A few of my favourite things (II)

As with last week, this bears very little relation to what actually happened across the various music scenes in 2023, it is quite simply the ten albums that were new to me in 2023 that I enjoyed the most.

Bully’s fourth album, Lucky for You, released in June 2023, lived up to all my expectations. I’ve loved Bully (Alicia Bognanno) since her debut album Feels Like in 2015 and while her music has developed and expanded, it still contains the same raw power that attracted me to it in the first place. “Days Move Slow” is a perfect melodic garage rock / grunge song and has been stuck firmly in my head since June.

Therapy?’s 16th album, Cold Hard Fire is probably not going to convert anyone who doesn’t already love the pervious 15 but as Therapy? have been one of the most important bands over the last 30 years of my life, I was always going to like this one. Many great songs but probably “Poundland of Hope and Glory” stands out.

Fossora by Bjork came out last year but in March 2023 Minori and I saw her in concert in Kobe. It was our first time seeing her live and it didn’t disappoint. As a result her latest album has been on heavy rotation in both our cars. Her podcast series Sonic Symbolism where she goes in depth on each of her albums is also worth checking out.

REM Live at the Olympia Dublin 39 Songs was recorded in 2007 and released in 2009. Prior to a world tour, they opted to rehearse in public, booking 5 nights at the Olympia in Dublin and playing expansive sets of new and rare songs. Subtitled as “this is not a show”, it’s a fantastic live document of a band so comfortable in their own skins and having a lot of fun.

Likewise the bonus disc of the Pretenders II 40th edition shows a great live band at the height of their first great period. After reading Hynde’s autobiography Reckless I really got back into the early Pretenders albums and this has been on repeat all year.

Trespassers William are a post rock/shoegaze/dream pop band (take your pick) from the US that I discovered through the excellent Gizeh Records many moons ago. This album from 2002 is very laid back and atmospheric, and I played it a lot in the latter half of the year when work was stressing me out.

Dizzy on the French Riviera by Dizzy Gillespie was recorded and released in 1962. I’ve always loved jazz, the trumpet, and bebop in particular (my first novel, First Time Solo has a lot of that love in it) and so Dizzy is right up my street. A perfect Sunday afternoon album, this.

In the last few years I’ve really been getting into minimalism, especially piano-based pieces, so Christine Ott’s Eclats (Piano Works), released this year on Gizeh, was perfect for me. Through the Looking Glass by Midori Takada, first released in 1983 and rereleased in 2017, is more avant garde minimalism, and is a huge touchstone for Japanese composers in this field. Finally, Hamilton Mausoleum Suite by Francis MacDonald (he of Teenage Fanclub) hits the spot. I prefer his Music for Piano, String Quartet and Celeste if I’m being totally honest, but this has been a highlight of my year.