The Top 10 Worst Albums of 2023

It is that time again. Here we take a look at the worst albums of the year. They come from two drastic polarities, very heavy or commercial pop, with only two albums falling into something more like a middle ground.   One of the things that made rap great in the 80s and 90s was rappers calling each other out for being whack. It provided a form of quality control. Now people have grown too sensitive for that kind of hard truth. Some would argue this is all subjective, but music is something that can be defined in technical terms, as well as artistic, and how it holds up over time. Chances are if it is hard is get through one listen it is not going to stand the test of time. For most of these albums, it was hard for me to write a full review of as I could not listen to the album as a whole and had to skip around to try to find something worthwhile to listen to. Sure, some of these might have sold a ton of albums but the Fast and Furious movies are garbage in terms of storytelling, so the sheep are not a great barometer. So here are the top ten worst albums of 2023

10-Sam Smith -"Gloria" 

 The facts are this album which is clearly rolling off the assembly line of the industry's agenda machine boasts 14 songwriters and 12 producers for the 23 songs featured on the album. It benefits from great production in how the harmony vocals are layered. Aside from that, the overall vibe is his vocals could be that of any random singer on a gay house track. Having worked in plenty of gay bars over the years, I have heard more than enough of this already, it's just being re-packaged for today. ll the soul it should have gets produced out of it by cut-and-paste production. So it's a slick product that will fool stupid masses with the depth of paper plates, but musical not terrible just bland with a few decent moments, he needs to just lean into the gay house side, as mainstream success will really just be the 15 minutes of fame his current controversy grants him then the news cycle will spin away and people will forget about him. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/sam-smith-gloria.html

9-Closet Witch- "Chiaroscuro" 

This band hits you with a wall of blasting noise, along with drums that sound like they are cans with plastic lids. There are a few crunchy riffs here and there. The vocals are senseless screaming with little purpose and less lyrical value. The songs I would feel compelled to listen to again would be few and far between,  Not utter nonsense, but they put heaviness before song thus becoming noise. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/closet-witch-chiaroscuro.html

8-Doja Cat  - "Scarlet" 

You might wonder why I am reviewing the new Doja Cat, you might be more surprised to know I listened to her "Hot Pink" album quite a bit and found it leaned more in the direction of Grimes. Things have changed and Doja is more embedded in the industry and the machine that pumps out empty soulless music to the masses. If you think music is all a matter of opinion then let us look at the facts. Hot Pink" had  15 producers  13 songwriters compared to this album which sadly boasts  27 producers and 33 songwriters.  For some perspective "Darkside of the Moon" only had three people who were not in Pink Floyd, if you are counting the singer guesting on "Great Gig in the Sky". I know there is someone dumb enough to say 

"But could Pink Floyd make a video like Demons?" 

I guess you have never seen "The Wall". 

It's polished and some of the songs are alright if you want mindless entertainment, she proves she is a better singer than a rapper, and this is the best an artist can sound when they are driving their career in the wrong direction. Would like to hear this with half the producers and songwriters, and then it might just sound like less than inspired pop music.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/doja-cat-scarlet.html

7-Buggin -"Concrete Cowboys" 

Tthis album became something I endured for the sake of the review rather than enjoyed. They are at best pretty stereotypical hardcore punk, the songwriting falls apart, making it hard to believe Revolver listed this in their best hardcore albums of the year so far, guess their writers do not know shit about hardcore. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/buggin-concrete-cowboys.html

6-Big/Brave - "nature morte" 

The predictable flood of reviews claimed this album is incredible. I can never imagine myself wanting to listen to this again. Most of the album lingers around bathing in its own ambiance. In terms of music as art, this is a few strokes of loud colors on a canvas that hands in a rich person's living room to make them feel cultured because they own art.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/bigbrave-nature-morte.html

 

5-Ghost -"Phantomime" 

Their version of "Jesus He Knows Me" was so terrible, I did not even think I would be able to get through an ep of this. Then I considered the problem which is Ghost is given impunity by most metal media, so if anyone is going to stand up and call it as they hear it, it would have to be me. Even Tina Turner's husky alto proves to have more balls than Papa Smurf can manage. While it is better than I anticipated, I expected something 100 percent unlistenable, it's about 70 percent unlistenable, but you will never hear a worse cover of Iron Maiden. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/ghost-phantomime.html

4-Organ Dealer- "The Weight of Being"

 

The fine line between grindcore and death metal is separated by a more spastic sense of punk. The drawback is that these explosive moments are often never allowed to fully form, as everything is in a short burst. This often feels like a collection of aborted ideas that were never allowed to gestate into a fully written song. With these guys, it also runs the risk of everything sounding the same. If you like your music to be endured rather than enjoyed, go jump into traffic.  Everlasting Spew should be ashamed of themselves for releasing this. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/death-is-june-organ-dealer-weight-of.html

 3-Body Void-  "Atrocity Machine" 

If the world was not going to end in a few months I might be more concerned about the growing problem with American metal. It seems that these hipsters who invaded the scene back in the early 2000s are now a bunch of virtue-signaling babies who make metal that is really them squalling as they soil their diapers. They put the fact that they represent a social group and to not like them means you are not inclusive. They do this with little regard for actually being worth a shit. The album gets progressively worse because once the shock of their dense noisy sound wears off you are left with a band that plays at a sluggish drone because their musical ability is sub-par to the point of almost being just noise. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/11/november-is-doom-body-void-atrocity.html

2-Hellish Form- "Deathless" 

I often speak about why things like taste in music matter. It is because what you ingest in terms of the entertainment you consume says a great deal about you. Music perhaps more so because it is about the vibrational frequency you connect with. The same can be said of the people who create music, trash music normally equates to trash people, who are often more form than function.   Anyone who tries to tell you this is one of the best albums so far this year, knows so little, a punch in the mouth would be the greatest act of kindness you could make on their behalf. It is almost the most boring album I wasted my time on this year, but that honor goes to the number one album. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/hellish-form-deathless.html

 

1-Divide & Dissolve -"Systemic"

This duo is trying to rage against a mystery machine, but their convictions overstep the grasp of their instruments.  My theory of sounds vs songs can not be more clearly displayed than what happens here. meander with stagnant ideas. It's one thing to barely be able to play your instrument if you can use the fragile grasp to put together a song, but instead, it's a collection of happenstance sounds being used as a vehicle for voices they have not found the proper outlet for. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/07/divide-dissolve.html

the Top 10 Albums of 2023

At the end of the day... or in this case, year, these are the albums I listened to the most. The reason these albums earned the top spot is because I listened to over 2000 albums this year and these are the ones that endured the influx of new music that hit My inbox every morning and made me want to hear them again and again. Yes, this is the culmination of all the other lists done up to this point for other blogs and was refined down to this master list of all genres.  So here ya go...

10-the Lion's Daughter -"Bath House" 

There is a great deal going on with this album. The synths are very present in the mix going into the otherwise hammering open song. Throaty vocals are aggressive but howled more than growled. Sung vocals often emote over what is a  more brooding turn for the band. There is an ominous feel to counterbalance the more grandiose feel. I really enjoyed this one it's an improvement over what they did on "Skin Show" This album grew on me, and carries great depth.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-lions-daughter-bath-house.html

9-Rid of Me -"Access to the Lonely" 

Having added a second guitarist for this album and you can hear how it adds in the denser sonic layers. The new sound of this album " is heavier and punches with a more sludge-ridden sound. Dissonant guitar passages cut through, along with more guitars on this album, to add a more firey rock n roll attack. She really proves herself as a singer on this album, still maintaining punk integrity. There a many dynamic vocal colors being introduced. They show you punk can be so much more than what we take for at face value. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/11/rid-of-me-access-to-lonely.html

8-Code  Orange - "Above" 

 I have been pretty invested in this band's career since being blown away by their 2017 album "Forever".  They broke away from the conventions of hardcore, which they continued to perfect with "Underneath". This set pretty high expectations for this album. Once I accepted the fact that they were no longer playing metal, I was able to really enjoy this album. It was tough to let go of this idea as they are still rather punchy in places, but they owe more to late 90s rock than hardcore or even nu-metal here. It is wonderfully written and shows there is no limit to what they are capable of. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/code-orange-above.html

7- Temple of Angels - "Endless Pursuit" 

I sat down with this album and weighed the dream pop shoegazing moments versus those that owe more to romantic darkness, and came to the conclusion that this album leans into the shadows at least 60 percent of the time, and even when it lightens up a bit their songs are still haunted by a melancholy longing that still earns their place here.  They might not dress the songs up for Halloween in the way other bands on this list do but they are better songwriters, which is why they take the number one spot. These songs are passed by plenty of heart-gripping moments.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/temple-of-angels-endless-pursuit.html

6-Harm's Way - "Common Suffering" 

After being convinced to check them out upon hearing the "Undertow" single featuring the singer of King Woman, I was surprised by the rest of the album, which hits in the way that I typically want my hardcore to slap me. Harm's Way has a gritty musculature to the riffs, and the vocals punch in all the right places to rally the head bob inducing syncopations shift with a groove. There is a great deal of emotion to the construction of the songs that paints things in a bleak shade of gray rather than just being the macho in-your-face beat down you might expect this to be

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/harms-way-common-suffering.html

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5-Frozen Soul - "Glacial Domination"

This Texas band pulls from classic death metal without worshipping any band too religiously. Their strength is taking a riff and grooving it without compromising the heaviness, In this way, there is a bit of Bolt Thrower in their DNA, but not enough to lump them in with bands who are clearly trying to re-live that band's glory days. I went into this album only aware of them by name, and by the end was a fan, thanks to hooky riff magic. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/frozen-soul-glacial-domination.html

 

 

4-Pierce the Veil - "The Jaws of Life" 

Here is an album that had no business being as good as it is. I only knew this band from the Punk Goes Pop series of tribute albums. Much like that series, they strike me as being more on the pop side of the equation. Now five albums later the band has continued to shine their songwriting formula to create something catchier than other pop that dropped this year, while still carrying the torch for the Myspace era,. Singer Vic Fuentes'   tenor sounds like he is in high school. It is impressive that he has kept this youth vigor now that he is almost forty.  If Justin Beiber made metal the results might be similar. Which is better than it sounds on paper. In fact, it is so good I listened to this album as much or more than any other album this year. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/pierce-veil-jaws-of-life.html

3-Grave Pleasures -"Plagueboys"

This year's release by My favorite Finnish post-punk revivalists grew on me with each listen. The songwriting trades bombast for subtlety for the sake of greater melodic value.  They took their tried and true sound, echoing all the way back to their Beastmilk days, and polished it into something even catchier. The sheer replay value of this album solidifies their place at the top.   

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/grave-pleasures-plagueboys.html

2-Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - "Weathervanes" 

Isbell's latest collaboration with his band the 400 Unit is a celebration of songwriting. His voice always finds the perfect place to be. While his solo album "Southeastern" is the masterpiece that this album is going to be measured up against, here he steers things into a more Americana-flavored rock rather than country music. There is a warmth to the album's sound that recalls many classic rock albums with a southern flare, but it is more personable than those. He is one of the best songwriters living today. He transcends country music and does his thing.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/jason-isbell-400-unit-weathervanes.html

 

1- HEALTH - "Rat Wars" 

 This band continues to perfect its unique place in industrial music which is both apocalyptic and an androgynous self-loathing. Their heaviest work to date, also finds their arrangements droning on the groove less and letting them spawn into new landscapes.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/health-rat-wars.html

The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2023

We continue to need heavy music more than ever this year. This is the culmination of all the other metal lists. Yes, I have done other metal lists for other blogs, and I see them as being a refining process for when I make this list. So, while the result may have varied, this is the final word. I know many of you are ready for 2023 to be over with. Hate to break it to you but if you are watching what goes down in the world daily, 2024 might be the last year, of experiencing life as we know it . The very fact these bands made it on the list means they are the cream of the crop so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Sure, you can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However, I listen to five new albums a day so yes, I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No, I do not care what you think about it. I hope you can find your next favorite on this list and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Metal albums of 2023

10-Nebulae Come Sweet-"De Lumi​è​re" 

This band out of Belarus caught me by surprise, as they go above and beyond to take things in a different direction. This album came out in March and sadly flew under the radar. They feel more European than American in the almost classical manner they go about this. They blend dark melodic brooding with big grandiose choruses. They prove just because you are singing it does not mean you can not do so in a commanding fashion that has balls to it. An album full of dark wonderment. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/nebulae-come-sweet-de-lumiere.html

9-Fuming Mouth -"Last Day of Sun" 

This album of crusty death metal-infused anger grew on me with each listen. They lean into more of hard-core's punk side with the drumming putting them in the sonic zip code of bands like Ringworm  I appreciate the lyrical sentiments, and the overall oppressive mood, that still leaves room for melody shows they care about songwriting, but do not have to compromise to do so. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/11/fuming-mouth-last-day-of-sun.html

8-Horrendous - "Ontological Mysterium"

Horrendous extending themselves further into a jammy progressive, with a more organic feel than what they did on "Idol" last time around. There are clean vocals placed at unpredictable points in the song. I appreciated guitar solos, but only some people are impressed by shredding, take that into consideration when I tell you the guitar solos on this album improve the songs. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/07/horrendous-ontological-mysterium.html

 

7- Will Haven - "VII" 

They hit you with hammering hardcore and manage to pack in a dense atmosphere. The syncopated chugs create the apex of breakdowns.  If you grew up listening to nu-metal but matured into metallic hardcore, then this is the album for you. Really if you like heavy music colored by atmosphere this album is also for you as well. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/will-haven-vii.html

6- Mansion- Second Death 

This Finnish band does doom most uniquely at times they blend a minimalist folk not unlike what a  cult would sing as their mantra, as they lurch along in a very creepy manner. The tangible darkness of the music is heavier than the distortion of the guitars of the volume, though they are capable of applying those dynamics as well. I think they tap into cool dark places that few go in a new way. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/11/november-is-doom-mansion-second-death.html

5-Dreamwell -"In My Saddest Dreams, I Am Beside You" 

This is not the heaviest band on the list, but they are the most extreme metal band whose songs beg for you to listen to them more than the other bands on this list. They shift from black gaze to more melodic forms of hardcore and harsher expressions of metal. Their singer is a pivotal force in what enables these transformations. Sometimes hard-core shouted vocals bring the abrasion crashing against the transcendence, which is littered oddly with blast beats. It is not the first time I have heard screamo blended with black metal, but this is done in an angular fashion that is more unique.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/dreamwell-in-my-saddest-dreams-i-am.html

 

4-the Lion's Daughter -"Bath House" 

There is a great deal going on with this album. The synths are very present in the mix going into the otherwise hammering open song. Throaty vocals are aggressive but howled more than growled. Sung vocals often emote over what is a  more brooding turn for the band. There is an ominous feel to counterbalance the more grandiose feel. I really enjoyed this one it's an improvement over what they did on "Skin Show" This album grew on me, and carries great depth.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-lions-daughter-bath-house.html

 

3-Downfall of Gaia -""Silhouettes Of Disgust"

This album is more black metal in its feeling than what I remember of the 2019 album. It is both darker and more aggressive. The soaring atmosphere still lingers, but not enough to stop this raging storm of sound they are creating here. The world is a darker and angrier place so this is fitting. It takes more chances than Wayfarer, who are also great songwriters, but in more of a well-fitted groove, as Downfall of Gaia, is not content with a formula. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/black-metal-history-month-downfall-of.html

2-Harm's Way - "Common Suffering" 

After being convinced to check them out upon hearing the "Undertow" single featuring the singer of King Woman, I was surprised by the rest of the album, which hits in the way that I typically want my hardcore to slap me. Harm's Way has a gritty musculature to the riffs, and the vocals punch in all the right places to rally the head bob inducing syncopations shift with a groove. There is a great deal of emotion to the construction of the songs that paints things in a bleak shade of gray rather than just being the macho in-your-face beat down you might expect this to be

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/harms-way-common-suffering.html

1-Frozen Soul - "Glacial Domination"

This Texas band pulls from classic death metal without worshipping any band too religiously. Their strength is taking a riff and grooving it without compromising the heaviness, In this way, there is a bit of Bolt Thrower in their DNA, but not enough to lump them in with bands who are clearly trying to re-live that band's glory days. I went into this album only aware of them by name, and by the end was a fan, thanks to hooky riff magic. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/05/frozen-soul-glacial-domination.html

the Top 10 Mainstream Metal Albums of 2023

Mainstream Metal is defined here as the middle of the road that does not lean too far in the direction of other genres that have their own lists. Power Metal and Thrash are the two most common sub-genres and are considered just renaming this the top 10 Power Metal and Thrash albums, but who knows what the future will bring so left it as is. These are not the coolest albums, but the best, fuck what other blogs say, After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2023. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Mainstream Metal albums of 2023.

10-Overkill -"Scorched" 

. Bobby Ellsworth's voice is still intact at 63, so that is half the equation for success. He and D.D Verni are the remaining founder members of the band, but D.D. is writing the bulk of the songs, their sound is pretty much intact. The new-ish guitarists provide enough fretboard pyrotechnics to satisfy the average thrash fan.I am pleased with this album, and the risks they do take pay off though they mainly deliver what you want from them with well-aged grace,

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/overkill-scorched.html

9- Cirith Ungol  -"Dark Parade" 

 More of the band's lineup is intact than most bands whose careers reach back to the 70s. Greg Lindstrom and Robert Garven formed the band back in 1971. With vocalist Tim Baker joining them for their first album. Baker's snarl still works really well. Does he still have the Rob Halford-like wail that he carried for "Frost and Fire"? No, he is 66 years old. Rob Halford does not sound like Rob Halford did in 1981. I think the weathered pipes of Baker sound more metal now.  These guys have gotten a helluva a lot heavier if you compare this to their earlier work. More importantly to my ears, they also sound darker.  There is a less proto-doom sound and more of a crushing thrashed-out power metal feel. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/cirith-ungol-dark-parade.html

8-Prong -"State of Emergency" 

When I first heard "Beg to Differ" it was clear these guys were taking music in another direction as their staccato stomp was outside of where thrash was. Their new album does not take anything in a new direction, it does highlight what they did. The vocals find Tommy Victor's voice sounding as urgent as ever with little wear and tear over the years. it is way better than expected, they do not have to try very hard to blend into the current metal landscape

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/prong-state-of-emergency.html

6-Dead Never Sleep-"Origins of Evil"

There is something about this band's sound that hits a nostalgic place for the weird bridge certain bands made during the late 80s as music began to transition away from where metal was at the time. There was commonly more of a punk influence to these bands like Snake Nation, Angkor Wat, and Die Kreuzen . The odd blend of sonic colors they make use of compensates in a way that works for me. I look forward to what the future brings for these guys and hope it finds them moving in this darker direction the songs are pulled toward.  It's lots of fun and takes me back to a welcome place.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/08/dead-never-sleep-origins-of-evil.html

 5-Skamold -" Ýdalir " 

Even with the roar of their throaty vocals, these guys are more melodic than you might expect.  They bring in dynamic changes to offer everything you might want from the genre without devolving into drinking songs. I would say there is less theatrics than what Amon Amarth does. There is also a little less thrash to suggest they might be more influenced by both Manowar and Bathory depending on where you are at in the song what they do not do is wander off into folk atmosphere or throw themselves into black metal passages, instead sticking to a very deliberate manner of songwriting that still maintains a great deal of drive. This works for me as there are already many extremes in metal out today so to find a balance that lends itself to melody always works in my book.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/08/skalmold-ydalir.html

4-Heidevolk -"WederKeer" 

The Dutch metal band's 7th album finds some lineup changes in place, with Mat van Baest added as a lead guitarist and Awakening Sun Drummer Kevin van den Heiligenberg. Former Conorach vocalist Jacco de Wijs returns for his second album with the band. This makes the bass player the only original member. Their third album is my favorite, and it feels like this album is going to follow a similar path of applying traditional metal values and almost power metal-like hooks to the epic odes to Vikings. Being that they are south of the Baltic, I will not call them Viking metal as that is a term reserved for Scandinavian bands, no matter who liberal scholars might seek to revise history for their narrative. I appreciate where they are coming from and the Germanic myths seem to be sung with sincerity, so this is not total LARPing.They have taken what they do and perfected it while doing metal proud by sticking to the truest form.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/heidevolk-wederkeer.html

3-Kvelertak - "Endling" 

 Norway's most rocking punks are back. It's the same line-up that busted out "Splid'. At times things go off in a more jammy metallic direction, that spans sonically from an almost Blue Oyster Cult feel to very driven metal chugs. They do what they do without recycling ideas, and not selling out, and the band continues to evolve in all the best ways

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/08/kvelertak-endling.html

 

 

2-Metallica -"72 Seasons" 

As someone who bought "Master of Puppets" on cassette when it came out 38 years ago, you might think my expectations are high for their 11th album. This album grew on me despite some recycling and clock-punching, to keep it from being perfect, if you are a Metallica fan and wish the "Black Album' was more metal and free of power ballads then this album is for you. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/metallica-72-seasons.html

  1-Primordial - "How it Ends" 

It's been five years since the Irish pagan metallers released "Exile Amongst the Ruins". Their newest album finds them in the same saddle galloping toward an even grimmer horizon. In fact, the end of the world is the theme of their newest effort, which should be no surprise given the title. The album is in the mega epic vein you might associate with this band. With Nemtheanga's vocals soaring while still full of commanding grit. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/08/primordial-how-it-ends.html

The Top 10 Indie Rock Albums of 2023

If you do not know what Indie rock means in 2023, I am not sure why you clicked on this article in the first place. The bands that made the top ten list, are of the more experimental variety, many times bordering on post-punk, but not as fully immersed in the bleakness, though more albums lean into a darker mood than not here, though given the website you are reading this on that should not be a surprise. While indie rock lends itself to hipster culture, these are not intended to be the coolest albums, but the best, fuck what other blogs say,.   After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2023. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 indie rock albums of 2023

10- Activity - "Spirit in the Room" 

This Brooklyn-based band was produced by Jeff Berner from Psychic TV.  While the ambiance you might associate with Berner is hinted at, this is more of a hipster affair.  Minimalist arrangements bubble to life not unlike how early Fever Ray used to work. They ride the line between writing songs and focusing on just creating cool sounds.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/activity-spirit-in-room.html

  9-PAWS -"s/t" 

 This is the Scottish band's 5th album. They are an interesting blend of noisy catharsis disguised as indie rock, they gaze back fondly into the 90s sounds and touch upon a nostalgia for a time and place in music that was once dear to me

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/paws-st.html

8- Legss -"Fester" 

 London's Legss might get called a post-punk band, but there is little tension to what they do and more speculation than bleakness. Their guitars have a  jangle and poetic vocal lean into catharsis. At times they make me think of what Stone Roses might have sounded like if they had been into Sonic Youth. Their songs have impressive shift of dynamic shifts , even if it works off the loud-to-soft formula of the '90s.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/08/legss-fester.html

 

7-the New Pornographers - "Continue as Guest" 

The Canadian indie rock band that made Neko Case a household name is back. These guys are more interesting when they are more emotionally complex and possibly really stoned. This album is a bit of a  sonic tug-of-war that proves they are great songwriters who really excelled at crafting this. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-new-pornographers-continue-as-guest.html

6- Narrowhead-"Moments of Clarity" 

 On "12th House Rock" the Texas band busted out some post-hardcore with an emotive underpinning. Not unlike Hum or Helmet if those bands were really into their feelings. Now the glaze of shoegaze coats the songs. The vocals are more introspective. They do occasionally hit you with a harder syncopated jangle, to remind you they did not leave their distortion pedals at home. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/03/narrow-head-moments-of-clarity.html

5- PJ Harvey-"I Inside the Old Year Dying" 

Harvey's 10th album and first since 2016 has according to her been a long time in the making. It opens with an introspective atmosphere. For 53 her voice sounds great. The delicate melodies cast a reflection of who she is today, which might not be the same woman who has brought us gritty grunge grooves soaked in blues. She muses Elvis and Jesus on this one and I am fine with that as well. She is making attempts to blend with the current musical climate, and remains a more outsider, though one with a less street-tough exterior.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/07/pj-harvey-i-inside-old-year-dying.html

4-the Tubs -"Dead Meat" 

This British band formed out of the ashes of Joanna Gruesome, which is such a great name, sadly, they abandoned it, but the rollicking indie rock they jangle into is highlighted by the emotive croon of the singer. Are the Smiths an influence? Yes. Does the singer sound like Morrissey? No. His voice is a lighter more delicate plea than the more resonant voice of Morrissey, though the delicate quiver found here is unique and helps give them more of their own identity.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-tubs-dead-meat.html

 

 

3- Swans - "the Begger" 

In a world where kids are listening to pop acts with 20 songwriters and even more producers, something is refreshing about Michael Gira, as the sole producer and songwriter of Swans' new album. There is a darker tone that is also a welcome return for the band who had gotten kinda jammy on previous albums and more into the droning math of grooves than the sonic heaviness of the post-punk they rose to cult status from before their hiatus. The fact that these guys are one of my favorite bands and only made it to number three is a testament to the bands that took the top two spots. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/swans-beggar.html

2-House of Harm - "Playground" 

A lot is going on with House of Harm's new album. There is an 80s vibe to things that owes a great deal to the Cure, but there are more layers to it that than. The vocals are what separates them from post-punk bands, and lean them in the direction of poppy indie rock., which is more pronounced as the album progresses and the vocals become less pouty.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/house-of-harm-playground.html

1-Death Valley Girls - "Islands in the Sky" 

There is still a little of the 60s feel that ran through the previous album, but there is less flower power sentiment. There are catchier groove to the song that might work more at goth night than for go-go dancing, despite often stepping back into the  60's girl group pop feel. This goes in the most logical direction given the band's trajectory but is a far cry from selling out, which works for me. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/03/death-valley-girls-islands-in-sky.html

Top 10 Folk / Country Albums of 2023

For some time we have combined country and folk music into this list since they are on the fringe of what is normally reviewed here. The two genres have a great deal of stylistic overlap since pop country is not my thing, and I like folk music that is darker and more melancholy. These albums do not really give a damn about the Nashville status quo even when it comes to the artists, that are in more of a commercial spotlight.   These are not the coolest albums, but the best, fuck what other blogs say,.   After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2023. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 country and folk albums of 2023.

10-Conny Ochs - "Wahn und sinn" 

It's been four years since "Doom Folk". The world has gotten weirder since then, so Och's German album makes perfect sense. Musically it's more orchestral than I expected. Sung in German, which is a harsh guttural tongue that does not always lend itself to melody. This awkward phrasing can be heard glaringly well/to a spacious mix that places his vocals at the forefront. There is a slight country feel to the lazy saunter of these songs. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/conny-ochs-wahn-und-sinn.html

 

9-Georgia Mooney- "Full of Moon" 

Australian singer Georgia Mooney feels like she fell from the cosmos of another time. There is a 60s pop feel combined with a dream pop-like atmosphere. Her delicate melodies are supple with each note gracefully ringing out.  Folk is also shown to be at the least an influence in her soul-baring balladry. This album is impressive what she does, and want to hear where her musical journey goes from this point. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/georgia-mooney-full-of-moon.html

 

8-Helena Deland -"Goodbye Summerland" 

The airy dreaminess of Helena's sound works really well. It reminds me of many indie singer-songwriters from the late 90s. The vocals are harmonized in a manner not unlike Azure Ray, with an undercoating of country haunting it.  It's pretty solid songwriting with her own identity superimposed on a familiar sound. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/helena-deland-goodbye-summerland.html

 

7-Rat Boys -"the Window"

There is a fair amount of noise around the raw edges of otherwise slicked pop bounce with a country twang to it thanks to the youthful voice of Julia Steiner, whose voice sometimes reminds me of Katie Crutchfield of Waxahachie. Chris Walla from Dead Can for Cuie produced this album, and this can mainly be felt in the dynamics of making the bigger parts rock more. The style of songwriting flows very easily and organically. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/ratboys-window.html

6-the Keening -"Little Bird" 

Rebecca Vernon's old band SubRosa singer did flirt with darkness. This love affair is reignited with her new project the Keening, which finds her partnering with With Mountain drummer Nathan Carson. This album proves an exercise in minimalism and restraint for him, as the drums give most of the spotlight to the vocals and orchestrated folk elements that weave atmosphere around them. I enjoy the mood, and the dark atmosphere it bathes you in.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/gothtober-keening-little-bird.html

 

5-Wednesday -"Rat Saw God" 

Karly Hartzman fronts this indie rock band that blends the sounds of the 90s into something compelling on many levels. She sings in a very convincing and emotive manner. There is plenty of rock used as a clamoring dynamic. It makes for a very well written and highly thought out album,

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/wednesday-rat-saw-god.html

  4-Chris Stapleton - "Higher" 

Stapleton was once the last great hope for country music. Others have emerged to help take some of the weight off his shoulders, but he is still a titan in the genre, so expectations are high for the new album. It opens with a thoughtful, soulful tune, that has an easy feel while leaning into the melancholic feel country music is known for. He brings the blues with him once more, and some great guitar playing.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/11/chris-stapleton-higher.html

3- Lydia Loveless -  "Nothing's Gonna Stand in My Way Again" 

 Loveless's 6th album might have found her arriving at an iconic level of songwriting. It blends indie rock with country and folk in a very organic fashion. Other albums have attempted to do similar but her album feels the most genuine. This album caught me by surprise and I wish I had checked it out when it first came out.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/lydia-loveless-nothings-gonna-stand-in.html

2-Tyler Childers - "Rustin' in the Rain" 

Childers' sixth album finds him writing songs he thinks might appeal to Elvis. But not the King's "Hound Dog" persona, but Presley's early country roots. This is often done with the twang of the honky tonk, allowing the 32-year-old singer to belt it with his trademark brassy tenor. Lyrically clever, and always heartful, he never dials it in for the radio, and if it happens to have pop appeal it's an added bonus, not an objective, and certainly not the product of the Nashville writer's room

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/tyler-childers-rustin-in-rain.html

1-Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - "Weathervanes" 

Isbell's latest collaboration with his band the 400 Unit is a celebration of songwriting. His voice always finds the perfect place to be. While his solo album "Southeastern" is the masterpiece that this album is going to be measured up against, here he steers things into a more Americana-flavored rock rather than country music. There is a warmth to the album's sound that recalls many classic rock albums with a southern flare, but it is more personable than those. He is one of the best songwriters living today. He transcends country music and does his thing.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/jason-isbell-400-unit-weathervanes.html