SONGS OF THE YEAR
It all begins with an idea.
TSR present their individual Top 10 Songs of 2023
REID - TOP 10 SONGS
10. The Front Bottoms - Outlook
Turning your back on a loved one is not an easy choice. When it goes wrong it’s hard to ever go back. A simple, catchy rock track with a meaningful message.
9. Skrillex, Fred again…, Flowdan - Rumble
Next level creators who are driving new sounds into the EDM landscape. Unmatched creativity from an unexpected duo.
8. Spiritual Cramp - Clashing at the Party
Mosh pit inducing vigor with a show stealing frontman vocal. You can smell the sweat.
7. Bombay Bicycle Club - Meditate
Groovy rock tune driven by tidy guitar and bass instrumentation. The final one and a half of the five plus minutes is capped off with heavy hitting drums, tasteful synth and an addition of horns.
6. Queens of the Stone Age - Paper Machete
Typical in-your-face Queens stoner rock with added emotional fuel of Josh Homme’s divorce.
5. Foo Fighters - Under You
Call back to early day Foo Fighters with a relatable and devastating message.
4. The Voidz - Flexorcist
A collection of varying song styles mashed into one. Numerous song ideas seamlessly integrated.
3. Jungle - Back on 74
More than just TikTok fame, the duo offer up groovy disco dance vibes that are impossible not to move to.
2. Albert Hammond Jr. - Old Man
Textbook indie rock jam penning a tale of a relationship between father and son.
1. Blondshell - Joiner
Powerful, relatable lyricism from a budding songwriter. Avoiding the dark path despite attraction is never an easy task.
ROZ - TOP 10 SONGS
10. Wednesday - Bath County
Raw rock sound with the perfect mixture of energy, darkness and fun.
9. bdrmm - It’s Just A Bit Of Blood
Instrumentation that separates bdrmm from its shoegaze counterparts. Vocally astounding and musically ear pleasing.
8. Jungle - Holding On
High energy, immaculately produced disco-EDM infusion. If this doesn’t get you dancing, nothing will.
7. Mitski - Bug Like An Angel
Gutting lyricism over dreamy acoustics backed by a perfectly timed orchestra and full choir.
6. The Chemical Brothers - Goodbye
Other-worldly soundscapes that seem near-impossible to conceive, by a duo who push the boundaries of electronic music even after 30 years.
5. Feeble Little Horse - Slide
Contrasted bursts of energy and laid back indie sonics by an up and coming do-it-all band.
4. Caroline Polachek - Welcome To My Island
Sets the table for the album of the year. What else needs to be said.
3. JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - Steppa Pig
Throwing every hip hop trope out the window to produce the most unique take on the genre in quite some time. Manic and chaotic, yet cohesive.
2. Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!
Perfect disco earworm that encapsulates an album of the year contender.
1. Skrillex, fred again, Flowdan - Rumble
The catalyst for bringing the underground dance music scene to the limelight in 2023 - Time Square, Coachella and beyond. Skrillex lit the torch and now fred again.. is carrying it. Expect even bigger things from this crew in the coming years.
LUNDI - TOP 10 SONGS
10. 100 gecs - The Most Wanted Person in the United States
Ridiculous mock rap sampling the legendary Cypress Hill. Flawlessly executed, hilariously fun.
9. Depeche Mode - Ghosts Again
The masters of synth flex their musical muscle on a welcomed return. Dave Gahan sounds as good as ever, fleeting with raw emotion. Depeche Mode show why they are one of the greatest bands of all time.
8. Wednesday - Quarry
Burn it down to feel the heat. Wednesday rip through a collection of Karly Hartzman youthful tidbits depicting small town America.
7. Blondshell - Salad
A harrowing true story of a close friend who experienced relationship abuse. No matter how much you see it on tv or in movies, the weight of direct exposure cannot be understood.
6. Sampha - Spirit 2.0
R&B beats formulated by a live band. Infectious and groovy. Sampha’s angelic voice makes it that much more soothing.
5. Blur - Barbaric
Tidy rock music that calls back to Blur’s heyday. Quintessential Damon Albarn vocal that sees the band look forward more than ever, a hidden goodbye to one of the best bands to ever grace the stage.
4. boygenius - Not Strong Enough
The rare collective songwriting effort from boygenius where they sound much more like a band than three best friends piecing together individual stories.
3. Caroline Polachek - Sunset
Technically mesmerizing and fun. A rare duo in the music world. Polachek is a budding pop star but she doesn’t sacrifice her vision to meet the tropes of the radio friendly world.
2. Mitski - Bug Like An Angel
An album opener that sucks you into a world of despair flickering with hope. Mitski’s ability to deliver the emotional gut punch is unmatched.
1. Big Thief - Vampire Empire
A live show fan favourite finally makes it way to the recording studio. Adrian Lenker continues as the greatest modern day song writer backed by an incredibly in tune and skilled band.
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ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
It all begins with an idea.
TSR present their individual Top 5 albums of 2023
LUNDI - TOP 5 ALBUMS
5. 100 gecs - 10,000 gecs
So absolutely ridiculous it works. The duo build on their hyperpop genre creation and deliver non-stop unapologetic fun. It’s nothing you could ever expect and that’s what makes it shine.
4. boygenius -
the record
It’s not the most technically advanced or innovative album but boygenius’ supreme display of songwriting has had a mainstream cultural impact unlike any other in 2023. Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus & Julien Baker combine to make a strong case for artist of the year with their beautiful harmonies and brilliantly intertwined lyrical stories.
3. Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
Never for the faint of heart, Mitski lands emotional gut punch after gut punch while teamed with an orchestra and backing choir. Stunning lyricism deeply ingrained with imagery and metaphorical language. The end product is art and it’s absolutely beautiful.
2. Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You
The most technically sound album of 2023 that delivers fresh takes on numerous pop genres rooted in indie stylings. Polachek is a budding star well on her way from indie darling to headliner level pop star.
1. Wednesday - Rat Saw God
Karly Hartzman pens tales of her youth through lyricism akin to Quentin Tarantino movie dialogue. Backed by an MJ Lenderman led rock quartet, Wednesday break out and deliver the years best.
ROZ - TOP 5 ALBUMS
5. The Chemical Brothers - For That Beautiful Feeling
The Chemical Brothers generate music unlike anything anywhere. The masters of the craft produce more electronic dance magic that leaves you feeling a mixture of admiration and awe.
4. Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
Mitski is at her finest, showing that regardless of her love-hate relationship with the music industry, she is still at the top of it. She leaves every single bit of herself out there, and the music world is all the better for it.
3. Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!
A perfect homage to the disco era. Ware pulls from the greats of the 70’s and stamps each track with her own personal influences. She is immaculate, the production is pristine and the album as a whole encapsulates everything great about this particular era of music.
2. Feeble Little Horse - Girl With Fish
Fresh, raw, and injecting a much needed energy to the music industry. Feeble Little Horse built themselves from the ground up through the DIY scene and the hard work pays off with their debut studio album. This certainly won’t be the last time they appear on year end best of lists.
1. Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You
High level art pop in every way from its extremely diverse assortment of styles, unique arrangements, techniques, and elements combined with top quality production and engineering.
REID - TOP 5 ALBUMS
5. The Chemical Brothers - For That Beautiful Feeling
Creativity off the charts that disposes of the notion that certain sounds don’t belong together. A start to finish trip that’s unique and fresh, despite this being year 30 of their career.
4. Spiritual Cramp - Spiritual Cramp
Oozing with swagger and showmanship, this fast paced punk rock ride calls back the legends of the 70’s and delivers a sweaty, mosh pit inducing debut album. Short and too friggin sweet.
3. Jeff Rosenstock - Hellmode
Heart and soul lyrical performance from a musicians favourite musician. The mutli-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter tracks a throwback punk rock album filled with a variety of relatable themes and messages.
2. Bombay Bicycle Club - My Big Day
A dorky yet groovy alt-rock compilation that pulls on guest features to give the album a punchy added layer. It’s laid back sound is an enjoyable, easy listen from start to finish.
1. Jungle - Volcano
Intoxicating soundscapes that shows off the creativity of the duo. Like being shot out of a cannon, the album grabs you from note one and never lets go. Explosive fun and as feel good as music can be.