2023 Ranked

It's quite unbelievable how gorgeous a lot of these soundscapes are and how much emotion has been poured into this project. Now add into the mix the lush instrumentals, the honey-sweet tone, the buckets of variety it offers - I mean what more can you ask for.

What a beautiful record and a definite candidate for aoty.

'Heavy Heavy' is deeply full of life, euphorically beautiful, and musically so diverse that I have no clue which genre playlist I should add it to. Like how are Drum and Tell Somebody back-to-back tracks on the same record, both of which I love btw.
And what surprised me the most is how consistent this album is. Everything is immaculately produced, there isn't a single skip, and as different and varied many of the tracks are, all of them still fit together wonderfully. Definite contender for AOTY.
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Edit: Holy moly do I love Holy Moly. Honestly, I find that song to be perfect. Everything fits perfectly, the endearing and beautiful lyrics, the warm and uplifting music, the passion in the vocals, the intricacy in the production. Everything is there yet nothing feels excessive.

Black Country, New Road's distant UK post-punk cousin sounds pretty darn good. Can't wait to see where they go from here.

Unadulterated Fun!

'Javelin' is a bittersweet chamber folk record portraying love, loss, and sacrifice. The record feels incredibly intimate, as is common to many of his projects, and the poetic writing is absolutely stunning.
It might not be sonically as daring as some of his early works, such as 'Illinois', but it's instrumentally lush, the production is pristine, and emotionally it is just as potent, if not even more.

Possibly Gregory Alan Isakov's best work yet!
Over the last week I've gone through all of Isakov's records. Some were instrumentally skeletal yet heartfelt and passionate, others were sonically more exciting but not as organic or soul-stirring.

On 'Appaloosa', those two sides have been balanced superbly well, with it showcasing pristine production and instrumental variety while also remaining emotionally potent and atmospherically intimate. I also love the orchestral elements on this record, whether they are the inspired strings driving the melody or the subtle drones painting the landscape. As for the negatives, there are a few tracks that are quite forgettable, and perhaps lyrically it's not always as captivating as it could be, but overall, it's a wonderful folk record and definitely worth checking out.

Standout track: Appaloosa Bones

A fun and messy sophomore record drenched in funky grooves, pristine production, and genre-bending unpredictability.

That's some good ̷g̷l̷i̵t̸c̸h̷y̵ ̸ dream pop!
I wasn't that crazy about her previous record but this one really hit the mark for me. The shoegazy production together with the futuristic electronics made for a unique and wonderful listening experience. The erratic glitchy elements didn't feel out of place or overdone, and the screamo was well balanced with soulful moments of vulnerable emotion and beautiful piano pieces.

I wouldn't be surprised if this ended up becoming one of my favourite albums of the year.

A fun sophisti-pop record with plenty of funk, groove, and feel-good energy. The delicate instrumentals flow with soul and the smooth production ensures a real floaty listening experience. Sure, it might not be a life-changing trailblazer, but it is effortlessly enjoyable and vivaciously vibrant.

'Maps' reminds me of the 2022's record 'Cheat Codes' by Danger Mouse & Black Thought, but with more emphasis on abstract jazzy aesthetics rather than melodic boom bap grooves. It's a rich listening experience thanks to its slick beats, intricate flows, and colourful instrumentals. It might not be the most consistent but the record still flows great and it offers plenty of enjoyment.

A little inconsistent but the blissful instrumentals and the overall rich sound is hard to ignore.

Danny Brown is good but the up-and-coming rapper Michael Scott stole the show!
Jokes aside, 'Quaranta' might not be as ambitious or as wild as some of Danny Brown's other projects but by no means has it suffered in quality. Without a surprise to anyone, the production is once again absolutely magnificent with no fat to be seen.
The album does slow down in the second half where Danny opts to show a calmer, more reflective side of him. Sure, it might not be as sonically captivating but lyrically it is certainly compelling.

Overall, this record might not be Danny Brown's magnus opus but it is still a strong addition to his discography, one that displays maturity and introspection over raw sonic frenzy.

Wayne is so fucking good. His wordplay and flows are absolutely ridiculous.

As for the record itself, it has plenty of bangers, plenty of sick instrumentals, and an unsurprising amount of slick pen game.
Sure, some of the hooks are lousy and there are a few substandard tracks, such as 'Crazy Thick', but for the most part, it's a wonderful listening experience.

Track Ratings: xx | 70 | 55 | 55 | 70 | xx | 75 | 40 | 75 | 70 | xx | 70 | 70 | 70 | 75 | xx | 65 | 65 | 70 | xx | 75

Slowdive returns with a shoegaze beauty filled with multi-layered guitars, dreamy vocals, and dense textures. It's so easy to get lost in its dense sound and experience the various moods and emotions it has got to offer, whether it be poignant longing, heartfelt gratitude or rosy optimism.

'Dogsbody' is a beautiful explosion of menacing noise rock, one that is instrumentally ferocious, aesthetically gloomy, and rhythmically oddly hypnotic. I found the lyrics to be a little too vague and I couldn't pull much out of them but luckily that's not too much of an issue as the relentless noise carries hard.

Kelela's mellow vocals together with pulsating beats, complementary instrumentals, and the immersive flow of the record create such a chill and intimate atmosphere. A wonderful mix of ambient electronic RnB.

Not the best Nas record but still another quality project.

Henry of Wyrmlands slays the laidly and rescues his lover the Princels Moonbug
What an absurd concept album this is and what I way to start my Friday morning. Maybe during my sleep I travelled to an alternative universe where worms run the world. I better not look in the mirror or a confused worm might be staring back at me.

As for the album, it's definitely an intriguing listen with many cool ideas and slick instrumentals but it also carries some fat on it as not every track works as well as the previous. That being said, I still found it to be quite enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone who is willing to go on this ridiculous, wormy journey.

Quite a unique concept album that displays plenty of hypnotic folky hymns and spiritually cathartic lyrics, but one that can also lack a little in pure sonic enjoyment. It's a great record if you're looking for an emotional experience but it's not something you would bump to in a car.

Note: "THE POOR WAYFARING STRANGER" gave me plenty of goosebumps and chills. What a track!

Much of the first half of this record left me wanting a little more but man does this album finish strong. The closer track especially is a MUST LISTEN as it's absolutely phenomenal. If you wanna experience true sonic bliss while also getting gut-punched so hard you'll cry your eyes out, then this is the song for you.

Gorgeously produced and sonically vibrant but lacking in innovation and emotional punch.

It's still very much a pleasant listen and a lot of the engineering and song-writing deserves praise. However, at the end of the day, it isn't as fun nor as impactful as some of their previous works.

Lyrically potent and sonically dreamy but unnecessary long.

A lovely dream pop record that is gorgeously produced, atmospherically dense, and wistfully nostalgic. There are some sections that can get a little stale but overall, it's quite a wonderful listen.

An entrancing listening experience filled with dreamy synths and dense soundscapes.

There are some incredible highs on this one, such as the absolute banger of a track 'DON'T LET THE DEVIL'.

However, the record lacks the consistency to stay at those highs, leading to a listening experience that is a bit of a mixed bag.

Good but also overrated?
Personally, i think this record has no business being higher rated than the new Young Fathers album. Now, of course it's a strong project. Both the instrumentals and the production are superb, with a lot of the tracks breathing bouncy zestful energy. There are many catchy melodies and it's awesome to see such an iconic band still putting out good music. However, this album also has its downsides such as some of the lyrics being rather clumsy and rugged, or certain stylistic elements not fitting. I also find it lacking in emotional punch, innovation, and memorability.

So, long story short, even though it's a solid project with many cool elements, I don't find it to be as good or as impactful as the average consensus is on this site.

Pristinely produced and with some great moments, but overall, it wasn't as impactful or memorable as I hoped it to be.

A pungent post-punk record displaying unyielding guitars, despondent vocals and emotionally striking lyrics. It isn't as explosive nor as memorable as I hoped it to be but it's still very much worth checking out.

Similar to Vinyl Days, this record has got some groovy beats, mellow flows, and fun laid-back attitude.
I am not too crazy about the skits or some of the preachy spoken word, but overall, it's quite an enjoyable listen.

A little rough around the edges but other than that, it's a rather beautiful project of shoegaze with plenty of rich soundscapes, fuzzy mixes, and elements of post-rock.

Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker joined forces to create their first collab debut album - one that is lyrically potent, sonically gorgeous, and emotionally bittersweet.
However, even though it's a pleasant listen with many upstanding qualities, I found myself longing for more innovation, memorability, and excitement.

I can see the appeal of this record but some of the stylistic decisions really rubbed me the wrong way such as the scuffed mixing and the overuse of samples. I always admire when artists are willing to take a more experimental route but just because something is experimental, doesn't mean it is automatically good, and even though many of the more experimental elements were cool, many also fell short.

Not the ambitious groundbreaker that QOTSA can be, but the record still has its fair share of slick alt-rock tunes worth checking out.

A step down from SKA DREAM but still a solid and true to form Jeff Rosenstock project with bright guitars, boisterous charm, and SKA punk in the forefront.

'UGLY' has some enjoyable instrumentals and interesting ideas but as a whole, this record doesn't do much for me.

Even though this is one of the best artistic reinventions I've witnessed in recent years, there is still a lot to iron out.

'Red Moon In Venus' offers a pleasant and relaxing listening experience thanks to its suave flow, dreamy vocals, and smooth melodies. However, I do think it falls a little flat in its attempt to create lush soundscapes due to it lacking a certain level of intricacy and attention to detail.

Emotionally vulnerable and lyrically potent but at times a little dull and unpolished. I wasn't fond of some of the productional decisions, such as the vocal mixing on 'I Don't Like My Mind'. I also wish there was more musical excitement on tracks such as 'Bug Like an Angel'. That being said, there are songs that really hit the spot and some of the writing was absolutely gorgeous. Eg. on the track 'Heaven':
"Curses as you find the string
To strike within me
That rings out a note
Heard in heaven"

Overall, it's a pleasant listening experience that tugs on your heartstrings but leaves you wanting more in the musical department.

'The Loveliest Time' showcases bright textures, stimulating instrumentals, and smooth flowing lyrics. It's a record you can trust to sound pleasant on the ears and invigorate your mood.

That being said, I do think it falls a little short as a whole due to lack of memorability and intensity. I would certainly enjoy it if someone put it on, and there is a lot one can appreciate about this record but I would not go out of my way to seek it out.

'Wallsocket' has plenty of personality and a plethora of exciting ideas that come to life through its noisy sound and hyper production.
Unfortunately, a lot of the creative decisions are either a hit or miss. The record lacks consistency, and a lot of the gimmicky elements, such as the 'duhs' on track 3, tend to act more as an annoyance rather than a song-enhancing element. Some tracks also have a bit of an obnoxious attitude that made me roll my eyes a time or two.

That being said, the underscores do have a lot of hype around them for a reason and it's gonna be interesting to see where they go from here.

Perhaps a little bloated and some of the rap performances could've been better, but the slick beats together with the electric production delivered as always.

Edit: The beat on 'The Gods Must Be Crazy' is fucking nutty.

A soothing ambient record displaying weightless soundscapes, earthy textures, and tons of flute action. It might not be the most groundbreaking or captivating piece of work in the ambient music landscape, but it is still a rather pleasant listening experience.

'UTOPIA' starts a little slow and perhaps the runtime could be shorter. There are some bangers on this record but overall, it's a mixed bag.

Captivatingly eccentric but also rather inconsistent.
There is a lot to love about this record. For starters, I appreciate the bold nature of it and the willingness to take risks. I also enjoy many of the synthwave elements or snythpop elements in general, which often add a lot to the overall environment and the feel of this record.

However, this willingness to experiment also makes room for inconsistency. There are tracks that are hits, tracks that are misses, and tracks that are a bit of both. Eg. the song "Only Love Can Save Us Now", where this awkward and unnecessary industrial bit is oddly accompanied by a rather gorgeous chorus. It just often feels as if this record is trying to force certain things to work when maybe some ideas should've just been tossed or recycled somewhere else.

Overall, I will definitely be returning to some of its highlights but probably not to the whole work. Still a solid listen though.

Full of bittersweet warmth and dreamy melancholy, but it can be a little disappointing due to its lack of innovation and sonic staleness.

A solid post-rock record with funky instrumentals, punky vocals, and rich textures. Unfortunately however, I struggled to pull anything special out of it or find how it differs from many other art rock projects. It wasn't a poor listen but it left me feeling rather indifferent.

Well produced with spacy soundscapes but lacking a certain punch and impact.

This record just doesn't do much for me.

It has pretty instrumentals and some cool ideas but it's nowhere near as atmospheric as it could be. It doesn't do anything exhilarating, I cannot pull much emotion out of it, and at the end of the day, I find most of the tracks to be quite boring and forgettable. It's not a bad listen and there are elements I like about it but it's not captivating or fun either.

Even though this record has great production and it displays quite a few groovy dance tracks, it's hard to overlook the lifeless lyrics, the generic song-structures, and the corporate feel it carries. However, what it did set out to do, it did do relatively well.