This Week’s Theme: Best of 2023 (Rock and Pop)
2023 saw the release of new material by rock and pop artists as old as The Rolling Stones and Dolly Parton and as young as Ice Spice and Olivia Rodrigo. Faux Show readers know that my Top 20 list will include albums by a variety of artists who began their careers in multiple decades. The next to last entry in this best of 2023 series is a Top 20 of my favorite albums that are rock or pop. I’ve covered a wide variety of music up to this point, so this final list includes any albums left that I consider my favorites of the year, along with any I have already included in past lists that are in the rock or pop categories.
As always, there is a playlist.
Number 20: Blondshell by Blondshell
Blondshell is the self-titled debut album for Sabrina Mae Teitelbaum who formerly recorded as pop artist BAUM. After several years of pop-based releases, she has evolved into an indie rock artist. The change is a success. This isn’t the best indie rock album of 2023, but it is a quality release by a talented songwriter.
Number 19: Tracy Denim by Bar Italia
Bar Italia are a British indie rock band who signed to Matador for the release of their 2023 album Tracy Denim. They have since released another 2023 album called The Twits in late November, which I haven’t had time to listen to yet. If it is as good as this one, then they are having an amazing year. This is catchy, interesting indie rock.
Number 18: Angel Numbers by Hamish Hawk
Hamish Hawk is a 31-year old British songwriter who doesn’t have a Wiki page yet, but he does have an album that hit #1 on the British charts in March 2023. Angel Numbers is throwback Brit-pop a la The Smiths and Belle and Sebastian. I absolutely adore it.
Number 17: Dogsbody by Model/Actriz
Model/Actriz combine the art pop of Roxy Music and the noise rock of Big Black with queer themes and imagery. There are moments of minimalism and beauty, but most of the release is not for the faint of heart. Dogsbody is the group’s debut, and it attacks the noise rock genre with a 21st sonic attack and lyrical content not found in the genre prior to this.
Number 16: Infinite Spring by Superviolet
One of my favorite artists of the ’90s was Matthew Sweet. His catchy jangle pop and sweet vocals gave him a core group of lifelong fans, and I am one of them. That sort of music has all but disappeared from modern pop music by new artists, but the debut by Superviolet harkens back to when bands like this ruled alternative music. It is difficult to believe now, but there was a 30 year period when bands made a living playing Beatles-esque pop/rock music simply because they loved to play it. If Infinite Spring is any indication, artists from Big Star to Matthew Sweet to Apples In Stereo, are all favorites of the members of Superviolet.
Number 15: The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte by Sparks
Sparks have been recording for over 50 years. If you aren’t familiar with the band, go listen to their albums Kimono My House, No. 1 In Heaven, and Angst In My Pants and you will hear but a small sample of the incredible diversity of music they have created through five decades. If you are already a fan, then you know that their 2023 album The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte is yet another great album by one of the greatest bands that most people have never heard of.
Number 14: Lucky For You by Bully
Ms. Faux and I love Liz Phair. I am a fan of ’90s alt rock. I like the Breeders. I like Elastica. I hear all of these artists in the sound of Bully on her 4th album. Lucky For You has grown on me with every listen. Lovers of old fashioned indie rock should like this one.
Number 13: 10,000 Gecs by 100 Gecs
2023 is the year I discovered that I like hyperpop. I had heard the music before but was unaware of the subgenre’s name until Faux Jr. clued me in. Two of my favorite albums of the year fall into this category, including #4 on this list and 10,000 Gecs by 100 Gecs. The third album by 100 Gecs provides all flavors of the genre. This style of music may not be for everyone, but as we move further into the 21st century this sort of music seems to be an obvious melding of all of the genres of rock music that have evolved over the last 25 years.
Number 12: Jenny From Thebes by The Mountain Goats
I could write a book about The Mountain Goats. I have heralded John Darnielle in past Faux Shows as the greatest songwriter and lyricist of my generation. I would place him on a short list of the great songwriters along with Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Steve Earle, and a handful of others. Coming from that background, I have to be careful that I don’t always place a new Mountain Goats album at the top of my best of the year lists. The truth is that I was extremely disappointed with last year’s Mountain Goats album Bleed Out. However, Mountain Goats fans know that there are three albums that most consider the band’s masterworks (All Hail West Texas, Tallahassee, Sunset Tree), so when Darnielle writes a sequel to one of them it deserves special attention. Jenny From Thebes is the sequel to All Hail West Texas (2002), a collection of songs that include several characters who are beloved by Mountain Goats fans and who make up the story presented in this new release. Call backs are made to the All Hail West Texas songs “Color In Your Cheeks,” the title character “Jenny,” “Fall of the Star High School Running Back,” “Distant Stations,” and more, but all without a contrived nostalgic reference. All Hail West Texas was the last great lo-fi Mountain Goats album. The songwriting and sound of the band has evolved several times since then, with the current incarnation finding them at arguably their most popular period of existence. Their original fans have grown with them for 30 years, but now they have an entirely new fanbase who may not even know their early lo-fi recordings. That is probably the greatest argument I can make for Darnielle as a genius. He writes great songs and it doesn’t matter how they are performed.
Number 11: Why Would I Watch by Hot Mulligan
Emo bands are a dime a dozen now-a-days. I don’t know why I like Why Would I Watch by Hot Mulligan as much as I do, other than that is reminds me a lot of the first few albums by Third Eye Blind, and I used to love that band. There is nothing new happening here, and the singer leans toward screaming a little too often, but I am always a sucker for a good hook. These are catchy emo tunes by a band who will most likely break up or be forgotten in the next few years.
Number 10: Cousin by Wilco
Wilco should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I have been a lifelong fan since they sprung from the ashes of Uncle Tupelo. Jeff Tweedy is a rock genius who has flourished combining roots rock and post rock into his own unique style. It has been many years since I have enjoyed a new Wilco release, and Cousin is one of my favorites by the group. If you don’t like Wilco, you won’t like this. If you like Wilco, you will like this. If you have never heard Wilco, go listen to the songs “Monday” and “Can’t Stand It” and the album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
Number 9: the record by boygenius
Female supergroup trio boygenius have given each of the individual artists (Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus) a new, much larger fanbase. A lot of supergroups from rock’s past are created by aging stars looking to extend their careers. Boygenius breaks that mold by giving three women in the prime of their career a chance to grow together as songwriters and musicians. Every song on the record could be a standout on each woman’s next solo album. By combining their talents in this way, they have created a songwriting powerhouse and have given each other inspiration to expand their creative palette. I would imagine that the future will find all three women performing both together and separately for years to come now that they have found the mass success they each have deserved for years.
Number 8: Guts by Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo is a 20 year old former Disney star who is also one of the most popular acts in the U.S. There are very few artists recording right now who have achieved as much success and popularity as Rodrigo in the last 3 years. What’s amazing is that all of those other artists are either pop or hip-hop artists. It has been years since an ultra-popular artist has recorded rock music like Rodrigo has made for her new album. Her debut had moments of rock but was a pop album at its core, while this new album has moments that sound like The Breeders and Green Day. I think this is because she is now making music that sounds like what she listens to. While she claims to be the world’s biggest Swiftie, she also names her influences as Alanis Morrissette, Fiona Apple, and Avril Lavigne. Even more importantly, she names White Stripes, Rage Against The Machine, and Babes in Toyland as influences. I’m sure that most people my age ignore artists like Rodrigo and tend to play their favorite album by Led Zeppelin or Prince when they start up the car. I am not trying to argue that Rodrigo is the second coming of Robert Plant, and her music is set firmly in the pop music production aesthetic of 2023, but most of this record sounds like Liz Phair and not Britney Spears. Like her heroes Swift, Morissette, and Apple, Rodrigo is on a path toward a long career in popular music. If she can avoid the traps of fame that often befall such young artists, she could end up becoming a generational icon just like her own heroes.
Number 7: I’ve Seen A Way by Mandy, Indiana
I know very little about the band Mandy, Indiana. I’ve Seen a Way is their debut album. According to Wikipedia, parts of it were recorded in caves and crypts, the band consists of musicians from Manchester, England, possibly Berlin, Germany, and a vocalist from Paris who sings in French, and their name is a play on the city of Gary, Indiana. All that really matters to me is that they remind me of Throbbing Gristle and early Cabaret Voltaire. This is avant-garde 21st century music of the highest quality.
Number 6: Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume (or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) by Yves Tumor
The music of Sean Lee Bowie (aka Yves Tumor) is not easily identifiable as a specific type. They present electronic dance, hyper-soul, Radiohead-esque post-rock, grunge, and other styles, all through the creative lens of their masterful production skills. Praise a Lord Who Chews is experimental 21st century music that could not have existed 20 years ago. Some critics will list it as one of the year’s best, but most will ignore it due to the difficulty it presents in classifying it and understanding its sonic breadth. It deserves more attention than it will receive.
Number 5: Radical Romantics by Fever Ray
The wonderful electronic music of Swedish songwriter Fever Ray (aka Karin Dreijer) had avoided my earholes for almost 15 years prior to 2023. Music of this type was never my favorite when I was younger, but I now listen to it regularly. Most importantly, at least from a personal perspective, is that I focus my attention on discovering great releases of this kind of music and avoid the banal. Unlike a new indie rock album by a band I like, wherein I may listen to fairly mediocre releases and then forget about them like someone eating skittles, when I find a release as great as Radical Romantics I savor it like a perfectly blended curry. This release was my go to for driving around this summer with the windows down. The depth of sonic achievement on this wonderfully produced album is breathtaking. The melodies are incessantly memorable. This is a release by an artist at the peak of their creativity.
Number 4: With a Hammer by Yaeji
2023 is the year I discovered that I like HyperPop. With a Hammer is the 2nd album for Yaeji, and it is a great introduction to this type of music. HyperPop combines elements of electronic music with pop, R&B, and/or hip-hop styles with a focus on the avant-garde. In Yaeji’s case, the music is a mix of extremely diverse electronic experimentation with drastic rhythmic variation and an avant-pop sensibility. This is not music that everyone will immediately enjoy. In my case, it took several listens to start to understand the vision being presented. Over the last six months, the songs on this release have continued to stick in my brain like the best earworms do. I would highly recommend this for anyone who wants to listen to modern pop music but prefers an artist with some edginess in their creativity.
Number 3: Everything Harmony by The Lemon Twigs
Everything Harmony by The Lemon Twigs starts out with a song that sounds like early ’70s John Denver before exploding into 21st century rock and roll perfection. That is followed by twelve more songs that sound like what would have happened if Todd Rundgren had produced an album by Chris Bell after he left Big Star. I fell in love with this album immediately upon my first listen and haven’t stopped listening to it since. If you want to learn about the history of the band and its two young brothers who found success while in high school, you can do so with a few Google clicks. All that matters to me is that this is one of the best pieces of catchy pop rock released in years. Absolutely wonderful.
Number 2: 3D Country by Geese
3D Country by Geese was my favorite album of 2023 for the entire year until my # 1 pick was released at the end of the year. This, the second album by the band, is 21st century rock and roll of the highest order. I hear influences ranging from The Rolling Stones to Pavement all over this record. If you like rock and roll, this record deserves your attention.
Number 1: i/o by Peter Gabriel
The first Genesis album was released in 1969. Peter Gabriel’s first solo album was released in 1977. Gabriel’s most successful album was released in 1986. Peter Gabriel is 73 years old. This is not the resume of an artist one should expect to release quality music in 2023. Many are heralding the Rolling Stones’ album Hackney Diamonds as some sort of amazing comeback by a group even older than Genesis. I have nothing against The Stones, but that record verges on unlistenable. It is also their third album of the 21st century and the third they have released since Gabriel’s last album of original material in 2002. Hackney Diamonds is not a comeback. It is just the next in a long line of decades of mediocre music released by a band who peaked before Gabriel recorded his first solo album, but they are the Rolling Stones and they have a world-wide media and marketing empire to back them. i/o, on the other hand, is a true comeback. After decades of rumored new material being worked on, this record was finally released on Gabriel’s Real World label (as have all of his albums since 1992). As a long-time Gabriel fan, I was merely hoping for anything better than his last collection of original material (Up, 2002), his forgettable collection of covers (Scratch My Back, 2010), and the orchestral versions of his old songs (New Blood, 2011). Unbelievably, he delivered with the fifth best album of his career. i/o sounds like the album that should have been released in the ’90s after Us in 1992. This makes sense because there were reportedly over 100 songs composed and worked on as a follow up to Us over the last 30 years. The end result took form over the last few years, with 20 tracks completed for possible inclusion. The tracks selected are all fantastic, and the decision to produce two versions of the final album (Bright Side Mix, Dark Side Mix) using two different producers was a success. Bright Side presents a more modern take on the material and Dark Side (my personal favorite) sounds like ’80s Gabriel production. The inclusion of long-time Gabriel bassist Tony Levin and musical genius/friend Brian Eno adds even more nostalgia. However, this is not a nostalgic throwback for only true fans to enjoy. This is an album that is as good as any pop music being made today. Gabriel is a musical icon and genius, and this (probably his final album of original material) may be the best final album ever recorded.
That concludes this Faux Show. The next show will be my final Top 20 of the year list. It will compile my overall Top 20 albums from across all of the lists I have already created. Until then, as always, thanks for listening, and reading!
The Radio Faux Show 