As we are now 25% of the way through 2023 (how the hell has that happened?!) I thought it would be grand to see what 2023 releases have wowed you so far.
For me it is this earworm from Iona Zajac called Rubbish Jubilee. I enjoyed it on first listen but it is one I keep going back to
Over to you
Special mentions to Awakening by LYR & Sweets & Cursing by HousePlants which have both also been obsessed over in 2023 so far.
Your two special mentions are excellent.
To my shame I did not know that Simon Armitage was in LYR.
HousePlants are also very impressive.
“HousePlants is the exciting full-fledged creative vision of two of Ireland’s most respected artists – Bell X1 frontman Paul Noonan and innovative atmospheric producer Daithí.”
https://wearehouseplants.bandcamp.com/
Timely thread! I can’t narrow it down to one, so here are a bunch of things I’ve really enjoyed so far this year….
Hold Me Down – Elvis Depressedly
In addition to having the best band name I’ve heard in a long ass time, this demonstrates just how simple it can be to write a brilliant song. Video is terrible tho. I said fuck school I dropped out.
Just To Keep You Satisfied – Inhaler
A chorus that has taken up semi-permanent residence in my head. Can’t quite figure out who it is they sound like; U2, late period New Order?
Baby Again – Fred Again, Skrillex, Four Tet
An absolute bop.
Emily I’m Sorry – boygenius
Could have chosen anything off the boygenius album really. Should be Afterword-friendly, I’m sure there are people on here who would enjoy it; Indie Rock supergroup comprised of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. Check it out, it’s great.
Did you know there’s a tunnel under ocean boulevard – Lana Del Rey
Ok, it’s probably Lana-by-numbers, but I still think it’s absolutely gorgeous. That chorus is just gold: “When’s it gonna be my turn/open me up/tell me you like me/fuck me to death/love me until I love myself”.
Oceans Niagra – M83
Really enjoyed the M83 record. It sounds a lot like Hurry Up We’re Dreaming, and after a gap of a decade spent off making soundtracks that’s no bad thing.
To Love – Suki Waterhouse
What if Fade Into You by Mazzy Star had a big chorus and built to a whacking great crescendo? Preposterously dramatic.
Hollywood Baby – 100 Gecs
Not entirely new, in that they were playing it live last year, but this song is probably the single best encapsulation of the Gecs sound to date, eclipsing even Money Machine. Brilliant, churning, distorted guitar riff, massive stomping chorus, auto-tuned all to hell vocals, drug-blasted LA paranoia in the lyrics.
Thanks @bingo-little, some great stuff there.
That Inhaler track is deffo U2-ish which is no bad thing…
The Mazzy Star comparison is bang on the mark and thank you for reminding me of the magnificence of M83. I lost track of them some years ago when David Hepworth (I think) bizarrely compared one of their albums to World Party.
Not really surprising about the U2esque nature of Inhaler.
True dis.
🙌🙌🙌
I only played 2 tracks from your post Bingo.
Lana Del Rey, I`m still convinced she`s overrated but that`s my opinion. IMHO it`s all been done before only better.
Boygenius, I`ve been wondering what all the fuss was about and my mind was almost made up after 90 seconds of listening. I wasn`t impressed BUT I listened to the end, then I played it again and again and again. I`ll be investigating further and I`m 75% convinced I`ll be buying the record.
It’s going to take something special to make me give someone called Elvis Depressedly the time of day. Brian Jonestown Massacre? Lana Del Rabies? Yes we do see what you did there – now snap out of it!
I like this
https://youtu.be/NMdO4As7xHo
(Jessie Ware – Pearls)
Well, hey – by my count that’s a 37.5% hit rate. Not bad!
One more I forgot.
Salad – Blondshell.
Covering a song the Cranberries forgot to write.
I didn’t realise Suki Waterhouse, who plays keyboard playing band member Karen Sirko in Daisy Jones and The Six had a real life music career.
Not only a parallel career to her acting, but producing some good music, unlike so many others who try to combine the two and produce music that is irretrievably dull. Sorry that should be DULL.
I just noticed that spell check converted my irredeemably to irretrievably.
I do like her voice.
Googled.
She’s from Edinburgh and began her career on the folk scene playing harp with a combo called Avocet
No prizes for guessing my choice….Ghosts Again, Depeche Mode.
I find this in-studio clip fascinating. You can see how Dave Gahan gets emotionally immersed as he sings. Also Martin’s raw guitar sound and his vocals. The tape machine spinning around in the background is similar to the one Gahan operated during early live shows. While out and about last night I heard the song blaring from a busy pub and it sounded fantastic.
They have just appeared on BBC Piano room (it’s on iPlayer if you can access – if you can’t ping me and I can help).
There’s a clip on YouTube….
I really appreciate the offer @ChrisF – but so far I am OK because it’s on YouTube as well. I’ll let you know if I need to. Very excited by this – just clicking on it now.
Three songs – two of them on You Tube (Walking in my Shoes and Ghosts Again) and Gordon Lightfoot’s Sundown.
Firstly I haven’t heard Gary Davies’ voice for decades and he sounds a lot older now (unsurprisingly). I’m glad he hasn’t stuck with the Wunnerful Radio 1 voice of his youth.
On to the songs, Walking in My Shoes is a natural choice for this treatment. It’s a very “big” song anyway and using a full orchestra actually makes the song more sparse, if you can believe that.
The one that really tugged at the emotions for me was Ghosts Again. Dave’s voice is strong as hell and Martin’s vocal very piercing. The orchestra sweeps the melody into the sky, so it’s part of the weather rather than part of the structure (I know what I mean, even if no one else does). I’m reserving this one for special occasions – I don’t want to become tired of it. Lost for words i.e. I like it very much.
The third song, Sundown, I am familiar with due to a long-deceased NZ TV personality, Paul Holmes, recording it on a vanity CD release about 20 years ago. His voice resembled Sit Robin Day, so you can imagine how good his singing was. Like Sir Robin, he was a political interviewer and aggressive questioning occasionally prompted crowd-pleasing walkouts.
For a birrova laugh, I bought it for my Father in Law that Christmas and it was played quite frequently in among his C&W CDs – he’d slotted it in his player to rotate with the others – and although the singing was way below par, the band and the arrangements were pretty good so – dammit – I ended up quite liking it and also leaning into the adverse camber that his sometimes croaky voice delivered, rather than skipping the thing entirely.
ACR’s Afro Dizzy
New album, 1982, released last Friday. The title gives a lot away.
Decent little article in Mojo too
I’ve just given the new album a couple of spins – absolutely excellent.
I thought 2020’s Loco was their best since Sextet or Force. I think I might like the new one even more. My ACR nerd pal – as if I wasn’t enough of one myself – definitely thinks it is a career best.
I don’t really bother myself with much modern stuff but I’ve surprised myself so far this year by liking those naughty northern songsters The Lathums. However, this by those lovable scamps The Lemon Twigs is definitely my favourite song of 2023 (and, arguably, 1973)…
the return of the sublime Jenny Lewis … really looking forward to the album
My favourite album so far this year is The Land, The Water, The Sky by Black Belt Eagle Scout. BBES is a one-woman band, namely Katherine Paul of the Swinomish tribe from the Washington / Oregon area, and she plays almost everything (bar a few string arrangements, I think) on this terrific record that is so in touch with the ideas of land and home. There’s bits of lush shoegaze in there, as well as cinematic post-rock and traditional and folk sounds. Marvellous record, this is the closet thing to a title track
I’ve also enjoyed the lovely lilting aquatic dub of Good Block’s Naiad
over in metal corner, And Oceans’ As In Gardens, So In Tombs has been getting most of my attention, stirring symphonic meloblack from Finland
After a shaky start, Hamish Hawk’s Angel Numbers is a fine album (OK, maybe not quite up there with Heavy Elevator but a very fine piece of work)
Choice track? Probably this one – Thinking Of Us Kissing
Favourite song? My problem is that my favourites of the year are all on albums that demand to be listened in their entirety in one sitting.
Ryuichi Sakamoto’s 12 is a long, cool look into the infinite void. He composed and recorded it knowing full well that it be his last. It is absolutely beautiful and deeply moving.
Masego’s self titled album is a joy. It is as mesmerising, as innocent as a child’s daydream, though its themes are completely grown up. Once you start listening, time seems to stop and before you know it, it’s coming to the end.
False Lankum is huge. There are long, powerful instrumental passages interspersed between some fabulous. It’s dark and disturbing, yet uplifting and life-affirming at the same time.
I’m enjoying a lot of great classical music, too. Radvanovsky, Kaufman et al have released a stunning Turandot. Lars Vogt’s final recordings of Schubert’s piano trios are exquisite. Ligeti Metamorphoses sound almost logical in the hands of Quartuo Diotima. It’s too early to tell but I have high hopes for the Czech Philharmonica’s energetic and powerful Mahler’s second symphony.
Some fabulous vocals. Cuh.
Eric Bibb’s lovely new version of the old folky favourite:
And another old tune – but “newly released” on a 7 via Bob Stanley’s Measured Mile label – an old northern soul banger that irked the purists when it was first played – “too pop” they muttered – but sounding fresh as ever. Classy Thom Bell production with big drums and exhilarating galloping string arrangement in the final furlong. Picked up a copy from David’s in Letchworth last week.
I just listened to the first track on False Lankum. Astonishing.
Here’s another remarkable talent from the Emerald Isle: Lisa O’Neill. A great favourite of DuCool’s.
Lisa writes thrilling, mysterious, suggestive songs and performs them in a way that really makes an impact. She’s a great admirer of Tom Waits and if you watch a concert clip, you’ll see she has learnt a lot from the maestro; without being in any way derivative.
I haven’t bought much new so far this year but I am enjoying the Lisa O’Neill album. Maybe I’ll pick up the Lankum album but it can wait a while…
Looking forward to the new The National album.
This new tune, Candle Flame, by the irrepressible Jungle won me over on the spot.
And another immediate favourite. A real treat.
A gorgeous Inuktitut version of Blondie’s Heart of Glass performed by Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter, Elisapie.
It’s based on a childhood memory…
“This song, everytime I hear it takes me straight back to being 5/6 yrs old. We’re in Ivujivik, a small town near my village (Salluit),” shares the artist on social media. “My parents are gone gambling for the night. I’m with the coolest babysitters, my teenager cousins and their friends. They surround me and I’m looking up. They’re dancing like crazy, beautiful and carefree, and I want to be like them!
This may be a dancy song but for me it’s also emotional. It’s about our childhood, feeling light, and some days not so light. Everything then was new and exciting! On behalf of all Inuit, we love you Debbie Harry!”
I suspect that Debbie would be extremely chuffed by that comment.
The video is splendid. This is exactly what Stockholm looked like last week
That is *gorgeous* & I totally agree that Ms Harry would be chuffed to bits to learn how dear she is to them.
So much new music, not enough time. I don’t think any of the above made my list but here’s another 53 for you. I’ll post again at the end of Q2. I very much doubt the list will get to 200 by the end of the year. I start to operate a strict “one in, one out” policy, and it usually bottoms out around the 120 mark. All killer no filler, though.
Here is someone who will be a new name for most of you – William Prince.
I discovered him at the Americana UK festival a few weeks ago. He has the magic.
He’s got a new album and this is from it – a song titled Goldie Hawn:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcyR_ROd3jY
This is an older song (from four years ago) but as I only discovered him this year, it counts as far as I’m concerned – it’s called Breathless
Goldie Hawn is a really beautiful tune. Thank you for posting that.
You’re very welcome.
I’m hoping he returns to the UK before too long.
My wife, who is a huge Jackson Browne fan, thinks he’s on a par with JB.
As always, Bingo, you have a real ear for a hitmaker.
William’s a real find, @Carl. I’m now hoping that he will come to Sweden too.
I was listening to him on Spotify and of course I wanted to know more.
He’s a Canadian from Manitoba and his debut album was nominated for the Juno award in 2017 for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year.
https://www.cbc.ca/music/why-william-prince-turned-to-his-gospel-roots-during-the-pandemic-1.5844117
That song, Gospel First Nation, made me curious about Fisher Bay. This clip tells about the place he comes from.
Here’s a little more about Manitoba.
https://manitobaartsnetwork.ca/news/william-prince-juno-award-winning-singer-songwriter/
A fascinating man.
There was another Canadian singer at the same event who impressed me almost as much as William Prince. He is Julian Taylor (initially I was more taken, simply because he sold his albums on the night, while William didn’t have any, and I was playing him more until I acquired WP’s CDs).
As he says in the introduction to this song, it’s about the murder of a friend. What he additionally said when I saw him is that he was also picked up and questioned as a suspect by the police.
Julian is touring in the UK later this year.
Another great find, @Carl! You did very well out of that festival.
I found this interview with Julien from 2021 which gives a little background.
https://canadianbeats.ca/2021/02/10/countdown-to-winterfolk-2021-interview-with-julien-taylor/
And this recent concert review may interest you.
https://greatdarkwonder.com/julian-taylor-live-at-stonecroft-folk/?fbclid=IwAR1RHAYP2ccp9LxZjvuKLA9eMY9b6cBQGOUTUjt3MjXLgMjdxiPN0zzmkxI
Time for me to get listening to some more of his material.
Green Rocky Road from Moving On Skiffle
Studio
Live
Dexys are back. They still sound like Dexys.
A fine song from the great new Long Ryders album:
Who needs an Easter egg? Here’s a playlist with your suggestions. Lots of wonderful stuff.
I’d really like to include some of your favourites @Martin Horsfield but 53 is a few too many!
If you could Do a Bingo and cut your list down to 8 or so magnificent tracks, I’d be very grateful.
Thanks for kicking this all off @seanioio. You did us proud. What a splendid variety of tracks!
Easter eggs are rubbish. The chocolate is often absolutely brilliant, I’ve no complaints quality-wise. But the elaborate packaging helps disguise the fact that the amount of chocolate you get for your money is rip-off central.
I’m trying to give up chocolate completely. Been three days so far. It’s all I can think about.
I think Gary means, “Thanks, KFD. Great work. I love these playlists and listen to them all the time.”
You’re quite right. To me they are like Lindt’s Lindor in comparison to inferior playlists’ Kinder.
Thankyou @Gary! And thanks for your help with the translation @Tiggerlion. Sometimes I struggle with that Monopoli accent.
Not so surprisingly, Lankum mentioned Lisa O’Neill as an influence in an NPR interview about their previous album, The Lifelong Day.
https://www.npr.org/2019/10/21/771982922/lankum-and-the-strange-new-sounds-of-ireland
It’s all happening over in Dublin!
Here is one of the cracking songs from the Blue Highways album I have been raving and rabbiting on about in other threads:
I’m really liking the new EP from Hozier, especially this track “Eat Your Young”…..
Great song and an extraordinary video, @Chrisf!
Keep those favourites a-coming folks!
Am I allowed a favourite track from a 2023 album of reissued/archived material?
I am?
Great, in that case, I’ll choose “Umgababa” by Kippie Moketsi from the mind-blowingly superb double vinyl compilation “As-Shams Archive Vol. 1: South African Jazz, Funk & Soul 1975-1982”.
https://as-shams.bandcamp.com/album/as-shams-archive-vol-1-south-african-jazz-funk-soul-1975-1982
If you have vinyl-playing capability, and you like South African Jazz, Funk & Soul from the golden age, then this album is beyond essential. It’s on Bandcamp, too (address above).
Nice bookend to my choice of Mannenberg by the then Dollar Brand.
Withered Hand/Crippled Love
This is probably my favourite song so far – slightly cheating, it’s a kind of dub mix of an older song…
Sarah McQuaid – If we DUB any deeper, it could get dangerous
Having said that: can I also direct you to our very own el hombre malo – his album on Bandcamp called “What’s Next? Volume 3 (A Walk Around San Francisco) – recorded in Dec 2022 but released in 2023 so I think it counts.
There’s a track called “Green Street” which I’ve had stuck in my head for a month or two…can’t find it on YouTube, tho’.
Tganks for the tip. I eventually found it on Bandcamp…..
https://tomrafferty1.bandcamp.com/album/whats-next-volume-3-a-walk-round-san-francisco
Apologies, KFD – if I had engaged my brain, I should have added the link with my comment.
I should have added: el hombre has a series of “What’s Next” collections on Bandcamp – they’re all different, they’re all interesting and some of them are seriously good.
(disclaimer: I’m not related to Tom; I am not on his payroll; and I’m not receiving any amber nectar-related incentives…yet…)