Another year down the drain, that means it’s time for lists again! Here we go.

Lists! We love them and we know you do too. With 2023 drawing to a close, we prepare for a well-deserved break and dive into the holiday festivities. Before we go, though, we have painstakingly prepared two lists of our favourite musical endeavours of the year for your enjoyment. Enjoy!

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Wander’s 2023’s list of semiquincentennial musical celebration 

While 2023 offered more than enough good music, I never heard a tangible new sound. So in my little corner of the world it’s veterans galore. Together my picks have about 250 years of musical experience under the belt. Stylistically each of these albums offer something different. Whether it’s the unfiltered intensity of punk-rock or contemplative ambient journeys, these albums highlight this year’s artistry and creativity within my own musical sphere which I happily feature here today.  

10. The Tubs – Dead Meat (SftDS Review)
9. The Men – New York City (SftDS Review)
8. Amber Meulenijzer – Saab Fanfare
7. Colleen – Le Jour et la Nuit du Réel (SftDS Review)
6. Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou – Jerusalem
5. Yo La Tengo – This Stupid World (SftDS Review)
5. Swans – The Beggar (SftDS Review)

3. Hedvig Mollestad Weejuns – Weejuns (SftDS Review)

A fearless exploration in the field of jazz-rock. No boundary is sacred, no convention is left alone. Mollestad, Mofjell, and Storløkken deliver an electrifying innovative performance that will undoubtedly resonate for the rest of the decade.

2. PJ Harvey – I Inside the Old Year Dying (SftDS Review)

If you can handle the combination of literature, improv, folk, electronica, field recordings and outbursts of rock this tenth PJ Harvey will be a very rewarding experience. Headphones recommended.

1. Craven Faults – Standers (SftDS Review)

Incognito analog synth master Craven Faults delivers a total package of thoughts, images and of course unmatched compositions. This meditative and minimalistic take on the natural and industrial history of Yorkshire is not to be missed.

Best concerts of 2023:

• Swans – TivoliVredenburg – Utrecht, 16-6-2023
• Sunn O))) (Shoshin (初心) Duo) – Paradiso – Amsterdam, 4-9-2023
• Colleen – Le Guess Who? Janskerk – Utrecht, 11-11-2023

Anticipated for 2024:

• Slift – Ilion (Expected 19-01-2024)
• Anna von Hausswolff – TBA (2024)
• Om – TBA (2024)

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Ralph’s list of decidedly non-celebratory rackett 

2023 was a year where more music came out than I had the time or mood for to truly dive into, not being able to give a lot of the records that were released the time and attention they may have otherwise deserved. Below, however, are the albums I did get into and are somehow still in my semi-regular rotation schedule.

10. Myrkur – Spine
9. Cruachan – The Living and the Dead (SftDS Review)
8. Uriah Heep – Chaos & Colour (SftDS Review)
7. Iron Savior – Firestar (SftDS Review)
6. Sacred Outcry – Towers of Gold (SftDS Review)
5. Peter Gabriel – i/o (SftDS Review)
4. Wayfarer – American Gothic (SftDS Review)

3. Lovebites – Judgement Day (SftDS Review)

Somehow Lovebites get better with each album, and Judgement Day is the highlight in their discography so far, delivering a collection of songs that strike a perfect balance between melody and heaviness.

2. Vulture Industries – Ghosts from the Past (SftDS Review)

Ghosts from the Past might be Vulture Industries’ most accessible album to date, with the focus more on the hard rocking side than the weird. It makes for an excellent album that’s fun from start to finish.

1. Virgin Steele – The Passion of Dionysus (SftDS Review)

Yes, the production sort of sucks, but there are so many great melodic moments on Virgin Steele‘s latest album that it’s hard to ignore. And with a masterpiece like You’ll Never See the Sun Again I can’t help but propel this one to my top spot, warts and all.

Best concerts of 2023:

• Peter Gabriel – Ziggo Dome – Amsterdam, 5-6-2023 (SftDS Review)
• Iron Maiden – Ziggo Dome – Amsterdam, 11-7-2023 (SftDS Review)
• Fate Gear – Fluor – Amersfoort, 13-7-2023

Anticipated for 2024:

• Steve Hackett – The Circus And The Nightwhale (16-2-2024)
• Bruce Dickinson – The Mandrake Project (1-3-2024)
• Sonata Arctica – Clear Cold Beyond (8-3-2024)

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So there we have it, our favourite stuff of 2023 compiled into two neat little lists. For us, it’s time for a small break from proceedings to focus on the holiday festivities with family and friends. Have a wonderful Christmas and a splendid New Year; we’ll see you on the other side.

RP & WRM – 251223