Well, well, well. If it isn't Sound Bites temporarily coming back to life, suspiciously close to the end of the year. That must only mean one thing; well, aside from the author being supremely lazy and neglectful to his blog yet again. Yes, dear reader, it's time for Year in Rock.
Look, I'm out of excuses as to why I can turn from cranking out content at a record pace to a full year of radio silence; suffice to say, this blog certainly isn't a priority in my life (which I have been rebuilding since my last post, but that's all personal stuff I have no desire to steal bandwidth from more deserving and important things). Sound Bites will continue to exist as a mausoleum for my personal music tastes, but it's not pivoting into self-help territory, nor is it roaring back to full-time status. I'll check in periodically, so as to say when there's something worth sharing. It might be once a year, it might be more frequently, but I definitely won't be getting back to anything approaching a regular basis because at the end of the day this is a dead format of communication whose heart is currently only beating to respect tradition.
Anyway, the first and only thing you need to know about my music consumption habits in 2023 is that they took a bit of a downturn. I haven't kept up with things at the pace I used to, and even as I write these words there are albums and artists I just didn't get around to giving a proper listen to; if this were my profession it would be different, but a dude in his late forties trying to figure out his life shouldn't be expected to devote himself to the art form for the sake of a year-end article that might be read by a dozen people. Simply put, my mind's on other shit these days.
Still, I have more or less stayed up to date on what's out there, and made some time for what I've been interested in. At least, enough time that there are 25 records worth talking about in this setting, even if it's only a few stray sentences per record.
Baby steps, then; my Top 20 is still to come, and I swear I'm narrowing down the order. For now, to whet our collective whistles, here are five records that just missed the cut but are nonetheless worth checking out.
PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS
Land of Sleeper
February 17, 2023 • Rocket Recordings
Highlights Ultimate Hammer • Big Rig • Mr Medicine
Last discussed in these halls with their glorious, stank-face inducing Viscerals record, the UK doomers' fourth album continues to see this band's evolution from eager upstarts to bringers of sublime sonic destruction. A must-listen for those who appreciate the dark art that is stoner metal.
RANCID
Tomorrow Never Comes
June 2, 2023 • Epitaph
Highlights Tomorrow Never Comes • Devil in Disguise • New American
Through their three decades plus of service, Rancid have never shied away from a challenge, whether it's injecting outside influences into their trusty punk recipe or doubling down on the tried and true formula that placed them among the very best the genre has to offer. Their tenth album feels more like the latter but, rather than simply rehashing past hits, Tomorrow Never Comes plays out like a victory lap, encapsulating everything that makes them Rancid over a fleet, fun half hour.
THE HIVES
The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons
August 11, 2023 • Disques Hives
Highlights Bogus Operandi • Countdown to Shutdown • What Did I Ever Do to You?
After an initial run that saw the Swedish garage rockers release five albums over fifteen years amid diminishing returns and fading interest, The Hives could have easily just stayed dormant and let their legacy end with the underwhelming but not career-killing Lex Hives. Instead, over a decade later, The Hives have returned with an album that doesn't need to go this hard to prove the old guys have still got it; but it does, and it's a shockingly good first step out of the grave.
ROYAL BLOOD
Back to the Water Below
September 1, 2023 • Warner
Highlights Shiner in the Dark • Pull Me Through • High Waters
After a third record that saw the English duo attempt to overhaul their sound and steer it into groovier waters, their fourth does what the title implies and returns to a more nocturnal and contemplative sound. The maturity that was somewhat overshadowed by the gloss of Typhoons is more pronounced and classic sounding here, with the additional instrumentation used as complimentary pieces to the more established Royal Blood sound, resulting in their most dynamic and rewarding front-to-back listening experience yet.
THE MENZINGERS
Some of it Was True
October 13, 2023 • Epitaph
Highlights There's No Place in This World for Me • Try • Come On Heartache
If you don't pay attention to the underground, you may have missed out on The Menzingers to this point; that's not your fault, but it is your loss. The good news is, there are now eight Menzingers albums dating back to 2007 and you can track their trajectory from scrappy young pups to grizzled veterans of the indie/punk scene; Some of it Was True finds the Pennsylvanian quartet entering middle age with grace, having already sung their anthems of growing up and now ruminating on growing old.
The bottom half of the Top 20 is coming soon. In the meantime, let's cram for it together by checking out the official Year in Rock 2023 playlist!
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