Favorite Albums of 2023

    Mindful is too kitschy of a word, so to summarize my music listening this year, I'll describe it as: picky, yet broad. I listened to 39 albums this year that released this year, which is more than usual, but I wasn't just listening to whatever I stumbled across (a bad habit I held long ago). This year, I was far more intentional about what new music I consumed, and I think the answers speak for themselves. I usually struggle to name my top three albums of the year, but this year I've got ten, plus some honorable mentions! Please note that being intentional and mindful does not equate to original: all but one of these albums you are about to see are either recommendations from Rate Your Music or Anthony Fantano. If you recognize either of those names, there are no surprises to be found below. I like to think I enjoy these albums regardless of how well they've been received by others, but only time will tell how much of a Fantano/RYM fanboy I am.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Everything Harmony – The Lemon Twigs

    I didn't expect to like this record as much as I did, considering my only previous experience with the band was their 2018 album Go to School, which I've all but forgotten about. This time around, however, the duo deliver a really fun, uplifting, and consistently good soft rock album that harkens back to the best of soft rock from the 70s.

PetroDragonic Apocalypse – King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

    I went on a KG&tLW binge this year in preparation for seeing them live for three nights in Chicago—one of the highlights of this past year. As a thank you from the band, they put out their 25th later that week, and this time, they were once again in full metal mode. I admit I don't listen to much metal music, but when the boys from down under do it, it's always a blast. It's a little more technical than their previous metal outing, Infest the Rats' Nest, but RYM says this new one is also thrash metal. It doesn't make a difference to me: still a fun album and a great addition to the Gizzverse.

Isn't It Now? – Animal Collective

    Considering how often I forget AC put out Time Skiffs last year, I was not expecting to enjoy this album, yet here it is, just outside of the top 10. (Admittedly it could have been in the top 10, but there are other artists I'd rather highlight). This album is a bit longer and a touch more drone-influenced/hypnotic than Time Skiffs, and the result is a meandering, mellow album that I simply enjoyed spending time with. It also helps that the 20+ minute track "Defeat" is an amazing journey, and that song alone is one-third of the album!

THE LIST

#10: Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? –McKinley Dixon

    It's a conscious jazz-rap album; need I say more? At just under 30 minutes, Dixon delivers lyrical punch after lyrical punch with excellent production. If nothing else mattered, this album just sounds amazing, and that alone is enough to make it on this article (I might prefer the AC album personally, but let's be honest, AC has received enough praise already).

#9: Dogsbody – Model/Actriz

    I originally didn't want to listen to the album due to what I considered a tasteless album cover (if you don't know what that is, don't worry about it), but RYM told me it's a dance-punk album, so I caved. It's a good thing I did, because what I got is such a tight, punchy, paranoid album that somehow also manages to be catchy at the right times.

#8: False Lankum – Lankum

    A certified RYM-recommendation, this album sees the Irish folk band embracing drone across its 70-minute runtime, resulting in an album that is as beautiful and enchanting as it is harrowing and lonely. If the fantastic opener "Go Dig My Grave" isn't your thing, get out of there. If it is your thing, listen to this all the way through! Not enough people are talking about this work imo.

#7 Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd – Lana Del Ray

    As a Fantano-fan though, I knew one of these days I'd finally hear a Lana album and like it. I skipped NFR, but this one caught me. While I still can't forgive her for "Summertime Sadness," a song overplayed to the point of annoyance, I must admit: Mother can make a good pop album. The overall production is gorgeous; like Dixon's record, this album is just great to listen to. But Ray takes things a bit further with her lyrics, singing about settling down and deeper yearnings for love and emotional connection. Honestly, they resonated with me in a way I did not expect.

#6: Oh Me Oh My – Lonnie Holley

    I really wanted to put this one at #1, but if I'm being honest, I enjoy/get excited about the following five albums more than this one. But that's no knock against Holley; it's just hard to jam out to experimental soul music that's trying its hardest to rip your heart to shreds and reduce you to tears. Holley has suffered horrible treatment in his childhood, and he'll tell you all about it on "Mount Meigs" and "Better Get the Crop in Soon," but instead of remaining bitter about it, his rises above it to sing about the beauty of humanity, to loudly proclaim, "I Am a Part of the Wonder." Like False Lankum, this album is terrifying, but not through it's atmosphere. Holley holds no punches when describing what he experienced, but he doesn't leave us where others left him. Through the music and lyrics, he leads us up out of the mud and onto the mountain peaks. DO NOT SKIP THIS ALBUM!!!

#5: Javelin – Sufjan Stevens

    There's nothing I can say about this album that hasn't already been said, so I'll give you the reasons why this album isn't #1 and only barely beat out Holley. Most songs on this album are structurally similar, starting stripped-back and usually acoustic, bringing in more instruments and electronics after the first chorus, and ending with a musical explosion followed by a short musical outro. This album also suffers from being a Sufjan Stevens album, which means I'm not just comparing it to albums from 2023. I'm also comparing it to Stevens' back catalogue of albums, of which I am a massive fan, and I'm not sure if this one cracks the top five. But when all is said and done, this is still a Sufjan Stevens album; expect gorgeous music, heartstring-tugging lyrics, and enough sadness to take whatever mood you're in at the start of the album and absolutely piledrive it. 

#4: 3D Country – Geese

    Every time I think of this album, I think, "Gay cowboy jams." It doesn't necessarily fit the themes—I don't recall sexuality being discussed on the album—but it certainly fits the flamboyancy of the album. Boy, can that guy sing a bunch of different ways! Ween should look into him. Like Everything Harmony, this album contains throwbacks to rock of yesteryears while also incorporating elements of modern rock and indie, making for an endlessly fun and unique listen. I cannot wait to see these guys open for KG&tLW in September.

#3: The Lamb as Effigy – Sprain

    I really like post-rock and noise rock, and this year, Sprain brought the goods. Over an hour of harrowing, tortured singing and guitar tones is exactly what the doctor ordered. I don't have much else to say, let alone anything profound. Maybe this kind of music reminds us that there's beauty everywhere. This album does have slower, quieter string sections, so maybe there's something to be said about beauty and horror coexisting. Lonnie Holley x Sprain collab when? (Never, actually, because Sprain just broke up)

#2: maps – billy woods, Kenny Segal

    Kenny Segal's beats scratch an itch in my brain that I didn't know existed. This is another conscious-rap album, but I'm not sure if it's jazz rap. Segal certainly samples jazz pieces, but does that count? What about the times he engineers isolative hellscapes? This serves as my introduction to billy woods, and uh, yeah I've been sleeping on him. His rhyme scheme and lyricism on display here are enough to put him among the best in the game in my book. Add an overarching theme of isolation and touring, and you have a happy Kieran.

#1: HELLMODE – Jeff Rosenstock

    I don't like pop punk, and I don't agree with everything he says on the album, but wow: this is an amazingly fun album full of anthems for a generation tired of putting up with the garbage handed down to us from the rich elites. But even in his anger, Rosenstock has time to admit that he's not exactly innocent either (see "LIFE ADMIN"). He even has time to slow things down, take a step back, and appreciate the rain in California. This is an infectiously catchy, endlessly energetic, and honestly human album that I keep coming back to again and again for a fun time. I can't recommend this album enough.