2023 albums
January: 72
February: 75
March: 102
April: 68
May: 79
June: 105
July: 75
August: 81
2023 running total: 657
At this point of the year – where fall is upon us, the NFL season has started, and MLB’s playoff picture has started to come into focus – July and August feel like distant memories. However, I haven’t forgotten about you, our loyal readers and followers of our journey to take in every album of 2023.
Eyedea made music his religion and said it best: “ain’t nothing quite as beautiful as music.”
Before we head into quarter four, a look back on July and August’s best:
1. Little Dragon: Slugs of Love
It starts with a warm welcome and a beautiful melodic whistle. “We wrote a song for you.” Yukimi and Company have long been a favorite of yours truly, and this is one of their best edited and fully actualized albums of their storied career. I wrote about them extensively way back when, and I will always love them from their discography to their features and everything in between. Little Dragon can do no wrong, and this album is all right.
2. Mick Jenkins: Patience
3. Open Mike Eagle: another triumph of ghetto engineering
I’m always here to support Chicagoans. I’m truly a sucker for Chicago references. Open Mike Eagle fulfills both criteria as he returns for his 11th (sidenote: exclamation point!) full length album since 2010. For as much as I praise his previous works…this might actually be his best. Just a fine wine out here getting better with age. When he dies, mix up his ashes into some coffee grounds…
https://spotify.link/0YRylkbG4Cb
4. Greta Van Fleet: Starcatcher
5. Carly Rae Jepsen: The Loveliest Time
An absolute clinic in pop music, I had literally the loveliest time listening. You should too!
https://spotify.link/jodG5T8G4Cb
6. Blackbraid: Blackbraid II
https://spotify.link/i9NlOB8F4Cb
7. Jungle: Volcano
8. Banshee: THE BIRTH OF VENUS
This some wild shit right here. And I mean that in the best way.
9. Fred again.. and Brian Eno: Secret Life
Way more downtempo than what you might be accustomed to from Fred again.., this collaboration with the creator of ambient music Brian Eno is spectacular in its editing and gives Bon Iver meets an Ambient Works-era Aphex Twin vibe. The album is not going to warrant a spontaneous dance party, but its exclusion from this list would be erroneous.
10. Noname: Sundial
Just shut up and listen…
11. REASON: Porches
TDE’s best kept secret lays down a beautifully introspective set of stories that ebbs and flows like a to do list for life.
12. Thee Oh Sees: Intercepted Message
July/August honorable mentions
Disclosure: Alchemy
Freak Heat Waves: Mondo Tempo
Dave East: Fortune Favors the Bold
Dethklok: Dethalbum IV
Slept on earlier this year but got put onto this summer
Oliver Francis: OLIVER’S REVENGE (March snoo💤e)
Domo Genesis: Red Corolla (June Snoo💤e)
Welp, there ya have it. Better late than never, and I’d rather owe it to you than cheat ya out of it. Til next time, friends…✌️✌️
The Dirty Dawgs Blog 
Leave a comment