Best Albums of 2023

Shamikebab

Shamikebab

Shamikebab

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Little later than normally this year, but maybe a few xmas presents can sneak in! We're not fussy here, feel free to included EP's, remasters, live albums whatever takes your fancy. These threads are always good to pick up things I might have missed.

For myself this year I think I've actually been a bit slack at trying out new stuff. Every one of my honourable mentions is an artist I was already a fan of.

This year's honourable mentions are:

Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex. Man it was hard not giving this the title, it's his best album since Raven for me. The last one didn't vibe with me at all but this is superb.
Crosses - Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete. Waited so long for the follow up (9 years!) and it absolutely delivers.
Puscifer - Existential Reckoning (Re-Wired). Puscifer have been doing remix albums for their releases since the beginning and this one is one of the best.
Babymetal - The Other One. Their best album yet possibly! It's amazing that a band made popular with a viral song about chocolate is still going strong. This one has none of the guest stars from their recent releases and I think it is stronger for it.
Fever Ray - Radical Romantics. Fever Ray's debut album is one of my favourite albums of all time but I could never get into the follow up. This one is still a big departure in sound from the first but it's a great album. Infectious, sexy synth lines and a whole host of high quality guests. Only the final track lets the album down.
Skrillex - Quest For Fire. Skrillex has taken a loooong break since his last album. But we got two this year! This one is the more mainstream and imo a little stronger. It's very varied and there are definitely a few tracks I'm not keen on but the tracks I really love (like the fantastic Butterflies with Four Tet or XENA with Nai Barghouti) mean it is one I keep coming back to.

But the winner is...

Sleep Token - Take Me Back To Eden

What a stunning album this is from start to finish. Djent Metal? Piano R&B? Stadium Rock? Synth Electronica? Sleep Token drift between all of them. I've always love fusion music and nobody is doing it better right now.

 
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Things I've enjoyed this year, in no particular order...

This Is The Kit - Careful of Your Keepers
Marta & Tricky - When It's Going Wrong
Warrington Runcorn New Town Development Plan - The Nation's Most Central Location
Slowdive - everything is alive
Black Pumas - Chronicles of a Diamond
 
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Shamikebab said:
Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex. Man it was hard not giving this the title, it's his best album since Raven for me. The last one didn't vibe with me at all but this is
Click to expand...

I've tried, and I've tried, and I've tried, but I do not get along with this at all. To my ears it's the weakest of his work (not just the solo stuff) by an enormous margin. I'm taking a break from it for a few months to see if fresh ears change my opinion.

I was very much looking forward to it, as I have been with all his solo stuff but was bitterly disappointed. I enjoyed it slightly more when I heard it in Atmos at one of the playbacks he arranged but not enough to change my opinion.

2023 hasn't been a great year but I really enjoyed the new TesseracT album - War of Being.
 
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Didn't buy much this year but did get as mentioned above, the new Slowdive album as well as

Chris Stapleton - Higher
Alison Goldfrapp - The Love Invention
Jessie Ware - That feels good
OMD - Bauhaus Staircase
Peter Gabriel - i/o
Harp - Albion
The Breath - Land of my other
 
Shamikebab said:
Little later than normally this year, but maybe a few xmas presents can sneak in! We're not fussy here, feel free to included EP's, remasters, live albums whatever takes your fancy. These threads are always good to pick up things I might have missed.

For myself this year I think I've actually been a bit slack at trying out new stuff. Every one of my honourable mentions is an artist I was already a fan of.

This year's honourable mentions are:

Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex. Man it was hard not giving this the title, it's his best album since Raven for me. The last one didn't vibe with me at all but this is superb.
Crosses - Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete. Waited so long for the follow up (9 years!) and it absolutely delivers.
Puscifer - Existential Reckoning (Re-Wired). Puscifer have been doing remix albums for their releases since the beginning and this one is one of the best.
Babymetal - The Other One. Their best album yet possibly! It's amazing that a band made popular with a viral song about chocolate is still going strong. This one has none of the guest stars from their recent releases and I think it is stronger for it.
Fever Ray - Radical Romantics. Fever Ray's debut album is one of my favourite albums of all time but I could never get into the follow up. This one is still a big departure in sound from the first but it's a great album. Infectious, sexy synth lines and a whole host of high quality guests. Only the final track lets the album down.
Skrillex - Quest For Fire. Skrillex has taken a loooong break since his last album. But we got two this year! This one is the more mainstream and imo a little stronger. It's very varied and there are definitely a few tracks I'm not keen on but the tracks I really love (like the fantastic Butterflies with Four Tet or XENA with Nai Barghouti) mean it is one I keep coming back to.

But the winner is...

Sleep Token - Take Me Back To Eden

What a stunning album this is from start to finish. Djent Metal? Piano R&B? Stadium Rock? Synth Electronica? Sleep Token drift between all of them. I've always love fusion music and nobody is doing it better right now.

Click to expand...

I enjoyed Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex as well. His best solo album imo.

I'm a metal head but Sleep Tokens style doesn't gel for me.
 
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I've been tardy this year, here's my picks:

Jungle - Volcano

Roosevelt - Embrace

Alison Goldfrapp - Love Invention

Gorillaz - Cracker Island

Jesse Ware - That! Feels Good!

and since you can't have too much Róisín:
Róisín Murphy - Hit Parade
 
Whoops, I usually contribute to this thread each year. Mine are:

Daughter - Stereo Mind Game
Katatonia - Sky Void Of Stars
End - The Sin Of Human Frailty
Fvnerals - Let The Earth Be Silent
Oxbow - Love's Holiday
The Murder Capital - Gigi's Recovery
Urne - A Feast On Sorry
Night Verses - Every Sound Has A Color In The Valley Of Night: Part 1
Lowheaven - Collapse (EP)
Billy Nomates - Cacti
Sleaford Mods - UK Grim
Fires in the Distance - Air Not Meant For Us
Slowdive - Everything Is Alive

Was going to do a little write up of each, but I'm sure you don't want me to blather on :)
 
I'm a creature of habit. While I enjoy a whole range of music and can appreciate a musicians talent even if not from a genre I like, Hip-Hop will always be my main genre. I still find a good double/triple-entedre or a punchline that hits me a few bars later can still always make a grin go across my face like nothing else.

Michael - Killer Mike.

Killer Mike, from 'Run the Jewels', released his 6th Album this year called 'Michael'. It's probably the album that stood the test of time for me this year frequently getting replayed.

IM a MC R U 1 2 - KRS One.
This album gets an honourable mention from me. The Fact that KRS One is pushing 60 and is still able to release such top quality wordplay along with relevant content and still stays true to his name - 'Knowledge Reigns Supreme - Over Nearly Everyone' by dropping knowledge into his raps all lends to his longevity as an MC and often your favourite MCs favourite MC.

Other than that I've probably spent a lot of this year revisiting older music
 
the-evaluator said:
I've tried, and I've tried, and I've tried, but I do not get along with this at all. To my ears it's the weakest of his work (not just the solo stuff) by an enormous margin. I'm taking a break from it for a few months to see if fresh ears change my opinion.

I was very much looking forward to it, as I have been with all his solo stuff but was bitterly disappointed. I enjoyed it slightly more when I heard it in Atmos at one of the playbacks he arranged but not enough to change my opinion.

2023 hasn't been a great year but I really enjoyed the new TesseracT album - War of Being.
Click to expand...

For me The Harmony Codex is album of the year. Yes its in a way different to his previous stuff but still a great album.

Tesseract - One of those bands I think I should like but I just cant be doing with the growling/screaming stuff or the (mostly) one -dimensional djent twanging. Their stuff just cries out for a few good guitar solos and a lot more variety.

Honourable mentions:

Riverside - I.D Identity
Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars
Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation Live.
 
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Mint8 said:
For me The Harmony Codex is album of the year. Yes its in a way different to his previous stuff but still a great album.

Tesseract - One of those bands I think I should like but I just cant be doing with the growling/screaming stuff or the (mostly) one -dimensional djent twanging. Their stuff just cries out for a few good guitar solos and a lot more variety.

Honourable mentions:

Riverside - I.D Identity
Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars
Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation Live.
Click to expand...

The constant thing with Steven Wilson is the change, so it wasn't a surprise at all that The Harmony Codex was so different to The Future Bites. It's just not to my taste though.

I'd forgotten about C/C Live but yes, that's great. I went to the London gig which I really enjoyed but it did remind me just how much I miss seeing Porcupine Tree in the smaller venues as I felt quite detached from the performance.
 
My album of the year is Red, White and Bruised: The Midnight Live.

I saw them live in a packed Rock City, and had no idea Synthwave had such a following. The songs hit much harder live as they changed the arrangements and even added a female vocalist. The sax and guitar solos were spectacular. Good times.
 
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