We are stoked to announce our first wave of signees to Midwest Gold Records. We have lots of new studio and live content coming from the artists, as well as a slew of summer time shows coming your way!
So sit back and enjoy what your backyard has to offer:
ROSTER
Best of 2023 - Editorial Picks
Merle Tee’s Top Ten Albums of 2023!
With the holiday season finally ablaze and the clock once again counting a year of new days, before we start to finally let go, let’s reminisce of the music we know.
A year of war, death, hard work, new beginnings and bitter ends, music has been there through all of it to help us forget, move on, have fun, and bring a constant wave of hope to our ears and soul.
I listened to an average of 5 albums everyday, totaling around 1800 new releases in genres from pop to folk to rock to rap to R&B to country to electronic to experimental.
Here are my Top Ten Albums of 2023!
(In no particular order)
SNÕÕPER- “Super Snõõper”. Good morning! Are you up! It’s time to charge through this brick wall and smash through society in matching track suit madness. Forgot what you know about Nashville and crack this egg-punk over your dumb cowboy hat and swing those limbs to dance punk over your boring do-si-do.
FROG-“Grog”.
At any point of reading this I will still be playing this album on full blast. This two piece guitar driven band is the perfect mix of emo story-telling and Upper New York mountain banjo rock. The comical, relatable lyrics and catchy bridges and extended sing-along choruses will be sure to make you repeat it again and again.
YOUTH LAGOON- “Heaven Is A Junkyard”. Grief, sadness, and the ability to overcome; sometimes the sad stuff hits you the hardest. Idaho native Trevor Powers is a force to be reckoned with in the bedroom pop world of beautifully layered landscapes and whispered falsettos, creating a truly ethereal experience, giving life a much needed soft electro heartbeat.
DANNY BROWN x JPEGMafia- “Scaring the Hoes”
The king of Detroit rap and master of humor and energy combined with the Baltimore formed, militarily touched generational talent, brings you one of most creative, fun, new wave rap albums of the year! Eat that sentence down and dive into beat madness, mixed with aggressive samples, and voices of pure power, taking you on a party-rap rollercoaster. 
AB-SOUL- “Herbert”
From the literal heart and soul of Compton comes my favorite rapper from the TDE rap crew surpassing his peers like Kendrick and the genre as a whole. As under the radar as Ab-Soul is, he writes the best poetry on gorgeous jazz inspired beats and ambience, giving the listener some of the best wordplay to date.
Scott McMicken and the EVER-EXPANDING- “Shabang”.
Dr. Dog may have more or less called it quits for being a constant touring band but founder and half of song creator Scott McMicken has some more tunes to groove to. It’s that classic Dr. Dog 60’s rock with more jangle and more hand percussion to give you that feel good sunshine feeling. A super collective of northeast musicians will make that summer kayak trip stupendous!
THE FELICE BROTHERS- “Asylum On The Hill”.
Favoritism alert! Not only is this my personal favorite band, but it’s my #1 favorite and most played album of the year. Even just being released this past December, The Felice Brothers have taken their bar, cat skills NY, Americana flavor and gotten better each album. Outstanding vocal performances, melodies, guitar work, and production of this album as a whole is something to be cherished! So go on Bandcamp and download now!
WEDNESDAY- “Rat Saw God”.
The middle of the week, a Netflix series, all fall in comparison to the band Wednesday. Carly will make you feel that youthful punk angst, scattering over alt-rock madness and slightly nodding to the Americana Carolina scene. The band is in full form, the lyrics so descriptive, painting scenes of their hometown instead of focusing on rhythmic pop nonsense. Scream and mosh along to the brilliance of Wednesday.
WESTSIDE GUNN- “And Then You Pray For Me”.
Buffalo rapper Westside GUNN may have recently divulged he’s done with full length releases and sticking with singles, at least this powerhouse left us with gold. The Griselda affiliated member has a discography to hold up against any of the greats and the lyricism is exquisite and will slide into your Top 5 easily after one play through. Pay for the finer things in life and nothing else will compare.
ROZI PLAIN- “Prize”.
From Winchester to Bristol to London, Rozi’s unique, softened indie rock will get those toes to tap until you’re skipping and circling flowers in a field of lush sonic melodies. It’s a breath of fresh air in this complicated, noisy world.
Spike and Kacy 2023 Picks
National:
- Queens of the Stone Age - In Times New Roman
- Die Spits - Teeth
- Jim E. Brown - This is Jim E. Brown
- Johnathan Rado - For Whom the Bell Tolls
- Wilco - Cousin
- The Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony
- Peter Gabriel - I/O
- The Arcs - Electrophonic Chronic
- Unknown Mortal Orchestra - V
- Jeff Rosenstock - HELLMODE
- Blur - The Ballad of Darren
- Mac Demarco - Five Easy Hotdogs/One Wayne G/Some Other Ones
Local:
- Vernon Potts - Vernon Potts
- Common Molly - Common Molly
- Short Panic - Short Panic
- Headband Henny - Purple
- Lost Magic - Insubordination
- Pretoria - Where Will The Night Take Us?
- False Harbor - Sibley House Sessions
- LVRS - Joy Compass
- Rodeo Boys - Home Movies
- After Midnight - Bare Minimum