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My Albums of the Year 2023

     I don't wanna give too much of a preamble here, as I want to get into the weeds of this list and gush about some of my favorite music from this year. One thing I will say is that I basically love every album here more or less the same, no entry is greater or lesser to me than the ones previous or after. I am mostly just ranking these in order of how much of an impact they've left on me, whether it be on a first listen or a twentieth. But before I get into it, I wanna give some special shoutouts to what are essentially the runner-ups for this year, some of whom were basically in my top ten up until the very last moment. And these few are:

  • Colin Stetson - When we were that what wept for the sea
  • Lamp - Dusk to Dawn
  • Ryuichi Sakamoto - 12
  • ISOxo - kidsgonemad!
  • Jane Remover - Census Designated
  • James Blake - Playing Robots Into Heaven
  • Gorillaz - Cracker Island
  • HEALTH - RAT WARS
  • G Jones - Paths
  • METRO BOOMIN PRESENTS SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE

And with that out of the way we can finally get into it. Here are

My Top Ten Albums of the Year 2023!


10. RL Grime - Play

     You'd think for someone who's been in the game for 13 years that RL Grime would either gradually slow his output to the point where it would be nothing less than a God-given miracle whenever new music would come to us, or eventually peter out into near obscurity and being remembered solely for their popular tracks from 6-8 years ago like many in the electronic music scene have. But his latest record is a great showcase of his versatility and his commitment to making sure he always stays in the public consciousness. We get every side of him on this project: you get back to back trap/dubstep bangers that you'd expect from him during the first act, APEX. You get the more cinematic, future bass-inspired tracks with some of his most impactful build-ups and drops from the second chunk, GRID. And you end it off on some of the most melodic, gentle house/club inspired tracks he's ever released under the last act, RUSH. If you're a fan of RL Grime, or electronic/dance music, I guarantee there is something for you here, in one way or another.

Standout Tracks:


9. Paramore - This Is Why

     While I very much enjoyed Paramore's previous two releases, I did long for them to venture into expanding on their harder, grittier sounds like they did on their self-titled album. And my god, did they ever with this one. This is arguably Paramore at their peak, they're sound is tighter than ever, their lyrics are at their most personal and hard hitting, even the supporting music videos are some of their most compelling visually. From fun, classic bangers with heavy messages behind them like "The News", "Figure 8", and "C'est Comme Ça", to the downtempo, introspective moments that perfectly convey the overarching themes of being overwhelmed by the world at large and the malaise of modern living like "Liar", "Big Man, Little Dignity", and especially the closer "Thick Skull". This is Paramore with the most to prove since their early days as an upstart punk outfit, and they more than proved themselves still worth listening to.

Standout Tracks:


8. Nothing But Thieves - Dead Club City

     Nothing But Thieves have continuously proven to be one of the best modern rock acts of our time, and this album is a perfect example as to how. Amazing chemistry between every element here from the guitars to the vocals, great production that flawlessly blends the more traditional rock elements with some electronic and funk-inspired stylings, and incredible lyrics like I'd come to expect from this group. A phenomenal record.

Standout Tracks:


7. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - V

     If you're looking for some more than enjoyable downtempo indie rock, you'll do more than just fine indulging in the latest record from Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Amazing vibes and grooves throughout, like cruising along the west coast in a drop top, with enough depth and subtle melancholy to feel like an overcast cloud hanging over your head, always on the verge of a torrential storm, but never breaking.

Standout Tracks:


6. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse; Or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation Of Planet Earth And The Beginning Of Merciless Damnation

Yes, the full title was necessary here.

     For as eclectic and as expansive as King Gizzard's body of work is, I'm surprised they haven't explored metal as extensively as they have things like microtonal rock or indie rock, or even electronica. But they definitely showed that they are more than capable of shredding with the best of them on this one. A masterful experience alluding to natural disasters and man's effect on them and the planet as a whole, soundtracked by a heavy as hell metal album that will be sure to leave you with the hardest case of whiplash possible.

Standout Tracks:


5. Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

     I've been enamored by Caroline Polachek even before I was knowledgeable with her solo material through her work as one half of Chairlift. And even then I knew that if she was someone to keep an eye on. And I'm glad she keeps rewarding us for with gifts like this. An insane tracklist with great lyrics and compositions that give us a very in-depth look into the mind of one of the most compelling pop artists of this generation.

Standout Tracks:


4. Skrillex - Quest For Fire

     You know earlier when I mentioned artists who release so infrequently that when they do it feels like a gift from God himself? Yeah, this is what I meant.

     It has been nearly ten years since Skrillex's last full length solo release, and in the time between then and Quest For Fire, his absence was felt immensely. Aside from some scant guest appearances, a few surprise remixes, and the occasional single, everyone was left waiting for when he would finally grace the people with an expanded project that would fully let us grasp the evolution of his sound throughout the years. And we got just that early this year with a surprise double release in the form of QFF and Don't Get Too Close, especially the former. This album gives an excellent showcase of his evolution from his time out of the immediate mainstream; heavy, heated bangers that carry that signature style and flair that no one else but he can provide, right alongside more chill, bouncier tunes that convey he is more than just the father of modern dubstep, that he is capable of giving us memorable tunes regardless of the vibe, tempo, or year.

Standout Tracks:


3. Periphery - Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre

... it's a lifestyle.

     Periphery has quickly become one of my favorite bands over the past decade or so; they've provided some of the most high energy, genre-blending, cathartic progressive metal I've hear d yet, and with each release they just keep evolving their sound, getting more grand, and growing better than they were before. And this record is them at their most frantic, chaotic, and tightly arranged yet. Just about every track had me guessing how it was going to progress between each section and what vibe or even genre they were gonna throw at me by then, let alone between the tracks themselves. I mean one of the songs has a minute long jazz break in the middle before immediately going back to blast beats. Another is literally called "Fat Dracula", what's not to love about this record?


2. JPEGMAFIA x Danny Brown - Scaring The Hoes

Or Scaring the Hoes, Vol. 1 depending on what time of day it is.

     Turns out if you take two of the most best, most off the wall, most terminally online rappers and put them in a room they produce one of the best rap albums this year. Who knew? You put them on top of some of JPEGMAFIA's most insane and well-produced beats and you get what was nearly my album of the year for the whole year.

Standout Tracks:


1. underscores - Wallsocket

Good luck!

     I've been a fan of underscores for some time now, easily about ten years or so, and with each new release, each new era, I've always been eager to see how she evolves and grows as both an artist and as a person. And I am very happy that this record is her at her most refined, grand, and mature. I almost didn't want to say more about it and just tell you to listen on your own so you can get the full experience completely unbothered, but I at least wanted to give some words on this record. If you get nothing else out of this list, absolutely give this one a listen, it is more than worth it.

Standout Tracks:


     And that's my list! I hope I was able to expose you to some new stuff you've never considered before, or reminded you why you loved from this year. And if you hated, oh well. Have a nice new year!


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