Audio Addict Awards Season 2023

As awards season begins this year, the Emmys, Oscars, Grammys, all that - it got me wondering what I'd deem my top contenders for some of the categories for these awards from last year. As we barrel on into the new year, it's good to reflect, I recon, on the good memories and music we got, and look forward to all the good stuff that's to come, so with that, here's my Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Producer of the Year, The 'Rising Star' Award, The 'Whiffed It' Award and Best Live Performance of 2023. (These are, obviously, my opinions - I reckon everyone's gonna have different ones when it comes to this shit, so be chill, and enjoy this as purely an opinion article made for fun).

(For a mild feeling of grandeur, here's a picture from the Grammys)

The 'Rising Star' Award

Honourable Mentions: Sleep Token, L.S Dunes, Movements, PVRIS

Winner: Bad Omens

Now now, I know that the release of The Death of Peace of Mind came out last year. I hear you. I know that Just Pretend went very much viral last year. I know. But it's undeniable that Bad Omens have gone strength to strength this year, remaining violently relevant in the scene, with it all being topped off with both their title track from TDOPOM and Just Pretend both going gold respectively. These guys bought something new to the scene, mixing the styles of metalcore, thrash and some R&B to create a sound not unheard, but unique to them. They're currently touring with Bring Me the Horizon so I expect going into this new year, they'll be all the more relevant, with people online going to those gigs sometimes just to see them, and not even the headlining act. Huge.

(Bad Omens - If you want your award, don't get in touch)

Best Producer

Honourable Mentions: Jack Antonoff - Being Funny in a Foreign Language, Carl Bown - Take Me Back to Eden, Will Putney - The Death of Peace of Mind, Will Yip - Past Lives

Winner: Neal Avron - So much (For) Stardust

Neil Avron is an industry great. Not only is he responsible for a lot of trailblazing pop punk records, I'm talking Ocean Avenue, Artwork and Blurryface, but he also was at the helm of all of Fall Out Boy's big records in the early 2000's. He came back for So Much (For) Stardust and produced a record instilled with the lively and guitar heavy vibes of their earlier efforts, whilst also masterfully maturing that attitude into a brand new, sparkling machine. This album was mixed masterfully, with all instruments given room to breathe in the composition whilst also sounding conducive, precise and absolutely killer. This man is an absolute god of the game, and should be recognised for the insane amount of records he's been a part of - by my count, its 53 or so to date!

(Congrats Neal, for winning a non-existent prize for producing a masterpiece)

Best Live Performance

Honourable Mentions: Fall Out Boy - So Much (For) Tourdust, The Wombats - Community Festival, Don Broco - The Birthday Party Tour, Lamb of God - Omens Tour

Winner: Sleep Token - OVO Wembley

This one was kind of a given if you know me, and I promise I'm not just putting this on here because I saw them live and I'm currently violently hyper fixating on their music. These guys are an absolute treat to see and hear live. Not only do they sound amazing, with every member pulling their extreme weight during their raging tracks, but the production value was through the roof for a band only just emerging into the mainstream. The lighting design was beautiful, emulated the tracks and made the breakdowns all the more visceral and poignant. It was a masterful show that proved this band is here to make a live show worth experiencing.

(Congrats Sleep Token - your reward? Nothing. Well maybe my money for more merch)

The 'Whiffed It' Award - An award for the biggest musical misses of 2023/4

Honourable Mentions: Slipknot - Jay Weinburg being Axed, Machine Gun Kelley - Glorifying self harm with a Razorblade Signature Guitar, Some Idiot - Doxxing Sleep Token, Matty Healey (In general), Lizzo (In general), Paul McCartney - AI John Lennon, Kanye 'Ye' West - Being a prolific Anti-Semite, I'm Just Ken - Winning an Emmy

Winner: CMF2 - Corey Taylor

Aha! A curveball, because A) I really didn't want to write a whole paragraph on how much I hate Kanye West but B) because CMF2 was the worst album follow up ever made. 2023 was rife with controversy, from Matty Healey being a generally controversial man having to backpedal more than a broken cyclist, and Lizzo being unearthed as a generally awful human, nothing can top this absolute whiff of a record. I'm sorry, I know I'm being harsh, but from a behemoth of the game like Corey Taylor, and building so much hype, and seriously under-delivering with a record that feels half baked and thematically mismatched. It's the first record I've ever DNF'd on this blog, and deserves the 'Whiffed It' Award.

(Corey, dude, I love you - let's go for a drink and forget CMF2 ever happened?)

Song of the Year 2023

Honourable Mentions: Tightrope - Movements, Too Far Gone? - Metallica, Heaven, Iowa - Fall Out Boy, Shh! Golf is On - Hot Mulligan

Winner: ONE MORE TIME - Blink 182

Are you looking to be absolutely destroyed by a song that opens up the long healed wound of Blink 182 splitting up? Wanna cry like the little pop-punk nerd you are over Mark, Tom and Travis being in the same room again and making music like they used to? Look no further than ONE MORE TIME. Brutally honest, vocally sound, and reminiscent of classic Blink while keeping their foot in the door of something new, this track encapsulates everything this new record was all about, about healing the past, looking forward to the future, and doing it all again one more time while they have the chance. Bravo Blink 182, and thank you for making me blub like a child when I heard this song for the first time. Or fuck you. I'm not too sure.

(Blink-182, back to the way God intended them to be - your award? Nothing. Sorry.)

Best Album of 2023

Honourable Mentions: So Much (For) Stardust - Fall Out Boy, Ruckus! - Movements, Paramore - This Is Why, Blink 182 - ONE MORE TIME, Metallica - 72 Seasons, Hot Mulligan - Why Would I Watch?, Dogstar - Somewhere Between The Power Lines and Palm Trees

Winner: Take Me Back To Eden - Sleep Token

Yep. This was always going to happen to be honest. Regardless of my feelings towards the band, this record is absolutely out of this world. Dubbed as the most streamed metal album of 2023, Take Me Back To Eden skyrocketed Sleep Token to meteoric heights in 2023, and continues to be the best record of the year. All parts tightly produced, clean sounding and genre spanning, this record has something for everyone across it's tracks, and is an absolute pleasure to listen to again and again. From Chokehold all the way to Euclid this record proves this bands pedigree as a collective that is changing and revolutionising the metal sphere, with R&B, metalcore and serious grind-core influences spread across their discography. This record, for me, defined 2023, and I imagine will go on to define my 2024, because it's still very much in my rotation.

(An unequivocable masterpiece, and it's spoils? Nothing but my respect)

So - that's it. 2023 awards season chugs on and on, and alternative musicians are left, as always, side lined. Please, go out and champion your favourite musicians, give them all your love and respect and attention, because although they may consistently be getting snubbed by the major awards ceremonies, who gives a shit when they have a fan base who loves and supports them eh? Here comes 2024, with all its new opportunities - and talking of new music, expect to see a review of Green Day's new record Saviours nice and soon.