My Five Favorite Albums Released in October 2023

 October has been one of my busiest months not only for music but for life in general.  There has been plenty of time to listen to music which I didn't quite have the time to review and just so many great albums came out this month.    I will end up going back and reviewing a number of them in full, maybe next year even, but for now, this is my Top 5 of October!




Metric "Formentera II"


I am 100% at a point in my life that whatever Metric puts out I am going to listen to it.   Between the distortion, the punk and the feeling of disco at times, I'm really enjoying "Formentera II".   "Days Of Oblivion" is one of the most specific yet also catchy songs on here as it is definitely among my favorites.

At this point in time, I feel like Metric can do no wrong but my problem is I often find one album I really like by an artist and get stuck on that.  So for me to keep listening to Metric and fully appreciate these albums without just feeling stuck on one, shows me growing and changing the way I listen to music as well and I'm also happy that Metric has helped me to reach this point as well.  




Glasser "Crux"


Is this really the first Glasser album in ten years?  I remember Glasser so well and still listen to their music after all this time.  There are these pulsating beats, big vocals and just an overall powerful sound.   What I feel like I enjoy most about Glasser, as an overall sound, is that it feels like it's very minimal in what is being used and one sound coming out at a time, but it's really quite more complex than that.

This has that Eartheater way about it that makes it feel atmospheric, and yet it isn't as haunted but still somewhat haunted.   The vocals seem to be at the front of this sound and I enjoy music like this because it just feels so engaging.  There is a symphony behind here at times, crafting these large anthems that just become the entire sound of everything.  




Loose Fang "Live Wires, Black Sheep"


Loose Fang feels like the type of artist that, based on their name, should have music released in October.  However, their music is not all that scary.   At times, this brings me back to the CBGB days of punk rock and other times I'm reminded of that MPLS scene which gifted us such artists as Soul Asylum.

About halfway through "Live Wires, Black Sheep" we begin to hear a sound that's similar to Tom Petty.   It's a little bit of Bruce Springsteen even.  It just has that American rock n roll way about it and I really enjoy how it feels like from song to song the album is just progressing.  





Dorian Electra "Fanfare"


The perfect pop album does exist and Dorian Electra has found it.  I believe I first heard about Dorian Electra via 100 gecs, and after some singles / remixes / et al, I have found this entire album of music which just must be heard.  

Part of this feels like it's radio friendly while part of it feels like it's for the club.  It's that difference between Lady Gaga and music I'm too old to know about.    I really enjoy that this album feels so accessible in the sense that anyone can listen to it and enjoy it, but it's not that overbearing version of pop music that annoys me.  




Lily & Madeleine "Nite Swim"


The music on "Nite Swim" is just beautiful.  I'm not sure what to compare this with because it reminds me of so much other music, but it just has that familiar feeling where if you've ever listened to rock music then you'll likely hear something in here which you like and relate it with.

While this isn't that overly catchy pop music you hear on the radio, there is something "pop" about it, both because you can listen and sing along easily but also because it just feels so accessible.  This is one of those perfect albums that I feel like everyone can just enjoy unless they want to be difficult just to be difficult.  

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