Last list of the year before I can send 2023 off for good. Enjoy <3 100. Yeule - Softscars Yuele made a splash a few years ago with Glitch Princess and had some promising singles leading up to this album. While a transition into the sounds of shoegaze doesn't go over quite as well as I hoped I think they still proved to be a unique force within the ever-expanding world of difficult-to-define internet music. Listen To: dazies , inferno 99. Matmos - Return To Archive While I do feel like this effort is an improvement upon what Matmos did last year it once again feels like more impressive as a concept than in execution. At the very least this album manages to hit its stride right of the gate in a way that never failed to grab me quickly. Listen To: Injection Basic Sound , Mud-Dauber Wasp 98. Slayyyter - STARFUCKER I think it's safe to say that Slayyyter hasn't quite found her footing yet as a conventional pop star. When this album tries to leave the club it typically stu
Review by Lav: The moment Taylor Swift's new album The Tortured Poets Department hit, it was lauded by numerous major critical outlets who, let's face it, got a copy in advance and likely wanted to maintain their positive relationship with Swift and her team going forward. Ever since then though, it's been an absolute barrage. Some of the nicer publications have pointed out that the record is a little on the long side and that Jack Antonoff's contributions continue to spark absolutely no joy. More honest critics have torn the album virtually to shreds for its awful lyrics and deeply formulaic melodies. So stepping into an album getting this much hate from all corners is a difficult position to be in and one I approach with trepidation. That's why it might surprise you to know, there were some things I liked about The Tortured Poets Department . Let's start with the title track. It was already burdened by a viral lyric about Charlie Puth that circulated from a
Destiny - DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ This album man. DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ has never been a project to limit itself and in one of the most indulgent moves they've undertaken yet they dropped this 41-track, nearly 4 hour record. Normally I would take that as an over-indulgence and look the other way entirely like I did with Mac Demarco's 200-track nightmare earlier this year. The difference is unlike Mac, DJ Sabrina are used to long, winding projects and I've enjoyed their material a lot in recent years. So when I try to justify skipping this album I can't help but think of moments I like so much in it. Fan-favorite singles like Doubts and Something New or personal highlights like the future funk-inspired anthem of self-empowerment Get Over It . Though the music on this album is not directly trance-inspired and generally takes a much less methodical and sunnier approach, it is still very easy to become entranced by it. The long compositions and absolute mountain o