50. Teezo Touchdown - How Do You Sleep At Night?
Review
Teezo’s debut album was easily one of the most divisive albums of 2023. It’s supposed to be a genre that Teezo coined called rock & boom; which is a combination of rock, R&B, and boom-bap. Personally, I loved how fun this album is! Most of this comes from Teezo himself, which is easily the best part of the album. His vocal performances are some of the best I’ve heard all year! There is so much character in his vocals, along with it being a genuinely good singing voice. You could easily pick his voice out of a lineup, which is not easy to say for the majority of singers out there. Even though the rock elements on here are far from innovative, I do enjoy them and think they mesh with Teezo’s voice really well. Hopefully Teezo can continue to use his magical voice for more awesome music!
Favorite Moment: Everything about the track “Neighborhood”
Selling Point: One of music’s most unique voices finally puts out his debut album
49. Parannoul - After The Magic
Review
Gotta love some emo Korean shoegaze music made by an anonymous person. After The Magic came out in the first month of the year, but still, no one has been able to create a project that sounds quite like this. This album is characterized with hazy guitars and vocals that have a heavy layer of reverb. These songs often go through a significant change, such as the 7-and-a-half minute mammoth of a track that is “Arrival”. It starts off with heavy chords and forefront drums that drive the track. After the 3-minute mark, the entire thing slowly blossoms into a whirlwind of sound! It keeps elevating to the point where it sounds normal and you lose yourself in the music, trying to pick out each little detail. This is one of only a few moments like it on this project. After The Magic is a unique album with a familiar feeling.
Favorite Moment: The second half of “Arrival”
Selling Point: Emo Korean Shoegaze
48. James Blake - Playing Robots Into Heaven
Review
James Blake doesn’t miss with his albums, no matter what sound he’s trying. This time, he opted for a full album of club-oriented dance tracks. Even with months of listening instead of weeks, I still prefer his former singer-songwriter material, but Playing Robots Into Heaven is still a great project! He doesn’t even sing on half of the songs, opting for looped samples and driving drums instead. It works really well on a song like the single “Big Hammer”, especially with how much progression goes on during the runtime of that song. We do get a bit of his singing over the dance tracks though, like on the anthems “Loading” and “Tell Me”. It may not be James’s best work, but it’s still a fantastic project that is worth your time!
Favorite Moment: The drop into the chorus on “Tell Me”
Selling Point: James Blake goes electronic after a decade of more singer-songwriter material
47. Deb Never - Thank You For Attending
Review
There’s still no official Deb Never full length album, but this EP is still in rotation and shows her using more avenues that she can explore in the future. Deb still has the minimalist pop ballads where she sounds beautiful, like on the song, “Open Season”. A song like “Momentary Sweetheart” and “Paper Houses” start fairly small, but build nicely to a satisfying ending. The most unique songs on here are what makes me the most excited for her future music. “Mania & Bliss” shows Deb trying her hand at autotune, to some success, whereas “5 O’Clock” is more upbeat than anything Deb has done before. Sure, this project might not be a good introduction for Deb’s music, but make sure to keep an eye out for her album, hopefully coming out next year.
Favorite Moment: The chorus of “Momentary Sweetheart”
Selling Point: An artist in the makings who has the potential to make something special
46. Slauson Malone 1 - Excelsior
Review
This had to be on here just for how unique it is. Everytime I listen to this, I’m in awe of how he was able to create it. Excelsior really does defy any genre label you could throw at it. There are moments that are filled with synths, and others that are just him and a guitar. Some moments are just ambient soundscapes, whereas others feel like barely controlled chaos. It’s an album that is hard to even pick out moments to recommend. Even now, I can’t tell you how almost anything on here sounds outside of the album’s context. Everything in the album reinforces each other. These songs would destroy just about any playlist you put them into. It really is that unique that it would be hard for it to even fit into most playlists. It’s moments like these that I love in music though. It’s challenging, and rewarding, to find an artist like this who is able to create something unique in an art form that feels like everything has been done before.
Favorite Moment: The overall feeling and uniqueness of this album
Selling Point: Something you’ve never heard before
45. PinkPantheress - Heaven Knows
Review
We finally got the debut album from PinkPantheress this year, and it did live up to the hype! There are plenty of bops on here that are still in the style of her trademark Y2K throwback vibes. She adds on quite a few other talented people to help make this album, most of which add a good amount to their respective songs! People like Mura Masa, BNYX, Greg Kurstin, Sam Gellairty, Danny L Harle help on the production here. It’s especially cool on a song like “Feelings” which has two primarily hip-hop producers, BNYX and F1lthy, making an introspective pop track with someone like PinkPantheress. No other current day pop artist would do something unique like that. PinkPantheress has once again proven herself to be a talented writer, so much so that apparently she wants to write for other people. It may not reinvent the wheel for her, but it’s still an awesome start to her career.
Favorite Moment: The overall feeling of the Y2K throwback
Selling Point: One of pop’s best young artists
44. ICECOLDBISHOP - Generational Curses
Review
This project may have slightly fallen out of my rotation over the year, but Generational Curses is still a fantastic debut album! ICECOLDBISHOP has been featured on songs with rappers such as Boldy James, Ab-Soul, and more, but had yet to produce a full length project. Generational Curses is the latest in hip-hop concept albums from the west coast. He’s clearly indebted to Kendrick Lamar, especially with the skits on here, but he still has his own sound. It’s a combination of G-Funk mixed with modern day trap stylings. It sounds futuristic, but is rooted in sounds from the past. ICECOLDBISHOP blends sonically pleasing flows and concept-heavy lyrics beautifully on here, especially considering this is his debut album. Generational Curses is a great start from a fantastic new artist!
Favorite Moment: The production on “The Gov’t Gave Us Guns”
Selling Point: An easily enjoyable west coast hip-hop concept album
43. Janelle Monae - The Age of Pleasure
Review
I said it in my original review and I’ll say it again here, this is definitely the worst of Janelle’s four studio albums. But, the worst of their albums is still pretty good compared to the overall landscape of music. The Age of Pleasure is easily their most straightforward, but arguably most fun project so far. The entire thing sounds like a beach party with your friends. Sonically, she does this by adding a lot more afrobeat influence and horns from Seun Kuti and Egypt 80. Even with it being a lighthearted project, Janelle still made sure there were still lots of details all hammered out. For example, the transitions throughout the album are perfect, my personal favorite being the transition between “Phenomenal” and “Haute”. Even if it’s their worst album, it’s still worth a listen.
Favorite Moment: The horns on “Champagne Shit”
Selling Point: A party album with lots of details made by an amazing artist
42. Knower - Knower Forever
Review
Knower is a duo between jazz-experimentalist Louis Cole and pop-singer Genevive Artadi. Together, they get the best out of each other into a unique blend of exhilarating jazz-funk! It’s also worth noting that this is their first album together in seven years, so fans have been waiting for this for a while. Thankfully, they came through with flying colors! Louis Cole’s drumming and production overall definitely dominates the atmosphere here, but it wouldn’t be near as enjoyable with someone else singing. Genevive’s vocals are airy and sometimes Disney-like, which adds this feeling of lightheartedness to the project. It’s not like the songs take themselves all that seriously though. Songs like, “Do Hot Girls Like Chords” and “Ride That Dolphin” clearly are all about having fun, and Genevive’s voice fits that way better than Louis’s can. Overall, it’s a fun project from a great duo that’s been in rotation the last few months.
Favorite Moment: The instrumental solos towards the end of “It’s All Nothing Until It’s Everything”
Selling Point: A wild ride through catchy jazz-funk
41. Hannah Diamond - Perfect Picture
Review
This isn’t something that I usually enjoy, but I can’t help it when the album is so good! Perfect Picture is a pure electro-pop album that comes from PC Music’s own Hannah Diamond. I’ve seen people call this hyperpop since it comes from that label, but nothing on the project feels very hyper. Everything is drenched in glittery effects and computer references that make this feel like a technological paradise. If Barbie Land was a part of the Wreck-It Ralph franchise, this would be the perfect soundtrack. The choruses are infectious, the production from Hannah herself and David Gamson is absolutely perfect for this type of music, and the subject matter of her being a computerized popstar is both intriguing and weirdly relatable. If you like pop music and you haven’t heard this album yet, you’re missing out.
Favorite Moment: The chorus on “Affirmations”
Selling Point: A perfect, joyful electro-pop album
40. Buffalo Nichols - The Fatalist
Review
Buffalo Nichols upgraded everything about his debut project for this sophomore release! The songwriting is tighter, but also leaves more room for interpretation. His vocals are deeper and more demanding in the mix compared to the previous album. But the most important difference is that he adds more genres and pieces of technology this time. The debut album felt like a pure blues album that could’ve been made at any point in the last 100 years. That’s part of the appeal for some people, but on The Fatalist, he adds in everything from drum machines to warped samples. Take the lead single, “You’re Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond,” for example. The song is a blues classic that dates back nearly a century, but this version that Nichols does is full of gospel and vocal samples and a drum machine. There are some tracks on here that will please blues purists, but Nichols is focused more on the future of the genre than pleasing these purists.
Favorite Moment: His deep vocals on the title track
Selling Point: A look at what blues music could be
39. Frost Children - Hearth Room
Review
What would happen when a weird electronic duo tried to create an alternative rock album? As it turns out, Hearth Room is the duo’s best album so far! Something about their more electronic music was extremely hit or miss, but Hearth Room shows them having a consistent level of quality no matter what style of alternative music they are attempting. So sure, maybe there aren’t any incredible highs like their other projects, but the full project here is extremely satisfying. They explore the full breadth alternative rock soundscape though, varying from guitar heavy anthems like the song, “Stare At The Sun” to spoken word on the track, “Bob Dylan”. There are even tracks on here that sound like they could be hits, like the tracks, “Frost Park” and “Not My Fault”. Frost Children is just another example of artists who were formally hyperpop forebearers proving that they are not one trick ponies.
Favorite Moment: The explosion of guitars towards the end of “Stare At The Sun”
Selling Point: Another former hyperpop group takes on a new genre to great success
38. Terrace Martin & Alex Isley - I Left My Heart In Ladera
Review
Terrace Martin absolutely dominated this year! He was a part of 8 albums that were released in 2023, three of which made it onto my list. There were at least a couple more that barely missed my top 50, but I also didn’t want the entire thing to just be his music. This time, the project with LA-based R&B artist Alex Isley is a beautiful project from two incredibly talented artists. Terrace’s production matches the smoothness of Alex’s voice nicely. Everything on here is extremely smooth and funk-oriented. When talking about Alex, Terrace puts her up there with Kendrick Lamar, Herbie Hancock, and Snoop Dogg as the only artists that have challenged him to be better at his craft. It’s a bold claim that I’m not sure if the album quite lives up to, but it’s still a beautiful, fun R&B project.
Favorite Moment: The little groove for “2 Step In The Living Room”
Selling Point: A wonderful west-coast R&B album
37. George Clanton - Ooh Rap I Ya
Review
This one is just an album full of psych-rock bangers. Sure, most of it does sound fairly similar and yeah, it’s hard to hear his vocals most of the time, and absolutely, the album title is the dumbest title I’ve heard all year, but the entire project is so much fun that none of that matters. Ooh Rap I Ya feels like a hazy, sunny, summer day while hanging out with friends when you’re all just chilling and not doing anything. There are some deeper layers to a few of the songs, like the singles, “I Been Young” and “F.U.M.L.”, but none of them get that deep that it pulls you out of the lighthearted listening experience. This is a project that was made generally for younger people who grew up with vaporwave, but I do think that you could play many songs from this project around many different types of people and they would enjoy it.
Favorite Moment: The transition to the chorus of “Justify Your Life”
Selling Point: A fantastic psych-rock album to dissociate with friends too
36. Jane Remover - Census Designated
Review
This is not an album to be listened to in the background. Even with the average song being six minutes long, it still demands attention as a full project. This is full of emotional, experimental, and modern rock music that shows Jane trying out her most mature sound yet. Songs like “Video” and “Idling Everywhere” have some of the best musical climaxes of the year so far, whereas the title track is full of noise rock experimentation that is unlike anything else out there. There are also songs on here that are minimal and drumless, like the opening track. And sure, there are a couple tracks that pale in comparison to the best tracks on here, but it shows that Jane Remover is talented enough to make incredible, mind-bending songs in any genre.
Favorite Moment: The final climax of “Video”
Selling Point: Modern, experimental rock music with lots of emotion
35. Olivia Rodrigo - Guts
Review
I know Olivia Rodrigo is still one of the most popular names in music, but this album still feels like it went under the radar. Sure, the first week sales on this album were one of the biggest of the year, and her arena-sized tour sold out instantly, but I don’t see anyone talking about this album months later. Seeing people still gushing about Midnights, but not acknowledging how great everything is on here is weird to me. Olivia does everything from pop rock anthems to beautiful indie-pop ballads really well! She balances the immaturity of only being 20 years old with the maturity of a seasoned musician and songwriter. Heck, if the boygenius album wasn’t also in the nominations, Guts would be right up there with SZA and Janelle Monae for the albums I’d be fine with to win Album of the Year at the Grammys this year!
Favorite Moment: The instrumental progression on “logical”
Selling Point: A fantastic pop album from a talented young artist
34. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation
Review
Let’s just start at the visuals here, this is easily one of the best album arts I’ve seen all year! Everything from the colors to the overall visuals of a dragon in a post-apocalyptic world is beautiful eye candy that fits the album perfectly. The album itself is full of heavy guitar riffs and instrumental jamming. It’s a thrash metal album that incorporates lots of extended instrumentals that really grab the ear. For example, the last two songs combine for 19 minutes of material, but each of them are two of the most replayable songs on the album. There are also catchy, anthemic choruses on tracks like “Supercell” and “Gila Monster” that balance out the more instrumental extended jams. There’s not much more, but it’s a chaotic thrash metal project from one of music’s most productive bands.
Favorite Moment: The chorus of “Gila Monster”
Selling Point: One of music’s most prolific bands is back with another thrash metal concept album about a dragon
33. Zach Bryan - Zach Bryan
Review
Zach Bryan might be the best thing to happen to country music in the last few years. After a decade of stadium country taking over the mainstream, there was little there to offset it, until now. Not only is Zach bringing back a better sound to country music, he’s also bringing other people to the genre. I’ve seen quite a few people who never post about country music posting about this album and how good it is. Heck, you could possibly put me into that lane as well, as I am far from the average country listener. The infusion of country music with hip-hop instrumentals has entirely turned me away from the new music of the genre. Hearing Zach bring in elements of folk and indie music to help make these songs feel timeless shows that no matter what people say about country music, there is still some good stuff out there.
Favorite Moment: The lyrics of “Tourniquet”
Selling Point: Timeless, quality country music with great writing
32. Sufjan Stevens - Javelin
Review
It’s genuinely awful that Sufjan has suffered so much loss in his life. This is his second album in the last decade of losing someone extremely close to him. The first one, Carrie & Lowel, is about losing his mother with whom he had a tumultuous relationship that was brought along by his mother’s mental illnesses. Javelin is about his lifelong partner passing away, which makes for an arguably more devastating listen since this love was free of conflict. As always, this is brought along with beautiful songwriting and instrumentals from Sufjan himself. The songwriting especially has always been his forte, and it is on here as well. There are plenty of songs on here that are among the most emotionally destroying of the year, so be warned.
Favorite Moment: The lyrics on “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?”
Selling Point: The most heartbreakingly-beautiful album you’ll hear all year
31. ISOxo - kidsgonemad!
Review
After working with some of the biggest names in the EDM industry, ISOxo finally got to release his debut album this year! This is one of the more easily repeatable projects of the sound from this year, in any genre. A big part of this is because it’s clear that ISOxo is talented in many different electronic styles. The album starts off with nonstop bangers that will rock any festival stage! This culminates in “dontstopme!” and “Moonspell”, both of which are up there with the best and hardest hitting electronic tracks of the year. What I didn’t expect from this album was ISOxo having more melodic, and even emotional, moments on the album. For example, this album ends with one of those songs, “growing pains”. It even shows ISOxo singing about how he knows he’ll make it one day. And with a start like kidsgonemad!, it sure seems like he will be!
Favorite Moment: The transition from “kidsgonemad!” into “dontstopme!”
Selling Point: A hard hitting album from someone who might be a future EDM headliner
30. Lil Yachty - Let’s Start Here
Review
Even after almost a year of being released, Let’s Start Here holds up! In fact, the majority of the tracks on here grew on me a little bit. Sure, the one-two punch of “Pretty” and “Failure” don’t do much more for me, but the rest of the album is fantastic! The choruses of tracks like “Drive Me Crazy” and “The Ride” are infectious, whereas a song like, “I’ve Officially Lost Vision” is a genuinely experimental psychedelic rock track that is unlike anyone else’s music. So even though there are plenty of tracks on here that have a heavy Pink Floyd influence, it’s not a complete copy of their music. No matter what you thought of Lil Yachty before this year, Let’s Start Here changes everything about his career and what he could accomplish in the future.
Favorite Moment: The chorus of “Drive Me Crazy”
Selling Point: An artists first foray into a psychedelic direction
29. Nas - Magic 3
Review
Six albums in, and Nas and Hit-Boy were still able to make magic with their final release together. While it is sad to see them go, knowing that this is the last time we might see someone like Nas for a while is always a treat. Nas is still finding new ways to talk about his life after all these decades of rapping. He still gets very personal, which was a surprise to see. It does feel a bit sonically similar to the other albums, but that’s bound to happen after six albums in three years. There’s not really much to say about this that hasn’t been said five times previously. If you like hip-hop, you’re missing out by not listening to this.
Favorite Moment: The subject matter of “No Tears”
Selling Point: One of the greatest rappers of all time still in rare form
28. Amaka - Oasis
Review
This EP was one of the biggest surprises of the year for me! I was never a big VanJess fan, but anything that Kaytranada is a part of, I need to hear it. Even though his project with Amine this year was slightly a disappointment, Oasis is everything that I wanted from that project! This project is full of afrobeat and dance inspired R&B that was perfect for the summertime. Kaytranada’s production is nothing innovative, but everything on here is extremely groovy! I don’t want to diminish Amaka’s vocals here though, she kills it! “Unfamiliar” feels straight out of a classic Janet Jackson record, whereas the song “Hold Tight” is a beautiful, but groovy track with awesome vocals from Amaka. At only 6 songs, the only complaint I can imagine anyone having this project is that it’s too short.
Favorite Moment: The transition into the chorus of “Hold Tight”
Selling Point: A short, sweet, groovy R&B project
27. Terrace Martin - Curly
Review
It’s been seven years since the last official Terrace Martin jazz album, so of course his newest and most jazz-inspired album was going to make my list! Out of the many projects he’s dropped this year, this one might be the most straightforward. It’s a bunch of really amazing jazz players playing a combination of originals and covers. The covers are all of songs that Terrace was originally involved with, but they’re each extended significantly here. All nine tracks are extremely smooth, but still contain solos and a hook for people to get stuck in their head. It’s a lovely album to have on while doing some work or needing some pleasant background noise, but there are enough details here to also intently listen to it and still be enamored!
Favorite Moment: The cover of the classic Kendrick Lamar track, “How Much A Dollar Cost”
Selling Point: Smooth, intricate jazz music from a powerhouse producer
26. Noname - Sundial
Review
Sure, this may not be up to Noname’s standard of flawless, gentle hip-hop projects, but it’s still a damn good release that beats most of the genre’s competitors this year! Her rapping on here might be the best of her career! Not necessarily from a lyrical perspective, but from a flow perspective. She has always had a spoken-word feeling to her music, but on Sundial, she transitions fully into a rapper. The subject matter on most of these songs is extremely fascinating whether it is Noname trying to support local businesses while still doing the best for herself on “Beauty Supply” or expanding on her feelings towards her white fanbase on “Balloons”. I understand why many people view Sundial as a disappointment, but I think it’s another great project from the wordsmith!
Favorite Moment: The flow she uses on “namesake”
Selling Point: A more straightforward and honest picture of Noname
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