There once was an editor frightfully obsessed with curry
Who worried an extensive amount about images being blurry
But as the end drew near
Of 2023’s music year
10 albums appeared in a flurry
Welcome to Blár’s Favorite Albums of 2023. As a music omnivore I listen to a lot of different genres—hence you will notice that this top ten list is very mixed between metal, classical and electronic music. 2023 was a fantastic year for my ears, feel free to take a bite out of my year end list! ʘ‿ʘ
Anatomy of Habit's music moves like malaise in slow motion and Black Openings rings very much like a commentary on our modern society—how technology and hyper-capitalism create a rift in the human experience. With post metal-esque buildups that shift between frustrated anger and despondency, Mark Solotroff does an incredible job of elevating this album with his static vocal style that cuts through suburban landscapes like a knife to the heart.
Skopofoboexoskelett is a wild, chaotic, slithering and compact piece of experimental music that sounds like an individual's struggles with drug addiction. Taking the listener on a journey through altered states of consciousness—夢遊病者 (Sleepwalker) sure knows how to manifest a sense of dread and ecstasy intermingling with each other.
Why is there a technical death metal album in this list? Not completely sure to be honest, since I'm not a huge fan of the genre. However, Gorod have managed to capture a sort of euphoric yet sad feeling with their songwriting on The Orb —borrowing a lot from the patterns of classical music. If "The Orb" doesn't induce you into a headbanging state, I don't know what will.
Slumbering Sun's debut album The Ever-Living Fire is peak melodic doom metal—which is an impressive feat and a huge testament to what great songwriters they are. "Liminal Bridges" is an absolutely beautiful track with its longing guitars and masterfully crafted vocal melodies.
This slowly crawling on your bloody hands and knees drone metal release from Khanate has a sickening attention to detail. Alan Dubin's vocals are extremely cathartic even when he just reads out the lyrics like a poem. If you can stomach dense despair, this album is definitely for you. To Be Cruel pays off in the end if you have the patience.
Всё has been the definition of a grower for me this year. Despite its tendency to meander in the same sound-space, I keep coming back to it again and again. There's something seductive about it that pulls the listener in. Maybe it's the exquisite field recordings, maybe it's the sorrowful singing, maybe it's Рожь's ability to build a mesmerizing sound experience. Whatever it is, it's good.
I cannot resist Resistance & The Blessing. Despite its massive runtime (2 hr 25 min) there's not a single track that I'd like to remove from the experience. This experimental electronic titan of a work is very difficult to even describe—mixing many genres, extensively utilizing samples and working with intricate production. Treading the path of loss, World's End Girlfriend has created one of the most compelling electronic albums of this decade.
Have you ever wondered what the mind of a serial killer sounds like? Then you should give An Exacting Punishment by Uranium a spin. Its static noise, distorted guitars and guttural roars will provide you with the window you wished you never looked into (but in a good way, if that makes sense). Cause better the devil you know (than the devil you don't).
Atlas manages to produce a trance-like state of sounds that feels like being lost underwater. Intertwined string arrangements and choirs permeate the soundscape creating a meditative experience that will sweep you away. Laurel Halo knows how to pull the strings.
Ryuichi Sakamoto's 12 happens to be my most listened to album this year, so it's not a huge surprise that its unadorned synthesizers and melancholic piano pieces tops this list. It's one of his most minimalistic albums to date and also his last—since he passed away two months after its release after a lengthy battle of living with cancer. The album arc feels like a very introspective journey where he looks back on his musical career and ponders the afterlife as he devotes his last months in life to the exploration of music. You can hear his breathing in some of the recordings which adds a raw but beautiful texture to the austere expression. I've been under the spell of Sakamoto's music ever since hearing the somberly singing strings from "Bibo No Aozra" while watching the 2006 movie Babel. It's with a heavy heart that I wave goodbye to this musical giant that has left a huge impression on me as an individual and the music world at large. With the echoing, crystal clear sound of wind chimes ("20220304") Sakamoto bids us farewell as he transcends into the unknown.
