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It's time for the Top 5 Albums of 2023! Stay til the end to hear even more top albums from other listeners around the globe. Learn more about Record Store Society.
Creators & Guests
What is Record Store Society?
It's time to visit your favorite local record store; a place where music fans spend countless hours flipping through records, discuss the minutia of favorite b-sides, best live albums, and anything else music-related. If you have any questions, you can always find Tara and Natalie behind the counter ready to give a recommendation or tell you about a recent discovery. Join Record Store Society, a music podcast, biweekly to see what’s new or just to hang around for some music talk.
0:00:00 - Intro
Hey everybody, it's Tara. Stick around to the end of the episode to hear some more top 2023 picks from our Friends of the Record store. Happy New Year. Thanks for listening.
0:00:25 - Tara
Hi Natalie,
0:00:26 - Natalie
hey Tara, Welcome to 2024.
0:00:28 - Tara
Happy New Year. I'm here and I am ready for 2024.
0:00:33 - Natalie
Do you have any resolutions? Are you into that noise or no?
0:00:37 - Tara
You know, I had a full list of goals from 2023 and I haven't even really looked to reflect on them. I don't think it's too late for me to set some goals for 2024. It's never too late it's still January and all, but I don't have any really defined yet, I guess.
0:00:55 - Natalie
You're just living by the seat of your pants. I like that, do you? I'm just like you. I think it's just a continuation of 2023. Yeah, you know, honestly, though, for me, I have to reset on a weekly basis. I can't deal with annual resolutions. We have to make new goals every Monday. Let's just start over. Let's just clean the slate and start over. You know, yeah, I like that. Planning for like 365 days just seems a little. It's a little intense, but I try to achieve smaller, attainable, tangible goals in seven day windows. That's that works for me. But one of those goals I will say. I will say this I'm looking at this adorable sweater you're wearing and I'm a crafty gal. I like my knitting, I like crocheting and all that jazz, and I do want to knit more this year because it makes me happy. Yeah, and you're inspiring me right now with your fit. I love it.
0:01:48 - Tara
Oh, thank you.
0:01:48 - Natalie
Yeah, strawberries.
0:01:49 - Tara
Strawberry extraordinary from the eighties, maybe seventies, who knows? Very uh it's very fun eighties sweater vibes. It's a cosmos, what?
0:01:59 - Natalie
Oh, it's super cute. I actually have a pattern that has like like synth wave, like a synth wave pattern, you know, with like that low sun and the car, you know, with the buildings on either side. Yeah, I'm going to knit that, yes.
0:02:12 - Tara
I think you'll love that. Oh, can you make one in my size also, please? It'll take me two years to finish.
0:02:17 - Natalie
Two years to finish.
0:02:19 - Tara
Yeah, twins, okay, we'll all settle for like a hat.
0:02:23 - Natalie
Okay, that matches your sweater. Okay, that's, that's definitely a deal.
0:02:27 - Tara
Nice, I do have one goal, actually. What's that? I got a saxophone for Christmas, you got it. So I will be learning careless whisper Sexy, that's like the main goal. I have already learned the C major scale and another fun jazzy song called swing and easy, but I'm working my way towards careless whisper so goal.
0:02:51 - Natalie
Are you self taught? Yeah, do you have a teacher? What's your strategy to learn? Self taught for sure, I can't wait. I'm excited for careless whisper.
0:03:00 - Tara
Once I get some of the basic stuff under my belt for saxophone, I may look into getting some sort of lessons for jazz style sax. Yeah, hello, welcome to our store. I'm Tara. I'm.
0:03:15 - Natalie
Natalie.
0:03:15 - Tara
Let us know if you need anything. We'll be discussing our 2023 faves over here, because it is time, natalie, to discuss our top albums of 2023.
0:03:27 - Natalie
Yes. How do you feel about 2023 overall?
0:03:31 - Tara
You know I told you I made this spreadsheet I was going to stay on top of listening to new music, but did I know that was way too ambitious? There's just too much music to listen to. It's so hard and this is not my full-time job to be reviewing music, listening to music, and, although I love it, I also like to listen to my old favorites. So I feel like, even though I tried really hard to stay on top of everything, I still have not heard. Some I know have made the top 2023 lists this year. Yeah, how do you feel about it?
0:04:06 - Natalie
I'm about the same. I think I also prioritized oldies but goodies and faves, playlists from the past and things like that. So I was really distracted for most of 2023 until later in the summer and to the fall, things started coming on my radar and I was like, wow, there's a ton of good stuff coming out this year and I, too, am still behind. There's still so many records I haven't had a chance to just sit down and dig into. There's some good stuff that came out last year that just completely went over my head. It's ridiculous. I gotta do better this year.
0:04:36 - Tara
Yeah, I'm going to say I'm going to try to do better. I say this every year and even when I think I do a really good job of it, I still miss some. So, yeah, I think one year what was it? 2020?, 2021, I think where we had a lot of jazz on our lists both of us.
Yeah, but last year was a little bit more of a blend, I think. And then this year for me feels like I'm going towards music that isn't obviously it's not old but leans more towards the things that I love from my youth, like those like 90s alternative type things. So yeah, that was a pattern I noticed. Oh well, I'm eager to hear Anything for you.
0:05:21 - Natalie
No pattern, just chaos, chaos. That is my theme for 2024. Okay, I mean, I've heard lots of stuff that I really, really enjoy from last year and I'm still working through my list. It's all over the place and I just I couldn't find a group of five that represented how vast all of the different styles were like from the albums that I enjoyed most. I just kept like trying to reorganize them and I just couldn't do it, so I picked five that I just I returned to the most. I think that that was my. That's how I made my final decision. But this, this does not at all begin to scratch the surface of all the fun stuff that I found from last year, but I am. I do feel good about these. These are solid albums and I think you might be be into them too. So you're a singer, what you say.
0:06:07 - Tara
Same. That's kind of how I played at this this year as well. These are all ones that I kept coming back to, yeah, despite the many amazing albums that made it to really stay in 2023. But, yeah, shall we get into it?
0:06:26 - Natalie
Let's take turns. Yeah, let's take turns. Interweave our ideas.
0:06:31 - Tara
I'll go first Okay let's number five. So my number five is Sun Tub by ML Buch. Have you heard of this?
0:06:50 - Natalie
I have not.
0:06:51 - Tara
This is the second studio album from ML Buch and she's a Danish musician and this album was released in October of 2023. She self-produced, it played all the instruments on the album aside for some drum parts, and it was also recorded. Over a span of five years. I've been calling her the Lady Blake Mills, which I think is very fitting. Also, blake Mills made it to my top 10, but not my top five. But it's very quiet, reflective, kind of like a something you'd want to hear inside when the sun is flowing through your windows and you can see the little dust particles, heavy and feel, but not in volume or noise. You know what I mean Kind of a dusty, echoey, quiet, dreamy vibe. There are some bright synth moments amongst those echoey, lonely sounding guitar moments as well, but overall kind of just a really chill, beautiful album and it was a pleasant surprise in my 2023 music discovery.
0:08:15 - Natalie
How did you discover her?
0:08:16 - Tara
That's a good question. I don't remember, but I really love it.
0:08:21 - Natalie
You're just happy. You did Very good. I like the sound. It feels like kind of 80s, that sort of like chorus effect on the voice and the guitar.
0:08:30 - Tara
Yeah, chorusy, yeah, lots of reverb, lots of chorus. It's nice. Okay, you're next.
0:08:38 - Natalie
Okay, another easily mispronounce-able name, but I'm going to do my best here. I chose Be Witched by Laufey, and that's the best I can do, folks, but we can stick with the more American version Laufey from here on out. This is the lovely jazzy Icelandic songstress, jazz adjacent, we'll say, and although this is the first full album from her that I've heard, this is her second studio album. I followed her for a long time on YouTube. She's done some really amazing covers. I've always just adored her voice and I'm so happy that she's finally blowing up and getting the massive attention that she deserves. Have you seen Laufey before? Laufey, I have not.
Oh, you're going to fall in love with her voice. Here's a bit of the first single from her album. It's called From the Start.
0:09:41 - Tara
Oh well, that's just charming.
0:09:43 - Natalie
Yeah, very, very charming. So she describes this album as a love album, whether it be love towards a friend or lover or life. She's been nominated for a Grammy under the best traditional pop vocal album. And, yeah, her voice absolutely gorgeous, deep and warm, charming, with that full throwback vibrato. Every song in this album is just like a lullaby, but what gets me even more are like the harmonies. Her voice, stacked in the background, is just this soft, cozy blanket. It's so beautiful. I wanted to play a bit of another track as an example.
This is one of my faves, it's called Second.
0:10:25 - Speaker 5
Best.
0:10:30 - Natalie
And I have to mention her impressive skill as an instrumentalist. She plays piano, guitar and cello all throughout the album. I particularly love her on the cello. I just think it's such a lovely compliment to her voice. And the other thing that gets me on this album too, she does these little hummed ad libs. They're very subtle but, man, they just grab you. It kind of reminds me of Whitney Houston, who was the master at those barely there purring runs, you know where. She just kind of floats across the notes. You know what I mean? I feel like she's channeling a bit of that and I'm like okay, girl, I see you like she's really soulful, you know. But yeah, so many good songs in the album. Another one that tugs at my heartstrings is the song Letter to my Thirteen Year Old Self. I won't play that one now because I will cry in the store. Nobody wants to see that. But it's a beautiful record. You should really listen to it and check out her covers on YouTube too.
0:11:26 - Tara
Cool, all right let's hear your number four. All right, my number four is Bar Italia, tracey Denim. This is British Band. This is their third full length album and it was released in May. It's alternative rock and it really it scratches an itch. I feel like I've been missing from a lot of alternative or even indie rock these days. I've been wanting a rock album that I can just put on repeat and listen to it all the way through and just get really familiar with it. Like you know, my favorites like the Lemonheads or Pavement or anything like that and I feel like Bar Italia really does that with this record they are kind of mopey but cool. They're grungy but refined. Fuzzy guitars to me are just the absolute best. Have you heard them?
0:12:44 - Natalie
yet I have not. I can hear why you would be into this. This sounds like right up your alley.
0:12:49 - Tara
Right, it does. Yeah, they are, you can tell, very heavily influenced by some of those alternative legendary bands like the Cure and Slow Dive and Pavement and the song Clark is kind of shows the guitar bass interplay of New Order's Low Life and then the vocals and acoustic guitars on Changer are kind of like Wish Era Cure maybe. I don't know I like this I love their influences and, yeah, this record is definitely very me and I'm glad to see something, or hear something like this in 2023. I like the sound of Clark.
0:13:41 - Natalie
Yeah, I'll have to sit down and hear the whole thing. Okay, my number four is Talib Kweli and Mos Def, liberation 2. So this is the much anticipated sequel to their collaborative album Liberation from 2007. So they've really taken their time with this one right, and they've done so intentionally, to really demonstrate the fruits of a well thought out, unrushed creative process.
A lot of incredible features on this album, including Roy Ayres, guapale where the hell has she been? I loved Guapale back in the day Q-Tip, michelle and DeGiocello and Mac Miller, to name a few. Qali's son and daughter also make appearances on the album, which I think is just the cutest thing. But my favorite track on the album is called Nat Turner and it features Casper Niovest and Xion Kuti I really hope I said that somewhat correctly Son of the Great Fela Kuti and all three MCs go really hard on this track. And this just might be one of my favorite beats from Mad Lib of all time, and I really love the message and the rhymes in this particular song too. It's really channeling that evergreen anger of Nat Turner, of course, the revolutionary who led the deadliest slaves of rising in American history. So the song is very much about the continued racism in America. But what's cool is that you have these two super dope African artists come in and rhyme, just showing off their African pride and explaining that this tired, overused, racist thing of like go back to Africa, you know, is really not the insult that they think it is, and Africa is actually a really beautiful and wonderful place, and I just I think it's cool to like juxtapose those two perspectives in this song.
Here's another track I wanted to share. That's one of my favorites. It features Fela Kuti's daughter, deani, called Air Quotes. So Deani, she's got bars too, man. I checked out some of her other music. It's definitely in the blood. They've been doing like the late night circuit. The performances are really, really cool. And I guess the last thing I'll say on rockthebellscom, Kweli says about this album that it was written, recorded and mixed over 10 years. It's expansive in concept but tight in its substance and approach. People today are taking stock of what is most important family, health, wellness and love. And to that I say mission accomplished, sir, great album and well worth the wait.
0:16:28 - Tara
Nice. Meshell Ndegeocello also had an album this year, or in 2023, I should say.
0:16:35 - Speaker 3
Yeah.
0:16:36 - Tara
It wasn't as good as the one with the big pink triangle on it. The covers one. I forget what it's called, but of course it's always lovely to hear.
0:16:45 - Natalie
She's constantly like collaborating and popping up on other people's records and stuff too. She keeps busy. So every time I see a feature from her, I'm like, okay, yeah, this is going to be quality Totally. Yeah, all right, number three what you got.
0:16:59 - Tara
Oh right, Number three. I have, Caroline Polachek, the album Desire. I Want to Turn Into you.
0:17:09 - Speaker 6
Bunny is a rider satellite. I can find her no sympathy. Ain't nothing for free.
0:17:18 - Tara
Good pick. This is her sophomore album definitely not a sophomore slump and it was released on Valentine's Day in 2023. My favorite, of course, of course, from this album is Bunny as a Rider.
0:17:30 - Natalie
I really enjoyed her late night run to promote this album. She was doing some really creative, interesting kind of like experimental things on the stage with her songs. That I thought was really really neat.
0:17:43 - Tara
Yeah, she's really interesting, I will say. Just going back to Bunny as a Rider, though, I think that's a perfect pop song. I love it. And I also love, love, love our local DJ and producer friend, Nikki Nair. He does a remix of Bunny as a Rider and it's awesome. Definitely check it out. But this is one of my most repeated listens of the year, honestly, and I even have played it out in my DJ sets. Yeah, I think she does a lot of really interesting things. I feel like this album. For me, this is so funny, but it's kind of like Dido meets Bjork. You know what I mean, remember.
Dido from the late 90s, early 2000s.
0:18:29 - Natalie
I do remember Dido, and she pops up on this album too.
0:18:32 - Tara
Wait Dido is on this album.
0:18:34 - Natalie
Yeah, Isn't she? Isn't? She featured with Grimes on a track.
0:18:39 - Tara
Shut the front door. I just thought this was some random connection I made with her voice. Oh, my God, you're right. The song Fly to you. Why did I? You know what? That must have been one of those things where I saw her name and then in my head just was like this feels like a Dido something, and just didn't realize that I had already seen Dido's name in the track listing or on the credits. That's so funny. But I do think if she weren't on the record at all, caroline Polachek is like a nice blend of Dido meets Bjork, because Dido for me, when I heard of Dido many, many years ago, I thought that she was very like kind of adult alternative almost, but also pop in a sense, and also kind of cool alternative too on some level. And so I think Caroline Polachek is that, but also very experimental and kind of out there like Bjork Ethereal but pop, mature but fresh. You know what I mean, you know what she reminds me of actually what I mean.
0:19:54 - Natalie
I'm not as familiar with the music, but just the songs that I've heard and like seeing her performances. It reminds me of back when I was way into Frou Frou and Image and Deep yeah. Kind of that crossover to her solo era. Yeah.
0:20:08 - Tara
Yeah, I mean, and of course, all that to say is she is definitely her own person. But if you were to say, recommended, if you like one of those things. I would say Dido Frou, frou, Bjork Grimes, maybe even just a little bit, but not like New Grimes, just more old Grimes. But yeah, this was a great album. I listened to it a lot. I think she nailed it. I can't wait to see more from her.
0:20:32 - Natalie
All right. My number three pick is Chronicles of a Diamond by Black Pumas. So this is their second album and I think they were definitely feeling the pressure after the huge response they got from their 2019 debut. But they definitely beat that sophomore slump here too. So this is just a solid, feel good, starry eyed soul record, and I think this time around the duo had much more of a balanced collaboration for this album. Creatively, because the first time around the singer, eric Burton he was busking and when Adrian Casada had approached him for the project, most of the creative part of the process was already finished. So this time around, burton really takes on most of the writing with Casada on production. It's just a good marriage there. And the Electric Church man it's back in full swing.
0:21:21 - Speaker 5
Here's a bit of their song Sauvignon Sauvignon in my two rooms from the best side to another coast in that cool and cold.
0:21:35 - Natalie
Yeah, that song is so funky I can't hardly stand it. It's giving a little Curtis Mayfield, freddie's dead kind of energy just definitely a head bopper. And we've got just so many good fun like just dancing groovy tracks on here, like Jim and I's Son is another one I really really like. Eric Burton's voice is just so juicy and you've got this great arrangement with the choir in the background. It's just Chef's Kiss. It kind of feels like a Wu-Tang beat, which is probably why I like it too. Oh yeah, but I think if there's another one we should check out, it should be the single, which I think was the perfect choice from this album to release and preview the whole record. It's called Mrs Postman. Here's a bit Again. Just very funky, very catchy, sing along, dance, it's great. Let me stop because I'll just keep naming every track on the album as one of my favorites and, like you get the gist, just go listen to it.
0:22:39 - Tara
You nailed it with the Curtis Mayfield reference there for sure, I can 100% hear that yeah, yeah Cool. I've never heard of them before, don't think?
0:22:50 - Natalie
Yeah, they blew up when they hit the scene. They like played for Biden's inauguration Like people were just going crazy over them.
0:22:56 - Tara
That's their second studio album.
0:22:58 - Natalie
You said this is their second album.
0:23:00 - Tara
Yeah, Good job, alright, ooh, wow, number two. This is my number two and it is not a new one to the store. We have definitely talked about this album in our new to us chats. This is Bonnie Dune with the album Let there Be Music. Let there Be Music, let there Be Love, let there Be Laughter. It was released in June.
Bonnie Dune's an indie band from Detroit. They're actually the backing band for Waxahatchee and I'm not too, not a huge fan of Waxahatchee and they're not terrible, but I'm just, you know, not for me. But this is their third studio album and I love Bonnie Dune, at least I really love this album Let there Be Music. I have been or have described them as Evan Dando meets like Camper Van Beethoven or something like that, maybe even a little pavement with some of this like lo-fi, indie, alternative vibes. Again, you know, so far. See, there are some things you may have noticed, some trends the lo-fi guitar, the noise. We have ML Buck, we have Bar Italia, now we have Bonnie Dune and this record again also, that beautiful baritone voice from Bobby Colombo of Bonnie Dune is very Evan Dando-ish to me. Or Stephen Malcolm from Pavement. I just think he has a great voice. But this album.
Some favorites is the song Naturally. Let's hear a little bit of that. And then another favorite of mine in and this one is probably the one that leans a little bit more pavement is the song Roxanne. But yeah, it's sunny, it's beautiful, it's a little note of nostalgia. For me it's just a feel good record. So that's my number two.
0:25:14 - Natalie
I'm curious because I know that you frequently hit up live shows and whatnot All the names you've shared so far. Have you seen any of them live?
0:25:22 - Tara
I have not, not of the ones that.
0:25:24 - Natalie
I've shared so far.
0:25:25 - Tara
No, yes, it is pretty rare, right, and I think that kind of is a reflection to what I have listened to a lot of in 2023, those bands and people that I have gone to their shows. It's a lot of older folks, I think, so oh, yeah.
0:25:41 - Natalie
Okay, here's my number two. Pick you ready. It's Black Rainbows by Corinne Bailey-Rae.
Oh, yes, so two time Grammy winner, corinne Bailey-Rae. I loved her first album from 2006 with those hits feature Records on which everybody remembers, and like a star. I think that's still the most common way people perceive her general sound and in light of that, this fourth album is just a huge, unexpected left turn. It's loud, it's gritty, it's very intense. It really channels her alt rock roots, having grown up being inspired by bands like Baruch Assault and L7. You can really hear that here, especially in her first single called New York Transit Queen.
0:26:27 - Speaker 3
New York Transit Queen. New York Transit Queen. New York Transit Queen Little Over 17.
0:26:37 - Tara
Wow, isn't that cool. That's way more rock driven than I've ever heard. Corinne Bailey-Rae Right, but hey, this is like these were her roots.
0:26:46 - Natalie
She was in an alt rock band for a while in her youth, but yeah, wow, yeah. So that's like a taste of what to look forward to in this album. But she does a lot. She hits some Afrofuturistic Electronica in this tune called Earthlings. That's definitely one of my favorites. You've got punk. You've got distorted grunge rock in the song Erasure, experimental jazz.
She does this mellow soul track that features Paris and Amber Strother from King Again another feature. Whenever I see those names pop up on a record, I know it's going to be high quality. The album really does a lot, but she still gives us that gentle, sweet, piano ballad moment that really showcases her lovely voice in this song called Peach Velvet Sky. So she says that the album was inspired by an archive of art about the black experience from artist Thea Sturgates in Chicago that she saw, I think, in like 2017. And that quote summoned thoughts about slavery, spirituality, beauty, survival, hope and freedom, and the Guardian, among other reviews, gave it very high or full marks even, and deemed it her best work yet, and I certainly would agree. I just love how unpredictable the album is. It's really a journey and no two songs are in the same neighborhood and I think it's a really exciting direction for her.
0:28:17 - Tara
That's cool. Yeah, I'll definitely have to check that one out more.
0:28:20 - Natalie
Yeah, I think there's some tracks on it you particularly would enjoy.
0:28:24 - Tara
I truly only know that one song puts your records on I know right. Yeah, I could do a little bit more diving into Corinne Bailey Rae.
0:28:32 - Natalie
I think this is the time she really surprised everybody with this one. That's cool.
0:28:37 - Tara
All right, all right, here we go.
0:28:39 - Natalie
We are at the finish line.
0:28:41 - Tara
This is my last one, number one. Again, no surprises here, scratchin' that nostalgic itch for me Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. The album is Counsel Skies. I listened to this record so much in 2023. It's Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' fourth studio album from the project. It was released in June.
Also and actually his brother, liam, has said about this song Dead to the World. How can such a mean-spirited little man write such a beautiful song? Those guys, they're just so mean to each other. But I love see this says so much honestly about that song number one. But I think it also says a lot about the album too. It's beautiful, it's so good, it's yeah, like I said, it's nostalgic, it's emotional, it feels oddly honest and humble, which the latter is not one I would usually relate to.
The Gallagher boys and his previous three albums have done well in the UK. They've gone to number one in the UK, but I would say little ever gets to the level that Oasis really got to. But I think this is probably the closest that we've gotten from any of the Gallagher brothers. You know, of course, we got a lot from them. We always get a lot from them headline-wise, but I would say that this album is kind of a game changer. I don't know how widely it crosses the whole pop culture world, but I think it's probably the best thing that we have gotten since the days of Oasis the big days of Oasis, in my opinion. I will say let's listen to Easy Now.
0:30:51 - Natalie
Yeah, I can definitely hear the wavelength you were on in 2023. All these tapes, yeah, right.
0:30:57 - Tara
It's like, if I'm not listening to 90s albums, I'm listening to music that sounds just like the 90s. That's a surprise, but I think this is a very listenable album. I also not only did I find myself listening to this album a ton in 2023, which is why it deserves to be on the top of my list but I got a chance to see them perform live. This is the only one in my top five lists that I got to see perform some of these songs live, and it even included the drummer from the Laws on Percussion, which I thought was really cool.
0:31:30 - Natalie
Yeah, where was this?
0:31:32 - Tara
And this was. This is just in town.
0:31:34 - Natalie
Okay, yeah, nice.
0:31:36 - Tara
But it was great and they did play some Oasis hits as well. But yeah, that's my list. Definitely alternative rock leaning this year for me.
0:31:48 - Natalie
Confession for you I haven't listened to any non-Oasis no Gallagher, no solo, no Gallagher of any kind ever, so I think this might have to be my education on what he's been up to. I think yeah, well, for the last few decades Just dive into this one, because this one's the one.
0:32:07 - Tara
Yeah.
0:32:08 - Natalie
That's the one, okay, cool yeah.
0:32:10 - Tara
Definitely it's great. I hate to say it, but it's great, it's so good.
0:32:14 - Natalie
I like your list. It's nice and tight, it's got a, it's got a direction, it's got a focus. You know.
0:32:20 - Tara
Yeah, yeah, totally yours as well. Very interesting. Don't know like any of them. I mean, obviously know some of the people, but like haven't heard any of those albums for sure.
0:32:30 - Speaker 3
Yeah.
0:32:31 - Tara
That just goes to show you the breadth and the like wide array of music that came out in 2023 that you know again. We only scratched the surface with just our top fives here.
0:32:42 - Natalie
Oh yeah, and again I struggle to even put these five together there's so many more Like. There's a lot of like a more electronica and like dance kind of things that didn't even get into this list. There was just a lot happening, but definitely.
I will not delay any further. Here is my number one. It's Multitudes by Feist. So this is the sixth studio album from Leslie Feist. She's been off my radar for quite a while, like years and years and years, but I'm so glad I caught this one because it is absolutely gorgeous.
Here's one of the singles from the album. It's called Hiding Out in the Open. I am obsessed with the harmonies in this track. Again, another voice that's already uniquely beautiful, and then you stack it up and it's just otherworldly. Such a pretty song.
And Feist is just a damn good songwriter too. You know, even just reading the lyrics alone, it's enough to make your eyes a bit glossy. She's just so thoughtful and clever and insightful. Multiple times while listening to this album, a line would just like stop me in my tracks and I'd have to pause and just let it sink in a little bit. You know, very thoughtful looking.
This has been described as her quietest album, as I believe. Like half the album has no drums or beat of any kind. Really, her voice is the focus here, and with a voice like that, you know it's always going to be a winning strategy. Pitchfork calls it ASMR folk for the tattered soul, so that was pretty cute. The most rhythmic tune is the opening track called Enlightening. This one feels like a Björk track too, like kind of a little post, a little homogenic kind in that era, but that's really it. You don't get anything that bombastic for the rest of the album. Oh, there's a pretty rock and sack solo on the track Borrow Trouble Terra that you might be into, since you've begun your sax journey.
Another favorite of mine is Become the Earth, which might be the most moving song about death I've heard. There was a lot going on when she started working on this album, right as the pandemic. Before the pandemic started, she'd adopted a daughter. Her father passed away, so it was just a lot to process. You know the pandemic, of course, just a lot going on, and I think it just really translated into easily one of the most beautiful records I've heard in a long time. It's been nominated for a Grammy this year for best engineered album, non classical. And yeah, man, leslie Feist is still killing it. It brings me joy because I've always loved and respected her and that's it, man.
0:35:35 - Tara
Guess, who produced and played on this album.
0:35:39 - Natalie
Don't say Dido.
0:35:40 - Natalie
Blake Mills
0:35:41 - Natalie oh look at us, man making connections again, just effortless. Here we go. We're on some kind of crazy wave, like I love it.
0:35:50 - Tara
Definitely yeah, I did see Feist live this year.
0:35:54 - Natalie
Oh, I'm so jealous. When did you see her?
0:35:56 - Tara
And I already have tickets to see her again this year.
0:36:00 - Natalie
Yeah, she was doing some kind of like residency last year.
0:36:03 - Tara
She played in at the Braves area oh yeah yeah. Whatever?
0:36:08 - Natalie
it's called. Oh, I love it.
0:36:10 - Tara
But she's opening for Sarah McLachlin.
0:36:13 - Natalie
You know what I saw that? I looked that up. I was like do I want to buy tickets for this just to see Fist? Go it's outside. I know, I know I'm thinking about it.
0:36:21 - Tara
Do it.
0:36:22 - Natalie
I'm definitely thinking about it.
0:36:24 - Tara
I bought the high dollar tickets just so I could be very close to Sarah McLachlin.
0:36:28 - Natalie
That's awesome. That's going to be a good show. Yeah, I'm very excited.
0:36:31 - Tara
Well, I love your list. I'm sorry, I almost forgot that you hadn't even done your number one yet there, but it's again, like I said before, all over the place in a good way. You dabbled in a little bit of everything.
0:36:42 - Natalie
I hope that's how you would describe me in general. Yeah, that's true All over the place in a good way.
0:36:47 - Tara
All over the place in a good way. You dabble on all the things and all the things. No, this is great.
0:36:53 - Natalie
And do we have some honorable mentions? Maybe Always. Yeah, what you got.
0:36:58 - Tara
Well, I'm not going to say what order, because I definitely plan on listing my top 10 on my Instagram for my friends. So right, on. I beg of you, natalie, you have to check out my Instagram to see the full top list, but I will highlight a few of my honorable mentions here. Obviously, blake Mills. I've already mentioned Blonde Redhead, khalila Kali Uchis. King Kroll Okay, I'm done. I'm not going to say anymore.
0:37:22 - Natalie
Okay, I had Senmori Moto had a record called Diagnosis Out Frost Children, speed Run, but I have to say Speed Run because they released two albums in 2023. Speed Run was dope. The latter one did not love. Let's see. One of Trix Point Never came out with again that I enjoyed. Also. Blonde Redhead Sit Down for Dinner. Nice and XG, new DNA yeah.
0:37:44 - Tara
Nice, yeah, that Blonde Redhead album was really lovely.
0:37:47 - Natalie
Oh, my gosh In love with that one, particularly the ones with the lady singing.
0:37:53 - Tara
Oh yeah, I just can't hear enough of her voice yeah. Yeah, I know Anoni has a new album in 2023, but I haven't even heard it yet, so I just know that I'm missing a ton of albums still.
0:38:07 - Natalie
Kali Uchis was good too.
0:38:09 - Tara
I liked her album. I really enjoyed it Well cool.
0:38:12 - Natalie
Georgia Smith. I'm sorry, let me shut up. We could just keep going on and on. There was so much good music last year. There was yeah, we'll chat about it in another turn, laurel.
0:38:19 - Tara
Halo. Yeah, there was so much good stuff, but yeah Well, it bodes well for 2024.
0:38:26 - Natalie
Great music is still being made, even though we do live in our 90s, 80s, 70s bubbles. It's good to come out every once in a while and say, oh wow, people are still making good shit. I'm going to go back in my bubble now.
0:38:37 - Tara
It's true, yeah Well, I think whatever the world will throw at us in 2024 will probably impact what we're listening to, and so I don't know who knows. Let's see. I'm excited to see what 2024 brings us.
0:38:52 - Natalie
I know what I'm looking forward to in 2024. It's all about that hairless whisper by Tara.
0:38:58 - Tara
That's the release.
0:38:59 - Natalie
I'm waiting for I'll be working on that. Well then, we should probably wrap up and close up here, so we can go home and practice our instruments.
0:39:06 - Tara
Yes, good call, I will see you next time.
0:39:09 - Natalie
All right, it's been real.
0:39:11 - Tara
Bye,
0:39:12 - Natalie
Bye everybody
0:39:14 - Tara
Congrats, You've made it to the end. Now let's see what some of the friends of the store have to say about what their top picks are.
0:39:20 - Jayda Abello
Hey, this is Jayda Abello in St Petersburg, Florida. My top releases of 2023 are Homefront Games of Power, black Thought and El Michaels Affair Glorious Game and lastly, the Dog's Melodies Massacre. Years on the Archival Label Reminder Record.
0:39:45 - Seth Nicholas Johnson
Hello, this is Seth Nicholas Johnson. I'm from the Washington State Zone and I am going to tell you my top three albums of 2023. Number one is Scaring the Hose by J Pegg, mafia and Danny Brown. It's really noisy and kind of caustic and experimental, but also very listenable. It's a great balance. Number two is Norm by Andy Shauf. If you like Andy Shauf, you'll love this. I think it's his best album yet. Everyone should listen to Norm by Andy Shauf. And number three, post American by MS Paint Really caustic kind of like noisy, hardcore kind of stuff, but also very melody based. If I were to make a bad analogy, I'd say it sounds like it's a mix between Fugazi and Modest Mouse. That's a bad analogy. Okay, bye.
0:40:40 - Crispin Kott
Hi Record Store Society. This is Crispin Kott in Oakland, California. My top three albums of the year Blur, the Ballad of Darren Sea blight, lemon Lights they're a San Francisco band and also from the Bay Area, Anna Hillburg's Tired Girls. Those are my top three albums of 2023. Can't wait to see what 2024 has to reveal.
0:41:09 - Mandy
Hey, Tara and Natalie, this is Mandy from Nebraska. My favorite albums from 2023 are Halo by Baker, Austin by Post Malone and Dead Club City by my absolute favorite band, Nothing but Thieves.
0:41:32 - Billy
Hey, I'm Billy from. Atlanta and my top three albums from 2023 were Everything but the Girl Fuse. Tracy Denim by Bar Italia and Crushed Extra Life.
0:41:50 - Rafael
Hello, my name is Rafael, from the South of Brazil, and here's my top five. Number five Black Pumas Chronicles of the Diamond. The groove is amazing. They are good on these and this album is solid. Number four I hope to not pronounce these wrong Yeule Soft Scars. Love the guitar tones, the atmosphere and all the album. Art is brilliant. Number three Anonhi, in collaboration with Anthony and the Jansons, my back was a bridge for you to cross. The album concept is pretty great. And what a voice out of this world. And, yeah, beautiful melodies. Number two Sufjan Stevens Javelin, a tormented soul. You got to love that. And then the man knows how to sing about a broken spirit. And yeah, number one Curveball. Don't Hate Me, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, council Skies. The Jesus of Manchester strikes again and there's something magical about an old white man recording on Abbey Road that moves me. I don't know. I'm sorry, but these are my top five.
0:43:05 - Dom
Hey gang, this is Dom from Melbourne, Australia, and my favorite album of 2023 was Five by Unknown Mortal Orchestra. If you don't know, unknown Mortal Orchestra, or UMO for short, they're a sort of vintage influenced psych rock band from Portland. They make really crunchy chill, but occasionally really they put out some bangers. If you do know them, this is my favorite UMO album. It's the best album they've ever made. I listened to it so much in 2023.
The Hawaiian influence from Ruben's background that has kind of always been there. It really comes through on this album and so much is going on. I feel like they cover so much ground in terms of genre, but it really all comes together in a very nice way. The other things that I really want to quickly mention the ML Buch album. Suntub Minimalist, electronic and kind of Glamour, very outdoorsy and sunny. Another one. Kristen Michael Haytor Saved, which is this earnest, mysterious Appalachian worship music album. Caroline Polachek, desire I Want to Turn Into you Stream of Consciousness, pop Record Phenomenal. And finally, dj Ramon's Sucesso Sexta dos Crias. This is a mind-blowing chaotic album. If you've never listened to Baila Funk, it's the next big thing and depending on where you are, it maybe is already the big thing.
So yeah that's what I was listening to in 2023. I'm looking forward to more good stuff in 2024. Okay, guys, thanks for listening.
Transcribed by https://podium.page