While there were a ton of great records released this year, there were only 9 that qualified for the top tier. The best of the best, gold medalist, Michael Jordans of 2023 albums - worthy of Gordon Ramsey himself dressing them in a Hell's Kitchen black jacket. What, am I the only one that watches Hell's Kitchen? It's not bad. Gordon Ramsey calls people doughnuts for some reason. There's like 20 seasons, you've really never seen it? The finalist get a black jacket...that's wha

Not all that memorable but you can definitely do a lot worse, our middle tier of 2023 albums has been given his namesake. Aww here it goes..

Our very best of the year sit in this most highly regarded of tiers with the most precious of accolades the boring-ass gatekeeping elitist sport of golf can bestow upon you - these are the Gold Jackets. #11. Hygiene by Drug Church Typically the further a punk band strays from their hardcore roots and towards pop sensibilities, the worse their output becomes. But "Hygiene" is far and away Drug Church's most concentrated anthemic effort to date and also, the best album of their

We've classified the middle tier of this year's recap as the Ramen Noodles. Not bad, filling, and easy to consume - these are the albums that wont inspire much fanaticism, but they'll keep you from starving if you can't afford something with a little more flavor. #76. Crawler by Idles Idles returns with a quick recovery effort in the intentionally understated "Crawler", which contains much less pomp and circumstance than last year's " Ultra Mono " but is also undeniably drab

The next tier in our 2020 recap is composed of bad, yet not terrible efforts. If you're desperate enough for some entertainment you'll likely find redeemable qualities scattered throughout but deep down in your gut you know what you're consuming isn't fully on the level. Much like the early quarantine bingeworthy docu-series, these are The Tiger Kings. #100. May You Be Held by SUMAC The further SUMAC strays away from it's raw industrial debut and continues to sink into improv

We've finally arrived at the top tier of this year's releases. The Top 10 Records of 2019. The best of the best, undisputed heavyweight champions of the world. The standard for all future generations to be measured against. The Jordans. #10. Heavy Banding by Slingshot Dakota Heavy Banding illustrates the journey of Slingshot Dakota wonderfully and finds the group finally finding peace with carving out their own space in the industry instead of trying to fit into it. Which is

The Second Tier is made up of some truly remarkable records but still aren't quite the best of the best. These are the runner ups. The second bananas. Lex Luger was a hell of a pro wrestler in the peak of the Monday Night Wars but he was never really a top line attraction compared to his contemporaries. Meet this year's Lex Lugers: #39. Ultra St. Opera by Jupiter Styles Jupiter Styles delivers an incredibly ambitious pop punk record that's so soft and catchy that it's tough t