Hello! With life being the madness that it is, I had about a dozen half-written reviews and posts that I never finished up, so I've decided to blend several of them together and make a list of all of my favorite albums I've found this year. Not all of these were released this year, but I discovered and fell in love with each of these in 2023 (with one exception that I'll touch on later). There's a lot of Korean music, but don't let that turn you away from trying out some great albums! The list is organized roughly with the more influential/favorite albums first and less influential albums later, but don't read too much into the order; everything here is great.
my dead girlfriend - hades (The Nine Stages of Change at the Deceased Remains) (2015)
You know those random Japanese albums that pop up in your YouTube recommendations where it's just a whole album smushed into one video and you can't read any of the description or titles because you don't speak Japanese and aren't certain why it's there in the first place? No? Well it happens to me all the time, and I assumed from the 90% English comments section that this was a common experience... This particular video caught my attention because I was already looking for something fresh and new and a name like 'my dead girlfriend' piques the curiosity. I wanted something different than my usual, so I was much more willing to spend an hour on whatever the almighty algorithm was tossing my way. So, on a brisk January morning, I put on my headphones and marched to class with Japanese noise-pop blaring in my ears.
I don't think it's too much of an exaggeration to say this this album singlehandedly changed my musical trajectory for 2023. I have listened to so much noise-pop, noise-rock, dream pop, shoegaze, and grungegaze this year, and this album is the root of it all. The opening track "kanojo ga tsumetaku warattara (Prologue to the Nine Stages of Change at the Deceased Remains)" gives a perfect view into the next 49 minutes as it explodes into a wash of sound that sounds equal parts angsty/frustrated and euphoric. This is followed by my favorite from the album, "te wo futte", which is one of those songs that you just know is equally as fun to play as it is to listen to. The playful synth melody over the syncopated rhythms of guitar and drum just urge you want to smile and bop along. The incredible amount of energy this album blasts out is contagious, and somehow, just putting any one of these songs on instantly makes the day more fun.
Favorite tracks: te wo futte, Hong Kong Police, kanojo ga tsumetaku warattara (Prologue to the Nine Stages of Change at the Deceased Remains), incarnation of pessimism
Apnea - ANA-043 (2023)
If I was pressed to choose a favorite album that came out this year, ANA-043 would probably be my top pick. From the first listen, this album absolutely blew my mind. The Korean rock/electronic group Apnea put on a truly stunning display of variety on this album. Like masters of a carnival of electricity, the group leaps from dubstep to pop, then skirts over to hip-hop, screamo, and even dabbles in abstract fusion jazz. The only thing more impressive than the number of genres covered here is the skill with which each is executed. The excellency of production and composition would lead any listener to assume that a group this good must specialize in one kind of sound, when the opposite is true.
Now, I realize that for some, this lack of consistency might sound like a detriment or distraction, but I assure you it is anything but. Listening to ANA-043 feels like riding a roller coaster that just keeps going. (Once again, I acknowledge that is some individuals' worst nightmare, but I am an adrenaline junkie. I'm sure you have something that you can substitute here.) The first half of the album carries you from one peak to the next, with each track raising the stakes just a bit. It isn't until track seven "Never Again" that some kind of respite finally reveals itself, though "Dead Z" slams back on the gas, building into the insane saxophone-fueled dubstep banger that is "The Rage of Fury of Angry Teapot". From there, the final three songs are content with letting you down easy, satisfied that you've probably been jostled and shaken well enough by this point. The whole experience is thoroughly satisfying, and, like a great roller coaster, leaves you at the end craving a moment to catch your breath before you hop right back on for more.
Favorite tracks: Going Up Now, RIOT, The Way We Go, The Rage of Fury of Angry Teapot, Dead Z, I'm With You
Sun Lo - Shapes in My Head (2023)
On the opposite side of the street from the thrill park madhouse of ANA-043, we have Shapes in My Head, the debut album from the project formed by ATTLAS (Jeff Hartford) and Richard Walters. This album is what you would get if you could take all the different interpretations of the word 'soothing' and turn it into a butter, spread it on pancakes, and eat next to a beautiful painting of the sunrise. (I kinda lost the metaphor along the way there...) Shapes is soft, gentle and introspective, which was exactly what I needed the weekend I graduated from university. I unfortunately missed the release until a few days after it came out, but the reassuring waves of soft sound on Shapes in My Head eroded the stress of pictures, planning, family in town, and nerves about my future. The album balances between slightly more upbeat, bright singles, and tracks that are nearly ambient in nature. Like ocean waves, the oscillation between the two styles does get a bit tiring by the end, but it hasn't pushed me to attempt an alternate tracklisting like I sometimes do for these kinds of situations.
Overall, I am very impressed with the results of this project. I'm a longtime fan of ATTLAS, so I was naturally super excited to get another full-length album from him. I think this is some of the reason that part of me wishes there was more instrumental space on this album to just float in the moment. Absolutely no disrespect to Walters's vocal talents; I just really like those quiet, unspoken moments that Hartford always seems to absolutely nail in his production. Definitely looking forward to seeing what these two do together in the future.
Favorite tracks: Never Learned, I Still See You, Factory Gates, Nothing Permanent
ADOY - Vivid (2019)
Here is one of the other two albums contending for my favorite of the year, although this one was released back in 2019. I had never heard of the Korean indie/bedroom pop group ADOY until this year and was stupefied that something so perfectly up my alley could have evaded me for so long. Except SIKE! Checking my listening history showed that I have had a song 'liked' from this band since 2020! Hey, I can't be held accountable for what happened that year; you can't tell me you remember everything from 2020 either.
Anywho, Vivid is incredible. The songs are all so laid-back while still carrying enough energy to be exciting. It's like if lo-fi wasn't boring (I joke!). On Vivid, ADOY manage to craft a perfect epitome of indie-pop, with elements of bedroom house and a little bit of hip-hop to keep things fresh. It's like if MGMT or Tame Impala had a baby with M83, turned the reverb up and the angst waaaaaaaay down. Even the sad songs are a good time here! Despite having one of the most striking album arts here, Vivid is perfect for background listening, just keeping the mood for almost any social situation. The whole album is inviting and welcoming, and none of the songs overstay their welcome. I immediately added the whole album to my lax day list with the likes of Jay Som and London Grammar after listening for the first time because the flow was just so good. Seriously, if Vivid was any cleaner or better-organized, you'd accuse the band of being grossly corporate try-hards. I know this is my shortest review here, but seriously, I just don't have the words to describe how immaculate the vibes are on Vivid. Just go listen to it yourself.
Favorite tracks: Pool, Lemon, Domino, Porter
The Avalanches - We Will Always Love You (2020)
And now we've reached the third album in contention for AotY for me and the one exception to my 'first discovered in 2023' rule I mentioned in the intro. See, We Will Always Love You was an absolute smash success in the online circles I frequent back when it was released in 2020. Everywhere I went, I saw it topping end of year best-of lists and being nominated for all kinds of awards. The main exposure I had to The Avalanches up to this point was "Frontier Psychiatrist", so I was admittedly doubtful of the emotional depth of the album but tried it out anyway. After the first listen, I liked a few songs but largely felt like the fusion of hip-hop/electronic/pop on the project just wasn't for me and went on my way. The years went by with those few liked songs popping back up on shuffle here and there, but I never really gave the album another thought.
Then one day in June I had a craving for "Take Care in Your Dreaming", an incredibly soulful laid-back electronic piece that just explodes into feeling with its multiple rap features. I listened to this track (and later "Music Makes Me High") over and over again, and eventually the whole album was back in rotation. And this time I got it. I understood the praise. The individual songs are well-crafted and catchy, and the album as a whole weaves such a beautiful tapestry of the complicated emotions and reactions that come with experiencing loss, longing, change, time's passage, growing up, and looking back on where you've been. The haunting interludes like "Ghost Story Pt. 2" and "Star Song.IMG" slow the pace of the album, forcing the listener to sit and contemplate for a few seconds before getting back into the more fun stuff. It drips of standing on your porch or balcony in the middle of a cool summer night, just looking out, not really thinking about anything and just enjoying the breeze. The production is immaculate and lush, even in the more stripped-back songs. The Avalanches reportedly opted to create their own samples this time around instead of spending time searching for and clearing everything they would need (similar to other great albums like Madeon's Good Faith), and it works perfectly. Actually, the two albums are great foils for each other, and not just because both have neon blue washed-out faces on their covers. Where Good Faith is a dance-y, concise celebration of life and everything good or bad that comes with it, We Will Always Love You is a reserved, drawn-out contemplation of what makes life occasionally difficult, though ultimately good. Both are true and real experiences I think everyone goes through at one point or another.
While not every track on here is worth listening to in isolation (looking at you "Pink Champagne"), the experience of hearing this album start to finish is not unlike taking Pink Floyd's The Wall or Radiohead's Kid A in one sitting. The story beats are a bit more understated and subtle, yet instantly recognizable and relatable; the emotions are universal and real; and the music is insanely well crafted and organized. In terms of albums as an art form, this is absolutely my top pick for the year.
Favorite tracks: Take Care in Your Dreaming, Music Makes Me High, Interstellar Love, We Will Always Love You, We Go On, Wherever You Go
TRPP - TRPP (2021)
Similar to We Will Always Love You, TRPP is an album that has grown on me substantially over the course of the year. I first fell in love with "Yeah", an incredible wash of a song that feels like nostalgic euphoria yet wisely doesn't ever expand into anything bigger than it needs to. (Fun fact: an alternate recording of the song, titled "Yeah (Round and Round)" was featured as a theme in the K-drama Inspector Koo.) Being in my shoegaze kick at the time, I was really interested to see what other stuff this k-indie group had put out, so I listened to the whole album and though it was.... okay. Like, a few of the songs were neat, but nothing came even remotely close to the awesome experience of hearing "Yeah" for the first time, so I set the album aside and just listened to other stuff.
However, over the next couple of months, I kept running into songs from TRPP. Every time I put on a k-indie or shoegaze radio station (like I said, hades really made a mark on my music this year), I'd find myself humming along to something fun, check the title, and discover that it was from this album. Heck, that experience even happened as I was writing this post and had all the albums on shuffle together! I figured I ought to give TRPP a second chance, so another full listen later, I was pleasantly surprised by how much more enjoyable I found the album. I realized TRPP are excellent at crafting sonic blankets that absolutely wrap around your ears and release those tasty chemicals in your brain. Doubling down on the blanket analogy, it's like those moments in the middle of the night during the summer when you wake up cold because the AC is too strong, so you grab the comforter folded next to the bad and drift back to sleep nice and fuzzy, knowing you'll probably be too warm when you wake up (but that's not your problem not because you're warm and cozy again).
Favorite tracks: Yeah, Go Away, Liars, Loss, 3
Odonis Odonis - ICON (2023)
I feel like my friends all say I listen to weird music, but this is the first entry here that's actually weird and not just in a foreign language or a unique mishmash of styles. I can't say what it is, but I have absolutely fallen in love with Odonis Odonis. I got into the band early in the year after discovering their Juno-nominated album Spectrums and was fortunate enough in timing that they released this EP shortly after I had already devoured the rest of their discography. Sometimes their stuff is super brutal industrial tech-rock and other times it sounds like the more radio-friendly stuff from Depeche Mode's post-2000 efforts. I've already established that I love this sort of variety, and ICON certainly delivers. ICON is built around a variety of featured artists and an equally diverse number of styles, which the band manages to pull off effortlessly. There's harshness from "Model", sparce haunting vocal focus like "Beautiful Things", and even a few tracks friendly enough for me to send to my mom. The whole gamut is here.
That being said, part of what has endeared me to Odonis Odonis is their willingness to just dive in and embrace the sludge and grit that industrial brings. In cases like ANA-043 or even other releases from Odonis Odonis, the variety adds to the power and the narrative of the album. However, on ICON, the inconsistency in tone gives the release more of a mixtape feel (which is probably closer to what the release actually is). There's no overarching tone or themes, and the sludge is notably limited. Overall, the EP is a quick, digestible sampling of what the band has to offer, and chances are if you like a song here, you'll find something else to like in what they've made.
Favorite tracks: Beautiful Things, Model, No One Left
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation (2023)
It's time to get Gizzy! I'll be honest, this band's discography overwhelms me. I won't claim to have listened to even half of their catalogue, though they certainly have some absolute bangers in there like Nonagon Infinity, Ominum Gatherum, and Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms, and Lava. It's hard to keep up with a band that puts out multiple albums per year (sometimes per month), but this group's bizarro energy and good vibes are incredibly appealing to me.
PetroDraconic Apocalypse brings the grit and sludge I was missing on ICON and just leans into it like a friendly golden retriever on a hesitant guest's leg. And then it never. lets. up. The songs, in typical KGLW fashion, segue into each other, creating an incessant, thunderous wave that, fittingly, feels like an apocalyptic force bearing down on the whole of humanity. I won't get into the story or themes of the album here, as those have been documented excellently elsewhere on the internet. What really stands out to me is the pacing of the album. Each song runs on for just over what the comfortable amount probably is, gives just the briefest of pauses to signal something new is coming, then jumps right back into the intensity soup. It gives enough space for you to take a breath, but not enough to actually catch your breath, which serves the album incredibly well. Metal of all forms can be pretty exhausting, but the Australians never gives you the chance to feel that wear. It's one thing after another spaced out perfectly so as not to feel like guzzling a firehose. This is something several of the other albums on this list could benefit from: less space for the audience to realize how tired they are. Does this change how tiring the album is? Absolutely not, but unlike hades or ANA-043, you don't feel it in PetroDraconic Apocalypse until the very end.
Favorite tracks: Supercell, Flamethrower, Motor Spirit
Battle Tapes - Texture (2023)
Battle Tapes are one of my favorite groups ever. They absolutely nail the rocktronic vibe, and one of my fantasy dream lineups for a concert is Big Data, Battle Tapes, and Muse all performing together. I would spend a disgusting amount of money for that show. Naturally, I was stoked when they announced a new album coming out this year, as all of their recent singles have been excellent. Texture does an excellent job of expanding on their tight and cohesive discography, while venturing even further into cyberpunk-esque beats. The album kicks off with the serious yet fun "Brand New" and maintains that same genuine goofiness until the end. There's never a dull moment, and somehow it never gets old or boring. The closer "Syntax" in particular does a perfect job summarizing the lyrical and musical themes while releasing all of the electro-punk energy in a satisfying, albeit less driving manner.
While I think it's a solid offering that excellently showcases Battle Tapes' current sound, I also think it's possibly their weakest album as a whole. I didn't realize how many of their previously released singles were going to make it on the album, so my anticipation was significantly deflated when I finally saw the tracklisting. I mean, "Weight of the World" came out four years ago for Pete's sake. Because some of these singles don't have as strong a sense of cohesion as the other songs do, Texture treads the line between feeling like a solid, focused project and a really cool mixtape, but doesn't really do either completely. The tacks are genuinely enjoyable, but the project doesn't warrant a straight-through listen like We Will Always Love You or some of the others on this list. Texture is perfect on shuffle as a backing album for a pool party or a particularly energetic game night, but it also absolutely slaps as a quick boost of energy in the middle of your day.
Favorite tracks: Syntax, If Only, Back in the Game, Brand New, In Too Deep
Parannoul - After the Magic (2023)
If I had to summarize After the Magic in one word, it would be emotional. Holy crap does this album wear its heart on its sleeve and pull you in so you can watch it bleed and feel it beating. Even with the roller coaster that is ANA-043 and the constant driving thick stew of PetroDraconic Apocalypse, I don't think there is another album that has worn me out so thoroughly this year as my first listen of After the Magic. From the first chord, Korean artist Parannoul just pours out melancholy vehemence and begs you to feel what they feel; to understand the recesses of the mind where this raw passion comes from and just please find some empathy. It doesn't matter if you can't understand the Korean lyrics; you can feel them. The album doesn't convey the same exact emotions as Billie Eilish's WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, but I think the intensity and capacity of the album to carry some of that deep sorrowing hurt to the listener is comparable.
This passion comes with pros and cons, however. To be brutally honest, nearly every song on the album feels too long, like every drop of feeling needed to be expressed, every idea included. During my first listen, I could have sworn I was on track seven, but looked down to see I was only halfway through the third song because the average song length is a full six minutes (fine for a prog, house, or metal album; exhausting in most other cases). I love the ideas and the intensity but simply cannot listen to this album all the way through in one listen because it is a too-much album filled with too-much songs. There are so many ideas that I wish were spun off into their own thing instead of being tacked onto another song (especially the second half of "Arrival"). It's all beautifully written and arranged but can feel like a bit much at times. As mentioned above in the hades review, I have listened to a lot of shoegaze-adjacent music this year, and I think listening to this album early on helped continue to push me that direction and know what I was looking for in that space.
Favorite tracks: Arrival, Sketchbook, Polaris
Blue Stahli - Obsidian (2021)
I was introduced to this group on a road trip back to Utah from LA, and man, does heavy stuff just help the 13 hours go by quicker. The album mixes EDM, metal, and alternative in a very satisfying manner. though I am admittedly someone who has an affinity for all of those genres as well as a crippling weakness to stompy and heavy music with a female vocalist. Needless to say, this album was immediately up my alley.
As an album, I don't actually have much to comment, as I haven't really taken the time to digest Obsidian as a whole like I have many of the other entries here. I can attest that it is excellent essay writing music (if you're crazy like me and find that the louder and angrier the music, the better the focus) and is a great way of jump-scaring your friends when shuffle is picking more lo-fi stuff. I appreciate how Blue Stahli jumps between electronic and rock, but never feels like they're veering too hard to one over the other. Even on lower-energy songs like "Nothing Ever Stays", the sound just makes sense. It makes for an excellently cohesive album overall. If any of this sounds like something you like, Obsidian is probably an album for you.
Favorite tracks: Prognosis, One Last Breath, Legion, Obsidian
Honorable mention: Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair (1985)
I won't do a whole review of this album, but I felt it was worth including because I spent a few months working on a book proposal on this one for my Writing about Music class I've mentioned elsewhere on this site. Absolutely fantastic album, timeless and impressive still nearly 40 years later, and one of my favorites of all time. I just didn't include it here because I fell in love with it before 2023.
And that wraps up the list! I'll probably post a part two later in the year/early next year, as there's already at least one album coming in October that I know will be on repeat for a while. In term other other posts here, hopefully it doesn't take quite as long to get the next one out. I wanted to post a review of Utah's Forkfest months ago, but then personal matters caused a lot of delays to the writing and then immediately new personal matters popped up once the first ones were resolved. It's super irrelevant at this point, but I'll probably still put it out to just get some more content going.
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