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Staff
Reviews 647
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Band Edits + Tags 345
Album Edits 2,238
Album Ratings 3166
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Last Active 01-01-70 12:00 am
Joined 01-01-70
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| Sowing's 2023
Included: LPs and EPs. Excluded: Live Albums and Compilations. | | 20 |  | ODESZA and Yellow House
Flaws in Our Design
Summery and sublime, this EP sees Odesza's flourishing electronic canvas enriched by the psych-pop vocals of Yellow House in an experience that resides equidistant from Animal Collective and The Beach Boys. It's an easy glide through warm, entrancing waters. | | 19 |  | Frog
GROG
Everyone's favorite indie-rock weirdos return with perhaps their most envigorated effort to-date. GROG bounces between uptempo stompers and beautiful acoustics while injecting their extremely addicting melodies directly into your veins. Are you not entertained? | | 18 |  | How to Care for Flowers
For a Brief Moment I Felt the Sun’s Warmth…
Fusing emo and post-hardcore with traces of deathcore has never seemed so heartfelt or effortless. This may be the briefest of EPs at three tracks, but its deep-cutting lyrics make it nearly impossible to forget. | | 17 |  | Logan Ledger
Golden State
Orville Peck's vocals meet Honey Harper's atmosphere for this smooth, mesmerizing country music outing. With a few more risks this could have entered the album of the year discussion, but as a "sipping coffee on a rainy day" album, this is the absolute cream of the crop. | | 16 |  | Westelaken
I am Steaming Mushrooms
These super personable and unknown Canadians know how to make an interesting indie record. Their sound is somewhere between folk, rock, punk, and psychedelia, but it's ultimately their profound lyrics and luminous piano play that make Mushrooms yet another worthy and underrated feather in their cap. | | 15 |  | Family Dynamics
Service
The haunting mystique of this thing makes it the ultimate indie Halloween record. The eerie, spectral ambiance that pervades every crack and crevice is like taking a walk on a foggy night beneath a full moon. It also helps when songs like 'Downstream' are momentous and catchy as hell, harnessing that elusive atmosphere and anchoring it into memory. | | 14 |  | Adjy
June Songs Vol. 1
The ultimate emo summer EP, "June Songs Vol. 1" rounds up all the warmth of a July evening family picnic spent catching fireflies in a jar barefoot in the grass beneath a glorious fireworks show. It just checks every possible nostalgic box, and it's better for it. | | 13 |  | Sufjan Stevens
Javelin
It'd be pretty hard for the hypercreative Sufjan Stevens to create something he hasn't already done; so instead, he simply combined all his best traits into one album. Javelin possesses shades of Carrie and Lowell with its acoustic prowess, but also Illinois with its triumphant choruses. Of course, beneath all that, the album is perhaps his moving tribute yet in the aftermath of his partner's tragic passing. | | 12 |  | M83
Fantasy
M83 doesn't rule the dream/synth-pop roost the way they did in 2011, but that doesn't necessarily mean that everything they've done since is of lesser quality. On the contrary, I actually think that "Fantasy" goes toe-to-toe with their peak accomplishments. It approaches the urgency of "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming" and the massive, addicting melodies shine through in spades as they did on "Junk", only this time they skimmed (most of) the cheese off the top. Listen to this while night driving and you can't miss. | | 11 |  | Ben Howard
Is It?
As the sun set on the hazy ambience of "Noonday Dream", a new sun rose in the form of "Is It"'s electronically-infused, pop-inspired departure. Taking things in a new direction makes sense given Howard's multiple strokes, which he has survived and emerged from with a fresh perspective on life. It admittedly took several spins for this new sound to get its hooks in me, but now that it has, it sounds just as brilliant as his other masterpieces. | | 10 |  | Olivia Rodrigo
Guts
Outside of Taylor Swift, I'd be hard-pressed to think of a mainstream/"radio pop" artist who has impressed me as much as Olivia Rodrigo has recently. "Guts" is no sophomore slump - in fact it arguably tops her celebrated debut. Every song here is a full-throttle banger with enough attitude and edginess to appeal to pop/punk/rock fans alike. Optics be damned, this pop record belongs nowhere else besides my top 10. | | 9 |  | Avenged Sevenfold
Life Is But a Dream...
Avenged Sevenfold could have kept making Avenged Sevenfold albums for the rest of their career, and Avenged Sevenfold fans would have continued to be satisfied with their scheduled doses of Avenged Sevenfold music. Instead, and far more interestingly, the band opted for a pretty massive departure from their signature sound, creating an experimental and progressive magnum opus. You almost have to hear this one to believe it; I know I did. | | 8 |  | Manchester Orchestra
The Valley of Vision
My favorite active band continued to impress me in 2023, albeit via a slightly different approach. "The Valley of Vision" is a very solemn, almost depressing, EP - everything is subdued and restrained (at least by this band's standards). With that said, the slower progressions make the occasional explosions that much more impressive, as you'll witness when "Capital Karma', 'Quietly', and 'Rear View' erupt in all their splendor. Manchester Orchestra remain the kings of indie-rock, at least for the moment. | | 7 |  | The Republic of Wolves
Why Would Anyone Want To Live This Long?
As a late surprise drop, "Why Would Anyone Want to Live This Long" may be enjoying some recency bias, but the EP is so damned good that I don't really care. Temporarily casting aside potentially valid critiques of the mixing: the songwriting, intensity, lyricism, melody, and overall power of this batch of songs is on par with the band's very best works. I dare you not to get hyped during the first minute of "Lens", or to marvel at the beauty of the emotive guitar solos sprinkled throughout the EP, or to reflect meaningfully over the lyrics to "Reedcutter". This is more peak material from TROW, and now I'm starting to wonder if there is any other kind. | | 6 |  | Fall Out Boy
So Much (For) Stardust
I didn't have a near-classic Fall Out Boy LP on my 2023 bingo card, yet here we are. "So Much (For) Stardust" picks up where Cork Tree/Infinity/Folie left off nearly two decades ago, only with improved vocals from Stump and much better (and more relevant) lyrics pertaining to post-Covid life. It feels like Fall Out Boy's first "grown up" record, and it's nice to see them aging gracefully along with their core fanbase. This is exactly the type of record they needed in order to revive their career. | | 5 |  | Margo Price
Strays
My country AOTY came from an unexpected source, as the extent of my involvement with Margo Price in the past was mostly cursory listens that resulted in me selecting my favorite few songs and moving on. But "Strays" is a different beast entirely, as Price steps all the way into her potential. She belts out lines to the point of almost screaming on "Been To The Mountain", adds in an epic and winding guitar solo on "Light Me Up", crafts her most addicting melody in "Time Machine", and pens her darkest and most compelling lyrics in "Lydia". In blending her best country, rock, and folk traits, she's created what just might go down as her best album - and maybe even a modern country classic. | | 4 |  | Fireworks
Higher Lonely Power
No artist captured my own personal bleak worldview as accurately as Fireworks did in 2023. With how infectious the songs are, it'd be easy to lose sight of just how utterly dark this thing is. "Higher Lonely Power" is brimming with bleak observations, such as "Pigs making money selling war on TV / To save themselves from bankruptcy" on the eerie "Jerking Off The Sky", or the bitingly satirical "You don’t have to think too much, we know god's candidate / Religious freedom won't be touched, we'll keep the gays from our children" from "Megachurch", which also features a haunting coda of "sad to know we’re in control". If you feel bad about the state of things right now, Fireworks are here to agree with you. | | 3 |  | There Will Be Fireworks
Summer Moon
Summer Moon is quite simply an emotional juggernaut. Deftly balancing emo and indie-rock influences, the album weaves through mini-crescendos, gorgeous piano, intricate instrumental layering, pristine acoustics, compelling nostalgia, depression/defeat, and silver linings. It's about observing your own growth/maturity while looking to the future: "Whatever this life brings / At the end of everything / I want to hear you sing." It's the kind of album that you want to keep with you at all times; a companion piece throughout a life full of painful and unpredictable turns. | | 2 |  | Yellowcard
Childhood Eyes
Yellowcard surpassed any expectations I had for the band by (1) reuniting and then (2) dialing up the energy and releasing an absolute banger of an EP. Childhood Eyes is "Paper Walls" level of greatness, channeling the band's earliest summery pop-punk. The sheer euphoria of hearing their music again after being told their breakup was permanent is a high that I haven't felt in a long time. It's like they never left – the sun, the shore, the summer love, the memories, the vibes – will all come rushing back to you the second you start spinning Childhood Eyes. | | 1 |  | Paul Simon
Seven Psalms
It's impressive that a songwriter as old as Paul Simon, 81, can still reach the hearts of his listeners so easily. Seven Psalms is an album all about preparing for death, and the mental journey one endures as they stare down that inevitability. Simon may be in closer proximity to that unforgiving finish line than most, but the concept is relatable to anyone who ponders their mortality. Ideas for this album began coming to Paul in 2019, and they would wake him up in the middle of the night. As such, there's a spiritual/religious component to this — which is fitting given the lyrical themes on display. The entire album is one thirty-three minute song. It's very stripped-down — almost entirely acoustic, in fact — but features Simon's wife frequently alongside other breathtaking accents that are often quite subtle. This feels a lot like Paul Simon's Blackstar; a farewell of sorts. | |
Sowing
12.22.23 | In keeping with tradition, here are my top 20 releases (LP or EP) of 2023 in list format. Hope you enjoy! | bighubbabuddha
12.22.23 | thanks dude, hubba hubba | YoYoMancuso
12.22.23 | props for 13 and 3, still gotta listen to 7 | bc013
12.22.23 | Generally, my taste in music parallels yours, which has been a nice way for me to discover and new bands and artists. I really enjoy the new There Will Be Fireworks. However, to my surprise, I haven't heard many of the albums on your list (save the EPs) this year. Although my list for the year has been set, it looks like I've still got a fair amount of music to explore. | Sowing
12.22.23 | If you like the new TWBF, check out the new album from Tiny Skulls as well as that Adjy EP! | bellovddd
12.22.23 | forgot how good 18 is! | DocSportello
12.22.23 | 19 rocks! : D | Sowing
12.22.23 | 18 & 19 are both very underrated. 14-20 all are, in fact. | Zac124
12.22.23 | I am still so surprised 9 ended up being as good as it is but glad that this is the case. | Sowing
12.22.23 | Yeah, that was the shock of the year for certain. | Zac124
12.22.23 | When Nobody came out, I just thought yeah A7X are now washed up. I now feel silly.
Cosmic is probably my SOTY and is now my favourite A7X song as well. It is honestly beautiful. | Sowing
12.22.23 | It's definitely in my top 10 songs of 2023. The entire second half is something else. | Zac124
12.22.23 | Agreed. I cannot wait to see what they do next. If they clean up their transitions, I think they'll have a straight up masterpiece on their hands. | Titan
12.22.23 | Your description of 1 made me listen to it immediately | Sowing
12.22.23 | It'll be hard to create something better than this because now it's expected. It's definitely possible, but talk about a high bar to clear. | Sowing
12.22.23 | @Titan: What'd you think? It took a while to grow on me but when it did it really clicked on an emotional level. | Zac124
12.22.23 | true but i do think they are capable of doing it. | Titan
12.22.23 | I’m literally listening to it right now, about 4 minutes in | Sowing
12.22.23 | Oh haha, cool. It's...something. Definitely not very immediate IMO. | markjamie
12.22.23 | Good to see Fantasy get some recognition. I enjoyed it more than most too. | Titan
12.22.23 | Yeah I’ll be patient with it. It’s the perspective that is most intriguing to me. | Sowing
12.22.23 | Yeah, it's up there with S=Y as my favorite M83. My ranking of their discog is admittedly pretty weird though.
And yep, it's definitely more about the narrative, although the melodies are sneaky good and will hook you if you listen to it a lot and become immersed. | StormChaser
12.22.23 | Love seeing Simon at 1, well deserved | Sowing
12.22.23 | Thanks. It's one of those albums that I suspected might not be worth voting for because it had no chance of making the Staff Top 50, but I had to remain true to my tastes. That's the album that felt special to me through the year. | Calc
12.23.23 | also check Harbour's (Harbour [OH] here) newest. You might dig. | Sowing
12.23.23 | I've been meaning to check Geese. I think I did at one point and didn't really like the vocals but I could be misremembering.
I'll also try to make a point of listening to Harbour. Don't know anything really at all about the artist. | Calc
12.23.23 | I'll be looking out for your review once it's catchy sass washes over you. | Sowing
12.23.23 | ;-)
Appreciate the rec as always | LilLioness
12.23.23 | Agreed on A7X, although I feel like this new one was in their DNA from the beginning. | budgie
12.23.23 | madeline didn't make the cut 😯 | Sowing
12.24.23 | Her new one has like 1-2 INCREDIBLE songs but as a whole it just didn't stay with me for some reason | Willie
12.24.23 | I barely heard any of these, but nice write-ups. For whatever reason, I seemed to double down on some of my old favorite childhood genres this year. | Pikazilla
12.24.23 | can confirm that yellowcard's release easily surpasses sufjan's
nice list, sowing! | Sowing
12.28.23 | Thanks, both of you. I was the same way with a lot of my listening this year, Willie. I've found that the older I get, and especially the years when I have less free time, I tend to fall back on my musical foundation, i.e. the bands/genres I grew up with. | kildare
12.29.23 | Great stuff, Sowing | blursuckhard
12.29.23 | "Avenged Sevenfold could have kept making Avenged Sevenfold albums for the rest of their career" What constitutes an Avenged Sevenfold album aside from the band name, as each album has sound markedly different from the previous one?
Great list, regardless |
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