A Hearty Welcome
Hi everyone (or no one):
Matt, here! Welcome to the first edition of my blog/newsletter/time capsule experiment/living breathing thought document! I’m not quite sure what this is going to be just yet, but thanks for tuning in, zoning out, or tapping into the frequency that is Tink’s Tunehouse. What better way to start a weird collection of ponderings on the interwebs than a best-of list? It’s simple…it’s easy…except that it’s not!
Music lists are fun, right? A trouble-free way to distill an artist’s blood, sweat, and guts into a hierarchical structure so that the public can effortlessly come to a consensus that *insert artist’s name here* is better than *insert 'lesser than’ artist’s name here*. So in essence, of course, lists are also dumb, and the trivialization of an artist’s work to a simple number, ranking, or score can be quite banal. Luckily for me, I love fun and dumb. The banal is silly, too!
I very much value the degree of thought that goes into listmaking. For years, I have kept a log of albums I listen to on a given day, crafted playlists that meet my mood for a given season, and designated Pitchfork-like ratings to practically every piece of music I listen to. My process of categorizing music that I like and dislike, and creating some strange sense of order with rankings, reviews, and scores, has no set criteria. Much like how I view Tink’s Tunehouse in its infancy, this concocted process is my own (amorphous, oscillating, ever-shifting) - it is simply just fun to organize and share with friends. Year-end lists and playlists have become my journals, monuments to lived experiences that I can reflect back on to conjure up what I was feeling or going through at a certain moment. Maybe a complementary written record, such as this blog (or newsletter, or whatever I am supposed to refer to this void where I write down musings as), can bolster and enhance that same sense of future nostalgia. Who knows!
So…without further ado, here is a list of albums I have enjoyed through the first half of 2023. Of course, I have ranked my Top 40. Of course, it has shifted and experienced many permutations. Of course, it won’t exactly mirror what you dig. It is my list and I stand by it. Such is listmaking. The list will change again tomorrow. OK? OK!
My 40 Favorite Albums of 2023 (So Far!)
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Weathervanes
His most straightforward collection of songs yet. Jason sticks to his tried and true formula, creating another masterful collection of meditations on family, life, struggle, and growth. Ignore the fact that I’m a super fan.
Kara Jackson - Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?
Bold and beautiful storytelling that one would expect from a former National Youth Poet Laureate. This record knocked me off my feet. Intimate, claustrophobic, honest, striking. It took me a few listens, but the more I hit play, the more I began finding further truths, heartbreak, and some of the most stunning songwriting I have heard in a long time. Wise beyond her years.
Sensual, alarming, and groundbreaking. Kelela delivers a challenging and enveloping exploration of relationships, solitude, and unexpectedly, piercing clarity. Her most abstract record to date, and arguably, one of the best R&B records of the past decade. It only gains more power after you see the live show!
Lana Del Rey - Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
I did not like this record on first listen or second listen. Like most records I fall in love with, I had to take my time revisiting ‘Did You Know…’ on multiple occasions. It now moves me to tears. A sweeping and devastating opus.
2023 is Wednesday’s year. Plain and simple. You like twang? They’ve got twang. You like heartland rock? They’ve got heartland rock. You like both 2-minute and 8-minute songs? They’ve got that, too. They are a good band.
Another absolute, dare I say it, banger of an album from the Scots. Soulful, relentless, and no skips. “Holy Moly” indeed.
One of the most surprising releases of the year thus far. Contrary to the name, the ethereal collection of songs actually unfurls and sails you off to some faraway land.
This album came to me in a dream. “What timezone do you see the moon from? Are you missing your home? What did you wear on Halloween? Does your life now make you feel complete?”
Yves Tumor - Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)
Yves Tumor is a STAR. There is no boundary that they can’t cross. Thunderous, unapologetic, and so beyond relistenable.
Fireworks - Higher Lonely Power
This album came out on January 1, 2023. It was the first album I listened to in 2023. It has also remained consistent in my rotation. A beautiful, mature, and unforeseen left turn for a band I never thought could churn out this kind of epic.
Arthur Russell - Picture of Bunny Rabbit (I know it’s technically a reissue but I had to throw on the list, so stop yelling at me)
If you have scrolled down this far…
Here is your reward. Enjoy a Spotify playlist with one song from each of these records.
And a special thanks to my pal Martin for inspiring me to start this up. Check out his wonderful Substack. Martin is a smart fella.
I take recommendations, so tell me what I should write about next!
Until next time,
Tinks Tunehouse