My Favorite 200 Albums of 2023
Playlist Included
Here are my Top 200 favorite albums of 2023. I have whittled out a couple hundred other albums, but some of the songs off those that didn’t make the list are on the playlist. You can find the 2023 playlist here. The playlist is in no order and I would recommend just putting it on random.
It was another strong year for albums, though not as strong as I felt like we were three and four years ago. I found myself really falling back into synth based music more than I have in recent years. It helps there there is a lot of it coming out right now that is genuine and interesting not just carbon copies of past music. I was very happy that some of my favorite artists from the past came back with great albums of relevant music such as Depeche Mode, Blur, Martin Zellar, Slowdive, Peter Gabriel and Graham Parker. A lot of artists don’t find that spark in their later years, but the ones that do-typically drive it home with their mix of inspiration and experience. Just an FYI-I don’t included area bands from Omaha and Lincoln on the list-as I don’t like to make some feel excluded.
I hope this helps you discover some new music. Soon-the weekly album thoughts and lists will start popping up again on this blog. So if this is your first time here-you can subscribe and not have to rely on social media to tell you when posts are live. Cheers! MarQ
Nation of Language – Strange Disciple
Depeche Mode-Memento Mori
Bully – Lucky For You
ANOHNI and the Johnsons – My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross
Blondshell – Blondshell
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit – Weathervanes
Blur-Ballad of Darren
Ratboys-The Window
Deeper – Careful!
Oddisee – To What End
Lydia Loveless –Nothings Going To Stand In My Way Again
Margo Cilker – Valley of Heart’s Delight
Birdy – Portraits
Braids – Euphoric Recall
Slowdive – everything is alive
Peter Gabriel-I/O
Leila Moss – Internal Working Model
abracadabra – shapes & colors
Grian Chatten – Chaos For The Fly
Yuseff Dayes-Black Classical Music
Tyler Childers – Rustin’ in the Rain
Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
Martin Zellar-Head West
McKinley Dixon – Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!
Annie Hart – The Weight of a Wave
NoName-Sundial
The Reds, Pinks & Purples-The Town That Cursed Your Name
Miley Cyrus-Endless Summer Vacation
Samia – Honey
Kate Davis – Fish Bowl
Hotline TNT: Cartwheel
Wednesday – Rat Saw God
Meagre Martin-Gut Punch
Indigo De Souza – All of This Will End
Bleach Lab-Lost In A Rush Of Emptiness
The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Bauhaus Staircase
Billy Nomates – CACTI
Jennifer Touch – Midnight Proposals
Not Scientists - Staring At The Sun
Cindy Wilson-Realms
The Murder Capital – Gigi’s Recovery
Ruen Brothers – Ten Paces
Margo Price – Strays
Chappell Roan – The Rise and Fall of
Jenny Lewis – Joy’All
boygenius – the record
Sigur Ros-Atta
Jaymie Wyatt-Feel Good
Say She She – Silver
Butcher Brown – Solar Music
M(h)aol –Attachment Styles
Sunny War – Anarchist Gospel
Yves Tumor – Praise A Lord Who Chews. But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply: Hot Between Worlds)
Meshell Ndegeocello-The Omnichord Real Book
Jenny Owen Young – Avalanche
G Flip – Drummer
Miss Grit – Follow the Cyborg
Ailbhe Reddy – Endless Affair
Frankie Rose – Love As Projection
Asia Menor-Enola Gay
Graham Parker-Last Chance To Learn The Twist
Gracie Abrams – Good Riddance
Teenage Sequence – Teenage Sequence
The Go! Team – Get Up Sequences Part Two
Mary Lattimore – Goodbye, Hotel Arkada
The Academic-Sitting Pretty
Madeline Kenney – A New Reality Mind a
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Council Skies
Wilco – Cousin
Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy
Model/Actriz – Dogsbody
Screaming Females – Desire Pathway
Hotel Lux-Hands Across The Creek
Iris Dement-Working On The World
Jason Hawk Harris-Thin Line
M83 – Fantasy
Lucinda Williams-Stories From A Rock & Roll Heart
The Church – The Hypnogogue
Jungle – Volcano
The New Pornographers – Continue as a Guest
Drayton Farley – Twenty on High
L’Rain: I Killed Your Dog
Kristin Hersh – Clear
Squid – O Monolith
mazie – blotter baby
Sextile – Push
Rozi Plain – PRIZE
Orbital – Optical Delusion
Aesop Rock-Integrated Tech Solutions
Jouska – Suddenly My Mind is Blank
IAN SWEET – Sucker
Sparks – The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte
Ben Folds-What Matters Most
Parker Millsap – Wilderness Within You
Inhaler – Cuts & Bruises
Angie McMahon – Light, Dark, Light Again
U.S. Girls – Bless This Mess
Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS
Belle and Sebastian
Andre 3000-New Blue Sun
Protomartyr – Formal Growth in the Desert
Caroline Rose – The Art of Forgetting
Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
Margret Glaspy-Echo The Diamond
Ilsey – From the Valley
The Mountain Goats: Jenny from The
Pale Blue Eyes-This House
IST IST – Protagonists
Rolling Stones-Hackney Diamond
Gina Birch – I Play My Bass Loud
Home Front - Games Of Power (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)
The Men – New York City
Fran – Leaviing
Golden Apples – Bananasugarfire
Public Body – Big Mess
Object of Affection – Field of Appearances
Nourished By Time: Erotic Probiotic
Eddie Chacon – Sundown
Cautious Clay-Karpeh
Slow Pulp – Yard
ill peach – THIS IS NOT AN EXIT
Quinine-Flounder
The Hold Steady – The Price of Progress
Czarface-CZARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Liv.E-Girl in the Half Pearl
Pretenders-Relentless
Yo La Tengo – This Stupid World
Cherry Glazerr – I Don’t Want You Anymore
Spiritual Cramp – Spiritual Cramp
Janelle Monaé – The Age of Pleasure
Sir Chloe – I Am the Dog
feeble little horse: Girl With Fish
Black Pumas – Chronicles of a Diamond
Squirrel Flower: Tomorrow’s Fire
Daniel Donato – Reflector
Allison Russell – The Returner
Kassa Overall – Animals
Jobi Riccio – Whiplash
Gorillaz – Cracker Island
Courtney Barnett – End of the Day a
Jolie Holland – Haunted Mountain-
Tirzah-Trip9love
Black Belt Eagle Scout – The Land, The Water, The Sky
Allegra Kreiger – I Keep My Feet on The Fragile Plane
Between Friends – I Love My Girl, She’s My Boy
Kid Fears – Undying Love
Kendra Morris – I Am What I’m Waiting
Kelela: Raven
Rett Madison – One for Jackie
Haley Blais – Wisecrack
Claire Rosinkranz – Just Because
Rachel Baiman – Common Nation of Sorrow
Avalon Emerson-& the Charm
Al Menne – Freak Accident
Madness-C’set La Vie
Juniper-She Steals Candy
Durand Jones – Wait Til I Get Over
Osees – Intercepted Message
Public Image Ltd. – End of World
Lol Tolhurst/Budgie/Jacknife Lee-Los Angeles
Kali Uchis-Red Moon In Venus
Moby-Ambient
Ashnikko – Weedkiller
Dave Rowntree- Radio Songs
Laura Veirs-Phone Orphans
Georgia-Euphoric
Buck Meek – Haunted Mountain
Iggy Pop – Every Loser
Lewsberg – Out and About
Josh Ritter – Spectral Lines
Ghost of Vroom – Ghost of Vroom 3
Tanya Tucker– Sweet Western Sound
Q – Soul,PRESENT
Afternoon Bike Ride-Glossover
Jenny O. – Spectra
Pearla – Oh Glistening Onion, The Nighttime Is Coming
Luluc – Diamonds
Alaskan Tapes – Who Tends a Garden
Baxter Dury-I Thought I Was Better Than You
Siv Jakobsen – Gardening
Sarah Jane Scouten – Turned to Gold
The Lemon Twigs – Everything Harmony
Brandy Clark – Brandy Clark
Hello Mary – Hello Mary 1
Quasi – Breaking the Balls of History
Glosser – Downer
Joell Ortiz and L’Orange – Signature
William Eggleston – Empty Country
Dream Wife-Social Lubrication
Fenne Lily – Big Picture
JW Francis -Dream House
Dot Allison – Consciousology
Birthh – Moonlanded
Daily Bread-Invisible Cinema
Samantha Urbani – Showing Up
Jess Williamson: Time Ain’t Accidental
H31R-Headspace
Larry June and the Alchemist, ‘The Great Escape’a
Lonnie Holley – Oh Me Oh My