Despite the date above, this list is actually being posted in December of 2025, as I make the move to publish these lists online rather than having them live on social media.
This was the year I began to hit my stride when it came to sharing out my annual list of records. For 2023, I only listed a total of 100, though I had actually recorded ratings for 144 albums.
There may have been more albums I didn’t record ratings for, but given that I try and remain diligent in my listening habits, I hope I didn’t neglect any of of them.
The ratings still seem solid to me, and I feel like I’ve forgotten a lot of these records, but who knows how things may have been had I been a bit more dedicated to it all?
Best Albums Of 2023
144. The HIRS Collective – We’re Still Here
143. 30 Seconds To Mars – It’s The End Of The World But It’s A Beautiful Day
142. G Flip – DRUMMER
141. Autopsy – Ashes, Organs, Blood And Crypts
140. screensaver – Decent Shapes
139. The Kid LAROI – THE FIRST TIME
138. Stepmother – Planet Brutalicon
137. L’Rain – I Killed Your Dog
136. Killer Mike – Michael
135. The Streets – The Darker The Shadow The Brighter The Light
134. Jamie Branch – Fly Or Die Fly Or Die Fly Or Die (World War)
133. WARGASM – Venom
132. City And Colour – The Love Still Held Me Near
131. Ball – Midnight Heat
130. PACKS – Crispy Crunchy Nothing
129. Rocket Science – Push Play
128. Post Malone – AUSTIN
127. Wednesday – Rat Saw God
126. Taking Back Sunday – 152
125. The Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds
124. Fall Out Boy – So Much (For) Stardust
123. ChillinIt – 420DNA
122. Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy
121. Cattle Decapitation – Terrasite
120. PJ Harvey – I Inside This Old Year Dying
119. Danny Brown – Quaranta
118. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – The Silver Cord
117. McKinley Dizon – Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?
116. Yves Tumour – Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)
115. Steve Vai – Vai/Gash
114. Wireheads – Potentially Venus
113. blink-182 – ONE MORE TIME…
112. Oneohtrix Point Never – Again
111. Sparklehorse – Bird Machine
110. Pizza Death – Reign Of The Anticrust
109. Metallica – 72 Seasons
108. ISUA – Abandon
107. Druid Fluids – Then, Now, Again & Again
106. Lenka – Intraspectral
105. DMA’S – How Many Dreams?
104. Sufjan Stevens – Javelin
103. All Time Low – Tell Me I’m Alive
102. The Kills – God Games
101. Genesis Owusu – STRUGGLER
100. The National – First Two Pages Of Frankenstein
99. Taylor Swift – Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
98. Armand Hammer – We Buy Diabetic Test Strips
97. The Defiant – If We’re Really Being Honest
96. The Belair Lip Bombs – Lush Life
95. Foo Fighters – But Here We Are
94. The Grogans – Find Me A Cloud
93. Wilco – Cousin
92. ††† (Crosses) – Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete.
91. Romy – Mid Air
90. Tkay Maidza – Sweet Justice
89. Beirut – Hadsel
88. Kingswood – Home
87. Gabriels – Angels & Queens
86. Trophy Eyes – Suicide And Sunshine
85. Carla Geneve – Hertz
84. Jeff Rosenstock – HELLMODE
83. C.O.F.F.I.N – Australia Stops
82. Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS
81. Todd Snider – Crank It, We’re Doomed
80. Blur – The Ballad Of Darren
79. The Menzingers – Some Of It Was True
78. Jen Cloher – I Am The River, The River Is Me
77. Lana Del Rey – Did you know there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd
76. Cat Power – Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert
75. Fake Names – Expendables
74. Courtney Barnett – End Of The Day
73. Persecution Blues – Downright Dirty
72. Last Quokka – Red Dirt
71. Tomb Mold – The Enduring Spirit
70. NONAME – Sundial
69. Youth Lagoon – Heaven Is A Junkyard
68. Arthur Russell – Picture Of Bunny Rabbit
67. JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown – Scaring The Hoes
66. Body Type – Expired Candy
65. TISM – The Hot Dogma Sing Sing Sessions
64. Taylor Swift – 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
63. Super American Eagle – Super American Eagle
62. Queens Of The Stone Age – In Times New Roman…
61. The Empty Threats – Monster Truck Mondays
60. Close Counters – SOULACOASTA II
59. Bully – Lucky For You
58. Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers – I Love You
57. Paramore – This Is Why
56. Kevin Abstract – Blanket
55. AJJ – Disposable Everything
54. YONLAPA – Lingering Gloaming
53. The National – Laugh Track
52. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Petrodragonic Apocalypse; Or, Dawn Of Eternal Night: An Annihilation Of Planet Earth And The Beginning Of Merciless Damnation
51. Sigur Rós – ÁTTA
50. Ratboys – The Window
49. Everything But The Girl – Fuse
48. This Is The Kit – Careful Of Your Keepers
47. The Hives – The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons
46. Jockstrap – I<3UQTINVU
45. Troye Sivan – Something To Give Each Other
44. Floodlights – Painting Of My Time
43. Rocky’s Pride And Joy – All The Colours Of Darkness
42. Leah Senior – The Music That I Make
41. Kylie Minogue – Tension
40. DOPE LEMON – Kimosabè
39. Catherine Traicos – The Nashville Record
38. Skeleten – Under Utopia
37. Yaeji – With A Hammer
36. Animal Collective – Isn’t It Now?
35. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – The Silver Cord (Extended Edition)
34. billy woods & Kenny Segal – Maps
33. Luca Brasi – The World Don’t Owe You Anything
32. The Chemical Brothers – For That Beautiful Feeling
31. Frenzal Rhomb – The Cup Of Pestilence
30. The Mountain Goats – Jenny From Thebes
29. Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We
28. Paramore – Re: This Is Why
27. Slowdive – everything is alive
26. Yo La Tengo – This Stupid World
25. The Lemon Twigs – Everything Harmony
24. Palehound – Eye On The Bat
23. Greenhouse – Center Of The Universe
22. Polaris – Fatalism
21. D.C Cross – Wizrad
20. The Mars Volta – Qué Dios Te Maldiga Mí Corazón
19. Angie McMahon – Light, Dark, Light Again
18. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – V
17. feeble little horse – Girl With Fish
16. Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want To Turn Into You
15. André 3000 – New Blue Sun
14. Teenage Joans – The Rot That Grows Inside My Chest
13. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – Fronzoli
12. ANOHNI And The Johnsons – My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross
11. Private Function – 370HSSV 0773H
10. boygenius – the record
9. Be Your Own Pet – Mommy
8. RVG – Brain Worms
7. 100 gecs – 10,000 Gecs
6. Clowns – ENDLESS
5. Rin McArdle – Rin McArdle
4. The Night Terrors – HYPNOTICA – Composition For Theremin And Electronic Music Synthesizer
3. Bad//Dreems – HOO HA!
2. Squirrel Flower – Tomorrow’s Fire
1. Benefits – Nails