Here we are again. What have been your favorites releases in 2023 ?
Here is my top 3 :
Iron Buddha - Raze//Repose : some seriously brutal sludgecore. It’s very close to my dream band, exactly the kind of stuff I’d like to do if I ever find other people interested.
They Watch Us From The Moon - Cosmic Chronicles: Act 1, The Ascension : really great stoner / space rock with two female singers. The production is really cool too, not complicated but it serves the music perfectly in my opinion.
Weedcraft - Żur : some excellent instrumental stoner/doom from Poland. Nothing particularly original but it’s really well done. It’s an album I often listen to while driving.
This is gonna be a bit random as I spent a lot of time listening to albums that came out late 2022. I’ll just drop the three from 2023 that I listened a lot to
John a Taylor is a freakin’ good bassist and there are some great examples of his work on this album. A couple of the covers a bit ummm (Ghost Town really doesn’t work) but l love the reworking of some of their left material. overall. For me, it the album of the year, I think it’s great!
I feel bad about this but I didn’t really cover much new territory in 2023; I was focused on reissues and older stuff. Unusual for me but 2023 was kind of a year of looking back for me.
The only new music I really listened to this year was Blink 182’s new album, which I thought was fantastic. But I just looked at a list of albums that came out that I need to listen to.
Miho who founded the group, stepped away. Step in internet sensation Fami. And did she change the band or what. She is a beast on bass. and the whole band is lust looser and full of energy now. Wow.
They also dropped an album - Judgement day
2 Nemophila
They drop Seize the Fate, album, make it to the US. and Mayu has a baby. Screams or cleans, Mayu brings it.
1 - Babymetal
They dropped a new album, The Other One, an oblique reference to Yui who left the band. Admittedly the album was a mixed bag. But did give Monochrome
After retiring in 2021 they came back doing 94 shows on all continents. I say that because Japanese bands often do “world tours” of just a few shows.
Honorable mention - Maneskin for proving rock ain’t dead and a bassline can be relatively simple and on a short scale. Victoria DeAngelis on her Danelctro
I love me some John Taylor!
Really digging that album, “Black Moonlight” has me dancing every time I listen to it!
On another note, Cory Wong’s new album “The Lucky One” is exceptional. He is a great producer along with being one of the most funky guitar players on earth. If he isn’t playing bass himself (yes he also plays bass!) he hires top notch bassists.
I love his behind the scenes stuff too!
Listen closely to the bass here:
