Top 30 Albums of 2023
Top 30 Albums of 2023
What a year. Perhaps the best in recent memory for new rock ‘n’ roll acts striking out. Social comment has begun to forge bonds with the devil, and the results have been breathtaking. It’s seen plenty of 00s stalwarts prove they’re not done creatively.
Find out where they’ve ranked in our top 30 albums of the year:
30. NGHFB – Council Skies
Some great moments blended with average ones. Lockdown and pending divorce may have hit the consistency, but there’s enough melody to keep you returning for more.
29. The Kynd – Timelines (full review here)
The long-awaited second album from 90s outfit The Kynd is a touch of baggy-mod class.
28. Neev - Catherine
Heartfelt folk from the Glaswegian songwriter who will surely go on to bigger and better things.
27. Adam Nutter – Badlands On Fire
Celestial instrumentals from The Music’s lead guitarist.
26. Andrew Cushin – Waiting For The Rain
The Geordie singer-songwriter’s debut shows glimpses of a much brighter future.
25. Emy P - Lights // Chaos // Action
Intense tales of love, coming-of-age, and mental health. Raw Kai Tempest meets Scroobious Pip vibes.
24. Bag of Cans – We Are A Band
Lunacy. Brilliant, hilarious lunacy!
23. DMAs - How Many Dreams?
Polished anthems from the Aussie heroes.
22. The Boo Radleys - Eight
The cult Scouse heroes continue their fine run of form since returning in 2021.
21. Egyptian Blue – A Living Commodity
Off-beat but cohesive post-punk striving for glory.
20. Death of Guitar Pop - Be Lucky
The third installment from the DIY Ska outfit.
19. Grian Chatten - Chaos For The Fly
The Fontaines frontman strikes out with a timeless sense of songwriting.
18. The Shed Project – Our Fear Is Their Power (Full Review here)
What began as mates in a Shed playing for fun has become the do-or-die rock ‘n’ roll generations live for! Their attempt to convey their moods has given a window into a nation teetering on the edge of revolt at its politicians, media, and institutions falter.
17. Mull Historical Society – In My Mind There’s A Room
Colin McIntyre’s literary project is littered with melodic gold and award-winning author cameos.
16. Jasmine Minks – We Make Our Own History
The former Creation Records maestro’s prove they can still cut it with the best.
15. Treasures of Mexico – Burn The Jets (full review here)
Three albums in, Treasures of Mexico show no signs of tailing off. ‘Burn The Jets’ is a heartfelt slice of guitar joy that all should bask in.
14. King Creosote - I DES
Fife’s finest fok artist continues to find pockets of magic twenty-five years after his debut.
13. Afflecks Palace – The Only Light In This Tunnel Is The Oncoming Train (full review here)
The rise of Afflecks Palace continues steadfastly. It’s beautifully aimless, passionate, and soul-enriching. 100 years from now, they will not be forgotten!
12. Slowdive - Everything Is Alive
Utterly spellbinding.
11. Das Koolies - DK.01
Four members of Super Furry Animals strike out with breathtaking results.
10. Trampolene – Rules of Love and War (full review here)
The journey from ‘Swansea To Hornsey’ youthful fire to ‘Rules Of Love and War’ measured prose has been six years of hope, self-doubt, escape, self-discovery, and now, one of triumphant return. The mission statements they dreamt up in bedrooms in 2017 are now becoming fully realised via richer creative palettes. Coupled with Jack Jones’ purist of souls, long may Trampolene’s ship sail on.
9. Senses – Little Pictures Without Sound (full review here)
‘Little Pictures Without Sound’ is an album by dreamers for dreamers. Even in its most lo-fi moments, it’s touched by the hands of fantasy. It breeds a vision of a better life at every turn.
8. Tom Clarke– The Other Side
2023’s best kept secret! The Enemy frontman’s second solo album is his finest set of songs. Timeless songwriting showcases what a generational talent he is!
7. The Goa Express - The Goa Express
Life-affirming indie that’ll soundtrack a generation coming of age!
6. The Coral – Sea Of Mirrors (full review here)
The drifters charter. Masterful songwriting.
5. The Dream Machine – Thank God It’s The Dream Machine (full review here)
The Wirral has a new set of outsiders to idolise!
4. Joel Stoker – Undertow (full review here)
After two decades with The Rifles, making any solo album was a brave decision. To tackle his living nightmares and chart a musical course a world away was truly courageous.
3. The Velvet Hands – Sucker Punch (full review here)
Skint, downtrodden, and overtaken by those who can afford it or the artistically redundant. Despite the odds against them and cultural pressures pushing them toward a boring mainstream landscape, the band have funnelled their joyous punk debut into something more studied and grander this time out.
2. Pynch – Howling At A Concrete Moon (full review here)
Pynch’s debut album is full of such great era-defining couplets it's easy to overlook just how many great musical moments it possesses. The dreamy Real Estate and Horrors-esque (circa ’V’) synths of opener ‘Haven’t Lived a Day’ or the solos on ‘Tin Foil’ and ‘Maybe’, to name just a few.
A truly great moment in a sea of political despair. Viva la hope!
1. The Utopiates – The Sun Also Rises (full review here)
Whether you’re coming of age or finding a new lease on life, The Utopiates are the band to soundtrack it. From ‘Devolution’ to ‘It’s Coming To You’ they clutch onto hope with their fingernails as their sonic tumbles towards the darkness. Like all great bands before them, they find a way to lead the mortals out of their doldrums. During the introspection of ‘The Sun Also Rises’ the fog begins to lift allowing the rhapsodic ‘Ups and Downs’ conjures a moment of unrivalled happiness. The journey to their promised land is completed on the angelic reflective come-down piece ‘Simple Minds’.
Undeterred by Spotify’s influences, they take their time on intros and solos alike. They’ve allowed rock ‘n’ roll to breathe once more. The results are nothing short of a perfect debut album.
On The Cusp...Pastel
With Pastel’s debut album around the corner, they are on the cusp of big things.
In today’s climate, bands and artists blowing up overnight and storming the charts are dead. It is a brutal process, from getting local gigs to performing on the main stages of festivals. As such, there is a swelling of talent on the underground, poised to break through.
*banner image courtesy of Spirit of Spike Island.
Click image for tour tickets.
So, this week, we are picking five of our favourite artists on the cusp of said breakthrough. Next up are the Knebworth opening Pastel. On tour last year with Afflecks Palace, they stole the show with their Verve-esque jams.
To celebrate our Manchester heroes today, we look at their new single ‘Your Day’ which premiered on the iconic Steve Lamacq show yesterday evening.
‘Your Day’
Their time with Liam Gallagher seems to have paid dividends as they deliver their most urgent record yet. The sense of being in the moment collides with a battle line in the sand as they Emerge from the shadows of giants with the clarion call:
“don’t sit around and hide for this is your day”
Seize the day is a right of passage for UK rebels. From The Enemy (“Stop living your life for the alarm”) to Billy Bragg (“The system has failed you, don’t fail yourself”), the lineage is pure and strong. The commonality is often punk or its influence, which makes Pastel’s addition more remarkable. They come with Nick McCabe flourishes, hints of the Roses’ nomadic phase (‘Good Times’ & ‘Tightrope’), primordial drums meets, and shoegaze with swagger.
Pastel may come from a different plane musically, but their punk and rebel credentials bloom in technicolour as they rewrite Joe Strummer’s “he fucks nuns will later join the church” with “the hand that shakes the suit and tie / is the one that will betray”.
Many probably believe Pastel are beyond the “cusp” we’ve discussed this week with San Quentin, The Velvet Hands, Lissy Taylor, and Holy Youth Movement. However, the industry is precarious, and bands fall by the wayside without constant care and support. In Spirit of Spike Island, Pastel have a label which allows them to breathe creatively and stay grounded financially, but it comes to nothing unless you get out to their gigs and buy their records.
Top 30 Albums of 2021
30. Maximo Park – Nature Always Wins
Seven albums ion and, the North East gang can still find innovative ways of making their introvert pop music come alive.
29. The Umbrellas – The Umbrellas
The beauty of Jetstream Pony and the pop majesty of the Bangles. Truly joyous!
28. Jackson Browne - Downhill From Everywhere
The maestro proves he still has hearts to melt and thoughts to provoke in his twilight years.
27. Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
All the potential has come to fruition. This is an artist approaching the peak of their powers.
26. Blue Orchids – Speed The Day
Warped Stranglers-esque bangers about the future. What more could you want?
25. The Other Ones – The Other Ones
Intelligent, raw, and emotive, it doesn't just tick all boxes, it shatters them! (Full review)
24. The Catenary Wires – Birling Gap
Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey writing partnership have matured to career-high. A great sense of Englishness comes from their folk meets indie splendour.
23. La Luz – La Luz
The fuzz, the funk, the wizardry. More, please!
22. The Shop Window – The State of Being Human
The excitement, hope, and splendor of Blur’s ‘Modern Life Is Rubbish’ is reimagined via the Roses, Ride, and Teenage Fanclub.
21. The Stan Laurels – There Is No Light Without Dark
From The Shins to Housemartins to Edwyn Collins, John Lathrop’s 4th album under this guise is riddled with great pop sensibilities.
20. David Long & Shane O’Neill – Moll & Zelis
Long and O'Neill's life-long connection has burrowed through the inhuman aspects of technology to really connect musically. (Full review)
19. Mogwai - As The Love Continues
Right in the slot of what makes them great!
18. Paul Weller – Fat Pop
Another lockdown (mostly) written album. Weller manages to channel his inner Baxter Dury and Erland & The Carnival on yet another fine album.
17. Billy Bragg – The Million Things That Never Happened
The best album from the Barking songwriter since 2008’s ’Mr Love & Justice. A heartfelt exploration of modern politics, letting go of the past, and parking cynicism to the back of the mind.
16. Ian M Bailey – Songs to Dream Along To
The heart and soul of CSN, The Byrds, and REM are reawakened here. With help from Daniel Wylie, he manages to conjure endless rays of sunshine.
15. Robert Plant & Allison Krauss - Raise The Roof
The follow-up to 2007’s masterpiece ‘Raising Sand’ doesn’t hit the same highs but, their connections remain as authentic, challenging, and romantic as ever.
14. A Smyth - Last Animals
‘Last Animals’ is awash with the characteristics of great songwriters past and present. Perhaps, at times his vocals don’t find their distinct voice but, to tales this good, does, should, anyone care? (Full review)
13. The Coral – Coral Island
The double album should have been condensed into one truly great one. However, it’s impossible to deny the scouse bands pedigree as they approach their 20th anniversary.
12. For Those I Love – For Those I Love
Despite the specificity of David Balfe’s grief and portrayal of Belfast, his songwriting pertains to a universality opening the album up to all.
11. Desperate Journalist - Maximum Sorrow
An album written in lockdown had the potential to be a lacklustre album from the tour bus; insular and lacking intelligent exploration. Not here, not Desperate Journalist. Every word is packed with vitriol and torment, and despatched with wit, intelligence, and charm. (Full review)
10.. Daniel Wylie - Atoms and Energy
No matter the mood or subject, Wylie can pivot to a happier sonic and thus, allows each song to develop greater depth and value. (Full Review)
9. Fightmilk – Contender
It will bash your soul, break your heart and patch you up mentally, emotionally, and intellectually better than ever! (Full Review)
8. The Reds, Pinks and Purples – Uncommon Weather
Joy and devastating pain collide on this glorious windswept album. The pain of The National is taken for walk Elliot Smith and c86 and the results are sublime.
7. Jarvis Cocker – Chansons d ’Ennui Tip-Top
Billed as the comparison art piece to Wes Anderson’s latest film ‘The French Dispatch’, Cocker has conjured pure majesty on his album of French pop covers.
6. Damon Albarn – The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows
His second album touches nature with the isolation of lockdown. So pure is its connection with his surroundings, even Bon Iver will wonder how it was done.
5. Afflecks Palace – What Do You Mean It’s Not Raining
So many have striven to be like the greats, Afflecks have found space in their slipstream on this debut. How soon they can overtake remains to be seen but, their destiny clearly lies alongside them at least! (Full review)
4. Bobby Gillespie, Jenny Beth, and Primal Scream – Utopian Ashes
This achingly beautiful delve into a fictional failed marriage is laced with southern soul, Emmylou, and a vulnerability so stark that, you’ll be lost from note one.
3. David Crosby – For Free
After various health scares, Crosby is unsurprisingly reflective mood. The results are astonishing as he turns his soul inside out.
2. The Institutes - Coloseums
This album’s spirit is nothing short of heroic. Its quality vastly towers over its peers. (Full review)
1. James – All Colours of You
Locked inside, missing the death of a parent, the soul should have been crushed. It could have been the end for this illustrious band. However, through the grief and the agony, they have produced a benchmark-setting album. Few can say they have ever laid their soul this bear with such poignant poetry.