The best music albums of 2023
From Duff Thompson’s ‘Shadow People’ to Iris DeMent’s ‘Infamous Angel,’ these are this year’s 20 essential records
No holiday season is complete without some lists, and the one that features the best albums of the last 12 months is essential. I must point out that this ranking is not at all scientific, and it’s very much personal. This particular list does not seek to influence anyone or set any trends. It responds solely and exclusively to my personal tastes, as I try to define what I consider to be the albums that I liked the most in 2023.
It should be noted that I tend to be very messy when it comes to this kinds of reviews, and I always end up leaving some record along the way. Albums that I couldn’t listen to despite my best intentions, or that did I listen to, but still forgot to include them. In any case, I don’t see it as something tragic. After all, the end of the year list is a simple set of recommendations and, most of all, a mere form of entertainment that allows us to set an annual tone. It also allows us to discover a few new things, or to rediscover some albums that perhaps we didn’t pay much attention to the first time around. And, above all, it allows us to continue sharing music, which is, in my opinion, what matters most.
This ranking is made up of the 20 albums that captivated me the most, without this necessarily making them better or worse than others. As the established limit is 20, several worthy contenders had to be left out; I’m thinking, for example, of albums by Anohni and The Johnsons, Corrinne Bailey Rae, Robert Foster, Lankum, Paul Simon, Noel Gallagher, Rickie Lee Jones, Blur, The Coral, Chris Acker, Natalie Merchant, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Alice Gerrard, Mark Erelli, Sparks or Lloyd Cole.
As I said, this list is not at all scientific. It is merely a personal list, compiled by the author of this column with the sole objective of helping you get to know new records and artists, or revisit those melodies that were the soundtrack of this year, accompanying us on our trips, our sleepless nights or our most exciting moments.
The best albums of 2023
- Duff Thompson - Shadow People
- Boygenius - the record
- PJ Harvey - I Inside the Old Year Dying
- Lana del Rey - Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
- Dylan Leblanc - Coyote
- Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Weathervanes
- Sufjan Stevens - Javelin
- Chris Stapleton - Higher
- Lydia Loveless - Nothing’s Gonna Stand in My Way Again
- Wilco - Cousin
- Ian Hunter - Defiance Part 1
- Margo Cilker - Valley of Heart’s Delight
- The National - First Two Pages Of Frankenstein
- I Have It - The Stupid World
- Ron Sexsmith - The Vivian Line
- Steph Green - Lore
- Julie Byrne - The Greater Wings
- Buddy & Julie Miller - In the Throes
- Margo Price - Strays
- Iris DeMent - Infamous Angel
The playlist on YouTube
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The playlist on Spotify
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