Fifty Favorite Albums of 2023, Part One

The year's tastiest records from Country Westerns, Romy, Genesis Owusu, Jayda G, Gaz Coombs, Yo La Tengo, Spector, Anna St. Louis, Those Pretty Wrongs, and Billy Nomates!

“Easy to admire; hard to love.”

- Karl Blakesley, New Music Weekly UK

My fellow Album of the Month podcaster and friend recently dropped this nugget, and it’s been rattling around my brain since, especially while looking at the aggregate for the mainstream critic picks for this year’s best records. I always put together my year-end list before diving into all the others you see at this time of year for a reason: so much of what ends up top is stuff I’ve admired but not loved.

In the fourth year of publishing my picks through Check This Out!, it’s always been my goal to offer suggestions that we aren’t always reading about everywhere else (that’s not to say you won’t see a handful from other lists). So, while I’m happy to kick things off, please know that I somewhat admired a lot of the heavy hitters this year, like Sufjan Stevens, Lana Del Ray, Olivia Rodrigo, PJ Harvey, Mitski, and even billy woods, who ranked third on my list in 2022. Still, you won’t find any of them on this list. I also accept that I can’t get into many critical darlings like boygenius, Wednesday, or Blur, who I consider one of my all-time favorite bands, but The Ballad of Darren is as dull as watching my tea cool.

Moreso than ever, it’s been impossible to carve my music year down to fifty albums - even my “has to be on there” list started at over eighty records, and I hate leaving off records from Slowdive, Grian Chattan, Janelle Monae, Indigo De Souza, or Poolside, that I really loved.

None of these albums are ranked outside the top ten like last year. They are the records I played the most and may not be talked about or critically lauded, but that’s the beauty of making your own list. Mostly, though, these are the records that made me pause in this nonstop world, and for that, I am thankful to all these bands who continue to remind us of the beauty that surrounds us if you only stop and listen.

Also, thank you to all of my new readers and those who have been here for every year-end celebration. As my personal life continues to get more busy, your messages and participation keep this newsletter going!

Now, on to the tunes!

If you find your new favorite album on this list, why not share or subscribe to Check This Out!? You’ll receive fresh tunes, reviews, playlists, and more in your inbox while supporting this entirely independent music e-rag. Rad!

---

Country Westerns - Forgive the City

What I said in my review: Here’s the deal: you can compare Country Westerns to an endless list of bands that have come before them, but Plunkett and Kotzur are really doing their own thing here. Plunkett’s perfectly porous vocals can only be finely crafted by years of whiskey and cigarettes, and he’s got a load of hooks here that will stick in your head. Kotzur continues to show why he’s a scene legend, and his propulsive drums hold everything together when it often sounds like things are on the verge of falling apart. ‘Forgive the City’ is one of those exceptional records that sounds not only immediately fresh but also comes off as a profound record bin discovery showing its age with ring wear.”

Forgive the City is available on Fat Possum Records.

---

Genesis Owusu - Struggler

What I said in my review: As great as the first half of ‘Struggler’ is, Owusu again defies algorithm convention by placing the strongest songs on the back half of the album. “That’s Life (A Swamp)” grooves into Thundercat territory as Owusu sings, “My arms are tired from carrying the weight of your shit, tryna travel light but that weight around your waist is a bit.” Meanwhile, “Stay Blessed” would easily be the best Bloc Party song in over fifteen years, and “What Comes Will Come” is my fav on the album with its bizarro dub roots that give way to Jason Evigan’s feverish drums.

Struggler is available on Ourness.

---

Billy Nomates - CACTI

What I said in my review: Not only have Maries’ lyrics matured, but so has the music. ‘Cacti’ still revolves around the slinky bass and drum machines of her debut, but now the keyboard synths and guitar textures are given more room to breathe. Maries once again recorded most of the album at home, but teaming up with co-producer James Trevascus, who has worked with fellow badass women like PJ Harvey, pays off with a more expansive, warmer scope this time around.

With all the elementary pop we’re force-fed, Billy Nomates is a breath of fresh air. She’s someone I can see playing to colossal festival audiences this coming summer while being uniquely in tune with the hardship of working-class struggles. I never know whether someone will take off stateside, but there’s no doubt Maries will have quite the deserved audience in her native England and beyond.

Cacti is available now on Invada Records UK.

---

Gaz Coombes - Turn The Car Around

What I said in my review: ‘Turn The Car Around’ finds Coombes on a new level, though, leaving behind the rollicking snot-nosed days of being “Caught By the Fuzz” in favor of effervescent fully-fledged observations by someone who has lived a few lifetimes since the height of Brit Pop fever. “Overnight Trains” quietly creeps in on a cloud of piano chords before giving way to muscular guitar stabs, while “Don’t Say It’s Over” taps into a love song that demonstrates a sincere try at humanness that was absent in that new Arctic Monkeys record.

Turn The Car Around is available on Hot Fruit Recordings.

---

Those Pretty Wrongs - Holiday Camp

What I said in my review: For all of these great moments, Those Pretty Wrongs are most compelling when everything is scaled back to focus on Stephens and Russell’s voices with a spare guitar to accompany them. “Ride Along” is an affectionate love song written for Stephens’ wife that recalls his late Big Star bandmate Chris Bell’s posthumous masterpiece, ‘I Am the Cosmos.’ “This Painted Sky” beautifully illustrates an evening of solace away from the daily madness (“lemonade moon amidst the sparkling of galaxies and celestial queens, we’ll wake tomorrow and fight the fight, in the revelations of broad daylight, that carry us to grace again”). It’s impossible not to think of other music duos while listening to ‘Holiday Camp',’ and “Brother My Brother” is a tender number that sounds as if Simon and Garfunkel checked their egos at the door and instead joined the classic soft rock staple, America.

Holiday Camp is available on Curation Records.

---

You La Tengo - This Stupid World

What I said in my review: “Fallout” is classic Yo La Tengo and easily one of their best singles, but this entire record is a vintage outing from the indie vets who continually remind us there are other greats in New Jersey besides Bruce Springsteen. We are blessed that this band doesn’t share an interest in packing it up at forty. Instead, with ‘This Stupid World,’ Yo La Tengo shows that age doesn’t lead to less shredding, and there is certainly no room for a decline when you’re one of the best bands to ever do this indie thing.

This Stupid World is available on Matador Records.

---

Romy - Mid Air

What I said in my review: It’s been a hot minute since I’ve revisited any of the albums from The xx, but I generally remember thinking ‘Coexist’ didn’t change the formula enough from their excellent 2009 debut, ‘xx.’ Fast forward to this year, with lead singer Romy releasing singles for her solo debut, ‘Mid Air,’ and I wasn’t too keen about them in their individual packaging. But listening to ‘Mid Air’ in full has made me come around to them, and the entire album experience is fantastic. Full of queer club tracks, Mid Airis a celebration of a new era for Romy and demonstrates she stands alongside The xx bandmate Jamie xx’s acclaimed work.

Mid Air is available on Young.

---

Anna St. Louis - In the Air

What I said in my review: On ‘In the Air,’ St. Louis and producer Jarvis Taveniere (Purple Mountains, Woods, Waxahatchee) assemble an expertly sequenced set of songs, and even though things never move faster than a muggy afternoon, we’re treated to a record that knows when to pick things up after a few great ballads. Opener “Trace” sets the mood by accompanying St. Louis’s celestial voice with some wonderful piano from Spoon’s Alex Fischel, a weeping pedal steel guitar, and a string section. “Morning” is one of the best songs of the year, featuring guest vocals from Jess Williamson (check out her also new album, ‘Time Ain’t Accidental,’ if ya dig this record) and Kacey Johansing, who provides lovely harmonies throughout ‘In the Air.’ Also not to be missed is the single “Phone,” a brilliant soft rock number that allows for interplay between all the fantastic musicians on this record. Forget the sophomore slump because Anna St. Louis has released one of the year’s finest indie folk records with ‘In the Air.’

In the Air is available on Mare/Woodsist.

---

Spector - Here Come the Early Nights

Spector’s Here Come the Early Nights is one of a few late additions to this list, as it dropped on Black Friday, and I find myself listening to it on repeat despite the year-end obligations. Here Come the Early Nights was nominated by the previously mentioned Karl Blakesley for our podcast, and I’m happy to be exposed to this London-based band, who I’ve never read anything about this side of the Atlantic. This is Spector’s fourth album with the buzz from their debut, Enjoy It While It Lasts, long gone, but this is a mature set of songs that explore the changes that come with reaching the middle part of life’s journey. A perfect indie record that is frontloaded with single-worthy songs, it’s the back portion that continues to seal the deal. “Another Life” - “Room With A Different View” - “Here Come the Early Nights” - “All of the World Is Changing” is one of the top song runs of the year, so do yourself a favor and give Here Come the Early Nights a spin if Spector isn’t on your radar.

Here Come the Early Nights is available on Moth Noise.

---

Jayda G - Guy

What I said in my review: Jayda G is back just in time as the summer heats up with ‘Guy,’ her second set of original songs. The album’s title and inspiration are a tribute to the Canadian producer’s late father, who passed when Jayda G was only ten. When he found out he was terminally ill, her father recorded videos about his life. After watching them in the past few years, Jayda G set out to write an album telling these stories through her signature blend of house, disco, and soul music. It’s not every day that you come across a dancefloor-filling house record as tender as Guy, which makes it such a remarkable record.

Guy is available on Ninja Tune.

Have you listened to any of these records? What is your favorite album of the year? Let me know in the comments!

---

Songs from these albums are included in the ever-popular Good Ass Songs 2023 playlist. At over four hundred songs and counting, it’s the best way to catch up on another excellent year of music!

Listen on Apple Music 🎧