2023 was a dazzlingly good year for music. In an era where the mainstream pop and rap scenes seemed oversaturated with stale themes, the independent and subversive flourished. I listened to over 100 records by great artists this year, and this list represents what I believe to be both the most culturally significant and my favorite albums of 2023.
Honorable Mention: “Live at Bush Hall” by Black Country, New Road
In a year where live shows have finally returned devoid of all remains of the COVID-19 era, I had to include a live performance on this list. British art-punk band Black Country New Road performs exceptionally well on this album, their first following the departure of lead singer and songwriter Isaac Wood. The live album is a bit of a misnomer, as every song here is brand new, which is an interesting and exciting way to begin this new phase for the band. The departure of Wood left the songwriting split among Tyler Hyde, Lewis Evans, and May Kershaw, which added some dimension and variety to the band’s musicality, especially lyrically. Kershaw’s Turbines/Pigs is also my favorite song of the year. The band remains one of the most exciting modern bands for me, so check out this album or 2022’s incredible “Ants From Up There.” Song to Check Out: Turbines/Pigs
#10: “Blomi” by Susanne Sundfør
Norwegian singer-songwriter Susanne Sundfør comes through with a stunning effort, balancing bits of jazz, gospel, and chamber-pop. The songs alternate between English and Old Norse, with a lyrical emphasis on love within the balance of the soul (quite a theme in 2023). The choral arrangements and vocal production on this record are intricate and layered as Sundfør’s gorgeous vocal passages swell up to match the undulating strings behind them. Even without the help of the strings and choirs, Sundfør voice and piano are wrought with a sort of melancholy reminiscent of Weyes Blood or Angel Olsen. If you are a fan of these artists or of soundtrack work or chamber-pop in general, give the album a listen. It is easily one of the prettiest I have heard this year. Songs to Check Out: “Rūnā” and “Fare Thee Well”
#9: “Calico” by Ryan Beatty
LA-based Ryan Beatty has had quite a career. Going from being a YouTube singer/teen heartthrob reminiscent of Justin Bieber, to crafting hooks for some of the most memorable BROCKHAMPTON songs, to this folksy, emotional album, one cannot pin Ryan Beatty down. The coziest album of the year, “Calico” is a tribute to the little things we overlook in the daily bustle of our lives, chock full of lyrics expressing a sort of rugged optimism that comes only as we mature. Ryan’s sugar-sweet voice sounds a foot away, as the collection of instruments coated in reverb swirl around in a hypnotic balance. It sounds as if you have stumbled upon something you are not supposed to hear – an intimate moment put into words and song. Fans of any sort of indie music will love this album as Beatty subverts expectations again and again. Songs to Check Out: “Little Faith” and “White Teeth”
#8: “Bewitched” by Laufey
There is a bit of a stigma in the music community that anything derivative in any sense is immediately meaningless. This is inherently untrue and blind to the quality of artist required to create something new and meaningful with the sounds of the past. “Bewitched” revels in the past and creates something that is necessary: a vocal jazz album for 2023. Outside of its novelty in its existence, the album astounds in its quality. Laufey’s voice is evocative of Billie Holiday, and her lyrics capture a modern significance in timeless themes of love lost and found again. The instrumentals surrounding her are lush and tight, leaving little room for boredom or self-indulgence. I just love her take on this timeless sound, which is not easy to create let alone perform well. Any fans of jazz or indie music will love this masterpiece. Song to Check Out: Bewitched
#7: “Heavy, Heavy” by Young Fathers
The English alt hip-hop trio Young Fathers delivers the most visceral and lively album of 2023 with “Heavy Heavy.” With a glut of earworms interspersed throughout, the group creates a beautiful collage of sound that is unique yet sounds familiar. At a breezy 32 minutes, the record is such a fun and riveting listen due to the vast landscapes of sound and melody whipping in and out through the tracklist. Lyrically, the insightful and poetic lines offer many nuggets of wisdom found as the trio have aged, delivering an album that makes you feel happy to be alive. Blending genre and style effortlessly, “Heavy Heavy” is like a beautiful painting: pretty to examine and more rewarding the longer you do so. Song to Check Out: Geronimo
#6: “Rat Saw God” by Wednesday
Asheville upstarts Wednesday produce the best indie rock album of the year with “Rat Saw God,” a sarcastic and occasionally heartbreaking record capturing the modern experience of the American South in a similar fashion to Ethel Cain’s 2022 debut “Preacher’s Daughter” (my favorite from 2022!). Combining fuzzy ‘90s shoegaze with their country roots, the lightning duo of singer-songwriter Karly Hartzman and guitarist MJ Lenderman are no less than stunning. Hartzman’s lyrics are funny and vulnerable, as her wounded vocals cut through walls of Lenderman’s haunting slide guitars. The album finds peace in the small things, asserting that we pass over the bits that are the most important. Song to Check Out: Chosen to Deserve
#5: “Beloved! Paradise! Jazz?!” by McKinley Dixon
Richmond, Va. native McKinley Dixon is here with his sophomore effort, my favorite rap album from the year, “Beloved! Paradise! Jazz?!.” Clocking in at about 28 minutes, the album accomplishes more in a short timespan than some artists in their entire careers. Drawing its title from three Toni Morrison novels, the record lyrically contains a significant influence from the author, who’s vivid prose opens the album. Dixon’s equally vivid portrayal of the Black experience in America is personal yet compelling for wider audiences. The heavily-orchestrated instrumentals on this album add to its quality, containing some of the most lush and incredible hip hop production reminiscent of Lil Simz’s SIMBI. The level of orchestration and intricate lyrical depth are what ultimately makes this record one of my favorites from the year. Song to Check Out: Dedicated to Tar Feather
#4: “After the Magic” by Parannoul
With the last album making the most of its short runtime, this record uses its longer duration to expand its sound to its limits. South Korean shoegaze band Parannoul arrives on the front lines of the subgenere’s renaissance in the past decade, delivering with their third album a complete and expansive collage of euphoric sound. The walls of guitars submerging dreamy vocals are both still here, yet now bringing in elements from other genres such as electronic and ambient music. The album sounds massive, filling every second with huge surges of emotion and sound. The record effectively employs the use of nostalgia, sounding simultaneously like the soundtrack to your daydreams and the spectral tones of the future. At once a coming-of-age soundtrack and progressive work, the record is a must-listen for 2023. Songs to Check Out: “Polaris” and “Blossom”
#3: “Desire, I Want To Turn Into You” by Caroline Polachek
Beginning as half of the Tumblr titan duo Chairlift, Caroline Polachek has shown herself to be more than just a vocal phenom. Producing a great debut in 2019’s “Pang,” I could not wait for the follow-up, and I was blown away by “Desire, I Want To Turn Into You.” Vocally, Polachek is unmatched in the pop world; her range and inflection ability make for an interesting listen. The record is catchy and fun, taking moments to slow down and revel in the beauty of Polachek’s voice without the supporting instrumentation. Speaking of instrumentation, this thing is weird. There is a bagpipe solo, accordion passages, and countless moments that should not work but do, almost too well. Polachek shines with her most poignant and insightful lines to date, reveling in solitude at one point then lamenting deep loneliness at another. Closer “Billions” is a standout, as Polachek writes line after breathtaking line about feeling so far from someone in the same room and almost being suffocated by their presence. The best pop album of the year, Polachek delivers in just about every way. Songs to Check Out: “Billions” and “Welcome to My Island”
#2: “I Killed Your Dog” by L’Rain
Taja Cheek of L’Rain said in an interview preceding this album that it would be a funny one, exposing the “bolder, brattier, more diabolical side of L’Rain.” Following the 2021 cascading album “Fatigue,” Cheek sought to buck the label of “heady” that was thrown on her. Her 2023 effort successfully does that and more. Keeping the unique dreamscapes of sound that characterized “Fatigue,” lyrically Cheek adopts a more tongue-in-cheek approach to her exposés of modern love. Even the title accepts this, it is an “anti-breakup” record dedicated to the not-so-nice parts of being in love, at once funny and insightful. The titular track repeats the refrain of “I killed your dog” to emphasize the depressing vagaries of love lost, switching subtly at its conclusion to “I am your dog.” It’s little lyrical tweaks like this that give the words of this scintillating, unsteady record such emotional potency. Musically, she blows past the swirling soul, gospel, and folk of “Fatigue” into a wider range of influence including dance, drum and bass, and most hilariously, rock. The sarcastic standout “Pet Rock” runs as a parody of the tried-and-true indie rock formula, putting her own twist on the eloquent angst of The Strokes. Closer “New Year’s UnResolution” climaxes in the breathtakingly sincere refrain that runs as a throughline within the wavering beauty of the record: “Will you forget me along the way?” Songs to Check Out: “Pet Rock” and “New Year’s UnResolution”
#1: “Javelin” by Sufjan Stevens
Every year my favorite album is my favorite lyrically. I am a writer after all, and I have always found more meaning in the actual words than any sort of sound. This record excels in both realms. Stevens combines the breakout styles of his past two indie standouts, the heartbreaking folk and skeleton arrangements of “Carrie and Lowell” and the twitching electronics and epic builds of “The Age of Adz.” The record does everything Sufjan normally does but better: swirling columns of choirs and strings, refrains as simple as they are sweet, and that classic Sufjan treble guitar canvassing every track. Lyrically, Stevens is even sharper, dedicating the entire album to the topic of love, colored by the death of his longtime partner in March. Stevens carries a beautiful, optimistic view of love, writing an ode to its importance and seeing no way to live without it. The best encapsulation of this appears in “Shit Talk,” the most outward-leaning statement on the record. After lines and lines trying to make sense of this modern world, Stevens finds contentment in his love, backed by a cacophony of choirs, strings, and guitars from Bryce Dessner of The National. His initial musings are drowned out by this breathy refrain of “I don’t want to fight anymore,” sounding more resolute than weary. In the physical edition, the vinyl comes with a booklet full of artwork and essays done by Stevens in addition to the record. The title of standout track “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” is answered in the booklet as only a seasoned artist could do, “Yes, Maybe.” Concluding in a cover of Neil Young’s “There’s a World,” Stevens leaves us with a record that captures the spirit of 2023 in music as only art can: the willingness to love in every place. Songs to Check Out: “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” and “Shit Talk”
