My Top 10 Music Discoverys In 2023

 
Another year, another remark on changing habits. Last year I wrote the more posts than ever, this year I wanted to tone that down and be selective. A lot of my discoveries have been through playlist exploration on Spotify, with less getting the album treatment I would then bring to the blog. Despite that, these new unearthed artists have been solid, with perhaps one exception...

(10) Sleep Token

As the currently hyped band in Metal discussion circles, I was strangely not impressed by the metallic elements on display. It was the singers expression, demeanor and passion that slants in other directions. This is what found me about their music. Are You Really Okay? is the one track that gripped me deeply and happens to be the albums least popular. On that song, I hear a intense meaning, with gravity and weight to it. I'd like to hear them lean into that more.

(9) Bal-Sagoth

There were many more records than the one I covered here, Bal-Sagoth have a fun, fantasy slash cosmic breed of Symphonic Metal. I've now found my way in and could of explored their back catalog. It would have been fun to write about but with a narrow evolution across the years I decided to leave this one brief.

(8) Apashe

This record is on the cutting edge of expression, pulling from opposite ends of the musical spectrum and finding genuine harmony. Apashe even pulls in some rappers to rhyme on his Classic EDM mash ups. Its brilliant, one artist I will be following closely in the future!

(7) Marconi Union

Discovered via a podcast on dealing with anxiety, the Weightless composition embodied all I've heard and loved about ambient music's calming magic. I've not gone much further than the one album but this discovery was a blessing and it firmly anchored the idea of having "go to" music for when feeling anxiousness creeping in.

(6) Këkht Aräkh

A love letter to early 90s Black Metal, Ukrainian one man band Këkht Aräkh actually pulls off the impressive act of avoiding nostalgia and capturing the magic of that era. You could slip in some of these songs alongside Burzum and Darkthrone to an unsuspecting friend and they might not be none the wiser!

(5) Gunship

It was a good time to get into this Synthwave act, as later in the year a new record after a five year gap would become a favorite! This duo left Fightstar with a clear musical vision that;s made for some fantastic neon lit nightlife vibes. Synthwave can quite often feel tired and cliche but this pair made it feel fresh again!

(4) Health

I'm late to Health. They have been around for sometime. Somehow I didn't get pulled in to recently and although I'm not head over heals with their sound, it has a real persuasion when its not your soul focus but the mood setter. In that environment, the downtrodden dystopian atmospheres weigh powerful and heavy.

(3) Potatohead People

Jazz Hop has been re-imagined by many with obvious techniques and tropes, so I was surprised to hear this duo escape that fate. Its a familiar feeling yet this pair of producers bring class, adding in expressive instrument leads between the melodic beat loops. Top stuff.

(2) $uicideboy$

Another double act, these two are a calling cry for an overlooked generation. So much topicality speaks to the struggles of those worse off in a supposedly wealthy society. Themes of mental health and drug abuse are so open and honestly spoken about, its hard not to be drawn to the positivity that comes from facing these demons openly.

(1) Janelle Monáe

This is what kicked my year off, Archandroid! Its been with me ever since. I rarely give a 10 to something that isn't from my formative years. Only three records or so records within the liftime of this blog. This album certainly challenged that form, what a fantastically eclectic assembly of lively sounds, driven by catchy, meaningful words to tie its animated energy together. Janelle has since recreated this genius only  in flashes but in this moment its pure class. Bravo!

Sleep Token "Take Me Back To Eden" (2023)

 

Currently catching a wave of attention within the Metal community, this anonymous collective known as Sleep Token have deployed their third effort, Take Me Back To Eden, like a stealth weapon to subvert fans of metallic abrasion into its soft and glossy gushings of watered down Ethereal Pop. Propped up by the remarkable voice of front-man "Vessel", his enigmatic voice stands in contrast to expectations. Learning routinely into his subtle vibrato tremble, this vulnerable voice emerges strong and self known, a firm assertion of individual expression, unafraid of ones own shadows.

This lengthy hour duration is held together by solely Vessel, the glue for a rather weak instrumental footing. His performance illuminates and engages, a delightful indulgence with a singer exploring their inner self through immense range and presentation that will delight over and over. Behind him a bland assemble of opposite ends of a spectrum. On its metallic side, the groaning slams of Djent guitar noise seem unable to escape the rhythmic shadow of Deftones and melodic oriented Fightstar.

That's actually a smaller component of the record. Instrumentation swings to its lighter side with most of this music. Soft airy synths routinely paint a warm Ethereal breeze for easy percussive beats and dreamy melodies to burgeon within its cloudy Pop design. On examination this is a rather dull and bland passing in comparison to similar Pop music of the day. Its grooves and tunes lack assertion and distinction, the ones that do, ie Are You Really Okay? have an uncanny resemblance of dejavu.

Some occasional interesting chemistries do blossom in this relationship between its two extremes, yet never do they appear entangled with any freshness. One is always an aesthetic compliment to the other, both are oriented in that textural direction. It becomes sterile with familiarity as its shallow blandness seems an extension of current Pop Metal temperaments. With little memorable on the instrumental front, Vessel gets in your mind like a true ear worm, propping its merits up. Despite having such a talent within the ranks, the hype seems oriented around exposure to ideas better explored elsewhere.

Rating: 5/10