2023 was another big year for rock music, especially in the world of touring, and a number of excellent albums by artists old and new were released. Evaluating an album's success can vary depending on which stats and figures are being compared, but five of these new records stood out as the best among last year's new releases.
5. Gorillaz-Cracker Island
The eighth LP by Damon Albarn’s eclectic side-project
continued to expand to cover even more of the musical landscape by integrating
new sounds and production styles as well as a notable list of guest stars
including Thundercat, Stevie Nicks, Tame Impala, Bad Bunny, and Beck among
others. Produced by and also featuring multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin, the
fictional animated group sound best on standout tracks like “Cracker Island”
and “New Gold.” Brief but focused with only 10 tracks in 37 minutes, Cracker
Island will be enjoyed by long-time Gorillaz fans the most but has enough of a
modern sound to attract new listeners as well.
4. Metallica-72 Seasons
Returning with their first batch of new material in seven
years, rock and metal legends Metallica added another heavy chunk to their
already vast and successful catalog. While the group doesn’t need to release a
new album to justify their always ambitious tour schedule, it’s clear the band
feels adding-to what they’ve already done is significant to their process and
even to their existence. Building on the return-to-classic style they further
developed on 2016’s Hardwired…to Self-Destruct, 72 Seasons feels more
thematically connected and focused and is more like a modernized version of
some of their earliest albums (not unlike the even stronger Death Magnetic from
2008). “Lux AEterna” and “Chasing Light” leave all doubts about the band’s
speed and precision in spite of their age behind, and they stretch out
comfortably on heavy rockers like “You Must Burn!” and “If Darkness Had a Son.”
James Hetfield’s vocal melodies are stronger on most of these tracks than most
others Metallica has released so far this century, and musically, the songs
feel more collaborative than the batch on their previous record as well.
3. The Mars Volta-Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazon
Following their unexpected and well-received reunion
album and tour in 2022, psychedelic progressive rockers The Mars Volta dropped
another surprise last spring by releasing an alternate version of that recent
self-titled LP, including the same songs in the same order but re-recorded with
acoustic arrangements and instruments. The tone and sound of the songs
drastically changed, Que Dios Te Maldiga Mi Corazon adds depth and
perspective which makes for a completely different and arguably better
listening experience compared to the tracks in their original form. Volta’s
fusion of Latin, Mexican, and Cuban musical elements has always been a part of
their sound, but stripping away most of the electronic and rock sounds places
the focus on the structures of the songs and allows them to shine in ways they
may never have otherwise.
2. Foo Fighters-But Here We Are
Potentially the most surprising and unexpected rock album
of the year was the return of Dave Grohl and co. on the 11th LP by Foo
Fighters, both continuing the legacy of the 29-year-old project following the
untimely death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022 and paying tribute to both Hawkins
and Grohl’s mother who passed later that year. This 10-song set is emotionally
very heavy with lyrics that focus specifically on those major losses, and
played straight through, it sounds and feels as much like Grohl working out his
thoughts and feelings as it does another collection of songs to add to the band’s
lengthy catalog and to play along with greatest hits and deep cuts in concert.
While ace drummer Josh Freese has taken Hawkins’ position on stage, Grohl
himself played the drums on the album. Singles like “Rescued” and “Under You”
maintain the melodic hard rock for which the band is known and balance well
with mid-tempo numbers like “The Glass” and “Hearing Voices,” though the
subject-matter of each remains consistent throughout. The dynamic, 10-minute-long
“The Teacher” may be the closest the Foos have ever come to psychedelic
prog-rock while still maintaining the thematic focus, and while the slow closer “Rest,” like the rest of the album, is
clearly extremely personal to Grohl and the rest of the band, it also invites
their devoted fanbase to share in the feelings of loss and reflection explored across
the record, potentially helping listeners to heal or deal with losses of their
own in a cathartic and eventually positive-looking way.
1. Queens of the Stone Age-In Times New Roman…
The year’s best collection of new rock songs came in the
form of the long-awaited return of Josh Homme and Queens of the Stone Age,
wrapping up what they call a trilogy of albums that began with 2013’s …Like
Clockwork and continued on 2017’s Villains. Following a period of
personal difficulties for Homme, In Times New Roman…comments on divorce,
estrangement from family, and untimely losses of friends while also commenting
on the state of society, in general (not surprisingly bleakly in all cases).
The tight guitar work from Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen and Dean Fertita, along with
Homme’s vocals, drives the songs, but the ace rhythm section of Mikey Shuman and
Jon Theodore add pounding beats to some tracks and groovy funk to others. Rocking
singles like “Emotion Sickeness,” “Paper Machete,” and “Obscenery” are the
albums strongest moments, but varying the tones and tempos with “Negative
Space,” “What the Peephole Say,” and the 9-minute closer “Straight Jacket
Fitting” retain the band’s signature style while continuing to take it to new
places on their 8th LP. As they have for 25 years, QOTSA
continue to carry the torch of ‘90s grunge rock and stoner metal more so than any
other existing project and in a year when fans of those sounds continued to
find them fewer and farther between, In Times New Roman… scratches a certain
itch better than anything else released in 2023.
*********************
*Follow Jamblog by subscribing on the home page, by following our facebook page, or both!
*For even more, don't forget to also like and follow our music video and live performance page for great music from all of rock history in your timeline every day!!* https://www.facebook.com/rocknrollhst/
