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There was no shortage of new music from a diverse mix of artists in Northeast Ohio this year. From Middle Eastern prog rock to reggae, and Pakistani electro to harp rock, the local music community delivered a wide-ranging catalog of new releases and debut albums.

This year Shuffle collaborated with to showcase area artists Austin Walkin鈥� Cane, Ngina Fayola and Ava Preston through live, in-studio performances and interviews. The sessions are available to stream on demand here and with the free PBS app.

Look back on 2023 with these favorite local albums selected by Shuffle鈥檚 Amanda Rabinowitz and Brittany Nader.

Anya Van Rose 鈥� 鈥�鈥�

Canton Vocalist and rhythm guitarist Anya Antonavich formed her band with bassist Austin Wolfe, drummer Austin Popovich and lead guitarist Devin Johnson create a style of music called 鈥渂ubble grunge,鈥� and as a 90鈥檚 girl, this sound appealed to me immediately.

As Anya Van Rose, the group released its debut album, 鈥淟ucky Stars,鈥� in July. The 11-track release was recorded at Realgrey Records in Canton, where Antonavich got her start as an artist. For her, it was a process of experimentation, self-discovery and learning to have fun.

鈥�Amanda Rabinowitz

For me, it鈥檚 easy to be initially drawn to Anya Van Rose because of the aesthetics. Antonavich often plays shows and takes photos in puffy, pastel dresses, which juxtapose the heavy, guitar-driven music she and her band perform.

I first saw Anya Van Rose play at PorchROKR this year, and the momentum hasn鈥檛 stopped. The band will perform next at Musica in Akron on Saturday with the Buffalo Ryders and Blue Hour. On Jan. 15, she鈥檚 performing with the Canton Symphony Orchestra for itis Divergent Sound series at the Auricle.

鈥�Brittany Nader

Holden Laurence 鈥� 鈥�鈥�

Laurence quietly released his third album, 鈥淔ires Fading into Black鈥� at the beginning of this year, writing, performing and recording it entirely on his own (except for the drumming) at his home studio in Cleveland. He keeps finding new ways to tap into his raw emotions and translate those feelings into song. The tracks feel like mini movies, carrying you through a story with layers of emotion as the music swells and opens up. It鈥檚 music that is not only catchy, but you feel it deep inside.

鈥�Amanda Rabinowitz

PAL 鈥� 鈥�鈥�

The three-piece band and its debut record were conceptualized, written, recorded, tracked and mixed this summer. The fast-paced nature of how this album came together pairs well with the length of the record 鈥� it comes in at under 12 minutes in its entirety. PAL is equal parts new wave, art rock and punk, the latter of which is typically characterized by being loud, fast and angry.

But what I love about PAL is the humor and irony they inject into every song. The band is having a release show Dec. 17 at the Happy Dog for its upcoming Christmas EP鈥攖his is where I saw PAL play their debut album release show this summer, which included matching outfits, a multimedia performance and lots of laughs.

鈥�Brittany Nader
 
Me:You 鈥� 鈥�鈥�

This is a new project of two members of the Cleveland ensemble Mourning [A] BLKstar, LaToya Kent and RA Washington. The duo said they wanted to create a gritty, almost punk-rock album in spirit by weaving together drumbeats, guitars, bass, synth and tape loops. It鈥檚 called 鈥淔ield Tapes In Der Trash鈥� because that鈥檚 how they wanted it to present: like an old, forgotten tape or CD somebody dusted off. I love Kent鈥檚 voice and lyrics. It鈥檚 a perfect blend.

鈥�Amanda Rabinowitz

Posture 鈥� 鈥�鈥�

Posture is a math rock-adjacent band conceptualized by Eric Vaught nearly a decade ago. Its debut LP, released on Small Mammal Records, comes nine years after Posture released rough living recordings of its original songs. This album contains some of those same tracks but much more polished.

The production is amazing, and the accompanying music videos are not to be missed. 鈥淐arpet,鈥� in particular, gives me that nostalgic feeling of falling asleep with MTV or VH1 on the TV, then waking up in the middle of the night to a weird and fun music video and eagerly waiting for the name of the band and song to appear on the screen.

鈥�Brittany Nader

Hand + Noise 鈥� 鈥�鈥�

This three piece, based in Cuyahoga Falls and Akron, formed in 2020 and call their sound 鈥渃age-free folk, free-range rock and pasture-raised blues.鈥� The band has children running around, so they said they started out recording songs at home when they could. The group raised $11,000 through a crowdfunding campaign to record its debut self-titled album at a studio.

Members Elijah Blower, Tong Xu and Sam Weisend said, 鈥淲e don鈥檛 live for our music; we live through our music,鈥� and spent the years leading up to the album鈥檚 release honing their sound. Hand + Noise will perform next at the Highland Square Holiday Stroll in Akron on Saturday.

鈥�Amanda Rabinowitz

The Bics 鈥� 鈥�鈥�

Formerly known as White Lighter and originated as a minimalist guitar-and-drums duo, the garage rockers changed their name to the Bics and have grown to four members over the last few years. There鈥檚 a myth folks may be familiar with that white Bic lighters are bad luck, so this Akron band鈥檚 album name is quite apt. The release is a sonic blend of 鈥�90s DIY ethos and catchy 鈥�60s power pop, the result of which is a punky, trashy good time.
 
鈥�Brittany Nader

Dave Rich and his Enablers - ""

When longtime musician Dave Rich鈥檚 popular surf-rock instrumental band, the Beyonderers, went on an indefinite hiatus during the pandemic, he started writing his own rock songs in a fury. Rich is releasing five albums worth of new songs over the next year, and what I鈥檝e heard so far, they鈥檙e all fantastic.

He describes his new band as some 鈥渞eal old dad rock,鈥� and his bandmates are some big names in the music scene: Chris Butler of the Waitresses on drums, writer and bassist Dave Giffels and "Friday Mike" Wilkenson on guitar. 鈥淪trategic Laments + Baseball鈥� is Rich鈥檚 first full vocal album released over the summer. And a spoiler: Dave Rich and his Enablers will be on Shuffle in February 2024.

鈥�Amanda Rabinowitz

Slowspin 鈥� 鈥�鈥�

Cleveland-based artist Zeerak Ahmed was inspired to make music by North Indian vocal traditions and the experimental-electronic music that surrounded her in her native Pakistan. 鈥淭alisman鈥� is a gorgeous blend of finger-plucked guitar work, lush soundscapes, dreamy vocals and complex musical arrangements, all of which work together to communicate the immigrant experience. Though she鈥檚 worked at the Cleveland Institute of Art for several years, Ahmed shared in her Shuffle interview that she plans to move to New York City to pursue music full-time as Slowspin.

鈥�Brittany Nader