Hello, everyone! Welcome to my second-to-last year-end list for 2023! Today, I’m counting down The Top 50 Best Albums of 2023!

So, this list is not only being finished on time this year (unlike last year), but it’s actually a bit earlier than I thought it would be.

Anyway, I will say right now that I’m not going into a ton of detail on these albums … this post isn’t as in-depth as I would have liked it to be, but that just gets exhausting trying to make it super in-depth, and I’m about to be going back to college in a few days, so I just wanted to prioritize getting these lists done. Hopefully for 2024 I’ll find a strategy that helps me have more time at the end of the year to make these posts more detailed.

Also, please take my lyrical analyzation with a grain of salt … a lot of it is pure speculation and my own interpretations.

And, of course, this list is all just based on how I personally feel. These are my favourite albums of the year, not the objective best. Music is subjective, and the only reason I put ‘best’ in the title is because it makes for a catchier title in my opinion.

So, out of the nearly 350 albums from 2023 that I listened to, here are my top 50 favourites!

#50 – Romantic Piano by Gia Margaret

We’re kicking off this list with an album that doesn’t give me a whole lot to say … for better and for worse. You see, this album is mostly instrumental, and the images it brings to my mind and the feelings I get from listening to it really depend on the time. And overall, it’s quite a calming listen that I really do like … but at the same time, I’m not going to pretend I was super wowed by this or anything. There’s reasons it isn’t higher on the list, mostly just because it doesn’t feel particularly out of the ordinary nor is it exceptional at what it’s supposed to be … but hey, it’s still really damn good at it.

I haven’t listened to any of Gia Margaret’s other albums yet, but this at least makes me curious to do that. I don’t think this will blow your mind or anything, but it’s still a very pretty album that mostly clicked for me. If you’re a fan of ambient music I’d definitely recommend this.

#49 – olhar pra trás by terraplana

And just like with Romantic Piano I can’t really say I’m super amazed by this album. I mean, I like it a lot, but it doesn’t feel super unique to me—I’ve heard this sound done in more interesting ways in my opinion.

This album could be described as shoegaze and/or dream pop, and while it mostly works for what it is, I’m also not going to pretend it really wowed me as much as some other albums we’ll get to later on.

Yes, this album is mostly well produced despite the snares feeling underpowered at points, and the vocals and vocal melodies are really good, and I really like the basslines, but it doesn’t wow me as much as some dream pop/shoegaze that I’ve heard.

Honestly aside from being really good at what it is, I’m not really sure it’s got much more to offer … but when it does this good a job at it, while it may not stand out to me as much as I would have liked, it still lands a spot on this list!

#48 – Good Riddance by Gracie Abrams

I feel like I’ve had a bit of a love/hate relationship with this album—or maybe that’s not the right way to word it, but I remember discovering this album early in the year and writing very positive things about it on this website. I mean, it’s a very emotional album that’s probably something between pop and folk, and it blends those styles together in a way that feels accessible without losing the creativity. And then I started listening to this album a lot, and I got sick of it pretty quickly.

But I’m not denying that the production fits really well with the writing, a lot of which is about unhealthy relationships and codependency, with the narrator falling into unhealthy patterns and feeling the guilt of it … I mean, maybe that explains why the overplay killed it for me, keeping this from being higher on the list.

But still, revisiting it later in the year I understood why I gave it such a positive review in the first place, and in the right mood it can still hit pretty hard. So, while the album has probably soured on me a little bit, and around the middle of the album it loses my interest a bit, this is still a very emotional album with a lot of the right production choices to make this album hit hard in the right moments.

Oh, and the opener, “Best”, with the blame that she just can’t quite bring herself to fully deflect, needing to acknowledge her own mistakes … it’s an absolutely heartbreaking track that really hit super hard for me.

#47 – Every Sound Has A Color In The Valley Of Night: Part 1 by Night Verses

I didn’t review this album. And I didn’t want to review every album that was going to make this list, mostly because I like having some surprises in this list—if you read all my reviews, there will still be albums you probably didn’t expect to make it!

This is some mostly instrumental metal/rock music with super hard-hitting drums and full of excellent guitar melodies! 

I do think the second half is a bit weaker than the first, and the timbres don’t always fit together as well as I’d like, but it’s got such a stormy vibe to it that works with such great musicianship! 

It’s Night Verses’ first album in over five years, and even as someone who hasn’t listened to any of their other albums yet, I think it’s an impressive return! Pretty great stuff!

#46 – Weathervanes by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Over the last few years, I feel like I’ve started to become a country fan, and this is one of the most layered, complex, and emotional country albums I’ve heard all year.

Yes, there are some production nitpicks I could make, and while there are some great songs here I think it works better as a whole than in pieces, but Jason Isbell’s storytelling is not only very compelling but also very emotional, and this album covers a wide variety of topics, often relating to sociology, and the reality that the culture/environment we grow up in has a big impact on who we grow up to be … but at the same time Jason’s not pretending to have all the answers, as he’s often asking a lot of complicated philosophical questions here.

This is an album that talks about the uncertainty of life, and how it’s impossible to know what’s going to happen, and there’s only so much we can control … and it’s a scary thought, but we have to acknowledge that reality.

#45 – Born Again by Danger Mouse & Jemini The Gifted One

Yeah, I know, there’s a very valid argument to be made that this shouldn’t be eligible for this list. But even though it was recorded decades ago, it was never released until 2023, and thus it’s eligible.

And while I couldn’t find most of the lyrics to this album when I looked them up, I do still think this album is full of bangers.

Danger Mouse’s production sounds great and Jemini The Gifted One has lots of great flows, and while it’s another album that didn’t blow my mind or anything, it’s still quite impressive and I’m glad I gave it a chance!

#44 – Desire Pathway by Screaming Females

Here’s yet another album that doesn’t feel like it’s doing anything too out of the ordinary, and as far as I can tell it’s not … I mean, it’s an alternative rock album, and it doesn’t feel super unique or anything … but it’s a really damn good alternative rock album, that’s for sure!

It turns out this is going to be Screaming Females’ last album, as they broke up earlier this month. But I’m still excited to check out their other albums!

The production here is rock solid, Marissa Paternoster is a fantastic vocalist, and there are so many memorable, catchy hooks here that have kept me going back to this album!

Again, if you’re looking for something outside of the typical alternative rock formula, I don’t think this will satisfy that wish, but it’s still great for what it is. Oh yeah, and “Brass Bell” absolutely rules; one of my favourite songs of 2023!

#43 – Glorious Game by Black Thought & El Michels Affair

Rapper Black Thought and soul band El Michels Affair teamed up on Glorious Game, an album I don’t love as much as Black Thought’s collaboration album with Danger Mouse from last year, but it’s still a really nice, smoothly produced rap album with a handful of great tracks!

Black Thought’s storytelling is really strong, and there’s a lot of fascinating lyrics, both about society as a whole as well as some personal lyrics, and some of which have some of both, such as the struggles of being a black man in America.

There are a lot of great rhymes on this album, and a lot of great individual lines, with excellent flows from Black Thought and some really interesting instrumentals! So, while this doesn’t reach the same level for me as Cheat Codes, this is still pretty great!

#42 – O Monolith by Squid

Squid are one of the most creative post-punk acts I’ve heard from recent years, with the way they combine the genre with other styles and create such a fun-yet-eerie mood in their songs.

There are some really cool noisier sections, and I love how the basslines just creep beneath the surface, really enhancing that eerie vibe, and their frontman Ollie Judge has very recognizable vocals that fit pretty much perfectly!

Squid pull you into their world incredibly well on this project which feels about the perfect length at just over forty minutes, and while I don’t love it as much as their debut, it’s still a great record that I highly recommend!

#41 – Blame My Ex by The Beaches

One of the albums that pleasantly surprised me the most this year was The Beaches’ sophomore album … their debut felt to me like it blended in with a lot of other alternative rock, without bringing a lot of strong hooks or real band identity to the table, at least not in my eyes.

But I was legit shocked just how much I ended up liking this album! The vocal melodies are strong, there are some great choruses, and despite a few cringey lines here and there I really like the creativity of the lyrics, which have a range of topics but all feel unique to The Beaches, from the frustration with misogyny on “Everything is Boring” to getting caught up in bad habits on “Shower Beer”.

I mean, yeah, there are a few production nitpicks I could make, like how the reverb doesn’t always fit, but at least the mixing is great, and some of these songs are amazingly produced, like “Edge of the Earth” which I think has the best use of reverb on the album. Overall, I do think the album is great, but I’m really excited to hear what’s next for this band, because with a few improvements I think they could be really close to making something incredible.

#40 – Soft Hell by Closure In Moscow

Closure In Moscow returned this year with their first album in nearly a decade, and while I still haven’t listened to any of their other albums, I do like this one a lot! It’s very well produced funk-rock with lots of great choruses and some blazing guitars!

This feels like it might make a good movie soundtrack, or at least certain tracks do, and while it maybe overstays its welcome a little bit at fifty minutes, there’s still a lot to like about this, the best songs are incredible, and I think it’s a pretty great record overall!

#39 – Lahai by Sampha

This is a very well produced album with some of the best vocals I’ve heard all year, and there are so many great vocal melodies, too!

Overall, this is a very uplifting album with a lot of lyrics that seem to be about looking for the positives in life despite the unfortunate realities of the world, and I’m pretty sure a lot of this album was inspired by Sampha becoming a father.

It’s not an album that gives me a ton to say, but it’s a great listen with such a nice, warm vibe to most of it despite some very eerie moments, which are also great!

#38 – This Stupid World by Yo La Tengo

This is one of the first great albums I discovered in 2023, and I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of this band before this, considering how long they’ve been releasing music and how much critical acclaim they’ve gotten.

And I still haven’t gone through their very large discography, but I absolutely get the hype with this album! It’s full of great grooves with some awesome percussion and guitar, and the vocal melodies are really strong … and it all adds up to a very eerie mood of a lot of these songs, such as the excellent “Until It Happens” which I’m pretty sure is about the inevitability of death.

This feels like a mix of ‘indie rock’ (whatever that means) and post-punk … at least I think it does. I don’t know that much about genres, but either way, it sure hits hard! Because when the basslines are this good and the lyrics are so fascinating and open to interpretation, as well as all those other things I mentioned, it leads to a pretty great album if you ask me!

#37 – Compositions by Deathprod

Alright, it’s about time I explain this one. My mini review of this album back in February has to be one of the strangest reviews I’ve ever done … and really, that was the point of the review.

I gave this album an 8/10 but also said I’m probably not going to go back to it much at all and I also recommended that you don’t listen to it … and I don’t really like recommending people don’t listen to certain albums, because my intent isn’t to try and stop the artists from being successful, but I also understand that even if I give that recommendation in my post, if enough people see it, some people will choose to listen to it, and my review might expose more people to the album … but if I liked this enough to give it an 8, why did I recommend avoiding it?

Well, it added to the mystery of the review, but really what I was trying to say is … well, a few things. First of all, considering the kind of ambient drone music that it is—it’s a specific style of ambient drone that I don’t really know how to describe—I don’t really know why I like it as much as I do. And second of all, I was really just saying that even though I really enjoyed it, it feels like the kind of album I would guess a lot of people would have a really hard time getting into. But still, if you’re looking for a really fascinating and haunting listening experience, this might be what you’re looking for!

And like I said in my review, I don’t think I’m going back to it much. It’s such a difficult listen that it’s arguably the least replayable album on this list. I’m not saying I’ll never listen to it in full again, but it probably won’t be for a while. Still, though, I’m very glad I heard it.

#36 – TUN021 – Vector Strike by Devroka

I wasn’t really expecting much going into this album. I was just looking online for some obscure albums to listen to, and I came across this instrumental dance album which is very short and replayable!

I really like the sharp snares throughout this album, and the instrumental layering is fantastic as well! I don’t really have a ton to say about this album, but if you’re looking for some instrumental dance music that I think absolutely rules, I highly recommend this!

#35 – Agriculture by Agriculture

The self-titled debut album from this band is a pretty awesome black metal album that has the crushing drums and excellent basslines that you’d expect for a great black metal album, but there’s so much experimentation here, too, with really interesting repetition choices, variety between songs, and some really interesting genre-blending, where at times it can feel like a cross between death metal and black metal—yes, I know that’s not the most unique genre combination ever, but the way they do that here is fascinating, in a way that’s hard to describe with words!

And when the lyrics feel so layered and open to interpretation, it can really help create a haunting listening experience … but at the same time it doesn’t make this any less fun! I totally get the hype with this album!

#34 – 93696 by Liturgy

If you’re not a fan of metal I highly doubt this album will appeal to you, but as a metal fan myself I think Liturgy’s newest album is great! But with that being said, it is a somewhat tough album to revisit in full often, partially considering the length … but still, I really like a lot of the guitar distortion and the instruments usually blend together really well.

And while I don’t fully understand the lyrics, they are very fascinating, I’ll say that much, and I like how mysterious and open to interpretation they are.

So, overall, I think this is an excellent metal album that might work better in pieces than as a whole, but I still think it’s worth hearing all the way through!

#33 – Girl with Fish by feeble little horse

This album was such a nice pleasant surprise for me! It’s a very short listen, but it’s got the feeling of a full album experience, and I think it hits super hard, with lots of fascinating lyrics that feel very open to interpretation, and there’s a lot of musical variety throughout this album as well!

If you’re looking for a really fun and introspective rock album with great guitar distortion and lots of cool experimentation, I highly recommend checking this out!

#32 – Nothing’s Gonna Stand in My Way Again by Lydia Loveless

This is the first Lydia Loveless album I ever listened to, and it’s a great first impression!

This album feels like it represents a crossroads, where the narrator can tell something’s wrong and it’s unclear if they want to admit it to themselves or not. And while there are some nitpicks I could make about it, the album does hit pretty hard for me, especially as I discovered it right around the time I was starting a big new chapter of my life.

And there are so many excellent moments and details here, from the gorgeous piano in “Runaway” to the vocal effect on “Feel” which fits super well with the lyrics on that song, and “Ghost” is just absolutely stunning and heartbreaking!

This album is anthemic while having a lot of introspective lyrics that portray someone whose emotions and actions are complicated, just like everyone else. And it creates a cohesive whole that I think I discovered at the right time … and even if I had discovered it at another time, I think I’d still be putting it here, because this is a really great album!

#31 – A Fate Worse Than Home by Iravu

Iravu’s debut album is an excellent record with some heartbreaking storytelling, as the narrator is defeated and struggles to find hope … now, what these possible metaphors represent is very open to interpretation, but I actually think the music gives this some feeling of optimism, with the way the instruments blend together with the hard-hitting snares and distorted guitars somehow creating a sense that the narrator is fighting back against this unknown thing … I mean, it’s a hard album to really describe all that well, but it’s a fantastic listening experience! Great stuff!

#30 – You Never Know by Flyying Colours

I listened to this album not long after it came out, all the way back in March. But I never reviewed it.

Now, it’s worth mentioning that I couldn’t find the lyrics for this album when I looked them up, and I have a hard time hearing a lot of them. But even as someone who’s not the biggest fan of dreamy alternative rock, this album has got the production and melodies to really help this click for me!

The basslines are absolutely killer and sound awesome in the mix, the snares have some really nice punch to them, and there’s so much awesome guitar distortion here! And the mixing is incredible—I even like how the vocals sound drowned out in the mix! Why? I’m not sure, but it fits!

I’m not going to say this is the most unique album ever or anything like that, but with so many awesome hooks and some of the best production of the year that I’ve heard, I do think this is pretty special!

#29 – Stereo Mind Game by Daughter

Daughter are one of those bands I feel like I’d heard about a lot, but I hadn’t really listened to them … and while I still haven’t listened to them much outside of this album, I do think this is pretty great!

The band’s guitarist Igor Haefeli mentioned emotional maturity when talking about this album, and I think this album really shows that, while also showing a slight bit of immaturity, which is something we all have in ourselves … and I think the desire in a lot of the lyrics really fits with the reverb that to me represents the narrator feeling distant from these secret desires, and maybe even feeling distant from the world.

But the narrator is also willing to move forward from any past demons, despite how many things haunt this person, and not only is the poetry here really great, but it fits really well with the music, especially those awesome basslines that often feel like the driving force here! It’s a really beautiful album that also has a couple of my favourite songs of the year … but we’ll get to that in another post soon.

#28 – Drink The River by Gabe Lee

This album grew on me quite a bit. When I first reviewed it back in August it wasn’t clicking for me as much as it was for a lot of critics, but with each listen I started to like it more and more!

Maybe it’s because I’ve been getting more and more into country music, but either way, this album absolutely rules! It’s an album that discusses a wide range of topics, and the whole album has such a nice, warm feeling to it with the fantastic production, especially the acoustic guitar which sounds phenomenal on so many of these tracks!

At first I felt like it could have been more fully fleshed out … and yeah, it could, but this feels like a ‘collection of songs’ album where it doesn’t really matter what order the track list is in. On paper it’s not the most ‘cohesive’ album, but I actually think it works really well that way. If you’re into country music I think you might really love this, and even if you aren’t, it might be a good gateway album for the genre. It’s albums like this that are the reason I’d now call myself a country music fan.

#27 – Cold Blood by Fully Involved

Alternative rock and punk combine incredibly well on this incredibly catchy album by Mark Berman AKA Fully Involved, with all of its hard-hitting snares, blazing guitars, and fascinating lyrics about neurodivergence.

And while I don’t know whether or not I personally am neurodivergent (I know I have OCD, but I’m not sure if that counts or not), some of these lyrics do hit close to home for me, especially the social awkwardness of “Wait No Don’t Go”, and I love the super fitting jumpy instrumentation adding to that sense of awkwardness!

This album is incredibly well mixed, too, and there are so many great instrumental details here, like the synth that fits pretty much perfectly in “They Can’t Tell”, to the way the guitars just erupt in tracks like “Publick Occurences” and “Give It a Name”, and so much more! This is a great listen with great storytelling and lots of musical variety! You probably haven’t heard it yet, but I recommend you change that! 

#26 – The Whaler by Home Is Where

This kind of feels like an existential crisis in album form … in a good way, that is.

Brandon MacDonald is an absolutely excellent frontwoman with a ton of personality behind the mic, and you can hear the emotion in her vocals in so many of these songs, and I think it fits really well with the noisy, chaotic sounds of this album! And I love the back-to-back of “Everyday Feels Like 9 / 11” and “9 / 12”, one of the most haunting moments on the album.

The lyrics on this album are complex and layered, but most of them seem to relate to the same themes of struggling to find optimism, and fear about the future. And yet, despite all this, it can be an oddly fun listen in a lot of ways, and I don’t think that makes for a bad combination here! I mean, even when it feels like there’s nothing you can do to make things better, you may as well have some fun, right?

If you’re looking for some post-hardcore/noise rock that’s been getting a lot of critical acclaim and that I think absolutely deserves it, I don’t think you’re gonna want to miss this! This is a great album that I think totally lives up to the hype!

#25 – Chthonic by Lawrence English & Lea Bertucci

This is kind of a tricky album to talk about. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s a very eerie yet calming ambient album—I guess I could call it a sound collage—but it’s one that pulls you into its own world in a way that’s hard to describe with words. I mean, there’s also the fact that I’m trying to get all these lists out on time instead of just going into tons and tons of detail on every album here, but there are some albums on this list where it doesn’t even feel right to say all that much about them here, and I think this might be one of them. But I highly recommend you listen to it if you haven’t already.

#24 – Bunny by Beach Fossils

I often find a lot of dream pop/shoegaze and stuff like that just doesn’t really do a whole lot for me … but in 2023, Beach Fossils made an excellent dreamy alternative rock album with gorgeous guitar production, sharp snares that hit really hard but don’t feel overpowering, and great vocal melodies!

From the super bright hook of “Anything Is Anything” to the excellent bassline in “Dare Me” to the great mellow closing track “Waterfall”, this album finds a way to make lots of unique songs all within a similar genre, and it’s such a great summer album!

#23 – another triumph of ghetto engineering by Open Mike Eagle

My first experience with an Open Mike Eagle album was certainly an interesting one! To me, this album doesn’t seem like it’s supposed to be super deep or anything—although there’s a very real chance I’m missing something—but it sure is fun to listen to, with the awesome flows, great production, and a bunch of really cool experimentation, especially in the opening track!

This album often seems very to-the-point, but when there are so many great guest features and so many great lines, as well as everything I’ve already mentioned, this has to be among my favourite hip hop albums of the year!

#22 – Let’s Start Here. by Lil Yachty

Going into this album, all I really knew of Lil Yachty’s music was a couple of guest features and the song, “Poland”. And considering how much of a banger “Poland” is, I was curious to hear this album … and I don’t know who would’ve predicted a Lil Yachty psychedelic rock album in 2023, but I’m really glad this happened!

This is a musical and lyrical journey that pulls you into its world incredibly well, with some of the best production I’ve heard all year, and Lil Yachty’s unique vocals add so much to make this such an entertaining (and at times, funny) listen, with some more serious moments as well.

#21 – Playground by House of Harm

This was such a great surprise late in the year! It’s some amazingly well produced darkwave with very strong 80s vibes, in which the basslines really help create some very strong grooves, and really helping the synths just wash over you without the album having a sound too empty … it does feel airy and very atmospheric, though … and with the somewhat vague lyrics, it creates a very eerie experience!

It feels like an album to listen to if you just want to throw away all your worries and regrets, and it’s such a joy to listen to despite the dark and haunting elements!

This is easily some of the best post-punk I’ve heard all year (if it counts as post-punk), and I’m so glad I gave it a chance! Excellent stuff!

#20 …

From now on in this list I’m going to start giving these little introductions before revealing what the albums are, and this has to be one of my top favourite (mostly) instrumental albums of the year!

#20 – The Ceiling Reposes by Lia Kohl

Despite what I said about Chthonic by Lawrence English and Lea Bertucci, I wouldn’t call it my favourite sound collage album of 2023, as this album also falls into a similar category for me, as another totally enchanting listen with so many excellent small details, and some samples of the radio that fit incredibly well!

It’s another album that doesn’t give me a ton to say—these kinds of sound collage albums usually don’t—but it is excellent!

#19 …

And speaking of mostly instrumental albums …

#19 – catharsis by COVET

I’ll admit this album hasn’t had a ton of replay value for me, but every time I listen to it I wonder why I don’t go back to it more. It’s some great (mostly) instrumental rock, with great production and a lot of great guitar melodies!

Like I said in my mini review of the album, it’s not really one that’s easy to describe with words, but it’s very enjoyable to listen to, and it’s less than a half hour, too!

#18 …

There are certain albums that feel like they could work really well for a bunch of different moods, and I think this is one of them, even though the vibes are still the same no matter what …

#18 – Erotic Probiotic 2 by Nourished by Time

I’m not really sure how to describe this stylistically—is it synth-pop? Is it R&B? Is it dance? I’m not sure, but whatever it is, it’s awesome!

The production gives the glossy synths a chance to really shine, with the percussion really helping give these tracks more punch, and the lyrics feel kind of bleak but optimistic at the same time, with a lot of potential interpretations.

This is a great collection of tunes with excellent production and mixing, and the vocal melodies are really strong, too! And it’s pretty short, too, which makes it much more replayable! What a great debut album!

#17 …

I remember seeing this artist’s name all over the internet for so long, but I hadn’t listened to their music. And for whatever reason, going into this album, I didn’t really have high expectations … but then I listened to it …

#17 – Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) by Yves Tumor

Easily the longest album title on this list, and some of the best post-punk I’ve heard all year! That is, if this counts as a post-punk album.

Lyrically there seem to be a lot of references to broken relationships, and there are a lot of layers here, especially early in the album with songs like “God Is a Circle” which seems to be showing the differences in mindset between two partners.

And there are so many excellent guitar moments here and fantastic basslines! It was an excellent find for me early in the year that I’m really glad I gave a chance!

#16 …

Now here’s a very short punk album with some of the shortest songs I have heard all year … but when there’s so much awesomeness packed into the short running time, I can’t complain!

#16 – Super Snõõper by Snõõper

This is a super well produced punk album that’s not even twenty five minutes long, but it still feels like a great full album experience!

This album is full of sharp snares that are really hard hitting, excellent guitar distortion, great vocals, and unconventional song topics that I think fit really well for this album!

This album just brushes by you with its short run time, but there’s a good chance you’ll be hitting the replay button right after, because it’s so goddamn infectious!

#15 …

I keep talking about how I’ve been getting more and more into country music this year. But if there’s one album in particular which was the point when I feel I truly became a country music fan, it’s probably this one:

#15 – A Cat in the Rain by Turnpike Troubadours

To me, Turnpike Troubadours made easily one of the best country albums I heard in 2023—I mean, really, one of the best albums of 2023 that I heard. I mean, that’s why it’s here!

There are so many great lyrics here about a variety of topics, from a love song like “Chipping Mill” to a dramatic breakup song like “Lucille” to some excellent covers near the end with “Black Sky” and “Won’t You Give Me One More Chance”, the latter of which especially is such a joy to listen to, especially with such fantastic production!

The vocal melodies are fantastic, the strings and guitars are incredibly well produced, and when you put it all together it creates a stunning country album with a ton of variety, and don’t be surprised to see some songs from it on my upcoming favourite songs of 2023 list!

#14 …

This was a late-year discovery for me, and while my expectations were pretty high considering all the critical acclaim, I didn’t expect to love this quite as much as I do!

#14 – Madres by Sofia Kourtesis

In my final mini review post of 2023, I reviewed this album, giving it a 9/10 and describing it as the perfect album to listen to on your own late at night! And I stand by that, as the house vibes are phenomenal, with fantastic grooves and amazing production!

There are so many small details here that stand out so much to me, like the twinkling synths in “Vajkoczy”, the clicking beat that’s mixed perfectly in “How Music Makes You Feel Better”, the great low-end in the mixing of “Funkhaus”, and the slight ringing feeling of the percussion in “Cecilia”.

A lot of the lyrics are in Spanish, and I don’t speak Spanish, but based on the English lyrics and the English translations of the Spanish lyrics that I’ve seen (although I’m not sure how accurate they are), I don’t think this album is really all that deep or anything. But the lyrics fit so well with this magical sound that I can’t really describe with words!

This has some of the best production I’ve heard all year, and it’s such an easy listen, too! The vibes are incredible, and it’s a lot of fun, too! Absolutely excellent stuff, and I’m super excited for whatever she does next!

#13 …

I don’t want to pretend to be a know-it-all when it comes to music, especially because I don’t think my musical knowledge is that great. But as someone who’s been listening to hundreds of new albums a year the past couple of years and who tries to discover some older music as well, I guess it’s harder to be impressed by new albums as a lot of them feel like stuff I’ve heard before. And often when reviewing experimental black metal albums, I keep mentioning that I’ve heard what I think is much more interesting and experimental black metal this year … for example:

#13 – Dance You Monster To My Soft Song! by Victory Over the Sun

Victory Over the Sun is a one-woman black metal project by Vivian Tylinska, whose newest album is probably the most experimental black metal album I’ve heard from 2023! There are so many excellent passages here with some fantastic melodies, but it also feels like it all goes together as a whole!

There is so much experimentation musically with the unique way it builds tension and uses such a huge amount of musical variety in a black metal album, with some melodies I wouldn’t expect to hear on a black metal album as well.

And the lyrics fit with the music incredibly well, despite the fact that I have no idea what it’s about … but there kind of seems to be a sense of being trapped—although I think I mostly get that interpretation from the sound of the music, which will often stay in the same passage for longer than you’d expect, and every time it changes to a different passage, it still feels like you’re trapped in this experience.

I guess the best way for me to describe this album might be that listening to it feels like you’re trapped inside a haunted house, and it might make a great horror movie soundtrack! And the dark, cryptic lyrics are super, super fitting!

I could talk about the incredible drama created with a really interesting time signature in “The Gold of Having Nothing”—I’m not even sure if ‘time signature’ is the right wording … it sounds like it’s in 4/4 but then it feels like it picks a really stange time to repeat everything, and it’s awesome—or there’s that awesome marching band-esque buildup partway through “Madeline Becoming Judy”, or so many more awesome moments … but I also highly recommend you listen to this for yourself, even if you’re not into metal. Because this is fucking excellent!

#12 …

I mean, I’m not sure billy woods topped his album from early 2022 that made this list last year … but he at least came close!

#12 – Maps by billy woods & Kenny Segal

This is one of the most lyrically complex albums I’ve heard all year, and I’m not surprised considering it’s a billy woods album. And Kenny Segal’s production is absolutely awesome, too, with lots of great experimentation in these fascinating instrumentals!

billy woods’ flows are excellent and fit really well with the instrumentals timing-wise, and there are so many fascinating lyrics here!

The lyrics are so open to interpretation that I feel like I interpret them all differently with each listen. Although there are some clear topics throughout the album, such as travelling and missing home.

There are so many double-meanings, great lines, and catchy moments here, and it’s another reminder to me to check out more of billy woods’ discography.

#11 …

I struggle to fully understand what ‘indie rock’ is. I mean, most of the bands I’ve seen described that way are signed to major labels, so are they really ‘indie’?

But I guess that’s kind of become a genre, and there’s a specific sound that might qualify as ‘indie rock’. And while a lot of it doesn’t have much of an impact on me, at its best that sound can be phenomenal! And this year, The New Pornographers made something incredibly special!

#11 – Continue as a Guest by The New Pornographers

I knew early on that this was going to be very high on the list, not only because of some fascinating lyrics, but also because sonically this is incredible!

Yes, it’s got a bit of a rough sound to it, but I honestly think that improves the album! Especially because the basslines feel like perfect building blocks for the rest of the instrumentation to give this way more punch!

And with some fascinating lyrics which seem to use a lot of metaphors and hyperbole, with connections between personal and larger-scale … I think there’s a lot of depth here, and it’s one of the hardest-hitting indie rock albums I’ve heard all year! This is an absolutely terrific album full of massive bangers!

#10 …

When it comes to picking the most mysterious album of the year for me … well, this is at least a contender.

#10 – Behind the Wallpaper by Spektral Quartet & Julia Holter & Alex Temple

You’re probably tired of me constantly saying ‘this one doesn’t give me much to say’ … and yeah, most of that is just me wanting to get all of these year-end lists out sooner rather than later, but in this case I’m not even sure what to say about this record that’ll do it justice … it’s the kind of album that really just needs to be heard to be believed!

And I think I’m gonna have to leave it at that.

#9 …

Just because Victory Over the Sun’s newest album might be the most experimental black metal album I’ve heard all year doesn’t necessarily make it the best black metal album I’ve heard all year … because to me, that goes to:

#9 – Arrival by Mesarthim

This album is an absolutely phenomenal musical journey with absolutely awesome synths and some of the best melodies in any black metal album I’ve heard this year!

I feel like this is another album that might make for a great movie soundtrack … but to me, it already feels like a movie in itself, with so many awe-inspiring passages with a spacey vibe to them, without ever feeling like they’re trying too hard.

And at least by black metal standards, this album is very catchy! And while I couldn’t find the lyrics for this album—which led to my review being very delayed before I eventually decided to just review it anyway—musically it feels like a journey through a newly discovered universe, with some of the brightest synths you’ll hear all year, and the punchy drums make this hit so much harder!

#8 …

So, black metal is probably my favourite kind of metal overall … but melodic metalcore, when done well, can totally rule in my opinion!

#8 – Heavener by Invent Animate

Back when this album came out, I said it was my favourite album of the year at the time … and I kind of knew there would be more competition that would push it down on that list a little bit, but this is still absolutely incredible!

The epic guitar work, the drumming, the bass, both the screamed and melodic vocals—it’s all top notch to create incredible atmosphere and groove, and some of these songs hit like a massive pile of bricks!

And there are also some nice unexpected elements like the spacey synths in “Purity Weeps” which sound great!

This feels like another one of those ‘existential crisis’ albums which seems to be showing the narrator feeling distant from reality, although the lyrics do feel very open to interpretation. And with so many excellent tracks and some of the best musicianship I’ve heard on any 2023 album, I think this absolutely rules! Incredible stuff!

#7 …

So, here’s another album I didn’t review … but in this case, it wasn’t to surprise people at all. It’s just that I finally got around to checking this out so late in the year when I’d finished all my reviews for the year, and I just decided to wait until I included it here to talk about it!

#7 – This Supreme Experience by Spunkshine

This is my second experience listening to a Spunkshine album, and as great as his album from last year was, I didn’t see this coming at all!

This is a mostly ambient album with some dance elements, too, and it’s full of creative production and passages that might feel out of place at first, but I think they add so much to the awesome creativity of the album!

The production is incredibly sharp, with the synths often dominating without taking anything away from the other elements, and the percussion sounds incredible!

I feel like this album would probably hit really hard any time of year, with its mix of many different vibes that all coalesce into a monster of a record that feels like the world spinning around you, leaving you feeling like nothing but a speck of dust as you watch in awe.

Yes, it’s a long album, running at over an hour … but even as someone who often struggles to get into really long albums, I recommend you trust me when I say this is absolutely worth it! And while this album is (mostly) instrumental, I’d even recommend it to people who aren’t typically into instrumental music. Seriously, this is something else!

#6 …

And speaking of albums I discovered late in the year …

#6 – When No Birds Sang by Nothing & Full of Hell

This album came out on the first of December, and I didn’t really have very high expectations going into it … but wow! This album totally blew my mind! I’m not sure I’ve ever had an experience like this before, with the specific ways in which the bleakness of this album’s sound combines with the seemingly philosophical lyrics all to create a very moody experience that I just can’t put into words.

There is so much beautiful poetry here, and so many unpredictable musical moments that all feel incredibly fitting within the song. And while the production is messy at points, I think it amplifies the sense of feeling broken, and makes this just hit so much harder!

#5 …

I guess you could say the last album I reviewed in 2023—that is, the last album listed in my last mini review post of the year—was Sprain’s The Lamb as Effigy, a long, experimental noise rock album that’s been getting a ton of critical acclaim … and yet I was pretty lukewarm on it. It has some cool ideas, but the execution left a lot to be desired for me.

This album I think falls into a similar category of experimental noise rock, but to me it feels much more fully fleshed out, and it goes to some places that no other album I’ve heard this year would go. And in a year when so many of the most critically acclaimed albums just haven’t fully clicked for me, this is the one that I think deserves every ounce of the hype!

#5 – The Beggar by Swans

Easily one of the most challenging and difficult listens you’ll probably experience of all 2023 albums, The Beggar is absolutely stunning, with not only some of the darkest lyrics I’ve heard all year, but the instrumentation to match with the haunting of the lyrics … and yet, it’s not all bleak, as there are some much more uplifting moments.

It’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions that I could go on and on talking about, but I don’t want to spoil the album, as it’s the kind of album I highly recommend your first listen be an entire listen of the whole album all at once with no interruptions, even though it’s two hours long.

I would say more about it, but I think I’ll have to just let you find your own meaning in it … I mean, really, that’s the case with any album, but especially this one.

#4 …

But now for another album I discovered very late in the year which blew past all my expectations …

#4 – Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? by Kara Jackson

Ever since this album came out back in April, I’ve been seeing tons and tons of critical acclaim for this album, and while it made me optimistic about it … well, I didn’t see this coming, that’s for sure!

With all the warm acoustic guitar and incredible vocals and vocal production, it’s unlike any other album I’ve heard from this year as it’s got a very specific sound to it that’s hard to really describe, but it sounds absolutely gorgeous! Seriously, this is one of the best produced albums I’ve heard all year!

Kara Jackson’s voice reminds me a lot of Lucy Dacus, and nothing against Lucy Dacus as a singer, but I like Kara Jackson’s vocals even better! And that’s coming from someone whose favourite singer in boygenius is probably Lucy Dacus!

And Kara Jackson’s lyrics and poetry all over this album are absolutely beautiful, with a lot of lyrics about self-love and self-acceptance, and there are a lot of potential double-meanings.

The imagery as well as the complexity of the narrator are two things that really stand out to me here, and it’s such a comforting listen that I really hope goes down as a classic one day—and I kind of can’t help but feel like it will. At the very least, it certainly deserves it! To fans of singer-songwriter/folk music and anything in that vein, if you haven’t heard this yet, I cannot put into words how much I think you’re missing out! This is absolutely amazing!

#3 …

I’ll admit I struggle to accept the passage of time … and I think most of us do, really. But it’s extremely powerful when I feel like an album can change my perception of the passage of time, giving me a more optimistic mindset. And with an album full of tracks that feel perfect for just one moment …

#3 – Late Reflections by Grandbrothers

I mean, even on the surface level this is absolutely great. Everything sounds miked amazingly well, especially those pianos which have so many absolutely incredible moments to shine in this album, the percussion gives these textures a much thicker feeling that I really like, and it’s all mixed super well!

But the way this album makes me feel is not as noticeable on the surface. So many of these tracks perfectly represent a moment in time, and that’s it … and it brings back so many specific emotions I feel like I hadn’t felt in so long—emotions and feelings that are specific to me, just like we all have. I mean, no one’s had the same experience, and this album can really bring past moments to life for me—but again, it’s just a moment.

And I really like how some of these songs make it feel like they’re going to circle back to previous passages and it doesn’t really happen, which feels really fitting, once again going along with that theme of everything feeling like a specific moment that’ll never come again. And keep in mind, this album is instrumental!

And there are just so many small details and so many great moments, whether it be the stormy sounds on “Golden Dust”, the super catchy staccato piano on “North/South”, or the sort shuffling percussion in “Vertigo” … I mean, I could just go on and on. This feels like it has so much meaning packed into this entirely instrumental album, and while my interpretation may be totally different from yours … well, that’s one of the great things about music, isn’t it?

#2 …

There’s a certain kind of music which very few bands can pull off with a specific combination of sad, serious, and funny. But even when bands do manage to pull this off really well, they don’t usually do it this well!

#2 – Formal Growth in the Desert by Protomartyr

This is the kind of magnificent post-punk album that’s pretty much impossible to find! It’s full of excellent rhymes, phrasing, and cadences, with clever poetry which covers a variety of topics, in which lead singer Joe Casey portrays a variety of characters, with so much lyrical variety!

And the sense of humor despite some of the dark subject matters is a huge part of this album’s charm if you ask me. Because it feels like it represents an attempted escape … no, ‘escape’ isn’t the right word, because while the humour here isn’t trying to make light of these issues, it’s also not trying to ignore them … I guess it’s kind of about finding a silver lining? And they have their own unique twist on this kind of music, especially with all the musical experimentation!

There are some excellent chugging riffs, with super punchy snares and really interesting rhythms!

It’s an extremely fun album that also has its sad moments, but at its core I think it’s a bleak but realistic look at the world, just trying to find joy within all the darkness. And it’s also incredibly catchy! Phenomenal stuff!

#1 …

If you follow my reviews closely, I don’t think you’ll be surprised to see this here, considering how positively I reviewed it, and also using process of elimination. And while so far this is just my introduction to the band and I haven’t listened to their other albums, I’d be surprised if they have any more albums quite this great …

#1 – Bleed Out by Within Temptation

Despite the close competition, I think if I had to pick one album from this year that really hit the hardest for me, made me want to go back to it the most, and just wowed me so much … yeah, it’s the new Within Temptation album.

This is the kind of symphonic metal that aims super high, going for this huge, epic, anthemic sound … and they actually nail it! This has some of the best production I’ve heard all year, with the spacey sound of so many of these songs that doesn’t take away from the punch the drums have, with the crushing guitars sounding excellent!

But I think what might impress me the most is how well these tracks go together to create a full album experience, and also how well the music and lyrics fit together. As I said in my review of the album, the lyrics—as great as they are—are not mind-blowing, but they’re the kind of lyrics an album like this needed. The album is a heavy, emotional listen while also being a ton of fun, depending on the song … but it all fits together to create an album that feels like it’s fighting back against something—and what that something is depends on the listener.

And with so many excellent strings and synths that feel perfectly placed in the mix, as well as the powerhouse vocals from their frontwoman, Sharon den Adel … at the end of the day, I just had to choose this as my album of the year. Albums like these are a rare find, and I’m so glad I gave this a chance! What an incredibly special album!

…

Alright, thanks for reading, everyone! Next up is my favourite songs of 2023, and then it’s time for 2024 reviews!