I’m now 5 years into posting my top 10 albums for the year. If you’ve read any of the previous lists, you will definitely some familiar names on this year’s list, but I’m excited that there are probably 5 artists who are making their first appearance on the list.
This year I listened to over 45 new albums and have tracked my ratings on a regular basis. There have been many albums throughout the year that I thought would make the list but have slowly been replaced as the year went on. Other albums I expected would break the top 10 but didn’t resonate with me and will not be seen here. And then there were albums that came out of nowhere and immediately secured their spot on this list. I’m excited to share those with you below.
To all of those artists who didn’t make this year’s list: I can relate… the album I created with my brother “Reflections” didn’t make this year’s list. I’m hoping our next album (coming out this March!) will have a better shot! A lyric video for the first single from the upcoming album is at the bottom the page. Enjoy!
10. Petey
USA
8.1/10
After blasting onto my personal scene last year and securing a 10th spot on last year’s list, Petey’s sophomore album lives up to the hype! Petey is as manic, empathetic, and insightful as you can hope for.
9. The National
First Two Pages of Frankenstein
8.2/10
So happy that Matt has his mojo back and that he’s in such a creative space that The National dropped two albums this past year. Highs and lows on this album, but when you start with such a beautiful song (feat. Sufjan), write one of the best love songs of the year (New Order T-shirt), break it all down with Phoebe Bridgers on two tracks, and ALSO have a song about Ice Machines I knew this one had to make the list.
8. Danny Brown
Quarenta
8.3/10
This album has all the Danny’s present: Wacky Danny (Tantor, Dark Sword Angel, Jenn’s Terrific Vacation), introspective Danny (Down Wit It, Hanami, Bass Jam) and my favorite – groovy Danny (“Y.B.P.” featuring an artist previously on one of these lists: Bruiser Wolf).
7. Zach Bryan
Zach Bryan
8.5/10
Never heard of Bryan until this year, and I’m really glad that changed. So many great songs on this album. I won’t give the full track list, but some of the standouts for me are: Fear and Friday’s, Hey Driver, Ticking, Jake’s Piano – Long Island, El Dorado, I Remember Everything (Feat. Kacey Musgraves), and Spotless (Feat. The Lumineers). Even if you’re not a big country fan, I would still suggest you give this album a spin.
6. Danny Brown/ JPEGMAFIA
Scaring the Hoes
8.5/10
Danny’s second feature on this year’s list! This time with someone I hadn’t been very familiar with prior to this album. This is one of those albums that came out of nowhere and slapped me across the face. It’s aggressive, choppy, violent, manic, scratchy, and undeniably catchy if you get into that sort of thing. Warning: not for everyone.
5. Mac Demarco
One Wayne G
8.6/10
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s an album, it’s a playlist, it’s mistake, it’s an innovation, it’s lazy, it’s One Wayne G. Mac Demarco has been busy over the last 5 years. The already-prolific Demarco just has too much creativity to be contained to the reasonable and expected album cycle of 45-minutes of music every couple of years and One Wayne G proves it. In what might be described as a clearing of the ol’ back-catalogue, One Wayne G is 199 songs (get it? “1” + “99” (Wayne Gretzky’s number (also known as “The Great One”))) and is made up a grand mixture of polished songs with lyrics, a whole heap of instrumentals, and then just some experimental ambient tracks. I agree with my brother description of the album as a great collection of “lo-fi indie.” I love seeing all the machinations of a restless mind letting the creative juices flow and releasing it for all to see.
4. Boygenius
The Record
8.7/10
Love this debut album from a trio of amazingly talented singers, songwriters, musicians, and collaborators. Lucy, Phoebe, and Julien are a powerhouse of unbearable emotional complexity distilled into an indescribable elixir of sweet-nothings whispered into your ear. (That sentence doesn’t need to make sense to be true.) Now for my favorites: True Blue, Cool About it, Not Strong Enough, and Lenoard Cohen.
3. King Krule
Space Heavy
9/10
Archie and the band have outdone themselves with this album. Space Heavy is everything I hope for when turning on a King Krule Album. It is the roomiest and at times sweetest collection of songs from their sonic empire. From the first riff of Flimsier you can feel that this journey is going to be familiar but different. No one sets a queasy, sentimental mood quite like King Krule. Woozy, jazz-inspired tracks complement the acerbic (and sometime acidic) lyrics of the frontman. Outstanding tracks: Flimsier, Seaforth, Tortoise of Independency, Empty Stomach Space Cadet, Hamburger Phobia, From the Swamp, If Only It Was Warmth.
2. Blondshell
Blondshell
9.2/10
This album was the final edition to this year’s list. I only heard about this album by reading other ‘top albums of 2023’ lists and turned it on based on the description alone and haven’t turned it off since. From start to finish, this album is both a throw-back and a subversion of throw-back albums. If that is too confusing to follow, I’ll put it simply: This album will feel like home for any kid who grew up in the 90’s and ever went through an emo-phase, or had a bad breakup, or generally just had any sort of emotions. Favorite tracks: Kiss City, Olympus, Salad, Sepsis, Joiner, Dangerous.
1. Sufjan Stevens
Javelin
9.7/10
I don’t know if I can even write about this album. As Tim Robinson’s Driving Crooner would say, “It’s Simply Too Good.” This is the third time in five years that Sufjan has appeared on this list, and the second time he has taken home the top spot. I don’t pretend to be completely objective. No commentator can be. But I really do think this is some of the best songs that Stevens has created in his long career of creating amazing music. The songs are both simple and complex, they’re present and haunting, they’re stripped down yet expansive, they’re personal and approachable, they’re delicate and robust, protest and supplication, joy and fear, weakness and resolve. All the things that make up a life. This is the kind of album that, when you listen to it, you want to both console and thank the artist. Favorite tracks: So You Are Tired, A Running Start, Will anybody Ever Love Me?, My Little Red Fox, Shit Talk, Javelin, Goodbye Evergreen.
