Best Albums of 2023

2023 was a great year for music. Here are my top non-Historian picks:

25. boygenius

the record

Key Tracks:  "$20", "Emily I'm Sorry", "We're In Love"

 

24. Young Fathers

Heavy Heavy

Key Tracks:  "Tell Somebody", "Ululation", "Holy Moly"

 

23. Fever Ray

Radical Romantics

Key Tracks:  "Shiver", "Even It Out", "Carbon Dioxide"

 

22. Sigur Ros

Atta

Key Tracks:  "Skel", "Klettur", "Gold"

 

21. BC Camplight

The Last Rotation of Earth

Key Tracks:  "The Last Rotation of Earth", "Kicking Up a Fuss", "I'm Ugly"

 

20. Noname

Sundial

Key Tracks:  "black mirror", "balloons", "namesake"

 

19. Blur

The Ballad of Darren

Key Tracks:  "Barbaric", "The Narcissist", "The Heights"

 

18. PJ Harvey

I Inside the Old Year Dying

Key Tracks:  "I Inside the Old Year Dying", "A Child's Question, August", "August"

 

17. Julie Byrne

The Greater Wings

Key Tracks:  "The Greater Wings", "Portrait of a Clear Day", "Summer Glass"

 

16. yeule

softscars

Key Tracks:  "sulky baby", "4ui12", "software update"

 

15. Water From Your Eyes

Everyone's Crushed

Key Tracks:  "Open", "Remember Not My Name", "14"

 

14. Titanic

Vidrio

Key Tracks:  "Anonima", "Palacio", "Balanza"

 

13. Parannoul

After the Magic

Key Tracks:  "Arrival", "We Shine at Night", "After the Magic"

 

12. Jaimie Branch

Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((World War))

Key Tracks:  "Baba Louie", "Take Over the World"

 

11. Billy Woods and Kenny Segal

Maps

Key Tracks:  "Soft Landing", "Babylon By Bus", "NYC Tapwater"

 

10. Wednesday

Rat Saw God

Key Tracks:  "Chosen to Deserve", "Quarry", "Turkey Vultures"

9. Olivia Rodrigo

GUTS

Key Tracks:  "bad idea right?", "vampire", "lacy"

 

8. Grian Chatten

Chaos For The Fly

Key Tracks:  "Last Time Every Time Forever", "Fairlies", "Bob's Casino"

 

7. The Clientele

I Am Not There Anymore

Key Tracks:  "Garden Eye Mantra", "Lady Grey", "Blue Over Blue"

 

6. Mitski

The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We

Key Tracks:  "My Love Mine All Mine", "Bug Like an Angel", "The Frost"

 

5. MF Tomlinson

We Are Still Wild Horses

Key Tracks:  "End of the Road", "Winter Time Blues", "A Cloud"

 

4. Lana Del Rey

Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd

Key Tracks:  "Let The Light In", "Kintsugi", "Grandfather Please Stand…"

 

3. Sufjan Stevens

Javelin

Key Tracks:  "Will Anybody Ever Love Me?", "Everything That Rises", "Shit Talk"

 

2. L'Rain

I Killed Your Dog

Key Tracks:  "Our Funeral", "Pet Rock", "5 to 8 Hours a Day (WWwaG)"

1. Caroline Polachek

Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

Key Tracks:  "Blood and Butter", "Butterfly Net", "Billions"

Best Albums of 2022

And the best of 2022:

35. Spiritualized

Everything Was Beautiful

Key Tracks:  "Always Together With You", "Let It Bleed (For Iggy)"

 

34. The Weeknd

Dawn FM

Key Tracks:  "Sacrifice", "Out of Time", "Less Than Zero"

 

33. Vince Staples

Ramona Park Broke My Heart

Key Tracks:  "Aye!", "East Point Prayer", "The Blues"

 

32. yeule

Glitch Princess

Key Tracks:  "Electric", "Eyes", "Don't Be So Hard on Your Own…"

 

31. Fontaines D.C.

Skinty Fia

Key Tracks:  "In ar gCroithe go deo"," Big Shot", "Roman Holiday"

 

30. Destroyer

Labyrinthitis

Key Tracks:  "It's in Your Heart Now", "All My Pretty Dresses", "The Last Song"

 

29. The Weather Station

How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars

Key Tracks:  "Marsh", "Taught", "Sway"

 

28. Sharon Van Etten

We've Been Going About This All Wrong

Key Tracks:  "I'll Try", "Born", "Mistakes"

 

27. Animal Collective

Time Skiffs

Key Tracks:  "Prester John", "Walker", "We Go Back"

 

26. Cate Le Bon

Pompeii

Key Tracks:  "Moderation", "Harbour", "Wheel"

 

25. Nilufer Yanya

Painless

Key Tracks:  "L/R", "midnight sun", "belong with you"

 

24. Alex G

God Save the Animals

Key Tracks:  "After All", "Mission", "Miracles"

 

23. Spoon

Lucifer On The Sofa

Key Tracks:  "Wild", "My Babe", "Astral Jacket"

 

22. Beach House

Once Twice Melody

Key Tracks:  "Once Twice Melody", "Pink Funeral", "Modern Love Stories"

 

21. Hurray for the Riff Raff

Life on Earth

Key Tracks:  "Wolves", "Pierced Arrows", "Life On Earth"

 

20. Sudan Archives

Natural Brown Prom Queen

Key Tracks:  "Selfish Soul", "Loyal (EDD)", "Flue"

 

19. Rosalia

Motomami

Key Tracks:  "Candy", "Hentai", "G3 N15"

 

18. SZA

SOS

Key Tracks:  "Kill Bill", "Open Arms", "Good Days"

 

17. Sault

Air

Key Tracks:  "Air", "Heart", "Solar"

 

16. Black Country, New Road

Ants From Up There

Key Tracks:  "Chaos Space Marine", "Good Will Hunting", "The Place Where He Inserted the…"

 

15. Arcade Fire

We

Key Tracks:  "End of the Empire I-III", "Lightning II", "WE"

 

14. Kendrick Lamar

Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers

Key Tracks:  "Crown", Mother I Sober", "Mirror"

 

13. Beth Orton

Weather Alive

Key Tracks:  "Friday Night", "Fractals"

 

12. Florist

Florist

Key Tracks:  "Spring in Hours", "Two Ways", "Sci-Fi Silence"

 

11. Perfume Genius

Ugly Season

Key Tracks:  "Pop Song", "Photograph", "Hellbent"

 

10. Beyonce

Renaissance

Key Tracks:  "Cuff It", "Plastic Off the Sofa", "Virgo's Groove"

 

9. Lucrecia Dalt

¡Ay!

Key Tracks:  "No Tiempo", "Atemporal", "Contenida"

 

8. Weyes Blood

And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow

Key Tracks:  "Children of the Empire", "Grapevine", "Hearts Aglow"

 

7. Father John Misty

Chloe and the Next 20th Century

Key Tracks:  "Goodbye Mr. Blue", "Kiss Me (I Loved You)", "The Next 20th Century"

 

6. Alvvays

Blue Rev

Key Tracks:  "Pharmacist", "Easy on Your Own?", "Tom Verlaine"

 

5. The Smile

A Light For Attracting Attention

Key Tracks:  "The Same", "Open the Floodgates", "Skrting On the Surface"

 

4. Angel Olsen

Big Time

Key Tracks:  "Big Time", "Ghost On", "Right Now"

 

3. Aldous Harding

Warm Chris

Key Tracks:  "Lawn", "Passion Babe", "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain"

 

2. Big Thief

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

Key Tracks:  "Little Things", Red Moon", "No Reason"

 

1. Jockstrap

I Love You Jennifer B

Key Tracks:  "Neon", "Greatest Hits", "Concrete Over Water" 

Best Albums of 2021

It's that time again. Here we go:

30. Squid 

Bright Green Field 

Key Tracks:  "G.S.K.", "Paddling", "2010"

29. Tirzah 

Colourgrade 

Key Tracks:  "Hive Mind", "Recipe", "Sink In"

28. Snail Mail 

Valentine 

Key Tracks:  "Light Blue", "Automate", "Mia"

27. LUMP 

Animal 

Key Tracks:  "Gamma Ray", "Animal", "Climb Every Wall"

26. Mogwai 

As the Love Continues 

Key Tracks:  "Here We, Here We Go Forever", "Ritchie Sacramento"

25. Dry Cleaning 

New Long Leg 

Key Tracks:  "Unsmart Lady", "Leafy", "Her Hippo"

24. Damon Albarn 

The Nearer the Fountain, the More Pure the Stream Flows 

Key Tracks:  "Darkness To Light", "The Tower of Montevideo", "Polaris"

23. Lightning Bug 

A Color of the Sky 

Key Tracks:  "The Return", "The Right Thing Is Hard To Do", "I Lie Awake"

22. Dave 

We're All Alone In This Together 

Key Tracks:  "We're All Alone", "Three Rivers", "Both Sides Of A Smile"

21. Wolf Alice 

Blue Weekend 

Key Tracks:  "Lipstick on the Glass", "Safe From Heartbreak", "How Can I Make It OK?"

20. Grouper 

Shade 

Key Tracks:  "Pale Interior", "The way her hair falls", "Kelso (Blue Sky)"

19. SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE 

ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH 

Key Tracks:  "THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN'T DO", "THE SERVER IS IMMERSED", "WAKE UP (IN ROTATION)"

18. Cassandra Jenkins 

An Overview on Phenomenal Nature 

Key Tracks:  "Michelangelo", "New Bikini", "Hard Drive"

17. St. Vincent 

Daddy's Home 

Key Tracks:  "Somebody Like Me", "…At The Holiday Party", "Candy Darling"

16. Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine 

A Beginner's Mind 

Key Tracks:  "Lady Macbeth In Chains", "(This Is) The Thing", "Cimmerian Shade"

15. Billie Eilish 

Happier Than Ever 

Key Tracks:  "Getting Older", "Halley's Comet", "Male Fantasy"

14. Iceage 

Seek Shelter 

Key Tracks:  "Love Kills Slowly", "Drink Rain", "Gold City"

13. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis 

Carnage 

Key Tracks:  "Carnage", "Albuqueque", "Balcony Man"

12. Black Country, New Road 

For the First Time 

Key Tracks:  "Athens, France", "Track X", "Opus"

11. Tyler, The Creator 

CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST 

Key Tracks:  "WUSYANAME", "RUNITUP", "SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE"

10. Kanye West 

Donda 

This is probably the most divisive album on the list. True, it's very bloated and in desperate need of an editor, but the highlights are some of the best songs released this year.

Key Tracks:  "Moon", "Come To Life", "No Child Left Behind"

9. Little Simz 

Sometimes I Might Be An Introvert 

Key Tracks:  "Introvert", "Woman", "Two Worlds Apart"

8. Mdou Moctar 

Afrique Victime 

Key Tracks:  "Tala Tannam", "Asdikte Akal", "Afrique Victume"

7. Turnstile 

GLOW ON 

Key Tracks:  "UNDERWATER BOI", "ENDLESS", "DANCE-OFF"

6. Casper Clausen 

Better Way 

Key Tracks:  "Feel It Coming", "Falling Apart Like You", "Little Words"

5. The War on Drugs 

I Don't Live Here Anymore 

Key Tracks:  "Living Proof", "Harmonia's Dream", "I Don't Live Here Anymore"

4. Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders 

Promises 

Key Tracks:  "Movement 6", "Movement 7"

3. The Weather Station 

Ignorance 

Key Tracks:  "Loss", "Separated", "Trust"

2. Low 

Hey What 

Key Tracks:  "All Night", "Disappearing"

1. Japanese Breakfast 

Jubilee 

Key Tracks:  "Paprika", "Be Sweet", "Kokomo, IN"

A Review of Depeche Mode's Discography

 

Speak and Spell (1981) – 7.9

It’s hard to believe this is the same band that just a few years later would be putting out Black Celebration, and I suppose, in a lot of respects, that’s because it isn’t the same band. This is the only DM album featuring Vince Clarke (later of Yaz and Erasure) on songwriting duty. And if ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ doesn’t hit as hard as ‘Never Let Me Down Again’, it’s still a pretty fun song. Although both Depeche Mode and Vince Clarke would go on to bigger and better things apart from each other, there is still a decent amount to enjoy on this debut (my personal favorite is ‘Any Second Now (Voices)’).

A Broken Frame (1982) – 7.9

This album is not a popular one, even amongst the band members themselves. With Martin Gore taking over the songwriting, this album is definitely a transitional one. Gore is straddling the line between maintaining some of the pop bluster of the debut, while moving the band into moodier territory. That said, the band already sounds quite a bit more adventurous. Although there are no real standout moments (at least not in comparison to future standouts), the album is fairly consistent and maintains an agreeable aura.

Construction Time Again (1983) – 8.3

By their third album, Depeche Mode started incorporating bits of industrial music into the mix, which turned out to be an inspired idea. For this album and Some Great Reward, the band apparently went out and taped any sound they could think of (including going out in a field and banging on pipes and various other objects), in order to incorporate the sounds into the mix. The resulting Construction Time Again isn’t quite as consistent as its predecessor, but the highs are much higher – particularly the fantastic single ‘Everything Counts’, which is a highwater mark for the band’s first few years.

Some Great Reward (1984) – 8.7

Here is the point where the band started to sound like the classic Depeche Mode we all know and love (or the point where they turned into ‘Depressed Mode’, as a former classmate of mine would disparagingly refer to them as). DM are one of the very few bands to lose their chief songwriter and then go on to greatness. While the prior album had ‘Everything Counts’, Some Great Reward has a string of classics, from ‘Somebody’ and ‘People are People’ to ‘Master and Servant’ and ‘Blasphemous Rumours’. Not every song is a classic, but I’m still not sure if there has ever been an album to marry industrial music to synthpop to such satisfying results.

Black Celebration (1986) – 9.1

On Black Celebration, the band moved away from industrial-tinged sounds in favor of dark, melodically rich synthpop. DM for the first time turned in an album that hit consistent highs on nearly every song. Oddly, the album wasn’t really much of a commercial success, at least not compared to its predecessor. There were no real hits in the US, but there are plenty of fan favorites such as the title track, ‘A Question of Lust’ and ‘But Not Tonight’. Speaking of ‘But Not Tonight’, the rating above reflects the version that closes with this song. To think the band originally closed the album with ‘New Dress’ is a crime, given ‘But Not Tonight’ is one of the best songs on the ultimate version. Speaking of crimes, the fact that they left ‘Shake the Disease’ off is pretty unforgiveable; it stands as the band’s best non-album single.

Music for the Masses (1987) – 9.3

This is the album where the band became huge. I’m not necessarily referring to the band’s fan base – which did seem to be growing exponentially – I’m referring to the band’s sound. Beginning with the epic, brilliant opener ‘Never Let Me Down Again’, it’s clear that Depeche Mode are aiming for a stadium sized sound. The result is ten (mostly) superb tracks that take the band’s gloomy synthpop and magnify the sound. With ‘Strangelove’, ‘Behind the Wheel’ and the aforementioned ‘Never Let Me Down Again’ gaining major traction on modern rock radio, the band actually did succeed at taking their music to the masses (even leading to a historic show at the Rose Bowl where 60,000+ fans attended).

Violator (1990) – 9.7

Despite what I just said, this is the album that truly brought their music to the masses, due largely in part to the success of the masterpiece that is ‘Enjoy the Silence’. Violator also stands as the band’s crowning achievement. Musically, they continue on the path they forged on Music for the Masses, but they’ve honed it in to an impressive effect. The modern rock hits ‘Personal Jesus’, ‘Policy of Truth’ and ‘World in My Eyes’ are all fantastic, but even the album cuts are hauntingly gorgeous. The album truly belongs in the conversation of great 90’s albums.

Songs of Faith, Love and Devotion (1993) – 8.6

Depeche Mode have never ones to sit on the laurels and risk repeating themselves musically but up until this point, the band seemed to be chasing their own internal muse, almost as if they were in a vacuum. Songs of Faith, Love and Devotion marks the first time that the band’s left turn seemed to be in step with the cultural landscape. Released in 1993 amidst the grunge wave, the band begins incorporating distorted guitars into the mix. On top this the band adds touches of gospel and 90’s industrial sounds. It mostly works too. Singles ‘I Feel You’ and ‘Walking in my Shoes’ are extraordinary, as are ‘Condemnation’ and ‘Get Right with Me’. Not all of the songs live up to the highlights and some of the production sounds a little dated, but overall, it’s a solid follow up (and coming off of the success of Violator, the album stands as the band’s only #1 album in the US).

Ultra (1997) – 9.1

Depeche Mode timed the release of their ninth album pretty perfectly. Electronic music was once again beginning to come back into fashion on modern rock radio and in a lot of ways the band could be seen as forerunners to the emerging scene. Ultra certainly sounds like a late-90’s electronica album, albeit one steeped more in trip-hop than say, big beat. The eerie atmospherics suit the band extremely well. The album was infamously born out of tumult (drug OD’s, suicide attempts, the departure of Alan Wilder; it wasn’t a good time) and the album announces this tumult right out of the gate with the tortured opener ‘Barrel of a Gun’. That said, much of the album revolves around slower, moody passages, most of which are gorgeous. From the sweeping, Martin Gore-sung ‘Home’ and also Gore-sung ‘The Bottom Line’, to the cathartic closer ‘Insight’, the album is brimming with some of the band’s best songs. Ultra was well received at the time of its release, and yet, today it stands as the band’s most underrated, or at least overlooked, album.

Exciter (2001) – 7.3

It was pretty amazing that two decades after their debut, Depeche Mode still sounded as contemporary as they did here. With its skittering beat and bluesy acoustic guitar, the fantastic ‘Dream On’ sounded right at home on modern rock radio next to Radiohead’s ‘I Might Be Wrong’, which was released just a couple of weeks later. If the production on Exciter is impressive – and at times downright amazing – the songs are pretty hit and miss. “When the Body Speaks’ and ‘Goodnight Lovers’ are effective, tender ballads and ‘I Feel Loved’ has a great groove, but the ham-fisted ‘The Dead of Night’ is downright embarrassing. The rest of the album straddles the awkward line of being very listenable despite the phoned in songwriting and often clumsy lyrics.

Playing the Angel (2005) – 8.0

Playing the Angel was seen as a return to form at the time of its release. Today, it sounds like a solid, if not groundbreaking, collection of latter-day DM songs. Amazingly, the band still sounds vital. And you can certainly hear the band’s influence on many of the bands making the rounds at the time (Ladytron and M83, for example). Even if this doesn’t quite stack up to their classic works, the album proved that the band could still keep up with those newer artists.

And despite the completest in me that is frustrated with the fact that I haven’t listened to the band’s more recent output, this is where it stops for me. Hopefully one day I will give their three most recent albums a listen. If and when I do, I will update this post to include them.

Best Albums of 2020

Here are the best albums of this young decade:

 

25. Porridge Radio

Every Bad

Key Tracks:  "Long", "Nephews", "Pop Song"

 

24. Dua Lipa,

Future Nostalgia

Key Tracks:  "Cool", "Levitating", "Hallucinate"

 

23. Grimes

Miss Anthropocene

Key Tracks:  "So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth", "Delete Forever", "Violence"

 

22. The Microphones

Microphones in 2020

Key Tracks:  "Microphones in 2020"

 

21. Blake Mills

Mutable Set

Key Tracks:  "May Later", "Vanishing Town", "Mirror Box"

 

20. Caribou

Suddenly

Key Tracks:  "You and I", "Magpie", "Cloud Song"

 

19. Lanterns on the Lake

Spook the Herd

Key Tracks:  "When It All Comes True", "Every Atom", "Before They Excavate"

 

18. Destroyer 

Have We Met

Key Tracks:  "In the Morning", "Stay Lost", "La Regle du Jeu"

 

17. I Break Horses

Warnings

Key Tracks:  "I'll Be the Death of You", "The Prophet", "I Live At Night"

 

16. Adrianne Lenker

songs

Key Tracks:  "two reverse", "ingydar", "anything"

 

15. Fleet Foxes

Shore

Key Tracks:  "Can I Believe You", "Jara", "Young Man's Game"

 

14. Sufjan Stevens

The Ascension Key

Tracks:  "Make Me an Offer I Can't Refuse", "Die Happy", "Sugar"

 

13. Moses Sumney

græ

Key Tracks:  "In Bloom", Virile", "Bless Me"

 

12. Bob Dylan

Rough and Rowdy Ways

Key Tracks:  "My Own Version of You", "Mother of Muses", "Murder Most Foul"

 

11. Taylor Swift

folklore

Key Tracks:  "cardigan", "seven", "august"

 

10. HAIM

Women In Music Pt. III

Key Tracks:  "Los Angeles", "I've Been Down", Hallelujah"

 

9. Yves Tumor

Heaven to a Tortured Mind

Key Tracks:  "Gospel For a New Century", "Kerosene!", "Romanticist"

 

8. Run the Jewels

Run the Jewels 4

Key Tracks:  "ooh la la", "pulling the pin", "a few words for the firing squad"

 

7. U.S. Girls

Heavy Light

Key Tracks:  "4 American Dollars, "IOU", "Woodstock '99"

 

6. Perfume Genius

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately

Key Tracks:  "Whole Life", "Describe", "On the Floor"

5. Laura Marling

Song for our Daughter

Key Tracks:  "Alexandra", "Strange Girl", "Fortune"

4. BC Camplight

Shortly After Takeoff

 

This album slipped under most critics’ radars (although it received high praise from those that did cover it). It’s a shame as this is a remarkable album from a sorely overlooked artist.

 

Key Tracks:  "Ghosthunting", "Back to Work", "I Want to Be in the Mafia"

3. Waxahatchee

Saint Cloud

Key Tracks:  "Can't Do Much", "Witches", "St. Cloud"

2. Phoebe Bridgers

Punisher

Key Tracks:  "Kyoto", "Halloween", "Savior Complex"

 

 

1. Fiona Apple

Fetch the Bolt Cutters

 

Some years, the pick for number 1 is a bit of a judgement call amidst two or three albums that could easily be considered the best of the year (see 2016 and 2017, where my number one picks have obviously changed when looking at my end of decade list). This year, it’s no contest. Fiona produced one of the best albums to come out in the last few years. Some albums are really exciting when they first arrive but lose a little of their initial luster once the newness is gone. Fetch the Bolt Cutters on the other hand seems to sound better to me with each passing listen.

Key Tracks:  "I Want You To Love Me", "Ladies", "Heavy Balloon"