Year in Rock 2023: Albums of the Year #20-16

Behold! The bottom quarter of my top 20 albums of the year!

What patterns emerge through positions 20 through 16? What clues lie here as to what's higher up? How many other questions can I come up with to generate a false sense of intrigue and mystery?

SPIRITUAL CRAMP

S/T

November 3, 2023 • Blue Grape

Highlights

Blowback

Talkin' on the Internet

Better Off This Way

An American band of upstarts that takes sonic cues from many of the punk and indie darlings from the other side of the pond, Spiritual Cramp pack a ton of crackling energy and sharp wit into their songcraft, resulting in a record that helped to break the group through to a more diverse cross section of fans and aging music snobs like myself. Think a less unhinged, more melodic Viagra Boys and you're starting to get the idea.

FOO FIGHTERS

But Here We Are

June 2, 2023 • Roswell

Highlights

Rescued

The Glass

The Teacher

Informed by the tragic passing of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins, Foo Fighters' eleventh album predictably deals with loss and mourning, albeit infused with an exploratory spirit that isn't common of a band as large-scale as Foo Fighters, who could have easily packed it in or continued to churn out passable material and carried on in mediocrity. Taking the chances they do here signals an unwillingness to simply fade away, and the result is the Foos' most consistently engaging album since Wasting Light.

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE

In Times New Roman...

June 16, 2023 • Matador

Highlights

Paper Machete

Carnavoyeur

Emotion Sickness

It's not quite a misstep, since I don't think Josh Homme and company are really capable of that, but QOTSA's eighth LP does seem destined to get lost in the shuffle in terms of their overall body of work. That said, even a slightly underwhelming Queens record is capable of explosive thrills, and one only needs to give Paper Machete a spin to understand that this band still has the goods in spades.

TIGERCUB

The Perfume of Decay

June 2, 2023 • Loosegroove

Highlights

The Perfume of Decay

Swoon

We're a Long Time Gone

Flying under the radar for over a decade now, British rockers Tigercub can't be ignored any longer. Their third album is jam packed with hook-laden slabs of groove rock that don't sound a bit out of place alongside the QOTSAs and Royal Bloods of the world. There are even a few surprises, such as the acoustic haze of We're a Long Time Gone, just to keep you on your toes.

CROWN LANDS

Fearless

March 31, 2023 • Universal

Highlights

Starlifter: Fearless Part II

Right Way Back

Lady of the Lake

The sophomore album from Ontarian duo Crown Lands is a culmination of the hard work they've put in on those grueling cross-Canadian tours; the musicianship is elevated to Rush-like levels, and the songwriting has followed suit. Opening with an 18-minute epic and maintaining its energy and sonic impressiveness throughout, Fearless feels like the precursor to a true breakthrough for a pair of very talented artists. Also, having had my face melted by them at Area 506 this year, I cannot recommend their live show enough.

The next five will be revealed soon!

Year in Rock 2025

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As far as punk rock goes, it's hard to name a hotter hot streak than the trio of records Rancid cranked out between 1995 and 2000; the star making ...And Out Come the Wolves , the far-reaching Life Won't Wait and their balls-to-the-wall second self-titled album solidly positioned Rancid as leaders of the second generation of punk. It also preceded a period of slow progression, as Rancid would take eleven years to release their next three records. By the time ...Honor Is All We Know came in 2014, many fans (myself included) had to wonder whether or not this was the end of the road. Such concerns are handily dealt with on the closing track of the standard edition of their ninth record, the positively punishing This Is Not the End . Well, okay then, that's sorted. Now, what of this new record? What do we make of the use of their original logo on the cover, a logo that hasn't graced a Rancid record in 25 years? Is this a throwback to the band's heyday, a new begin...

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