Wednesday, January 31, 2024

My favorite music EPs of 2023

In recent years, it seems EPs (shorter music releases than full-length albums) have proliferated. Artists don't want to take all the time to put together 10 or 15 songs so they get 5 or 6 and shoot it out to the public. But that process may be getting even more adapted to shorter attention spans. There weren't that many EPs released in 2023. There were tons of singles though. No matter, here were my favorites of the EP breed:
  • Geese's 3D Country is one of my favorite albums of the year, and 4D Country is an accompanying EP that may be the freakest entry into the yacht-rock genre ever.
  • Duff McKagan's This is the Song is very similar to prime-era Guns n' Roses, leaning heavily on the ballad-y styles of "November Rain" and "Civil War." 
  • Spoon’s Memory Dust is pretty inconsequential, but it’s still Spoon and the song “Silver Girl” jams. 
  • GROUPLOVE's Eyes provides a couple pop gems and a couple Flaming Lips-ish party tunes; the band keeps on pleasantly surprising. 
  • You will remember Dexys Midnight Runners from "Come On Eileen," but the band has been releasing a recent string of killer weird and undeniably intriguing releases, the latest being My Submission, that I would urge everyone to at least try to like it. 
  • Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
     provide a boom of fun on Mindsets, especially on “Rear View Mirror.” 
  • Soccer Mommy's Karaoke Night is an entertaining collection of covers by the likes of Pavement, Sheryl Crow, and R.E.M. 
  • Mickey Dolenz's Dolenz Sings R.E.M., on first glance seems far from essential and just curious. I didn't want to include it on this list. But it is indeed pretty darn good - just like if the Monkees played R.E.M. songs!

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