Top 10 Albums of 2023

[LithoJazzoSphere]

The lack of Orbit Culture on some of these lists is concerning.

There will definitely be a number of growl-heavy albums on my own list once I finish sorting it out.  I've heard some of their earlier releases and enjoyed them, but didn't find them to really set themselves apart from broadly similar artists.  I might give their current one a try though. 

[ariich]

I really wish I could bump this up higher on my final list, but I can't push it above OK Goodnight or Tesseract. It does have my favorite song in Replica, and four of the songs (Kachi Kachi Yama, Lonely Mart, and Rabbit Hole) would easily make my top 20. It might top their self titled as my favorite of theirs, just a great album.

It's so great. Doesn't quite top Music Battler or Kakuhen (their golden era for me), but I think it's the next best after those.

[wolfking]

The lack of Orbit Culture on some of these lists is concerning.  I don’t expect the no growl crowd to like, but people who have bands like Ne Obliviscaris, Scar Symmetry, and Enslaved.

Come to think of it I’m not seeing a lot of those bands either.  Either this place got soft or I’m on musical viagra.

The new Scar Symmetry is damn soft if you ask me.    I didn't like it, even trying it a few times. 

Orbit Culture I actually haven't listened to, but I will.  I like the last one a lot but find their sound pretty one dimensional and the singles I heard from the new one didn't do much for me.

[Glasser]

@ Tom…. A Proggy and heavy and diverse version of 70s Styx. There’s even a few growls splashed in there.

Thanks Chad, I checked it out and I think its excellent! Thank you! 

[Jamesman42]

The Haken record was just a mess to me. I struggled to find anything to latch onto. Avenged, I'm still struggling with it. Nothing against what they did, I just am having issues getting attached to it in any way.

I barely know Haken songs, about 2-3 from roulettes, but give Sempiternal Beings a few extra listens. That song is incredible. It feels like a song that might grab a listener with a few extra listens.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

The lack of Orbit Culture on some of these lists is concerning.  I don’t expect the no growl crowd to like, but people who have bands like Ne Obliviscaris, Scar Symmetry, and Enslaved.

Come to think of it I’m not seeing a lot of those bands either.  Either this place got soft or I’m on musical viagra.

The new Scar Symmetry is damn soft if you ask me.    I didn't like it, even trying it a few times. 

I'm not as intimately familiar with the last few, but from what I recall the latest is more technical and darker than previous ones (including blast beats on multiple tracks), so this doesn't really make sense to me. 

[NoFred]

I will confess that I’ve heard very few new albums this last year, but I can say without hesitation that The Fox and the Bird by OK Goodnight is easily the best progressive metal album I’ve heard in a decade, so that’s a no brainer for me.

I’m pretty lukewarm on Riverside ID.Entity, but it has good moments.
Fauna by Haken is excellent and probably takes my #2 spot. But that OK Goodnight album beats it hands down. It’s been months and I’m still constantly spinning that album and getting goosebumps.

Bolded for emphasis, I completely agree. I might not have any of their songs on my top list, but The Fox and the Bird as a whole? Perfect album.

A few other good contributors this year, but not as whole albums. OK Goodnight just delivered, and will be remembered years on I think.

[Crow]

Either this place got soft or I’m on musical viagra.

i'm too far gone. i'm only interested in metal if it's heavier than that. victory over the sun, for example 

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

here is my list for 2023

1   Sufjan Stevens - Javelin   (Indie)
2   Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You   (Art Pop)
3   Kara Jackson - Why Does The Earth Give Us People To Love?   (Folk/Art)
4   Romy - Mid Air   (Electronic)
5   Hiromi - Sonicwonderland   (Jazz/Experimental)
6   Peter Gabriel - i/o   (Art Pop)
7   Frankie & The Witch Fingers - Data Doom   (Psych)
8   Swans - The Beggar   (Experimental/Noise/Post Rock)
9   Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!   (Pop/Dance)
10   Joy Oladokun - Proof Of Life   (Alternative)
11   Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We   (Art Pop)
12   OK Goodnight - The Fox And The Bird   (Progressive Rock/Metal)
13   Elephant Gym - World   (Experimental/Math Rock)
14   Baroness - STONE   (Metal)
15   100 gecs - 10,000 gecs   (Experimental)
16   Iguana Death Cult - Echo Palace   (Psych)
17   Moon Safari - Himlabacker Vol. 2   (Progressive Rock)
18   Dinner Party - Enigmatic Society   (Hip Hop/Jazz)
19   Thee Oh Sees - Intercepted Message   (Psych)
20   Origami Angel - The Brightest Days   (Post-Hardcore)
21   Satoshi Suzuki - Distant Travel Companion   (City Pop)
22   Model/Actriz - Dogsbody   (Post-Hardcore)
23   Damien Jurado - Motorcycle Madness   (Indie)
24   King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse   (Progressive Metal)
25   Jack 'O The Clock - The Warm, Dark Circus   (Progressive Rock)

[jingle.boy]

So you CAN use the caps key!

[LithoJazzoSphere]

BUDDY HAD BEEN BORROWING IT RECENTLY.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

So you CAN use the caps key!

of course i can

[wolfking]

So you CAN use the caps key!

of course i can but only once a year

 

[SoundscapeMN]

a round table discussion for my YouTube channel is in the works...ETA sometime around X-Mas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CukD3ppbCFk

Epic 90 minute Roundtable discussion podcast with a few others on YouTube (also including 2024 albums to look forward to towards the end)

I went last so my top 5 are at a litte after 49 mnutes

1a. Small Leaks Sink Ships - Low Tide
1b. Hotel of the Laughing Tree - Faraway Friends
3.  East of the Wall - A Neutral Second
4. Giant Sky - Giant Sky II
5. Team Me - Return to the Riverside

gonna follow-up with an Honorable Mentions list soon.

[ReaperKK]

a round table discussion for my YouTube channel is in the works...ETA sometime around X-Mas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CukD3ppbCFk

Epic 90 minute Roundtable discussion podcast with a few others on YouTube (also including 2024 albums to look forward to towards the end)

I went last so my top 5 are at a litte after 49 mnutes

1a. Small Leaks Sink Ships - Low Tide
1b. Hotel of the Laughing Tree - Faraway Friends
3.  East of the Wall - A Neutral Second
4. Giant Sky - Giant Sky II
5. Team Me - Return to the Riverside

gonna follow-up with an Honorable Mentions list soon.

Do you have these videos in audio form on podcast feeds?

[SoundscapeMN]

a round table discussion for my YouTube channel is in the works...ETA sometime around X-Mas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CukD3ppbCFk

Epic 90 minute Roundtable discussion podcast with a few others on YouTube (also including 2024 albums to look forward to towards the end)

I went last so my top 5 are at a litte after 49 mnutes

1a. Small Leaks Sink Ships - Low Tide
1b. Hotel of the Laughing Tree - Faraway Friends
3.  East of the Wall - A Neutral Second
4. Giant Sky - Giant Sky II
5. Team Me - Return to the Riverside

gonna follow-up with an Honorable Mentions list soon.

Do you have these videos in audio form on podcast feeds?

I don't, although I do have the files. It was recorded on Zoom, which the free version is limited to 45 minutes per session, so we did 3 sessions and I combined them together.

But when you record in Zoom, you get both a Video and Audio File, so I have the 3 audio files still.

I could send them to you via email or a link if you want.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

a round table discussion for my YouTube channel is in the works...ETA sometime around X-Mas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CukD3ppbCFk

Epic 90 minute Roundtable discussion podcast with a few others on YouTube (also including 2024 albums to look forward to towards the end)

I went last so my top 5 are at a litte after 49 mnutes

1a. Small Leaks Sink Ships - Low Tide
1b. Hotel of the Laughing Tree - Faraway Friends
3.  East of the Wall - A Neutral Second
4. Giant Sky - Giant Sky II
5. Team Me - Return to the Riverside

gonna follow-up with an Honorable Mentions list soon.

I'm about halfway through it.  You should definitely try and have those guys or others on more often for other topics, there aren't nearly enough music roundtable discussions on Youtube. 

[SoundscapeMN]

a round table discussion for my YouTube channel is in the works...ETA sometime around X-Mas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CukD3ppbCFk

Epic 90 minute Roundtable discussion podcast with a few others on YouTube (also including 2024 albums to look forward to towards the end)

I went last so my top 5 are at a litte after 49 mnutes

1a. Small Leaks Sink Ships - Low Tide
1b. Hotel of the Laughing Tree - Faraway Friends
3.  East of the Wall - A Neutral Second
4. Giant Sky - Giant Sky II
5. Team Me - Return to the Riverside

gonna follow-up with an Honorable Mentions list soon.

I'm about halfway through it.  You should definitely try and have those guys or others on more often for other topics, there aren't nearly enough music roundtable discussions on Youtube.

I think you're being serious (there are people who do them often like Sea of Tranquility or Notesreviews; although many don't who probably could do them).

We want to, or actuallly have wanted to for a few years, but it often comes down to scheduling. But if the timing works, we are going to try and do more of these soon. Maybe 1 every few months even.

[Zantera]

1. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse or Dawn of Eternal Night an Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation
2. Swans - The Beggar
3. Damien Jurado - Motorcycle Madness
4. Origami Angel - The Brightest Days
5. Spotlights - Alchemy For the Dead
6. Betcover!! - Uma
7. Paramore - This is Why
8. Mitski - The Land is Inhospitable and So are We
9. A Beacon School - Yoyo
10. Aesop Rock - Integrated Tech Solutions

Put my full list at https://rateyourmusic.com/list/Zantera/favorite-albums-of-2023/

[Buddyhunter1]

Nice list. Paramore would probably be my #12 spot - thanks to Litho for putting The News on his roulette ranking playlist cuz I probably never would have given it a chance otherwise.

[TAC]

Nice list. Paramore would probably be my #12 spot - thanks to Litho for putting The News on his roulette ranking playlist cuz I probably never would have given it a chance otherwise.

I got The News in my roulette earlier this year. Yeah, it was a cool song.

[HOF]

Through the first half of the year or so I thought this was kind of a lackluster year for new music, but then a bunch of stuff came out in the fall and winter that made it a really strong year. So much so that albums that were at the top of my rankings most of the year got pushed to the edge or out of the top 10.

Top 10 albums:

1. Advent Horizon - A Cell to Call Home
- This is the heaviest album to grab me in a long time. It’s a flawless record with fantastic writing and really great performances. Have been spinning it heavily since October and it still feels fresh. Can’t recommend this enough.

2. Peter Gabriel - i/o
- 21 years in the making, and this did not disappoint. Builds on Us and Up but sounds very modern and fresh while uniquely PG. If this is Gabriel’s last effort he went out on a tremendous note.

3. Moon Safari - Himlabacken Vol. 2
- Another long awaited follow up. This just hits all the notes you want to hear from this band. Just pure joy from every song, and they really went for it instrumentally here. Probably the best the band has ever sounded on record probably.

4. Harp - Albion
- Another late year release by an artist I was unfamiliar with before someone elsewhere shared this. Kind of a mix of Indie, new wave, and pastoral English prog. It’s a mesmerizing listen that you can sort of just get lost in. High replay value, even if no one track really stands out.

5. Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex
- The best thing I’ve heard from SW since In Absentia. It waned a bit after my initial listens, but I still feel there’s a gravitas to this one that will hold up pretty well.

6. Vamoosery - Moving Forward
- Another heavier act that came out of nowhere. Debut album from this female fronted band with a Christian perspective. Might be the best sounding album of the year. Some really cool songs here.

7. Stefano Panunzi - Pages From The Sea
- Moody electronic/atmospheric prog, about half instrumental. Very cool soundscape stuff but also some really interesting songs too. Features Jakko from KC on several songs. Amazing cover art.

8. Oteil Burbridge - A Lovely View of Heaven
- Former Allman Brothers bassist (and numerous other jam type acts) with a gospel/jazz album about loss with touching tributes to lost loved ones. The title track is amazing and worth the price of admission.

9. D’Virgilio, Morse & Jennings - Sophomore
- I like this even better than the debut. Songs are a bit more arranged and filled out with more instrumentation, but it doesn’t take away from the three part harmonies that are the core of the band. Great stuff.

10. Martin Miller - Maze of my Mind
- You’ve probably seen his YouTube videos, but this album is a masterclass in DT-like prog but with more of a pop soul if that makes sense. Great writing, singing, and amazing chops on guitar from Martin.

Others:
11. Kite Parade - Retro
12. Peter Brewis - Blowdry Collosus
13. The Winery Dogs - III
14. The Clientele - I Am Not There Anymore
15. Retreat from Moscow - Dreams, Myths and Machines
16. The Flower Kings - Look At You Now
17. David Brewis - The Soft Struggles
18. Tommy Taylor - Across the Stars
19. Amplifier - Hologram
20. One Sided Horse - My Favorite City At Night In The Rain

EPs:

1. John Monroe & Field Music - Songs from the Shelf
2. Randy McStine - Unintentional
3. Steve Hogarth/Richard Barbieri - Waiting to be Born

Reissues:

1. David Longdon - Wild River
2. Big Big Train - Ingenious Devices
3. Marillion - Seasons End

[SoundscapeMN]

gonna follow-up with an Honorable Mentions list soon.

Follow Up YouTube Video about Honorable Mentions and EPs

Final List

1a. Small Leaks Sink Ships - Low Tide
1b. Hotel of the Laughing Tree - Faraway Friends
3. East of the Wall - A Neutral Second
4. Giant Sky - Giant Sky II
5. Team Me - Return to the Riverside
6. The Guess Who - Plein D'Amour
7. Peter Gabriel - i/o
8. Black Belt Eagle Scout - The Land, the Water, the Sky
9. Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex
10. Yves Tumor - Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) (Dreamy/Trippy Psych Rock: Meteora Blues)
11. Squid - O Monolith
12. Codeseven - Go Let It In
13. Childish Japes featuring Joanna Teters - Matters of Life and Death Part 1
14. Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!
15. Dream the Electric Sleep - American Mystic
16. Kimbra - A Reckoning
17. Scalise - Before We Dry Up
18. Avenged Sevenfold - Life is But a Dream
19. Sigur Ros - ÁTTA
20. HMLTD - The Worm
21. Local Natives - Time Waits for No One
22. Sufjan Stevens - Javelin
23. Sucre - Starkisser
24. Mayer Hawthorne - For All Time
25. The Polyphonic Spree - Salvage Enterprise
26. Harp - Albion
27. Extreme - Rise
28. LA Priest - Fase Luna
29. Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You
30. Yes - Mirror to the Sky
31. Telefone - Telefone
32. Themes for Great Cities - Themes for Great Cities: Tallinn
33. Lackthere0f - New Devonian
34a. Moon Safari - Himlabacken Vol. 2
34b. I Am the Manic Whale - Bumper Book of Mystery Stories
34c. Chronicles of Father Robin -
34d Dave Kerzner - Heart Land Mines

EPs
1. Dirt Poor Robins - Prelude to Firebird
2. Shell Pink - The Warmth of the Sun
3. Adjy - June Songs Vol.1
4a. Toehider - Quit Forever?
4b. Toehider - Snapshots From Beacontown Spring Dance '85
4c. The 4 Castles of Stelcoaryn
4d. Horse
4e. Take on a Tank
9. Radical Face - A Light In The Woods: Book 1
10. Micky Dolenz - Dolenz Sings R.E.M.

[ZKX-2099]

Genuine ranking.
1. Avenged Sevenfold - Life is But a Dream... - Also my top album of this decade by a wide margin.
2. Metallica - 72 Seasons - After only liking half of Hardwired I was most pleasantly surprised by how much I love this. Very close to my number 1.
3. Periphery - Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre - There's a lot of stuff on this album I hate but Periphery makes it work.
4. Queens Of The Stone Age - In Times New Roman... Pretty sure Homme could fart on a snare drum and I'd love it.
5. Baroness - Stone - A great release mixing new and old.

Played a lot after the top 5.
6. Corey Taylor - CMF2 - A long overdue successor to Hydrograd. Worth a spin if you like straightforward metal/rock.
7. Born Through Fire - Purify and Refine - It's pretty much As I Lay Dying. Yes I'm aware.
8. Wayfarer - American Gothic - I expect this will be the album that I will say I should have ranked higher in a few months.
9. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse or Dawn of Eternal Night an Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation - Glad somebody else ranked it so I didn't have to type the title.
10. Haken - Fauna - Kinda disappointed after Vecor/Virus but still some great songs. I think I like the cover more than the music.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

That A7X album might be one of the most polarizing ones I've ever seen.  It has a quite poor aggregate ranking, but the people who like it have it at the top of their lists mostly. 

[SoundscapeMN]

That A7X album might be one of the most polarizing ones I've ever seen.  It has a quite poor aggregate ranking, but the people who like it have it at the top of their lists mostly.

it totally is. I happen to like much of it, but some of it does make me cringe, I didn't find myself wanting to go back to it that often.

[TAC]

That A7X album might be one of the most polarizing ones I've ever seen.  It has a quite poor aggregate ranking, but the people who like it have it at the top of their lists mostly.

it totally is. I happen to like much of it, but some of it does make me cringe, I didn't find myself wanting to go back to it that often.

I couldn't make it through the third song, honestly, but Cosmic was sent to me in my roulette (by two people!), and it was pretty good.

[nick_z]

I kinda enjoyed the A7X and admire their approach, going for it without worrying too much about genres and such. But ultimately it didn't really stick. I'll probably revisit, though.

72 Season was a disappointment for me. I use "disappointment" because I had actually liked Hardwired a fair bit, and was hoping for something I'd enjoy as much as that one. I tried several listens and I found it pretty nondescript. There are some decent tunes, but none of them reach significant highs. Papa Het is the best thing on the record. Ulrich's performance, even controlling for low expectations, is "blah" and I really don't like the way the drums sound.

[wolfking]

That A7X album might be one of the most polarizing ones I've ever seen.  It has a quite poor aggregate ranking, but the people who like it have it at the top of their lists mostly.

it totally is. I happen to like much of it, but some of it does make me cringe, I didn't find myself wanting to go back to it that often.

I couldn't make it through the third song, honestly, but Cosmic was sent to me in my roulette (by two people!), and it was pretty good.

You would absolutely hate where the album goes after Cosmic.

[TAC]

That A7X album might be one of the most polarizing ones I've ever seen.  It has a quite poor aggregate ranking, but the people who like it have it at the top of their lists mostly.

it totally is. I happen to like much of it, but some of it does make me cringe, I didn't find myself wanting to go back to it that often.

I couldn't make it through the third song, honestly, but Cosmic was sent to me in my roulette (by two people!), and it was pretty good.

You would absolutely hate where the album goes after Cosmic.

I'll never know.

[ariich]

I kinda enjoyed the A7X and admire their approach, going for it without worrying too much about genres and such. But ultimately it didn't really stick. I'll probably revisit, though.

72 Season was a disappointment for me. I use "disappointment" because I had actually liked Hardwired a fair bit, and was hoping for something I'd enjoy as much as that one. I tried several listens and I found it pretty nondescript. There are some decent tunes, but none of them reach significant highs. Papa Het is the best thing on the record. Ulrich's performance, even controlling for low expectations, is "blah" and I really don't like the way the drums sound.

Yeah, all of this.

[wolfking]

That A7X album might be one of the most polarizing ones I've ever seen.  It has a quite poor aggregate ranking, but the people who like it have it at the top of their lists mostly.

it totally is. I happen to like much of it, but some of it does make me cringe, I didn't find myself wanting to go back to it that often.

I couldn't make it through the third song, honestly, but Cosmic was sent to me in my roulette (by two people!), and it was pretty good.

You would absolutely hate where the album goes after Cosmic.

I'll never know.

Best to keep it that way. 

[Bentower]

++

Dødheimsgard - Black Medium Current
Krallice - Mass Cathexis 2 - The Kinetic Infinite
Afterbirth - In But Not Of
Angra - Cycles of Pain
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - The Silver Cord
Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex
Haken - Fauna
Swans - The Beggar
Horrendous - Ontological Mysterium
Grails - Anches En Maat

+

Khanate - To Be Cruel
Peter Gabriel - i/o
Ray Alder - II
Temic - Terror Management Theory
Gong - Unending Ascending
Ozric Tentacles - Lotus Unfolding
Hiromi's Sonicwonder - Sonicwonderland
Enslaved - Heimdal
Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars
Ahab - The Coral Tombs
Tomb Mold - The Enduring Spirit
Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium: Nahab
Cattle Decapitation - Terrasite

-

Extreme - Six

[Mladen]

Here's my overall top ten:

10. Depeche Mode - Memento mori
9. Century - The Conquest of time
8. Steven Wilson - The Harmony codex
7. Bruiser & Bicycle - Holly red wagon
6. Metallica - 72 seasons
5. Melvic Centre - Melvic centre
4. Sufjan Stevens - Javelin
3. Temples - Exotico
2. Deerhoof - Miracle-level
1. Haken - Fauna

Pretty good year for music overall. 

[lonestar]

Final Top Ten...


10-Babymetal- The Other One
9- Periphery- Periphery V: D'jent is Not a Genre
8- Lovebites- Judgement Day
7- Saiseiga- Nostalgia
6- Haken- Fauna
5- Hanabie- Reborn Superstar!
4- Spiritbox- The Fear of Fear
3- Gacharic Spin- W
2- OK Goodnight- The Fox and The Bird
1- Tesseract- War of Being