For me 2023 was a year of sameness. It was a year where I worked the same job (and I still love it). I didn’t relocate to a new home. Heck, one of the most exciting things I did this year was get a library card (and get back on goodreads). There were some definite highlights; I went to some weddings and was blessed to be in some weddings too. I went to three awesome concerts (Kings Kaleidoscope, half•alive, Chris Renzema), I even started writing for a music blog (hey, nice!) There were definite lows, many mundane moments, and I spent time grieving with others as well.
I’m grateful for this year, but in many ways it was uneventful. At least in my world, this was the case for the year in music as well. Some definite album highlights and music discoveries, and some unfortunately underwhelming releases that I was looking forward to. On the whole, however, my top album of this year ranks lower than my 6th favorite album from 2022 (oof).
Although this is the first time presenting my top albums in blog format, I've been writing reviews for fun for the last couple years, so ask me about my database sometime and I'll show you! The way I create album reviews has an element of objectivity and a system (lyrics, musicianship, thematic expression/flow), but at the end of the day it’s still my opinion and it’s hard to quantify the way an album makes you feel. I like to say that a good song or a good album has to hit you emotionally, musically, and at just the right time in your life.
This year, I'd put boygenius on the record player in the living room and be immersed for a pleasant 42 minutes, but the way that Maggie Rogers’ 2022 record makes me reverberate with excitement and fond memories shows in the way that it’s scored. With that being said I’d like to introduce you to my top albums that came out in 2023. There were many that were on the fringe, many more that I listened and appreciated, but these were the ones that made the cut at this moment in time. Some albums will age better than others, or some still that I didn’t even get around to listening (notably Sampha and Jon Batiste, I'm working on it!!). In addition to my top albums of the year I've linked my top songs, artist discoveries, honorable mentions and more below, but here it is, in all it’s glory, my 2023 year in music.
Links to my Spotify Playlists:
the record - boygenius
Synopsis: Boygenius is an absolute force of nature in terms of indie folk pop style songwriting, musicality, and presentation. It’s an album that we don’t really deserve and yet here we are. I spent most of the year hoping someone could top this record, but in a pretty dry year for music this album comes in easily at the top.
Favorite tracks: Not Strong Enough, Cool About It, True Blue, Emily I’m Sorry
Least favorite tracks: Satanist, Leonard Cohen
Rating: Lyrical Content- 8 // Overall Musicianship- 8 // Thematic Expression/Flow- 8 // Total Score: 8.0
Additional Comments: I occasionally get bored on the second half, it’s still incredible storytelling that fits into the flow of the record, but it doesn’t make me excited top to bottom like albums that fall above an 8.
Review Completed: 7/29/23 // Category: Indie / Folk / Pop
2. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You - Caroline Polachek
Synopsis: Nothing that came out this year is as musically demanding as this record. It’s expansive and gorgeous, carefully laid out, and expertly presented. It’s an album that’s so technical musically that it isn’t very accessible to casual listeners. It took me a few listens through (and watching her Tiny Desk Concert) to really sell me on it.
Favorite tracks: Bunny is a rider, Smoke, Sunset, Pretty in Possible
Least favorite tracks: Fly to you, Hopedrunk everasking
Rating: Lyrical Content- 7 // Overall Musicianship- 9 // Thematic Expression/Flow- 8 // Total Score: 8.0
Additional comments: Bonus points for including a crude drawing of an angel in the album art and having that be the title of a song.
Review Completed: 10/15/23 // Category: Alternative Pop
3. Honey - Samia
Synopsis: I’ve never connected deeply with Samia’s music in content or musicality to date, but this album meets my ears well and pushes me to listen with an open ear. Samia is a very talented songwriter/storyteller presenting a well rounded body of work with a handful of tracks that I came back to frequently throughout the year.
Favorite tracks: Honey, Charm You, Amelia, Breathing Song
Least favorite tracks: Mad At Me, Nanana
Rating: Lyrical Content- 8 // Overall Musicianship- 7 // Thematic Expression/Flow- 6 // Total Score: 7.0
Review Completed: 7/29/23 // Category: Pop
4. My Soft Machine - Arlo Parks
Synopsis: An excellent piece of musicality coupled with thoughtful commentary on trauma and love, Arlo Parks fires off a praise-worthy sophomore album. When you’re in it, it’s powerfully immersive and gorgeous. A few songs become repetitive, but I am hard pressed to find other big critiques with this record.
Favorite tracks: Dog Rose, Weightless, Blades, Pegasus
Least favorite tracks: Devotion, I’m Sorry
Rating: Lyrical Content- 7 // Overall Musicianship- 7 // Thematic Expression/Flow- 7 // Total Score: 7
Review Completed: 7/29/23 // Category: Pop
5. In the End It Always Does - The Japanese House
Synopsis: My closest description I can find for The Japanese House is intergalactic pop. Amber Bain creates otherworldly music and this record is no exception with some real hitters and others that missed me entirely. One of my favorite lyrics on the year was, "I miss my dog and I miss falling in love, I miss the feeling that you get when someone fits just like a glove."
Favorite tracks: Sunshine Baby, Boyhood, Sad to Breathe
Least favorite tracks: Friends, Baby goes again
Rating: Lyrical Content- 6 // Overall Musicianship- 7 // Thematic Expression/Flow- 7 // Total Score: 6.67
Review Completed: 11/16/2023 // Category: Intergalactic Indie Pop
6. Got Him! - Ethan Tasch
Synopsis: Like a beautiful blend between Peach Pit and Caamp, this is the best kind of indie folk pop that makes me feel equal parts at home and on an adventure. Excellent pacing and sweet lyrics, Ethan Tasch was a huge 2023 discovery.
Favorite tracks: Shell, Holdup
Least favorite tracks: Tetherball, Solid Ground
Rating: Lyrical Content- 7 // Overall Musicianship- 7 // Thematic Expression/Flow- 6 // Total Score: 6.67
Review Completed: 11/16/23 // Category: Folk / Pop
7. Ruthless - Waldemar
Synopsis: The definition of Eau Claire (Wi) indie, Waldemar hits it out of the park with an album that has so much heart put into it I could burst. Gabe and his band work hard to pay homage to those that have come before him and still tell his story in an original way. Driving through Phoenix park on a summer night with Ruthless playing through my open windows is the type of nostalgic feeling that came with this album in the right place at the right time.
Favorite tracks: Summer Rain, Ruthless, Longing
Least favorite tracks: Prophet, Ultimatum
Rating: Lyrical Content- 7 // Overall Musicianship- 7 // Thematic Expression/Flow- 6 // Total Score: 6.67
Review Completed: 12/16/2023 // Category: Folk / Americana
8. Halo - Bakar
Synopsis: The blow-up to indie pop stardom is certainly justified for Bakar, with one of my absolute favorite single releases of the summer and a well written, emotionally vulnerable, well paced, high quality record.
Favorite tracks: Right Here for now, Alive!, All Night
Least favorite tracks: Selling Biscuits, Hate the Sun
Rating: Lyrical Content- 6 // Overall Musicianship- 6 // Thematic Expression/Flow- 7 // Total Score: 6.33
Review Completed: 11/4/23 // Category: Indie Pop / R&B
9. Bluebeard - The Brook & the Bluff
Synopsis: Known for their groovy type of folk-pop tunes, The Brook & the Bluff found a way to keep me mostly entertained even with a much more muted presentation than their previous records. Although the second half of the record is pretty forgettable it’s hard to deny that my favorites on this record were some of my favorites from the year.
Favorite tracks: Normal Things, Long Limbs, Hiding, Tangerine
Least favorite tracks: Knock, Prove you wrong
Rating: Lyrical Content- 6 // Overall Musicianship- 6 // Thematic Expression/Flow- 6 // Total Score: 6.0
Review Completed: 12/16/23 // Category: Folk / Pop
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Well there it is, if you made it this far, thank you. It is my genuine joy and pleasure to create something like this with the music that I love and the thought that others may enjoy it as well warms my heart with pride. What did I miss? What were your favorite albums/songs of the year? Follow me on Spotify for more... or add me on Facebook and lets send music back and forth. Thanks for following along this year on the Barely Everything blog... more to come in 2024.
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