My Favourite Albums of 2023 — Honourable Mentions
I tried to get my list down to a top 25 or 30 but there were so many great albums this year so…I have a top 25 and 25 honourable mentions. Embarassing.
Anyway here’s a list in alphabetical order with some quick descriptions.
100 Gecs — 10,000 Gecs — All the hyperpop insanity you’d expect, but this time with frogs instead of horses.
aespa — MY WORLD — The 3rd Mini Album — Really solid Kpop. Reminds me of some of my favourite Poppy or Rina Sawayama bits.
Altered by Mom — Ahem EP — Canadian powerpop that just grabbed me and didn’t let go. One of my most listened to projects this year.
Armand Hammer — We Buy Diabetic Test Strips — Billy Woods and ELUCID deliver another incredible slice of very smart underground hip hop.
Bill Orcutt — Jump On It — The guitar player layers up and delivers some very pretty compositions (again/as always).
billy woods & Kenny Segal — Maps — Billy released two albums last year as well; one was in my top 5 and one was just ok. The two this year fall somewhere in between. Both very solid.
Black Country, New Road — Live at Bush Hall — The indie darlings (who made my favourite album of 2022) return after losing their lead singer/songwriter. This time everyone gets a shot at singing and writing, to adorable but slightly mixed results. However I cannot deny the rousing chant of, “Look at what we did together! BCNR, friends forever!”
Blue Lake — Sun Arcs — Really gorgeous and meditative instrumentals. Kinda new age-y, but make it more indie.
Dhanji — RUAB — Maybe my biggest surprise of the year. This is the one that JUST didn’t make the cut for the Best Albums. This Indian hip hop artist blends the sounds of his culture with the sounds of the best of hip hop and raps SO hard and it’s really invigorating and exciting. Very recommended.
Dudu Tassa & Jonny Greenwood — Jarak Qaribak — The Radiohead guitarist and Israeli singer team up with a bunch of other artists to record a bunch of Arabic love songs. It’s lovely.
Genesis Owusu — STRUGGLER — One of the most creative up and comers in hip hop branches out further and weirder on this one and it goes hard. Really fun stuff.
The Hirs Collective — We’re Still Here — This frantic hardcore collaboration benefits from short songs and dozens of features to make a real collage of the modern heavy music scene. So fun. So fast. So brutal.
King Krule — Space Heavy — Languid and low. And a bit skronky from time to time. The low voice. The thick tones. Oozing with attitude. Very tasty.
Lana Del Rey — Did you know that there’s a tunner under Ocean Blvd — Probably LDR’s best since NFR. “A&W” is one of her best tracks, and always stoked to hear more “Venice Bitch.”
Oavette — Oavette — Angular guitar rhythms and shapes that build in intensity over time. Very precise and satisfying. Hypnotic without ever settling in to being repetitive.
Sampha — Lahai — This is what I’ve wanted the last…four? James Blake albums to be. Incredible voice and production. Definitely deserves your time if you like soulful vocals and lush production. Another near miss for the Top 25.
Skin Tension — Celebrant — One of the harshest and most intense auditory experiences of the year. Just fucking vicious. Noisey and frenetic and just soul crushing experimental metal. Not for the faint of heart.
Snõõper — Super Snõõper — This checks so many boxes. Fun and fast pop punk with a dash of hardcore. Almost silly but hits hard enough to avoid becoming ridiculous. 14 songs in 23 minutes. Get in, mosh like crazy, get out.
Sprain — The Lamb as Effigy — Overwhelming post-punk. A more operatic Swans. Sometimes shouting, sometimes crooning like Scott Walker. This album in theory should’ve been near the top of my list but a couple of the tracks on this 97 minute album really overstay their welcome. The ones that don’t tho? Goddamn. (Might rise in the ranks with further listens)
Sufjan Stevens — Javelin — A devastating and beautiful collection new songs about heartbreak, loss, and pain from Sufjan. His best since Carrie & Lowell. I need to spend more time with this one, it more than deserves it.
Tomb Mold — The Enduring Spirit — Frantic technical prog metal. Goes hard and weird and is exhausting in the best way.
Turner Williams Jr. — Briars On a Dewdrop — Droning American primitive guitar (that’s a real genre) work that is captivating and transcendent. Feels like he takes what Bill Orcutt has been doing this last decade and takes it much further.
YOASOBI — THE BOOK 3 — Just the sparkliest Jpop. Incredible production that blends hyperpop with city pop and kind of progressive elements. Killer melodies and hooks with some epic moments.
Yaeji — With A Hammer — Quirky and lush production. Pop adjacent but too weird. Think early Bjork mixed with the best parts of Grimes.
yeule — softscars — Transhuman cyborg pop. Sad hyperpop but make it shoegaze in the best way? Very cool. yeule continues to be one to watch.
Thanks for reading. Did you check any of these out? What did you think?
