Worst Hit Songs of 2023 were bad, trust me, it’s about to get much worse!

But before I start the countdown, I want to make a few things clear. First of all, these are just my personal feelings on these songs, and music is subjective. I’m mostly making this post for entertainment purposes, and I’m not trying to be mean to anyone. So, if you love any of the songs on this list or in the unlikely event that you made any of these songs, I hope you don’t take this personally. And I just want to warn everyone in advance that I’m going to be very harsh in this post, and while these are genuinely my least favourite songs of the year, I may exaggerate some things for entertainment purposes.

Also, keep in mind there are many different reasons why a song could end up on here, and maybe in some cases I won’t be as harsh as I was in my worst hits list, but I probably dislike the song way more—I say ‘probably’ because there is a tiny bit of overlap between the lists. Also, the songs I respect the least aren’t necessarily the ones I dislike the most, and this list is about the ones I dislike the most.

I also want to mention that the eligibility rules are that the song has to have come out in 2023, whether it was first released as a single or on an album … and maybe I accidentally included some songs that came out earlier, but I didn’t mean to. And I was going to wait until the calendar changed to 2024 to make this post, but I highly doubt anything will be released in the next day or two that I would’ve listened to which would have made this list, and if that does happen … well, it’s probably best I’m missing out.

Also, I didn’t put a ton of effort into this post, but again, I’m not trying to be ‘objective’ or anything. I just didn’t want to put that much energy into talking about music I really don’t like, and I want all my year-end lists to be posted before too long. So, I’m just giving some brief thoughts on the songs from this year that I personally like the least.

Of all of my year-end lists, this is the only one which I will limit to one song per artist. And also, it’s worth mentioning that there are some songs I’ve heard terrible things about but that I’ve just decided to avoid listening to, so for example if you’re wondering why there’s no 6ix9ine on the list, it’s because I haven’t listened to his album from this year, for obvious reasons.

Alright, time to start the countdown!

#25: “Profane” by Jesus Piece

Alright, we’re kicking off the list with a super awesome heavy metal track that’s way better than all that pop garbage and that rap garbage and that country garbage … oh, wait, I forgot, this is my nineteen-year-old self writing this, not my fourteen-year-old self.

I’m not usually the hugest fan of death metal, but I at least like most of it more than this song, in which the production sounds super messy and the screaming just doesn’t work for me at all in this song, and I’m not entirely sure why. But this feels to me like the perfect example of the kind of death metal I just really don’t like.

#24: “exes” by Tate McRae

I don’t hate Tate McRae’s newest album, but this song really got incredibly annoying. The trap snare sounds really out of place and overly loud in the mix, and this song has a super annoying chorus, and whether or not the lyrics are melodramatic, they certainly feel that way to an annoying extent without much detail to really describe why the narrator has so many exes despite that being the whole point of the song, and it just feels really generic to me, as well as having some really cringey rhymes.

I’m still curious to hear more music from Tate McRae, and I still really like “you broke me first”, but this just doesn’t work for me at all.

#23: “Speedometer” by Post Malone

Yet another song in which the singer sings about speeding on the road with this really upbeat instrumental, except in this case it comes with the line, ‘I couldn’t think of a better reason to drive.’ And it’s not even like this song sounds good musically, because that instrumental gets really annoying after a while.

#22: “Love The Hell Out Of You” by Lewis Capaldi

I don’t dislike Lewis Capaldi’s music for the most part, but this song is incredibly annoying and tedious to listen to, with Lewis Capaldi’s vocal style that I know a lot of people really don’t like, and while I often don’t mind it and even think it fits really well in certain songs, in this track it just makes it feel really over the top to me. Of course, that’s just how I hear it, but at the end of the day this is my list.

And it’s not like I like the production, because I don’t, and the melodies don’t do much for me, either … and overall, this is just a tedious listen that’s hard to fully describe.

#21: “the good the bad the olga” by glaive

I want to be careful talking about this song, because it’s yet another case of a song that describes the narrator committing suicide (or at least planning to), and while it’s a really uncomfortable listen, I don’t want to be insensitive. But with that being said, the framing is making it seem like the narrator is making the right choice. And I’m sure the intent of this wasn’t to send a pro-suicide message, and art is open to interpretation. I’m not saying I have anything against glaive as a person for this song, I just cannot stand listening to this. Because the way I hear it is that it’s a very problematic song and a very uncomfortable listening experience.

#20: “I Would Hate Me Too” by TX2

You know what? Despite the super negative reception for this, I actually kind of get why this song might work—it all depends how you hear it. And I don’t think this was trying to glamourize terrible behaviour—I mean, the narrator is painted as the villain, and the main line of the hook is ‘I would fucking hate me, too.’ Now, do I personally find this song really annoying? Yes. But I’m not mad about it or anything, and it’s at least kind of interesting.

TX2 said this song is very personal and is about how he really felt about himself, and I don’t want to be disrespectful or insensitive, and I hope he’s doing well, but I personally find this song super annoying with the production that I think sounds awful, and the upbeat feeling of the song really doesn’t feel fitting with the lyrics. But again, I get why it might work for some audiences … but it’s not for me AT ALL.

#19: “Without Pleasure” by NEUPINK

I could have gone with any of a number of tracks from this NEUPINK album, because as much as I liked NEUPINK’s other album from 2023, this album has some of my least favourite production of the year … but I went with this track just because it feels the most unlistenable to me.

#18: “Thinkin’ Bout Me” by Morgan Wallen

I already talked about this one in my list of my least favourite hit songs of the year … so, to keep it very brief, I think this is a terrible country song with a trap beat that sounds really out of place, as well as some terrible lyrics which I don’t want to talk about again. You can just read that post if you want to see what I had to say about this one.

#17: “Cinderella Snapped” by Jax

Yes, I know this is a female empowerment anthem, and there’s a part of me that feels like maybe it’s not fair for me to say this as a man, but … in my opinion, it’s not a very good female empowerment anthem. I mean, at the end of the day it’s just my opinion.

That chorus is so fucking annoying, and it’s full of cringey lines mentioning fairy tales, including changing the pronoun of Rapunzel, and this whole song feels like it’s trying so hard to be unique and deep, but to me there doesn’t really seem to be anything to it, and I find this song incredibly annoying. Also, while I’m all for equal pay, the wording ‘equal pay me’ I just find really cringey for some reason … and then there’s the rapping in the bridge, too. So, yeah, there’s a lot about this song that I find really annoying, and I want to shut it off immediately every time I hear it.

#16: “Sour” by Graphic Nature

This does seem like a song that has a lot of emotion to it and seems to be about mental health struggles, which is why I hate to say I can’t help but find some parts of this song kind of funny. I’m not trying to be insensitive or anything, but I personally find this song incredibly cringey and generic to the point where it almost sounds like a parody of metal music, which I don’t think was the intent. Again, I’m not trying to be insensitive, but I personally can’t stand listening to this.

#15: “7:1” by Thirty Seconds to Mars

This Thirty Seconds to Mars album got one of my most negative reviews ever on this website, and if there’s one song that best represents pretty much everything I don’t like about the album, it’s probably this one, with the way the instrumental timbres feel disconnected from each other as if they were produced for different songs, and the way the vocals sound like Jared Leto is singing on a rock song despite the fact this just sounds like a generic pop radio hit. And there’s also that really annoying ‘ay-oh’ part. And there are some annoyingly sharp-sounding synths, a terrible snare, and I could just go on and on.

This song feels like it’s going for this really dramatic, epic feeling, but to me it just falls flat on its face.

#14: “(O)rdinary” by Avenged Sevenfold

There are a lot of awful songs on the newest Avenged Sevenfold album in my opinion, but if I had to pick a least favourite, it’s probably this one, with that awful vocal effect and a bunch of lines that don’t feel nearly as interesting as I think they’re supposed to, and the instrumental sounds like terrible background music for an educational YouTube video. And the Daft Punk impression also feels super out of place in this song.

#13: “Gimme” by Sam Smith & Koffee & Jessie Reyez

Even as someone who liked Sam Smith’s album from this year, I’ve got to say, “Gimme” has one of the absolute worst choruses of the year that I’ve heard. And this song definitely didn’t give me what I wanted … or, in a way it did, I guess, because it’s worst list material.

#12: “Gelato” by Echosmith

And if you want to know another one of the most annoying choruses of the year in my opinion, just listen to “Gelato” by Echosmith!

I really didn’t like this album at all, but at least most of it was more listenable than this track which has messy production, a really annoying chorus, and then there’s also that super cringey bridge and outro about gelato flavours … that bridge makes it feel like another song that’s trying too hard to be unique, and I just find it incredibly obnoxious.

#11: “Shame” by TV Girl

Well, this is a shame, isn’t it?

I can’t help but feel like this song sounds so faux-upbeat, as it feels like this song is just saying, ‘Hey, there’s a bunch of horrible things happening in the world … well, that’s a shame,’ and just leaving it at that, like it wants to ignore all problems in the world—and yes, I understand that to some extent, but it’s like it’s not even fully acknowledging those problems … and no, I don’t think that was the intent of the song, and I’m not saying this track is morally reprehensible or anything, but it comes across as really obnoxious to me.

#10: “Members Only” by Drake (ft. PARTYNEXTDOOR)

Yay, another awful Drake song that’s a total chore to get through! That’s exactly what I wanted to hear!

And it’s not like PARTYNEXTDOOR’s verse is much better than Drake’s parts of the song … but overall, this is a total snooze fest musically to the point of obnoxiousness, and there’s no lack of cringey puns in the lyrics, as well as that really questionable part where Drake seems to possibly be playing into the ‘lesbians just haven’t found the right man yet’ narrative—yes, it’s kind of hard to tell exactly what he’s trying to say, but to me this song feels gross.

#9: “MATHEMATICAL DISRESPECT” by Lil Mabu

I don’t even know where to begin with this one … I mean, there’s a much bigger conversation we could have about hip hop culture, privilege, and much more—although I’ll admit I don’t really think I’m educated enough to speak too much on that, and also we’d be here all day.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve often interpreted braggadocious rap music—as annoying as it can be in my opinion—to usually be celebrating something that someone has earned after struggling for so long. But in this case we have a very privileged rapper with a rich family who really seems to want to let everyone know how much money he’s making, and that just feels off-putting to me, especially with the line, ‘Mabu get money while he pee.’

And there are so many other things about this song that really annoy me … I mean, there are so many cringey lines I don’t even feel like getting into right now.

I mean, take all of this with a grain of salt. Like I said, I don’t think I’m educated enough to speak on this fully. But I do know I don’t like this song, that’s for sure. 

#8: “Dummy” by Portugal. The Man

I actually really ended up liking Portugal. The Man’s newest album, and there are a handful of great tracks on it … so, how did this possibly end up making the final track list?

There’s the scatting, the instrumental that feels so generic to the point where it’s actively annoying, the terrible production … and then that chorus …

I am shocked by the actually somewhat positive reception this song seems to have gotten. I just can’t see the appeal of it at all. I mean, if you like it, good for you, but I just don’t understand it at all.

#7: “Sick” by Dominic Fike

Dominic Fike’s newest album is full of songs I don’t like, but in my opinion this song is bad in a way I can’t fully describe … but do you ever hear a song that you really, really don’t like, and you can’t quite place why?

I mean, yeah, the shuffling percussion does feel a little out of place here, and I don’t really like the vocal melodies, and the production and mixing sound really annoyingly messy, and the chorus is awful in my opinion, but why is this so high on the list?

Honestly, I can’t quite place what it is about this song that makes me dislike it as much as I do, but I do know I don’t enjoy listening to it at all.

#6: “Summer In The Hamptons” by Jonas Brothers

And speaking of songs that just feel incredibly off-putting for reasons I can’t fully describe … well, here we have my least favourite song from that awful album the Jonas Brothers put out this year, with one of the most annoying choruses of the year and an awful guitar lick/riff that keeps repeating with the awful vocal layering!

#5: “hi.” by Colleen Vlogs

I was just finishing up this list when I suddenly remembered this song … and yeah, I thought about whether or not to include it here, because you could argue it isn’t eligible. But it was released to the public, and I think it is technically a song … so yeah, it counts.

And the last thing I want when I’m doing the last steps of finishing this post is have this complicated conversation about cancel culture, forgiveness, etc. And I’ll admit I don’t know a whole lot about the Colleen Ballinger situation, and I haven’t looked into it much to prepare for writing this … but at the end of the day, this list is about the songs themselves, so I don’t think I need to look into it much in order to describe the main thing I can’t stand about this song: the fact that she’s totally dancing around the subject matter here, and not giving any sort of apology, explanation, or evidence for anything.

I haven’t listened to this in months, so I don’t remember that much about it … but I think that’s probably a good thing. And I strongly encourage you not to listen to this at all, although some of the memes people have made are quite good, I’ll admit.

#4: “Endless Fashion” by Lil Uzi Vert (ft. Nicki Minaj)

How did this even happen? I honestly can’t believe this was actually released! I mean, first of all, there’s the line in which Nicki Minaj refers to Lil Uzi Vert with the wrong pronoun … but that’s not the only thing I don’t like about this song. The production sounds terrible, both artists’ flows are super annoying in this track, there are a ton of incredibly cringey lines … and here’s yet another song which interpolates “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” … it didn’t work when David Guetta and Bebe Rexha did it, and in my opinion it’s even worse here!

#3: “Mother” by Meghan Trainor

This is the second year in a row that Meghan Trainor has made my worst songs of the year list, and while “Made You Look” is incredibly annoying and made my worst hits list for this year, in hindsight I don’t really think it was bad enough to make my worst songs list last year, and I would take it off that list.

This song on the other hand is abysmal, with its awful sample of The Chordettes’ version of “Mr. Sandman”, some really annoying percussion, and arguably some of the worst vocal production I have heard on any song this year, with some vocal layering that gets really annoying … but honestly, I think the production overall sounds terrible, with the percussion and vocal layering being so overpowering and creating this absolutely miserable listening experience.

I rarely use the word ‘hate’ when talking about music, but I genuinely hate this song so much! And I haven’t even gotten to the super cringey lyrics where Meghan refers to herself as ‘your mother’ and sings lines such as, ‘Who gave you permission to speak?’ It’s supposed to be a female empowerment anthem, and while I’m happy for anyone who’s been empowered by this song, it doesn’t mean I have to like the song. And I think this song is fucking horrible!

#2: “Trynna Link” by DDG

I made the mistake of checking out DDG’s newest album because curiosity got the best of me, and pretty much the entire album is absolutely abysmal, with this song in particular being not only the most accurate representation of the album out of all the individual tracks, but also my pick for the worst on the album, and easily one of the worst of the year! In fact, I almost put this song at #1!

There are so many tracks from the album that I would’ve put on this list if it weren’t for the one-song-per-artist rule, but I went with this one because it’s got the same problems as pretty much every other song here, and also the godawful interpolation of 21 Savage’s “Bank Account”. But as bad as “Bank Account” is, at least it’s funny—in fact, that’s one of the rare cases in which I like a song because I think it’s bad—whereas here, I don’t find this funny at all.

I could talk about the nonstop awful lines throughout this song … but no, I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just move on.

…

But before I reveal my #1, here’s a quick list of dishonourable mentions, in no particular order:

“Gans Media Retro Games” by Hot Mulligan
“Calm Down” by All Time Low
“Run” by Maisie Peters
“Ozone Scraper” by DJ Shadow
“C’est Comme Ça” by Paramore
“Salt Water” by Ed Sheeran

Alright, now it’s time to reveal my #1:

#1: “Pump Rock x Heavy Metal” by Lil Pump

Yes, that’s right. For those of you who missed it, Lil Pump tried to make a metal song on his album from this year, and I would say it went as bad as you’d expect … but honestly, this is MUCH worse than I even expected!

Like I’ve already said in this post, I’d rather not spend too much time and energy writing about the worst songs of the year, so I’m just going to keep this very brief and say this: I don’t know how I should feel about this song. There are so many problematic lines and it’s not a song I feel like I should be laughing at … and yet, I can’t help but find this track laughably bad. And I’m not in any way recommending you listen to it—I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend you stay the hell away from it—but I can’t deny it’s kind of hard not to laugh at, too.

And there it is. My pick for the worst song of 2023.

…

Well, that was a lot of bad music, and the worst albums of the year is still on the way … but fortunately, next up after that is The Top 50 Best Albums of 2023! We can finally move on to talking about great music!

Again, I hope I wasn’t too harsh in this post. I’m not making this post to be mean to anyone, I’m just sharing how I personally feel about these songs.

As always, thanks for reading, and happy new year!

Hello, everyone! Welcome to my 39th and final mini review post of 2023!

As always, these are just my personal feelings on these albums. Feel free to disagree with me. Music is subjective. And even if I say something negative, it’s not an attempt to be mean. I’m just sharing how I personally feel about these albums.

Not only is this the final mini review post I’m making this year, but I’m probably done with reviews in general for the year. And I’m just going to mostly focus on year-end lists for the next little bit.

Alright, let’s talk about these six albums, starting with:

THINK LATER by Tate McRae:

I reviewed Tate McRae’s debut studio album in 2022—that was actually my third album review on this website—and I’ll admit I would change some things about that review in hindsight. I still don’t like the album, and I think my rating of a 4/10 would stay the same, but keep in mind that’s the first time I ever posted a negative review, and because of that I maybe tried to pretend I liked the best songs on it a little more than I actually do. I didn’t do that intentionally, but subconsciously some of it might have been a bit forced. That’s not to say that I don’t think “chaotic” is a pretty great song, because I do, but I do think I overhyped even that song, and others like “she’s all i wanna be” have soured on me.

Anyway, here’s her second studio album, and while I can’t say I had high expectations, I wanted to give it a chance … and I will at least say I like it better than her debut. The production, while not great, has improved, and there are some good vocal melodies here. Even some of the more mid-tier songs on this album have elements that I really like—for example, if “run for the hills” had a better snare and if the production and mixing sounded tighter, it could have been excellent!

And there are some moments here that I really like lyrically, such as the way she writes about attachment to an unhealthy relationship on “stay done” or the nihilistic lyrics of the title track that don’t feel all that serious and fit with the music.

But for the most part I just find a lot of this to be pretty uninteresting. It feels like it blends in with a lot of other pop music for me. And I often don’t like the vocal layering, and the trap beats don’t usually fit in my opinion. 

Also, I often avoid talking negatively about vocals in my reviews, because I don’t want to make it sound like I’m criticizing someone’s natural voice … but I’m just going to be totally honest and say that I’m not a huge fan of Tate McRae’s vocals. I think any singer can be a good singer, and I have loved some of her vocal performances in certain tracks—“you broke me first” comes to mind—but for whatever reason I only seem to really like Tate McRae’s vocals in specific tracks, and I’m not really sure why.

So, for me this album is a 5/10. It’s far from the worst album I’ve heard this year, but I certainly don’t like it.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “stay done”, “we’re not alike”, “think later”
Least Favourite Tracks: “hurt my feelings”, “exes”, “guilty conscience”

Bewitched by Laufey:

For months now I’ve been hearing really positive things about this Laufey album, so as someone who still hasn’t listened to her debut album I was still curious to hear this new record of hers, her second to date.

And there are some very enchanting elements of this album, most notably Laufey’s vocals, which I think are absolutely incredible! And the vocals alone are enough to make this worth hearing! But even aside from that, there are some really strong melodies, and the instrumentation sounds really tight, with lots of small details that really help!

And I also like a lot of the lyrics here. They’re not super deep as far as I can tell, but there’s some really nice poetry here, with “Letter To My 13 Year Old Self” being an example of great lyricism with the way she takes the cliché of writing a song about her former self, but she adds a lot of detail that really helps separate it from so many other songs in this vein. And there’s a lot of great imagery used throughout the album, and the phrasing and cadences work really well, too!

And it’s really unfortunate that the production holds it back for me so much … because as much as Laufey is a fantastic vocalist, the vocal production on the other hand, well, it’s not the strongest if you ask me, especially with some backing vocals that take away from the enchanting atmosphere of some of these songs. And the vocals also can feel drowned out in the mix at points, which also doesn’t help, like in “California and Me”.

And while I like the instrumentation on paper, something about the sound quality just feels kind of awkward to me, with the way the instruments sound when put together—it sounds tight in terms of the timing of it all, but the backing vocals and strings often create a certain kind of atmosphere that doesn’t work super well for me—the production doesn’t feel as enchanting as it could, and instead it feels more muddy, which doesn’t really fit with the vibe.

Also, as much as I do like some of the vocal melodies, they don’t feel super consistent. And “From The Start” is an incredibly obnoxious song which feels really out of place on this album.

This album has a very winter-like vibe to it, so this is the perfect time of year to give it a listen—and there are moments where I like the production, such as “Second Best”, a song I actually think is pretty great … but as a whole, this just isn’t wowing me. So, I’ll give it a light 7/10. Again, I think it’s good, but not great.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Second Best”, “Lovesick”, “Promise”, “Letter To My 13 Year Old Self”
Least Favourite Track: “From The Start”

Playground by House of Harm:

I’ve heard some positive things about this album, and I’ve seen it described as post-punk and darkwave … so, it seems like it should be right up my alley—although I also heard a comparison to the band Korine, a band whose full discography I’m not super familiar with, although considering how I felt about Korine’s album from this year, that didn’t give me the highest of expectations for this …

But I actually ended up liking it a lot! And the interesting thing is that I can actually hear some similarities between this and Tear by Korine, but this album feels way more experimental, and the production feels way punchier, with those awesome snares! And the basslines are awesome!

I’m often not a huge fan of airy production, but it often depends on how it’s done, and in this case the guitars feel just distant enough from everything else with just the right amount of reverb when combined with those punchy snares that it all comes together to create much more atmosphere with a slightly ‘underwater’ sound if that makes any sense, but not too much to the point where it takes away from the awesome grooves. The album has a very 80s-post-punk vibe, and I think it’s awesome!

And there are some fascinating lyrics here, too, with the slight vagueness fitting really well with this style of darkwave. And I love how “The Face of Grace” unintentionally feels like it’s full of metaphors for me personally struggling to write reviews as good as I want to … and yes, I’m thinking way too much into that, I know. And while we’re on the topic of lyrics, I also love the haunting sense of desire on “To Last”.

Now, with all this being said, I do think the second half leaves a bit more to be desired, especially with “Ignore the Taste” having some of the weakest guitar melodies on the album, but there’s just so much to like about this album! So, for me, it’s a 9/10, and a great surprise late in the year!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 9/10
Favourite Tracks: “Before the Line”, “To Last”, “Roseglass (Edit)”, “The Face of Grace”, “Soaked In Pastel”, “Two Kinds”, “Moving On”, “Place It Back”
Least Favourite Track: “Ignore the Taste”

Cartwheel by Hotline TNT:

Hotline TNT are a band I don’t think I’d heard of until recently when this album came out. This is their second album, and it’s the first album of theirs that I’ve listened to.

And it’s mostly got a nice sound to it, with some nice guitar distortion, and I mostly like the mixing here … although I do wish the sound were a bit less foggy.

Overall, I can’t say there’s much about the song writing that really grabbed my attention. And maybe that’s just a me thing, but I’m not going to pretend I found the lyrics particularly interesting or that I was all that impressed by the compositions.

I guess this just isn’t really my style of alternative rock … it feels like I’ve heard so many albums like this, and there’s just not much that sets it apart in my opinion. But still, the percussion mostly sounds good, especially in “Spot Me 100”, although it is kind of funny that arguably the one song on this album that I felt a bit more gripped by is the one with the line, ‘I’ve heard this song before.’

And maybe I’m missing something in the lyrics, but to me it doesn’t feel as deep or interesting as I think it’s supposed to … so, overall, I guess I’ll give this a strong 6/10. It’s still at least decent for what it is, but I’m not really a fan of it.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Protocol”, “Maxine”, “Spot Me 100”, “BMX”
Least Favourite Track: “Son In Law”

Madres by Sofia Kourtesis:

This is the debut studio album by Peruvian DJ Sofia Kourtesis, whom I hadn’t heard of until this album came out. But I saw this getting a lot of critical acclaim, and after watching one of my favourite music critics, Mark Grondin from Spectrum Pulse, review this album very positively, I knew I didn’t want to miss this album … and yeah, I agree with the general consensus here. This album is great!

The production has a really nice, smooth sound to it, but not too much to the point where it would hold these songs back from hitting really hard. And I think the album is very well mixed, too!

There are lots of strong melodies, in both the vocals and instrumentation, and while the lyrics don’t seem to be super deep, I don’t think they need to for this album to really click for me, and it’s hard for me to describe why … but without these lyrics, I also wouldn’t like this as much, as the lyrics and music fit really well together.

Now it’s worth mentioning that I don’t speak Spanish, so while I translated some of the lyrics online, I don’t know how accurate the translations were. Although some of the lyrics here are in English.

So, yeah, if you’re looking for a dance album with a really nice, warm vibe to it that feels like the perfect album to listen to on your own late at night—or even if that description was way too specific—I highly recommend this! 9/10! Absolutely awesome stuff!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 9/10
Favourite Tracks: “Madres”, “Si Te Portas Bonito”, “Vajkoczy”, “How Music Makes You Feel Better”, “Funkhaus”, “Moving Houses”, “Cecilia”, “El Carmen”
Least Favourite Track: “Habla Con Ella”

The Lamb as Effigy by Sprain:

This album was released back in September to huge amounts of critical acclaim, and then the band broke up less than two months after the album’s release.

It took me a while to get around to listening to this, mostly because it’s over an hour and a half long, but it did seem like something that would be up my alley, as I’ve seen this described as noise rock/experimental rock. And again, this has been getting massive amounts of critical acclaim. So, I finally got around to listening to it, and …

If I’m being honest, I can’t say I totally get the hype. Yes, it’s loud, it’s noisy, it’s intense, and there are some interesting philosophical lyrics with a lot of really interesting metaphors, and a lot of this album subtly feels like the narrator is crying for help—especially the super creative ending of the closing track, even though I’m not a huge fan of the ending sonically … but overall, this album doesn’t really feel all that special to me personally. As far as this kind of noise rock goes, it’s nowhere near the best of it that I’ve heard in the last few years.

And again, the album is super long, which makes it easy to get tired of after a while—albeit not as easy as it would be if I found this to be totally boring, which I don’t. I do like some of the production, and again, I like a lot of the lyrics. And there’s also the occasional musical moment that really does work for me, such as the excellent guitar distortion in “We Think So Ill of You”.

But as a whole, I can’t help but feel underwhelmed, at least considering the massive amounts of critical acclaim this has gotten. So, for me, this album is a 7/10. It’s a good album that I recommend you listen to if you’re a fan of this style of music, but I just can’t say it’s fully for me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Reiterations”, “The Commercial Nude”, “We Think So Ill of You”
Least Favourite Track: “Margin For Error”

…

Thank you to everyone who has read my reviews this year! I set a goal for this year of reviewing at least 250 albums, but if I’m being honest I didn’t think I would actually reach that number … and yet, I managed to review 317! Yes, most of those were mini reviews, but I’m still surprised I ended up reviewing that many!

We’ll see how many I’m able to review in 2024 … but for now, I want to focus on year-end lists. As always, thanks for reading!

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to my website! Today I’m counting down The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2023!

Well, really, I’m counting down my top 10 favourite hit songs of 2023. Music is subjective, and these are just my personal favourites. But calling them ‘the best’ makes for a catchier title.

Just like with the worst list, the song must have debuted on the 2023 Billboard Year-End Hot 100 to be eligible for this list. It doesn’t matter when the song was released, as long as it never made the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 until this year. So, that leaves 87 eligible songs.

If you want to read the worst list, I’d recommend reading that before reading this post. It’s not essential to read the worst list before reading this one, but this post may feature spoilers for the worst list.

Alright, I think it’s time to start with some honourable mentions. There are 7 of them, in no particular order, starting with …

“Going, Going, Gone” by Luke Combs

I remember listening to and reviewing Luke Combs’ 2022 album, Growin’ Up, after my cousin requested that review … and I didn’t like that album at all. I’m not sure if my cousin is reading this or not, but if you are, I hope putting this here will allow you to forgive me for that review!

But jokes aside, while I did really end up liking Luke Combs’ album from this year, that doesn’t change the fact that I kind of found Growin’ Up to be a chore to get through. Most of it to me feels like generic and uninteresting to outright bad country music that just didn’t appeal to me at all—and the low points are awful, one of which ended up pretty high on my worst hits list for last year, and I stand by that.

And I don’t think there’s a song on the album that comes anywhere close to the best songs on his new album … but at least my favourite song on the album became a hit. Yes, Luke Combs put out many better songs this year, but I like how this song embraces change and that sometimes opportunities are missed, and that’s okay. And the imagery feels pretty creative comparing this missed relationship to bunch of other things—I especially like the ‘whiskey shot at last call’ line.

I wouldn’t say I love the production here, but it’s still better produced than most of the album, and I remember really liking this as an album closer. Really good song.

“Bloody Mary” by Lady Gaga

I mentioned the trend of songs from years ago becoming hits this year in my worst list, and as much as I don’t like “Sure Thing” by Miguel, I did find some positives with that trend, too. Now, it’s worth mentioning that I haven’t listened to a full Lady Gaga album, but so far I don’t think I’ve ever loved a Lady Gaga song out of the handful that I have heard—don’t get me wrong, I’ve liked a lot of them, but even classics like “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face” have always felt like they were missing something.

And I don’t love this song, either, but it’s probably the closest a Lady Gaga song has come to really clicking for me! The synths add some nice flashiness to the chorus, there are some good melodies, and while I don’t really know much about the folklore of Bloody Mary, I do still mostly like the lyrics which seem to be using a lot of relationship metaphors.

I do wish the vocal production fit more with this sound, and I don’t find the verses super strong, but again, it is probably my favourite Lady Gaga song of all the ones I know. I think it’s a pretty damn good song, even if not quite a great one.

“Snooze” by SZA

Even though “Kill Bill” made my worst list, I do still think SOS is a really good album with some great songs on it, and while this isn’t among my absolute favourites on the album, it does have a nice, chill vibe to the instrumental, and it’s quite well produced. I don’t think it’s really doing anything all that interesting lyrically, but it just feels nice and soothing to listen to, especially because SZA is a great singer. Again, I’ve heard better songs from her, but this is still quite good.

“Bebe Dame” by Fuerza Regida & Grupo Frontera

I still haven’t heard Grupo Frontera’s album from this year … and we’ll see if I get around to doing that or not, but this at least makes me curious. Because this is a pretty great song that was very close to making the top 10!

The accordion sounds great in the mix, and the vocal melodies are pretty good, too! Overall, the production and mixing as a whole sounds really good!

It does kind of feel like it could use a little bit more detail in the instrumentation to really add more texture, but I’m still a fan of this! Great song!

“Religiously” by Bailey Zimmerman

Looking back at my honourable mentions from last year, I was surprised to see that I didn’t mention Bailey Zimmerman’s hit song, “Fall In Love”, especially considering just how many honourable mentions I had … looking back at it now, I think it would make a much shorter list of honourable mentions for last year’s list if I remade it. But anyway, this song falls into a similar category as “Fall In Love” for me, where I can’t help but think, ‘Yes, it’s a good song … but it feels like it should be excellent.’

Now, this song is held back for very different reasons than “Fall In Love”, because while the biggest flaw in that song for me was the production, here I actually quite like how the instruments all sound together, with good mixing and the drums having the right amount of punch.

But as much as I hate to say this about a song this emotional, if I’m being honest this feels overdramatic … I mean, that’s easy for me to say as someone who’s never been in a romantic relationship (and thus I haven’t experienced a breakup), but the ‘now everything means nothing’ attitude does feel like it’s going a bit too far … it’s the kind of ‘wallowing in sadness’ song that just doesn’t do as much for me as I feel like it should.

But still, there is a part of me that kind of feels like I relate to certain emotions in the song, and I do get the appeal. It’s a good song, I just wouldn’t call it great.

“Tennessee Orange” by Megan Moroney

If you can’t tell, I’ve warmed up to country music a lot over the past few years. And this is a really good country song in which the narrator is a Georgia Bulldogs fan, and her new partner is a fan of their rival, the Tennessee Volunteers, and this person is so special to her that she’s wearing Tennessee Volunteers colours … I mean, I get how this could come across as cheesy, but there are so many details that make this work, like how she’s thinking about her parents, hoping they’ll be okay with this. And I also really like the part at the end when she admits she still wants Georgia to win … and I think this song really highlights how complicated us humans are. And I also quite like the production here, too.

So, while the vocal melodies aren’t super gripping to me, and the instrumentation feels kind of generic, there’s enough about this that stands out to me to give it a spot here, even though it’s not on the list itself.

“Bury Me in Georgia” by Kane Brown

And speaking of Georgia … and funnily enough, this song even mentions the Georgia Bulldogs!

Anyway, while I could totally understand someone hearing this as just another generic country song, and I kind of think it is, I’ll say this: it’s well produced, and it’s really catchy! I mean, I don’t have that much to say outside of that, but hey, I guess that’s enough to land it a spot here.

…

Alright, those are some good songs, but now it’s time for the absolute best! Here are my top 10 favourite hit songs of 2023!

#10 …

I just want to make it clear that I didn’t plan it out this way … but this artist also had the #10 song on my best list last year. I guess it’s a tradition now?

#10: “Shirt” by SZA

So, once again, I think SOS is a good album, despite some low points and being longer than I would have liked. And it’s got some great songs on it, including “Shirt”, which has a great-sounding bass which combines with the percussion really well, and SZA’s vocals sound great as well!

But really what makes this song stand out to me the most is that chorus. It’s so catchy with that awesome melody and rhythm, with that great synth in the background that adds a ton to the track!

It’s not really a song that gives me a ton to say, and there are better songs on SOS, but this is still a nice album highlight for me! Great song!

#9 …

I feel like every year there’s at least one song that feels really out of place on the Year-End Hot 100—the kind of song where you think, ‘How did this become a hit?’ And if there’s one song like that in 2023, it might be this one. I mean, yes, both artists have collaborated with a lot of big-name artists, but this is both of their first (and as of right now, only) song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 at all, and this sort of experimental music doesn’t usually make it onto the pop charts. And yet somehow …

#9: “Escapism.” by RAYE & 070 Shake

I feel like calling this a ‘club anthem’ feels a little awkward, but it’s got the feeling of one—it kind of feels like a dance song, despite the heartbreaking lyrics full of toxicity, where the narrator is in a very dark place post-breakup and then starts trying to do whatever she can to escape those feelings, even though it’s inevitably temporary before an even worse low to come afterward—or in this case, if the narrator even gets out of it alive.

And this is the kind of song that is easy to screw up, because with so much toxicity, as soon as it starts to frame the narrator as being in the right, it can become a really unpleasant listen. This song doesn’t do that, but it also doesn’t show the narrator really fully acknowledging the consequences of her actions—and as heartbreaking as it is, it makes for a fascinating song, with the dramatic instrumentation fitting really well.

To me, 070 Shake’s verse represents the fact that the narrator isn’t alone. And which character she’s playing in the story is open to interpretation, but in this case the inclusion of a guest feature doesn’t really bug me, even though the story is mostly following one character. In fact, I think 070 Shake’s verse is really good and adds a lot to the track!

This isn’t an easy listen, nor is RAYE’s debut studio album from this year (although that album is really good in my opinion), but I’m really happy this became a hit!

#8 …

I recently did a mini review of this album, and while I wasn’t as huge a fan of it as a lot of critics are, it does have its moments for me … such as:

#8: “Boy’s a liar, Pt. 2” by PinkPantheress & Ice Spice

I think this is one of the rare cases where I actually prefer the remix over the original. Don’t get me wrong, I like the original “Boy’s a liar”—it’s got flashy production that fits well with the keyboard and the unique, catchy chorus … but even as someone who’s not really an Ice Spice fan, I think she killed it with this guest verse!

This still has pretty much all of what I like about the original, and Ice Spice’s personality really fits here, potentially playing the character of another one of the boy’s exes, and her flow sounds awesome!

It’s another song that doesn’t give me a lot to say, but it’s a nice, short song that is very replayable, with one of the catchiest choruses of any mainstream hit from this year!

#7 …

I know some might argue this shouldn’t be eligible considering it came out decades ago, but based on my rules it’s eligible, so here it is.

But before I reveal it … well, this may be a controversial opinion, but I’m not a huge fan of Christmas music. I’m not sure what it is, but something about it just doesn’t really make me want to listen to it that much. There are exceptions to that, but a lot of the Christmas classics just don’t do a whole lot for me. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” both are ineligible for this list, but even if they were eligible they wouldn’t be on it, nor would they be in the honourable mentions. If I’m being honest, I’m really tired of hearing those songs nonstop every year, mostly because I don’t think they’re all that good.

But if you want to know one of the Christmas classics that I do really like …

#7: “Last Christmas” by Wham!

First of all, I’m not sure which version is credited on Billboard’s list, the shorter version or the longer version … but I’m going with the longer version, even though the shorter version is probably more popular. I usually make these lists based on the album versions of songs. And honestly, I think I prefer the longer version, especially with the inclusion of the bridge!

But either way, this is one of my favourite Christmas songs … I mean, yeah, you could argue it’s cheesy, but I think that’s the point. Although I want to specify I’m only talking about the Wham! version of this song, not all the awful covers of it that I’ve heard over the years. And a big part of that is the production, with those glossy staccato synths that are the driving force of the song, with the super crisp percussion that gives the airy sound some stability to help support those awesome synths!

But there’s also George Michael’s vocal performance, which I think is excellent, especially with how fitting the vocal production is with the rest of the instruments, and the whispers fit really well, too!

And this is such a great sing-along song, too! It’s the second year in a row that a Christmas song has made my favourite hit songs of the year, and while I kind of doubt the same thing will happen next year, this year I gave this spot to a special song!

#6 …

“Last Christmas” isn’t necessarily a super happy song, but it still gives the feeling of holiday joy whenever it comes on … but as the seasons change and we move into Winter, with the coldness there’s also a metaphorically cold feeling in the air that I can’t quite describe. But while the changing of seasons may have helped this song click for me, I also can’t really deny that personal experiences were what really made me like this song … and I’m not sure what that says about me, but if you want to know what’s probably the hit song from this year that grew on me the most …

#6: “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift

If you read and remember my review of Midnights from last year, this pick will probably surprise you, because I didn’t like “Anti-Hero” at first. I didn’t dislike it, but I found the chorus kind of awkward, and it felt like a song that was trying too hard … and then I became an adult and realized I relate to this song more than I really wanted to admit to myself.

This song shows Taylor feeling disconnected from the rest of the world—at least that’s how I interpret it—and when you’re that famous, I’ve got to think it’s hard not to feel that way. I mean, I think we probably all struggle with that to some extent, and it’s hard not to be hard on yourself when the mistakes you’ve made linger in your head … and like Taylor says, it sure is exhausting.

There are so many great lines in this song, all of which relate back to that same mindset that she has in this song. Really, it feels like a self-pity anthem, and that’s because it probably is one, and it’s so hard to know when you’re really the problem and when you’re not.

And with so many great production choices and small details that feel so fitting for this song … while there are other songs from this year that evoke similar feelings for me but hit even harder—we’ll get to those in my list of my favourite songs of the year—this grew on me to the point where I think it’s my favourite song on the album, probably including the 3AM tracks! And while I do still consider Midnights to be one of the weaker Taylor Swift albums, this is an absolute gem! It’s a really great song that I’m glad ruled 2023!

#5 …

So, remember earlier on this list when I mentioned that “Boy’s a liar, Pt. 2” is one of the rare examples of a song where I prefer the remix? Well … believe it or not, there’s another one of those on this list!

#5: “Tomorrow 2” by GloRilla & Cardi B

First of all, “Tomorrow” by GloRilla is a total banger which is full of great lines, and despite the angry lyrics and the fact that I don’t think the song is really meant to be taken all that seriously, it does also have a positive message about looking at each day as a new day and not worrying too much about the past.

And that awesome piano melody sounds great behind that awesome trap beat that sounds just loud enough without overpowering the mix!

But then Cardi B shows up in the remix … and this is coming from someone who hasn’t liked most of the Cardi B songs that I’ve heard—I think Cardi B absolutely killed it here! Her guest verse is phenomenal!

Both rappers sound great with this production, and there are a lot of great lines, such as ‘They say they don’t fuck with me, but I say they can’t fuck with me.’ And I also love the line, ‘Cut everybody off, lately been feelin’ like the lumberjack’—I get how that line might seem corny/cheesy, but I think it fits for whatever reason.

There’s so much personality and energy brought to this track by both rappers, and this is an excellent rap banger that feels funny and kind of motivational at the same time, even though, once again, I think a lot of it isn’t meant seriously at all!

And after hearing this as well as Cardi B’s guest verse on “Put It On Da Floor Again” with Latto, a song that almost made the honourable mentions … I don’t know, I might be kind of curious to listen to more Cardi B music now. Either way, this song rules!

#4 …

Alright, so I’m going to give you a little bit of a spoiler for the top 3 right now … I’ve mentioned before that the only language I speak is English, and while I can end up liking music in other languages, it is often harder for me to get into, because even if I find translated lyrics online I don’t know how accurate the translations are, and it also just doesn’t usually connect for me as much emotionally because of the language barrier. But there’s once again another unintentional coincidence between this year and last year, just like with SZA being at #10. Because last year all of the songs in the top 10 were in English except for #4 which was in Spanish, and this year as well all the songs in the top 10 are in English with the exception of #4, which is, once again, in Spanish.

#4: “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” by Bizarrap & Shakira

So, as much as I do like the lyrics based on the translations I’ve seen online—it’s a breakup song and a female empowerment anthem that has some really good disses—again, it’s hard for me to like the lyrics as much as I should, and that’s because of the language barrier—and that’s a me thing, it’s nothing against the song.

But I can say I absolutely love how this song sounds! The instruments blend really well together in the production, and there are some really strong vocal melodies, too! And for what the song is doing lyrically, I think the music fits really well with the carefree attitude of the lyrics, and Shakira’s vocals are excellent!

It’s kind of a hard song for me to really say a lot about, but I think this is a total banger! Great stuff!

#3 …

Well, here’s yet another song that came out years ago but never made the year-end chart until 2023 … and after years of pretty much every music critic begging for this to be a single so it could blow up on the charts, it finally happened!

#3: “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift

I mean … what needs to be said at this point? It’s “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift! Whether or not you agree with this being on the list—and I’m guessing about 99% of people do agree—you’ve probably already heard so many people talk about how awesome it is! What can I add?

There’s the buzzing synths, the sort of clicking percussion that really helps with the groove that is the driving force of this song, as well as that kick drum which sounds pretty much perfect in the mix!

And I love how this song just explodes in the chorus with some of the best vocal production on all of Lover, which I think is a criminally underrated album!

I’m not going to pretend I find the lyrics super deep or anything, but the phrasing, rhymes, and cadences are timed super well, especially with so many great vocal melodies, and for a love song with such strong Summer vibes, the production fits incredibly well!

I know it’s a cliché pick for this list, but I try to be honest with these lists, and sometimes my honest answer is cliché. Because not only is this easily one of my favourite tracks on Lover … but it might just be one of my favourite Taylor Swift songs of her entire career! That’s high praise!

#2 …

I’m not quite sure what it is about this song that I find so magical … I mean, it doesn’t feel like the most perfect song here, but it’s just so nice and chill, with such a calming vibe to it … and sometimes that can be enough.

#2: “Watermelon Moonshine” by Lainey Wilson

A few years ago, Lainey Wilson had her big breakout hit, “Things a Man Oughta Know”, a song that I could never really get into. And then there was “Never Say Never” with Cole Swindell which was a hit last year, and which I also couldn’t really get into. And I also don’t really like neither “Heart Like A Truck” nor “wait in the truck” with HARDY. I still haven’t listened to a Lainey Wilson album, but most of the songs of hers that I know just haven’t done much for me at all.

But this song, which just barely made the year-end chart (landing at #100), is absolutely excellent! And I don’t even think there’s a whole lot to the song, but it does exactly what it needs to incredibly well!

It’s a song full of nostalgia for the past, with Lainey Wilson telling a story of being young and in love, and having her first drink, and knowing that while she thought the relationship would last forever and it didn’t, she still appreciates it as a memory.

And there’s nothing about the production that feels particularly exceptional, but it just feels so fitting for the song. When you put it all together, the melodies, the vocals, the lyrics, the instrumentation, and the production all just sound so excellent!

This is an absolutely phenomenal country song that I love! It’s not the most experimental song out there or anything … but for what it is, I think it’s amazingly well done, and only one hit song from 2023 managed to top it on this list.

#1 …

Like I said earlier, I have warmed up a lot to country music over the past few years. And my #1 pick is a country song from an album I reviewed earlier this year. And while I wasn’t super crazy about the album, my favourite song from it ended up on the year-end chart, and I think it has to be one of the best mainstream country songs in recent years …

#1: “I Remember Everything” by Zach Bryan (ft. Kacey Musgraves)

Some songs just hit in a different way so much that I have to wonder, ‘How did this even become a hit?’ And with this song that makes sense to wonder, because it doesn’t even sound like the kind of country music you’d expect to be huge in the mainstream.

But either way, in my opinion while Zach Bryan’s self-titled album from this year isn’t a great album—and I’ve heard much better country albums this year—it is a very good album, and this is such a phenomenal song! It’s got a somewhat similar vibe to it as “Something in the Orange”, which made my honourable mentions for last year … but as much as I do really like “Something in the Orange” and it would make my honourable mentions of that year even with a shorter list of them, it doesn’t hit nearly as hard as this track.

Both this and “Something in the Orange” seem to be about a failed relationship and constantly being reminded of it. They’re very similar in a lot of ways, but again, even as someone who really likes that song a lot, I just don’t feel the same listening to it, and it doesn’t have quite the same atmosphere, nor the amazing Kacey Musgraves feature.

The song starts off with a very sombre combination of guitar and strings, and it sounds absolutely beautiful. And Zach Bryan’s verse is incredibly emotional, with haunting vocal melodies and incredible vocals, and every lyric is important, as he’s describing trying to cope with this breakup but constantly being reminded of the relationship … and Kacey Musgraves’ verse is also phenomenal, and I interpret it to be the other side of the story … but there’s one detail I really want to mention that makes this song so much more powerful: Zach Bryan’s verse doesn’t frame either person as being in the wrong at all, whereas in Kacey Musgraves’ verse, the narrator seems to be implying that her ex has done some very bad things, with the line, ‘You’ll never be the man that you always swore’ … and yet in the second chorus, which is sung by Kacey Musgraves, not one word is changed from the first chorus. And to me, that implies that both the narrators feel the same longing for the past despite the differences between the two of them—one sees a failed relationship, and the other sees both a failed relationship and failed potential for the other person to be who she thought he’d be … and yet in some ways it haunts them both the same.

Of course this is all just my interpretation, but I think this is an incredibly emotional song with so many lyrical complexities and details that add so much! And it’s also amazingly well produced, and the mixing sounds fantastic, with the instrumentation being so effective despite being so simple … and both singers give some of the best vocal performances in any mainstream hit I’ve heard from this year! This is a goddamn phenomenal country song, and if you’re looking for a gateway into the genre, I think this is an excellent place to start! I’m amazed this became a hit, but I’m so happy it did! Because this fucking rules! 

As always, thanks for reading this post. I’ve got four more year-end lists to go, with the worst songs of the year being next up, and then the worst albums of the year … and then we get into the two lists I’m probably most excited about: The Top 50 Best Albums of 2023 and The Top 100 Best Songs of 2023!

I do also have at least one more mini review post coming up before I finish my year-end lists, and potentially some individual album reviews—although I’m not sure about the latter—but for now … once again, thanks for reading, and feel free to let me know your favourite hit songs of the year in the comments! And I’ll be back with more posts soon!