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Andy Vaso writesCHIRP Radio’s Best of 2023: Andy Vasoyan
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2023. Our next list is from DJ Andy Vasoyan.
2023 was an absolutely magnificent time to be sad, and some of the best albums this year wrestled with themes of alienation, ennui, and loss on a titanic scale - the year of boygenius. In an effort to keep things a little bit less somber, some of those heartbreakers have been moved to the honorable mention category, opening space for a few records about moving through grief and coming out on the other side. There’s something for folks at every point in their healing journey.
& the Charm by Avalon Emerson (Another Dove)
The story of Avalon Emerson’s transition from a buzzy techno DJ to a dream/synth pop chanteuse is going to be the first thing most people hear about this album, but that’s a disservice to & the Charm’s lovely, welcoming energy. Lush beats and layers soak the liminal spaces that Emerson’s songs occupy: at every level, & the Charm is never exclusionary, off-putting, or stern. A Berghain bouncer, Emerson is not. Top Tracks: Astrology Poisoning, Karaoke Song, Entombed in Ice
Why Would I Watch by Hot Mulligan (Wax Bodega)
We’re so many layers deep into the emo revival that by the time you settle on an opinion about who is influencing whom, you’re wrong. That said, Hot Mulligan’s third release manages to hit the pitch perfect Midwest Emo vibe - complete with titles like "This Song is Called it's Called What's it Called" - while still not sounding quite like anybody else in the game. Top Tracks: No Shoes in the Coffee Shop (Or Socks), And I Smoke, Gans Media Retro Games
The Greater Wings by Julie Byrne (Ghostly International)
LET’S OPEN UP THIS PIT (of loss, reflection, and deep humanity). Julie Byrne’s long-awaited heartbreaker of a sophomore release is perfect for anyone who has ever been sad about anything, ever. Her immaculate lyricism, near-angelic voice, and ability to imbue emotion into musical negative space are all top-tier, but the ultimate selling point is that by the time you hear Byrne laud how “conversation is a flow state,” you’re not thinking of a woo-woo aunt offering Kundera-isms … you’re pretty much just flowing. Top tracks: Lightning Comes Up From the Ground, A Portrait of a Clear Day, Death is the Diamond
? (Trois) by Acid Arab (Crammed Discs)
Middle-eastern dabke music - a folk style associated with circular dances and unique instrumentation - has had a long history of blending well with electronic beats, perhaps most notably in the work of former Syrian wedding singer Omar Souleyman. That tradition is replicated and enhanced in Acid Arab’s third album, which also imbibes influences from their native Algeria, Turkey, and elsewhere across the Muslim world. The most important question is: does it slap?? Mashallah, it does. Top tracks: Halim Guelil, Habaytak, Döne Döne
Haunted Mountain by Buck Meek (4AD)
Anyone in the sphere of Big Thief, the biggest and most NPR-friendly folk band of the last few years, is inclined to be a great songwriter - guitarist Buck Meek is no exception. Haunted Mountain, his third release, is a country-flavored ode to the poignant realities of everyday Americana, with turbo-joyous highs and very few lows. The real Haunted Mountain was the friends we made along the way. Top Tracks: Haunted Mountain, Didn’t Know You Then, Cyclades
Mid Air by Romy (Young)
Dance pop albums are at their best when they’re so dancey you can’t tell there’s been any thought put into them whatsoever - all body, no head. Midair is exactly that: ecstatic, emotional, and eminently four-on-the-floor. “Did I” is the platonic ideal of a trance song, with an irresistible beat, resonant refrains, a <4 minute runtime, and just enough ennui to make you hesitate before hitting repeat - Romy’s skills are so advanced they’re indistinguishable from magic. Top Tracks: Did I, Strong, Loveher
Norm by Andy Shauf (ANTI-)
A concept album about a stalker and the disapproving god he continually lets down, Norm could easily end up in icky territory. Instead, Shauf’s eighth album unfolds with soothing melodies, mellow vocals, and cunning lyrical earworms. The calm delivery will “Dante’s Inferno”-you on a giga-pleasant journey through a thoroughly unpleasant landscape, ending in a place that humanizes even the most delusional and alien of love’s impulses (almost). Top Tracks: Halloween Store, Wasted on You, Norm
Angel Numbers by Hamish Hawk (Post Electric)
In line with a tradition of Old-Hollywood nostalgists bearing bombastic voices, Hamish Hawk’s work feels simultaneously vintage and vibrant, like Midnight in Paris if it wasn’t pandering. The best of Angel Numbers lyrics are fun, funny, and just damn clever - Hawk’s got so much style that the only shortcoming of his sophomore release is it takes a good few listens to absorb it all. Top Tracks: Elvis Look-alike Shadows, Dog-eared August, Think of Us Kissing
Honey by Samia (Grand Jury)
If there’s something to be said for contrast as a means of expression, the combination of Samia’s voice and lyrics has already said it. As sweet and golden as the album’s namesake, the delivery on Honey belies the roaring, almost feral undercurrent of emotion that form the foundation for her writing. “I’ll fucking kill her/ I’ll fucking freak out,” Samia warns enchantingly at the possibility of her ex getting married - intrusive thoughts have never sounded so euphonious.
Top Tracks: Honey, Kill Her Freak Out, To Me It Was
The Loveliest Time by Carly Rae Jepsen (604/Schoolboy/Interscope)
A simultaneous companion and antithesis to 2022’s The Loneliest Time, Carly Rae’s seventh release continues in her long tradition of 80s pop perfectionism. This time out, she leans into themes of companionship, pleasure, and joyful abandon - a more natural fit for her style of zippy, tight songwriting. It shows just how deep Carly Rae’s skill goes that she can slap on some trip-hop/house-flavored beats to her songs and they instantly become club bangers, while staying true to the wellspring of glee that’s the hallmark of one of the best pop artists working today. Top Tracks: Psychedelic Switch, Shy Boy, Come Over
Honorable Mentions
Slow Pulp - Yard
Billie Marten - Drop Cherries
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs - Land of Sleeper
Jess Williamson - Time Ain’t Accidental
Angelo de Augustine - Toil and Trouble
Fenne Lily - Big Picture
Sufjan Stevens - Javelin
Mitski - The Land is Inhospitable, and So Are We
Panopticon - The Rime of Memory
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