Another year, another chart. Many albums came out this year that I enjoyed, and it always feels like splitting hairs narrowing down the list. These are my picks: the 10 Best Albums of 2023.

10. Rat Saw God – Wednesday

Indie Rock

After four studio albums Wednesday can’t still be called a fledgling band, but Rat Saw God represents a serious step up in terms of ambitiousness and creativity when compared to the other items in their discography. A particular standout is “Bull Believer,” an 8-and-a-half minute epic of terror culminating in a truly unsettling series of shrieks emanating out of the band’s cauldron of noise and dissonance. But whereas the first two tracks see the band gazing deeper into the abyss of noise rock than ever before, the remainder of the album is a comparatively mellow affair resembling the kind of alt-country that one would expect from a five-piece act out of Asheville, NC.

9. VOIR DIRE – Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist

Abstract Hip-Hop

Supposedly existing since 2021 hidden in the depths of YouTube, Voir Dire (a legal term meaning “speak the truth”) brings together the number one name in experimental rap with one of the most experienced producers in the game. At a concise 27 minutes, the albums leans towards Earl’s recent predilection towards short, dense tracks – many of the songs consist of only a single verse. However, in comparison to the glitchy loops Earl has favored lately in his songs, The Alchemist formulates his beats with a certain clarity but with a keen ear towards incorporating the kind of chopped vocal samples for which the former has become known.

8. O Monolith – Squid

Post-punk

Bolstered by the singles “Swing (Inside a Dream)” and “The Blades,” Squid’s second album O Monolith arrives as a more refined, if more restrained, example of their take on post-punk in the modern age. A heady group, each member of Squid is a multi-instrumentalist, with influences ranging from baroque paintings to ancient burial chambers to obscure 90s post-rock. Sonically, the album is laced with angular melodies and subtle rhythms, but still features the explosions of energy which catapulted Squid to the forefront of the UK punk scene.

7. The Loveliest Time – Carly Rae Jepson

Dance-Pop

The Loveliest Time is one of those albums that showcases the sophistication of the pop music industry, with an enormous list of musicians, engineers and mixing personnel working together to create a collection of extremely polished and vibrant songs. Jepsen conceived this work as a companion piece to 2022’s The Loneliest Time, but it is more than a collection of B-Sides from those recording sessions. Whereas the preceding effort focused on themes of solitude inspired by lockdown, The Loveliest Time is about coming out of that time and reentering the world. “I want it to feel like growth and sound like celebration,” she says in an interview with Rolling Stone, but also notes there is an undercurrent of yearning to meet a new partner. The resulting songs are upbeat and catchy with bright background subtleties – a jangly guitar treated with reverb and delay persists behind the beat in “Psychedelic Switch,” an ethereal saxophone hides in the outro of “So Right.” One notable exception to the danceability is “Kollage,” a sensual groove with decidedly atmospheric layers of keys that turns out to be a major highlight of the album.

6. Lahai – Sampha

Alternative R&B

Despite not having released an album since his debut Process in 2017, Sampha has accumulated an impressive resume of collaboration having appeared on works by Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Travis Scott, and Solange, among others. Now, 2023 brings the second album in his discography Lahai, which displays not only Sampha’s extraordinary voice but also his talent for intricate drum programming. In additional to lyrical themes of time which tie the songs together, there is also a compositional theme of blending live and electronic instruments so as to make them indistinguishable. For example, the fast high hat and clustered kick drum work on “Suspended” one might associate with trap production is in fact provided by jazz musician Kwake Bass; Morgan Simpson of black midi contributes the quiet groove of “Jonathan L. Seagull.” By contrast, the snappy drums of “Spirit 2.0” are apparently Sampha’s own delicate programming. This song also contains a reference to the 1970 novella Jonathan Livingston Seagull, an allegorical tale of self-realization, in one of my favorite musical moments of the year: the third verse, where Sampha synthetically duets himself, splitting each line into a rapid-fire delivery and a softly-spoken punctuation.

5. DATA – Tainy

Reggaeton

Rarely is there an album that changes my perception of a genre at large, but when DATA clicked for me this year it opened the door to the rest of the modern reggaeton scene. Although it is the first solo album from Puerto Rican producer Tainy, this is by no means an amateur effort as he has already cemented himself as the preeminent Latin producer most notably through his chart-topping collaborations with Bad Bunny and J Balvin. Rather, the debut serves as a launchpad for Tainy to push the boundaries of reggaeton. Each song brings a unique approach as a different guest is featured on every track, but Tainy’s own work on production remains the most forward thinking component of the album. Take “MOJABI GHOST,” which eschews the traditional reggaeton rhythm for the kind of driving beat one would expect from four-on-the-floor electronica, or “Sci-Fi,” a song that keeps the dembow rhythm but borders on psychedelic pop through the inclusion of dreamy synthesizers. The inevitable classic status DATA deserves is cemented by the late inclusion of “COLMILLO,” a multi-part track that meanders through production styles before landing at the expected reggaeton groove in an impressive display of creative flexibility.

4. After the Night [Live] – Parannoul

Shoegaze

Parannoul followed up their 2021 debut To See the Next Part of the Dream with the studio record After the Magic this year, but it was the live release After the Night that really made waves. Both albums from 2023 open with a version of “Polaris,” and while the studio version shimmers with hyperreal clarity, the live take by contrast rips through the venue with the jagged edge of a saw blade. The dense, noisy, and raw lo-fi aesthetic that was so meticulously crafted on the first album is translated to the stage perfectly by Digital Dawn, a collective of Korean musicians who helped Parannoul (who writes, records, and produces solo) bring his music to a live setting. In an extraordinary display of confidence, After the Night captures Parannoul’s first ever concert(!), and for a set of entirely new material the band is exceptionally tight. Still, the most astonishing feat here is the epic rendition of “Into the Endless Night,” which clocks in at a mind-boggling 46 minutes to close the show in a cinematic transcendental experience.

3. Space Heavy – King Krule

Indie Rock

When Space Heavy dropped, it immediately resonated with me and sent me digging through King Krule’s back catalogue. I couldn’t call myself much of a fan of theirs before, and all of a sudden “Dum Surfer” from 2017’s The OOZ became one of my most played songs. I will contend, however, that Space Heavy is their most complete album to date. An unrepentantly mellow affair, the album quietly builds a gloomy atmosphere that hangs around like a haze song after song. Dim but not dark, the vibe is consistently construed by downtempo drums, chorus-warbled guitar chords, a vagrant saxophone, and of course Archy Marshall’s immediately recognizable voice. Certain songs show sparks of energy, such as “From the Swamp” or the jarring “Pink Shell,” but these serve to further highlight the moments where the music is truly at its best: a supremely serene calm, best exemplified by “Seaforth” fading out to the sound of waves and seagulls.

2. Ooh Rap I Ya – George Clanton

Neo-Psychedelia

Lush, bombastic, and psychedelic, George Clanton’s latest solo effort sees the multi-talented singer/songwriter/producer/performer straying from the synth-pop stylings of 2018’s Slide for an even more idiosyncratic blend of nostalgia pop. Alternative dance still provides a foundation for the music, and his distinct ability to build pillowy layers of synths remains unparalleled; not content to simply repeat past successes, Ooh Rap I Ya incorporates more varied instrumentation and greater emphasis on rhythmic elements when compared to previous albums. The drums in the lead single “Justify Your Life” sound heavy and close, while “I Been Young” introduces a scratchy wah-wah guitar to swing the groove in the chorus. The album proceeds as a hypnagogic odyssey, with airy, nearly ambient passages interspersing the more upbeat 90s-dance inspired sections.

1. Maps – billy woods & Kenny Segal

Jazz Rap

Both Kenny Segal and Billy Woods had prolific years, with each releasing more than one album along with earning a handful of feature credits, but Maps find both producer and emcee at the top of their games. Their second collaboration, this more recent work sees a refinement of the mature, gritty sound crafted on 2019’s Hiding Places with more accessible jazzy instrumentation and catchier hooks. The pairing seems to bring out the best between them, as each pushes the other creatively while tempering their most uneven edges. It’s impossible not to draw parallels to other jazz rap duo projects like Madvillainy (2004), and comparisons come favorably. Maps is full of novel ideas, from Woods’ torrent of clever wordplay weaving together detailed vignettes of a sordid lifestyle, humorous accounts of foiling FBI foes, and poignant observations of relational and societal woes; to Segal’s intricate and varied choices when crafting the atmosphere. None of the beats are simple loops, but are ever-shifting and ornately decorated with various melodic flourishes and rhythmic elements. Even the features are tied in perfectly, such as Samuel T. Herring’s beautiful chorus in “FaceTime,” or Aesop Rock’s verse on “Waiting Around” that rivals any other bars on the album for acuity and verbosity. For me, Maps is infinitely listenable, bringing a vibe that is relaxed, melancholy, witty, colorful, and rewards revisiting and actively listening.