A motley crew of albums make up this year's top 10! Including (alphabetically)
Adventures of Jet - Part 3: Coping With Insignificance Alvvays - Blue Rev Beauty Pill - Blue Period Crown Lands - Fearless Colin Hay - Going Somewhere Jantra - Synthesized Sudan Lunatic Soul - Through Shaded Woods The Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony Xenia Rubinos - Una Rosa Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex
A thoroughly vetted list of my favorite music of 2023, including (alphabetically):
100 Gecs - 10,000 Gecs Laurie Anderson - Big Science The Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca Brendan Eder Ensemble - Therapy Gunship - Unicorn HHY & the Kampala Unit - Lithium Blast Mammoth WVH - Mammoth II Trevor Rabin - Push Soccer Mommy - Sometimes, Forever WITCH - Zango
New music - too late for 2023 consideration....but 2024?
Richard Wright - Wet Dream (1978) Chvrches - Screen Violence (2021) Babadoobie - Fake It Flowers (2020) Massive Attack - Mezzanine (1998) Sanam - Aykathani Malakon (2023) Venetian Snares - The Chocolate Wheelchair Album (2003)
Vulfpeck - Thrill of the Arts VS. Drums & Tuba - Box Fetish
Vulfpeck - Thrill of the Arts
Gunship - Unicorn VS. The Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony
Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony
Khruangbin - Mordechai VS. Arlo Parks - My Soft Machine
Khruangbin - Mordechai
Witch - Zango VS. Mong Tong - Tao Fire
Witch - Zango
Steve Reich - Runner/Music for Ensemble and Orchestra VS. Weyes Blood - And in Darkness, Hearts Aglow
Weyes Blood - And in Darkness, Hearts Aglow
MammothWVH - Mammoth II VS. Crown Lands - Fearless
MammothWVH - Mammoth II
Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex VS. Yes - Mirror to the Sky
Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex
Panchiko - D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L VS. Charlotte Wessels - Tales from Six Feet Under v. 1&2
Charlotte Wessels - Tales from Six Feet Under v. !&2
Aiming for Enrike - Empty Airports VS. Alvvays - Blue Rev
Alvvays - Blue Rev
Sigur Ros - Atta VS. Astronoid - Radiant Bloom
Sigur Ros - Atta
Lisa Bella Donna - Destinations VS.Frank Sinatra - Watertown
Frank Sinatra - Watertown
Beverly Glenn-Copeland - The Ones Ahead VS. Chouk Bwa & the Angstromers - Somanti
Beverly Glenn-Copeland - The Ones Ahead
You want all the Tier 7 results in the same place?
Actually, me, too.
Let's GOOOO.
This final Fall tier produced what is essentially a Top 12 list for Fall of 2023. These results will move forward to the Finals to be compared with the Mid-Year Top 12, along with another 12 saves, and produce the 2023 Favorites list.
I have experimented on and off for the past year and a half with creating short posts that cover a bit of my thought processes with the showdowns. I think I developed a format that I feel OK with and have been posting them on TikTok and the Reels circuit. In the interest of time management, however, I limited them to this tier (also partially to tier 3 earlier this year). I’ve embedded the entire series below for your convenience (with three left to go that I will post once I have completed them).
I’ve had fun making them - what do you think?
By the way, I know I called all these showdowns Tier 6. Let's keep that blunder between us, shall we?
Anamanaguchi - Endless Fantasy VS. Black Country, New Road - For the First Time
Black Country, New Road - For the First Time
@drspin317 Tier 6 winners head to thethe finals! #anamanaguchi #blackcountrynewroad #music #showdown
♬ original sound - Dr Spin
Khruangbin - Mordechai VS. Arlo Parks - My Soft Machine
Khruangbin - Mordechai
@drspin317 Tier 6 winners head to the finals! #khruangbin #arloparks #music #review #showdown
♬ original sound - Dr Spin
Colin Hay - Going Somewhere VS. Robert Plant - Lullaby and the Ceaseless Roar
Colin Hay- Going Somewhere
@drspin317 ♬ original sound - Dr Spin
MammothWVH - Mammoth II VS. 88Kasyo Junrei - SYG88
MammothWVH - Mammoth II
@drspin317 Both great albums, but only one shall pass. Tier 6 winners qualify for the 2023 Finals! #mammothwvh #88kasyojunrei #music #review #showdown
♬ original sound - Dr Spin
Ekiti Sound - Drum Money VS.Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals - King Cobra
Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals - King Cobra
@drspin317 Tier 6 winners head to the finals! #ekitisound #infinityknives #brianennals #music #review
♬ original sound - Dr Spin
Astronoid - Radiant Bloom
@drspin317 Tier 6 winners head to the finals! This is the third of twelve showdowns. #nordicgiants #astronoid #music #review
♬ original sound - Dr Spin
Beauty Pill - Blue Period
@drspin317 ♬ original sound - Dr Spin
Lisa Bella Donna - Destinations
@drspin317 Tier 6 showdown with a bit of an upset! Link to my YT channel in the bio. #lisabelladonna #gentlegiant #music #review #showdown
♬ original sound - Dr Spin
Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex
@drspin317 Really tricky showdown, but I do have a favorite that will go on to the finals! Link to my YT channel is in my bio. #stevenwilson #trevorrabin #music #review #showdown
♬ original sound - Dr Spin
HHY & the Kampala Unit - Lithium Blast
Vulfpeck - Thrill of the Arts VS. Drums & Tuba - Box Fetish
Vulfpeck - Thrill of the Arts
Gunship - Unicorn VS. The Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony
Curling - No Guitar VS. The Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony
The Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony
Curling’s twisty, turny approach to power pop required some time to sift through, but in the end it's a ingenious and listenable album. Despite its success in the face of its own ambition, it can’t unseat the Album of the Year feels I get from Everything Harmony.
Vulfpeck - Thrill of the Arts VS. Artooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, & Shahzad Ismaily - Love in Exile
Vulfpeck - Thrill of the Arts
Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex VS. Soup - Visions
Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex
Gunship - Unicorn
Dawn FM has weathered quite a bit of competition this year and has come out on top surprisingly often. I have a real soft spot, however, for Gunship’s neon-tinged goth synthwave, and I think that Unicorn is an excellent example of their best work.
Trevor Rabin - Rio VS. Yes - Mirror to the Sky
Trevor Rabin - Rio
A very difficult choice, because it hits so close to home. Yes’ catalog stands as a pillar in my musical pantheon, and I would advocate for either of them to the established fan. Both of these albums, however, have some cringey moments that are buoyed by many standout high points. Rabin ended up in front only because the electrifying single Push makes my hairs stand on end, whereas the textured nuance of the title track from Mirror to the Sky merely hits me in the feels. In other words, the high points on Rio are just a BIT higher than the high points on Mirror to the Sky.
Chouk Bwa & the Angstromers - Somanti VS. HHY & the Kampala Unit - Lithium Blast
HHY & the Kampala Unit - Lithium Blast
I have a huge appreciation for the way that both of these projects innovate on traditional music from the African diaspora. The collaboration between Chouk Bwa & the Angstromers is evolving, but as it does so, it sees the two entities falling into the more comfortable roles of production and performance. Lithium Blast blurs these lines, allowing production and performance to coincide in a very innovative way.
VIEWER'S CHOICE
Curling - No Guitar VS. The Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony
The Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony
Vulfpeck - Thrill of the Arts VS. Paul Chambers - Bass on Top
Vulfpeck - Thrill of the Arts
Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex VS. Ziemba - True Romantic
Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex
Gunship - Unicorn VS. Brendan Eder Ensemble - Therapy
Gunship - Unicorn
Trevor Rabin - Rio VS. Yes - Mirror to the Sky
Yes - Mirror to the Sky
Chouk Bwa & the Angstromers - Somanti VS. HHY & the Kampala Unit - Lithium Blast
Chouk Bwa & the Angstromers - Somanti
