Everybody makes a top ten list at the end of the year. I figured I would get an early start and take a look back through my digital music library to see what I have loved so far in 2023. There has been quite a bit to love so far. Here are six notables with videos for your listening and viewing pleasure.
THE DAMNED – Darkadelic
I am a big fan of The Damned, who have been around forever. They have had a large number of line-up changes and their output has been a little hit & miss in the latter part of their career. Scratch that, it’s been a little hit & miss throughout their career. The most recent record that I really liked a lot by The Damned was So, Who’s Paranoid Now from 2015. Well let me just say that 2023’s Darkedelic, just released April 28th, is a somewhat of a masterpiece in my opinion. Captain Sensible is back in the fold on guitar, and this is just a great record. It’s going to be a contender for my number one release this year. The last track, called “Roderick,” is a throw-away. Every other track is killer.
FAKE NAMES – Expendables
Fake Names is sort of a punk rock “supergroup” with members of several well-known bands collaborating. Brian Baker from Bad Religion is the guitarist and he’s one of my favorites. This is punk with big hooks and lots of melody. This is their second release, and it might not be quite as good as their first, but that was a very high bar.
TRU FAX AND THE INSANIACS – Artifax, Pt. 1
This is a D.C. band from way, way back that I loved and saw dozens of times. They have been mostly inactive for a very long while. Their recorded output from back in the day was not very good. Their drummer - who passed away - was fighting cancer when they decided to re-record their old songs and a some new ones a few years ago. The plan was to release “Artifax” as a double-CD, but they have at least now gotten part one out to the masses. I love it.
IAN HUNTER – Defiance, Pt. 1
Hmmm, two great records that are titled as “Part 1.” That’s got to be a good sign I guess—more to come is what I hope it means. Ricki C. tipped me off to this one, and it’s a gem all the way through. Good call Ric. Check it out.
DAVE HAUSE – Drive It Like It’s Stolen
Dave just keeps making great records. This one would be his sixth by my count. He releases lots of stuff between albums, but always saves the best stuff for his proper releases. This guy is just excellent. I will say that only five of the ten tracks are upbeat enough for me, but the lyrics are always there.
GRADE 2 – Grade 2
I hesitated to put this one on the list, but if you want to hear some good ‘ol British punk rock, old-school style, this might be what you’re looking for. Although self-titled, it is their second release, and it’s better than the first. My favorite tune is called “Streetrat Scallywag” but there’s no video for that one.
There you go, six records that I like so far this year. I cannot recommend highly enough the Darkadelic record by The Damned.
JCE, or John to his friends, was born in 1963 in the Nation’s Capital. He grew up in the VA suburbs of D.C. His earliest musical memories are tied to a transistor radio with a single earphone that he carried everywhere listening to AM radio. At this point he still listens to a steady diet of punk, power pop, metal (Faster Pussycat=Yes, Megadeath=No), alt-country and anything that has plenty of good guitar and drums.