My Favorite Albums Of The Year - Best Albums 2023
Finally putting together my year-end lists. I’m a stubborn, obsessive person who wants to wait until every POSSIBLE entry makes its way on here. It’s usually like that until I finally accept I can’t have every potential record or film I’d enjoy on a list. It’s okay to discover things later on, Joe, you fool.
Regardless, here are a bunch of records I’ve enjoyed from this year and my top ten list. I’ll also have my favorite films of the year out tomorrow so be on the lookout. I hope you’re all having a good end-of-the-year and are stoked for the new year in some capacity.
P.S. I probably left out a bunch of records I’ve enjoyed, and I haven’t heard everything, so don’t get too mad at me.
Notable Mentions (Other Records I Loved From 2023)
Alan Palomo - World of Hassle
Algiers - Shook
Amaarae - Fountain Baby
Amadou, Cambien, Rempis - On The Blink
billy woods & Kenny Segal - Maps
Black Thought & El Michels Affair - Glorious Game
Boygenius - The Album
Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
Colin Stetson - When we were that what wept for the sea
Conservative Military Image - Casual Violence
Cleo Sol - Heaven
Deluxxe - If You Were Me
Exhibition - The Last Laugh
Fever Ray - Radical Romantics
Foo Fighters - But Here We Are
Geese - 3D Country
Gel - Only Constant
Genesis Owusu - Struggler
George Clanton - Ooh Rap I Ya
Gumm - Slogan Machine
grouptherapy. - I Was Mature for My Age, But I Was Still a Child
Hannah Diamond - Perfect Picture
Harm’s Way - Common Suffering
Home Front - Games Of Power
Initiate - Cerebral Circus
Jane Remover - Census Designated
JPEGMAFIA x Danny Brown - Scaring the Hoes
Jeromes Dream - The Gray In Between
Jesus Piece - ...So Unknown
Jlin - Perspective
John Cale - Mercy
Kali Malone - Does Spring Hide Its Joy
Kali Uchis - Red Moon in Venus
Kara Jackson - Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?
Kelela - Raven
Kevin Abstract - Blanket
KNOWER - Knower Forever
Lamp - Dusk to Dawn
Lana Del Rey - Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
Lankum - False Lankum
Lil Yachty - Let's Start Here
Lonnie Holley - Oh Me Oh My
Matthew Shipp - The Intrinsic Nature Of Shipp
McKinley Dixon - Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?
Militarie Gun - Life Under The Gun
Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
Model/Actriz - Dogsbody
Navy Blue - Ways of Knowing
Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS
Paramore - This is Why
Parannoul - After the Magic
Peter McPoland - Piggy
Restraining Order - Locked in Time
Rozi Plain - Prize
Ryan Beatty - Calico
Sadness // Abriction - Sadness / Abriction
Samia - Honey
shame - Food for Worms
Sign Language - Madison & Floral
Slowdive - everything is alive
Snooper - Super Snõõper
Snow Strippers - April Mixtape 3
Spiritual Cramp - Self-Titled
Sprain - The Lamb as Effigy
Spy - Satisfaction
Squid - O Monolith
Tenderlonious - You Know I Care
Thantifaxath - Hive Mind Narcosis
The HIRS Collective - We're Still Here
Tim Hecker - No Highs
Tinashe - BB/ANG3L
The Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony
Tony Molina - Embarrassing Times
underscores - Wallsocket
U.S. Girls - Bless This Mess
Xiu Xiu - Ignore Grief
Yo La Tengo - This Stupid World
Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy
Zach Bryan - Self-Titled
My Top 10
10. MSPaint - Post-American
Genre - Synth Punk
Listen Here
Definitely my favorite release from the punk world. Really cool band that has a unique spin in the synth-punk space and I can’t wait to see what they do next. Production and performances on this are top-notch. Can’t recommend it enough.
9. Ryuichi Sakamoto - 12
Genre - Ambient/Drone
Listen Here
The 15th and final record from Ryuichi Sakamoto. Very intimate ambient record that was released two months before his lost to cancer. It’s beautiful and eerie and has all the minimal textures I love about the genre. RIP to such a legend.
8. Petey - USA
Genre - Indietronica/Emo
Listen Here
I’ve been a big Petey fan for a while, and USA checks all the boxes for me: tremendous and relatable lyricism, differing production track to track, and catchy choruses. I imagine most people will dig this record and it’s been a part of my rotation since its release in the summer.
7. Indigo De Souza - All of This Will End
Genre - Alternative/Pop
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Indigo De Souza’s All of This Will End has grown more and more for me throughout the year, and it’s become one of my favorites. I love her vocal delivery paired with the 90s-esque, clean, yet dirty guitar parts in many of the tracks. Great alternative pop release.
6. Gia Margaret - Romantic Piano
Genre - Ambient/Piano
Listen Here
A very fresh and wandering through the middle of nowhere sort of vibe is Romantic Piano by Gia Margaret. Admittedly, I’ve slept on Gia’s discography until now, and it’s a shame I didn’t get into it sooner. Big recommend, especially if you’re into impressionism in the ambient world.
5. Swans - The Beggar
Genre - Post-Rock/Experimental Rock
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If you know anything about me, then you know I’m a huge Swans fan, and their latest, The Beggar, has the grandiose ideas the band is known for, with plenty of neofolk, hypnotic, and dense soundscapes scattered throughout. If you’re a Swans fan, then you know how special this record is.
4. Julie Byrne - The Greater Wings
Genre - Folk
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This is such a beautiful record and Lightning Comes Up From The Ground is probably my favorite track from the year. While its melancholy may be challenging for those who don’t want to feel something (I don’t know who), this is one of the best folk releases in recent memory.
3. Del Paxton - Auto Locator
Genre - Emo/Math Rock
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Big Del Paxton guy here. Excellent emo and math rock band from Buffalo that’s been putting out great tunes for ten years now. Auto Locator is my favorite release of theirs, and that’s saying a lot since I’ve been a fan of the band since I was in High School.
2. Sufjan Stevens - Javelin
Genre - Folk
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Not many records have put me in any sort of emotional state as Javelin has. There’s a reason so many are talking about the brilliance of this record, and it’s special for countless reasons. It’s personable on many levels while being bittersweet, existential, and sentimental.
1. Danny Brown - Quaranta
Genre - Rap
Listen Here
Danny Brown has been on a tear since XXX dropped in 2011, and his latest, Quaranta, feels like a significant stepping stone–one that’s career-defining. If you’re a fan of Danny, then you’re aware of the drug and alcohol issues he’s had throughout his career and his recent sobriety. This record has been in the works for a few years and plays like a moment of clarity—rather than a cry for help—with Danny stepping to the other side of groundedness, which seems cumbersome for most. I love it.