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algabor writesCHIRP Radio’s Best of 2023: Al Gabor

CHIRP Radio Best of 2023

Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2023. Our next list is from volunteer Al Gabor.

 

 

 

 

 

#1 The Record by Boygenius (Interscope)

BUY: Reckless / Amazon

Boygenius The RecordAs formidable as Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker are on their own, they reach new heights when they combine efforts. On The Record, the harmonies are sibling-quality; the songcraft is superb. The songs here convey the charged nature of love and friendships of people in their twenties, how an unfolding relationship is not just discovering things about the new person in your life, but finding out things about yourself.

 

 

 

 

#2 First Two Pages of Frankenstein by The National (4AD)

BUY: Reckless / Amazon

The National First Two Pages of FrankensteinA different kind of break-up album. Lyricist and vocalist Matt Berninger felt himself tearing at the seams, unable to write. The words he finally set down are permeated with self-doubt and an accumulating sense of loss. A heartrending album.

 

 

 

 

#3 The Window by Ratboys (Topshelf)

BUY: Reckless / Amazon

Ratboys The WindowThe Ratboys have putting out some great stuff in the last few years, but take a leap forward on The Window. From the Crazy Horse-like slow-build guitar freak-out of “Black Earth, WI” to the poignancy of title song, the band goes from strength to strength here.

 

 

 

 

#4 Desire, I Want to Turn Into You by Caroline Polachek (Perpetual Novice)

BUY: Reckless / Amazon

Caroline Polachek Desire, I Want to Turn Into YouCaroline Polachek shows off her ability to make pop magic by combining multiple genres and wide-ranging instrumentation (Flamenco? Bagpipes? Really? … Why not?). But what makes this album so compelling is the power and versatility of her voice, an expressive, transcendent instrument.

 

 

 

 

#5 Yard by Slow Pulp (Anti-)

BUY: Reckless / Amazon

Slow Pulp YardOriginally from Madison, Wisconsin, now based in Chicago, Slow Pulp is getting some serious buzz. Yard is a great title for this beguiling album: the music has a barefoot on the patio feel, Indie folk rock with some scruffy but effective vocals.

 

 

 

 

#6 Radical Romantics by Fever Ray (Mute)

BUY: Reckless / Amazon

Fever Ray Radical RomanticsFever Ray (Karin Dreijer) is a crowd, a chorus, a revelation. The many tones, colors, and distortions of their vocals on Radical Romantics add an element of searching and discovery to these songs. The soundscape of the album is protean and inventive.

 

 

 

 

#7 Hollow by The Handsome Family (Milk & Scissors Music)

BUY: Reckless / Amazon

The Handsome Family HollowIn their first studio album in seven years, the Handsome Family continue to mine their version of what critic Greil Marcus called the music of “old, weird America.” Why isn’t Rennie Sparks more widely considered one of the best lyricists around? Her imagery is startlingly vivid, but the stories these songs tell are enigmas, shadowy in a good way.

 

 

 

 

#8 This Stupid World by Yo La Tengo (Matador)

BUY: Reckless / Amazon

Yo La Tengo This Stupid WorldDoing what they do best—and keeping it vital and exciting. A good trick for a band recording together for, say, ten years. But when the band has been around for forty years, it’s damned near miraculous.

 

 

 

 

#9 Rat Saw God by Wednesday (Dead Oceans)

BUY: Reckless / Amazon

Wednesday Rat Saw GodA potent mix of Americana and shoegaze, set aflame with Karly Hartzman’s cinematic lyrics.

 

 

 

 

 

#10 Gold by Cleo Sol (Forever Living Originals)

BUY: Reckless / Amazon

Cleo Sol GoldMoving, gorgeous songs of faith by the woman who provided the vocals behind so many great Sault songs.

 

 

 

 

 

Honorable Mentions

Mitski The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
PJ Harvey I Inside the Old Year Dying
MJ Lenderman and the Wind Live and Loose!
The New Pornographers Continue as a Guest
Jessie Ware That! Feels Good!

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Categorized: Best Albums of the Year

Topics: best of 2023

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