Best Albums of 2023
I almost slept on this record, but I'm glad we finally got acquainted. It is an absolutely joyous musical celebration. Every song on this collection has this very natural progression that builds towards stunning climaxes, guided by both synthetic and organic sounding instrumentation. All three members are animated vocalists who can sing, rap, croon, and shout, effectively bringing that very grounding, human element to these larger than life suites. Of all the albums on this list, Heavy Heavy certainly takes the prize for being the most feel-good album of the bunch.
Putting aside the music itself for a second, I am still processing how all these amazing, legendary artists ended up on this project. The fact that someone could even enlist and coordinate the likes of Shirley Manson (Garbage), Melt-Banana, Justin Pearson (The Locust), Frankie Iero (My Chemical Romance), Damian Abraham (Fucked Up), Marrissa Paternoster (Screaming Females), Anthony Green (Circa Survive), and so many more, is most impressive. To add on to that, all these artists I have tremendous respect for are lending their voices to a project that is all about tearing down systems of oppression and propping up marginalized communities through the expression of radical love, acceptance, and community. As for the actual music, it's going to be some of the most violent, rage-filled metalcore and grindcore you will hear from this past year. It's heavy, pounding, and designed to administer the same headache oppressors have been giving our communities for generations.
Origami Angel was a new discovery for me this year and the pop rock duo really impressed me. I'm loving how playful and adventurous the band is. Take a track like Thank You, New Jersey, for example, which reads like a cut from a Grease-esque musical number with the addition of some heavy metal riffage and furious blast beats. The genre fusions are a little campy, but guitarist/vocalist Ryland Heagy can get away with it thanks to his 'guitar hero' presence, competent shredding chops, as well as his surprisingly sharp lyrical wit. The Brightest Days is just an infectiously fun and entertaining record that doesn't have a care in the world.
Wallsocket is one of those albums where you can't help but feel dwarfed by someone else's creativity. When April Harper Grey goes conceptual, she leaves no road untraveled. She dreamt of the fictional town, populated it with some very real characters, and then scripted a series of events to bring it all to life. And then, on top of that, she scores each vignette perfectly, flexing those diverse production muscles. Whether she cooks up a jangly power pop track with a frenetic, digital, mathy twist, minimal and moody ambient soundscapes, pays homage to late 90s hyperpop, or obliterates the senses with gnarly walls of noise and distortion, Grey proves that she can pull it all off without a hitch. It's not fair how competent she is at literally everything.
Squid Pisser succeeded in putting out this year's most scuzzy, mutated, and frankly disgusting noise rock record. The songs come in all kinds of demented flavours: mathy hardcore, The Locust-style grindcore, campy death metal, trashy garage punk, and whatever deteriorated mess you'd call Vibe Monster. Helping out with this project are a number of fantastic guests whom I personally love and respect. John Clardy, of Tera Melos fame, contributes drums to three tracks and plays like it might be the last time he'd ever get to do it (he received a cancer diagnosis during the time of recording his drum parts). Yako from Melt-Banana provides her signature Mickey Mouse yelp on a track, and Meghan O'Neil returns to her pissed off Punch days on a track of her own. Joseph K. Karam of The Locust delivers a hideous, unearthly vocal performance that is very fitting for his instrumental. This one may be the toughest sell, but I can certainly promise you will have a violently visceral, stomach turning reaction upon hearing this. That has to earn them some points.
I was a huge fan of the band's debut, then the sophomore record turned me off. Now ten years later, the band's fifth studio album has me seriously thinking about going through what I've missed. Euphoric Recall is a pretty awesome art pop record that reminds me pretty heavily of some of Björk's output in the 90s with the marriage of lush strings and glitchy IDM elements. While I still wish that Raphaelle Standell-Preston was every bit the eccentric vocalist she was on the debut, her vocal range still never ceases to impress. This record also comes to a satisfying conclusion with the four minute swirling and meditative title track. It reprises key moments from across the record really living up to the project's title.
Coming in just under the wire is this fantastic collaboration between extreme metal outfit Full of Hell and shoegaze band Nothing. The interesting thing about this record is that Full of Hell brings the kind of doom and gloom that will thoroughly destroy all positive emotions in the most epic of fashions. However, this album will quickly pull a one-eighty and administer some desperately needed, hopeful self-care, thanks to the contributions from Nothing. Presenting two competing emotions so starkly really wreaks havoc on your head. Therefore, it is no surprise that When No Birds Sang ended up being one of the most unforgettable experiences I had this year.
It's not too uncommon these days, but I still love to see hardcore bands mess with the once strictly codified rules of the genre. So what's MSPAINTS' angle? No guitar! The four-piece from Mississippi comprises drums, heavily distorted, grinding bass, sci-fi keyboards, and frontman Deedee who hollers positive affirmations and leftist ideologies. There's lots to love about this record: there's super catchy bass and synth riffs all over, moments where the bass and keys coalesce into some satisfying drones, and some surprisingly sophisticated drumming from Quinn Mackey. Despite easy criticisms of the vocals being a tad one-note, Deedee does deliver some pretty charismatic vocal performances, and same goes for his guests (Ian Shelton of Militarie Gun and Pierce Jordan of Soul Glo). MSPAINT have stumbled on a very unique formula, and thus have earned themselves a great deal of playing time this year.
As much as I love artists pushing the boundaries and trying to come up with something that is wholly original, there are times I get on board with a pretty classic, back to basics sound, provided the songwriting is really good. With their sunny and nostalgic brand of 90s power pop and grunge, Militarie Gun is a prime example of that. Band mastermind, Ian Shelton, has a knack for writing dead simple, yet incredibly catchy songs. Shelton also proves to be quite the charismatic performer, slightly adjusting his aggressive hardcore delivery to suit a more pop context. His trademark 'OOH OOH' has even become somewhat of a meme, but believe me, that is the moment that every audience member wishes the microphone was pointed in their direction. Their music connects. Many of the songs barely flirt with the two minute mark, but Shelton clearly takes a quality over quantity approach, ensuring that every moment isn't a flat one. It never overstays its welcome, and if it's ever not enough, it practically begs to be replayed over and over again.
Read the review
#1
I am upset because I see something that is not there
Fire-Toolz
What is this? From the moment I first heard Angel Marcloid (Fire-Toolz), I was intrigued, perplexed, and that sense of curiosity never really waned no matter how many times I threw this album on. Like Wallsocket, this album immerses you in a pretty expansive world, except this world has absolutely no connection to reality. There's no precedent for mixing arctic vaporwave, smooth jazz, progressive rock, industrial metal, dream pop, accelerated, glitchy electronics, and slapping harsh vocals of all varieties on top. Just cataloguing all the different styles at play here suggests this could be nothing other than an incoherent mess. Even with absurd, nonsensical lyrics, Angel Marcloid is so successful in building this incredibly foreign world that when we're confronted with the fact that up is down, down is up, the sky is green, and the grass is blue, we accept it without scrutiny. It is endlessly entertaining, easily the most novel experience I've had in maybe the last five years, and very deserving of this spot on the list.
