10 Best Albums of 2023

It’s my fifth year of ranking albums annually on this site. It feels like the weakest year to date. The top of the list is weaker than usual. The top-rated album is more a subtle pleasure than a blockbuster.

On the other hand, strong albums just missed the top ten. Condolences to Olivia Rodrigo‘s Guts, Corinne Bailey Rae’s Black Rainbows, James Holden’s Imagine…, and Julie Byrne’s The Greater Wings, which all deserved a spot. I also need to add Laura Groves’ Radio Red, which I discovered after I wrote this list. It would have cruised into the top 5.

He didn’t make the list, but Peter Gabriel had my favourite veteran release of the year with I/O.

As always, I’ve included each album’s rankings from the end-of-year aggregator Album of the Year to show where my choices register among general critical consensus. I agreed with them even less than last year. Only one album on this countdown finished higher than #25 on their list.

10 Best Albums of 2023

#10 The Japanese House – In the End It Always Does

Genre: Sophistipop
AotY ranking: not listed

On Amber Bain‘s second album, she refines her tuneful and melancholy pop. In The End It Always Does covers familiar topics for pop/rock music – coming of age and relationships – but it does so with grace and insight.

There’s a great opening one-two punch. The atmospheric waltz-time of ‘Spot Dog’ is followed by the punchy and hooky ‘Touching Yourself’. It was a tough battle for the #10 spot, but I listened to ‘Sunshine Baby’ more than any other 2023 song.

#9 Yves Tumor – Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)

Genre: Neo-psychedelia, glam
AotY ranking: #25

Raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, Sean Lee Bowie’s music is the opposite of what you’d expect from the heartland of country. On Praise A Lord… he plays lyrically ambiguous rock music, with big dollops of glam and psychedelia. Tumor’s voice, ranging from a sweet falsetto to a sassy midrange, is a major asset.

It’s notable for its off-kilter riffs – tracks like ‘Purified by the Fire’ and ‘Ebony Eye’ are driven by unusual musical figures. The riff that lights up midway through ‘Heaven Surrounds Us Like A Hood’ is one of my favourite musical moments of the year.

#8 Jamila Woods – Water Made Us

Genre: Neo-soul
AotY ranking: honourable mention

Almost everything from Chicago poet and vocalist Jamila Woods is worth hearing. Her 2019 album, Legacy! Legacy! was one of the best albums of its year.

On Water Made Us, Woods’ focus shifts from black empowerment to love. It’s still conceptual – tracing the arc of a relationship – but it’s less serious and more bouyant than before. I never thought I’d hear Woods deliver something as flippant as ‘Practice’. It’s a strong album, but it’s hard to top the advance singles ‘Tiny Garden’ and ‘Boomerang’.

#7 Jason Isbell – Weathervanes

Genre: Americana
AotY ranking: #34

I assumed that Jason Isbell had peaked last decade, with strong releases like Southeastern and Something More Than Free. I was pleasantly surprised by Weathervanes, the former Drive-By Trucker’s best album for a decade.

It’s my favourite record he’s recorded with backing band, The 400 Unit. It helps that it shares the introspection of his singer-songwriter albums. There are riff rockers like ‘This Ain’t It’ and pretty acoustic tunes like ‘White Beretta’ and ‘Strawberry Women’. Standout track ‘King of Oklahoma’ splits the difference, both tough and heartfelt.

#6 Sofia Kourtesis – Madres

Genre: House
AotY ranking: #35

Sofia Kourtesis was born in Peru, but is now based in Berlin. She made her name as a DJ, but she ventures into singing on her debut album. Madres was inspired by events in Kourtesis’ life – her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and a track is named ‘Vajkoczy’, for the neurosurgeon who saved her mother’s life.

There’s a nice balance, wit euphoric dance tracks ‘How Music Makes You Feel Better’ and ‘Habla Con Ella’. There are also songs with Kourtesis on vocals, like ‘Si Te Portas Bonito’ and ‘Vajkoczy’. And weirder, exploratory tracks like ‘Moving Houses’ and ‘Funkhaus’. Inventive and immersive, Madres showcases the wide scope of Sofia Kourtesis’s talents.

#5 Tirzah – Trip9Love…???

Genre: Alternative R&B
AotY ranking: honourable mention

I enjoyed Tirzah Mastin’s previous two albums of smooth and sophisticated R&B. But her third, surprise-released, record lifted the ante, adding heavier rhythms and more dissonance. Right from the opening ‘F22’, with its odd lope, Trip9Love…??? is claustrophobic nd captivating.

As always, Tirzah works with producer Micah Levi, also known for their film scores. Tirzah’s voice sound beguiling buried in the mix a little, on pretty tracks like ‘U All The Time’ and edgier efforts like ‘He Made’.

#4 Meshell Ndegeocello – The Omnichord Real Book

Genre: Jazz/neo-soul (but all over the place…)
AotY ranking: –

I’d never checked in with veteran artist Meshell Ndegeocello before. She’s a thirty-year veteran of the music industry, although The Omnichord Real Book is her first album of new material in almost a decade. It was inspired by cleaning out her late parents’ belongings and finding a Real Book – a cheat sheet for musicians – that her father had gifted her. Ndegeocello took advantage of the COVID pandemic to create an immersive album. It’s long, but there are killer tracks.

Almost every track explores a different stylistic avenue. ‘Vuma’ takes its lead from African pop, while the soulful ‘Hole in the Bucket’ shows Ndegeocello’s vocal chops. Signed to Blue Note Records, there’s a distinct jazz influence. Closer ‘Virgo 3’ ventures into spacey Afrofuturism, while ‘Omnipuss’ is close to fusion.

The encyclopedic nature of The Omnichord Real Book makes it a tough album to digest. But it’s worth the effort.

#3 Tiny Ruins – Ceremony

Genre: Folk
AotY ranking: –

Hollie Fullbrook’s fourth album with Tiny Ruins had a troubled genesis. While completing her previous album, Olympic Girls, Fullbrook experienced a late miscarriage. She wrote poems to express her anguish, but buried herself in touring. Returning to New Zealand for the COVID pandemic, Fullbrook set words to her poetry and wrote new lyrics about the Manukau Harbour she was living in. The result is a pastoral and emotive album, with lovely tunes and arragements on tracks like ‘Dogs Dreaming’ and ‘Dorothy Bay’.

#2 Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

Genre: Art-pop (with an emphasis on the pop).
AotY ranking: #2

Caroline Polachek has been making records for a decade and a half, first with Chairlift and then as a solo artist. But Desire… is her most confident release yet. It’s also her most successful, cracking the UK top 30.

As on her solo debut, she’s able to balance arty impulses with pop hooks, creating pretty art-pop confections like ‘Sunset’ and ‘Butterfly Net’. The most enduring track is ‘Welcome to My Island’, opening with some vocal gymnastics from Polachek, and processing her father’s death during the COVID pandemic.

#1 Avalon Emerson – & the Charm

Genre: Indietronica
AotY ranking: –

Arizona’s Avalon Emerson was previously known as a DJ and a dance producer. During the COVID pandemic lockdown, she worked on songwriting, using Jeff Tweedy‘s How To Write One Song as a guide. She worked with London producer Bullion, and backing band The Charn. Emerson’s voice is gentle, perfect for the these wispy pop songs, which sound like The Cocteau Twins or Japanese City Pop.

Opener ‘Sandrail Silhouette’ is immediately beguiling, with Emerson’s voice floating above a gently insistent rhythm. ‘Astrology Poisoning’ is another immediate track, with a funky bassline. They’re balanced by moodier pieces like ‘The Stone’ and ‘A Dam Will Always Divide’. It’s an impressive effort from someone with little background in songwriting.

Read More

• 10 Best Albums of 2022
• 10 Best Albums of 2021
• 10 Best Albums of 2020
• 10 Best Albums of 2019