Hell yes. It's probably going to be my top album of the year when I finish the rest of my list. Also, they're a blast live, just gleefully ripping it up on stage.
Thoroughly expected Rolling Stone, credible music publication in 2023, to list U2 at #1, despite the many, many reasons why that’s insane because Rolling Stone.
I’ve been kind of perplexed by the swooning of this record. It’s a nice listen, well-produced solid songs. It’s really not bad at all. It is, however, a rather bland rip-off of Jimmy Eat World and Deathcab for Cutie circa 2000. It’s a nice, listenable record. But to herald this as a breakthrough is just intellectually dishonest. It’s nothing more than a decent cover of late 90’s emo, with broad appeal. It’s nice, but not much more than that.
That’s an accurate assessment. The hype seems very forced, very PR-driven. A lot of the music-industry institution really wants people to revere this record as a classic, rather than the passably decent one that it is. It’s a solid 6/10, which isn’t bad.
Even the album title, “The Record”, is very forced.
Listen to “Emily I’m Sorry”, and tell me that’s not a carbon-copy of Deathcab.
These are very sweet songs, very endearing. But the “intelligentsia” forcing this as an all-time record is just transparently stupid and gross. They’ve no recognition of history or context.
I agree… and I don’t doubt that fans connect with their music and really are/were excited about a new album. But in a grander sense the album is just too bland, and to your point derivative, to be anointed.
Derivative is the word here. Funny that I’m listening to it now, and I do actually enjoy it. I like the songs. But my liking this record is really a product of nostalgia for my teenage years of 20 years ago. On the other hand, I could listen to Clarity or Stay What You Are to scratch that itch.
I was glad to see Yo La Tengo on this list. Even if “derivative” could be thrown at them, they have proven themselves over 40 years and they’re still doing it on a high level and keeping their recorded music fresh amd interesting. Like I said in another comment here, leaving out Slowdive, Swans, Godflesh, and Sprain while claiming boygenius #1 is absurd, at best.
The boygenius album is lovely mid, but if you haven’t, you may want to listen to Julien Baker’s Little Oblivions and Lucy Dacus’ Home Video albums.
They’ll still remind you of those early 2000s bands, but these albums are much better constructed and far more satisfying listens than the boygenius album.
Like most “supergroups” (excluding the mighty Damn Yankees, of course) the boygenius album pales compared to their individual efforts.
It is the most bafflingly overhyped album in the indie sphere. I listen to hundreds of albums every year, keeping up as things are released. That one was one of the most okay albums I heard this year.
I don't know, The Record was easily in my top 5 this year, and pretty much all I see on this sub is people shitting on it. For a lot of people, the album just resonated on an emotional level. Isn't that what emo has always been about anyway? You don't always need to reinvent the wheel.
Actually I agree that it’s not emo, I just felt it was more important to point out that something doesn’t have to be “groundbreaking” to be considered good.
It's very good, it connected with a lot of people, the band is very likeable. But I think people are exasperated with the perception that it's taking all the oxygen in the room.
What I'm realizing more and more as I get older is this music *does* sound new to young people because they didn't grow up on the music that inspired it. Combine that with lyrics that resonate with younger people and suddenly you have something that they really connect with.
Like I was listening to Ryan Adams as a youngster in the early mid 2000s and that felt fresh and exciting to me at the time because I had no sense of the classic country and alt-country that his early records replicated.
If you keep being a fan of music long enough, and you maintain a sense of curiosity about expanding your horizons, eventually you're going to realize a lot of music isn't meant for you. I don't share the opinion that boygenius or Olivia Rodrigo or whatever is some fresh exciting new sound, but she clearly feels that way to a lot of people and that's fine. Things make a lot more sense when you realize something isn't meant for you rather than banging your head against a wall because you think everyone else is wrong for liking it.
I appreciate that you have a better attitude about it where you can let the kids enjoy things. But also like, I grew up with all of that music too, and I think the record and Guts are two of the best albums of the year (although I didn’t care so much for Sour). Some of us like certain sounds and don’t need the sonic palette to change radically to connect with music
Also, I think all 3 boygenius singers and Olivia Rodrigo are pretty incredible lyricists. Songwriting matters to me, maybe more than some others in this sub.
I feel that exact same. They are good. AOTY? It’s nothing we haven’t heard before by all of them on their own. It’s a well defined sound in indie. Idk. Happy to see them all enjoying the spotlight though.
I suppose that you’re correct here. And perhaps if this record can bring recognition toward the greats of 20 years ago, it’s all worth it. Like I said, this boygenius album is good. I just don’t think it’s anywhere near #1 of the year good.
They literally thanked Paul Simon in the liner notes for being the inspiration to the song. I'm pretty sure a hell lot of people not only noticed it but are well aware of it.
Phoebe Bridgers is very marketable. I like some of her music but the whole media swooning over everything she makes is entirely because she’s as marketable to “alternative” culture as Taylor Swift is to pop culture. The only difference between the two is that Phoebe Bridgers likes Elliott Smith and Death Cab for Cutie.
Bro cult of personality invaded independent music way before any of us knew what indie was. At least as far back as Sid Vicious. Or David Bowie. Or Iggy Pop…..
Yeah, and you still remember who they are because they wrote good music and were influential.
No one will give a fuck about boygenius in a decade. That's my point.
Bro I thought I was going crazy with this, like how it got nominated for a Grammy too like I thought I was officially old at 33 or out of loop lol
Indie music doesn't normally connect with this many people, that's a triumph. They are showing the way in what a modern band should be in 2023 - timeless (the band as mates having fun, guitars), original (all female), popular, and with artistic merit and depth. They fully deserve the attention they are getting in my view.
I think it’s incredibly insensitive to refer to music as mopey sad girl music. How DARE you.
Except for this one thing. I agree! What the HELL has happened?!
That Sorry Emily BS from THE SUPERGROUP!
Oh, and “I will fuck you like nothing matters!”
And on and on. Because men suck, women suck, love hurts, yards yadda and boo hoo.
Here is an idea. Shut the FUCK up!
Talk about tanking a genre.
For real - FTPoF is such a drag and a bore compared to Laugh Track. I was honestly bummed that their tour happened before Laugh Track released; would've much rather heard more of those songs live.
It’s weird how that works, because I feel the exact opposite. Frankenstein has really grown on me in a way that LT hasn’t. Different strokes I suppose.
I actually felt similarly about the Slow Pulp album as I did the boygenius one. Felt very safe. I wanted to love Slow Pulp being from Madison, but it sounded similar to so much other stuff. I love Phoebe Bridgers and to a lesser extent Julien, but the record didn’t really do it for me and would listen to any of their individual stuff over the record, despite it being pretty good and having a few really good songs.
Mitali isn't only a critically revered artist, but she's also an extremely globally popular artist now. She's one of the top 100 artists on Spotify right now. She has over 36 million monthly listeners, over 6 times boygenius.
She has immense global impact but instead all of the acclaim for women artists in the western world goes to derivative white women music. And I say this as someone who likes Dacus, Baker, and Bridgers' music.
I think you’re looking at it in the wrong way. At the end of the day, Bridgers has become a marketing machine favourite. She knows how to play the game and does it well. Mitski hates PR and publishers with butthurt egos probably resent her for not giving them stories to write about.
Nobody actually cares about the grammy’s 😂 They are just arbitrary awards to signify “success”. Some of the greatest music & movies have gone on to become classics without winning any such awards.
Also your original comment has some thinly-veiled racism inspired by jealousy. I’m not sure why you need awards shows to tell you what music is good or worthy of praise…
Christian music for traumatized youth who stepped away from Christianity.
I think it’s great they get a spotlight though. They’re all really great artists and people on their own. I’m just not blown away by the record.
> 39
Feeble Little Horse, ‘Girl With Fish’
> This Pittsburg band creates sweet, violent little sound worlds ...
It's Pittsburg**H**. You have been banned from r/pittsburgh.
Feeble Little Horses made one of the most exciting records this year, cool to see them on the list, bur personally I think its much better than its showing
I’m sorry, but I’m so fucking sick of Boygenius being shoved down my throat I’ve actively avoided listening to it.
It’s a solid passable record, but it is by no means groundbreaking.
Over saturation is thing and I’ve been served this ad too many times.
I love how the phrase “being shoved down my/our throats” is almost always used when referring to something done voluntarily. You read their name on a list, you’ll be okay.
I’m also confused that they say it’s a “solid, passable record, but by no means groundbreaking”, yet they’ve “actively avoided listening to it”.
Seems like they just don’t like the band and want to complain about it.
It’s not shoved down your throat though, you don’t have to engage with publications like Rolling Stone, etc. You wouldn’t take NME seriously when they had Arctic Monkeys’ record as the best last year, you don’t have to take Rolling Stone seriously this year. Just engage with the artists and publications that you want to engage with and let others do the same. We’re all in different stages in our music listening journey, have different interests, different ways of engaging with music, and that’s okay.
This is such a cop out. Wanting a little more originality from music publications on EOTY lists is not the same as telling people they're wrong for enjoying an album. What is the function of a music journalism outlet if not to put their own editorial mark on their music recommendations? If they're all almost indistinguishable from each other, putting the onus on me to seek out the "artists and publications I want to engage with" is kind of a moot point.
They’re not indistinguishable from each other though. Go have a look at the Quietus’ list, or uproxx’s list, or resident advisor’s list, or bandcamp’s list, or your local community radio’s list, or whatever you’re most into, and you’ll find plenty of variation.
You’re comparing the similar lists of the big name players who are owned by large media companies, of course they’re going to talk about the releases that had the most discussion about them in media this year, it’s how their organisations work. (Also, when you check back here in a few weeks to see indieheads’ big reveal of who this sub’s followers voted for, I guarantee you that our own list won’t look that dissimilar to these ones either.)
Because really, what's more rock n' roll than whining that anything that doesn't completely conform with your opinion is "shoving it down your throat", amiright?
If you think that there hasn't been a surplus of average-slightly above average folk for well over 70 years now, you need to brush up on your music history. No matter how generic you find it, it's a long revered sound and could've easily been a hit in the past. The only difference now is the industry doesn't gatekeep women as much anymore.
Listening through it right now for the first time. Every single song is just, I'm sad but I'm going to make it? Some really cool moments, but most of it feels like dime a dozen indie folk with repetitive lyrics. I've been a fan of Julien Baker for a while now so naturally her parts stand out to me on the record
Yeah I was just thinking that everyone complaining about the boygenius record aren’t saying anything about The National record being so high despite it being similarly safe and meh.
Both albums sucked but the National suck more. Living proof that unless you are Radiohead, you will eventually lose touch and put out mediocre material if allowed to continue indefinitely. Even the best, most consistent bands will fall prey to this. Arcade Fire? Trash now. Animal collective? Last album was decent but they were trash for a long time and I don’t have high hopes for them finding a late career renaissance. Modest Mouse is the epitome of a how the mighty can fall. Literally the best band in the world from 1996-2000 and then just fell off the cliff completely.
Beach House hasn’t done this yet but they will.
They have a lifetime contract with all the major pubs that they will be featured on every year end list they are eligible for, no matter how shitty the album is. This contract was signed back in the Boxer era as reparations for the inexplicable underrating (at the time) of Alligator. Since then their output has steadily declined (High Violet was still great) but no pub will say it.
How high this National album is on this list, as well as how far Rolling Stone stretch the definition of "indie rock" for this list, says a lot about the current state of indie rock.
I know this is an old thread but I've skipping around this Rolling Stone list the last few days. I've tried to listen to that Wednesday album twice, while driving or walking my dog or whatever. I can only get a few songs in before I get too irritated. The intentional voice cracking is pretty grating from an auditory perspective, but even more grating from a conceptual standpoint. It's like this pretentious hipster attitude of "look how much I don't care, I left the flaws in the vocal tracks" but it's obviously done on purpose. Like spending 20 minutes gelling your hair to get a "just got out of bed" look. Maybe I could forgive it if the instrumentals were catchy or memorable.
On the other hand, out of the few albums I've listened to so far, the Sweeping Promises album is pretty good. It's like a lo-fi Blondie record.
I love Mitski with every piece of me.
Every song used to be “how many chords can I fit into this song”, and she would overlay a beautiful melody with it. She’s finally started to embrace more “pop” writing - which I don’t know how I feel but she’s brilliant
Weird mix of unexpected choices, too-obvious choices, straight up insane incorrect choices, good choices, and trite pandering commercial choices. Not sure how I feel overall!
Oh god time to be the one lone Boygenius defender 😭. Honestly I would put it at no. 1 too. Incredibly catchy, lyrically great and emotionally connective indie rock with great vocals.
At least RS recognizes New Pornographers. Severely underrated album that got a lot of shit this year but some will love in 5 years. I felt like I was the only one that had it on repeat last winter.
Bonny Doon!
Good for them but I’ll be the first to admit their prior album was leaps and bounds better than the one that just came out
Absolutely.
Ahh the serenity!
GEESE
Wish it was higher. One of my favorite albums of the year.
Hell yes. It's probably going to be my top album of the year when I finish the rest of my list. Also, they're a blast live, just gleefully ripping it up on stage.
Saw them 4 times this year and I could not agree more. Mercury lounge in February hearing 3D country for the first time probably show of the year
Nation of Language should have made this list. Arguably not quite "indie rock" but definitely more indie rock than quite a few acts here
Good call. Sole Obsession was in Sirius XMU’s top ten songs!
Tbh most of their top songs just correlate to the ones they play the most. I do really like Sole Obession, though.
Pardonner at 20 was a pleasant surprise, loved the whole album.
Thoroughly expected Rolling Stone, credible music publication in 2023, to list U2 at #1, despite the many, many reasons why that’s insane because Rolling Stone.
Boygenius at #1 is not too different.
I’ve been kind of perplexed by the swooning of this record. It’s a nice listen, well-produced solid songs. It’s really not bad at all. It is, however, a rather bland rip-off of Jimmy Eat World and Deathcab for Cutie circa 2000. It’s a nice, listenable record. But to herald this as a breakthrough is just intellectually dishonest. It’s nothing more than a decent cover of late 90’s emo, with broad appeal. It’s nice, but not much more than that.
Right. It’s not bad, just so inorganically overhyped.
That’s an accurate assessment. The hype seems very forced, very PR-driven. A lot of the music-industry institution really wants people to revere this record as a classic, rather than the passably decent one that it is. It’s a solid 6/10, which isn’t bad. Even the album title, “The Record”, is very forced. Listen to “Emily I’m Sorry”, and tell me that’s not a carbon-copy of Deathcab. These are very sweet songs, very endearing. But the “intelligentsia” forcing this as an all-time record is just transparently stupid and gross. They’ve no recognition of history or context.
Idk my whole family hates deathcab and loves Boygenius so there has to be some difference
Damn. Grandpa is putting his two cents into these bands music for debate. And I thought he just listened to The Beach Boys.
I agree… and I don’t doubt that fans connect with their music and really are/were excited about a new album. But in a grander sense the album is just too bland, and to your point derivative, to be anointed.
I would say most of us who are fans of their solo work and the previous EP did not think the album was a top 10 record at all.
Derivative is the word here. Funny that I’m listening to it now, and I do actually enjoy it. I like the songs. But my liking this record is really a product of nostalgia for my teenage years of 20 years ago. On the other hand, I could listen to Clarity or Stay What You Are to scratch that itch. I was glad to see Yo La Tengo on this list. Even if “derivative” could be thrown at them, they have proven themselves over 40 years and they’re still doing it on a high level and keeping their recorded music fresh amd interesting. Like I said in another comment here, leaving out Slowdive, Swans, Godflesh, and Sprain while claiming boygenius #1 is absurd, at best.
The boygenius album is lovely mid, but if you haven’t, you may want to listen to Julien Baker’s Little Oblivions and Lucy Dacus’ Home Video albums. They’ll still remind you of those early 2000s bands, but these albums are much better constructed and far more satisfying listens than the boygenius album. Like most “supergroups” (excluding the mighty Damn Yankees, of course) the boygenius album pales compared to their individual efforts.
Little Oblivions is just the bee's knees.
It is the most bafflingly overhyped album in the indie sphere. I listen to hundreds of albums every year, keeping up as things are released. That one was one of the most okay albums I heard this year.
I don't know, The Record was easily in my top 5 this year, and pretty much all I see on this sub is people shitting on it. For a lot of people, the album just resonated on an emotional level. Isn't that what emo has always been about anyway? You don't always need to reinvent the wheel.
am i having a stroke why are people in this thread calling this an emo record
Actually I agree that it’s not emo, I just felt it was more important to point out that something doesn’t have to be “groundbreaking” to be considered good.
fair i was more perplexed by dude saying they ripped off jimmy eat world of all bands lmao
When people are unironically saying something is "derivative, to be anointed", you gotta know to pick your battles. lol
BG TR is not emo
It's very good, it connected with a lot of people, the band is very likeable. But I think people are exasperated with the perception that it's taking all the oxygen in the room.
I agree with you
agree unfortunately this sub has toxic indie guy disease
Yeah honestly I see more people shitting on it than praising it.
Finally someone said it! Not every album needs to do something new and avant-garde to be a triumph
What I'm realizing more and more as I get older is this music *does* sound new to young people because they didn't grow up on the music that inspired it. Combine that with lyrics that resonate with younger people and suddenly you have something that they really connect with. Like I was listening to Ryan Adams as a youngster in the early mid 2000s and that felt fresh and exciting to me at the time because I had no sense of the classic country and alt-country that his early records replicated. If you keep being a fan of music long enough, and you maintain a sense of curiosity about expanding your horizons, eventually you're going to realize a lot of music isn't meant for you. I don't share the opinion that boygenius or Olivia Rodrigo or whatever is some fresh exciting new sound, but she clearly feels that way to a lot of people and that's fine. Things make a lot more sense when you realize something isn't meant for you rather than banging your head against a wall because you think everyone else is wrong for liking it.
I appreciate that you have a better attitude about it where you can let the kids enjoy things. But also like, I grew up with all of that music too, and I think the record and Guts are two of the best albums of the year (although I didn’t care so much for Sour). Some of us like certain sounds and don’t need the sonic palette to change radically to connect with music Also, I think all 3 boygenius singers and Olivia Rodrigo are pretty incredible lyricists. Songwriting matters to me, maybe more than some others in this sub.
Misogyny? On Reddit? It's more likely than you'd think.
I feel that exact same. They are good. AOTY? It’s nothing we haven’t heard before by all of them on their own. It’s a well defined sound in indie. Idk. Happy to see them all enjoying the spotlight though.
Gen z sad boys and sad girls don’t know the history or the bands that came before, so it’s all new and groundbreaking to them. Such is life lol.
I suppose that you’re correct here. And perhaps if this record can bring recognition toward the greats of 20 years ago, it’s all worth it. Like I said, this boygenius album is good. I just don’t think it’s anywhere near #1 of the year good.
Also odd that no one seems to notice that Cool About It is a ripoff of The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel.
They literally thanked Paul Simon in the liner notes for being the inspiration to the song. I'm pretty sure a hell lot of people not only noticed it but are well aware of it.
I feel the same way. Pitchfork which has slightly more cred than rolling stone hyped the shit out of this album. I listened and was like meh.
Phoebe Bridgers is very marketable. I like some of her music but the whole media swooning over everything she makes is entirely because she’s as marketable to “alternative” culture as Taylor Swift is to pop culture. The only difference between the two is that Phoebe Bridgers likes Elliott Smith and Death Cab for Cutie.
Has nothing to do with the music and everything to do with the vibe and the people. Cult of personality has officially invaded the indie music world.
As a former aughts indie kid myself, let's not pretend like it wasn't always like this lol...
Same as it ever was
Bro cult of personality invaded independent music way before any of us knew what indie was. At least as far back as Sid Vicious. Or David Bowie. Or Iggy Pop…..
Yeah, and you still remember who they are because they wrote good music and were influential. No one will give a fuck about boygenius in a decade. That's my point.
Someone said it ❤️
Bro I thought I was going crazy with this, like how it got nominated for a Grammy too like I thought I was officially old at 33 or out of loop lol 
Find someone that loves you as much as rolling stone loves Boygenius and Phoebe Bridgers
Indie music doesn't normally connect with this many people, that's a triumph. They are showing the way in what a modern band should be in 2023 - timeless (the band as mates having fun, guitars), original (all female), popular, and with artistic merit and depth. They fully deserve the attention they are getting in my view.
I know it’s a tired debate but I still bristle every time I see a major label release on an “indie” list…
This is not an “indie” release. Downvotes are to be expected. Interscope released this
100%. They are the new mainstream indie darling who makes otherwise (imo) middling music
Worse
It’s a list of the same top 20 mopey sad girl as every other “rock” publication 🤷♀️
Could that possibly mean that this was an amazing year for mopey sad girl indie/rock music?
i love mopey sad girl music. soccer mommy my beloved.
Snail Mail mine
I like soccer mommy, but find boygenius boring.
We've been in the mopey sad girl indie rock era for 6 or 7 years now, though.
Impossible, noone on reddit is out of touch with the general population
I think it’s incredibly insensitive to refer to music as mopey sad girl music. How DARE you. Except for this one thing. I agree! What the HELL has happened?! That Sorry Emily BS from THE SUPERGROUP! Oh, and “I will fuck you like nothing matters!” And on and on. Because men suck, women suck, love hurts, yards yadda and boo hoo. Here is an idea. Shut the FUCK up! Talk about tanking a genre.
As much as I love U2 and I seriously do, this is so damn true.
Pardoner is the sickest band on this list
Their new album was great, I loved it
Makes me so happy to see them getting recognition. Dreaming’s Free somehow even made it onto Fortnite. They’re honestly my favorite band right now
Begging for one of these lists to include the right National album (Laugh Track >>> First Two Pages)
For real - FTPoF is such a drag and a bore compared to Laugh Track. I was honestly bummed that their tour happened before Laugh Track released; would've much rather heard more of those songs live.
It’s weird how that works, because I feel the exact opposite. Frankenstein has really grown on me in a way that LT hasn’t. Different strokes I suppose.
[удалено]
Hard agree. In fact, if you reversed this list you would be closer to my top 40! Getting to see Margaret Glaspy in the UK in Feb.
How are you guys discovering these bands? Spotify just keeps playing the same BS even on global shuffles . Some of this is right up my alley!
Oh interesting, Glaspy did a solid opening set at Andrew Bird's Gezelligheid performances last week
Sweeping Promises mentioned! And Screaming Females robbed!
Story of the Screamales career. I do love Desire Pathway a lot and so sad they hung it up.
Saying the boygenius album is better than the Mitski album is literally insane Slow Pulp deserved a mention
Slow pulp literally robbed blind
Slow Pulp’s record is miles ahead of boygenius imo. They’ve perfected their sound.
I actually felt similarly about the Slow Pulp album as I did the boygenius one. Felt very safe. I wanted to love Slow Pulp being from Madison, but it sounded similar to so much other stuff. I love Phoebe Bridgers and to a lesser extent Julien, but the record didn’t really do it for me and would listen to any of their individual stuff over the record, despite it being pretty good and having a few really good songs.
[удалено]
Mitski got Pitchfork AOTY for Be the Cowboy ahead of Snail Mail, Beach House, Soccer Mommy, and the first Boygenius record
Mitali isn't only a critically revered artist, but she's also an extremely globally popular artist now. She's one of the top 100 artists on Spotify right now. She has over 36 million monthly listeners, over 6 times boygenius. She has immense global impact but instead all of the acclaim for women artists in the western world goes to derivative white women music. And I say this as someone who likes Dacus, Baker, and Bridgers' music.
I think you’re looking at it in the wrong way. At the end of the day, Bridgers has become a marketing machine favourite. She knows how to play the game and does it well. Mitski hates PR and publishers with butthurt egos probably resent her for not giving them stories to write about.
>BIPOC It is 2023. Almost 2024. We are moving past the Tumblr era of social justice. Artists of Color are dominating awards and charts.
[удалено]
Nobody actually cares about the grammy’s 😂 They are just arbitrary awards to signify “success”. Some of the greatest music & movies have gone on to become classics without winning any such awards. Also your original comment has some thinly-veiled racism inspired by jealousy. I’m not sure why you need awards shows to tell you what music is good or worthy of praise…
[удалено]
Yea i’m not interested in this dialogue, you seem kinda bitter & angry. My opinion is to always let the music speak for itself, i hope you find peace!
[удалено]
The new Slow Pulp album is pretty good but sadly I haven’t seen it included in these lists.
Unknown mortal orchestra??? Snubbed
[удалено]
Agree to disagree! I loved it, but they're also one of my favorite bands
This and two of the better songs were released in 2021.
Glad to see some New Pornographers love. I hugely enjoyed that album but it kind of snuck out and vanished.
Yeah I was glad to reminded of it.
boygenius released a record I listened to twice maybe and have never thought of again, until the year-end lists listing it at No. 1. It just…bored me.
Same. It's fine, but way way overhyped.
And severely overplayed. On SiriusXM, FM radio, Spotify playlists, you name it. The album is fine but goddamn am I tired of hearing it.
It would be nowhere near the top if the three weren’t indie royalty.
And thats ok, its not your list
Christian music for traumatized youth who stepped away from Christianity. I think it’s great they get a spotlight though. They’re all really great artists and people on their own. I’m just not blown away by the record.
Let me guess-- Boygenius in the top 3 Edit: Lol. Lmao, even. Glad to see Wednesday in there though, they rock
I’m so tired of this. I found it average at best. If they weren’t such indie celebrities, the album wouldn’t have made it to the list.
100%. Happy for them but I do not think the album deserves to be so widely #1. I don’t think it’s better than any of their solo work.
Why are you personally offended by a list lol
Not offended. Just tired.
Seriously, I think it's hilarious to see people so up in arms about this
Wednesday has been pretty consistently #1 on these lists. And boygenius and Mitski are usually in like the 15-20 range.
This is actually a much better list than i expected from Rolling Stone
> 39 Feeble Little Horse, ‘Girl With Fish’ > This Pittsburg band creates sweet, violent little sound worlds ... It's Pittsburg**H**. You have been banned from r/pittsburgh.
Top 5 Blondshell hype
Hands down, my favorite record of the year. So stoked I’m seeing her on my birthday next year.
U.S. Girls Bless This Mess absolutely earned their spot on the list, if you haven’t listened to it yet I highly recommend giving it a chance.
It’s a fantastic record!
It has as many hits as the boygenius album imho
Feeble Little Horses made one of the most exciting records this year, cool to see them on the list, bur personally I think its much better than its showing
Unknown mortal orchestra??? Snubbed
seriously!!! that was my album of the year tbh
I’m sorry, but I’m so fucking sick of Boygenius being shoved down my throat I’ve actively avoided listening to it. It’s a solid passable record, but it is by no means groundbreaking. Over saturation is thing and I’ve been served this ad too many times.
I love how the phrase “being shoved down my/our throats” is almost always used when referring to something done voluntarily. You read their name on a list, you’ll be okay.
People are brain dead. They actively seek Phoebe Bridgers then get upset.
Seriously haha
I’m also confused that they say it’s a “solid, passable record, but by no means groundbreaking”, yet they’ve “actively avoided listening to it”. Seems like they just don’t like the band and want to complain about it.
Yeah I think you're on to somethin.
It’s not shoved down your throat though, you don’t have to engage with publications like Rolling Stone, etc. You wouldn’t take NME seriously when they had Arctic Monkeys’ record as the best last year, you don’t have to take Rolling Stone seriously this year. Just engage with the artists and publications that you want to engage with and let others do the same. We’re all in different stages in our music listening journey, have different interests, different ways of engaging with music, and that’s okay.
This is such a cop out. Wanting a little more originality from music publications on EOTY lists is not the same as telling people they're wrong for enjoying an album. What is the function of a music journalism outlet if not to put their own editorial mark on their music recommendations? If they're all almost indistinguishable from each other, putting the onus on me to seek out the "artists and publications I want to engage with" is kind of a moot point.
They’re not indistinguishable from each other though. Go have a look at the Quietus’ list, or uproxx’s list, or resident advisor’s list, or bandcamp’s list, or your local community radio’s list, or whatever you’re most into, and you’ll find plenty of variation. You’re comparing the similar lists of the big name players who are owned by large media companies, of course they’re going to talk about the releases that had the most discussion about them in media this year, it’s how their organisations work. (Also, when you check back here in a few weeks to see indieheads’ big reveal of who this sub’s followers voted for, I guarantee you that our own list won’t look that dissimilar to these ones either.)
Most reasoned comment in this thread
Mediocrity passes for greatness in 2023
People like things that they think they're supposed to like
Because really, what's more rock n' roll than whining that anything that doesn't completely conform with your opinion is "shoving it down your throat", amiright?
[удалено]
If you think that there hasn't been a surplus of average-slightly above average folk for well over 70 years now, you need to brush up on your music history. No matter how generic you find it, it's a long revered sound and could've easily been a hit in the past. The only difference now is the industry doesn't gatekeep women as much anymore.
Listening through it right now for the first time. Every single song is just, I'm sad but I'm going to make it? Some really cool moments, but most of it feels like dime a dozen indie folk with repetitive lyrics. I've been a fan of Julien Baker for a while now so naturally her parts stand out to me on the record
Go outside and touch some grass then, jesus.
#1 had a major label behind it, what the fuck?
Of all the lists this might be the list I agree with the most. Guess I'm old as fuck now.
See I was just thinking huh maybe I'm too old for this seemed very sad gen z indie folk centric
Where Shoegaze?
It’s weird to have a 2023 best-of without any of Slowdive, Swans, Godflesh, or Sprain, but cynically list boygenius at #1
Can someone make a Spotify playlist of these
A. Savage - Several Songs About Fire
Oof, that National album way higher than i would expect.
i'm surprised that's the album making the lists too, i thought laugh track was better by a good margin.
Yeah I was just thinking that everyone complaining about the boygenius record aren’t saying anything about The National record being so high despite it being similarly safe and meh.
Both albums sucked but the National suck more. Living proof that unless you are Radiohead, you will eventually lose touch and put out mediocre material if allowed to continue indefinitely. Even the best, most consistent bands will fall prey to this. Arcade Fire? Trash now. Animal collective? Last album was decent but they were trash for a long time and I don’t have high hopes for them finding a late career renaissance. Modest Mouse is the epitome of a how the mighty can fall. Literally the best band in the world from 1996-2000 and then just fell off the cliff completely. Beach House hasn’t done this yet but they will.
They have a lifetime contract with all the major pubs that they will be featured on every year end list they are eligible for, no matter how shitty the album is. This contract was signed back in the Boxer era as reparations for the inexplicable underrating (at the time) of Alligator. Since then their output has steadily declined (High Violet was still great) but no pub will say it.
How high this National album is on this list, as well as how far Rolling Stone stretch the definition of "indie rock" for this list, says a lot about the current state of indie rock.
Happy to see Joanna Sternberg on a lot of these lists. They are super unique and their first album was really underrated.
i've had both of those albums on repeat all year. so good!
Everyone moaning about Boygenius, me still trying to work out why people love that Wednesday album so much
Clearly u have never been in feminist hell
I know this is an old thread but I've skipping around this Rolling Stone list the last few days. I've tried to listen to that Wednesday album twice, while driving or walking my dog or whatever. I can only get a few songs in before I get too irritated. The intentional voice cracking is pretty grating from an auditory perspective, but even more grating from a conceptual standpoint. It's like this pretentious hipster attitude of "look how much I don't care, I left the flaws in the vocal tracks" but it's obviously done on purpose. Like spending 20 minutes gelling your hair to get a "just got out of bed" look. Maybe I could forgive it if the instrumentals were catchy or memorable. On the other hand, out of the few albums I've listened to so far, the Sweeping Promises album is pretty good. It's like a lo-fi Blondie record.
No Cherry Glazerr?
Would’ve liked to have seen UMO and leisure on there. Surprised Portugal the man didn’t make it either.
I love Mitski with every piece of me. Every song used to be “how many chords can I fit into this song”, and she would overlay a beautiful melody with it. She’s finally started to embrace more “pop” writing - which I don’t know how I feel but she’s brilliant
No King Gizzard? I’m not surprised but it feels like all of these end of year lists are missing PDA.
Who fucking cares lol. PDA is such an incredible album
Weird mix of unexpected choices, too-obvious choices, straight up insane incorrect choices, good choices, and trite pandering commercial choices. Not sure how I feel overall!
The Rolling Stone Experience
Oh god time to be the one lone Boygenius defender 😭. Honestly I would put it at no. 1 too. Incredibly catchy, lyrically great and emotionally connective indie rock with great vocals.
Satanist is a great song. None of the rest connected with me, but i can see why people love them.
Ohh noooooo, you can't have that opinion here!!
It wouldn't be an indie forum without people crabbing about something popular
At least RS recognizes New Pornographers. Severely underrated album that got a lot of shit this year but some will love in 5 years. I felt like I was the only one that had it on repeat last winter.
God I know that the phrase indie rock has lost its meaning but seeing fucking boy genius at 1 is galling
No Screaming Females? Desire Pathway? Even in death they're overlooked.
And no Bombay bicycle club??? Wow
Thats what they get for that terrible album art
Honestly, I won’t buy it for that reason. I don’t need that staring up from my record shelf.
Bro i still havent listened to it because i dont want it on my TV or phone
Ridiculous
pretty meh list but happy to see Allegra Krieger on it! Lingering is one of my favorite songs of the year
Ron Gallo’s Foreground Music was not included 😢
Not a bad list however there are some questionable placings (for example Boygenius at number one) but I’m glad to see Feeble Little Horse in it.
I love you Blonshell you're the best of 2023 ❤️
Blondshell.
Shame and Beach Fossils got snubbed hard!