Hello Reader,
Hope all is well, and that you had a great year of musical discovery. We’ve appreciated you joining us the past few months in our coverage introducing you to bands, artists and musical groups and validating your existing feelings about other bands you already knew and liked with our objective coverage.
Because everyone likes year end lists, reading and discussing them, I’ve complied my best of albums I was fortunate enough to write about in 2023. I’m grateful that I am able to handpick albums to review to begin with. Josh and I take pride in choosing quality music from wonderful artists that we believe in. Even the reviewed albums that aren’t included in this list were good to very good albums in their own right and also relative to all 2023 releases. A belief I hold dearly and express off the site is that good music is good music regardless of genre. Good music transcends personal taste. Thank you to all of the artists for putting out this fantastic music this year.
When I reviewed the following albums after multiple listens, I felt all eleven listed below were deserving of their 4.5 or 5 Scum Drops rating. The rating criteria includes factoring in all 2023 releases as part of our new album rating system.
A brief explanation in mathematical terms for conceptualization and perspective:
- a 1.0 Scum Drop rating would roughly translate to the 0-11th percentile of all albums in a given year.
- a 1.5 Scum Drops rating would be the 12th-23rd percentile.
- a 2.0 Scum Drops rating would be the 24th-35th percentile.
- a 2.5 Scum Drops rating would be the 36th-47th percentile.
- a 3.0 Scum Drops rating would be the 48th-59th percentile.
- a 3.5 Scum Drops rating would be the 60th-71st percentile.
- a 4.0 Scum Drops rating would be the 72nd-83rd percentile.
- a 4.5 Scum Drops rating would be the 84th-95th percentile.
- and a 5.0 Scum Drops rating would be the 96th-100th percentile.
For more on our rating system, please visit here before reading the list.
The eleven ordered by review publication date and my original rating:
- Strand of Oaks – Live at Pustervik 5 Scum Drums
- Low Cut Connie – Art Dealers 5 Scum Drops
- Bombay Bicycle Club – My Big Day 5 Scum Drops
- Dhani Harrison – INNERSTANDING 4.5 Scum Drops
- Sufjan Stevens – Javelin 4.5 Scum Drops
- A. Savage – Several Songs About Fire 4.5 Scum Drops
- The Gaslight Anthem – History Books 4.5 Scum Drops
- Squirrel Flower – Tomorrow’s Fire 4.5 Scum Drops
- Briscoe – West of It All 4.5 Scum Drops
- Aesop Rock – Integrated Tech Solutions 4.5 Scum Drops
- Brigitte Calls Me Baby – This House is Made of Corners EP 5 Scum Drops
All those albums are excellent and after spending some time thinking, here’s the order I’d rank them in. I think us listeners share some commonality about what makes a good song or album needs to separate it from others. That commonality should be apparent as you read.
I’ve included notes on what puts an album in a given spot for me. I also get more personal and perhaps more subjective than in their original album individual reviews. I’ll let you be the judge of that. I’m still hesitant on naming favorite songs as I’d love you to find your own favorite song(s) without my influence. Singles aren’t always the best songs on an album. Maybe in 2024, I’ll publish a favorite songs of the year post.
All album artwork is credited to its original artists and belong to the artists or the music label.
#1 Bombay Bicycle Club – My Big Day
To me, every single song is impressive. What elevates it to the top spot is the consistent beauty from start to finish in songwriting, musical performance and choices made in melody, using exquisite collaborators, track order, and song selection. Some albums have a song that is a throwaway, one that you the listener or the group itself would’ve replaced with another one that they recorded at the same time or later placed onto another album. I don’t hear any throwaways, just great to amazing songs. I wouldn’t change a thing. To me, this is their best work yet. If you played the entire album at a party whether it was after a meal, a less formal get together, or as part of a dance party playlist, I think even the most persnickety guests would find something they’d love. In part that high quality is why this album is the one on this list that I’ve found myself recommending more often to others. Percentile: 98th.
#2 Strand of Oaks – Live at Pustervik
Despite my bias as a longtime fan, this is objectively fantastic. This outstanding live release still holds up as their best album yet to me. Tim Showalter & the band sound in top form and capturing that at a live show is chef’s kiss. The album features a great selection of some of the newer material and some from the middle of their discography. Without a doubt, this is a great intro for those to become new fans. Percentile: 97th.
#3 Low Cut Connie – Art Dealers
The energy and vibe are amazing from start to finish. This album is excellent to listen to wherever you roam. I love the songs that I would consider anthems and ballads and the others because the songwriting is another instance of Adam Weiner’s talent. Another album where his vocals once again, stick with you. This is placed into the number 3 spot due to having more songs than my number 4 pick, an EP. Percentile: 96th.
#4 Brigitte Calls Me Baby – This House is Made of Corners EP
As good as an EP can get in my opinion. A ridiculous precedent to start on, one most bands can’t relate to. They’re already so talented. The lazy writer and/or listener would compare the band and their sound(s) to bygone eras and leave it at that. The band is so much more than a lazy comparison and that as is strikingly evident on the EP. Wes Leavins vocals are ones you’ll never forget. Truly. I see nothing to change at all on this release. I’m eager to listen to the full album debut when they have three times as many songs on that album. Percentile: 96th.
#5 Squirrel Flower – Tomorrow’s Fire
In my opinion this is Squirrel Flower’s best album yet. The decision to pair with Alex Farrar, Ella Williams continued songwriting growth, further developing her voice and trusting herself, and the improvement in musicianship are in your face evident on this album. There are so many good songs, some anthems that you deeply feel while listening to. Tomorrow’s Fire album is in the upper echelon of the 4.5 Scum Drops for me, nearly a 5 (again relative to 2023). She’s got quite an impressive discography already and will only add to it as time moves along. Percentile: 94th.
#6 Aesop Rock – Integrated Tech Solutions
Just track after track of excellent production and advancement in lyrical delivery and composition. Aesop’s gotten better over time. The album features great collaboration with incredible artists that improve the album quality. Many songs are catchy as hell. Aesop’s best album to date. Percentile: 93rd.
#7 Sufjan Stevens – Javelin
It’s a beautiful album. Sufjan is so emotive, raw and intimate to name a few feelings and while listening dear human, you’ll experience that. It grew on me over the course of a several listens. Another album of great songwriting from Sufjan. Many have it amongst their top albums of the year and I will have it on my list as well because I also think it deserves to be. This might be his best album, so far. Percentile: 92nd.
#8 Briscoe – West of It All
What an excellent debut release. The duo enters the scene with polished songs that to me, are writing at a level some artists never get to. This is no age minimum for songwriting but they’re ahead of the curve. Great musicianship on this album as well. These guys are so talented! With this offering they’ve become a band you should follow and see their development. Percentile: 89th.
#9 A. Savage – Several Songs About Fire
This solo project is pretty damn good. I think it’s A. Savage’s best solo offering so far amongst a small sample size of two. He’s continued to grow as a songwriter discovering his solo project voice and sound. There are a lot of marvelous songs on the album. He could write a song about the most seemingly mundane detail and turn it into a good song. Percentile: 87th.
#10 The Gaslight Anthem – History Books
They’re back! It’s a great album. Full disclosure, I am a long-time appreciator of Brian Fallon and Gaslight Anthem. This album sounds fits right in, like they never stopped releasing music. The band is in top notch form. Fallon again showing his songwriting talent. Nice to hear the Boss on the title song. I went back and forth on its initial grade but a release of this caliber after years of not making an album as this group, garnered a .5 Scum Drop increase causing them to get to 4.5 Scum Drops and make this list. I wouldn’t consider it their best album, but it’s still among the best of the albums I got to review in 2023. Percentile: 85th.
#11 Dhani Harrison – INNERSTANDING
Dhani creates a mood and doesn’t let it waver. Very skillful job building that and surrounding it with good songwriting, instrumentation and musicianship. Dhani’s compositions really shine and are perfectly paired with collaborators as well. To me, it’s his best solo work amongst two releases. Similar to #10, I wavered a bit in the initial Scum Drop rating. But it’s ultimately found its way to the 4.5 rating, at the 84th percentile of all releases in 2023. Percentile: 84th.
What’s next? Please check out the individual reviews if you haven’t seen them, here.
Come back to the site for more best of 2023 album coverage.
Thank you for reading, listening and coming along the journey with us.
Until next time,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site: scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions!
Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
