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Steven Grady writesCHIRP Radio’s Best of 2023: Steven Grady
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2023. Our next list is from DJ Steven Grady.
#1 72 Seasons by Metallica (Blackened)
The legendary Metallica rises to the occasion with its full-length album, whose release coincided perfectly with the onset of an ambitious eighteen-month global tour. The band's sound, songwriting, and execution are refreshing and invigorating from start to finish. The longplayer's title, 72 Seasons, according to lead singer/guitar player James Hetfield, reflects a conflict in identity in what we are told who we are as children vs. our adult response to this perception as a reenactment or reaction to our childhood experiences. The record boasts a running time of 1 hour, 17 minutes, exuding the endurance and confidence of a band that, though entering their collective 60s in age, refuses to phone it in or take short cuts. The final track, Inamorata, clocking in at over 11 minutes, is their longest song ever. Even the most veteran listener takes for granted that Metallica has been consistently prolific for over forty years. The verdict after listening to 72 Seasons? They're not done yet...not even close.
#2 Hÿss III: The Hÿssening by The Hÿss (self-released)
At long last, Chicago stoner metal heroes, The Hÿss, is back. Nearly three years since releasing its highly acclaimed EP, 2020's Extraterrestrial, comes Hÿss III: The Hÿssening. Matt McDonald (vocals), Dave Fitzgerald (guitar/keyboard), Pat Kennedy (guitar/vocals), Bill Sullivan (bass), and Mike Scales (drums), pick up where they left off with five exceptionally heavy and sinister tracks that will blow your aural socks off. Hÿss III adroitly demonstrates influences that span decades, from Black Sabbath to Pantera, with bombastic flair. Guitar players Fitzgerald and Kennedy deliver dynamic six-string wizardry throughout.
#3 Wished Eye by Dommengang (Thrill Jockey)
Dommengang, the space rock trio now hailing from Portland, Oregon (via L.A. and Brooklyn) presents Wished Eye, an injection of Peter Green-like 60s British blues guitar into high ceiling psychedelia, fuzz addiction into reverb. The result attributes a new sound to the band's relocation to Portland as well as to the beneficial decelerating effects of the pandemic. Several tracks exemplify guitar player/lead vocalist Dan "Sig" Wilson's and bass player Brian Markham's heightened creative songwriting state.
#4 Squares! by LOTEC (self-released)
Chicago area stoner rockers LOTEC (aka Land of the El Caminos) returns with Squares!, its fourth LP release (and first in over 21 years). Core members Dan Fanelli (songwriter/guitar player) and Kenny Wallin (drummer) met in a suburban Chicago high school in the early 80's and tasted some fleeting Midwest notoriety in the 90's, courtesy of WXRT. They have resurfaced, adding bass player Sean Hulet for a heavy set of Windy City anecdotes about drinking up, falling down, and all the causally related heartbreaks in-between. In Squares!, LOTEC has captured a youthful spirit of love lost that belies its chronological age with several solid rockers.
#5 Ripped From The Dream by Big Nobody (Legacy Junk Ltd.)
Rochester, NY's Big Nobody (formerly Total Yuppies) is multi-faceted power pop peppered with more than occasional sustained feedback and heavy rhythm guitars resulting a listenable signature, yet balanced, sound. Ripped From The Dream is the band's first longplayer effort with the moniker "Big Nobody," featuring ex-Yuppies Jacob Walsh (singer/songwriter/guitar player) and J.T. Fitzgerald (bass player). Many of the tracks demonstrate delightful "plot twists" where the song may change in terms of emotional intensity or in time signature, leading the listener down a rabbithole.
#6 Sultan of Squat by The Cowboys (Feel It)
Originating from Bloomington, Indiana, The Cowboys are back with their original lineup after a nearly three-year hiatus. Sultan of Squat consists of thirteen gems. Keith Harman's sardonic lead vocals gel with his occasional bouncy sounding keyboards, as well as straight forward guitar, bass, and drums. The Cowboys put it best in describing the diversity of their sixth longplayer as "refusing to make their bed in any single genre." The album is replete with themes that range widely from topics such as baseball, romantic negativity, heartbreak, and obsession from afar.
#7 Akousmatikous by Salami Rose Joe Louis (Brainfeeder)
Bay Area singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist Salami Rose Joe Louis (aka Lindsay Olsen) has perfected flirty space electronic pop music in Akousmatikous. Akousmatikous (or acousmatic) translates to "sound where there is no identifiable source." Drawing from her studies in planetary sciences, Olsen creates a unique experience: Exploring ideas of multiverses and climate change through the lens of a fictional post-apocalyptic keyboard-toting earthling with a flashlight, a can of cashews and a hopeful optimism. Her lyrical message is often repetitive and direct, breathy and coquettish. Moreover, Olsen doesn't shy away from expressing interest, by way of out-of-this-world grooves, for the future of Mother Earth, for her relationships with some of its inhabitants and, in one case, for dolphins.
#8 Rising River by Pierce Crask (self-released)
Chicago-based singer and songwriter Pierce Crask, formerly of The Falling Martins, has a residency at the Atlantic Bar & Grill on Tuesday evenings. On Rising River, Crask has pieced together a bunch of his patented blues-influenced acoustic Americana. Crask is armed both with a dirty slide acoustic guitar and a raw Midwestern sensibility. He delivers a healthy balance of down-home selections, both up-tempo and ballad, which are tailor-made for live shows. With expert production from the renowned Chicagoan Ellis Clark (Ellis Clark & The Big Parade, house producer for CAUDog Records), Crask exhibits the capacity both to elevate and to devastate the listener on Rising River.
#9 Hands Free Down Hill by Matt Tiegler (self-released)
Chicago singer, songwriter, and playwright Matt Tiegler returns with Hands Free Down Hill, a whopping 23 years after his Ralph Covert-produced debut LP, Gods & Heroes. His latest has a more "rock band" feel to it, clearly channeling an early-in-life Beatles and Beach Boys influence. All songs generally have an upbeat power pop feel and, in particular, some outstanding guitar work on both the album's opener, "Dream (reason for living)," and on the title track.
#10 Wandering Rebel by Juan Wauters (Captured Tracks)
Formerly the frontman of the Queens garage rock band, The Beets, native Uraguayan Juan Wauters has defined his solo career primarily by spotlighting his many collaborators and people he's met through his music and touring. Wandering Rebel is no exception as Wauters has enlisted help, the likes of which include Zoe Gotusso, Y La Bamba, and Frankie Cosmos. Wauters’ lyrics always have had a refreshing sincerity, but he seems to be at his most open on this record. Moreover, the oft-traveled Wauters reveals a sudden desire to settle down. The songs on Wandering Rebel are candid reflections on subjects like career, romantic commitment, mental health, and the personal toll of touring. All the tracks are uniquely upbeat, often humorous, and are sung in both Spanish and English.
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