Welcome to July, we’ve hit the halfway point so we’re taking a look backwards at the last few months and how 2023 has sounded thus far.
As promised, we’ve been looking back at the first six months of 2023 and we’ve put together a short read about some of the records we’ve especially raved about and also a few that could easily have flown under the radar, both ours and yours.
January
Record of the Month: The Murder Capital, Gigi’s Recovery.
Favourite Reissue: Cymande, Cymande.
Don’t Miss…
Anne, If is the second album from multi-instrumentalist Evan Uschenko under his Ghost Woman name. Rich, analogue rock and roll vibes. We’ll try and get more LP copies.
We worked with Melodic and California duo Abracadabra to release an exclusive Dinked Edition for their shapes & colors LP. Wonky pop with a real ESG lilt, such great vibes.
San Francisco-based icon Meg Baird (of Espers / Heron Oblivion) really soundtracked our January with the gorgeous Furling on Drag City. Her voice… Winter light energy.
February
Record of the Month: Yo La Tengo, This Stupid World
Favourite Reissue: Manu Dibango, African Voodoo
Don’t Miss…
Richly-dark rock ‘n’ roll drones and experimentalism from Index for Working Musik with Dragging the Needlework for The Kids at Uphole on Tough Love.
Principia is the dazzling and jangling latest LP from Parisian quintet En Attendant Ana. Light, fast and melodic.
All-round Welsh hero Stephen Black returned earlier this year as Sweet Baboo with the warm, weird and really beautiful The Wreckage LP. A brilliant pop writer and these are some of his best.
March
Record of the Month: H.Hawkline, Milk For Flowers
Favourite Reissue: De La Soul, 3 Feet High and Rising
Don’t Miss…
Manzanita is the latest solo LP from Shana Cleveland of La Luz. Woozed-out gothic pop and baroque psychedelia… Seriously evocative stuff.
Ulrika Spacek returned after a good few years away with the immaculate Compact Trauma. Amazing production, this one is an absolute sonic treasure.
Forever Forever is the new LP from musical polymath Genevieve Artadi on the mighty Brainfeeder. Hurtling along at absolute breakneck speeds, it positively bubbles.
April
Record of the Month: North Americans, Long Cool World
Favourite Reissue: Big Star, #1 Record
Don’t Miss…
Coin Collection 2 is the expansive second instalment of uplifting folk songs from pedal steel extraordinaire, Spencer Cullum. Kaleidoscopic but still focused.
American rock band Wednesday released their fifth LP - Rat Saw God - and it really did grab us. Raw and loose songs with loads of heart. Their earlier LPs are mad-good too.
May
Record of the Month: Overmono, Good Lies
Favourite Reissue: Dorothy Ashby, The Rubáiyát Of Dorothy Ashby
Don’t Miss…
What Will You Grow Now? Is the second collaborative album from Laetitia Sadier (of Stereolab) and Brazil's Mombojó as Modern Cosmology. Weirdo pop gold, highly recommended.
Irish songwriter Cian Nugent released the stunning She Brings Me Back To The Land Of The Living on No Quarter. Pastoral and gently psychedelic folk with beautiful fingerpicking and his voice sounds mint, too.
Standers is the second full-length album by Craven Faults, an album of near-genius level sonic vibe. Slow, meticulous and genuinely thrilling.
June
Record of the Month: Cory Hanson, Western Cum
Reissue: Arthur Russell, Picture of Bunny Rabbit
Don’t Miss…
The still-mysterious SAULT returned with Earth, AIIR, 11, Today & Tomorrow and UNTITLED (God); five new feature lengths that highlight the unprecedented scale, ambition and output of producer Inflo and friends.
Zango is the new studio LP (in a not-new studio) from the Zamrock icons WITCH, their first album in nearly 40 years. Euphoric and pounding from start to finish.
The Toads are a rocking and rolling Melbourne post-punk supergroup. They released the excellent In The Wilderness via Upset The Rhythm and as you'd imagine, we love it!
So all of this hardly touches the surface, 2023 has been plentiful alright!
Thanks for all of your contributions, feedback and notes. BC Camplight, The Coral, The National and Queens of the Stone Age appeared a lot and led many of the best seller lists. Sparklehorse and Slowdive look to be the Autumn’s most eagerly anticipated.
We’ve heard both and you’re not wrong!