Best music Albums of 2023

 

One thing I have weirdly learned from doing these lists every year is….some albums and pieces of music are harder to discuss than others, even if I love them. Maybe it comes from weariness or not quite being able to articulate something I admit, but this topic is on my mind and so I am changing my list up a little bit this year- I am going to talk about 40 albums I liked and even loved, but they are not necessarily my EXACT top 40 albums. They are close, and if anyone really wants to get an entire list of what I thought of every album this year (or any year) I will tell you when I complete this countdown don’t worry 😊 So these are …..the most intriguing records of the Year 2023 to me, the best in my opinion.

As per usual, I personally listened in detail to over 200 albums in the genres of rock, alternative, hip hop, electronic, folk, singer-songwriter etc. and have a list of what I personally found to be the best ones. My favorite albums of the year may not have been your personal faves, the most successful in terms of sales, or at the tops of the other critics’ lists. However, I am making this list because I do think that this music is THAT GOOD and definitely worth talking about. As we are towards the middle of the 2020’s, many of these names will be new, but it is good to look at this concept as an exciting thing as opposed to a detrimental thing. If you don’t see an album or artist you liked a lot and are wondering where I would personally rank it, at the end of the listing countdown you can check about my full list of everything I listened to and rated albums from this year…

I’ll be counting down my 40 (as opposed to 30 from last year) favorite albums of the year one at a time (sort of) :)

Honorable Mention (so many great albums this year!):

41.George Clanton – Ooh Rap I Ya
42.Purling Hiss – Drag on Girard
43.Billy Woods and Kenny Segal – Maps
44.Algiers – Shook
45.Beach Fossils – Bunny
46.Robert Forster – The Candle and the Flame
47.Model/Actriz – Dogsbody
48.100 Gecs – 10,000 Gecs
49.Yuele - Softscars
50.Daughter - Stereo Mind Game

#40.Blur – The Ballad of Darren

Gorillaz – Cracker Island

        So yeah im cheating starting off with a dual release, but whateva! I love this return to form for Blur, first album since 2015. They have not sounded this unified since the late 1990s, and whatever sparked this reunion has found them not so much sounding like their old selves but more…..sounding like an older, more unified version of themselves. Lord knows Coxon and Albarn have had their issues but take a song like the standout track “The Narcissist”-  using vocals that are less in the background and more a companion to what the main singer is saying, and completing it all with that souring chorus. Elsewhere, we have the fun noisy rock of “St Charles” which is disjointed to the point of sabotaging any chance for a hit single, the fundamental sophistication structure of “Avalon”, the perfect way to close on the moving “The Heights”. With “Barbaric” they sum it all up in the lyric – “Now you’ve lost the feeling that you thought you’d never lose/ Where are you going?/It’s barbaric.” It’s chilled out and fatherly sounding, but hey Blur don’t have much left to prove; they are already one of the best bands of all time. I’m just Thankful we got at least one more album, proving this is not a reunion but more of a slowly paced discography that will keep growing throughout the years; just as it should be.

On the other Damon Album release this year, we have the ever so prolific Gorillaz. These tunes are danceable, but also full of ballads- because quite a bit ago we found whatever band Albarn is in his personality is going to take over. “Cracker Island” and bonus tracks (? Hard to tell these days? 15 track Deluxe edition on Spotify…) “Controllah” and “Crockodillaz”- a final Trugoy De La Soul collaboration, R.I.P. -  are the closest they have sounded to their debut which was a mere 20 years ago (we are old!). “Oil” which has some helpful vocals from Stevie Knicks, as well as “Silent Running” and “Skinny Ape” reach for the introspective slick pop side that they pull off so well. “Possession” which has a guest spot from Beck reaches for the stars and pretty much gets there. “Tormenta” a duet with Bad Bunny is not really my thing (see “Controllah” for a more successful attempt at Spanish-techno fusion), but it still amazes me how Albarn can transverse just about every style on earth in the span of one album (a lesson he learned from The Clash and working with their bassist Paul Simonon in the late 2000’s).

Cracker Island really would have made a killer 8 song album (too bad its 13) or hey, even better guys: combine the upbeat charm of Gorillaz with the balladry present on the Blur album and we have some amazing crazy single album that sums up the schizophrenia of these national English treasures?

#39. Killer Mike – Michael

Killer Mike felt like he wanted to branch out some and he finally had the resources he needed to make his ultimate solo album. Since his most recent solo record R.A.P. Music (2012) in which he first combined his rapping with producer El-P, they had formed the hugely successful Run the Jewels duo with four very well received albums even amounting to eventual  festival headliners and world tours. Together, those two can conquer just about anything as seen on the sole El-P collab present here “Don’t Let the Devil Win” which is the most….let’s say obvious win on the album. But what the self-titled Michael is actually about is getting deeper and deeper to Mike’s roots and reuniting many of his friends to make a spiritual release that he has always wanted.

. “Shed No Tears” is so full of gospel choirs that it takes over any rapping present, and “Motherless” is a song about how he misses his mother that brings him to tears every time he performs it and nearly does us as well. Killer Mike’s version of emotional release is different than his work with Run the Jewels, as this album is more like something performed at a funeral about half the time. Oddly, the other half is a party record featuring Andre 3000’s return to rap (“Scientists and Engineers”), Dave Chappelle’s spoken word intros (“Run”), Cee Lo Green (“Down by Law”), and even Ty Dolla Sign (“High and Holy” and the fantastic “Two Days”).

#38. The New Pornographers – Continue as a Guest

New Pornographer’s continue just like the title says, continue being masters of their own brand of unique power pop. The combination of songwriting by A.C. Newman and background vocals by Neko Case alone is enough usually worth the price of admission, but more many years later now Kathryne Calder and new drummer Joe Sieders have made this an unbeatable combination as well. Songs such as “Really, Really Light “ and “Bottle Episodes” float along like dreams, nailing their new production style of lush but dense synth rock. “Pontius Pilate’s Home Movies” brings out their hard rock side, though they are still still some of the most gorgeous melodies around, and “Last and Beautiful” uses odd sound effects twisting the strange into something instantly hummable.

“Angelcover” is one the band’s best songs ever, with a haunting type melody that sucks you in utilizes that combination of female/male vocals to full effect. As they have grown the New Pornographers love of big arena rock of the 70’s has shown more and more, but ironically enough for all of the vast influences they have (ELO, Big Star, ) they still sound very of their times and current.

#37. Olivia Rodrigo – Guts

I turned 40 this year, and one thing I have gotten used to is most music that is coming out is from band's younger than I am. While I am totally fine with that and still love and I’m excited by new music, nothing makes feel older than liking an album that sounds as youthful as this one, a generation that I often feel out of touch. The magical thing about Rodrigo's music though and the thing that surprised me the most, is it is all very relatable, a concept I did not think was possible with what I had heard from most pop music these days.

In fact, it goes deeper- “Love is Embarrassing" simultaneously mixes ideas from two Tori Amos songs- “Crucify” and “Raspberry Swirl”, into something even more new and relevant. “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” deserves to be the classic it has become, and closers “Pretty isn’t Pretty” and “Teenage Dream” are actually the best songs on the album. The former is maybe the only song that points to a more adult future for this singer- songwriter past teenage adolescence, (some lessons many of her…contemporaries never have learned) and it has the most memorable vocal performance; the latter is a ballad that really builds to something by the end, worthy of any album closer this year.

36.Hey Colossus – In Blood

The hard rock of this band is a nice change of pace, slowly proving the grungy rock n roll of the 1990’s is not dead. Hey Colossus has been at it for quite a bit and this is not my first listen with them, but there is something unified about this record that really sets them free. “I Could Almost Care” has a riff that recalls prime era Girls Against Boys, while “TV Alone” has a similar post-grunge vibe that is music to my ears, recalling Black Sabbath updated to the 21st century (or at least Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age jr) as lead singer Robert Davis howls with dark intentions.

Closer “Over Cedar Limb” has to be listened to several times to truly take in, but it’s an epic track worth its seven-and-a-half minute running time. It’s an epic crescendo I don’t think has been matched this year…. it’s sort of like a drugged out sludge version of Slint’s “Good Morning Captain”. Hard rock electric guitar songs that sound spacey and clean are always a soft spot for me, but we get so little of it that is actually GOOD these days- so I found an album for us, if you are weird like me!

#35. Lankum – False Lankum

      This band occupies an odd space in the world currently, a gourmet of musicians that like to cover traditional Irish folk songs but are also in love with droning instrumentals and gothic soundscapes. Their penchant for cover songs is something I admit I had to get used to, as songs such as "Clear Away in the Morning" and the heartbreaking “Newcastle” are nice reworkings but I am someone usually who prefers originals.

     When Lankum do place their own songs on the album, the brooding and hauntingly sweet "Netta Pursus" with an amazing and quite memorable female lead vocal, and the 12 minute ending the record “The Turn” ever so full of drrrrrooooonnnneeee, Lankum do make a mark on our souls that is hard to shake. Their ability to standout just for their unique sound this year (for those that care, it’s something like Fairport Convention adding lyrics to songs by Stars of the Lid) alone gives them a place on my list. Deep in my heart though, I hope next time there are less cover songs and more originals, because they are really great at writing songs and conveying their atmospheric stamp on our current culture..

#34.Penguin Café – Rain Before Seven

Penguin Café is the off shoot of Penguin Café Orchestra of the 1970s, Simon Jeffes being the guiding force behind their grand orchestral music. Some have classified it as ‘New Age’ but most people agree its hardly ‘rocking’ in any way. I could not disagree more- the son Arthur Jeffes is carrying on the tradition of making music that is soothing to the soul, using a whole chamber of great instrumental sounds and he sure does make it look easy. The is hardly a vocal to be found on the album, but plenty of rock music is like that. Opener “Welcome to London” simultaneously sounds human and alien, the Caribbean percussion mixing with violins and piano lines in mysterious ways (continued on “Temp shelter”, maximized on “No One Really Leaves”). Best of all, “Second Variety” is one of the best instrumental tracks of the year, showing controlled passionate playing that echoes the best of Peter Gabriel.

The new Penguin Café translates the Jeffes family music to a new generation, as new instruments are invented there are new ways to play them, and new symphonies can be born. That is the essence of rock music itself.

#33. James Holden – Imagine This Is A High Dimensional Space of All Possibilities

Ok Mr. Holden, I'm taking your album title literally. I am imagining that this is a high dimensional space where anything is possible, and getting lost in these long sonic wordless soundscapes you have carves out for us. Your music does have the ability to entrance me I admit, songs like " Worlds Collide Mountains Form" gives me thoughts of traveling through time, where "Continuous Revolution " kind of excite and scare but in a good way. “Contain multitudes” makes all this look easy, and it does transport me to another plane of reality, which has become so trendy these days. There's a bit of nonsense to your music, and I like that. Though a little goes a long way, I do think this is one of your more enjoyable albums. I would not call this electronic background music though as it’s too engaging. It sucks us into a mysterious portal to another universe.

32.Godflesh - Purge

Godflesh are a band of purpose, and they have been that way for almost 40 years. The purpose is to pummel us into submission, and while diversity has not always been the stock in trade on previous classic industrial metal sludge albums (Streetcleaner (1989) and Pure (1992) come to mind) this newer release is one of their most diverse and may even win them some new fans. Opening tracks “Nero” and “Land Lord” seem like Godflesh of old, metallic guitars, drum machine, and a superbly pounding bass pummeling us into submission. But on other tracks they nicely change it up some “Permission” takes a little form Jesu, his other band that employs a more accessible type of angelic drone, and is even a catchy dance beat albeit the manic screaming in the middle. Their use of minor chord changes and dissonance has always been a huge influence on my own songwriting, even if they are not everyone’s cup of tea. I guess I like my tea bitter.

#31.Lil Yachty – Let’s Start Here

       I admire Lil Yatchy's zeal, he made an album that is said to be influenced by the sound of 1970’s era Pink Floyd but incorporates modern hip hop tropes and patterns within. It makes songs like "Black Seminole" with its hypnotic groove and meaningful lyrics all the more interesting. The psychedelic quality is more modern as well, as rock music influences – the straightforward trip of “We Saw the Sun” is a perfect example of this, where at some point the vocals themselves just fly up into the stratosphere. And what exactly is happening in "I’ve Officially Lost Vison”, merging the accessible and the outright weird in a beautiful way and probably my favorite song on here.

      Other great experiments include the power ballad of all power ballads mixing rock and R&B effortlessly in “Say Something”, the tricky rhythm of “Should I Be” opens all sorts of new pathways, “Reach the Sunshine” is the meaningful closer all brooding and menace and letting all of Yatchy’s demons rise to the surface channeling Portishead and well as Funkadelic. What a concept and its executed very well; I look forward to his next one.

#30.The Red, Pinks and Purples – The Town that Cursed Your Name

Glenn Donaldson is introspective in a dancy song that reflects it title “What is a Friend?”, but also as light as air. “Life in the Void” could be a song about despair but somehow we come out feeling better about ourselves. “Here Comes the Lunar Hand” sucks us down, but also lifts us up. Best of all, “Town that Cursed your Name” tells the tale of being out of synch with your surroundings but also being ok with  that, as sometimes the things we plan don’t always work out but we still press on. There’s still those coffee shops where you can read books and there are still songs and albums that catch our attention, even if we may not know much about them at first. A record like this makes you want to learn more about its creator and really about yourself.

#29.Droneroom - Rusted Lung

Ol’ Blake Conley is one of my oldest and dearest friends, and I do believe this is my favorite music creation of his (so far). “The Distance From Myself” serves as a fluid heart of the proceedings, with the background sounding a bit southwestern nighttime but the solo guitar gasping for air. “Blood Goes Warm” is an attack on the senses that moves a slow pace, recalling Alan Sparhawk at his most thoughtful and wondering.

Half of the album is composed on the final track, the nineteen minute “Rusted Lung”, one of Blake Conley’s most powerful statements. In this song, I get the feeling that he is fully in control of his droning guitars, it’s not so much about the journey here and more about the lessons he has learned over time all slammed into one. It starts off deep and grungy, then moves unto a patient shredding of the guitar and, after a break with some little birds chirping, ends up quite explosive, majestic and melodic in the end- not a word I often associate with Conley’s music as he knows!

28.Squid - O Monolith

Squid are a band that are not tied to anyone kind of music or genre, where the closest you could call them is a sort of progressive rock. But really, they are just a group of musicians that dare to make original music that doesn’t really adhere to any conventions, as shown on their debut record that was very hard to embrace fully. On this album, they get a bit more accessible, though none of this is exactly music that would make it to modern radio airplay.

It all comes together on “After the Flash” as some kind of bizarre crescendo, as the band’s future only seems to be more insane and confused. I would compare Squid to other bands as I tend to do in the reviews…but I cant think of any other comparison for their take on rock music. At first I hated this…..eventually I loved it….and That is probably the biggest compliment I can give this album.

#27.Osees – Intercepted Message

           You gotta love how much fun Osees have in their releases. They are very prolific, but each new release shows off a different side of the band and it is not that easy to constantly reinvent yourself like that within one genre of rock music. Leader John Dwyer is some kind of psychedelic musical chameleon for sure and his amazing ability to write meaningful, amazing songs seems to know no bounds. Compared to other psych modern band he no doubt inspired ( King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Tame Impala, Ty Segall, etc.), he is by far the best and most consistent songwriter of the era. Look what he does subverting expectations with the keyboard driven solos of "Stunner" and the title track, the on hold music used for many medical facilities in "LADWP Hold" ( i would know, trust me...), and the out of this world weirdness of "Goon" and "Sleazoid Schizo". Some of his best songs yet are present on the dark disturbing groove of "Unusual and Cruel" which has a kind of robotic chant to it, the smoking garage rock of "Chaos Heart", and the Pere Ubu meets The Rapture dance rock randomness of "Die Laughing".

#26. Margo Price - Strays

Price has grown with each record, expanding her palette and it’s been pretty fascinating to watch. This album is like Margo Price meets Led Zeppelin or something. Its not just rock n roll elements that get mixed in, its literal progressive rock structures (“Light Me Up” is the most obvious example I guess), it’s Hendrixian guitar solos, and just plain catchy pop rock at times (“Time Machine”, by far the catchiest song and one of her all time best). “Radio”, a duet with Sharon Van Etten, also comes out of left field as an electronic ballad of sorts by way of Lucinda Williams', truly a pleasant surprise. Even the songs that reach for higher goals but maybe don’t quite achieve them, the six plus minute ballad “Lydia” has some Blonde on Blonde-era Dylan aspirations, and closer “Landfill” is perhaps too old fashioned; ditto for “Country Road” which is the only song I don’t like.

Whatever the reason for the rock n roll stylings, its easy to see from That’s How Rumors Get Started (2020) how this is possible, in fact it’s kind of what I was hoping for. “Hell in the Heartland” keeps with her classic country style and proves how effortlessly she can create a new classic song; the atmosphere of this song could fuel an entire album of songs in this style alone. Maybe this was always going to be a great country music artists progression, to delve full into rock n roll; after all so many great rock n roll bands end up being country rockers…..

#25.Sparklehorse – Bird Machine

           When I think of Mark Linkous and his music I get nothing but fond memories. I'm not sure what he ever intended exactly, but he definitely had this ability to make the heart cry. This is a posthumous album, leftovers that were never fully realized from after his death in 2010 but completed by friends and family to the best of his vison. What is strange is how fully realized these songs feel, like a natural continuation of Linkous’s lo-fi journey. “Chaos of the Universe” is pitch-perfect mix of collective cool and meaningful melody; “Evening Star Supercharger” was something as relaxed and effortlessly flowing as his best ballads; where “Falling Down” will stop anyone in their tracks and bring you down to his plane of ‘deeply felt’ music.

                It’s been about 14 years since we have had any Sparklehorse music and we are unlikely to get any more, so I wanted this to be as good as it turned out to be- that’s true. The cover of Robyn Hitchcock’s “Listening to the Higsons” is a perfect analogy for Linkous’s entire career just like it was for Hitchcock- a song so repetitive, so simple, so catchy, so perfect…leaving us mad we didn’t think of it ourselves. Sparklehorse will forever be remembered for songs of similar quality.

#24.Death Valley Girls – Islands in the Sky

              For their breakthrough Record, Death Valley Girls have really tapped into their own kind of space in 2023. The vocals by lead singer Bonnie Bloomgarden are on the border of beautiful and shrill, like US Girls Med Remy grooves and also channels an old psychedelic warrior like Liz Frazier or Lida Husik. The band can play with this majestic sound with the repetitive ending of "California Mountain Shake", the soulful girl-group shrieking in "Sunday", or the raga induced "Journey to Dog Star" and "Say It Too" that howls at the moon in a desperate effort.

      While those tunes show off the fun side of the band, they really excel at old fashioned single driven rock music that is haunting but catchy: the graveyard bounce of "Magic Powers", the tropical asteroid existing on "Islands in the Sky", and above all the driving, Sonic youth inspired "Watch the Sky" which is easily one of the best songs of the year.

#23.Avey Tare – 7s

       The album 7's is probably the best thing Avey Tare has spear-headed in a while. Each member of Animal Collective have had solo albums recently, and they have toured together that fashion (I got to see them last month here in Chattanooga) but also they made an album as a group this year, the special Isn't It Now? 7’s is by far my favorite of these projects though. There is sublime confidence in songs like " Invisible Darlings" and whole new worlds of primal, synthy oddness found in "The Musical" which is let’s face it- what Animal Collective did the best. Much of this recalls Animal Collective’s beginnings on Spirit They’ve Gone Spirit They’ve Vanished (2000) and he's finally, in my opinion with this record, matched what Panda Bear did with 2007's Person Pitch though in his own style.

#22.The No Ones – My Best Evil Friend

Scott McCaughey can crank out Power Pop with the best of them, and his newest incarnation of melodic warriors have made yet another classic. "304 Molino Way" is perfect 1970s Raspberries or Big Star or even 60's Byrds, by a group that really knows how to pull it off. Peter Buck of REM fame shines as well with his glowing guitars, while "Song for George" is one of the most beautiful George Harrison homages i Have ever heard.

McCaughey's humor was always been his secret weapon, whether channeling cult favorites in "Blue Cheer Captain" or "Phil Ochs is Dead" with Buck's unmistakable jangle arpeggios, or the hilarious "Band with No Head" which makes perfect sense out of nonsense. "KLIV" might be channeling the old times a bit too much, and is kind of an odd intro to an otherwise super melodic album- then again garage rock has always been part of it. The rhythm section of Swedish musicians is great as well.

#21.Youth Lagoon – Heaven Is a Junkyard

A hard album to truly permeate into, Youth Lagoon move along at their own special solemn pace. The first half of the album especially is quite the quiet, mono sounding ride along, with the exception of the epic (by their standards) opener "Rabbit". “Idaho Alien" and "The Sling" are also worth your time for sure, but they take a while to sink in. In a lot of ways that is what Youth Lagoon's music does best, it lets you sink into yourself and try and discover the simple things in life and the beauty within. The second half of the album that really shines, and starts to use the production and arrangements to help the voice out (take “Mercury” with its psychedelic viola). “Little Devil from the Country” has the best chorus, "Trapeze Artist" tells the best story, and "Deep Red Sea" plays a bit with rhythm and timing of each instrument to throw us off course. By the time this album is over, one gets the impression the whole thing was some sort of elaborate trick? That beguiling, seductive charm is rare these days.

#20.Joanna Sternberg – I’ve Got Me

Sternberg has such a frolicking method of storytelling that it is impossible to resist her charm. The songs are also of a great quality and growth compared to her last record, Then I Try Some More (2019) which did mark her as a talent in the vein of Joanna Newsom or Daniel Johnston. Like those artists, the music seems to just sound eternal- “I’ve Got Me” makes the opening statement like many folk troubadours from the 1950’s or 60’s would. Its sparse and lovely just like the following gospel hymn, “I Will Be With You”. “Stockholm Syndrome” follows this too with a playful quality and lyrics that sound like they come from the mind of an innocent soul, taking a serious topic and comparing it to being in a relationship where all she did was clean up after someone.

Surprisingly, Joanna can really rock as well as "People are Toys to You" is her version of a hard rock song, just loud enough to be heard and the brief “Human Magnet Song” is so catchy it could be as old as time. The influence of Carol King or Laura Nyro is heard with the quiet “Right Here” and the soulful yelp of “She Dreams”. In all, Joanna Sternberg’s music could really go anywhere from here, as it has the quality of a sketch drawn in a cloud, it is built to last but also transparent and able to be seen through easily. The five minute epic closer “The Song” is the apotheosis of her style, stating “If I had anything left to lose/ then I wouldn’t be playing the blues.”

#19.Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman

It’s nice to hear good rock n roll once more and the new QOTSA album has it in spades. The production takes a little getting used to, because for whatever reason I feel early albums by the band were more of a ethereal kind of quality to them (see “Better Living through Chemistry” for as glimpse of what im referring to).But after a couple of spins, it’s easy to see a nice return to form for the band. “Paper Machete” has an immediate feel, the kind of punchiness that Josh Homme and company are so good at and that was lacking on their more recent releases. Where previous Queens albums like to stay in the more downtempo, murky waters even incorporating synth and other arena rock qualities far too often, this album goes for the throat and refuses to let go. “Carnavoyeur” and “Negative Space” are other pretty instant classics in the hard rock vein, where as “Emotional Sickness” uses more tricks to tell a familiar story but still blasts you away with guitar riffs in the meantime, attacking on multiple levels until you give in.

  In Times New Roman has true staying power with memorable metallic melodies that prove rock n roll is not dead at all in 2023.

#18.Jpegmafia x Danny Brown – Scaring the Hoes

 Scaring em! Scaring everybody and blasting them with noise. Seemingly taking some lessons from Death Grips, this new album from Jpeg and Danny B has them trading off lines back n forth and they make a formidable team. Title track “Scaring the Hoes” paints the thoughtless dregs of society as said ‘hoes’, people that don’t like dangerous challenging music or the ones who stay safe and don’t dare to be weird enough. Danny Brown is more of a sense of humor of course on "Fentyal Tester" which calls back his classic album XXX (2011) or the insightful "Burfict", which sounds like classic Outkast updated to the technology of the 2020s. The hateful satire of “Jackl Harlow Combo Meal” is just what society needs right now- if you get from I’m coming from, and I highly approve.

#17.Yves Tumor – Praise A Lord Who Chews…

The cool charm exuded on this album really does hold up, and shows maturity from Yves Tumor previous records. Sean Bowie is as always the stylistic chameleon, everything is exaggerated and perfected on here- his influences are as vast as David Bowie (coincidently the same last name), Beck, Prince, and the fairly obscure like Camper van Beethoven and Throbbing Gristle (industrial interludes everywhere). "Echolalia" is that mix of seductive and haunting like few other neo soul artists are able to do though, the hard rock of “In Spite of War” and "God is a Circle" and the charming melodic "Lovely Sewer" are other great triumphs. “Heaven Surrounds Us” shows an artist who is ever evolving and part of that journey is never knowing where each song is going.

#16.Nicole Dollanganger - Married in Mount Airy

Nicole Dollanganger taps into an interesting place this year, striking a line in the sand and sticking to her guns making music that is among the most delicate ever created. She finds many ways to be delicate: old fashioned songwriting on “Nymph Finding the Head of Orpheus”, soul searching on “Dagwood”, epic distortion on “Running Free”, folk stylings on “Gold Satin Dreamer”. She is on Grimes’s label which should be no surprise since her vocals are so close to hers, but the real surprise is the way the music looks back to rock music history in general.

The tremors and pains of Lisa Germano are displayed in the whispers of “Whispering Glades“, and the passion of a young Joni Mitchell happen to her generation all over again on “Married In Mount Airy”.

#15.John Cale – Mercy

John Cale has been playing alternative rock hero since 1966 or so, so his work at 80 years hold is always worth a good notice. His take on music is slow, disarming and haunting and while I would say I am glad he is releasing anything at all “Mercy” is actually a blessing of a title track all by itself. The average song length in 5 or 7 minutes, so at 12 tracks its about 70 minutes of pure moody observations. I wouldn’t call these love songs exactly, so he didn’t age like a contemporary like Leonard Cohen, but I would call them purely abstract pieces that push boundaries, so he is not as out there as say…Scott Walker. Cale was always the one pushing boundaries even ifd he occasionally makes us smile along ethe way- he invented modern rock music as we know it with Lou Reed and Company so in 50 more years, everything may sound like this album.

#14.Tennis – Pollen

Tennis can be a deceiving band, and the songwriting team of real-life married couple Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley fooled me on their last album where they sounded like they were breaking up but now sound more unified than ever. On one level, they play very slick pop music full of electronic touches reminiscent of the sophisticated albums of latter-day Fleetwood Mac meets something modern like Beach House. But honestly that’s too easy of an oversimplification. There is more to these songs, something that begs serious music fans to give it several spins. “Gibraltar” is catchy but also layered with dozens of sound effects, structural changes that are very difficult to pull off. “Glorietta” is the best song on the album, rather hard hitting for an album like this with a psychedelic outro that is the best part of the entire album (subtle), sandwiched between two of the most upbeat songs “Forbidden Doors” and “Let’s Make a Mistake Tonight” which are their own brand of spectacular!

#13.Robbie Robertson – Killers of the Flower Moon SNDTRK

Due to his death this year, this is the final collaboration between Robbie Robertson and Martin Scorsese. Robertson has created or had a part in pretty much every Scorsese soundtrack since the collaborated on The Last Waltz back in 1978 for his band The Band, and each has its own distinct personality. For this one, as Robertson has always been an artist more and more in touch with the Native American aspect of his personality, and since that is also the topic of the movie, it has a magical and majestic flow to it. In all, it’s the best soundtrack of the year and one of the better albums Robertson ever created- and he has many- The Band II, Robbie Robertson self titled, Storyville, etc.

#12.El Michels Affair & Black Thought – Glorious Game

The world owes a huge debt to Black Thought these days, as his multiple projects throughout the last couple years he really has made an impact on our collective musical landscape. The beautiful Cheat Codes he did with Danger Mouse last year was many years in the making, and little less than a year later we have another project that uses live instrumentation just like his band The Roots does to create an atmosphere that is part jazz, part R&B and part hip hop. The smooth feel is present throughout the record, take for example “Glorious Game” that could have come out of the 1990’s R&B scene but somehow sounds timeless. Black Thought makes this all look easy, as do Leon Michels’s touring band who have been active in the scene for over ten years subtly making their presence known by being part of so many great Rap artist’s projects- think of them as the Hip Hop version of The Band.

#11.Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We

         The professionalism of Mitski can be off putting, as my wife described her music as someone “singing the same note over and over without taking a breath- it just keeps going!” While she has a point, there is a world even in rock n roll where singers voices are actually very trained and happen to break into the market. Mitski has worn many faces over the years, but the last couple of albums have this 1970’s singer songwriter-light vibe and she definitely excels at it on this album, which is also perhaps her best one. “The Frost” is a simple and charming example of this type of laid back and easy going tune that anyone of all ages can enjoy, and the ability to make sounds sound easy to make should not be overlooked. The Leonard Cohen homage “I’m Your Man” is another one, enhanced by a Will Oldham since of foreboding and dog barking sound effects. Also, there is a universal appeal to a song as catchy and perfect as “My Love Is Mine”, a piano ballad for the ages and one of the top songs of the decade.

#10.Sunny War – Anarchist Gospel

Sunny War appeared on the scene this tear showing the wisdom and age of someone who has been at this forever. Her soft folk/soul hybrid music will undoubtably be compared to another great folk troubadour of our time- Tracy Chapman- but there are many difference in her songs that set her apart. There is a catchy undercurrent to so many of her songs, the little tingy guitar part in lead single “No Reason” and the fingerpicking of “His Love” and the gallop of “Test Dummy” should not go overlooked. Using some famous friends helps out too, like My Morning Jacket’s Jim James on the solemn “Earth” which goes to some interesting touching places, David Rawlings on several tracks including the mother earth chanting “Shelter and Storm” and the serious contemplation of “Higher”.

 The album may even end with the best song of all, the ballad “Whole”, telling us “No pain could ever by your soul/ or ever make your whole.”

#9.The Veils – And Out of the Void Came Love

This band led by Finn Andrews (son of Barry Andrews of XTC and Shreikback fame) is trying to achieve something that is very hard, the balance between delicate touching music and hard hitting emotional confrontation. A song like “No Limit of Stars” yearns for a deeper understanding in life, yelling at the cosmos themselves. On the contrary, “Bullfighter” with its distorted vocals and fun gallop really destroys everything in its path- similar to “Epoch”, a song that seems to reach up from the depths of Hades itself. There is a huge Nick Cave influence present all over the record, it's almost overwhelming on “The Day I Meet My Murderer” and “Rings of Saturn”, but hey…I can think of worse people to emulate, know what I mean?
Andrews' life and emotions are all on display on And Out of the Void Came Love…take from it what you will.

#8.Talib Kweli & Adlib – Liberation 2

      If anyone has a right to be on a list of the best albums of 2023, it’s these two. One of the most prolific rapper (Talib Kwali) and producers (Madlib) I can think of, of course not every single thing they create is going to be as striking, but each person has so much to say in different ways. This collaboration, their first since the 2007 album of same name, is my vote for one of the best rap albums of the year. “Nat Turner” is as incendiary as anything since the late 1980’s rap, so it shows Kwali really trying to protest against persecution. “One for Biz” really is an homage to the Native Tongues days of the late 80s, featuring Q-Tip and quoting the deceased Phife dog. Kwali constantly states about his old school conventions- listening to albums on vinyl, talking about issues that matter like music over money, and he does it all with the grace he is known for.

       Madlib has made some real production master works. Here he shows how much he was learned by not just creating short snippets of sound but crafting amazing templates of beauty…Much different than his collaboration with MF Doom about 20 years ago, but all the better for it- this new evolution has revitalized this duo.

#7.PJ Harvey – I Inside the Old Year Dying

PJ Harvey has changed quite a bit since her beginnings as an angry songwriter in the outfit of a 1990s grunge queen. Her progression with different producers over the last 30 years while making each album a kind of political statement has been fascinating to behold, and finally she has reached this album- total abstraction. She has made it one of her best albums on her 10th official release, if not her very best as this is true experimental music: an artist pushing to be better and actually succeeding. The songs all have a quality to them that begs repeat listens, and it works over and over again creating a haunting listen and a new bizarre approach to songwriting.

“A Child’s Question, August” is the closest we get to a traditional Harvey ballad, but even this one reaches into our soul and freezes it. The use of chill and vagrant sounds is something she has always excelled at, and while this album does not quite rock like some of her past listens it is Harvey at her purest and perhaps she is unto something. By truly going full artistic wonder and not caring at all for fashions or trends, Harvey has made a new guide for music we should all be following.

#6.The Tubs – Dead Meat

The question of "can an album be too short?" comes up when I think of this record, because really it is the perfect length for what it is. At a brief 26 minutes and 9 songs, the album has the feel of being long enough. Each song takes something out of you, and then gives you something back. It’s a Vital, kinetic debut record from an up and coming rock group reminding me at once of Richard Thompson at his most distinct and literate, The Feelies at their most passionate, and Sonic Youth at their most accessible but retaining an edge. In all, quite the mixed bag of influences AND they are their own thing!

      Each song is so full of surprises: “Illusion Pt. 2” has enough energy to fuel a lead track, but helps with lead guitar work that recalls the best players from the UK in the 1980s; “Wretched Lie” is their version of an epic with some of the most heartfelt lines; “Two Person Love” takes a honest look at relationships with hard hitting but also playful riffs; title track “Dead Meat” is a punchy pop song while still retaining a great sense of melody. They take a lot from indie rock, but the attitude is way more mixed with a snarl that could only come from the best punk rock. I can’t to see where they go from here!

#5.Katie Gately – Fawn / Brute

Gately occupies a world that probably best defines the music of our future. The overlapping effects and vocals she uses, all at different volumes and timbers, create their own kind of sound that takes in the attitude and styles of a lot of different genres. The relentless beating of industrial rock, the haunting intensity of gothic rock, the repetitive chanting of minimalism, and the allure of the stories of singer-songwriters. She makes songs that could possibly go on forever, so the ideas launched on each track are probably better described as sketches rather than songs. Tunes such as “Peeve” and “Howl” owe a lot to music that came before it, like the bridging of Tori Amos and Lida Husik trapped inside a video game they can’t get out of.

  Basically Fawn/Brute is an album that is 11 songs that are variations on the same theme. The mix of Kate Bush, Vampire Rodents, and Zola Jesus is a unique one and it all works very well

#4.Corinne Bailey Rae – Black Rainbows

        Whatever Corinne Bailey Rae was before this, her R&B has mixed with the rock music world in an unpredictable way and created some kind of bizarre step forward. There is soul, but that soul has been changed dramatically. By looking back and trying to make sense of her people’s history, she has made something tries to paint a better picture of how we can all proceed as humans and still survive all the horrors and craziness all around us. This album is one of the best attempts on one of music’s ultimate conundrums: how you balance an album with rockers (fast songs) and ballads (slow songs). Not being content the ride the pop charts, she has chosen to use her previous fame to make more challenging music. One of the most dramatic shifts in approach I have ever seen- for reference check her 2006 hit, “Put your Records On.”

The songs that rock on here truly do- "NY Transit Queen" is some blistering punk rock stuff and tons of fun and I wish was a bit longer, while "Erasure" is a more angry but balanced approach- anger channeled at the African American struggle throughout history. I’ll admit these are the songs that truly drew me in at first and are right up my alley, but there is so much to admire on the album. It sounds easy to listen to, which is the miracle because music like this is very hard to create- something truly original.

#3.Aesop Rock – Integrated Tech Solutions

I can’t think of the last time in the last 5 years i haven’t had a Aesop Rock album on my year end list in some way (Malibu Ken (2019), Spirit World Field Guide (2020) would have made it if I heard it in time for my 2020 list, Garbology (2021), he didn’t make one last year im aware of.... the man is just one of the most prolific and consistent rappers around! He loves to release records toward the end of the year, so I had to squeeze this one in. This may be his best Record ever, other contenders would be his debut in Float (2000), the popular break through None shall Pass (2007), and his last masterwork of production The Impossible Kid (2015). But with this record he really tries a unifying theme that works: the fact that technology is advancing and eventually will take over everything and how we as a species look at that.

But mainly this is an album that shows how much Aesop Rock has grown as a musician. The music, the beats behind them, and the integration of his own producing and technology has grown by leaps and bounds. He has written hard hitting songs before, but few can match the pulsating bass of “All City Nerve Map”, the smooth haunting soul warped of “Living Curfew” (featuring Billy Woods), and the dual attack of the squeaking “Forward Comp Engine” w/ Rob Sonic. There is hardly a dull moment, everything is enhanced by entertaining sonics- “Solid Gold”, “Kyanite Toothpick”, and “Infinity Fill Goose Down” are endlessly inventive in their instrumentation.

In all its another triumph, and like many who have been at this for more than 20 years who have faded away, Aesop has done nothing but aged like fine wine.

#2.Cory Hanson – Western Cum

       With his album, Hanson displays both a guitar virtuoso attitude as well as the soul of a 70’s singer songwriter. Opening one-two punch of “Wings” and “Housefly” set the tone for the album, though it often veers uncontrollably as it goes, which separates Hanson’s work from his contemporaries. Unpredictability does not often apply to country music, and it helps that his previous back catalogue (fronting the LA band Wand for much of the 2010’s) shows here. While his guitar playing comes from a different school, at times the neurotic school of New Wave acts like Talking Heads at times glorious troubadours like Grateful Dead (see the 10 plus minute “Driving Through Heaven” which morphs from sublime road-trip instrumental to a breakdown of country music balladry in the middle, then building back up to a Television style guitar work out).

The three best songs prove Hanson and his band a talent worth cherishing: The Harvest era Neil Young homage of “Ghost Ship” somehow updated to the 2020’s with the most memorable chorus; The bouncing guitar riffs of “Horsebait Sabotage” that recall the best of Blue Oyster Cult (and in a lot of ways, BOC’s random mix of styles fits right here with Hanson’s.); and the closing, touching “Motion Sickness” which is somehow a perfect closer and sums everything up building to a huge emotional climax with echoes of Thom Yorke fronting a country rock band. While Cory Hanson walks that strange line between making great, old fashioned FM radio music but also going out of his way to self-sabotage and test the listener’s courage. 

#1.Blondshell – self-titled

Blondshell aka Sabrina Teitelbaum is the revelation of the year, a singer-songwriter who is actually a part of a hard rock band, and not a pretender the throne like so many others of her time while making music that matters. Produced by Yves Rothmann, this album is a supreme work of art. The album really gets interesting with “Olympus”, a song that contains layers and layers of supreme depth, a song which not only has a winning chorus and repeating mantra of “fire burn” harmonized by multi-vocals- but take one listen to the bridge of the song and it truly blows you out of the water. An interesting mix of top-notch production and lyrical depth, “Olympus” is the creepy, mysterious epic we didn’t know we needed and one of rock music's all-time great anthems.

Best of all, “Joiner” is the anthem our generation needs, a new version of The Smashing Pumpkins “1979” with its amazing optimism in these times of trials and tribulation. The closing “Dangerous” contains layers and layers of overlapping lightly strummed electric guitars while the words ebb and flow and out, the design of the thing is hard to decipher but I know I love it.

The album alternates between disgusted, sweet, mourning, and coming-of-age, eventually reaching a sort of blinding catharsis that so many bands of our era lack. I’ve heard the album heralded as a return of grunge rock, and I don’t know if I would go that far. It’s hard to put Teitelbaum in a niche because this album opens so many possible doors, none of the songs reach more than about 5 minutes in length but so much ground is covered, and the listener hangs on every word once they learn them. It is an album that requires your utmost attention, just like anything truly worth listening to. I hope Blondshell is remembered for this amazing debut, as rock music doesn’t get much better than this in the 2020’s.