Complex Distractions Presents : Favorite Albums Of 2023(Mid-Year Edition)

It’s been a few years since I’ve sat down to do a mid-year album review for Complex Distractions. Not sure why I’ve let that go by the way side. Granted, it’s a lot of work for me. Making lists the old fashioned way, by pen and paper; ranking albums in accordance to my adoration and repeated plays; hand wringing and re-reviewing for said mid-year post.

For a guy with plenty on his plate outside of these four digital walls it’s a commitment.

I think I’ve found that spark again, the one I had at the very beginning when I started this site in December of 2011. When I paid my WordPress dues and sat in front of that crappy tube computer monitor and began typing about whatever came to my mind.

It was for a love of music.

I’m a listener and devour-er of sounds first and foremost. I’ve written and recorded plenty of music of my own since the mid-2000s, but it was all in the hopes of emulating that magic I accumulated and absorbed over the many, many years of buying cassettes, CDs, and vinyl. I think I did a reasonable job of masking any sort of blatant ripping off of my favorite bands, but if you sat long enough and dissected what I’ve created on my own you’d hear echoes of the Beatles, Kinks, Wilco, Can, BtS, Electric Miles, Flaming Lips, etc, so on and so forth.

It’s all been done. Rock and roll has been created, innovated, turned inside out, rebuilt from the ground up, torn down, rebuilt, set on fire, glued together, taped with masking tape, electrical tape, housed in boxes with circuits and patch cables, and then blown up with dynamite and best intentions. Only to come back and kick your ass from an angle you never saw. That’s the beauty of it.

So why start these mid-year review things again? Why not?

It’s been a pretty great year for music. At least according to my ears. New artists, old artists, buzzing guitars and wavering electronics; 2023 has offered all kinds of flavors and vibes and I’m hear for it. So without further adieu, let’s jump into Complex Distractions’ favorite albums of 2023, mid-year edition.

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25. Paul Gilbert : The Dio Album

Guitar wizard covers our favorite heavy metal Elf. News at 11.

24. Rupert Lally : Multitudes

Ethereal ambient from imagined soundtrack alum and published author.

23. Yves Tumor : Praise a Lord Who Chews, But Which Does Not Consume;(Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)

A mouthful for someone not consuming..cosmic pop with eclectic flavors throughout.

22. Depeche Mode : Memento Mori

Tenured goths keep it real after four decades. Melancholy electronic at its finest.

21. Dave Lombardo : Rites of Percussion

Dark, ethereal percussion album from one of the best that ever sat behind a drum set. And his debut solo album to boot.

20. The CIA : Surgery Channel

Ty Segall and wife-y make some weird noise and I like it. More in line with his Wasted Shirt(with Brian Chippendale) than his garage rock grooves.

19. The Lemon Twigs : Everything Harmony

New York brothers add majestic power pop album to their discography. If you like angelic harmonies and melancholy pop, this will be your thing.

18. Horned Relic Self : Column of Shadow

Ambient soundtrack to an absinthe-soaked fever dream. Hazy, humid electronic music that’s New Age music for dungeon dwellers.

17. Sermons By The Devil : Pro-Life

Thomas Hall’s most realized album to date. Big themes, big beats, and heady synths.

16. Lightning Dust : Nostalgia Killer

Ex-Black Mountain members Amber Webber and Joshua Wells’ best album to date. 70s pop, rock, and psych all mixed perfectly like the best cocktail you’ve ever had.

15. Future Museums : Dorsal Fin

Neil Lord goes full Michael Rother here, combining his new age-isms with Berlin School heft. 1973? 2023? Time is pointless when the music is this timeless.

14. Edena Gardens : Live Momentum

Danish post-rock behemoths/supergroup Edena Gardens prove why seeing them live should be on your bucket list.

13. Yo La Tengo : This Stupid World

New Jersey’s finest indie rock trio continue to make relevant and hooky rock music inspired by everything from Brill Building to Krautrock.

12. Unknown Mortal Orchestra : V

Ruban Nielson’s Uknown Mortal Orchestra makes his best and funkiest album yet. Get ready to swoon.

11. Rob Mazurek/Exploding Star Orchestra : Lightning Dreamers

Mazurek can’t be labeled. His jazz/experimental trip continues to blow my mind. With help from guitar guru Jeff Parker, this album transcends jazz with a beatnik spirit.

10. Beach Fossils : Bunny

Captured Tracks was a record label I obsessed over in the early 2010s, eating up all they had to offer. Dustin Payseur’s dream pop songs pulled you in with their hooks and DIY/bedroom pop aesthetic. Each record has gotten brighter and crisper while never losing that deeply personal, contemplative character. Bunny continues the evolution of sound. It’s the wistful, summer pop album you’ve been waiting for.

9. Andy Shauf : Norm

I’ve been a fan of Andy Shauf’s since The Party. His low key, sleepy vocal delivery and folksy, 70s pop singer/songwriter writing style keep me engaged. Norm might be his best album yet; narrative, melodies, and Shauf’s quiet-but-confident delivery come together perfectly.

8. Edena Gardens : Agar

Recorded during the sessions for the band’s 2022 debut, Agar shows a decidedly more subtle side to the trio’s chugging, monolithic post-rock. There’s really nothing this Danish three-piece can’t do.

7. Queens of the Stone Age : In Times New Roman

A dark, brooding, and heavy album that deals with leader Josh Homme’s past personal strife. In Times New Roman is the band’s heaviest and grooviest album since Era Vulgaris.

6. Mandy, Indiana : I’ve Seen A Way

Dance/post-punk outfit Mandy, Indiana sort of just materialized from our collective subconscious out of bits of weird, forgotten dreams and kinky fantasies. I listen to this record and I think of Grace Jones; sexy, dangerous, and weird in all the best ways possible.

5. Paul Riedl : Ocean of Peace

Blood Incantation singer/guitarist Paul Riedl has put out a series of “floater” New Age albums. Records you put on and just “float off” into the ether for a bit. Calming, reflective and transcendent electronic albums. Ocean of Peace is his pièce de résistance. Two side-length compositions that take you on a cosmic journey.

4. London Odense Ensemble : Jaiyede Sessions Vol. 2

The Danish/UK collective released a continuation of last year’s excellent Jaiyede Sessions Vol. 1, in yes, Vol. 2. The jazz inflections interspersed with cosmic synth blasts continue on Vol. 2, and despite these songs being recorded during the same sessions as last year’s debut, there’s an air of sonic evolution. Early 70s jazz fusion interspersed with Berlin School spirit. The sky’s the limit no more. London Odense Ensemble is taking their sound stratospheric.

3. Hawksmoor : Telepathic Heights

The latest from James McKeown’s electronic project Hawksmoor is a buzzing, ethereal joy to get lost in. Touches of Krautrock and 70s prog come together to send you on a heady sound journey. Synths, shimmering guitar, electric bass, and the spirit of sonic exploration make for a fascinating 40 minutes.

2. Youth Lagoon : Heaven Is A Junkyard

Trevor Powers put his solo project to bed back in 2015. He released a couple of solo albums under his own name before bringing Youth Lagoon back this year. I won’t go into all the trials and tribulations that went into the writing and inspiration for this record(you can Google that), but Heaven Is a Junkyard is a wonderful pop album and a very personal record. Lots of piano, melancholy melodies, and a feeling of an artist finding that spark that made them want to write and sing songs in the first place.

1. Protomartyr : Formal Growth In The Desert

This is Protomartyr’s most eclectic and wide-ranging album yet. Expanding their sound with pedal steel guitar and more intricate drums, singer/poet Joe Casey writes his most acerbic-yet-personal lyrics to date. This is the Detroit post-punk band’s best record yet, and one the most thoughtful and engaging listens so far in 2023.

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