Year end lists – we here at tgh find them both potentially daunting (did we forget something?! probably…) and, also, possibly reductive. Instead, dear reader (whomever might be left), we attempt to put a bow ‘round the latest year that just was by focusing on albums and tracks we’ve enjoyed, in no particular order or classification. We strive for narrative structure by focusing on labels we like and some of their 2023 highlights – as we proceed, to give you what you need…
Part the first shines a light on Chicago-based Trouble In Mind, which had a superior year filled with an array of fantastic releases. Our highlights included:
The Serfs, Half Eaten by Dogs. Released in October, the masterful third long-player from Cincinnati-based The Serfs is a churning, heady blend of icy synths and taught rhythms. Slate grey dance music reminiscent, in parts, of artists like Fad Gadget, Cabaret Voltaire, early New Order, and Crystal Stilts, The Serfs’ melding of post-punk and ’80s industrial, flecked with drone and dub, is exhilarating and possibly their best set to date (be sure to familiarize yourself with the band’s earlier works, as well). Music perfect for a club night in the basement of a decommissioned rectory. We only wished we had grabbed a tee to win friends and influence people before they sold out!
Highlights include: ‘Beat Me Down’; ‘Spectral Analysis’; ‘ Cheap Chrome’.
Melenas, Ahora. From Pamplona, Spain, Melenas released Ahora in September. We’ve been smitten since first hearing them rave like a some kind of garage-y Lush on tracks like ‘3 Segundos’ and ‘No Puedo Pensar’ from 2020’s Dias Raros. This year’s edition relies less on jangle, plugging the band’s enervating knack for gorgeous melody into analog synth and psychpop textures – and it’s stunningly beautiful. From the swirling hooks of ‘K2’ to more introspective, swaying in place tracks like ‘Promesas’ (which sounds like a psych Ultravox and will have you blissfully singing ‘nah/na na na na’ over and over), Ahora is truly amazing and deserving of a place with fellow travelers like Broadcast, Molly Nilsson and Fatamorgana.
Highlights include: ‘Promesas’; ‘Dos Pasajeros’; ‘K2’.
En Attendant Ana, Principia. Paris-based En Attendant Ana remain masters of taking 60’s folk and jangle and adding Gallic elements, jazzy skronk, and beautifully serpentine rhythmic interplay. Released in February, Principia continues to evolve the band’s sound without sacrificing what makes them so great. The opening, title, track sets a heady, jangle-psych tone, singer/songwriter Margaux Bouchaudon singing of being stuck with others in parallel lines that suppress interconnection. Bouchaudon’s voice is perfect throughout, conveying feels without being over-emotive, a la Trish Keenan (RIP) or even Harriet Wheeler, with the rest of the band in fine form (the bass playing a particular pleasure). On repeat.
Highlights include: ‘Principia’; ‘Same Old Story’; ‘Fools & Kings’.
Guardian Singles, Feed Me to the Doves. Auckland-based Guardian Singles released Feed Me to the Doves in May. From the straight ahead, Ramones-like bludgeon of ‘Chad and Stacey’ to the Hüsker Dü meets Mission of Burma fuzzed tenacity of ‘Com Trans’, Guardian Singles brings an intensity and emotion to their music that never feels forced or mawkish. There’s an exhilarating tension maintained across the album’s 10 tracks that forces attention, culminating in the cathartic action/time/vision of ‘Ground Swell’. Personal bonus points to the band for leading me to rediscover their eponymous debut, which is also excellent – many thanks!
Highlights include: ‘Ground Swell’; ‘Manic Attraction’; ‘Nightmare Town’.
FACS, Still Life in Decay. Chicago’s FACS released Still Life in Decay in April, and we’ve made repeated trips back to the aural well since. Somehow sounding simultaneously gigantic and intimate, the album crackles in the juxtaposition between razorwire-taut instrumentation and the often dead-eyed vocals of singer/guitarist Brian Case. The trio are an absolute force throughout, swooping off on tangents and then rejoining like swallows in the gloaming. Not sure how to categorize – isn’t everything ‘post-punk’ nowadays? (I keed) – but the best tracks feel both crushing and uplifting in equal measure. Given humanity’s current state, these latter moments feel especially welcome.
Highlights include: ‘Slogan’; ‘Class Spectre’; ‘New Flag’.
Check out Trouble In Mind’s compilation featuring 2023 releases here and find your own faves!
Trouble In Mind links: bandcamp; website; fbook; twitter (yes, I know – I just don’t care); insta; youtube; tiktok.
