Kevin Drew ‘Aging’ (5/5)
Kevin Drew, best known as the lead singer of the Canadian supergroup Broken Social Scene, who is arguably the greatest frontman of our generation, has released his third album under his own name. ‘Aging’ is unlike anything you’ve heard this year and is intimate and unique, wonderfully crafted and beautifully composed. It currently sits atop the mountain of releases as my album of the year. “Elevator” is riveting in its own way with the constant beat and emotionally charged piano. Tracks 2 through 4 are perfect in every way, as “Out in the Fields” shines gloriously as he sings the uplifting chorus. The way Kevin controls his voice is remarkable. “Party Oven” may be the most emotionally demanding song on the album and falls in line with “Lovers Spit” and “Sweetest Kill” as one of his most rewarding songs. “All Your Fails” synthesizer is reminiscent of David Bowie’s “”Heroes”” and LCD Soundsystem’s “All I Want”. The darkly detailed slowburner “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” is held together with a gorgeously sad piano and well placed auto-tune. “Awful Lightning” seems to be the titular track that caresses our ear canals and makes for a great repeat worthy song. It’s the most in depth songwriting on the album and pays off in dividends. Kevin Drew ends the album with the classic sounding closer “You’re Gonna Get Better” which sounds like it could have pulled from his first two beautiful records. The string are magnificent and the piano really does draw you into the world that Kevin Drew has so effortlessly created within this 33 minute runtime.
There Will Be Fireworks ‘Summer Moon’ (5/5)
There Will Be Fireworks have come back with a vengeance after their last full length effort was a decade ago. ‘Summer Moon’ is a revealing, unique and exciting album that opens with the incredibly powerful “Smoke Machines (Summer Moon)” that includes epic guitars, gorgeous singing and expertly produced screaming. “Holding Back the Dark” is arguably the most accessible track on the album, and I’m actually shocked it wasn’t used as a single since I can’t see how anyone wouldn’t enjoy this song with its pulsating guitars, synths and magical string arrangement. When the title is sang, it opens up the flood gates for the rest of the album to come. “Bedroom Door” and “Love Comes Around” are two of the almost ballads that are eloquently written and contain heart on sleeve lyrics. The drums in the later are produced wonderfully and played with precise rhythm, as it coincides with the piano beautifully. “Dream Song” opens with a simple but wonderful guitar riff and Modest Mouse-esque styled technique. I love the “I am…” lyrical passages that give you insight into the world of TWBF. “Something Borrowed” and “Classic Movies” were two of the songs I was able to get acquainted with during their singles, and they shine within the album rotation. “Bloody Mary” closes out this expertly crafted album in a very intimate manner. The piano is wonderfully composed and the vocals are perfectly balanced to the core of the album and it leaves us full, and satisfied.
Sun Kil Moon ‘Quiet Beach House Nights’ (5/5)
Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon is my favorite living songwriter and his album ‘Quiet Beach House Nights’ was made available only on signed CD at his live shows at first. This epic album is his best since ‘Benji’ and it opens with the pensive “Nervous To Fly” which is about Mark’s family members and features beautifully executed guitar and pretty female backing vocals. “Damien” showcases Mark’s brilliant fingerpicking and well layered vocals. “Black Perch” is the highlight here and the best song of the year since the moment I heard it in early 2023, and seeing it live only made this judgement call even more solidified. The emotional landscape it provides about fishing, cooking and relational storytelling is a fascinating and unique experience. The guitar and songwriting in “Black Perch” is the best of the year for many reasons, including how it allows the listener to get drawn into the world Mark lives in through the gorgeousness of daily life. The title track here is about driving through different destinations and how SoCal is a nice place to catch the sunshine and leave the San Fran fog behind. A lot of the album is about talking to his sister, and their close relationship. The outro in “The Doorbells Are Ringing” could be used in a film about the birth of Christ, as it sounds spiritually focused and emotionally charged. The final number on this album “Raging Bull’s Jaw” whom he shares vocal duties with Rachel Haden, is a duet that focuses on a relationship between Mark and his lover, and the trials they go through when he is on tour, and how much different it is when he is home. It features boxing references like much of his latest music and even some comedic lines that get the crowd laughing when he’s talking eating raw fish.
Sunnsetter ‘The Best That I Can Be.’ (5/5)
Sunnsetter’s new album ‘The Best That I Can Be.’ starts off with one of the best openers of the year in “Memories (come and go like light)” which is reminiscent of Akron/family’s best work and is extremely beautiful acoustic-rock with intimate hums and glorious production value. “In the Ocean” is my personal favorite, which is really hard to pick from, but the production and mixing couldn’t be better. “The Whole World That Turns Around Itself” has a wonderful opening with the guitars and percussion elements bouncing off each other very pleasantly. “At the End of the Day” is a perfect representation of what to listen to at the end of the day. I wonder if The Album Leaf is indebted to this wonderful sound because it reminds me a lot of Jimmy’s production techniques. The buzzing guitar strings, echoed drum beat and synth pads really allow the background vocals to shine through. This is a wonderful album with excellent vision and sound and overall will go down as one of the strongest of the year.
The National ‘Laugh Track’ (4.5/5)
With the surprise release of ‘Laugh Track’, The National have, for the first time in their 20+ years as band, released two albums in one year. The result is a more refined package of songs then it’s predecessor. The highlights include single and extremely strong opener “Alphabet City” which relies on gorgeous piano keys, and arpeggios taken from synths. The percussion is much stronger on this than ‘The First Two Pages of Frankenstein’ which was basically non-existent. “Weird Goodbyes” features a slice of Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and is a beautifully crafted piece. “Turn Off the House” is another standout opening with an acoustic guitar utilizing a wonderful tone and well spaced and simple but powerful vocals from Matt Berninger. “Space Invader” and “Smoke Detector” relies on experimental production value and songwriting cues unlike what we’ve come to expect from the band. “Hornets” and “Tour Manager” are beautifully written and produced ballads that rival some of the standout more experimental tracks. Overall, while not perfect like their run from 2005-2017, it is a smidge better than “…Frankenstein” which qualifies it as the best album The National released in 2023. I will say, they should’ve come up with more original art instead of relying on a copy/paste method, as that was disappointing.
Army of Sound 