My 2023 Album Ranking (So Far)
Among other things, 2023 has seen the release of the best live performance ever recorded.
The reason why I started using Bear Blog in the first place was that I wanted to write more often. Since the inception of my main blog, the articles over there have gotten longer and more elaborate, and the expectations and standards I had for new posts continued to rise. Starting a new blog on a different platform liberated me from these expectations.
Or at least, that was the plan. But now, I'm starting to see the same pattern with Bear Blog: The posts get longer, as does the time between them. So, to combat this, here's something a bit different: My album of the year ranking for 2023 (so far).
Definitely the most leftfield release in this list. There's not much to say about this one – a dark ambient/sound collage hybrid creating an unsettling atmosphere and upholding it for just under half an hour. As someone on Rate Your Music pointed out, "there are worse ways to spend 29 minutes".
I almost feel bad ranking this so low considering the circumstances, but while it's undeniably beautiful and haunting, there's just not a lot to see (or listen to) here – a collection of relatively minimal, extremely intimate piano pieces (diary entries, in a way). The breathing, though? That knocked the fight out of me the first time I heard it.
Now we're getting to the good stuff. I've been following the seemingly endless creativity of Robin Sloan (one half of The Cotton Modules) for a while, always interested in whatever he does next. The Greatest Remaining Hits is an, as they call it, "sci-fi concept album" (the concept of which can be read on their website) that works really well, but ultimately falls a bit short due to its repetitiveness. Cosmic Hemophiliac is a banger though, I'll be playing that one for weeks to come.
Sigur Rós are back! After all this time, it probably makes sense that ÁTTA is more introspective than their previous work and leans more into ambient territory than post-rock. Make no mistake, though: Their creative output is as beautiful and ethereal as ever, as is evident from the very beginning (i. e. the opening track, Glóð).
Slowdive are back too! Before 2023, I've only really listened to two Slowdive tracks – Sleep and When the Sun Hits – and I probably wouldn't have checked this out if it wasn't for a Discord server I'm in keeping me up-to-date with the singles being released in the months prior to this album's release. But I did, and what can I say? It's great! Though, as I said, I can't really compare it with any of their other work, so I'll just leave it at that. Great album. Yeah.
Youth Lagoon is back too! What's happening!? While Heaven Is a Junkyard is more meditative and introspective than his previous releases, that doesn't take away from its quality at all. Rabbit, Prizefighter, Lux Radio Theatre, Helicopter Toy... all tracks I'll be listening to for months. All in all, it's just a really solid indie pop record.
Swans are back! Okay, just kidding, they were always here. I didn't enjoy their previous record, leaving meaning., as much as I did the ones that came before, so I'm glad to say that with The Beggar, I'm back on board. It leans more heavily into Gothic Rock than its predecessor, and most importantly, includes a track that clocks in at just under 44 minutes! Its opening track, The Parasite, deserves a mention as well – it's extremely minimal, but also extremely catchy.
What an apt title, huh? HELLMODE sees Jeff Rosenstock continue his indie power pop rock punk journey through this confusing world with titles that are at times very personal (WILL U STILL U) and shockingly urgent (FUTURE IS DUMB), but, in classic Jeff Rosenstock fashion, sill always a banger. It's not his best, but it really isn't his worst either. It was also the first Bandcamp listening party I attended, so that was fun!
Originally set to release on the 9th of September, this absolute monster of an album was quietly published on Bandcamp a week prior, and let me tell you: Wow. 145 minutes of post-rock, IDM, modern classical, breakcore, glitch... If you're not headbanging to Black Box Fatal Fate or sobbing along to SEE YOU AGAIN, what are you even doing? Surprisingly, one of its best tracks is a reimagining of Ave Maria.
Okay, here's the deal: After the Magic is absolutely gorgeous. Turn up the volume and hit play on its opening track, Polaris, and I'll guarantee you'll get goosebumps halfway through – you'll know when. I could talk about this album for much longer, but instead I would like to focus more on number one on this list, since it's – get this – also by Parannoul!
After the Night is a release of superlatives for me. It's the best live album I've ever heard, perhaps the best album overall, and its last track, Into the Endless Night – which took up a third of the entire performance, just over 46 minutes to be exact – is the best song I ever had the pleasure of listening to. Ah, but what am I saying? It's not just a song, but also a journey. During its runtime, it takes you through highs and lows, and there are sections of pure harsh noise (which I'm a huge fan of) as well as the most beautiful, tear-inducing spoken word section I've heard in a long time. All of this is not to say that the rest of the album is bad; in fact, that couldn't be further from the truth. There are no weak tracks on here, every song is a masterpiece in its own right – but if nothing else, I urge you to please listen to the live version of Into the Endless Night. A must-listen for everyone with ears.
Finally, I'd like to mention two 2023 albums that I haven't gotten around to yet (but still want to): html snow's It's All Real and Mac DeMarco's One Wayne G. And that's it, from me, for now. Remember to listen to Into the Endless Night! No, I will not stop talking about it.
This post was updated on the 9th of September with a link to Resistance & The Blessing, which is now on Spotify.