2023: Top Albums Part 2

+ my 2023 playlists

It’s 2024! Happy New Year! I’m excited to share the rest of my favorite albums from 2023. I’ll be sharing a playlist with my 3 favorite songs from every album at the end of this post.

M83 - Fantasy 🌌

No other band takes me on quite the journey that M83 does. This is the first proper M83 record in seven years and it was well worth the wait. This record features background vocals from Kaela on many tracks, who joined the band during the tour supporting Junk in 2016. But she takes center stage on the stunning “Kool Nuit” which sounds unlike anything else on here. There’s familiar territory for Anthony Gonzalez all over this record - references a plenty to previous M83 albums that make this feel like the group’s final form. I picked up the pink marble vinyl from the M83 Bandcamp.

Favorite Moment:
The two minute build up to 5:03 on “Earth To Sea” feels like I’m launching into space. I get goosebumps every time I hear it.

2nd Favorite Moment:
Shortly after that first moment shouting “I Fucking Love It!!” which was even better live in concert

Favorite Tracks:

• Amnesia

• Earth To Sea

• Laura

Meernaa - So Far So Good 🕊️

When I first heard “On My Line” earlier this year, I was immediately drawn into the sophisticated pop style of Meernaa. I was anxiously awaiting this record & it delivered. With each track, Carly Bond delicately navigates the complexities of love, creating a cozy listening experience. "So Far So Good" reflects the uncertainty of what lies ahead but acknowledges the calm in the present moment. This is the signed pink vinyl from the Meernaa Bandcamp.

Favorite Moment:
The “Sometimes forget, remember” bridge at 02:31 of “So Far So Good”

Favorite Tracks:

• On My Line

• I Believe In You

• So Far So Good

Metric - Forementera II 🏝️

Twenty years have passed since Metric’s debut album and they still sound fresh. It was a complete surprise when they announced this sequel to Formentera which was released last year. This album dives into the dream pop realm, more so than any previous Metric album. They continue to fire on all cylinders - further cementing their place as one of my favorite bands. This is the marble blue vinyl from the Metric store.

Favorite Moment:
The dreamy last minute of “Who Would You Be For Me”

Favorite Tracks:

• Just The Once

• Days of Oblivion

• Who Would You Be For Me

Nation of Language - Strange Disciple 🌐

This band is 3 for 3 in making perfect synth-pop albums. We were treated to many singles from this album throughout the year including the quirky “Too Much, Enough” whose chorus always gets stuck in my head. The non-singles also delivered in a big way, making this my favorite synth-pop record of the year. This is the red and blue marble vinyl from Rough Trade.

Favorite Moment:
The aforementioned chorus of “Too Much, Enough”

Favorite Tracks:

• Weak In Your Light

• Spare Me the Decision

• Too Much, Enough

Paramore - This Is Why 🏠

After six years away (that gave us some excellent solo records from Hayley Williams) we were treated to the return of Paramore with their sixth studio album. It’s possible that I heard the title track more than any other song this year, because my kids are obsessed with it. They continue to evolve their sound with each record and we’re all lucky to have them. This is the green vinyl from the Paramore store.

Favorite Moment:
The chorus of “Crave” - perfection.

Favorite Tracks:

• You First

• Figure 8

• Crave

PÆRISH - You’re in both dreams (and you’re scared) 🐠

The album’s title immediately caught my attention, as it’s taken from the iconic diner scene in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. From the first listen, it became clear that this would be one of my top rock records of the year. With heavy riffs interspersed within a dreamy landscape, PÆRISH creates a world that’s both intense and ethereal.
The cotton candy splash color vinyl adds a visually captivating element to the overall listening experience, mirroring the album’s dynamic blend of sounds. This is the cotton candy splash vinyl from Side One Dummy.

Favorite Moment:
All four minutes and 24 seconds of the dreamy “The Luck You Had”

Favorite Tracks:

• Still There

• The Luck You Had

• Houses of American Style

PONY - Velveteen 🐇

Bursting with irresistible pop rock hooks and genuine emotions, the duo of Sam Bielanski and Matty Morand have crafted a collection of songs that feel simultaneously fresh and nostalgic. If you dig 90s and 2000s bands like Rilo Kiley, Weezer & Paramore, you’ll dig this. And they sounds even better on this Blue Jay + Light Blue vinyl from their Bandcamp page. I was lucky to speak with them about this record at length earlier this year. Check out the episode below:

Favorite Moment:
When the guitar solo bursts in during “Who’s Calling”

Favorite Tracks:

• Who’s Calling

• Sick

• Peach

Pure Bathing Culture - Chalice 🍷

This is the follow up to 2019’s incredible Night Pass. Sarah Versprille and Daniel Hindman have created another dreamy world within Chalice. Many of these songs would fit right in on my favorite 90s compilation Pure Moods. A few months prior to this release, they also released an incredible EP of songs that aren’t on this album: Roxi’s Dream Part 1. I can’t wait for Part 2 and anything else this underrated duo creates next. The Chalice black vinyl is available on their Bandcamp page.

Favorite Moment:
The “Fly Away” bridge at 02:04 on “The Fountain”

Favorite Tracks:

• The New World

• The Fountain

• The Chalice

Ratboys - The Window 🪟

With help from producer Chris Walla (formerly of Death Cab For Cutie), Ratboys have made their best record yet. They dip their toes into a variety of genres, while centering around an indie roots-y sound. The story behind the title track hits hard, as it was about singer Julia Steiner’s Grandpa who had to watch her Grandma pass away through The Window due to the COVID restrictions back in 2020. It’s the most touching lyrics you’ll hear this year. This is the morning blue vinyl from their Bandcamp page.

Favorite Moment:
The “ooh” in the chorus of Crossed That Line

Favorite Tracks:

• Morning Zoo

• The Window

• Crossed That Line

Romy - Mid Air ✈️

I never expected to love this album as much as I did. I enjoyed dance-pop music of the late 90s and early 2000s growing up, and this album for some reason hit me with a wave of nostalgia. It’s also the debut album from Romy, who you may know from the xx, although this album sounds nothing like them. It’s much more like the music of Everything But The Girl, who also released one of my favorite records this year. This is the neon pink vinyl signed by Romy at Rough Trade.

Favorite Moment:
The line “So lets not overcomplicate it” before the chorus kicks in on “One Last Try”

Favorite Tracks:

• Enjoy Your Life

• One Last Try

• Strong

Slowdive - everything is alive 🙏

We’re lucky to live in a time where shoegaze legends Slowdive are still out there making great records. We never thought we’d get their incredible comeback record back in 2017, and this one reaches similar highs. The opening track “shanty” immediately puts you in a trance and “the slab” closes the album in an epic way. This is the opaque gold vinyl with a signed art card from the Secretly Store.

Favorite Moment:
When the opening synths from “shanty” roll back in around 4:07

Favorite Tracks:

• shanty

• kisses

• the slab

Strange Ranger - Pure Music 🎵

This was the late night album of 2023 for me, especially listening on headphones. 10 tracks of genre-bending exploration that make one of the most fascinating listens of the year. Unfortunately, after making what I feel was their best record yet, Strange Ranger broke up back in October. Talk about ending on a high note. This is the signed midnight blue in red vinyl from the Strange Ranger Bandcamp.

Favorite Moment:
When the saxophone hits at 02:45 on “Way Out”

Favorite Tracks:

• She’s On Fire

• Way Out

• Wide Awake

White Reaper - Asking For A Ride 🚗

Released back in January this was my first favorite record of 2023. Fun fact: “Pink Slip” was the first song added to my 2023: Favorite Songs playlist. This record has grown on me a lot this year. It’s heavier than their last record (2019’s You Deserve Love) and feels like their most cohesive record yet. You may have heard them in a Taco Bell commercial this year. Also, that album art rules. I picked up the coke bottle clear vinyl from the White Reaper store.

Favorite Moment:
When I get to air drum and air guitar during the last 20 seconds of Getting Into Trouble w/ the Boss”

Favorite Tracks:

• Fog Machine

• Getting Into Trouble w/ the Boss

• Pink Slip

Yves Tumor - Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) 🔥

One of my most anticipated records of 2023 delivered in a big way, and not just with that album title. It’s an intoxicating listen from one of my favorite artists right now. Meshing post-punk, glam rock, massive hooks & romantic lyrics, their sound gets bigger and bigger with each record. I purchased this yellow vinyl from CD Warehouse in Kennesaw, GA.

Favorite Moment:
When the first chorus hits at 01:05 of “Meteora Blues”

Favorite Tracks:

• Lovely Sewer

• Meteora Blues

• Ebony Eye
  

That a wrap on what 2023 sounded like for me.
… or is it?

Again, there’s not enough time to write about each of these but all of the EPs that I listed above are well worth your time and attention. And so are these albums below!

If there’s something you feel I may have missed based on the albums above, let me know! I’ve already found a few that I missed but there’s so much great music out there - you just have to look for it.

Carefully Curated 2023 Playlists

Here’s the playlist I mentioned at the top with 3 of my favorite songs from each of my favorite albums that I wrote about:

Now that its a new year, I have copied my 2023: Favorite Songs playlist into it’s own playlist, as it has now become 2024. Songs from 2023 will be slowly removed from the 2024 playlist over the next few weeks.

In addition to my 2023: Favorite Songs playlist (which as of now holds 1,612 songs from this year) and my 2023: 💯 Favorite Songs, I like having a playlist with an amount somewhat in between those two - my 500 most played songs of the year from over 230 artists. I base this on data from my last.fm profile & my main Carefully Curated playlist.

And one last playlist update this morning: I’ve updated my Top 13 playlist with some great songs from December 2023 by talker, Lizzie No, Graham Hunt, Teens In Trouble, The Vaccines & more.

I can’t wait to hear what great music we’ll receive this year. For now, that’s all I got!
- Patrick