Melisma Magazine’s 2023 Albums of the Year
2023 saw a wide array of incredible albums; from Brazilian funk to hyperpop, here are some of Melisma’s selections for the best that the year had to offer.
Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You
By Ana Muniz Rodriguez
Caroline Polacheck’s sophomore album Desire, I Want To Turn Into You transcends the pop genre in its exploration of lust and the limitations of music. Polachek mixes electronic music, synths, acoustic guitar, and other various forms of music not commonly found in “pop” with a variety that feels overwhelming at times. However, its use of overstimulation makes this album stand out – no two songs sound the same.
On the first song of the album, “Welcome To My Island,” Polachek beckons her listeners in with her beautiful vocals, reminiscent of a siren song. Immediately following her calls, the song turns more upbeat, with Polachek literally welcoming us to the album. The song sets the stage for the entire album, with its electronic beats and explorative lyrics. “Bunny is a Rider” explores the meaning of desire, specifically the need to escape responsibilities, with its tropical-esque instrumentation, whistles that mimic bird calls, and lyrics proclaiming that even “satellite can’t find her.” The song “Fly To You” features Dido and Grimes in an eclectic mix of music, from electronic beats and synths to Dido’s entrancing vocals. The song tells the story of a reunion, and explores the innate human desire of needing someone else, and the need for that someone to feel the same way about you. This song is a masterpiece, from the lyrics to the instrumentals, and perfectly balances three artists that you would not expect to work together.
Polachek’s talent is undeniable, having perfectly employed her previous experience in the music industry to make a catchy, eclectic masterpiece like Desire, I Want To Turn Into You. Her exploration of human desire is varied but perfectly encapsulated in a 45 minute rollercoaster of songs. As Caroline Polachek states in “Welcome To My Island,” she is here to stay.
DJ RaMeMes (o destruidor do funk) - Sem Limites
By Andrés López
Eccentric, in-your-face, and unapologetically Brazilian, Sem Limites takes funk carioca and flips it on its head. Not constrained by any limits or expectations, DJ RaMeMes speeds up, chops, and distorts tracks to his heart’s desire, which is evidently quite a lot. He masterfully weaves in and out of different manipulated vocal samples over insanely addictive and thumping percussion to craft the perfect montagens, or mashups. Wacky synths and horns also make frequent appearances, complementing the controlled chaos found throughout and introducing influences from other genres.
Apart from his unconventional production choices, the Volta Redonda native shows his sense of humor by sampling the song “Astronomia” by Tony Igy, notably used in the “Dancing Pallbearers” meme. This is part of what makes this album such a fun listen. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, yet you can’t help but listen closely to catch every detail.
Both RaMeMes and this album certainly live up to their names (the destroyer of funk and limitless in English, respectively), pushing the BPM and the sample manipulation beyond the standard for funk carioca tracks while keeping all of the essential elements of the genre that make it so captivating. With a runtime of 25 minutes, Sem Limites subverts expectations while not overstaying its welcome. This is a must-listen for anyone craving a vibrant, off-the-wall experience. Simultaneously a celebration of what came before it and an experimental elevation of the funk genre, Sem Limites is easily my album of the year.
Lostrushi - Sisterhood
By River Smith
This year, my Spotify Wrapped labeled me as a shapeshifter. “One moment you’re head over heels for an artist, the next, you’ve moved on. Some say it’s erratic. We call it eclectic,” reads the third-to-last slide, proof that Spotify’s algorithm has successfully clocked me as both gay (Berkeley, CA resident) AND trans (shapeshifter). While I can’t help but wonder what this says about the intersection of music streaming services and the surveillance state, I have to give credit where credit is due. This year, my curiosity for new sounds reached an all-time high, and I spent less time with my tried and true favorites and more time virtually crate-digging through playlists and “similar artists” sections, unearthing songs that I'd never heard of in my life but was willing to give a fair stream. That was how I stumbled upon lostrushi’s SISTERHOOD, a glittery, glitchy mixtape released this past June that defies categorization and cements the 17-year-old producer as one to watch.
Like many other SoundCloud beatmakers raised on the Internet, lostrushi’s sonic influences are vast, spanning from video game and anime OSTs to Dir En Grey, math rock, and shoegaze. Actually, he really likes Dir En Grey (all the art for the SISTERHOOD tracks on Soundcloud are photos of the Japanese metal band), and this mixtape bears a lot of similarities to the band’s early visual kei aesthetics. Both are ornate, boastful in excess; androgynous and goth and oh-so-Y2K. Lostrushi blends all of these references into his eternal dreamscape, where time is a flat circle eating itself, and if this is an eating competition, then GLUTMOTHER, lostrushi’s alter ego, reigns supreme.
Lostrushi is insistent that the music he makes is not “digicore” or “cloud rap” or any other SoundCloud microgenre that you might categorize him under—as someone who knows next to nothing about these particular scenes I am not the one to comment on, let alone endorse these claims. But all the talk about classifying SISTERHOOD only distracts from the fact that this mixtape is straight heat. “GLUTGIRL66” might even be my favorite opening track of the year, with its lightning fast hi-hats and ear thumping kicks over swirling arpeggios, with video game sound effects and lostrushi’s pitched-up rapping darting coyly around your ears. His production and verses stand tall enough on their own (“HYDROXYCUT (TAKE IT ALL)” and “KELLY KELLY” in particular), but on tracks near the end like “USE YOUR WINGS” and “INFINITUDE // UROBOROS”, Lostrushi peels back some of the paint to reveal earnest acoustic guitars and shimmering synths, leaving you to suddenly realize that this guy just dropped a gorgeous art pop song in the middle of his mixtape. In conclusion, Lostrushi could have written “Caribbean Blue” but Enya couldn’t have written “USE YOUR WINGS”, or named a song “GLUTGIRL66”. The kids are alright, after all.
Jessy Lanza - Love Hallucination
By Jack Brownlee
It’s 2024 and it’s okay to like pop music. I doubt the music-brained forum browsers of decades past could have predicted the shift towards pop in the last couple years, but it’s the new normal. The last decade has seen the proliferation of the indie-appealing popstar—between the success of artists like Caroline Polachek, FKA Twigs, and even Frank Ocean, there has been a massive uptick in artists balancing pop structures with just enough experimentation to keep their music fresh. It’s a funny development; without reading too deeply into what it means for the media landscape, there’s definitely a strange irony in seeing publications approve of new releases after spending years shunning pop music so as not to lose any hipster cred. This shift has resulted in an uncanny valley filled with music that isn’t necessarily ruling the charts, but is undeniably pop.
As this archetype was still developing, Canadian singer and producer Jessy Lanza was forging a path into the left-field music world with a strain of sound-design-forward, electronic-tinged R&B. Over the course of her decade-long career, she has released four albums on Hyperdub Records, accumulating a niche audience along the way. Her most recent record, Love Hallucination, hit the shelves this summer, and it’s yet another shimmering slice of the sounds she began to explore a decade ago.
Love Hallucination sees Jessy Lanza “go pop”—but due to the fact that she has always emphasized pop sensibilities, it feels like a natural progression rather than an attempt at selling out. She has honed her songwriting skills, resulting in bits of dance-pop goodness like “Limbo” and “Don’t Leave Me Now.” She has always emphasized electronic innovation in her work, and this record is no different; songs like “Drive” and “I Hate Myself” utilize simplistic lyrics that allow the sonic canvases behind them to shine bright. Love Hallucination is also the least timid of Lanza’s albums so far; compared to the introversion of her past work, tracks like “Marathon,” “Big Pink Rose,” and “Don’t Cry On My Pillow” are much more emotionally and sexually empowered. The album is an evolution of Lanza’s sound in many ways, but all of the elements that initially made her work great are still intact.
If I were Jessy Lanza, I would feel pretty vindicated by the current discourse around pop music. Despite still being largely unknown, it feels like the world has caught up to what she has been doing for years now—making pop music that is both deeply playful and artistically meaningful. As displayed by her most recent effort, Lanza is undeniably a pop musician, but one with a penchant for smart electronics, clever songwriting, and emotional depth.
Love Hallucination is my favorite album of 2023 because it balances two of my favorite things in the world: catchy, fun pop music and intentional, strong sound design. Jessy Lanza’s music has soundtracked my last year in a major way; as this past summer came to a close, Love Hallucination became a go-to for bringing myself back to the peaceful headspace that I found during 2023’s warmer months. It’s sweet, warm, confident, and above all, masterful.
Jim Legxacy - Homeless N**** Pop Music
By Daniel Cece
British rapper-producer Jim Legxacy’s second full-length project is an anomaly within the current musical landscape. The genre-bending mixtape contains 12 tracks and clocks in at a mere 25 minutes, but it has still managed to impact me more than any other release this year. In under half an hour, Legxacy weaves between alternative r&b, hip hop, pop, afrobeats, jersey club, and drill, while simultaneously telling a story of a complicated breakup.
The opening track, “dj,” is a prime example of Legxacy’s talents. Over a guitar-laden, jersey club-influenced beat, he opens up about his heartbreak in his own idiosyncratic way. Rather than relying on clichés and vague lyricism, Legxacy recounts how his old partner used to promise him she’d teach him how to DJ, and how she no longer wants to do so after their breakup. It’s a specific memory, but it’s so specific that it becomes relatable: we see that this is a real event that happened to the artist, shining a light on his human experience and allowing us to empathize with him. It packs an equal, if not greater emotional punch than a love song with broad lyrics that could apply to anybody.
I could pull almost any song to analyze as an album highlight, but one of my absolute favorites is the eighth track, “ur marges crib.” Legxacy delivers one of the most creative sample flips I’ve heard in recent memory, dropping Rihanna’s “Stay” over a wild mix of jersey club and drill. As with the other tracks, the sample meshes with his vocals perfectly. The lyrical content delves into how Legxacy’s ex used to sneak him into her mother’s house around the same time last year, and now he hasn’t been there in a while. The lyrics, coupled with Rihanna singing “Not really sure how to feel about it,” give the track a sensitive nature that somehow adds to the accompanying drill beat.
The album cover features a collage of landmarks from Legxacy’s home city of London and relics of his past, including baby pictures and a screenshot from a FaceTime call. Much like the cover, the album itself acts as a collage; each track serves as its own vignette, exploring new memories from Legxacy’s lived experience and giving us a greater sense of who he is and where he’s from. I’ve never been to London, but wherever I’m listening, every one of these tracks has a remarkable ability to make me feel right at home.
ML Buch - Suntub
By Ally Wolfe
ML Buch’s Suntub makes me feel like I’m underwater. It conjures something reminiscent of the feeling I got while watching vaporwave videos on Youtube in 2015, swept away by dreamy soundscapes and pixelated ocean scenes. I’ve been a fan of hers for years, and after anticipating this release since 2020’s Skinned, I was not disappointed. While her previous work could feel overly bloated, this album fills its 55 minute runtime with open, dreamy synths and haunting melodies. It’s also pastoral in a way that represents a new dimension away from her older work that centered on digital life.
While much of the album is instrumental, it’s multifaceted, and some of my favorite pop tracks of the year are from this record. “Fleshless Hand” is a body horror inspired tune that I haven’t gotten out of my head all year: Buch croons, “And you hold my fleshlеss hand/I’m all hollow organs,” an online presence grounding herself back in the body.
Overall, Buch’s years of work—she’s been writing Suntub since 2019—come to fruition in an album I can’t wait to listen to for years to come. Her efforts in this glossy, synthesized album capture the milieu of an early digital generation.
Kara Jackson - Why Does The Earth Give Us People To Love?
By Anna Zhang
If something can be both violent and peaceful, it is Kara Jackson’s stunning debut album Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love that came out in the past year. Through the candidly painful lyrics and instruments that carry fistsfuls of energy, Jackson earnestly opens up her chest, wounds, and world to the rest of us, demands our attention and refuses to let us look away. As a past National Youth Poet Laureate, Jackson plucks out her heart, still beating with blood running, through lyrics like “Be loved for my hazard and a will to destruct / And isn’t that love? Just a will to destruct” on the second track of the thirteen-song record, no fun/party.
Delving deeper into the tangled threads of love and suffering, Jackson dedicates her double LP debut to her friend Maya-Gabrielle Gary who passed from cancer. Rooting the album in one’s love and the loss of the receiver of such love, Jackson argues that both feelings, though distinct from each other, cannot be separated. For a debut record, Jackson more than successfully combined her masterful yet sincere lyrics, often asking existential questions about the values of love, grief, and “price of [her] youth,” with a blend of melancholy longing and intense instruments. More than a musical piece, Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love presents itself like an existentialist read accompanied by just as powerful voices.
Paris Texas - MID AIR
By Joanet Plasencia
Despite being introduced to the duo Paris Texas through their mellower tracks like “HEAVY METAL” and “A QUICK DEATH”, I initially put off listening to their new work since my 2023 music taste revolved around the same handful of energetic dance tracks. Fortunately, during one fateful November gym session, my Spotify-generated High-Energy Workout Mix queued “Sean-Jared” and left me agape. Unable to stop bopping my head to the beat, I transcended from the Tufts gymnasium into a mosh pit of my own imagination, as I fantasized about dancing violently to this song in a sea of strangers. I was unprepared for the funky breakdown introducing the next verse, and the seamless transition left me with pure awe. By the time I left the gym, I had finished bumping the entire album, and by the end of the month, Paris Texas had claimed their spot as my second top artist for the entire year.
The Los Angeles duo, consisting of Louie Pastel and Felix, released their debut album MID AIR in late July of 2023, featuring guest appearances from Kenny Mason and Teezo Touchdown. The album entices listeners with hype tracks like “tenTHIRTYseven” and “Split-Screen” that cohesively blend intense beats, grungey guitar riffs, and synth-like electronic effects. Their unique punk-rap flow is maintained throughout the LP in tracks like “PANIC!!!” and “Lana Del Rey”, which feature menacing vocals and intense momentum, leaving the listener feeling virtually invincible.
In analyzing the lyrics of the album, there are evident themes of escapism that are presented through the repeated references to death or physically departing from Earth. This idea of mortality is conveyed throughout the album, particularly in lyrics such as “What kind of death does the coroner survive?... How much I got left? I been waiting just to die” from “Everybody’s Safe Until…” and “Blackest nihilist you’ve ever seen…Annihilation, catch you like a dream, ain’t no waking up” from “tenTHIRTYseven”. “Lift Off” “Earth-2” and “Airborne” focus on this cosmic release as they rap “I’m getting out of here!! I had enough of here!” and “Earth finally threw in the towel, it’s finally going down, and by down I mean up on Mars” alluding to a pursuit of something otherworldly. The juxtaposition between these two types of escape, one so morbid and the other so extravagant, sheds light on the inferred all-or-nothing mindset these artists may have regarding their own existence.
Additionally, the LP depicts the duo’s artistic versatility with the integration of some softer tracks and vulnerable lyrics. In slower songs like “Ain’t No High” and “Closed Caption” the artists become candid with the listener about the realities and challenges that came with their unforeseen success. Lyrics like “Ain’t no high like this one” and “Working so hard, you forgot to grieve” provide a refreshingly honest take on their careers as Louie Pastel and Felix convey the surreal and consuming nature of their growth. There are also multiple references to the obstacles intrinsically tied to the black experience with bars like “They can sense the hood in my accent” and “Colorist I ain’t f*cking with your tone.” Still, PT’s come up proves to be inspiring for the listener, as they rap about their unwavering musical persistence in “...We Fall” and their lavish new lifestyles in “NüWhip”.
Even with Paris Texas’s current success, this album marks the beginning of what will hopefully be an abundant musical career. They’ve already caught the attention of prominent stars such as Tyler, the Creator, who featured the duo in the lineup for his annual music festival Camp Flog Gnaw. Plus, they recently dropped a single with Kenny Mason, See You Next Year, and Billy Lemos, which I personally can’t stop listening to. If you are a fan of rock, rap, indie, punk, grunge, EDM, or all of the above, you must get around to listening to this album. MID AIR’s genre-bending production and evocative lyricism will make this a listening experience you won’t forget.