Albums we disagreed on in 2023

100 gecs – 10,000 gecs

100 gecs are wonderfully irreverent and throwaway. But they make songs that lodge in your brain. Their newest album 10,000 gecs managed to fight their way near the top of my spotify wrapped this year. You dont’ have to be Gen Z to enjoy something that is both absurdist and catchy as fuck. But James thinks its absolute crap, and their previous album was absolute destroyed on the podcast by the other members of the team. I don’t think I’m winning anyone else over anytime soon.

Matt Paul

Boygenius – The Record

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t dislike this album. But the Boygenius mania has got a little much. When we discussed this album on the podcast Fran and Sam could not get enough of it. I wasn’t surprised to hear Fran say “one of the best albums of the year”. But Sam says it’s “the best music any of them have ever made”. It’s a step down in my book. I keep relistening, thinking I have missed something. But they’ve lost a lot of the character and charm that came with that original EP. And I still am not the biggest Julien Baker fan.

Matt Paul

Romy – Mid Air

I was surprisingly lukewarm on the full length Romy album on first listen, but after realising I was probably just a bit stressed with work that day, it’s fast become one of the most joyous and effortlessly enjoyable albums of 2023. Matt seemed to agree with me, and much to the surprise of nobody Fran has been an absolute scrooge about this. I’m not exactly sure what kind of album he expected from a woman who has been desperately wanting to make music like this for years. In the end we are right and Fran is just grumpy. He just needs to listen to ‘Enjoy Your Life’ and do exactly that.

Sam Atkins

Noname – Sundial

There seemed to be something approaching a critical consensus around the quality of Noname’s Sundial album. Her words were sharp and uncompromising. Her flow was even more refined, on this, her third album. The jazzy instrumentals had more hooks than before. And all of this was succinct; it’s over in 32 minutes.

I really enjoyed it, as did Sam. Matt was quite positive on the podcast. But then Fran unleashed somewhat of a tirade, mostly focused on the issue of an artist challenging hypocrisy on social issues who is something of a hypocrite herself, given her refusal to engage on the issue of guest Jay Electronica’s past anti-semitic remarks. I actually agree with Fran here. But saying that the rapping and music is not that good? We have to disagree on that.

Tom Burrows

Sampha – Lahai

Sam thought Lahai was one of the best albums of 2023. Many critics agreed. After a long wait, many thought that the big-name collaborator and Mercury Prize winner had delivered on the anticipation.

But I felt differently. I loved two of the album’s tracks (‘Dancing Circles’ and ‘Only’), but generally felt that the album was a damp squib. It felt very personal and as if he’d made the album he wanted to make. But to me, that didn’t prevent it from being largely dull and almost completely unmemorable.

And I think on balance, my fellow editors agree with me. Fran picked out 2 different songs but thought the rest was forgettable. Matt politely said the same. And James just said “no” to Sam’s assertion of its quality. You’re wrong here Sam!

Tom Burrows

Raye – My 21st Century Blues

As one of the Mercury prize nominees, this album was keenly under the PB critical gaze this year. I’d never listened to her before this and was a pleasant surprise on the list of nominees: great vocals, great variety of tones and styles, great subject matter in the lyrics. But at the same time I didn’t love the album overall. There was a similar assessment from the more positive side of the podcast. Fran on the other hand hated it, and called her the ‘worst voice in music’.

James Spearing

CASISDEAD – Famous Last Words

On paper I shouldn’t like this album. Grimey rap with often overly sweary and misogynist lyrics? Definitely not my cup of tea. But…but…somehow, I did. The absolute surprise of the year for me, musically at least (those lyrics still leave a lot to be desired). I like his style of rapping and the music is plain brilliant, with loads of variety across the album with it’s dark and mysterious cinematic interludes. Tom enjoyed the ‘Italo-disco beats’ and called it a ‘fun ride’. Fran, fairly enough, was baffled by my sudden turn in tastes and accused it of sounding like a J-Hus cover band. Tom was quick to defend the music even if he recognised the lyrics as juvenile. But then Tom does like J-Hus. So now I’m even more confused.

James Spearing