Music Suitcase : Favorite Albums of January 2023
A fledgling music year begins and so does my 6th year of this monthly blog. I’ve shifted gears a bit, though. To make room for listening to more old music I’ve become a little less obsessive with what is brand new, and I’m only making time for those that really grab me. Here’s what did the trick in January!
Along with the blog, here’s a playlist with 48 of my favorite songs from November.
Belle and Sebastian, Late Developers
Recorded at the same time as 2022’s A Bit of Previous, the Scottish septet’s surprise 12th album is stronger than its predecessor. You’ll find a nice array of indie pop here, from synth pop dance anthems, to thoughtful folk-rock, to power pop, and it’s easy to feel the momentum of this late-career resurgence. It’s also fun to marvel at the band’s cleverness, whetting fans’ appetites with their first album in 7 years, and then sitting on an even stronger one for the next 8 months till the big reveal! Highlights: “I Don’t Know What You See In Me,” “Do You Follow,” “So In The Moment”
Guided By Voices, La La Land
It’s tempting to take a band for granted they’ve been around 40 years, and (lately) average 2.4 albums per year, but the Dayton lo-fi indie rock stalwarts have some serious momentum going too, with the sophisticated melodies and prog-forward trajectory of their last 3 records especially. La La Land is another wonderfully engaging and expansive step up. Highlights: “Instinct Dwelling,” “Slowly on the Wheel,” “Cousin Jackie”
Elle King, Come Get Your Wife
She still knows how to belt out an anthemic pop chorus at the right moment, but otherwise the up-till-now-blues-based singer dives headlong into country music with her third album. King fully owns this new focus, with as much passion and cleverness as she’s done everything else. Highlights: “Out Yonder,” “Worth A Shot,” “Bonafide”
King Tuff, Smalltown Stardust
Kyle Thomas sets aside the garage rock and offers a particularly laid back, nostalgic, sun-soaked version of his psychedelic sound, on a record dedicated to his formative years Vermont. This is clearly the unabashedly joyful, open-hearted, spiritually inclined album Thomas has been itching to make for a while. Highlights: “Love Letters To Plants,” “Portrait of God,” “Rock River”
James Yorkston, Nina Persson and the Second Hand Orchestra, The Great White Sea Eagle
Scottish singer/songwriter Yorkston’s second collaboration with Sweden’s Second Hand Orchestra draws in the lovely, complimentary voice of Cardigans singer Nina Persson, for a stately, elegant folk album with thoughtful, evocative lyrics, and lots of gentle, comforting touches. Highlights: “The Heavy Lyric Police,” “A Sweetness In You,” “Hold Out For Love”
Oddisee, To What End
Crisply-produced, easy-to-listen-to conscious rap from Washington DC, producer-turned-MC Amir Mohamed’s first album in 6 years (after years of multiple albums per year) is an introspective rap album with beats centering in jazz, funk, and soul music. Highlights: “How Far,” “Already Knew,” “Choices”
Whitehorse, I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying
Married Canadian duo Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet’s 8th record has heart, charm, an excellent sense of humor, and several powerful pandemic songs. It’s a country album with equal parts rock and folk influence, on which husband and wife sing and play and they both bring a lot to the table. Highlights: “Division 5,” “6 Feet Away,” “Bet The Farm”
Billy Nomates, Cacti
Abandoning Sprechgesang at the height of its popularity, Tor Maries actually sings on every track of her second album, and it helps. Somehow the gut punch of her lyrics — an unflinching grit, facing down a maw of bleakness — feels especially earned, for vaulting over such bright, catchy melodies and sticking the landing. Highlights: “Cacti,” “Saboteur Forcefield,” “Vertigo”
The Murder Capital, Gigi’s Recovery
Fundamentally dramatic even when pulling their punches, the Dublin post-punk band doesn’t rage as loud and hard here as on their debut but the music (and lyrics) are every bit as tense and volatile, and more dissonant this time around. It’s as uneven as the first one, but the highlights are powerful. Highlights: “The Stars Will Leave Their Stage,” “Only Good Things,” “Crying”
Complete Mountain Almanac, Complete Mountain Almanac
Tracing the course of nature over a year, and interlacing that narrative with a more personal almanac — artist/poet Jessica Dessner’s (successful) fight against cancer — Swedish singer Rebekka Karijord delivers a beautiful, emotive set of songs with instrumentation by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National (Jessica’s brothers) and the Malmö Symphony Orchestra. Highlights: “February,” “May,” “October”
Dhafer Youssef, Street of Miniarets
A dynamic jazz fusion album from Tunisia, with forays into funk and several Arabic musical traditions, the oud virtuoso and composer enlists Herbie Hancock and other high ticket collaborators on a 10th album that thrums with ecstatic mysticism and a palpable sense of intercontinental connection. Highlights: “Sudra Funk,” “Flying Dervish,” “Funky SharQ”
Joe Henry, All The Eye Can See
A sophisticated, slow-burn folk album that’ll hold your attention more after repeat listens, the veteran singer/songwriter’s 16th album offers lots of subtle touches in terms of songwriting, instrumentation and production too. While lyrically driven, all of these songs were arranged with care and a keen melodic ear. Highlights: “Small Wonder,” “O Beloved,” “Kitchen Door”
The Bad Ends, The Power and the Glory
On this debut, the brainchild of R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry and Five Eight singer Mike Mantione digs into the stew of the jangle pop, garage and college rock of the Athens, GA scene they both helped shape. Some nostalgia’s at work here, but the allusions to the past are mostly to contextualize the struggles the present day. Highlights: “The Ballad of Satan’s Bride,” “Mile Marker 29,” “Left To Be Found”
Anti-Flag, Lies They Tell Our Children
That rare American pop punk band whose social justice focus staves off a punk’s natural cynicism for the “pop” element, the Pittsburgh band’s 13th album goes as hard as their leftism. Highlights: “Victory Or Death,” “Only In My Head,” “The Fight Of Our Lives”
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While we’re here…
Did you enjoy this article? Awesome! It was written by a white guy privileged enough to have time listen to like 40 albums every month and write a blog as a passion project, for free.
If you are white and you are also are privileged enough to have some time on your hands, or some money to donate, please check out some anti-racism resources and help fight the good fight.
Nerding out over music is fun, but let’s not forget that we live in a burning world that needs our help! Black Lives Matter.