TOP 25 ALBUMS OF 2023

25 | KEN CARSON – A GREAT CHAOS

A Great Chaos indeed…

The Playboi Carti disciple fights his way through distorted and disorienting beats to tell tales of excess and overconsumption. What differentiates Carson from a lot of his peers is that he actually crafts coherent and sometimes descriptive bars to tell his story. Where others rely solely on vibes, Carson is able to bring you into his world with his lyrics, where you’ll often find heartfelt confessions and inherent darkness.

Best enjoyed during a pump at the gym.

Standout track: “Succubus“

24 | WILLIAM TYLER & THE IMPOSSIBLE TRUTH – SECRET STRATOSPHERE

William Tyler and his incredible backing band, The Impossible Truth, take the Nashville guitarists sounds to new heights on this live album. Where Tyler’s recordings are meditative and introspective, this record shows that these songs can also rock out.

Featuring highlights from across his catalog, Tyler and his band tap into the jams of the Grateful Dead and the space rock of Pink Floyd. There’s even a cover of Kraftwerk here, further showcasing the range of the group.

Best enjoyed on a long drive with the windows down.

Standout Track: “Highway Anxiety / Radioactivity- Live“

23 | DAUGHTER – STEREO MIND GAME

With Stereo Mind Game, the London-based trio released their first album in 7 years. This record sees singer Elena Tonra putting forth some of her best writing to date, spinning tales of substance dependence and long-distance lovers.

Post-rock production and shimmering guitars guide the sounds of Stereo Mind Game and Tonra’s voice sounds as strong and assured as ever. The group has come a long way since their breakout “Youth” in 2011.

Best enjoyed at dawn on a spring day.

Standout Track: “Be On Your Way“

22 | HELENA DELAND – GOODNIGHT SUMMERLAND

Deland first caught my ears with her brooding and tense 2020 record, Someone New. The Montreal songwriter brightened up her palette with Goodnight Summerland – a folky and introspective record that is bound to make your soul move.

Best enjoyed in the gentle moments of the morning.

Standout Track: “Spring Bug“

21 | ML BUCH – SUNTUB

The Danish songwriter shines on her sophomore record. Where her debut glistened with autotune and silky production, Suntub sees Buch’s voice largely without pitch correction and pushed to the forefront. The result is a personal and reflective listen.

Buch’s guitar playing and sounds also are elevated here, with beautiful DI tones, washed with slight chorus and reverb. The pristine strumming and angelic vocals of Buch create one of the more meditative listens of the year.

Best enjoyed when you need to slow down.

Standout Track: “Well Bucket“

20 | GUNNA – A GIFT & A CURSE

Gunna sounds invigorated on his fourth record. After a stint in jail as part of the YSL Records RICO trial, and subsequent plea deal and release, Gunna dropped the 15-track album with no features.

The last couple of records from the ATL rapper have sounded phoned-in with middling highs. On a Gift & a Curse, we hear Gunna rapping as if his life depends on it. Mixing confessional bars with rich flexes over post-trap production, Gunna has made the best album of his career.

Best enjoyed while getting the party started.

Standout Track: “Back to the Moon“

19 | UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA – V

The fifth record from Ruban Nielson and co. is at once a return to form and a logical next step in his career. Featuring his signature production style of hissy reel-to-reel and drenched guitars, Nielson takes aim at Steely Dan and the Eagles with a more laid back approach then the majority of his catalog. This record also finds Nielson pulling inspiration from his Hawaiian heritage and continuing to explore instrumental music as a means for conveying emotion.

Best enjoyed as your next vacation soundtrack.

Standout Track: “The Garden“

18 | YOUTH LAGOON – HEAVEN IS A JUNKYARD

Listening to the Heaven is a Junkyard kinda feels like you’re in a junkyard. Songwriter Trevor Powers hammers away on his piano like an alley cat from The Aristocats, weaving stories of small-town dread and self-harm. But despite all of the heaviness of the subject matter and tone, this is one of those listens I kept coming back to this year. Powers has an undeniable knack for storytelling, and you’ll find something new in each track as you listen back.

Best enjoyed on a cross-country roadtrip.

Standout Track: “Prizefighter“

17 | FEIST – MULTITUDES

Multitudes contains some of the most adventurous music of Feist’s three-decade-long career. It also features some of the most tender and pensive moments in her discography. Crescendoes of percussion and shrieks give way to gentle plucks on the guitar – a powerful combination for a captivating listen from start to finish.

Best enjoyed in moments of stillness.

Standout Track: “In Lightning“

16 | HOTLINE TNT – CARTWHEEL

Want to be hit over the head with some pop shoegaze? This is the record for you. With a heavily compressed sound ready to blow out your car speakers, Hotline TNT’s sophomore record is full of earworm melodies and AIM-status-ready lines.

Cartwheel also features some of the most inventive guitar tones heard outside of experimental music in recent memories. These songs will get stuck in your head on first listen, but leave a lot to unpack as you play them on repeat.

Best enjoyed when you’ve got to blow off some steam.

Standout Track: “I Thought You’d Change“

15 | NOURISHED BY TIME – EROTIC PROBIOTIC 2

There’s a chance that Marcus Brown is the next big pop star. Listening to Erotic Probiotic 2 feels like you’re on the cutting edge of something – a new style, a new swagger and a new sound. With touchpoints ranging from Prince to Depeche Mode, there’s a variety of vibes packed in to 35 minutes, but Brown’s unique baritone steals the show on every track. Can’t wait to see what’s next from the Baltimore crooner.

Best enjoyed at your next weird dance party.

Standout Track: “The Fields“

14 | JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT – WEATHERVANES

I keep saying that Jason Isbell is as far country as I’ll go. But really, thanks to him, I’m finding myself drawn to the alt-country of Zach Bryan and others. What the others don’t have though, is the chops and storytelling prowess of Isbell.

Backed by the 400 Unit, Isbell puts out some of his loudest, more rockin’ songs since his days playing guitar in the Drive By Truckers. With his signature Alabama twang, Isbell paints pictures of parental anxiety in the age of school shooters and blue-collar painkiller addiction, all while his Telecaster wails through overdriven Fender amps. The jams are great for a sunny day, but make sure to listen close to the cautionary tales along the way.

Best enjoyed around the campfire.

Standout Track: “Save the World“

13 | CLOTH – SECRET MEASURE

Telling you about the muted grooves and hushed vocals from the Glasgow duo might lead you to believe that Secret Measure is a boring listen. But this record is anything but. With cinematic flair and deceptively technical drumming, the second record from Cloth is one of the most riveting albums of 2023.

Best enjoyed when searching for inspiration.

Standout Track: “Ladder“

12 | S. CAREY – SHADOWLANDS

As Justin Vernon’s right-hand man in Bon Iver, Sean Carey showcases his skillset as pianist, drummer, backup singer and sample triggerer. But as S.Carey, he shines as a songwriter.

Released as a collab album with trumpeter John Raymond, Shadowlands is an intricate and beautiful showcase of the talents of Carey (and his many collaborators). From jazzy post-rock to moody electro-indie, Carey and Raymond puts together his best work as a solo artist to date.

Best enjoyed in a snowy winter cabin.

Standout Track: “New Meaning“

11 | WESTERMAN – AN INBUILT FAULT

Westerman has gone organic on An Inbuilt Fault. Gone are the drum machines and synth stabs of Westerman’s debut album Your Hero is Not Dead. Instead, those electronic touches are replaced by dense percussion and acoustic guitar strums.

Produced by Big Thief drummer, James Krivchenia, An Inbuilt Fault showcases Westerman’s many talents. His voice shines and wavers, his writing is sharp and detailed and his chord choices are striking and full of intent. It’s another big step forward for one of my favorite songwriters.

Best enjoyed while watching the sun set.

Standout Track: “Take“

10 | MARIA BC – SPIKE FIELD

The glitchy, ambient electric-folk of Spike Field gives way to one of the most arresting albums in 2023. The Oakland songwriter’s sophomore record is full of beat-poetry and production details that are reminiscent of 22, A Million-era Bon Iver, but without the crescendos and impact. Instead, Spike Field opts for a slow pace and haunting ambiance, alluding to the presence of something darker beneath its surface. It’s elegant, but also haunting and full of tension.

Best enjoyed after midnight.

Standout Track: “Haruspex“

9 | SLOW PULP – YARD

If you’re longing for the nostalgia of 90s alt-rock this is a record for you. While it’s not quite Blind Melon or Third Eye Blind, Yard is full of catchy hooks and big guitars.

Where Slow Pulp’s debut album, Moveys sulked and dragged, Yard simmers and shines. There’s a renewed energy to the Chicago band that suits them nicely. Blending the intensity of emo and the songwriting of folk, Yard packs a ton of emotion across 10 songs.

Best enjoyed at a backyard barbecue.

Standout Track: “Broadview“

8 | A BEACON SCHOOL – YOYO

Yoyo comes on like a hazy dream and allows you to get comfortable there for the entirety of the record. Patrick J. Smith, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist behind A Beacon School, takes you throw a bleary-eyed journey of his favorite genres. There are the obvious shoegaze and dream-pop cornerstones, but there’s also the daring house track, “Jon”, that takes you on as good a ride as any electronic song in recent memory. Yoyo sounds like a late night on your own with your favorite songs, just with a ton of reverb.

Best enjoyed in moments of contemplation.

Standout Track: “Jon“

7 | CAROLINE POLACHEK – DESIRE, I WANT TO TURN INTO YOU

Featuring the most insane voice in pop music, Polachek’s fourth solo album is her most accomplished yet. Stretching across genres as disparate as flamenco and drum n’ bass, Polachek showcases her impeccable range as she floats over every new instrumental thrown her way.

Best enjoyed when the vibes are high.

Standout Track: “Pretty In Possible“

6 | WEVAL – REMEMBER

The duo from Amsterdam put forth their best work yet with Remember. At times it’s nuanced and delicate, in others it’s ominous and seething. Weval have honed in their craft and knack for tight rhythms and unforgettable memories, and the production on Remember rivals the best of Nigel Godrich’s back catalog.

Singer Harm Coolen fights through layers of effects to deliver some of the most devastating lines put to wax in 2023, while multi-instrumentalist Merijn Scholte Albers layers synth upon synth for the words to float within. The group is known for putting on dynamic live shows with arpeggiating synths and thumping house beats, but on Remember they look inward and deliver some of the best electronica in recent memory.

Best enjoyed on a walk by yourself with your best headphones on.

Standout Track: “Where It All Leads“

5 | HAYDEN PEDIGO – THE HAPPIEST TIMES I EVER IGNORED

Hayden Pedigo accomplishes something really special on The Happiest Times I Ever Ignored: he made an album in 2023 that primarily featured the acoustic guitar with minimal overdubs. Not only does this album place the acoustic guitar front and center, but it also gives way to some of the most gorgeous melodies in recent memory. Using Amarillo, Texas as a primary source of inspiration, Pedigo paints vivid portraits of the American south with nothing but his six strings.

Best enjoyed with your morning coffee.

Standout Track: “Looking at the Fish“

4 | ART SCHOOL GIRLFRIEND – SOFT LANDING

Blending shoegaze, electronica and bedroom pop, the aptly-named Soft Landing is a cushy listen. Singer Polly Mackey drifts above striking synth leads, processed guitars and skittering drum beats, revealing powerful stories of love and loss amid the dramatic sounds around her.

Best enjoyed on a train ride through the city.

Standout track: “Laugh My Head Off“

3 | GEESE – 3D COUNTRY

The quintet from New York City manage to pack pulverizing outbursts, bonafide grooves and theatrical epics across 11 songs on their sophomore record. Shedding the post-punk vibes of their debut, the group manages to establish themselves as one of the most talented bands in modern alternative rock, with the singular voice of Cameron Winter leading the way.

Best enjoyed when you need to shake things up a bit.

Standout Track: “Cowboy Nudes“

2 | BEN HOWARD – IS IT?

Ben Howard has been releasing some of my favorite music from the past decade. The singer/songwriter continues to push his sound with each new record, and that pattern continues on his fifth album, Is It?

Last year, Howard experienced two transient ischaemic attacks. The incidents affected his speech and memory and led Howard to make some lifestyle changes to prioritize his health, while also serving as the main source of inspiration for many of these songs.

The result is some of his most beautiful and catchy tracks to date. Anchored by his signature percussive strumming, Howard explores 80’s drum machine sounds and synth stabs to create a comfortable and colorful palette.

Best enjoyed on a bright in a summer morning.

Standout Track: “Walking Backwards“

1 | STRANGE RANGER – PURE MUSIC

From the ashes of their discarded emo and PNW-inspired alt rock, comes the penultimate record from the NYC-by-way-of-Philly-by-way-of-Portland band. Merging influence from ravey IDM, hazy shoegaze and 90s pop rock, Strange Ranger craft a purely (haha) unique sound, no easy feet in 2023.

Bandmates Fiona Woodman and Isaac Eiger ended their romantic relationship during the making of Pure Music, which may have played a role in the breakout of the band in October. What they left us with is one of the most intricately detailed collection of songs I’ve ever encountered. Arpeggiating synths and drum breaks come and go throughout the record, playing small roles as transition pieces or vignettes before a song steers into new territories.

This album is dense, but easily enjoyed and a true testament to the dedication of this group to creating something pure.

Best enjoyed watching the sun rise after a long night out.

Standout Track: “Wide Awake“