It’s that time of year again as I take our lovely readers here at Phenixx Gaming through my top albums of 2023. Thanks for following along the past few years with these articles, they’re truly a joy to share with you. Let’s dive into #25 – 21.

#25: Norm by Andy Shauf

2020’s Neon Skyline introduced me, and many others, to the work of Canadian singer-songwriter Andy Shauf. Despite a debut album releasing 11 years before his breakout record, Shauf caught ears with a wispy, seemingly effortless approach to the gentler themes of 70s soft-rock. My favorite comparison for Shauf has always been Paul McCartney, a parallel that’s even easier to draw on his 2023 album Norm. 

Songs like “Wasted on You” and “You Didn’t See” give us glimpses into the titular character of this album, a listless, sometimes aloof man who begins as a guy with a crush on a girl in town and slowly ends up obsessing over an idealized version of her. Follow the story, or don’t, and you’ll feel called back to the days of your first crush. Hopefully, your story ended with a little less stalking.

When we think about what draws the modern ear to the music of the 1970s, it’s a serenity that felt baked into both the production and the instrumentation. Shauf is a master of both, utilizing his higher register to evoke a feeling of dreaminess above softly strummed guitars and electric keyboards. End your day with this album or kick off a quiet morning with it; either way, Norm is a keen peek into why some musical stylings defy decades.

“Words under my breath/float through the ceiling/I need to meet you/I need to catch your eye.” – From “Catch Your Eye.”

#24: Uncertain Country By Great Lake Swimmers

On their eighth album, Great Lake Swimmers open with a pseudo-overture, previewing some of the lyrical themes and musical wavelengths the next 14 tracks will traverse. For long-time fans of the Canadian band, the opening track signals the group’s definitive folk-rock sound with a tinge of something different. Sonically, this is Great Lake Swimmers, but there’s a real effort from track one to use a canvas painted over time and time again to great effect.

Part of the genius of Uncertain Country and other Great Lake Swimmers records can be solely attributed to singer Tony Dekker. That said, the five-piece is so tight throughout this record that you cannot mistake this collection of songs for a debut. In fact, the lyrical theme of the album relies heavily on the passage of time. Within the first three tracks, we hear lyrics of confusion, nostalgia, and melancholy, all caused by life playing out before our eyes.

For newcomers to Great Lake Swimmers, you can expect a Bruce Springsteen efficacy to the lyrics’ literalness. The wall of acoustic guitars and occasional harmonica sit nicely within tastes that lean folk-adjacent, but there’s just enough adult alternative here to catch the ear of Dawes or Blitzen Trapper. I’m a sucker for multi-gender harmonies, a catchy acoustic guitar-driven song, and lyrics about being sad and happy altogether. No surprise: I’m a sucker for Uncertain Country.

“Shadows, get behind/darkness, stay away/and leave me/leave me alone” – From “Moonlight, Stay Alone.”

#23: Celebrants by Nickel Creek

We haven’t heard from Nickel Creek since 2014, but we’ve heard nonstop from its members in other musical projects. Chris Thile, mandolin extraordinaire and Punch Brothers frontman, once again pairs up with brother-sister duo Sean and Sarah Watkins for an Americana record that’s so full to the brim of roots epithets and influences I’m surprised it ended up this low on my top 25. Don’t let that fool you: this is the best that the roots scene has to offer and has been for nearly 20 years.

The musicianship of the three Nickel Creek members is hard to explain to someone who doesn’t spend much time in the alt-country or Americana music space. Thile, a frequent collaborator of Yo-Yo Ma and other prolific artists, is our foremost Mandolin oracle. Sean Watkins, vocally and as a guitarist, is a callback to the finest bluegrass artists of America’s history. Last, but not least in the slightest, Sarah Watkins is a terrific violinist and boasts a gorgeous voice.

The three, without whom there would be no patchwork for modern roots music, weave their talents together on a crop of songs written during the COVID-19 pandemic to great success. It’s been a journey to get here, nearly four years after the global health crisis, but rather than call back to the fears and worries of the past few years, Celebrants call us to be grateful, reflective, and bold in all moments.

“My God, it’s good to see you/right here in the flesh/where we can turn the stuff we need to/get off of our chests” – From “Celebrants”

#22: Food for Worms by Shame

Often, we see modern punk bands explore more melodic efforts after a few unfiltered, frantic records. Following the likes of Joyce Manor and IDLES, Shame’s third album Food for Worms keeps the British band’s brashness but trades in the performative punk playbook. Instead of more of the same, which was quite good on their first two records, we see an evolution take place. 

The first two Shame records felt familiar, but Food for Worms allows the band to carve out a space for themselves in the crowded European punk scene of the 2020s. While we’ve seen the first three years of this decade alter minimally from the punk canvas of the late 2010s, there seems to be something new in the group’s 2023 effort. The main differentiator is a willingness to embrace its love for melody without sacrificing aggression. 

Every punk band has to make a decision. You can go it the traditional route or you can pave your own path. There’s no wrong choice, but for every cookie-cutter punk group there are standouts like Dry Cleaning or Fontains D.C.. Add Shame to the latter group, a blooming, colorful stroke of earnestness on a music scene that will be here long after we are gone, taking new shapes and forms one day influenced by trailblazing records like this.

“I don’t see no point in coming back/I don’t see no point at all/I let my friends rise above me/and then I let them fall” – From “Alibis.”

#21: Red Moon in Venus by Kali Uchis

Latin pop is experiencing a nice peak in its ability to capture American listeners. Kali Uchis is a huge part of that. Red Moon in Venus, while largely an English-sung record, is infused with the Columbian singer’s influences. Striking tones similar to groups like Tame Impala or the titans like Rihanna, Red Moon in Venus succeeds in allowing Uchis to grow in her offerings thanks to years of studio and touring success. We’re watching an icon in their prime continue to improve.

I love an album you can throw on in the car and feel transported, no matter the destination or where you return home. We have one of 2023’s finest examples of this type of record thanks to Uchis, who takes her time on tracks from start to finish to tell stories of independence and its tricky relationship with wanting to be loved. The highs of compassion and the lows of disappointment are here on Red Moon, and Uchis’ undeniable voice tells the story well. 

I wonder on a record like this where the next step is for Uchis. Undeniably, she’s had an incredible first run of albums. Three straight hits doesn’t leave me anticipating a miss, rather, we’ll see an artist who has defined a genre for nearly 10 years continue to dictate where the sound heads next. Artists current and future will follow, as will we, grateful to see a master at her craft weaving tapestries that are so beautiful they feel as if they’ve always existed.

“Who’s the only girl that can make you cry/I wonder if it hurts how hard they try” – From “All Mine.“

We’ll be back tomorrow with #20 – 16!

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