The best albums of 2023 (so far)
Janelle Monáe, Lana Del Rey, boygenius, and Yo La Tengo are just some of our favorite offerings from the first half of the year
Music Lists Albums
Album covers (clockwise from top left): Lana Del Rey: Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (Interscope); Janelle Monae: The Age Of Pleasure (Atlantic Records); Kali Uchis: Red Moon In Venus (Geffen); boygenius: the record (Interscope); 100 gecs: 10,000 gecs (Atlantic Records); Jessie Ware: That! Feels Good! (Interscope) Graphic: Karl Gustafson
We’re officially halfway through the year, which means it’s time to take stock of all the new music we’ve listened to and loved in 2023 so far. We’ve gotten big drops from Lana Del Rey and boygenius, nonstop pleasure parties from Janelle Monáe and Jessie Ware, new transmissions from rap iconoclasts like billy woods, Danny Brown, and JPEGMAFIA, experimental pop whirlwinds from 100 gecs, Caroline Polachek, and Water From Your Eyes, and a whole lot more. Consider this rundown, with artists listed in alphabetical order, a hefty gauntlet thrown down for the year’s second half.
42 Comments
The most notable omission from this list for me is the Blondshell album, which is still in my heavy rotation.
I loved Chairlift but haven’t clicked with Caroline Polachek’s solo stuff until this album. It’s the perfect level of Weird Caroline and catchy as hell. KEXP just put up the 3 song live set she did and the songs sound so great live.
Shame – Food For WormsScreaming Females – Desire PathwayKate Davis – Fish BowlThe Murder Capital – Gigi’s Recovery
y la bamba and dina ogon put out albums this year that were fantastic as well.
Fingals’s Lament by Miranda Parsley and the Sage ProjKt is worth a spin. It’s vinyl only.
I will admit, I had no interest in scrolling this list (or clicking it), but I wanted to shout out the just-released Jason Isbell album which is lovely.
100% agree.
Agreed. And is it just me or does Isbell feel like Misty without the posturing schtick? (And I say that having loved his first three albums.)
Interesting. I never would have thought to compare them. But if I were to, I think I’d agree with you. Isbell is sincere while Misty is buried under a pile of irony and affectation.
Agree. Seems a lot of critics are sleeping on this album. Not sure how anyone can hear a song like “Cast Iron Skillet” and not think that they are listening to an album of the year contender
That one has been on repeat for me! But I think ‘Death Wish’, ‘Save the World’, and ‘Middle of the Mornin’” are all amazing too.
This list is fucking dire.
Here’s some quality 2023 albums:Depeche Mode – Memento Mori
Mareux – Lovers From the Past
VNV Nation – Electric Sun
No love for 72 Seasons by Metallica? For shame!
Loved U2’s Songs of Surrender. It’s a great listen and helped me get into some of their tracks that I hadn’t listened to, either at all or not for many years.
There’s a certain catharsis in listening to my favorite band in the world sputtering to a final destination.
I can’t really argue too much with the selection. The truly important question: will Palehound’s Eye On The Bat and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation make the list for the second half of the year?
I definitely put a vote in for Gizzard. And Sleep Token – Take Me Back To Eden
Cool list. I was curious what virgins listen to.
What are your fave albums? I’d love to know what a date rapist listens to.
What an almost entirely bland-as-fuck uninspired list of new albums. This is exactly the kind of generic list that tells me that the old AVClub is really dead.
It seems pretty condescending, very “that’ll do” rather than guided by any kind of passion for music.
It seems like most of “best albums of the year so far” on here are by female artists (not sure how everyone identifies), which is pretty cool. However, I don’t like many of them (uninspired or just not standing out for me). I kind of like Geks tho lol
FYI:
The Dr Emilio Lizardo
(account: paging-doctor-parody)
imposter account posting here in this
thread is NOT the
long-established account user known in the Giz
family.
The
shriveled-soul
imposter has several accounts being used
to harass Kinja users, by
posting sexist, racist and other
vileness here , but primarily on The
Root and on Jezebel, trying to
discredit the actual, long-established
account users.If the real Dr Emilio does post here, it’ll be account: dremiliolizardo and won’t be racist.And it appears that the impersonator is sad about being called out.
There’s a simple solution to being called out for using an imposter account.
Stop
impersonating someone that does not actually say the vile things that
you say. Stop stealing someone else’s identity in order to push slime,
hatred and vileness.
It’s very simple.AVClub staff, I don’t know why this user insists on impersonating the real Dr Emilio and trying to trick users that aren’t really familiar with him into thinking that Dr Emilio is virulently racist and hateful. I’m not sure what tools you might have at your discretion with which to address the troll tactic of imposter accounts?
You don’t really notice the slow passage of time until you look at a list like this and only recognize one of the artists (Lana Del Rey for me). I refuse to believe the rest are real artists, lest I have to admit I am old and out of touch.
Yo La Tengo started in 1984 and are not particularly obscure either, and Janelle Monae released her first album in 2010 a year before LDR and is pretty much up there notoriety-wise especially after launching a successful acting career in the mid-10’s, so you’re not so much showing your age as your lack of genuine interest in pop culture!
They could honestly say “And here’s Fee Fi Fo Fum and his whole crew” and I’d probably go, “Err, yup, sounds good”
I’m honestly shocked Janelle Monáe isn’t another one, especially for anyone who has spent time on this site. She’s pretty famous these days and has been making a name for herself as an actor (she was really good in Hidden Figures and Knives Out.But for most of the rest, yeah. I guess I have to start watching CBS procedurals now.
Chairlift was around forever also, and had an iPod commercial like a decade ago…and ummm Yo La Tengo ain’t no spring chickens
Where’s Sleep Token – Take Me Back to Eden?
My favorite album this year by far is “Anochi” by GEZAN with Million Wish Collective. It’s a completely gonzo collaboration between 2 Japanese experimental bands. It’s so bonkers and joyous and unlike anything I’ve heard before.Other highlights so far:
July Talk – Remember Never Before
Sparks – The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte
The Murlocs – Calm Ya Farm
Califone – villagers
Sleaford Mods – UK Grim
MSPAINT – Post-American
Sleep Token’s “Take me back to Eden” should be on here.
I have heard of 17 of these bands! And I have like…three of these.
ohh to be young again and hip for once
Nice list! I missed some of those, like Jpegmafia’s. But it’s pretty much exclusively from artists from North America and Western Europe. Would have been great to see more geographic diversity there.
This entire list is trash!
Pop music isn’t made for me any longer. Nothing wrong with that.Agree on the YLT pick.Have to add Sparks – The Girl Is Crying In Her LatteThe Black Watch – Future Strangers
Not only is there not a shred of anything new or improved in any of this rehashed nonsense, but if Lana Del Fing Rey is the best of anything for any period of time, you know you’re in the dark ages. Her entire career was launched as purposeful poseur. This selection is baaaaaaaad.
MissingKiller Mike – MichaelEverything But the Girl – FuseThe National – First Two Pages…..Death Valley Girls – Islands in the SkyFenne Lily – Big PictureNew Pornographers – Continue As A GuestBlack Country, New Road – Live at Bush HallBelle & Sebastian – Late DevelopersRunner – Like Dying Stars, We’re Reaching Out
If these are the best albums of the year so far, music is fucking doomed. To be clear, anyone who likes most of what’s on here doesn’t have bad taste. They just have no taste, period.
your list?
It’s all chicks and two black thugs. What kind of list is that?
Jenny Lewis anyone?
Pretty middling year so far, other than boygenius. I’ve mostly been listening to a lot of Can, Flying Lotus, and Stereolab. I’m not even super excited about the next 10 King Gizz albums from this year or Alan Palomo releasing an album “solo” instead of as Neon Indian…musical ennui, taking suggestions.Also the name Valentine Caulfield Francophone makes me want to barf…and I like Elephant 6 so that’s saying a lot.