Wednesday at Band on the Wall, Manchester, in November

It’s been an unusual year for my music this year, as it has been dominated by two, maybe three bands. They are Wednesday, the Murder Capital and Jockstrap. The first two have had new albums out this year, which top my list; Jockstrap’s I Love You Jennifer B was released in in 2022, but they have been one of the great live experiences this year. There has been an album of radical remixes recently, but I’m still playing the original a lot.

Wednesday are far and away my most listened-to band of the year.  If you follow this blog, you’ll know they are an American band – from North Carolina – who combine grunge, shoegaze, country and Americana in a way that just works so brilliantly. Initially I drew a few comparisons with Big Thief; but they are more dynamic, less up themselves and play in the joyous (and sometimes angry) spirit of rock’n’rollers through the ages. Rat Saw God is a superb album, but mostly I’ve listened to it with its predecessor Twin Plagues. Together they make a magnificent double album, to use a term from the days of vinyl. I’ve done something similar with the Murder Capital’s Gigi’s Recovery, combining it with debut album When I Have Fears. And then I wrap them up with my favourite period of U2, encompassing The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby and Zooropa. There is a connection.

Live, the Murder Capital have reigned supreme – except when Bruce came over to Hyde Park of course! I saw them three times this year as well as watching their Glastonbury show a few times on the BBC iPlayer. Outstanding every time. I saw Wednesday a couple of times and really enjoyed them. They are less spectacular than the Murder Capital, but at this stage in their career has an enjoyable intimacy. And they do rock!

The Murder Capital at End of the Road, September

The rest of the top ten could be in any order really, though I put Samia at No3, because her album Honey really grew on me, sparked by the title track. The best angsty indie-pop album of the year. Shame I missed her at End of the Road. Gretel Hanlyn combines indie rock with a pop sensibility too, and is a great live performer. Her EP, Head of the Love Club, is long enough and good enough to get into the albums list.

Modern soul is represented by Cleo Sol and Jorja Smith. Cleo released two albums, Heaven and Gold, and both are rather beautiful journeys through the ages of soul, with the occasional jazz and reggae inflection. She is the singer on many of the great Sault songs  – or so it is said. They are rather secretive, though prolific. Jorja’s album doesn’t fire throughout, but there are some great tracks, notably Little Things.

Two jazz albums made the ten, though jazz doesn’t fully capture what the artists are playing. It’s a fusion: jazz, hip hop, music from around the world. That particularly applies to Yussef Dayes masterpiece, Black Classical Music. Simply calling it that shows you his ambition.  Alfa Mist’s Variables is more of his cool sounds from the heart of London.

A few weeks ago, I felt like I hadn’t listened to enough new indie this year and trawled through the reviews in Pitchfork. I’m always impressed with the diligence with which they analyse rock and pop music. Almost too earnest at times. The exercise did unearth some gems, notably Girl with Fish by Feeble Little Horses and Everyone’s Crushed by Water in Your eye. Fuzzy guitars and a good dose of psychedelia. They reminded me that indie guitar music is alive and well. Wednesday and Murder Capital do that as well, of course, in their different ways. I could throw Tirzah into that mix too, with added hip hop and soul. I’ve not had time to listen to trip9love??? too much yet, but first impressions were very good.

Elsewhere, Yo La Tengo and Lewsberg flew the Velvet Underground flag and the modern sound of Ireland came through with Grian Chatten – singer with Fontaines DC – and John Francis Flynn. And Murder Capital of course. I tried Lankum, who are all the rage at the moment, but found them a bit dull to be honest.

The spirit of shoegaze was there in the albums of Bdrmm and Daughter (back after seven years). One of the originals, Slowdive, had a new album too. On first listen it didn’t grab me, so I haven’t listed it here.

I liked the first few tracks of the National’s First Two Pages of Frankenstein, but felt it tailed off after that, and rather forgot about it. There’s a second album from this year, Laugh Track, which I haven’t heard yet. Even more of a blast from the past, I really enjoyed Blur’s The Ballad of Darren. A grower – wistful and somehow redolent of the music of late Bowie in places.

Black Country New Road lost their singer Isaac Wood just after they released their second album Ants from Up There in 2022. However, they quickly wrote an entirely new set of songs, and they feature on their Live at Bush Hall album. An intriguing mix of sounds, which I like to think of as modern prog. They were superb at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in October. As violinist Georgia Ellery is also one half of Jockstrap, she might just be my artist of the year!

And the album I’m really looking forward to in 2024: the debut from The Joy Hotel. I think it’s called Ceremony and is scheduled for April.

So here is the 2023 Top Ten and the best of the rest:

1 – Rat Saw God by Wednesday

2 – Gigi’s Recovery by the Murder Capital

3 – Honey by Samia

4 – Girl with Fish – Feeble Little Horses

5 – Heaven/ Gold – Cleo Sol

6 – Head of the Love Club – Gretel Hanlyn

7 – Black Classical Music – Yussef Dayes

8 – Variables – Alfa Mist

9 – The Ballad of Darren – Blur

10 – Everyone’s Crushed – Water in Your Eyes

Best of the rest: trip9love??? – Tirzah; Live at Bush Hall – Black Country, New Road; Out and About – Lewsberg; Look Over the Wall, See the Sky – John Francis Flynn; Chaos for the Fly – Grian Chatten; Falling or Flying – Jorja Smith; Stereo Mind Game – Daughter; This Stupid World – Yo La Tengo; First Two Pages of Frankenstein – The National; I Don’t Know – Bdrmm.

This is the last blog I’ll be posting for a while. Next year I want to concentrate on finishing the third novel in my HOPE Trilogy, working title Different Days. It’s about HOPE in power – and naturally lots goes wrong! I’ll publish it on Amazon when I’ve finished it, like the rest, if you have been following the story.

I’ll continue to post a few photos and comments on gigs on Instagram, so follow me there if you’d like to keep in touch. I’m at johnasills.

In the meantime, thanks for all your support and I wish you a happy Christmas and successful New Year.

Bruce and Stevie at Hyde Park, July. Always the best.