All About The Music
New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.
Qobuz described this baroque, glam OTT band as “lush, louche, lusty and fun”. We couldn’t say it better. These tuneful and playful songs echo the path forged by fellow female UK band Wet Leg a couple of years ago. This is a fun rocking collection! As The Guardian said, “the year’s most hyped band totally deliver”.
New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.
Future Islands’ seventh album is a combination of pandemic era music and post first tour music, and to some extent reflects the change in mindset over those years. The end of relationships, friendships and unhelpful aspects of the self all form the backdrop of this album from the Baltimore alternative stalwarts.
Alexis Petridis of The Guardian describes it as “a brutal, beautiful breakup album” in a review that outstandingly unpacks the album. We look forward to meandering through it each morning this week.
New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.
Sleater-Kinney date back to 1994 when Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein of Olympia, Washington joined forces to create scrappy activist-punk manifestos. On their eleventh album Little Rope explore vulnerability. Leading into the creation of the album Brownstein’s parents died in a car accident in Italy, a devastating loss that working on this album partly provided an outlet. The metaphor of “Little Rope” is ambiguous – it could be rope to hang, or rope to rescue. Pitchfork said that “grief clarifies the air” on the album in a 7.7 review. We’ll enjoy some great rock from the album this week – this interview with AP provides more background from the duo.
New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.
From the cover you could be accused of thinking this was an American band, however once the first strident chords and vocals of “Sometimes, I Swear” burst through there can be no illusions. The Vaccines burst onto the scene in the 2010s, quickly gaining a reputation on the London music scene. Their sixth album is another great collection of rocking hooky numbers, just the kind of Indie we lap up. The Guardian described it as “high-octane” sonic euphoria” – we couldn’t agree more!
New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.
Conceived on a cross-US road trip Grace Potter has crafted “bold, colorful roots rock record filled with funky rhythms and big hooks” (AllMusic). The singer, organist and guitarist (ex The Nocturnals) has worked with The Flaming Lips, Gov’t Mule and Kenny Chesney. This is her fifth solo album, a really enjoyable album, folky, rocky and evocative of a trip down Route 66. Continuing our journey through some great albums from 2023 that we missed, we’ll be enjoying this album each morning this week.
Join us this afternoon 1 – 3 for two hours of our favourite Americana tracks from 2023. We love the honest sound of this roots music that crosses borders between folk, rock and country and its been another great year.
Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.
OK there are plenty of other great album of the year lists – there is a great summary appropriately on the Album of the Year site. I like Stephen Erlewine’s approach (one of our favourite music writers – we recommend subscribing) where he recognises the limitations of these lists and looks at them as more of a snapshot. Since we started compiling this list we recognised several obvious omissions, and trying to rank them is just impossible. So here are the ones we’ve enjoyed listening to more than once amidst the onslaught of great music this year. Some have been our “Albums of the Week” but many we’ve enjoyed haven’t been featured just because of ‘too many at once’. We’ll try and feature some of these overlooked gems over the summer – in fact this week’s (Semisonic’s Little Bit of Sun) is an example, released last month.
We started building a top ten most addictive albums but it was impossible – so we’ve opted for alphabetical order!
Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.
 | Angie McMahon – Light, Dark, Light Again Exquisite world class indie-pop from the Melbournian artist. “Filled with earnest incantations that sooth like a balm” (The Guardian) |
 | Ava Max – Diamonds & Dancefloors A superb sophomore effort from Ava. “Two-for-two for Max’s catalog, delivering on the promise of her debut” (AllMusic) |
 | Belle and Sebastian – Late Developers A late career highlight on their second album in twelve months. “A rewarding return to form” – The Guardian |
 | Ben Harper – Wide Open Light Harper’s seventeenth album once again he ploughs his own furrow. “A quiet strength and emotional depth in its minimalism” – Folkradio.co.uk |
 | Ben Howard – Is It After two mini strokes last year, Ben Howard has produced “a beautiful reconciliation, revelling in making something from a place of struggle” – Clash |
 | Birdy – Portraits A beautiful collection of songs that shows Birdy continues to grow . “Simply her most confident and exploratory project to date” – The Line of Best Fit |
 | blur – The Ballad of Darren The Britpop band return in fine form and with a fabulous album cover. NPR described it as a “‘Ballad’ to bittersweet midlife.” |
 | boygenius – record If we had to choose a record of the year at gunpoint, this would probably be it. Shh. |
 | Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want to Turn Into You A fabulous edgy pop record from an incredibly talented lady. “Caroline Polachek’s best album of her career is a transformative pop experience, a passionate, richly melodic odyssey” – Pitchfork |
 | Caroline Rose – The Art of Forgetting Another major stylistic swerve, this cathartic album “test[s] the limits of sadness, boredom, and isolation” – Pitchfork |
 | Cold War Kids – Cold War Kids Their tenth studio album is filled with solid melodic rock – a rewarding listen that deserved much more attention. |
 | Depeche Mode – Memento Mori A big success and return to form – “their most heartfelt, thoughtful, and moving statement in decades”. – AllMusic |
 | Dylan LeBlanc – Coyote A superbly executed and tender slice of Americana |
 | Ed Sheeran – – Perhaps not as commercially successful, this is a tender and honest album about pain and loss. “The album that places him among the greats”. The Telegraph |
 | Grace Potter – Mother Road “A bold, colorful roots rock record filled with funky rhythms and big hooks”. – AllMusic |
 | Gregory Alan Isakov – Appaloosa Bones Another exquisite slice of Americana from an incredible songwriter. “It is the work of a very mature, settled and talented artist”. – Spill Magazine |
 | Girl Ray – Prestige A great dance album from the North London band – “like getting an all-access pass to the most relaxed and inclusive dance party”. – AllMusic |
 | Grian Chatten – Chaos For The Fly The Fontaines DC frontman produced a great solo album, “unafraid to embrace chaos and complexity in pursuit of his art”. – musicOMH |
 | Gus Dapperton – Henge The Alt Pop polymath produces a rewarding set of songs |
 | Half Moon Run – Salt A really rewarding and enjoyable set of songs – “a captivating and unparalleled listening experience, tugging at the heartstrings of its audience”. – Spillmagazine |
 | Hozier – Unreal Unearth Another fantastic contemporary folk album – “from choir swells to poetic lines that find a way to hit you unexpectedly, the album is a tremendously soulful experience”. – Paste |
 | Jack River – Endless Summer A dreamy evocation of summer with strong melodies. |
 | Jenny Lewis – Joy’All This talented country-rocker “balance[s] the far-out wisdom with the reality of life on Earth and her lived experiences” (NPR) in these witty songs. |
 | Jessie Ware – That Feels Great! Jessie Ware has settled into her dance pop thing – her “sultry and confident vocals demand your attention”. – Medium |
 | Joy Oladokun – Proof of Life Joy is a huge talent and has produced a fourth album of superb songs, “a very homey version of pop maximalism”. – NPR |
 | Kimbra – A Reckoning Kimbra’s most confident and experimental album, she is pushing against expectations and her own limits. |
 | Lewis Capaldi – Broken By Desire to be Heavenly Sent Following tough times after his massive success, somehow Lewis Capaldi has found his muse to deliver another great album endowed with his gritty powerful vocals. |
 | M83 – Fantasy Another stunning album from the artist who “can turn mundane everyday-life moments into vivid, daleidoscopic movie montages”. – Stereogum |
 | Manchester Orchestra – The Valley of Vision A beautiful and powerful album, a “cathartic, deeply ruminative vibe”. – AllMusic |
 | Margo Price – Strays Another great collection of songwriter, the mushroom trip inspired record “bursts with easy confidence and kind, stoic wisdom”. – Pitchfork |
 | Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer An absolute pop powerhouse, Miley produces one of her best collections of catchy well crafted bangers. |
 | Mimi Webb – Amelia Mimi’s debut release combines great catchy songs with her honest vocals – “a dependable, invigorating debut”. – DIY Magazine |
 | Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We A move away from 80s electronic to more country sounds, Mitski continues to deliver with “her stories of love, loss and mental hardships in this career highlight”. – Medium |
 | Molly Tuttle – City of Gold Another excellent album from the Californian picker. THe album “continues the youthful, feminine-but-not-girly bluegrass thread woven by Alison Krauss and Sara Watkin”. – Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz |
 | Niall Horan – The Show Niall’s talents as a pop craftsman continues to grow – “his most immediate and engaging set to date, endlessly listenable and full of heart and charm”. – AllMusic |
 | Noel Gallagher and the High Flying Birds – Council Skies A really solid album that shows Noel can still do it. “Reaffirming his faith in rock as a transformative thrill, and adding atmospheric detours recalling late-period Weller and Bowie”. – Uncut |
 | P!nk – TRUSTFALL A varied collection of pumping memorable anthems – “the bulk of the album [is] more reflective fare that provides a different kind of spiritual nourishment”. – AllMusic |
 | Peter Gabriel – I/O Gestating for two decades this is a superb collection that stands alongside “So”. “This is some of Gabriel’s most vibrant music since the late ’80s, developing the digital soundscapes of his last proper album “Up” with more immediate melody and a more varied sonic palette”. – Tidal Magazine |
 | Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade “Hit Parade lurches recklessly between soulful rhapsodies about getting what you want and shadowy techno tracing the allure of self-sabotage”. |
 | Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds For guys who have been in the business for sixty years to produce an album as listenable and enjoyable as this is incredible. “The Stones’ first album of original material in 18 years crackles with a sense of purpose, with fabulous Keith Richards riffs and Mick Jagger sounding genuinely energised”. – The Guardian |
 | Sam Smith – Gloria Smith’s most ostensibly pop album, “Smith’s vocals are, of course, beautiful. Creamy and curvaceous,; liquid with emotion”. – The Independent |
 | Semisonic – Little Bit of Sun The 90s alternative band return with a polished set of tracks that rewards repeated listening. |
 | Stephen Sanchez – Angel Face The songwriter produces a lush retro set of beautiful songs. |
 | The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein Despite being in hot demand for other projects, The National produce an outstanding album – “finest album in a decade”. – NME |
 | The Paper Kites – At the Roadhouse Another Melbournian band, The Paper Kites have produced another solid collection of folk-rock. |
 | The Revivalists – Pour It Out Into The Night This would certainly make the top ten albums of the year – quintessential anthemic roots rock music that sticks in the mind. |
 | Tom Grennan – What Ifs Maybes The UK pop artists third album is filled with catchy tracks that you’ll end up putting on repeat. |
 | Winterbourne – Act of Disappearing Another solid Australian album of contemporary rock, with great songs and melodies. |
New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.
Semisonic returned to the scene in 2020 with EP You’re Not Alone which we enjoyed. In November their renaissance continued with the release of the excellent Little Bit of Sun, a warm and melodic album with touches of Indie and Americana. We look forward to checking it out this week.
New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.
Mitski had burnt out on the demands of the music business and the demands of ‘representation’, in her case pigeonholed due her Asian American heritage. The break led to this album, her “most American album … This land, which already feels inhospitable to so many of its inhabitants, is about to feel hopelessly torn and tossed again – at times, devoid of love. This album offers the anodyne”.
With an interesting range of influences this is a rich album – less synth pop than its predecessor Laurel Hell and more settled, although still with a rich soundscape. Alexis Petridis in The Guardian described it perfectly as “Playing country-inflected orchestral pop with sardonic wit and deep feeling, Mitski underlines why she’s one of the very best singer-songwriters working today”.
New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.
Peter Gabriel last released an album of new material over 20 years ago, back in the days when there were CD shops. For this long gestating effort he has embraced an innovative release strategy, with a series of singles at each full moon over the past year along with an accompanying video. We’ve really loved his monthly treats and his insights.
Finally the finished product has arrived. Another innovation has been the multiple mixes of each song – bright side mixes (mixed by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent) and dark side mixes (from Tchad Blake) along with Inside Mixes which are immersive mixes in Dolby Atmos by Hans-Martin Buff. Its been a pleasure hearing the different characters of each of these numbers.
The album seems to have been well received thus far, The Guardian describing it as a “late career masterpiece”, The Telegraph as a “gentle sweeping epic”. We look forward to a wonderful week enjoying tracks from this album each morning.
Background on the making of the album (American Songwriter)
Atmos mixes (Peter Gabriel website)
