It's that time of the year again. It's time to sum up what kicked the most ass in 2023. This year I have included the categories: records, movies, TV-series, concerts and PC games.
Movies:
In this category we find 2 really great movies, both are technically from 2022, but didn't make it to my eyes and ears until 2023.
"Pearl" is easily the best prequel/origin-story I have ever watched. Mia Goth is simply outstanding as the young woman Pearl who may have a few issues...just don't piss her off.
"Babylon" deals with how the movies in Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s went from being silent movies and then became sound movies. It is very much a dark comedy and it is quite an insane ride. Brilliant and insane.
- "Pearl", 2022, no Danish cinema release, blu-ray: 2023, my review
- "Babylon", 2022, Danish cinema: 2023, my review
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TV-series:
I think 2023 was a rather weak year for TV-series, but I did like 2 shows.
"Carnival Row (Season 2)" was also the last season for this great steam-punk show. I've been a big fan of this show featuring Cara Delevingne and Orlando Bloom. I was sad to see it end so early, but at least they managed to give it a proper ending and they did wrap up most subplots.
"The Last Of Us (Season 1)" was a successsful adaption of a computer game. It started well enough, dragged ass in the middle and then ended really well. They've made a lot of changes from game to TV-show and several of those changes suck. It's fine "zombie" entertainment most of the way, but please play the game too. The storyline in the game is so much better.
- "Carnival Row (Season 2)", 2023, Amazon Prime, my review
- "The Last Of Us (Season 1)", 2023, HBO Max, my review
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Records - Pop:
Miley Cyrus released a great new pop album in 2023 with only a few weaker tracks and several really strong songs. It's nice to know that Miley rarely disappoints in this day and age where most new pop music suck donkey balls.
- Miley Cyrus - "Endless Summer Vacation", LP, my review
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Records - Rock/Metal:
Immortal, as we knew it, may be dead after the split, but Demonaz' new solo album under the Immortal name is great stuff. The music is really catchy and I've played it many times throughout the year. It is more Demonaz than Immortal, but it still kicks ass.
- Immortal - "War Against All", LP, my review
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Records - Alternative:
I've been out of the PJ Harvey loop for years but now I'm back. Brilliant new album, this one. Just listen to the album from beginning to end and go with the flow. It's minimalistic yet still very varied. It's got atmosphere, it's dream-likle, it paints pictures, it is simply a great album that prompts for many replays.
- PJ Harvey - "I Inside The Old Year Dying", LP, my review
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Records - other great releases:
Depeche Mode, now down to a duo, created a strong and dark album. Easily the very best album Depeche Mode has released in the last 20 years.
A brand new album by Derwood Andrews and Rat Scabies. It is very consistent and it sounds a lot like some of Derwood's Tone Poet output.
- Derwood Andrews - "Derwood and the Rat", LP, my review
It is not a typical Gemma Ray album, if there even exists such a thing. It is a rather electronical album compared to her previous more "organic" output.
- Gemma Ray - "Gemma Ray & The Death Bell Gang", LP, my review
"The Seven Savage" is a boxset of early studio and live albums and also includes a collection of non-album tracks. Nicely packaged with a great booklet and posters. Pressing is okay but not outstanding.
- W.A.S.P. - "The Seven Savage 1984-1992", 8LP boxset
"Diamonds And Pearls" was never Prince's greatest output and this Super Deluxe Edition doesn't change that. The packaging and pressing and booklet are all outstanding, but the Vault outtakes are just not that impressive. At the end of the day there is a limit to how much weak Tony M rap you can handle.
- Prince & The New Power Generation – "Diamonds And Pearls (Super Deluxe Edition)", 12LP + blu-ray boxset
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Concerts:
The best concert I saw was with PJ Harvey, she was in a league of her won. It was a brilliant show with a very unique artist and I loved every second of it.
- PJ Harvey @ Falconer Salen, Copenhagen, 2023-10-27, my review
Other great gigs I saw in 2023 include:
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PC Games:
The massive single-player open-world first-person RPG/shooter game "Cyberpunk 2077" was actually released in 2020 but had a lot of technical issues. With the 2.0 update + a new DLC it found new life in 2023. It is one of the best games I have ever played and my current 2023 Steam stat says it all: 153.8 hours of playing.
"The Last Of Us" finally made it to the PC. It was haunted by technical issues but they managed to get it in an acceptable state and I had great fun playing it. The storyline and gameplay is so much better than the TV-show version.
- "Cyberpunk 2077", PC Game, 2020, my review
- "The Last Of Us", PC Game, 2023, my review
Content Type: Random Comment
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Updated: 2023-12-24 11:02
Created: 2023-12-24 09:02
