Music Recap for November 2023
Jonathan Allen Wright, Signum Regis, Lacey Sturm and more.
Hi Pal.
Under The Lights
We’re already at the tail end of the year and I debated whether or not I needed to write a wrap for November. In the end, my obsessive side won and so here we are. This one will be a little shorter than previous months as I prepare to give you my list(s) of top albums for the year. Yeah, I said lists!
Jonathan Allen Wright dropped his highly anticipated (well, anticipated by me) album, All The Ways That I Fail You. It’s an indie rock album that builds on the retro-pop and surf rock sensibilities of his previous works and makes him one of the voices to look out for on the scene for years to come.
John Lucas is a consistent and well-known voice on the indie folk scene. He dropped a home-recorded album inspired by the birth of his daughter titled, Oh Child of Wonder and Delight. A stripped-down release like this has no business sounding this great but those are the standards that this artist has set.
Taking a three-year hiatus from releasing music for various reasons has brought out the best in Claudia Isaki. I’ve followed enough artists over the years to know that this is not always the case but I’m glad to see that More Flowers is an exemplary alternative neo-soul EP.
Speaking of coming back from a long hiatus, Lacey Sturm disappeared for about seven years. Kenotic Metanoia is probably her best body of work — Flyleaf albums included. Of course, those (Flyleaf) albums are incredible and will always have nostalgic appeal to older fans. But this is objectively her best album yet.
I’m done with my list of top metal albums of the year and there are three power metal albums in my top ten, which is unprecedented. It’s a testament to the quality of those releases and Undivided by Slovakian metal Signum Regis deserves all the plaudits.
American Arson is one of the most promising post-hardcore bands on the scene. Their new album, Sand & Cinder, Tide & Timber, is an impressive release, mixing elements of punk and alternative rock with their signature post-hardcore sound. It’s a unique listening experience.
Perplexity is the new album by Orphan No More Co. It fuses adult contemporary music with folk-inspired compositions. The strength of the album lies in lyricism and songwriting, and it requires a deliberate listen to truly appreciate it.
Emissary also released the second part of their two-part 2023 EPs, Paper Planes: Pt II. Both projects complement each other quite well and I would recommend listening to them as a pair.
Finally, I tend to ignore Christmas releases at this time of the year and give them their write-ups later in the month. I may still do that later, but I have to highlight two releases from November: The Hopes & Fears of All the Years by Paul Demer and Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery by The Gray Havens. In a season where there a many Christmas-themed releases that sound repetitive and sometimes unnecessary, these two albums have stood out from a lyrical and creative perspective.
Video Interlude
Looking Forward: December
I guess you can look forward to my end-of-year “Best Of” Lists. I will start with Alternative Fusion Pop sometime next week.
That’s it for today.
If you’re open to supporting my work, consider Buying Me A Coffee.
Feel free to leave a comment. Also, I am always open to hearing from you so feel free to send an email to me at
stismavo@gmail.com