Slowdive drop in as “Static” Listeners’ Favourite Album of 2023
On 2SER’s “Static” we rolled out our listener-picked Top 10 Albums of 2023.
Thanks to everyone who voted!
Top spot this year goes to Reading’s shapeshifting shoegaze stalwarts Slowdive, for their album “everything is alive”.
It keeps up their batting average – the band’s first post-comeback album “Slowdive” also took out our top spot, in 2017.
The five-piece have been on the top of their game since the start, and are always striving to reinvent themselves and confound expectations.
When we spoke to frontman Neil and drummer Simon here on the program, they revealed that initially this record was intended to be something quite different.
“It was a tug-of-war between it being a really minimal, more experimental record and being a guitar album”, Simon confessed. Parts of that initial idea were retained – album opener “shanty” starts with moody synth-laden soundscapes, before the guitars and drums kick in.
Thematically, Neil said “I never know what the songs are going to be about”. But the idea of memory was laced through these tunes – “andalucia plays” was about when Neil met his partner, and they were road-tripping through the USA listening to a John Cale record. A love-letter to music from a band like Slowdive felt fitting. As Simon explained, “As kids we loved music, which is why we bought music and all met up, and are in a band together. And we’re still the same, I think.”
It all added up to a beautifully blissful #1 album, and we were overjoyed that the ‘dive were alive this year!
1. SLOWDIVE “everything is alive” (Dead Oceans)
Listen to the “Static” interview with Slowdive here.
2. JEN CLOHER “I Am The River, The River Is Me” (Milk!/Remote Control)
3. boygenius “the record” (Interscope)
4. NABIHAH IQBAL “Dreamer” (Ninja Tune)
5. RVG “Brain Worms” (Ivy League)
Listen to the “Static” interview with RVG here.
6. BLONDE REDHEAD “Sit Down For Dinner” (section1/Liberator)
Listen to the “Static” interview with Blonde Redhead here.
7. THE LEMON TWIGS “Everything Harmony” (Captured Tracks/Remote Control)
Listen to the “Static” interview with The Lemon Twigs here.
8. MITSKI “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” (Dead Oceans)
9. PJ HARVEY “I Inside The Old Year Dying” (Partisan/Liberator)
10. WEDNESDAY “Rat Saw God” (Dead Oceans)
Listen to the “Static” interview with Wednesday here.
