2023 end of year lists

Mines normally quite late and not in til early January 2024 but I'm quite well prepared this year and could have it in before Christmas Day.

1 hour 48 minutes until the AIDS threat dies guys!

Just don't touch JP lolz

Let's start with some gigs.

Here is some Soapy exclusive content for you.

Top ten live performances of the year

1, Richard Ashcroft @ Sandringham
2, The Who @ Sandringham
3, Iggy Pop @ Crystal Palace Park
4, Paul Weller @ Thetford Forest
5, Pulp @ Latitude
6, Tom Meighan @ Epic Studios Norwich
7, Stone Foundation @ Norwich Waterfront Studio
8, Suede @ Norwich UEA
9, Dry Cleaning @ Latitude
10, Blondie @ Crystal Palace Park

I'd love to see Ashcroft and Blondie, but a fantastic list for the future of music nonetheless

EDIT: Struggling with the 20th-50th order myself (I'd like to cut it to 40 but finding it hard for this reason)

I got the stats men to look at the average age of performers I've seen live last year and apparently its above retirement age.

Right, well, much to my surprise, I'm done. You'll be getting mine in a single post. Fuck the drama of drip-feeding. Despite what anyone thinks, nobody finds it interesting and we're not sat on the edge of our seats waiting for the next post. If people are doing it that way, fine, but it's not necessary in the slightest.

First, some observations...

I'm appalled in myself that my list this year features ZERO female artists/female fronted bands. I haven't made some sort of conscious effort for it to be this way, or purposefully avoid female stuff, it's just how it's played out. Similarly, there is no rap or hip-hop. Again, I wasn't avoiding the genre. I think on both parts it's because I haven't actively been seeking out new stuff or making a big effort to listen to new stuff. I've been keeping a track of the number of albums I've listened to and had a vague interest in since 2015 and the numbers for this year are SHOCKING, and looking at thins year-on-year makes for some pretty painful reading...


What could've happened and caused the drop-off from 2018 to 2019? Well, my son was born. Perhaps becoming a Dad of 2 really sapped my time and energy?? And then there's the drop-off from last year to this year? Well, my missus went full-time at work which meant more time parenting, more parental responsibility. Who knows, but I vow to make 2024 an expansive journey of exploration and discovery. 


Anyway, enough of that, here's my list. I've gone for a Top 30, because why not.
Enjoy you massive pack of cunts.

35. Foo Fighters - But Here We Are
I suppose I'd consider them a bit of a guilty pleasure. You can always rely on them for radio-friendly polished anthems. I was particularly interested in this to see how they'd get on after Taylor died and all in all it's a great album if you just want big rock tunes.

34. Mac Demarco - Five Easy Hot Dogs
Always liked Mac Demarco's sound so to have an instrumental album from him was pretty cool. This made some lovely late night listening


33. Gozu - Remedy
Stoner/heavy desert rock full of big, heavy crunchy hooks. Frontman sounds somewhere between Chris Cornell & Ozzy Osbourne. Really dig this.


32. Beastwars - Tyranny of Distance
Stoner/grunge/doom full of big muddy/sludy riffs. Huge and powerful.


31. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Council Skies
Probably the Noel Gallagher album I can stomach the most. It's got a very chilled vibe throughout and absolutely proves he's at his best trying to keep things simple rather than striving to be some cosmic rock/pop genius..


30. Queens of The Stone Age - In Times New Roman
Always liked this lot. Wasn't a fan of their last album. Production was awful and the guitars just sounded really really thin. Things have been beefed back up this time. Is it their best? No, but it's dark and gloomy and groovy.


29. Arbor Labor Union - Yonder
Such an odd little album. If I had to find 2 words to describe it I'd say "twangy" and "chuggy". It's a bit wonky but also has some great grooves that suck you in and have you nodding your head.

Skyway Man - Flight of The Long Distance Healer Beautifully prodiced, almost sci-fi sounding indie rock/pop.

28. Skyway Man - Flight of The Long Distance Healer
Beautifully produced, almost sci-fi sounding indie rock/pop.



27. Sparklehorse - Bird Machine
Was surprised when this dropped but also very happy. It's just what you'd expect from a Sparklehorse record, really, and it's a really beautiful thing.


26. Goat - Medicine
Feels like some sort of weird psychadelic ritual. I very much prefer the heavier sound of World Music but this does feel like it takes you on a bit of a cosmic journey.


25. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - Fronzoli
A band I first listened to because of their ridiculous name. Just really well done Aussie psych rock which is kind of similar to stuff you'd expect to hear King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizzard


24. Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs - Land of Sleeper
Another heavier record. It leans into psych rock a bit more but there are definitely some strong metal/doom metal flavours here. Very muddy with full of rhymic assaults and dirty bass.


23. The Wedding Present - 24 Songs
Only stumbled across this early December. Is it too long? Yes. Is it bloated with rubbish? Surprisingly, no. Almost all of the tracks are pretty great. And the ones that aren't are still pretty good.


22. King Gizzard & The Lizard wizard - The Silver Cord

I think this is perhaps their first synth/ambient record? Yet another genre they seem to do a stellar job of.


21. Tee Vee Repairmann - What's On TV?
Put onto this by the one and only Karl Mahoney. Punk/garage rock that is over before you know it. It's a blast.


20. Osees - Intercepted Message
A genre-hopping (synth pop, new wave, garage rock, post-punk) rollercoaster. It's got groove, it's got atmosphere and it can get a bit chaotic.


19. King Gizzard & The Lizard wizard - PetroDragonic Apocolypse…

I don't understand how they skip from genre to genre and do it so well, but they do. If you played this to someone with no context, they'd absolutely think they were and experienced and well-seasoned metal band.

18. Squid - O Monolith
More digestible than their debut, which is odd, because there is more scope is much broader here, and I think they're doing more with the ideas and sounds with the 8 tracks and 40 minutes than they did with Bright Green Field.


17. Protomartyr - Formal Growth In The Desert
Not a great deal to say here other than I think this is their best album since Relatives In Descent.


16. Connections - In Space
Another gem from this lot. Very much more of the same but I don't care since I absolutely love what they do/


15. Crocodiles - Upside Down In Heaven
30 minutes of perfectly executed and flawless garage rock. I got some Raveonettes vibes in places with this. Not sure how it stacks up against the rest of their albums but I've had a blast with this.


14. HiFi Sean & David McAlmont - Happy Ending
This was a Titch recommendation if I recall? Anyway, really nice album, great production. Got some great summer vibes and I listened to this a lot while away in the Dominican so naturally it reminds of chilling out and drinking cocktails round the pool and on the beach.

13. Guided By Voices - La La Land
Wasn't a massive fan on first listen but stuck with it and came to really like it. The worst of the 3 albums they released this year but still very enjoyable


12. Baroness - STONE
I do enjoy heavier/metal music from time to time, and Baroness really hit the spot for me. They can be a bit proggy at times which is totally fine with me. Anyway, I think this totally bangs and I prefer it over their last album.

11. Blur - The Ballad of Darren
Wasn't keen at first, felt a bit like Blur-lite, but it really grew on me and some of the songs here are beautifully crafted.

10. Das Koolies - DK.01
Probably the closest we’ll perhaps get to a new Super Furry Animals album, but it's pretty great tbh. They’ve taken elements of psychadelia, techno and spat at something quite remarkable. The instrumentation is really fascinating and sonically it is a real treat.


09. Bad History Month - God Is Luck
Sounds like it could be a soundtrack to some sort of artsy film noir thing set in the cold mountains in America to me. It really got my attention and is just really interesting and atmospheric and a bit odd. Really enjoyed digging into it. The soundscape in places is really interesting and a few times I had to take my headphones off cos I could hear weird shit and wasn't sure if it was in the music or coming from the house.


08. BC Camplight - The Last Rotation of Earth
First I'd heard of this guy was this album. Masterfully produced, super interesting instrumentation and lyrically very good.


07. Guided By Voices - Welshpool Fairies
I thought this would be the best GBV album from 2023. Better than La La Land, I thought it was absolutely class from the first time I heard it. I know GBV doing longer and more experimental stuff (by their standards) isn't for everyone but I love them just as much when they're in this mode.


06. The Coral - See of Mirrors
Wasn't sold on this on first listen but it grew with every listen and It really is very good. Has soundtracked many early moring dog walks.


05. Guided By Voices - Nowhere To Go But Up
The best GBV release of 2023. It's got instant classics and its got songs that grow on you after repeated listens. Yes, it's still not in the vein of classic GBV but when it's this good, it doesn't matter to me at all.


04. The Rolling Stones - Hackney Diamonds
Who'd have ever thought we'd get another Stones album that bangs this much? So much fun. One small criticism I'd have is that it doesn't "feel" or "flow" like an album but it doesn't really matter because the songs individually are great.


03. The Go! Team - Get Up Sequences Part 2
Perhaps my favorite Go Team album since Proof of Youth. I think they just absolutely nails it from start to finish. This one even had my kids dancing around the kitchen and living room many times


02. Gaz Coombs - Turn The Car Around
His best album by a long shot. The production is lush an absolutely impeccable; lush and expansive. Lots of variation in the tracks but everyone single one is an absolute winner.


01. Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy
This album has an absolutely amazing energy to it. It's soulful and infectious and euphoric on it's own unique and experimental way. I knew from the first time I listened to it that this would probably be my album of the year.

I agree on the female thing thus year tux, they've massively let the side down (especially you, pj harvey!)

Well in Tux. An early Christmas surprise. Yeah, that HiFi Sean / David McAlmont is just very classy pop music.

Great work, Tucker. I'm proud of you.

Yes Tucker! (Minus the hating blacks and women!)

I’m going to roll mine out slowly for dramatic effect because I know everybody is sitting there waiting on my every move

So great seeing THE DIAMONDS get off to a flying start. This is going to feel like the end of Eurovision when it becomes clear there's an obvious winner.

We can all boo when Russia (Kevin Burgess) delivers a nil poi for the Diamonds.

I still don't think I've ever heard a single song by BC Camplight. One of those names I always see mentioned, literally no idea what they sound like.

I liked the album he had out a couple of years back.

Not checked out the latest one though as I find him a bit annoying as a personality. One of these who is a bit self pitying on social media and cancels tours last minute due to mental health.

Not the kind of behaviour you get from The Reytons and Skinner Brothers!

Here we go, I present to the soapbox the 1st part of my dramatic rollout. God bless you all, at times like this I'm proud to be part of this dwindling community of only men around the age of 40 years old that used to be well madferit, then pretended they wasn't, but still get emotional after a few drinks when they hear something from Be Here Now. 

40: Jenny Lewis - Joy'all

I think possibly my Jenny Lewis fandom has secured this a spot in the top 40. It's without a doubt the worst record she's ever made. Treading dangerously along that MOR radio friendly Stevie Nicks BULLSHIT, plus some of the lyrics are bloody appalling. That said, I've found myself returning to it often. Jenny always has that level of charm & charisma that somehow makes it work. If this wasn't a Jenny lewis record I wonder if I'd have given a shit mind you.

39: LYR - The Ultraviolet Age

If you've not heard of LYR they consist of British poet Simon Armitage with a couple of musicians doing post-rock, creating a soundscape for Armitage's words, though a lot of the songs do come with a sort-of chorus. Mileage will vary on this for most, but I really dig it. "The Song Thrush and the Mountain Ash" is one of the most emotional tunes I've heard all year. Not everything lands but I've enjoyed both of LYR's records so far.

38: Mozart Estate - Pop-Up! Ker-ching! and The Possibilities of Modern Shopping

Lawrence of Felt, Denim & Go-Kart Mozart fame back with this catchy as fuck sugar coated indie-pop record. Some of the songs sound like jingles they're so stupidly addictive. Very playful, packed full of humour, pure fun.

37: Kofi Flexxx - Flowers in the Dark

Unconfirmed side project of Shabaka Hutchings. I've seen people debating if it's him... he was selling the record at his gig the other week lol Anyway, very cool African flavoured Jazz record. Gets a bit Spiritual, there's some guest spots from the likes of Billy Woods & Anthony Joseph. It kinda feels slight in its ambitions, but the music contained on here is mostly excellent. Surprised this has remained so far under the radar tbh

36: Kali Malone - Does Spring Hide Its Joy

Fucking loved the past couple of albums Kali has released. This is probably just as good.. but its 3 hours long & as much as I love ambient/drone/minimalistic shit (have you heard of my project The Jesus Abyss?) it has been something I've barely returned to. When I have listened I've kinda listened to it in 3 chunks, mostly whilst reading or in bed. It's fantastic meditative music that you can just completely get lost in. Could imagine a lot of people thinking anyone could do this, but there's just a feeling that she manages to evoke from such simplistic arrangements that is an art in itself.

35: Martha Ffion - The Wringer

Indie-pop singer-songwriter type stuff that'll appeal to fans of Jenny Lewis. I loved Martha's debut, then she did a follow up during Covid that was kinda forgettable. Here she's back to delivering the goods with a batch of ear worms which aren't exactly the most ambitious songs you'll hear all year but it doesn't matter, the combination of her knack for melody, her vocals & the production make them stand out from the pack. Shame he doesn't tour much, would like to catch her live someday.

34: Killer Kin - Killer Kin

This band sound exactly like the artwork. Connecticut based ferocious, scummy garage-punk with the guitarist channelling Raw Power era James Williamson. It's over the top to the point of being silly but god damn, they hit hard.

33: Jalen Ngonda - Come Around and Love Me

Seems almost every year I have a Daptone LP on my end of year list. This years comes from Jalen Ngonda. As per usual, the guys down at Daptone do a stella job on these tunes with a lush production that nods to the past whilst sounding somewhat modern. Stylistically & vocally Ngonda is doing that Marvin Gaye thing & knocking it out the park. I usually gravitate to the funkier side of soul which prevents me enjoying this as much as I have last year's Lee field's LP or Charles Bradley's legendary run of records. Still, when it's done this well you can't knock it.

32: El Michels Affair & Black Thought - Glorious Game

Ok It isn't in the same league as last years "Cheat Codes" but still I'm surprised that this flew somewhat under the radar. It's a half hour dose of mostly killer Hip Hop with some jazz influences & plenty of ideas bouncing about courtesy of El Michels Affair with Black Thought being in fine form.

31: Italia 90 - Living Human Treasure

I feel a little bit sorry for Italia 90. They've been putting out post-punk since 2017 so were ahead of the pack in some respects in terms of what's been happening in British music the past few years. Unfortunately for them, they never got signed whilst the likes of Shame, Fontaines DC, Dry Cleaning & everyone else got big airplay & now have proper careers. They've finally made their debut record & signed to a small indie label & nobody has really taken any notice as the height of that post-punk revival scene has kinda had its day now. The debut album was worth the wait, sure there was better songs on some of their earlier releases but its a strong album from start to finish, hopefully they get to make another.

30: Sparks - The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte

With added attention due to the brilliant Edgar Wright documentary Sparks return with a new LP & they knock it out the park with their usual style of quirky, progressive & eclectic pop. Well into their 70s & still on top of their game. A band I definitely want to do a deep discography dive one of these days.

29: Organic Pulse Ensemble - A Thousand Hands

Not sure how I found this one. It isn't on the Spotify's so I've had to listen through Bandcamp. Organic Pulse Ensemble is a one man project, a Swedish bloke called Gustav Horneij. From what I can gather he plays absolutely everything on this LP which is impressive as there's Electric Upright Bass, Drums, Zither, Electric Piano [Wurlitzer & Rhodes], Piano, Guitar, Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Piccolo Flute, Flute [Bamboo], Trumpet, Valve Trombone, Kalimba, Kalimba [Bass], Congas, Bongos, Bells, Shaker & Percussion. What's surprising is this sounds (at least to my ears) like a band playing together. Perhaps the drums are a bit too on point & aren't free enough to be that way, but the rest of it just feels like musicians playing in a room. This mixes spiritual Jazz with a big Ethio-Jazz, very laid back affair, a lot of flute throughout. Lovely record to stick on at the end of the day & just let it wash over you. Impressive stuff.

38: Wild Billy Childish & CTMF - Failure Not Success

It's rare a year goes by where a Billy Childish record isn't on my end of year list. Well, this is 2023's! He had 3 LP's this year, a blues record with The William Loveday Intention plus Thee Headcoats first record in years, but it was this effort with CTMF that really landed for me. Kicks off with a fantastic cover of Love Comes in Spurts whilst having the brilliant "Bob Dylan's Got a Lot to Answer For" which contains a comical lyric of Billy blaming Dylan for anything bad that has ever happened whilst sporting a riff that is basically Smells like Teen Spirit. About as Billy Childish a Billy Childish record can get.

27: Hyll - Sŵn o'r Stafell Arall

A good old fashioned indie-rock band from Cardiff. Sound totally like something from out of the early 90s & I'm down with that! Shit artwork, but they've got plenty of hooks & a great guitar sound. "Hanner Marathon" is one of my anthems of the year, such a banger.

26: Blur - The Ballad of Darren

I wanted to hate this, I can't stomach 3 quarters of this band anymore + the singles didn't grab me on initial listens but fair play, it's a bloody strong record. It could have done with more Coxon IMO, feels like Damon is pulling the strings a little too much these days but fair enough, it's a more mature & wiser Blur & the songs pretty much deliver throughout. Surprised how much I ended up liking this.

25: Terry - Call Me Terry

Wasn't sure if we'd ever get another record from Terry so I'm chuffed that this even exists. How does it sound? Well, exactly like their previous 3 records. They continue with their lo-fi indie-pop meets post-punk odyssey. Stealing this from RYM but it's spot on "somewhere between the obscure pop beauty of The Bats and the charming insouciance of Swell Maps". Amen. God bless Terry. One of my favourite bands of the past ten years. Hope they come to the UK again someday & perhaps even give us another record but if this is goodbye then its been a beautiful run.

24: Billy Nomates - Cacti

Prior to Cacti the thing I enjoyed most about Nomates was her weekly twitter meltdowns but damn, 80% of this record is absolutely killer. It's a pop record at heart. using post-punk & indie-rock rhythms to drive forward the tunes. I'd never realised how good a vocalist she is, "Blackout Signal", my god she sounds incredible. One of my big surprises of the year, fair play Nomates!

23: Sleaford Mods - UK GRIM

Nope, I'm still not bored of them. Great guest appearance from Flo of Dry Cleaning, not so great appearance from that prick from Jane's Addiction. 

22: Kassi Valazza - Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing

I'm somewhat surprised how much I've ended up loving this. This is very country & (I hate the word) "Americana" for my tastes but this record has really resonated with me. I think this was a find on RYM & I was glad to see that soapbox hall of famer BRAD JOHNSON is also a fan. Love the arrangements on here, it's mostly acoustic based songwriting but there's a full band involved and it's produced wonderfully. Reminds me of Harvest or Comes a Time Neil Young in spots and for that reason feels like something that could have been released in the early 70's.

21: H. Hawkline - Milk for Flowers

H. Hawline has worked on two of my favourite records of recent years, Cate Le Bon's "Reward" & Aldous Harding's "Warm Chris". This doesn't quite reach those heights but remains a wonderfully ambitious pop record that's melodic throughout with explorations into psych & prog whilst always remaining pop. I kinda wish there was more upbeat moments as for me they're the standouts on here but it works as a full piece, excellent LP.

Top 20 gigs:

gigs:

01: Black Lips @ Venue MOT Unit 18 (WPFMKRBURG)
02: Iggy Pop @ Crystal Palace Park (WPFMROD&JP)
03: Devo @ Green Man Festival
04: Wild Billy Childish & CTMF @ the Lexington
05: Squid @ Green Man Festival
06: Bodgea @ Rich Mix (WPFMKRBURG)
07: Confidence Man @ Green Man Festival
08: The Go! Team @ Lafayette (WPFMKRBURG)
09: Lee Fields & the Expressions @ the Jazz Cafe
10: The Cool Greenhouse @ Studio 9294 (WPFMKRBURG)
11: Joyeria @ The Lexington (WPFMKRBURG)
12: Black Midi performing Cavalcade @ Village Underground (WPFMKRBURG)
13: Tapir! @ St Pancras Old Church (WPFMKRBURG)
14: Faust @ The Jazz Cafe (WPFMKRBURG)
15: Sleaford Mods @ PRYZM (WPFMKRBURG)
16: Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul @ Southwark Park (WPFMKRBURG)
17: Dry Cleaning @ the Roundhouse (WPFMKRBURG)
18: PJ Harvey @ The Roundhouse (WPFMKRBURG&ROD)
19: Marcos Valle @ Earth Theatre (WPFMKRBURG)
20: Angel Olsen @ Victoria Park (WPFMKRBURG&JP)

You heard the other Organic Pulse Ensemble record from this year? It's really good and on Spotify.

Not yet heard the one you've listed but really digging the other lp.

I've not, though I did notice there was another LP whilst making this list. I'll get around to it sometime.