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Best albums of 2023 #20

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  #20: Nas, ‘Magic 2’ Genre: Hip Hop Nas as an artist has had an interesting journey. He began with the groundbreaking 90s album Illmatic, which changed rap as a genre permanently. After that, he continued to make music that seemed to taper off in quality for a few years. Then, in 2020 to 2022, he released the King’s Disease trilogy, three solid albums that resolidified him as a giant of the genre. Now, in 2023, he’s back with another album that essentially serves as an interlude between the trilogy and what he plans to do next. And if Magic 2 is any indication of the quality of his next few albums, Nas is here to stay for a long time. To say that this is solely a Nas album would be misleading. It’s produced by the famous and omnipresent Hit-Boy, a staple of the east coast rap scene. Although the beats rarely sound too different from one another, the pair have crafted a winning formula. Nas is a talented and experienced enough rapper to twist his cadence to fit the intricacies of the i
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Best albums of 2023 #21

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  #21: King Krule, “Space Heavy” Genre: Art Rock  Every album ever made is attempting to capture something. Every album ever made attempts to give us a feeling through music, an experience shared between the artist and the listener. And sometimes, although we may not necessarily enjoy listening to the music, something will capture a feeling so uncannily well that it scares us. This is one of those times.  Space Heavy is not an album that makes sense when taken apart. No individual song here is a fulfilling experience, although they certainly sound interesting enough. No, this is an album that is intended to be taken in as a whole. A concept album where the concept is desolation. Even the album cover reflects this, showing an incomprehensible structure on an empty and hollow planet. Except in short bursts, everything in this album just sounds low. Every note in this album feels like it’s stuck in a space of apathy, a space separated from the more intense emotions like anger but still fa
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Best albums of 2023 #22

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  #22: Home is Where, “The Whaler” Genre: Midwest Emo/Folk Punk The genres of midwest emo and folk punk have been hand in hand for years. The often acoustic instruments filled with energy bind the two together. And there’s no project I’ve heard that fuses the two as effectively as The Whaler. It’s the band’s debut album, and it makes an impression on the listener that isn’t easily forgotten.  One of the most instantly recognizable things about Home is Where is its unique vocalist. His voice sits on the edge of being whiny or annoying, but never reaches the point of being tiresome, cliche, or overblown. I don’t think there’s a single vocal section on this album that felt like a chore to listen to. This is definitely aided by the album’s very raw and acoustic instrumentals, which along with the voice create an atmosphere of authenticity. It puts the punk in folk punk, more so even than other mainstream artists like AJJ.  Speaking of punk, The Whaler doesn’t shy away from making big state
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Best albums of 2023: #23

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  #23: Blonde Redhead, ‘Sit Down For Dinner” Genre: Dream Pop I first learned about the band Blonde Redhead from their underrated 2004 masterpiece Misery Is A Butterfly, one of my favorite albums of all time. Their work is light and airy but simultaneously musically distorted in a strange and beautiful way. I followed the release of this album from the moment they announced it, and I was certainly not disappointed as a fan of the group. As with all their projects, it takes patience to appreciate, but once you have that patience you will find music like no other you’ve ever heard.  Every song holds a dreamy atmosphere full of cloudy noise and creative, experimental melodies that repeat throughout. For example, the first song, Snowman, repeats a classic Blonde Redhead riff, along with impressive but relaxed vocal inflections. On the first time listening, you may not enjoy it fully, but once you’ve heard the song and know what to expect you can immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the mu
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Best albums of 2023: #24

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#24 feeble little horse, ‘Girl With Fish’ Genre: Noise Rock/Shoegaze Girl With Fish is in great contrast to the boygenius album, which mainly provoked emotion by being quiet and solemn. It’s loud, noisy, and intentionally mixed strangely, hitting you with waves of searingly loud and distorted guitars and quick bursts of ideas. However, despite going the opposite direction, it manages to create a powerful experience that will stick with you long after the album is over. There is a clear similarity between this album and the 1991 album “loveless” by My Bloody Valentine, and it’s not just because they share a genre. The voices of the lead singers are very similar, quiet and comforting, and they both compliment the loud, fuzzy guitars in their respective albums. Of course, this album has a more modern feel, the weight of a genre that’s been refined over the 32 years since its inception. But Loveless is practically a required listen to understand what this album is doing (as well as being v
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Best albums of 2023: #25

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  #25: boygenius, ‘The Record’ Genre: Indie Rock The indie collective boygenius came onto the scene in 2018, with an excellent, focused debut EP. Consisting of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker, three of the genre’s most popular artists, this group’s existence was going to turn heads no matter the quality of the music they put out.  The good news with this album is that it keeps nearly all the strengths of their original EP. On the best parts of The Record, it holds the same amount of emotional weight and musical skill. Its strongest aspect is definitely the lyrics, which tell tales presumably from the lives of the band members. Everything is delivered at a comfortable pace which allows you the space to bask in an emotion or follow a story very easily. For example, one of the major highlights on the album, Emily I’m Sorry, sets up its premise well with the title and lets you take in every little detail of the speaker’s relationship with Emily. Little touches like “We’re com
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