23 words describing each of my Top Ten albums of 2023. Because I use far too many words the rest of the year...
10. Whitehorse - I'm Not Crying, You're Crying
Husband and wife Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland join forces for their 8th album, venturing further into Canadian Americana territory than ever before.
I went down division five local RCMP to file a missing persons report.
Well, they looked me up and down then their eyes went to the ground
They burst out laughing and they showed me the door
Said, "We ain't never seen nobody so lost before."
9. Robert Forster - The Candle & The Flame
A tender tribute to his wife's fight against cancer and a touching rumination on the aging process. His most personal album to date?
Feel changes in my mind
I’m walkin’ to school in ‘69
The next day I’m 35
8. Emily Breeze - Rapture
It's taken her a long time to break through... but the wisdom of bitter experience gives Emily an edge over her younger rivals.
One day you will find yourself at a friends 40th birthday party
Wondering how the days turned into decades and if anyone still does drugs
And you will dance, dance off the minutes and the moments
And magic and the misery and the miracles and monotony
As you unfurl into infinity among the solar systems and galaxies
A dopamine driven pinball machine studded with hair and nails and teeth
Hard wired with desire and fear and dreams hosted by the ghost of a memory
of a memory, of a memory, of a memory of a memory
There's nothing wrong with an ordinary life
7. LYR - The Ultraviolet Age
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage's latest band might come with the subtitle "For English Teachers Only"... but they deserve wider recognition. Poetry in emotion.
She said she liked
the flowers I sent
but wondered why
they had no scent,
and why the food
had lost its taste,
and why the nurse
had covered her face?
And why the gates of the park were shut?
And why the shops were boarded up?
And why the swings were tied in knots?
And the music... why had the music stopped?
6. Laura Cantrell - Just Like A Rose: The Anniversary Sessions
Back after 9 years, and better than ever, with an ear for lyrical detail and a joyful tune... the First Lady of Americana?
Angry white man, you'd have me believe
You're beset and besieged
Your reputation is aggrieved
Climbed your way up to the tallest high chair
Do you feel safer up there?
I see you're loaded for bear ...
Angry white man
My favorite part
Is saying "bless your heart,
Bless your heart"
5. Jim Bob - Thanks For Reaching Out
Jim Bob's self-proclaimed masterpiece. Beware the hype, JB - cynical miserablists like me will expect too much. Great record, just not your best.
This is my mixtape, my romantic gesture
A dozen red roses left on your doorstep
This is my balcony scene, my drunken tattoo
My heart-shaped balloon, my graffiti on a factory wall
This is my Taj Mahal, my Albert Memorial
My Hanging Gardens of Babylon
This is my Long and Winding Road, my God Only Knows
My Up the Junction
Typed out on a bus and sent from my iPhone
4. Ben Folds - What Matters Most
A slow-burner, with only one track representing his piano-stomping past; otherwise this is a reflective post-fame record to be relished by middle-aged musos.
But it's a big world with un-famous people
Who deserve the grand applause
And they quietly carry on
I'd like to think that I could be that strong
Daydreaming on the bus, that's all
Now it's back to anonymous
Just another great Jason Isbell record. The quality never dips. If Laura is the First Lady of Americana, this guy is the President...
Are you looking for something easy?
Do you need to feel alive?
Do you crave a love that tears through your life like a Category Five?
My momma spent every day alone
In a house of noise and names
She got so tired of putting out fires
She just laid down in the flames
We're running out of options
I've told you all my jokes
If you insist on being lonely
Can you leave a couple smokes?
2. BC Camplight - The Last Rotation Of The Earth
Supposedly his final record (let’s hope not!), this sees Brian waiting for the Tesco man and dreading the future. Brutally honest and life-affirming.
"Oh, what a bеautiful morning"
I say to the Tesco guy
"I've seen my fair sharе
But there's something about this one"
He goes, "Are you okay?"
I look him in the eye
We both smile
1. Jenny Lewis - Joy'all
Wry melancholia, world-weary romance, exuberant self-sufficiency... it’s another flawless set from the former Rilo Kiley chanteuse - like the Carpenters but more kick-ass!
My forties are kicking my ass
And handing 'em to me in a margarita glass
I was infatuated with an older man
And then I dated a psychopath
So I'm 44 in 2020 and thank God I saved up some money
Time to ruminate like, "What the fuck was that?"
Like a shot of good luck
I got a puppy and a truck
If you feel like giving up
Shut up
Get a puppy and a truck
