I’ve mentioned this before, but I feel like that “But Here We Are” is the “Vapor Trails” of the Foo Fighters. Like Rush, The Foos were going through a period where they were experimenting with so much stuff (to mixed results) over a lengthy period and then all of sudden, massive tragedy that led to another tragedy ends up affecting the band and making them create a more emotional and raw album than they’ve done before that also kicked ass (with ironically both of them having issues with the mixing but I’m being nitpicky). I mean, Rush were literally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame by Taylor Hawkins & Dave Grohl so it can’t be a coincidence that BHWA feels like Rush Influence all over it. Edit: Here’s Also The Annual Crash Thompson Out Of Context Quote: 5:53-6:08
That's actually a pretty accurate comparison in my opinion. I'm glad you brought it up! 🙂 I can't decide whether I like "But Here We Are" or "Wasting Light" better. Objectively I think "Wasting Light" is the better album as far as production, mixing and variety is concerned, but at the same time I feel "But Here We Are" speaks much more to me lyrically and I have to imagine is the more emotionally resonant, relatable album to most fans. And to the credit of "But Here We Are", it DOES dip into shoegaze in a way the band have never really done previously and they do it so damn well in my opinion, so it certainly isn't completely a back-to-basics album: especially with a ten-minute multi-suite track as well. Honestly one of my favorite tracks on the album has always been their newest single, "The Glass": because while compositionally it's one of the most simple, straight-forward, wheelhouse songs compositionally............the lyrics just stab like an icepick on the song and hit soooooooooo close to home in a way that simply can't be denied, as well as the profound longing in the vocal melodies. When the album first came out most didn't even cite "The Glass" as a standout, but to me it was always one alongside "Rest", "The Teacher" and "Show Me How", and I'm glad it's growing on people more now that it's a radio single. I just really, REALLY hope they switch up producers as well as sound engineers from here on out. Because I feel "But Here We Are" triumphs IN SPITE of their producer and sound engineer, not BECAUSE of them.
I would probably listen to bhwa a lot more if the production was better, but man the highs are just grating the whole way through. And I'm really not a fan of all the noise and distortion that buries Rest and yeah I get that it's what they were going for. But I just don't like the way it sounds and it could have been done better, perhaps if it was done more sparingly, but it kinda ruins the song for me. Which is a shame because I love how bare it is with just vocals and acoustic guitar before that.
Crash screaming gay in a rainbow tunnel while talking about MUNA last year was how I felt about Chappell Roan's The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. But there were so many amazing albums this year I get why it didn't get a look in on his list
My top spot this year still has to go to "But Here We Are". Wasn't getting it on first listen, then I got the news that my dad had motor neuron disease and it just HIT. Even though my dad isn't the biggest Foos fan, I'm so glad I got to take him to see them last week, and I'll be taking him to see QOTSA in March too. It's uncertain how many more times we'll get to do those things.
Your channel put me onto a handful of my favorite albums of the year. Korine and Nuovo Testamento especially. Two absolute bangers that got absolutely slept on by the greater music blog establishment.
Fantastic video, Crash! and yeah, Weathervanes may just be one to add to the "favorites of all time" list As well as what made my number 1, Underscores' Wallsocket.
My top 10 of the year: 10. Aesop Rock - Integrated Tech Solutions 9. Gabe Lee - Drink The River 8. Fox Stevenson - Enemy Brain Entertainment Suite 7. Angel Electronics - Ultra Paradise 6. Liturgy - 93696 5. Sincere Engineer - Cheap Grills 4. Billy Woods - Maps 3. Boygenius - The Record 2. 100 Gecs - 10,000 Gecs 1. Initiate - Cerebral Circus
I got to meet Creeper this year and got my copy of Sanguivore signed - next time I see them, I'll be sure to float that NIN/Chumbawamba/Madness idea by them, they strike me as the kind of guys who would get a kick out of such an idea.
Fall Out Boy and 30 Seconds to Mars watched that Worst of 2018 video...and only FOB listened. "It is a weird as Hell year when I am the only person defending a Fall Out Boy record." California by blink-182 gives Stardust a hug.
I'm not gonna see another Best of 2023 list like this and i greatly appreciate that. I kinda got close to tears near the top of this list, particularly with the #3 and #1 spots. Your description for Desire, I Want To Turn Into You in particular just warmed my heart. Especially because yeah, that's a SUPER ACCURATE comparison. And I'm also super elated to see Lil Yachty make the list proper; I really hope that album IS the start of something new like its title implies.
I totally feel you on country. I really got into it this year after hating it for years. Then I realized I didn’t hate country, I just hated, as both you and Steve Earle have said, hip hop for people that are afraid of black people. Once I started listening to real country, I began to realize just how beautiful and complex the genre is. And I’m I did evolve on this alone. Great video as always, Crash. Thanks for making such great content this year, and I’ll see you in 2024!
You at least tempered your Yachty praise putting him at 20, my ass straight up said "ah yes. #1" and honestly? I stand by it. You know Let's Start Here is good when my 65yo white suburban father, the whitest white who's ever whited, a man who if asked to name three rap songs would say "Hey Ya" and then get stuck, listened to it after hearing me rave & loved it too. 10/10. No notes.
It’s kind of a miracle to see So Much For Stardust, on the list proper. Even if i can’t say it’s the best thing in the world, even I’m not defending the Ethan hawke cameo, and I’m still biased towards SR&R even if i shouldn’t, the songs that hit (hold me like a grudge, fake out, I am my own muse, the title track, love from the other side) really hit damn well. If anything, it kinda makes me hate It’s the end of the world and nothing will make this day beautiful that much more. Both FOB and 30STM hit rock bottom in 2018 with their imagine dragon adjacent pop sellout records MANIA and America, and while it hurt more to see FOB in that state for me, they were able to bounce back with a few small projects (with a super fade thrown in to depress me) and was able to make something really damn good this year, while 30STM…or just the Leto brothers now, sank lower than America…I mean I kinda saw it coming, but still. I apologize for being a FOB mark, I just wanted to vent and say “THANK FUCK FOR STARDUST” and “What the hell was that we didn’t start the fire cover?”…I don’t hate it as much as others, but still. …also, might want to check out the h0rn! Stuff.
Everything surrounding the Foo Fighters album was so tragic yet heartwarming, that even if I wasn't a devout follower of Dave "Jesus" Grohl, I still wouldn't be able to think of a more deserving AOTY for me. And with Sleep Token also having a comfortable spot in my top 5, yeah, I dug the kinds of albums 2023 had to offer.
This might be the happiest I've seen you when doing one of these year-end lists... can definitely say it wasn't a boring music year (or it was easier to avoid the drab).
"Take Me Back to Eden" was absolutely my album of the year, but some other albums I really loved were "F.R.I.E.N.D." by 01:25, "The Noble Art of Self Destruction" by Holding Absence, "Opus" by Nospun, "It All Began With Loneliness" by The Anchoret, and "Polaris" by Lodestar.
Sorry, I missed the premiere through work, Crash. Anyway, glad to see that The Aces album on the list as a HM, it felt like a return to form from them.
Loved the video Crash, didn’t know a lot of these but I’ll have to check some of them out. My favorites last year were 10,000 Gecs - 100 Gecs Retrovision - Honey Revenge Built To Last - Arrows In Action Riot Music - Dropout Kings Sassy Scene - 6arelyhuman Past//Present//Future - Meet Me @ The Altar Face For The Radio - Poptropicaslutz! Halloween Mixtape 2 - Magnolia Park
I know this probably won’t get seen but hey I’m commenting anyway. I was rewatching this and going back to rewatch old favorites because you don’t have the time to put out a lot and I miss your content. No hate btw I completely understand and support you focusing on life. Point is it made me realize that I’ve been watching you for 10 years. It’s been a crazy ride and your videos helped me through a lot of hard times by just being a beautiful bright spot in life that I always looked forward to. Now I’m in a good place but that realization just kind of had me thinking back on it all. Just wanted to say that I love what you do and that whether the hiatus stops or not, you will always be one of if not my all time favorite creators and just an awesome person.
Hey Crash, are you going to be tackling Saviors from Green Day or at least heard it yet? It's definitely in my top 5 of theirs. Going to see them live next week, I can't wait.
41:10 I am oh so happy to see Neon Noir on the list. Not just because I am also a HIM die hard, but because the album was amazing without the HIM associations. I agree with everything you said about Take Me Back To Eden being a masterful fusion album that is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to pin down. Saw them at Louder Than Life, and putting them on the side stage was a huuuuuge mistake. The space for the stage was *sardine* packed.
I don't really find myself keeping up with new music, maybe I'm getting old, or I'm often late to the party with a lot of stuff, but you can't know what will resonate with you till it does. But I'm gonna check out the top 10 at least then maybe more if I like those.
My top 10 of the year. 1) Sigur Ros - ATTA 2) Braids - Euphoric Recalls 3) Sufjan Stevens - Javelin 4) Lapsley - Cautionary Tales Of Youth 5) Paramore - This Is Why 6) Olivia Rodrigo - Guts 7) Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We 8) Caroline Polachek - Desire, I want to turn into you 9) Foo Fighters - But Here We Are 10) Belle & Sebastian - Late Developers
2023 was a wildcard year for me too, especially considering it was the year where I officially came out of the closet, so yeah... Having insane amounts of interesting music was only one of many random things to come out of this year, as well as one of the many good things too.
I had the exact same reaction/feeling about the new Spanish Love Songs record as you did. I fucking adored Brave Faces Everyone, and while I enjoyed No Joy (no pun intended), it just failed to leave the same impact as BFE. Still a great record, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit underwhelmed by it.
Your Number One Album is awesome indeed. I've discovered it only recently through watching SpectrumPulse's Top 50 Songs of 2023. And there is so much amazing stuff of different directions on it - "When We Were Close" (my favorite) reaching more for a Southern Rock flair and some smooth and melancholic songs like "King of Oklahoma" and "Cast Iron Skillet" which also fit very well. And then there's "If You Insist" that achieves to be desperate in... a good way? Does that make sense? So it made my Top 10 too.
My Top 10: Svalbard - "The Weight of the Mask" HELGA - "Wrapped in Mist" RAYE - "My 21st Century Blues" Pascow - "Sieben" Einar Solberg - "16" VALDRIN - "Throne of the Lunar Soul" Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - "Weathervanes" Future Static - "Liminality" Zach Bryan - "Zach Bryan" Jayda G - "Guy"
For me, 'Take Me Back to Eden' was my gateway to Sleep Token. Hadn't heard of any of their other stuff then, but decided to hop on the hype train, and it ended up being my most played album of the year. Even being an Avenged Sevenfold diehard, I still didn't spin 'Life is But a Dream...' as much. That was the power that this token of sleep had.
Dude, A7X''s biggest mistake was releasing their proggy album less than a month after Sleep Token released Take me Back to Eden. I was waiting 7 years for A7X's album, but when it came out I was already hoocked on TMBTE. They had no chance of making that train wreck of Life Is But a Dream work out under that circunstance...
Album of year 2023 1. Paramore This Is Why 2. The National First Two Pages of Frankenstein 3. boygenius the record 4. Sufjan Stevens Javelin 5. Joanna Sternberg - I’ve Got Me 6. Mitski The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We 7. laufey bewitched
My top albums of the year: 4. Svalbard - The Weight of the Mask - I don't think it's as good or consistent as When I Die Will I Get Better, but How to Swim Down is such a transcendent track that I have to give it a nod. 3. Angel Electronics - Angel Electronics - A great intersection of solid pop hooks and the subculture of transgirls making borderline unlistenable music. 2. Protomartyr - Formal Growth in the Desert - It's my least favourite Protomartyr album, but only because one has to be. It's still a Protomartyr album replete with all the things that make Protomartyr my favourite band and Rain Garden is a wonderful song. 1. Slime City - Death Club - From the increasingly generic slop of the UK post-punk revival bursts Slime City. They sound like DEVO on crack, and have produced an album that's roiling with fury at the dire state of the country, yet still full of danceable beats and genuinely funny lyrics. The thunderous penultimate track Glasgow is a Shitehole rises above stiff competition to be my favourite song of the year.
Album of year 2023 1. Paramore This Is Why 2. The National First Two Pages of Frankenstein 3. boygenius the record 4. Sufjan Stevens Javelin 5. Joanna Sternberg - I’ve Got Me 6. Mitski The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We 7. laufey bewitched
Crash I’ll never thank you enough for exposing me to Bleached Cross in last year’s list. Now with this list I’m LOVING Svalbard, House of Harm, and Korine!
Rock album of year 2023 1. paramore this is why 2. foo fighters but here we are 3. Queens of the Stone Age In Times New Roman... 4. boygenius The Record 5. Wilco Cousin 6. The Hives The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons by 7. SPANISH LOVE no joy
yeah the metal scene was odd. The mainstream albums sucked ass, and the dominate albums were mostly brutal death metal albums, which are inherently hit or miss. The good metal required some digging and leaning into preferences. Like despite people loving the death metal scene, I believe the US black metal scene was out of this world. Blackbraid, wayfarer and panopticon put out fucking spectacular albums with traditional american sounds mixed with various black metal styles and yeah, those were my biggest highlights.
#1 Raising ravens- leaving with the halflight Jess Finalayson does it all! She writes, plays guitar and sings on this beautifully done album!! 2 Any given sin- war 3 Gideon- more power more pain 4 Motive black- auburn 5 Cold stares- voices 6 Pop evil- skeletons 7 Phil Campbell- kings of the asylum 8 Saul -this is it..the end of everything 9 Buckcherry-10 10 Tyler Bryant- dirty work 11 Red- rated R 12 Lift the curse- suffer and survive 13 Throw the fight- strange world 14 Another day dawns- finding peace through all the noise 15 Blak29 16 Trashy Annie- sticks and stones 17 When rivers meet- aces are high 18 Post profit- self defeaterEP 19 War curse- confession 20 Texas hippie coalition- the name lives on 21 Saliva- revelation 22 Laura cox- head above water 23 Woyote- mother of the universe 24 Screaming eagles- high class rock n roll 25 Jesse James Dupree- breathing fire 26 Vera bloom- it’s meEP 27 King mountain- wrath of the gods 28 Duskwood- the last voyage 29 Fuzzrider- S/T 30 Fortune child- - ST ep 31 Deadly vices- dead inside ep
Album of year 2023 1. Paramore This Is Why 2. The National First Two Pages of Frankenstein 3. boygenius the record 4. Sufjan Stevens Javelin 5. Joanna Sternberg - I’ve Got Me 6. Mitski The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We 7. laufey bewitched
Its nice to see a music reviewer i watch actually get and understand what makes sleep token special. Feels like theyre so divisive these days despite having kept the same sound and consistently building off it their whole career
Seeing fall out boy on your list made me feel a little not crazy lol - wonderful video!! (Even if I personally really liked mania, dang nabit) I got to see FOB in concert this year and honestly??? So good. Now to see Hozier so I can see both of my favorite 2023 albums sung live (unreal unearth was a hell of a thing)
5. 'Death Pill' by Death Pill 4. 'Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle' by Moonlight Sorcery 3. 'Yallah Beibe' by MC YALLAH 2. 'Sator Arepo' by Judgitzu 1. 'Seasons Dreaming Death' by GraveRipper thanks for sharing your thoughts
Crash, love your content but I’m really surprised you didn’t vibe with Polaris, Invent Animate, or Currents’ new albums. All three of those were fantastic Metalcore albums.
None of my personal top three made your list at all, but as always you introduced me to a great variety of artists I slept on. Top drawer. My Top Five, for what it’s worth: The Beggar by Swans I Inside the Old Year Dying by PJ Harvey The Worm by HMLTD Scaring the Hoes by JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown Brand New World by Zulu
I couldn't agree more with "Weathervanes" as the crowning jewel of 2023. It is rare that an album punches me in the gut and face from beginning to end but also swaddles me in a warm blanket at the same time. Usually you'll have albums in country, folk, heartland rock, etc. that have several gut-punching moments, or maybe comprising half of the album's runtime if they're lucky...............but they usually have a few filler tracks or even feel obligated to force a lighter note toward their back end. Not "Weathervanes". It's that rare album that gave me chills from start to finish and where I can't even decide what its highlights are, because throughout this past year they kept shifting. One day I'll think about a friend who passed away from fentanyl and "When We Were Close" will stand out as a highlight in that moment, but then the week after I reflect on some of the idioms and advice I heard growing up and realizing how much my personal philosophy has shifted since then and "Cast Iron Skillet" is suddenly the new highlight, and then the very next week "Vestavia Hills" emerges to the forefront as a standout to me because of being reminded of how I live life too fast often and take for granted the importance of finding room to breathe and the consequences that peer pressure and restlessness can inflict on you in the long run. And so on. And while it very much has that country storytelling and flourishes of instrumentation, it also has that Neil Young & Crazy Horse sort of visceral heartland rock feel to it too with the biting guitars on plentiful tracks to contrast with some more beautifully melancholic and swirling moments musically as well. It's definitely the best all-around album I've heard so far in the 2020s, it joys me it meant a lot to you too. 🥰
No Crash, you're totally right about Spanish Love Songs. Even the guy's dad says that he’d probably have more fans, If he could learn to sing about some happier shit Instead of wallowing in his shortcomings, his gross insecurities, were less narcissistic and maybe showed some humility
One of my biggest pet peeves, at least as of late, is when I watch one of these lists and you talk about an artist/album and never even mention the name of it/them. Like that one that you praised so much, the one right before the Paramore one? I would love to know what that one is, and I don't. I know this is supposed to be a visual medium, and I'm sure you had it on screen and whatnot. But I'm also almost blind, so I need a little bit of guidance every now and then. I'm not saying you should change the way you do things. After all, that's why we love you and come to watch your videos. I feel bad for even having to bring it up, I don't wanna be thought of as a jerk. But I still would like to know the name of that artist or the title of that album.
I mostly just listen to UA-cam videos these days because I play them while I work, and I agree that it would be helpful to name drop the albums and artists a bit more. Even if it’s just naming them aloud before the review.
Three minutes in I'm not sure if I'm annoyed at you announcing Slowdive and both National records got left out or seriously curious about what made the cut above them (they were my favorites this year, Everything is Alive is the record I didn't know I needed) (post-watch edit) Curiosity satisfied. I did overlook a ton of synth and hoahney guhrls last year. Interesting picks, all of them.
Cuddlecore is definitely a genre. It originated in the 90s and includes bands like Shonen Knife, the Softies and one of my favorite bands of all time, cub!
I’m not too sure how much new music I heard this year, I definitely have some standouts though Jane Remover- Census Designated Gideon- More Power More Pain Ten56.- Downer JPEGMAFIA- Scaring the Hoes Magnolia Park- Halloween Mixtape II
A record I've seen NO ONE talking about is the latest trophy eyes record - Suicide and Sunshine. Phenomenal work, recommend to everyone in this comment section
Honestly, I hear ya on the metal front. What connected with me in that genre weren't the heavy hitters but the up and comers like Victory Over The Sun or the "weird ones" like Liturgy. Most of the big names were boring to me, to the point where I don't even care if they released more in the future.
Here's my favorites of 2023: 1. Babymetal- The Other One 2. Dwellings- Little Garden 3. Paramore- This Is Why 4. Korine- Tear 5. Periphery- V: Djent Is Not A Genre! 6. Sleep Token- Take Me Back To Eden 7. Foo Fighters- But Here We Are 8. Enforced- War Remains 9. Dying Wish- Symptoms Of Survival 10. Wolf & Bear- Bloodletter 11. Fall Out Boy- So Much (For) Stardust 12. Silent Planet- Superbloom 13. Hail The Sun- Divine Inner Tension 14. Boygenius- The Record 15. Crosses- Goodnight God Bless, I Love U, Delete. 16. Baroness- Stone 17. Cattle Decapitation- Terrasite 18. Entheos- Time Will Take Us All 19. Covet- Catharsis 20. Enter Shikari- A Kiss For The Whole World
Album of year 2023 1. Paramore This Is Why 2. The National First Two Pages of Frankenstein 3. boygenius the record 4. Sufjan Stevens Javelin 5. Joanna Sternberg - I’ve Got Me 6. Mitski The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We 7. laufey bewitched
Sleep Token fans "If you hate tool fans get you ain't seen nothin yet" I don't think they are the death of heavy metal i find them to be pretty generic and other bands do what they do better. Erra does metalcore better, Dillinger and LOATHE are better with experimental shit and Tesserat are better at prog. Besides that they are just a brilliant example of a marketing teams wet dream. They favor style over actual substance and the fanbase is so pretentious I mean they have the "you just don't understand it" vibe. I don't think bands need a gimmick to make good music sorry (just ignore that I'm a Coheed fan) Of there's another band that is way more engaging and melodically than Sleep Token
I loved the crap out of that Caroline Polachek album, but I had to bin Caroline because her friendship and active promotion of Grimes was affecting my mental health. (There's a whole dossier at the top of the r/grimezs subreddit, but the tl;dr is that Grimes is way too far into the alt-right swamp for my liking). If y'all want to continue listening to that album, go ahead, because it really is amazing... but what Crash feels about Kanye is how I feel about Grimes, TBQH.
My fav was probably "PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation" by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Metal as fuck!!
![Top 20 Best Albums of 2023 [Audience Poll]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pMDtG2vpT_o/mqdefault.jpg)
I’ve mentioned this before, but I feel like that “But Here We Are” is the “Vapor Trails” of the Foo Fighters.
Like Rush, The Foos were going through a period where they were experimenting with so much stuff (to mixed results) over a lengthy period and then all of sudden, massive tragedy that led to another tragedy ends up affecting the band and making them create a more emotional and raw album than they’ve done before that also kicked ass (with ironically both of them having issues with the mixing but I’m being nitpicky).
I mean, Rush were literally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame by Taylor Hawkins & Dave Grohl so it can’t be a coincidence that BHWA feels like Rush Influence all over it.
Edit: Here’s Also The Annual Crash Thompson Out Of Context Quote: 5:53-6:08
Hot take, I think "But Here We Are" is better than "Vapor Trails." And I say that as a massive Rush fan. Completely see your point tho.
That's actually a pretty accurate comparison in my opinion. I'm glad you brought it up! 🙂
I can't decide whether I like "But Here We Are" or "Wasting Light" better. Objectively I think "Wasting Light" is the better album as far as production, mixing and variety is concerned, but at the same time I feel "But Here We Are" speaks much more to me lyrically and I have to imagine is the more emotionally resonant, relatable album to most fans. And to the credit of "But Here We Are", it DOES dip into shoegaze in a way the band have never really done previously and they do it so damn well in my opinion, so it certainly isn't completely a back-to-basics album: especially with a ten-minute multi-suite track as well. Honestly one of my favorite tracks on the album has always been their newest single, "The Glass": because while compositionally it's one of the most simple, straight-forward, wheelhouse songs compositionally............the lyrics just stab like an icepick on the song and hit soooooooooo close to home in a way that simply can't be denied, as well as the profound longing in the vocal melodies. When the album first came out most didn't even cite "The Glass" as a standout, but to me it was always one alongside "Rest", "The Teacher" and "Show Me How", and I'm glad it's growing on people more now that it's a radio single.
I just really, REALLY hope they switch up producers as well as sound engineers from here on out. Because I feel "But Here We Are" triumphs IN SPITE of their producer and sound engineer, not BECAUSE of them.
I would probably listen to bhwa a lot more if the production was better, but man the highs are just grating the whole way through. And I'm really not a fan of all the noise and distortion that buries Rest and yeah I get that it's what they were going for. But I just don't like the way it sounds and it could have been done better, perhaps if it was done more sparingly, but it kinda ruins the song for me. Which is a shame because I love how bare it is with just vocals and acoustic guitar before that.
Crash screaming gay in a rainbow tunnel while talking about MUNA last year was how I felt about Chappell Roan's The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. But there were so many amazing albums this year I get why it didn't get a look in on his list
was fully expecting that sentence around 39:40 to go like "I don't think anyone would've held that against them, but.... here we are"
Ahhh. Missed opportunity. 😭
My top spot this year still has to go to "But Here We Are". Wasn't getting it on first listen, then I got the news that my dad had motor neuron disease and it just HIT. Even though my dad isn't the biggest Foos fan, I'm so glad I got to take him to see them last week, and I'll be taking him to see QOTSA in March too. It's uncertain how many more times we'll get to do those things.
stay tuned for But Here We Are (2033 Remix)
3320 mix
3320 mix
Your channel put me onto a handful of my favorite albums of the year. Korine and Nuovo Testamento especially. Two absolute bangers that got absolutely slept on by the greater music blog establishment.
Fantastic video, Crash!
and yeah, Weathervanes may just be one to add to the "favorites of all time" list
As well as what made my number 1, Underscores' Wallsocket.
Wallsocket is such an amazing album. i think it's my third favorite album this year right next Swans The Beggar and Parranoul's new LP
My top 10 of the year:
10. Aesop Rock - Integrated Tech Solutions
9. Gabe Lee - Drink The River
8. Fox Stevenson - Enemy Brain Entertainment Suite
7. Angel Electronics - Ultra Paradise
6. Liturgy - 93696
5. Sincere Engineer - Cheap Grills
4. Billy Woods - Maps
3. Boygenius - The Record
2. 100 Gecs - 10,000 Gecs
1. Initiate - Cerebral Circus
I got to meet Creeper this year and got my copy of Sanguivore signed - next time I see them, I'll be sure to float that NIN/Chumbawamba/Madness idea by them, they strike me as the kind of guys who would get a kick out of such an idea.
i am SO jealous! i saw them for the 6th time in november and they were fantastic, can’t wait to see them again in March 🤘🏼
they absolutely are. i’ll also mention it if i meet them somehow lmaao.
Fall Out Boy and 30 Seconds to Mars watched that Worst of 2018 video...and only FOB listened.
"It is a weird as Hell year when I am the only person defending a Fall Out Boy record."
California by blink-182 gives Stardust a hug.
I'm not gonna see another Best of 2023 list like this and i greatly appreciate that. I kinda got close to tears near the top of this list, particularly with the #3 and #1 spots. Your description for Desire, I Want To Turn Into You in particular just warmed my heart. Especially because yeah, that's a SUPER ACCURATE comparison.
And I'm also super elated to see Lil Yachty make the list proper; I really hope that album IS the start of something new like its title implies.
i think desire is my number two spot, sampha got 1 for me. but desire is such an intimate and beautiful art pop album. it’s amazing.
Yeah I just wish I knew what that felt like, forever alone af.
I totally feel you on country. I really got into it this year after hating it for years. Then I realized I didn’t hate country, I just hated, as both you and Steve Earle have said, hip hop for people that are afraid of black people. Once I started listening to real country, I began to realize just how beautiful and complex the genre is. And I’m I did evolve on this alone.
Great video as always, Crash. Thanks for making such great content this year, and I’ll see you in 2024!
You at least tempered your Yachty praise putting him at 20, my ass straight up said "ah yes. #1" and honestly? I stand by it.
You know Let's Start Here is good when my 65yo white suburban father, the whitest white who's ever whited, a man who if asked to name three rap songs would say "Hey Ya" and then get stuck, listened to it after hearing me rave & loved it too. 10/10. No notes.
Always love discovering new music through your best of lists and I agree, respect to DA HORNY GOILZ.
Nice seeing a list that isn’t just copied and pasted from Fantano. I always learn about new music from you Crash!!!! Bravo
It’s kind of a miracle to see So Much For Stardust, on the list proper. Even if i can’t say it’s the best thing in the world, even I’m not defending the Ethan hawke cameo, and I’m still biased towards SR&R even if i shouldn’t, the songs that hit (hold me like a grudge, fake out, I am my own muse, the title track, love from the other side) really hit damn well.
If anything, it kinda makes me hate It’s the end of the world and nothing will make this day beautiful that much more. Both FOB and 30STM hit rock bottom in 2018 with their imagine dragon adjacent pop sellout records MANIA and America, and while it hurt more to see FOB in that state for me, they were able to bounce back with a few small projects (with a super fade thrown in to depress me) and was able to make something really damn good this year, while 30STM…or just the Leto brothers now, sank lower than America…I mean I kinda saw it coming, but still.
I apologize for being a FOB mark, I just wanted to vent and say “THANK FUCK FOR STARDUST” and “What the hell was that we didn’t start the fire cover?”…I don’t hate it as much as others, but still.
…also, might want to check out the h0rn! Stuff.
So many albums, so much awesome music
Everything surrounding the Foo Fighters album was so tragic yet heartwarming, that even if I wasn't a devout follower of Dave "Jesus" Grohl, I still wouldn't be able to think of a more deserving AOTY for me. And with Sleep Token also having a comfortable spot in my top 5, yeah, I dug the kinds of albums 2023 had to offer.
This might be the happiest I've seen you when doing one of these year-end lists... can definitely say it wasn't a boring music year (or it was easier to avoid the drab).
"Take Me Back to Eden" was absolutely my album of the year, but some other albums I really loved were "F.R.I.E.N.D." by 01:25, "The Noble Art of Self Destruction" by Holding Absence, "Opus" by Nospun, "It All Began With Loneliness" by The Anchoret, and "Polaris" by Lodestar.
Always excited to see this list. I’ve learned to love so many new bands and artists because of your hard work. Thanks Crash!
Sorry, I missed the premiere through work, Crash. Anyway, glad to see that The Aces album on the list as a HM, it felt like a return to form from them.
Awesome list and I hope that we eventually get an updated vinyl collection video at some point Crash!
Loved the video Crash, didn’t know a lot of these but I’ll have to check some of them out. My favorites last year were
10,000 Gecs - 100 Gecs
Retrovision - Honey Revenge
Built To Last - Arrows In Action
Riot Music - Dropout Kings
Sassy Scene - 6arelyhuman
Past//Present//Future - Meet Me @ The Altar
Face For The Radio - Poptropicaslutz!
Halloween Mixtape 2 - Magnolia Park
I know this probably won’t get seen but hey I’m commenting anyway. I was rewatching this and going back to rewatch old favorites because you don’t have the time to put out a lot and I miss your content. No hate btw I completely understand and support you focusing on life. Point is it made me realize that I’ve been watching you for 10 years. It’s been a crazy ride and your videos helped me through a lot of hard times by just being a beautiful bright spot in life that I always looked forward to. Now I’m in a good place but that realization just kind of had me thinking back on it all. Just wanted to say that I love what you do and that whether the hiatus stops or not, you will always be one of if not my all time favorite creators and just an awesome person.
Hey Crash, are you going to be tackling Saviors from Green Day or at least heard it yet? It's definitely in my top 5 of theirs. Going to see them live next week, I can't wait.
41:10 I am oh so happy to see Neon Noir on the list. Not just because I am also a HIM die hard, but because the album was amazing without the HIM associations.
I agree with everything you said about Take Me Back To Eden being a masterful fusion album that is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to pin down. Saw them at Louder Than Life, and putting them on the side stage was a huuuuuge mistake. The space for the stage was *sardine* packed.
That impression of the singer of Sleep Token you did in this video was hilarious! I was laughing for about a minute or two. 😅
Sounded better than the actual Sleep Token tbh.
Finitude by Stortregn and Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags by Hellripper are great metal albums released in 2023 you should check out
I don't really find myself keeping up with new music, maybe I'm getting old, or I'm often late to the party with a lot of stuff, but you can't know what will resonate with you till it does. But I'm gonna check out the top 10 at least then maybe more if I like those.
My top 10 of the year.
1) Sigur Ros - ATTA
2) Braids - Euphoric Recalls
3) Sufjan Stevens - Javelin
4) Lapsley - Cautionary Tales Of Youth
5) Paramore - This Is Why
6) Olivia Rodrigo - Guts
7) Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We
8) Caroline Polachek - Desire, I want to turn into you
9) Foo Fighters - But Here We Are
10) Belle & Sebastian - Late Developers
1:04:05 You ever feel like making a follow up to that video at some point?
I feel I've had a successful year of enjoying music if some of my favs match ones on Crash's list. Thanks so much, Crash.
2023 was a wildcard year for me too, especially considering it was the year where I officially came out of the closet, so yeah... Having insane amounts of interesting music was only one of many random things to come out of this year, as well as one of the many good things too.
I had the exact same reaction/feeling about the new Spanish Love Songs record as you did. I fucking adored Brave Faces Everyone, and while I enjoyed No Joy (no pun intended), it just failed to leave the same impact as BFE. Still a great record, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit underwhelmed by it.
Your Number One Album is awesome indeed. I've discovered it only recently through watching SpectrumPulse's Top 50 Songs of 2023. And there is so much amazing stuff of different directions on it - "When We Were Close" (my favorite) reaching more for a Southern Rock flair and some smooth and melancholic songs like "King of Oklahoma" and "Cast Iron Skillet" which also fit very well. And then there's "If You Insist" that achieves to be desperate in... a good way? Does that make sense?
So it made my Top 10 too.
My Top 10:
Svalbard - "The Weight of the Mask"
HELGA - "Wrapped in Mist"
RAYE - "My 21st Century Blues"
Pascow - "Sieben"
Einar Solberg - "16"
VALDRIN - "Throne of the Lunar Soul"
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - "Weathervanes"
Future Static - "Liminality"
Zach Bryan - "Zach Bryan"
Jayda G - "Guy"
For me, 'Take Me Back to Eden' was my gateway to Sleep Token. Hadn't heard of any of their other stuff then, but decided to hop on the hype train, and it ended up being my most played album of the year. Even being an Avenged Sevenfold diehard, I still didn't spin 'Life is But a Dream...' as much. That was the power that this token of sleep had.
Dude, A7X''s biggest mistake was releasing their proggy album less than a month after Sleep Token released Take me Back to Eden. I was waiting 7 years for A7X's album, but when it came out I was already hoocked on TMBTE. They had no chance of making that train wreck of Life Is But a Dream work out under that circunstance...
Album of year 2023
1. Paramore This Is Why
2. The National First Two Pages of Frankenstein
3. boygenius the record
4. Sufjan Stevens Javelin
5. Joanna Sternberg - I’ve Got Me
6. Mitski The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
7. laufey bewitched
You are making me regret leaving a bunch of stuff off my own album of the year list now
Paramore, Caroline Polachek, boygenius, Olivia Rodrigo, Victoria Monet carried for me
My top albums of the year:
4. Svalbard - The Weight of the Mask - I don't think it's as good or consistent as When I Die Will I Get Better, but How to Swim Down is such a transcendent track that I have to give it a nod.
3. Angel Electronics - Angel Electronics - A great intersection of solid pop hooks and the subculture of transgirls making borderline unlistenable music.
2. Protomartyr - Formal Growth in the Desert - It's my least favourite Protomartyr album, but only because one has to be. It's still a Protomartyr album replete with all the things that make Protomartyr my favourite band and Rain Garden is a wonderful song.
1. Slime City - Death Club - From the increasingly generic slop of the UK post-punk revival bursts Slime City. They sound like DEVO on crack, and have produced an album that's roiling with fury at the dire state of the country, yet still full of danceable beats and genuinely funny lyrics. The thunderous penultimate track Glasgow is a Shitehole rises above stiff competition to be my favourite song of the year.
Album of year 2023
1. Paramore This Is Why
2. The National First Two Pages of Frankenstein
3. boygenius the record
4. Sufjan Stevens Javelin
5. Joanna Sternberg - I’ve Got Me
6. Mitski The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
7. laufey bewitched
My favorite album of the year was …in times new roman by QOTSA
Crash I’ll never thank you enough for exposing me to Bleached Cross in last year’s list. Now with this list I’m LOVING Svalbard, House of Harm, and Korine!
42:26
POOr-tea-nen. :)
(I studied in Finland for a semester.)
I'm so glad to see The Aces love ❤
Great to see Jason Isbell and Sleep Token take the top spots. Two of my favourite records of the year as well!
Wondering if you missed Liturgy's new record? And the new Panopticon? Since you put Svalbard on there, I feel like these are some that you would love!
26:14
This was actually my most played song of the year on Spotify, fun fact.
my top 3 rock albums would be:
3. Heavenward - Pyrophonics
2. Blink-182 - One More Time...
1. Foo Fighters - But Here We Are
Rock album of year 2023
1. paramore this is why
2. foo fighters but here we are
3. Queens of the Stone Age In Times New Roman...
4. boygenius The Record
5. Wilco Cousin
6. The Hives The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons by
7. SPANISH LOVE no joy
@@maryannappiagyei4277 We're friends now.
yeah the metal scene was odd. The mainstream albums sucked ass, and the dominate albums were mostly brutal death metal albums, which are inherently hit or miss. The good metal required some digging and leaning into preferences. Like despite people loving the death metal scene, I believe the US black metal scene was out of this world. Blackbraid, wayfarer and panopticon put out fucking spectacular albums with traditional american sounds mixed with various black metal styles and yeah, those were my biggest highlights.
#1 Raising ravens- leaving with the halflight
Jess Finalayson does it all! She writes, plays guitar and sings on this beautifully done album!!
2 Any given sin- war
3 Gideon- more power more pain
4 Motive black- auburn
5 Cold stares- voices
6 Pop evil- skeletons
7 Phil Campbell- kings of the asylum
8 Saul -this is it..the end of everything
9 Buckcherry-10
10 Tyler Bryant- dirty work
11 Red- rated R
12 Lift the curse- suffer and survive
13 Throw the fight- strange world
14 Another day dawns- finding peace through all the noise
15 Blak29
16 Trashy Annie- sticks and stones
17 When rivers meet- aces are high
18 Post profit- self defeaterEP
19 War curse- confession
20 Texas hippie coalition- the name lives on
21 Saliva- revelation
22 Laura cox- head above water
23 Woyote- mother of the universe
24 Screaming eagles- high class rock n roll
25 Jesse James Dupree- breathing fire
26 Vera bloom- it’s meEP
27 King mountain- wrath of the gods
28 Duskwood- the last voyage
29 Fuzzrider- S/T
30 Fortune child- - ST ep
31 Deadly vices- dead inside ep
Album of year 2023
1. Paramore This Is Why
2. The National First Two Pages of Frankenstein
3. boygenius the record
4. Sufjan Stevens Javelin
5. Joanna Sternberg - I’ve Got Me
6. Mitski The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
7. laufey bewitched
Its nice to see a music reviewer i watch actually get and understand what makes sleep token special. Feels like theyre so divisive these days despite having kept the same sound and consistently building off it their whole career
Seeing fall out boy on your list made me feel a little not crazy lol - wonderful video!! (Even if I personally really liked mania, dang nabit)
I got to see FOB in concert this year and honestly??? So good. Now to see Hozier so I can see both of my favorite 2023 albums sung live (unreal unearth was a hell of a thing)
5. 'Death Pill' by Death Pill
4. 'Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle' by Moonlight Sorcery
3. 'Yallah Beibe' by MC YALLAH
2. 'Sator Arepo' by Judgitzu
1. 'Seasons Dreaming Death' by GraveRipper
thanks for sharing your thoughts
I’m surprised to see So Much (For) Stardust here.
As soon as you intro'd the genre that number 1 would be I knew exactly where you were going
Listening while running. Please consider mentioning the artist/album name for other video 🙏🥺
Crash did you not hear TesseracT’s new album????!!! War of being. It’s incredible
Crash, love your content but I’m really surprised you didn’t vibe with Polaris, Invent Animate, or Currents’ new albums. All three of those were fantastic Metalcore albums.
this list does not include the album Transfem Slacker by Rose Orlando and is therefore incorrect
Thoughts on 152 by Taking Back Sunday? Also I love Stardust too, dont worry.
Highly recommend Drummer by G-Flip and Postcards From A Living Hell by RedHook if you want a broader taste of what Aussies are up to.
None of my personal top three made your list at all, but as always you introduced me to a great variety of artists I slept on. Top drawer.
My Top Five, for what it’s worth:
The Beggar by Swans
I Inside the Old Year Dying by PJ Harvey
The Worm by HMLTD
Scaring the Hoes by JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown
Brand New World by Zulu
I couldn't agree more with "Weathervanes" as the crowning jewel of 2023. It is rare that an album punches me in the gut and face from beginning to end but also swaddles me in a warm blanket at the same time. Usually you'll have albums in country, folk, heartland rock, etc. that have several gut-punching moments, or maybe comprising half of the album's runtime if they're lucky...............but they usually have a few filler tracks or even feel obligated to force a lighter note toward their back end. Not "Weathervanes". It's that rare album that gave me chills from start to finish and where I can't even decide what its highlights are, because throughout this past year they kept shifting. One day I'll think about a friend who passed away from fentanyl and "When We Were Close" will stand out as a highlight in that moment, but then the week after I reflect on some of the idioms and advice I heard growing up and realizing how much my personal philosophy has shifted since then and "Cast Iron Skillet" is suddenly the new highlight, and then the very next week "Vestavia Hills" emerges to the forefront as a standout to me because of being reminded of how I live life too fast often and take for granted the importance of finding room to breathe and the consequences that peer pressure and restlessness can inflict on you in the long run. And so on. And while it very much has that country storytelling and flourishes of instrumentation, it also has that Neil Young & Crazy Horse sort of visceral heartland rock feel to it too with the biting guitars on plentiful tracks to contrast with some more beautifully melancholic and swirling moments musically as well. It's definitely the best all-around album I've heard so far in the 2020s, it joys me it meant a lot to you too. 🥰
No Crash, you're totally right about Spanish Love Songs. Even the guy's dad says that he’d probably have more fans, If he could learn to sing about some happier shit Instead of wallowing in his shortcomings, his gross insecurities, were less narcissistic and maybe showed some humility
One of my biggest pet peeves, at least as of late, is when I watch one of these lists and you talk about an artist/album and never even mention the name of it/them.
Like that one that you praised so much, the one right before the Paramore one? I would love to know what that one is, and I don't. I know this is supposed to be a visual medium, and I'm sure you had it on screen and whatnot. But I'm also almost blind, so I need a little bit of guidance every now and then.
I'm not saying you should change the way you do things. After all, that's why we love you and come to watch your videos. I feel bad for even having to bring it up, I don't wanna be thought of as a jerk. But I still would like to know the name of that artist or the title of that album.
I mostly just listen to UA-cam videos these days because I play them while I work, and I agree that it would be helpful to name drop the albums and artists a bit more. Even if it’s just naming them aloud before the review.
59:10
That’s fine, it’s totally fine, I wish I was one of you.
Three minutes in I'm not sure if I'm annoyed at you announcing Slowdive and both National records got left out or seriously curious about what made the cut above them (they were my favorites this year, Everything is Alive is the record I didn't know I needed)
(post-watch edit) Curiosity satisfied. I did overlook a ton of synth and hoahney guhrls last year. Interesting picks, all of them.
Awesome
Cuddlecore is definitely a genre. It originated in the 90s and includes bands like Shonen Knife, the Softies and one of my favorite bands of all time, cub!
I hope Council Skies by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds is on this list, Crash “The Rock Critic” Thompson
Oh it’s so good
I’m not too sure how much new music I heard this year, I definitely have some standouts though
Jane Remover- Census Designated
Gideon- More Power More Pain
Ten56.- Downer
JPEGMAFIA- Scaring the Hoes
Magnolia Park- Halloween Mixtape II
How Many Dreams by DMA’s is best album of 2023
A record I've seen NO ONE talking about is the latest trophy eyes record - Suicide and Sunshine. Phenomenal work, recommend to everyone in this comment section
Sorry i bailed out halfway. My Internet was lagging a bit and I just needed to get some sleep.
I take my Ash & Elm as dry as possible. If they made an extra, extra, extra Special Dry…I’d buy it.
I feel so vindicated seeing Sleep Token this high on your list. 😂 Welcome to the dark side, Crash 😉
For number 2, I’d argue issues does the R&B miles better than sleep token. Still a decent album though.
I see Aesop got love, I eat good for a while. Simple as that.
Fuck yeah, sleep token kicks ass!!!
Honestly, I hear ya on the metal front. What connected with me in that genre weren't the heavy hitters but the up and comers like Victory Over The Sun or the "weird ones" like Liturgy. Most of the big names were boring to me, to the point where I don't even care if they released more in the future.
Creeper made a better Ghost album than Ghost themselves did last year
Good to know that my unending hatred for Sleep Token made me get featured in a Crash Thompson video.
I love you, Crash. No hard feelings.
looking forward to this video
not looking forward to hearing the chorus to "Welcome to My Island" for the 5298425582885th time
Is it just me, or does it look like crash is filming inside a smoky room?
It's me. I'm the 69th like.
great list, but i simply will not stand for the Rat Saw God erasure
The way you tease a Paramore mention and then don't bring them up at all. Well played 😅
I think I'm the only Fall Out Boy fan that doesn't like Stardust.
I know I'm late to the party, but how the hell was Olivia not #1 for 2023 let alone not even make it on freaking list?!
Here's my favorites of 2023:
1. Babymetal- The Other One
2. Dwellings- Little Garden
3. Paramore- This Is Why
4. Korine- Tear
5. Periphery- V: Djent Is Not A Genre!
6. Sleep Token- Take Me Back To Eden
7. Foo Fighters- But Here We Are
8. Enforced- War Remains
9. Dying Wish- Symptoms Of Survival
10. Wolf & Bear- Bloodletter
11. Fall Out Boy- So Much (For) Stardust
12. Silent Planet- Superbloom
13. Hail The Sun- Divine Inner Tension
14. Boygenius- The Record
15. Crosses- Goodnight God Bless, I Love U, Delete.
16. Baroness- Stone
17. Cattle Decapitation- Terrasite
18. Entheos- Time Will Take Us All
19. Covet- Catharsis
20. Enter Shikari- A Kiss For The Whole World
Album of year 2023
1. Paramore This Is Why
2. The National First Two Pages of Frankenstein
3. boygenius the record
4. Sufjan Stevens Javelin
5. Joanna Sternberg - I’ve Got Me
6. Mitski The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
7. laufey bewitched
Surprised Model/Actriz isn't here, considering you said this was a great year for queer music.
But i'm hella glad Svalbard is here.
Don't laugh..this has happened before...Looking at you The Gospel Youth
45:36
Spanish love songs will never make an album as good as schmaltz unfortunately
Sleep Token fans "If you hate tool fans get you ain't seen nothin yet" I don't think they are the death of heavy metal i find them to be pretty generic and other bands do what they do better. Erra does metalcore better, Dillinger and LOATHE are better with experimental shit and Tesserat are better at prog. Besides that they are just a brilliant example of a marketing teams wet dream. They favor style over actual substance and the fanbase is so pretentious I mean they have the "you just don't understand it" vibe. I don't think bands need a gimmick to make good music sorry (just ignore that I'm a Coheed fan) Of there's another band that is way more engaging and melodically than Sleep Token
Boygenius is Girl in Red just a teeny weeny little bit less gay
Why would I watch
Cool people watch. Jus' sayin'. 😎
@@CrashThompson my man! It's the hot mulligan album name I was hoping was on your list. That's all. I watch your stuff!
Only the REAL Crash Thompson can like this comment
I loved the crap out of that Caroline Polachek album, but I had to bin Caroline because her friendship and active promotion of Grimes was affecting my mental health. (There's a whole dossier at the top of the r/grimezs subreddit, but the tl;dr is that Grimes is way too far into the alt-right swamp for my liking). If y'all want to continue listening to that album, go ahead, because it really is amazing... but what Crash feels about Kanye is how I feel about Grimes, TBQH.
My fav was probably "PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation" by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Metal as fuck!!