2023 Album Showdown Results: Tier 6 Week 4

Below are the results of the final week of Tier 6 showdowns. Next week, I will post the Tier 7 results, which will produce the Fall Top 12!

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

Love in Exile is mesmerizing, with unbelievably deep improvisational interactions between three profoundly accomplished musicians. Vulfpeck would be mischaracterized as mesmerizing, but they do push the upper levels of musicianship in a similar, and perhaps more fun, way. 

 

Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex VS. Soup - Visions

Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex

Tough, tough choice, because I will always advocate for Soup’s distinctly melodic progressive/post rock approach, but this Steven Wilson album is just something else.  Another big contender for Album of the Year.

Gunship - Unicorn VS. The Weeknd - Dawn FM

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