My Top 10 Albums/EPs of 2023
Hello everyone, and welcome back to the blog. It has been a hot minute, to say the least. Given all that has happened to me over the last year or so, it felt like a good idea to put this blog on the backburner in order to, for lack of a better term, figuring out some things. But, if you are reading this that means the blog is probably more or less finished and back up. The plan is still to use this site as way to share my progress on various creative projects, but hopefully this year will last a bit longer than a couple months. However, I thought it would be fun to finish off 2023 with another favorite albums and EPs list. Despite listening to almost a third less music compared to last year according to Spotify wrapped, there was still a ton of good music that managed to land in my ears. So, it seemed worth sharing with all of you wonderful people. Same as last year, let us start with some honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
Like last year, I want to give a shoutout to a handful of albums that, though very enjoyable in their own right, just did not make the cut for the top 10 proper.
United Palace by Lord Sko
It is not often that young rap artists return to the boom-bap sounds that came out of early New York hip-hop, often considered the origin point of the genre. The term boom-bap has taken on a slightly broader meaning at this point and sometimes is just used to refer to anything lyrically above average but Lord Sko’s latest offering feels like a genuine return. Though the storytelling is light compared to his predecessors, he still manages to breathe new life into more traditional-sounding beats with a vocal charisma that would lead you to believe he is far older despite still being in his teens as of this article’s writing. It certainly isn’t breaking any genre convention but it is a fun endeavor, nonetheless.
Census Designated by Jane Remover
Jane Remover began largely the hyperpop/digicore boom of the late 2010s and early 2020s. However, her sound has evolved dramatically since coming onto the scene, with her latest album offering a much dreamier blend of those early sounds with a strong shoegaze base with which to center her sound. Census Designated, the song after which the album is named, has received high praise from several outlets, and rightfully so. Jane’s vocals overtop the nosier production creates an incredible atmosphere from start to finish, though not without some challenging lyrics about toxic relationships and the music industry to catch anyone falling asleep at the wheel.
The Fear of Fear by SpiritBox
The Fear of Fear is a great example of what metalcore can sound like at its best. The newest EP from Spiritbox sees some fairly significant range in terms of sound, with songs like “The Void” leaning into more melodic elements of the group’s sound, whereas “Angel Eyes” leans heavily on the scream-heavy aspects of their vocal performance. Granted, the music itself is pretty standard as far as the band’s past efforts. The instrumental choices are still primarily focused on the band members themselves. However, this is not a big issue as the brevity of the project and the quality of said songs keep it from feeling overly repetitive and is overall a hard-hitting project.
Good Kid 3 by Good Kid
On the softer side of the band spectrum, Good Kid has been putting out some awesome material since the late 2010s. As they have admitted on social media, a lot of their songs are inspired by anime and video games, and honestly sound a lot like it too, though that is definitely not a bad thing. Their newest EP has some of their catchiest and most infectious tracks to date, including one of their now most popular songs “Mimi’s Delivery Service” and my other personal favorites “First Rate Town.” These songs tend to reflect their origin point’s thematic elements in the lyrics, with “Mimi’s Delivery Service,” for example, seemingly about a girl who is figuratively through the narrator’s mind, representing the literal flying that Kiki does in Hayao Miyazaki’s Kiki’s Delivery Service. Fans of the pop-rock side of anime openings will probably get a kick out of this.
playpen by Juliet Ivy
Playpen is another EP that caught me by surprise this year, especially since it came out fairly late in the year on November 10th. However, while the majority of the runtime is a mix of enjoyable if not somewhat unremarkable bedroom pop, it is the last song on the track list, “we’re all eating each other,” that makes this EP feel a bit out of left field. The song’s brighter guitars and drums contrast heavily with the incredibly sober lyrics about mortality and our unwillingness to accept it, with the chorus repeating lines about how eventually we may end up being inside our grandchildren’s morning tea. Still, those sharper lyrical instincts also show up on the rest of playpen, most notably on “boytoy” which describes Ivy’s not-so-subtle desire for a situation-ship with the addressed guy. It is hard to say which direction she’ll go in, but this is certainly a great start for the blossoming artist.
Those were the albums that didn’t quite make the list, but now on to the list proper.
10. Let’s Start Here by Lil Yachty
I imagine some people will probably be a bit perturbed this albums is as low as it is, but I have to be honest: the whole psychedelic rock sound just is not my thing. Still, I would be lying if I said this was not one of the most impressive releases all year. Not only does the production sound legit for this type of music, his vocals fit almost perfectly over these songs, immersing people into the sheer vibes of it all. Yachty even puts out what I would argue is one of the most unintentionally anti-gender norm songs in “pRETTy?” Also probably just one of my favorite songs of the year, period. Given his recent releases it seems unlikely that Lil Yachty is going to return to this sound any time soon, but as a one off venture out of his comfort zone, it is sure to be remembered for a long time to come.
9. Bewitched by Laufey
For better or for worse, my recent interest into the world of jazz was pretty heavily inspired by my love for Persona 5 and its soundtrack. Though Laufey’s music does not often reach the energetic levels that or tempo that a lot of the best tracks from that game do, she does bring back the calmer, more romance focused side of the genre. While Bewitched can feel a bit one-note in that regard, with most of the songs focusing on some aspect of a romantic relationship, Laufey’s crisp and haunting vocals more often than not outshine this particular problem and make it an enjoyable experience the whole way through. The moments that do break her formula, like “Letter to My 13 Year Old Self,” also manage to stand out as a result. This album, along with her past projects, manage to bring together great production which really helps sell the lounge jazz feel it is going for. I do see her having problems in the future given the repetitive nature of the songs she writes, but for now it is a nice change of pace in the current popular music landscape.
8. Molecule by Torr
This year was a bit weird for me in terms of music because a lot of my favorite albums from last year came out fairly late, leading me to listen to them a lot this year as well. That being said, my music taste has also largely stayed the same this year, so when I found Molecule by Torr, I was very happy. The album plays in the digicore/hyperpop space while at the same time bringing its own science-y aesthetic to the sound and lyrics. Songs like “Jet-Fueled Ice Tea” with Sebii and “drywall” with Patchymate are playful and upbeat, while others like “talia” lean into a more guitar-centric, slow rock ballad. There are a lot of smaller artists vying for attention with this sound, but Torr is doing it in a way that shows a range of inspirations and creative energies.
7. I care so much that I don’t care at all by Glaive
Another artist who took pretty drastic sonic detour this year is glaive, marking a serious change as someone else who has rode the hyperpop/digicore wave of the last few years. Instead of more of the same, the North Carolina based artist instead opted to focus on a sound more akin to a slightly heavier version of Noah Kahan than anything in the realm of digital. Glaive spends the majority of the album belting about the last few years of his life and the dramatic changes that doing music and being successful has had on him. The whole thing flows together really well and while he still does not have the best vocal range, his half scream, half sing delivery which makes a lengthy appearance throughout the album sells his investment in the material. It might not be everyone’s favorite, but it is certainly worth a listen.
6. Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love by Kara Jackson
Something about this album felt special right off the bat, probably that title which still wiggles around in my head even when not listening to the album itself. It would not be the list, though, if there was not something worth appreciating about it, and wow there is a lot to appreciate. From Kara Jackson’s soothing vocals contrasting with the often stinging lyrical content on songs like “dickhead blues” to the amazing selection of instrumentation she uses to get across these feelings. There are a number of moments across the album where I was either driving to work or listening in the background and was forced to just take a pause and really absorb it all, and if that doesn’t speak to its quality than it would be hard to say what else could.
5. Wallsocket by Underscores
Another artist who plays in the hyper-rock territory of acts like 100 Gecs, Underscores most recent album is one that takes her previously established sounds and turns it up to 11. It is at times loud and abrasive and others somber and foreboding. The crazy, in your face punk energy is just as easily followed by very serious and vulnerable lyrical moments, such as on “Johnny Johnny Johnny” in which the artist seems to detail her interaction with a predator/abuser. The project is just under an hour but that length is almost never felt due to its massive range and changes in energy. It kind of makes sense why underscores isn’t exactly a household name, but given her ability to make stuff on the more pop-focused side of things such as “Girls Like Us (Locals),” maybe she should be.
4. This is Why by Paramore
Paramore is one of the first bands I ever listened to as a kid, and a lot of their music has stayed with me ever since. However, given loss and change of members and various other events that have gone on, the group has not released a ton of music over the past decade and half. This is Why is a great return to form for the group, with Haley Williams bringing her signature powerhouse vocals along with a slightly different sound than what has been known for previously. Sure, “This is Why” harkens back to their groovier efforts on After Laughter, but other tracks like “The News” are also a lot more outwardly political, offering commentary on the way we receive and consume information in a digital age. It is definitely a nice change of pace for the band, and it will be interesting to see where they go next.
3. Integrated Tech Solutions by Aesop Rock
A.I like ChatGPT and others have recently become a topic of serious debate because of their tendency to steal massive amounts of data from just about everywhere. At the same time, the big tech companies that own these new software are shoring up power and influence while simultaneous maintaining the position that these companies are the best path forward for the future of humanity. Aesop as a lyricist has always been a bit cryptic and paranoid, which makes sense why he would choose to theme Integrated Tech Solutions around these very issues. Though it is not 100 percent focused on this topic, he does bring his usual dense bars and witty wordplay, offering a fairly anarchist take on the whole thing while also bringing some relatively experimentally production into the mix. Aesop is also not usually one for features, but the ones included on this album felt like they each had a place, especially billy woods and Nikki Jeans on their respective tracks. The indie rapper’s recent work has been fairly solid for the most part, but Integrated Tech Solutions feels a bit more poignant in terms of its narrative direction and sound, making it a much more enjoyable listen.
2. Scaring the Hoes by Danny Brown/JPEGMafia
Aside from a select few tracks from Danny Brown, my familiarity with either artist prior to this album was basically none, outside of them being fairly influential among “underground” hip-hop fans. I put underground in quotes because it feels weird to call any artist with a seven figure following on streaming platforms in a decidedly internet focused age of music obscure. Regardless, it is clear that two were not messing around when it came to Scaring the Hoes. Given the primary undertone of the album speaks to the idea of playing music that weirds people out, especially women, it makes sense that the production would draw inspiration from a variety of sources, including a 1980s Japanese TV commercial of all things. The beats are wacky, fun, and Both Danny and Peggy float effortlessly over them in a way that shows how lyrical rap can be fun and not condescending.
1. The Scrapyard Series by Quadeca
Look, I’m not gonna sit here and pretend like there aren’t other artists who probably deserve this spot more, but I’m also not gonna pretend like it isn’t my list and with my proclivities and biases on it. Plus, idk man he kinda deserves it. Quadeca’s evolution as an artists over just the last three years or so is truly a site to behold. From YouTube rapper to one of the most experimental and evocative artists making music right now, the dude has been going crazy. The Scrapyard Series which he has been putting out over the last few months has fused his hip-hop instincts with the more experimental direction of his last few albums. The song “Easier” is not only a great example of this but is also just one of my favorite songs of the year. It blends the maximalist, often distorted production Quadeca has become known for with a more relaxed, R&B leaning flow, with lyrics about needing to be in a relationship not for the other person but instead just to avoid loneliness. Also he got us a Brakence verse in 2023 and I gotta give him points for that as well.
Thanks for reading!
Originally published at http://vivianscheibelein.wordpress.com on December 27, 2023.
