THE WDNF-PHILLY.COM TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2023
ON THE PODIUM
Austin TX's BOTTLECAP MOUNTAIN is the best Americana pop/rock/alt/folk/country creon the circuit today. Their 2022 album FIB FACTORY made our Top 10 last year, and they outdid themselves in 2023 with O! FANTASTIK MELANCHOLY, an edgy yet tender at times collection of well-written songs expertly performed. The production is as always from BM, just about perfect. This album flows seamlessly track to track, and there is very little to find any fault with. You can check out our ALBUM OF THE YEAR HERE
Dan Slyker is a MA-based singer-songwriter, pianist, composer and producer. 808s AND FISHING LAKES, while shorter than most albums (6 songs), contains 6 works of pure pop Americana music genius, including the wickedly entertaining and positively unforgettable "MEXICO", also our #1 SONG of 2023.
Get this stellar collection of pop music gems HERE
Swedish quarter Dictator Ship brings energetic and raw rock’n'roll with exquisite multi-layered vocal harmonies and melodies inspired by 60’s soul and doo-wop. They funk, rock, roll and pop and they have delivered the best pure rock album of 2023.
Did you hear about the groove on the other side of town?
Join the ELECTRIC JIHAD HERE
Rounding Out The Top 10
Imágenes Mentales and Call Me Shadow is the creative persona of San Jose, Costa Rica's Carlos Plaza and Bosnia's Senka Hodžić. BREATH IN BREATH OUT is a dreamy, lush, melodic and atmospheric collection of songs, and one of the most beautiful sounding records in recent times. This album was actually released towards the end of 2022, too late for consideration for '22. But it is a Top 10 album. Discover them HERE
When asked to describe his band, lead vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Mark Bram said: 'We have the glam and theatrics of Cooper and Bowie, the sophisticated rock of Queen, the power and urgency of early Zeppelin with the melodic prowess of early Beatles'. RABBIT HOLE is 14 tracks (and 2 bonus tracks) that very decisively confirms Mark's description. It is one of the flat out great rock and roll albums of the past several years. Go down the Rabbit Hole HERE
Mari Dangerfield hails from Ealing, West London, She is a multi-talented and colorful alt/electronic pop artist, producer, writer and musician with a knack for fragile songs bursting with originality. She released her debut record in 2023 and it is spectacular. Every song on this album could've been a stand-alone single in its own right - fantastic clever synth pop. She will make waves. Ride those waves HERE
Ajay Mathur is a musical shapeshifter - moving seamlessly from style, genre and texture while maintaining his very distinct sound. If you enjoy the music and sounds of The Beatles, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen or David Bowie, Ajay will fit right in. "Blow My Cover" also keeps with Ajay's tradition of imbuing his work with deep meaning and Universal human themes. His cover is blown HERE.
Los Angeles CA's Josie Cotton makes unabashedly pure power pop. And she does it better than anyone today. DAY OF THE GUN is her latest release, and it it non-stop earworm laden fun. How does one explain Josie Cotton: "The Quentin Tarantino of abstract girl pop" - WeThePeople Discover her wonderful stylings HERE
Toronto-London collective THE FLOWERS OF HELL have released a wonderful record of wickedly creative reworkings of songs from artists such as Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, Siouxsie and the Banshees and more. Much more than a cover album, the songs are re-imaginings...Discover it HERE
Transatlantic collective LUSTINANAN GHOSTS released their third full-length album in 2023 - III. A Portuguese-Canadian-Swedish project founded by Toronto's NEIL LEYTON and Swede MICKE GHOST, the Ghosts revives lost instruments and presents ancient sounds in the 21st Century, re-casting heritage folk violas into rock n roll songs. It is a solid album front-to-back. Discover it HERE
Honorable Mentions
Para Lia is multi-instrumentalist René Methner and vocalist Cindy Methner, who ignore the zeitgeist of this day to create music that is far from mainstream. This album sees them blend their love for late 80’s and early 90’s indie rock with psychedelic, garage rock, 60’s influences, and early prog rock elements. You can check out this album HERE
Hailing from Vancouver BC, Black Dog String Quartet has delivered one of the most unique sounding albums of 2023. Musically drawing from a web of connected disciplines ranging from contemporary classical, folk and fiddle music to chamber pop, "A Thousand Times Brighter" distills Black Dog String Quartet's powerful artistic vision into a cohesive, emotion-packed experience - yearning, somber, graceful and transcendent. HERE
Atlanta GA's I AM A ROCKETSHIP, is an indie pop-rock duo made up of multi-instrumentalist ERIC WEISSINGER and Swedish artist L E KIPPNER. In keeping with the band's style, while also exploring new sounds - these compositions are about uncertainty, fear and dreams. This album's center track is the wonderful "It's Because Of You He's Dead". Check it out HERE
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