Top 20 Music Albums of 2023 by 
ForegroundNoise 
Another year draws to a close on this crazy listening project of mine. 2020 remains my most listened to year due to all the spare time I found myself having – this year more than ever, life insisted on happening while I was making other plans.
Unlike my own year, my listening log saw few extremes (I gave just three records less than a 5/10, and only three an 8!). Might've been because I didn't cover as much ground as previous years, but the overall quality of music in 2023 felt a little lower than the rest of the decade so far – I've got a hunch not too many are gonna make my inevitable Best of the '20s list. If there are any you think I've missed out on, please let me know!
Before we get stuck in, I wanted to make mention of Black Country, New Road's Live at Bush Hall released back in March. In all honesty, it's my favourite thing released this year – word on the street is there's no plans on making studio recordings of any of the songs, so maybe it should be No. 1 on this list, though since the songs were widely road-tested over 2022 I have a hard time thinking of them as '2023 music' (if you're interested, you can read my review of the band's performance at Shepherd's Bush Empire in October for WhyNow magazine: https://whynow.co.uk/read/black-country-new-road-shepherds-bush-empire-review). Sub 30 min releases have been ranked separately as per usual, and my notes for each album are intended to be read in descending order. Have a happy new year everyone!
FN xx
2023 Ratings (91, Avg Rating = 6.05)
Top 5 Short Releases of 2023 (out of 22)
1. Marina Herlop - Nekkuja (PAN, 26:35) [ES]
avant-folk • art pop - 7.5/10
2. Rắn Cạp Đuôi - *1 (Nhạc Gãy, 29:04) [VN]
epic collage • glitch - 7.5/10
3. Klô Pelgag, Joseph Mihalcean & Samuel... - Sieste sur l'Oreille Droite (Secret City, 10:09) [CA]
chamber folk • indie folk - 7/10
4. bl4ck m4rket c4rt - Today I Laid Down (n/a, 20:44) [US]
indie rock • slowcore - 7/10
5. Dean Blunt - Give Me a Moment (World Music, 7:34) [GB]
art pop - 7/10
- Chart updated: 04/11/2024 22:45
- (Created: 02/07/2023 12:58).
- Chart size: 20 albums.
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art pop • psychedelic soul
(Warp, 41:53)
8/10
"Digging holes, mining souls
Sludge to smoke
Buried bone, extraction coal
Takes its toll
Texaco, melts the cold"
Slauson Malone (now with a 1) has been on my radar since he split from Standing on the Corner in 2018. His solo debut was a collage of experimental hip hop beats that made an intriguing listen, if only occasionally moving. Then in 2020 he released an EP which remixed those best moments into neo-soul ballads that jumped from place to place on a dime. His first album since signing to Warp is that concept writ large, ideas are brought up and moved on from at breakneck speed in a record bursting at the seams with creativity. It's my favourite album of the year.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 11/23/2023]
art pop • psychedelic soul
(Warp, 41:53)
8/10
"Digging holes, mining souls
Sludge to smoke
Buried bone, extraction coal
Takes its toll
Texaco, melts the cold"
Slauson Malone (now with a 1) has been on my radar since he split from Standing on the Corner in 2018. His solo debut was a collage of experimental hip hop beats that made an intriguing listen, if only occasionally moving. Then in 2020 he released an EP which remixed those best moments into neo-soul ballads that jumped from place to place on a dime. His first album since signing to Warp is that concept writ large, ideas are brought up and moved on from at breakneck speed in a record bursting at the seams with creativity. It's my favourite album of the year.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 11/23/2023]
1
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experimental rock • noise rock
(The Flenser, 96:38)
8/10
"Sit in a circle
Naked and eager
We all take turns pretending
We say anything important
Learn to tell the difference
Between white noise and applause"
Immense. Like Home Is Where, Sprain came out with a debut that though well-executed, felt a little too derivative of an older sound. The Lamb as Effigy meanwhile wears its influences (Swans, This Heat, Glenn Branca) on its sleeves, but is anything but derivative. Closer "God, or Whatever You Call It" is a tough listen, especially since Alex Kent's downward spiral seems to have been the catalyst for the band to break up a month after this was released. His relentlessly intimate and self-effacing lyricism is certainly divisive, but The Lamb... captures Sprain at their most volatile – for better or worse.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 09/21/2023]
experimental rock • noise rock
(The Flenser, 96:38)
8/10
"Sit in a circle
Naked and eager
We all take turns pretending
We say anything important
Learn to tell the difference
Between white noise and applause"
Immense. Like Home Is Where, Sprain came out with a debut that though well-executed, felt a little too derivative of an older sound. The Lamb as Effigy meanwhile wears its influences (Swans, This Heat, Glenn Branca) on its sleeves, but is anything but derivative. Closer "God, or Whatever You Call It" is a tough listen, especially since Alex Kent's downward spiral seems to have been the catalyst for the band to break up a month after this was released. His relentlessly intimate and self-effacing lyricism is certainly divisive, but The Lamb... captures Sprain at their most volatile – for better or worse.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 09/21/2023]
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ambient • glitch
(Touch, 35:13)
8/10
Until September, this was my No. 1 pick. Despite putting out some of my favourite albums of the 00s, I've found Fennesz's recent output a little lacklustre, and so I went into this collaboration with Italian duo OZmotic expecting more of the same. But this is Fennesz's most gripping production in years, decades even – just four expansive pieces bristling with detail. This isn't just my ambient album of the year, but of the 2020s so far.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 04/14/2023]
ambient • glitch
(Touch, 35:13)
8/10
Until September, this was my No. 1 pick. Despite putting out some of my favourite albums of the 00s, I've found Fennesz's recent output a little lacklustre, and so I went into this collaboration with Italian duo OZmotic expecting more of the same. But this is Fennesz's most gripping production in years, decades even – just four expansive pieces bristling with detail. This isn't just my ambient album of the year, but of the 2020s so far.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 04/14/2023]
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chamber music
(Black Truffle, 34:57)
7.5/10
Unique, and yet familiar. Frail, delicate, but immense. With just a single voice and a handful of instruments, Miller's music exerts a kind of primal power that few composers ever even consider, let alone achieve. We are lucky to have her.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
chamber music
(Black Truffle, 34:57)
7.5/10
Unique, and yet familiar. Frail, delicate, but immense. With just a single voice and a handful of instruments, Miller's music exerts a kind of primal power that few composers ever even consider, let alone achieve. We are lucky to have her.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 04/11/2024]
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slacker rock • indie rock
(Matador, 43:44)
7.5/10
"Lost and messy, I've been all over town
I know you only love me when I'm not around
Can't tell that this ain't working but I'm way too proud
Thought that I was watching and I was lost in the crowd
I'm tired of people saying, 'Has he got someone new?'
I saw all of their eyes, they were always on you
You know I only want it when I'm waiting in line
I'm sure that I could fake it if I make up my mind"
Anyone within a six mile radius of me last year will know that this band were on heavy rotation ("Best in Show" was my most listened to song of 2023). And look, I get the doubters. Self-consciously ironic indie sleaze kids, fronted by an Italian yoga instructor while writing meme-referencing hooks. There's a lot to raise your eyebrows at, but the hooks are just that good.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/26/2023]
slacker rock • indie rock
(Matador, 43:44)
7.5/10
"Lost and messy, I've been all over town
I know you only love me when I'm not around
Can't tell that this ain't working but I'm way too proud
Thought that I was watching and I was lost in the crowd
I'm tired of people saying, 'Has he got someone new?'
I saw all of their eyes, they were always on you
You know I only want it when I'm waiting in line
I'm sure that I could fake it if I make up my mind"
Anyone within a six mile radius of me last year will know that this band were on heavy rotation ("Best in Show" was my most listened to song of 2023). And look, I get the doubters. Self-consciously ironic indie sleaze kids, fronted by an Italian yoga instructor while writing meme-referencing hooks. There's a lot to raise your eyebrows at, but the hooks are just that good.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/26/2023]
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grindcore • powerviolence
(Get Better, 31:27)
7.5/10
"They've cast me in the movie of my life as myself
And keep trying to write me happy
They say, 'We want to make relatable characters
People don't pay for stories that make them uncomfortable'
I say, 'Do what you want,
But the scenes people will talk about are when the soundtrack is swelling
And the audience is watching through their fingers'"
As their name suggests, HIRS Collective are a hardcore punk duo who enlist a rolling cast of collaborators for albums that advocate for radical queer liberation. We're Still Here is the shortest album in this top 20 but manages to leave such a lasting impact. In a year of great metal, this album stood above the rest.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 04/19/2023]
grindcore • powerviolence
(Get Better, 31:27)
7.5/10
"They've cast me in the movie of my life as myself
And keep trying to write me happy
They say, 'We want to make relatable characters
People don't pay for stories that make them uncomfortable'
I say, 'Do what you want,
But the scenes people will talk about are when the soundtrack is swelling
And the audience is watching through their fingers'"
As their name suggests, HIRS Collective are a hardcore punk duo who enlist a rolling cast of collaborators for albums that advocate for radical queer liberation. We're Still Here is the shortest album in this top 20 but manages to leave such a lasting impact. In a year of great metal, this album stood above the rest.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 04/19/2023]
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experimental big band
(Zenna, 64:17)
7.5/10
"From underneath the stones they crawl
They're forcing their way back to life
A restless flood made from the blood
Of each and everyone that was
Eating away
Washing away
Rescinding every promise made
A greenish glow
A mending mould
A foul carpet to behold"
This one is mental. Monika Roscher heads a jazz orchestra for vocal-lead bigband music – think Bitches Brew with a heavy dose of post-bop, prog, jazz fusion and avant-folk, and an atmosphere that delivers on its occult title. I love the hell out of this; again, hugely ambitious with brilliant pay-off after brilliant pay-off. I HAVE to see these guys live.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 07/01/2023]
experimental big band
(Zenna, 64:17)
7.5/10
"From underneath the stones they crawl
They're forcing their way back to life
A restless flood made from the blood
Of each and everyone that was
Eating away
Washing away
Rescinding every promise made
A greenish glow
A mending mould
A foul carpet to behold"
This one is mental. Monika Roscher heads a jazz orchestra for vocal-lead bigband music – think Bitches Brew with a heavy dose of post-bop, prog, jazz fusion and avant-folk, and an atmosphere that delivers on its occult title. I love the hell out of this; again, hugely ambitious with brilliant pay-off after brilliant pay-off. I HAVE to see these guys live.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 07/01/2023]
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avant-folk
(River Lea, 42:35)
7/10
"The prison is sleeping
And the night watch is keeping
His watch over seven hundred men
And behind every cell door
There lies a lad dreaming
Oh to be free once again
So write me a letter
Addressed to my number
But say, you remember my name?
Remind me of
The world outside
Make me feel like a man once again"
This recommendation came from my friend Joanna during a conversation about the Lankum record that came out this year. I was saying I find them a little too hokey, and Jo said as opposed to this album. She was dead right – both artists use traditional Irish folk as a springboard, but Flynn's readiness to deconstruct those songs is far more gripping to me.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 12/26/2023]
avant-folk
(River Lea, 42:35)
7/10
"The prison is sleeping
And the night watch is keeping
His watch over seven hundred men
And behind every cell door
There lies a lad dreaming
Oh to be free once again
So write me a letter
Addressed to my number
But say, you remember my name?
Remind me of
The world outside
Make me feel like a man once again"
This recommendation came from my friend Joanna during a conversation about the Lankum record that came out this year. I was saying I find them a little too hokey, and Jo said as opposed to this album. She was dead right – both artists use traditional Irish folk as a springboard, but Flynn's readiness to deconstruct those songs is far more gripping to me.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 12/26/2023]
Buy album
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___________________________________________________________________________
emo • folk-punk
(Wax Bodega, 34:53)
7/10
"Trading flesh for flypaper
And armed to the dentures
We don a regalia
Of useless genitalia"
Home Is Where are an emo band out of Florida. Their 18-minute debut from 2021 had its moments – "Assisted Harakiri" was particularly great – but even then, they sounded like a band doing a competent job of recreating a well-trodden strand of emo. I didn't have big expectations for their follow-up, but The Whaler self-describes as a "concept record about getting used to things getting worse", that hinges on the imagery of the titular whaler navigating a post-9/11 dystopia. If that wasn't enough, the band also incorporate the country influence of their home state with lyrics that pull from lead singer Brandon MacDonald's experiences with gender dysphoria. It's not often ambition like this pays off; I can't wait to hear what's next in store for this band.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 07/20/2023]
emo • folk-punk
(Wax Bodega, 34:53)
7/10
"Trading flesh for flypaper
And armed to the dentures
We don a regalia
Of useless genitalia"
Home Is Where are an emo band out of Florida. Their 18-minute debut from 2021 had its moments – "Assisted Harakiri" was particularly great – but even then, they sounded like a band doing a competent job of recreating a well-trodden strand of emo. I didn't have big expectations for their follow-up, but The Whaler self-describes as a "concept record about getting used to things getting worse", that hinges on the imagery of the titular whaler navigating a post-9/11 dystopia. If that wasn't enough, the band also incorporate the country influence of their home state with lyrics that pull from lead singer Brandon MacDonald's experiences with gender dysphoria. It's not often ambition like this pays off; I can't wait to hear what's next in store for this band.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 07/20/2023]
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atmospheric black metal
(Thrill Jockey, 82:11)
7/10
"Giving out the final crumbs
Taking a moment to reflect upon
The meaning of...
Believe me when I say
You filled my open heart with diamonds
Christ
Christ
You're free to take me home tonight"
Liturgy has always been a group that has fascinated me. Principal songwriter Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix has never shied away from experimenting with the influences on her black metal (glitch, orchestral, choral) in a genre that is often so puritanical in its sound. When their 2019 album H.A.Q.Q. came out, I was worried they'd reached the limit of what they'd try, but this record is the synthesis of everything that makes Liturgy exciting. Definitely one of the metalheads and non-metalheads alike.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/08/2023]
atmospheric black metal
(Thrill Jockey, 82:11)
7/10
"Giving out the final crumbs
Taking a moment to reflect upon
The meaning of...
Believe me when I say
You filled my open heart with diamonds
Christ
Christ
You're free to take me home tonight"
Liturgy has always been a group that has fascinated me. Principal songwriter Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix has never shied away from experimenting with the influences on her black metal (glitch, orchestral, choral) in a genre that is often so puritanical in its sound. When their 2019 album H.A.Q.Q. came out, I was worried they'd reached the limit of what they'd try, but this record is the synthesis of everything that makes Liturgy exciting. Definitely one of the metalheads and non-metalheads alike.
___________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/08/2023]
Total albums: 20. Page 1 of 2
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Top 20 Music Albums of 2023 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| Sprain | 1 | 5% | |
| Matana Roberts | 1 | 5% | |
| OZmotic & Fennesz | 1 | 5% | |
| Oliver Coates | 1 | 5% | |
| Cassandra Miller | 1 | 5% | |
| Titanic (UN) | 1 | 5% | |
| Bar Italia | 1 | 5% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
10 | 50% | |
| |
3 | 15% | |
 |
2 | 10% | |
 |
1 | 5% | |
 |
1 | 5% | |
 |
1 | 5% | |
 |
1 | 5% | |
| Show all | |||
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Other year charts (from the 2020s) by ForegroundNoise
Top 12 Music Albums of 2024 by ForegroundNoise (2024)Top 20 Music Albums of 2022 by
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We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.