2023 | 2022 | 2021

My Top 10 Albums of 2023

This year felt like a really big year for me musically.

At the start of the year I set out to try and push myself a little and listen to more albums I'd normally not bother with, which ended up being a pretty great call.

While there are definitely some of the big names you'd expect on my list this year, there's also a couple artists I'd never heard of until this year, and some genres I might not have been into before, which is kind of neat to me.

As always, I kept a playlist with my favourite track from each album I listened to here if you're curious.

First, here are some songs from albums that didn't make the cut I loved...

And now, my top 10 albums of 2023...

Ya girl is back, and this one's a banger. Psychedlic Switch is easily my favourite pop song of the year and never gets old, but this album's got range as well. Kollage absolutely nails a much dreamier, slower vibe and I love the synth-y organs on After Last Night.

This album is everything I want in a Hip Hop album. All 3 artists have unique, but compliementary, styles that mesh together so well. Each artist is able to switch from leading a track to complimenting another person on a different track so well. Production on the album is spot-on and always interesting as beats range from grungey guitar driven, to piano and drums, to ballroom seamlessly from track to track. This album is a little long at 16 songs, but the consistent switch-ups make sure it never feels dull or repetitive.

I don't really know how to describe this album other than fun. Wallsocket is super high-energy and at times feels like what I imagine sticking a fork into a wallsocket feels like when the energy gets amped up to 11 and there's just a wall of noise on tracks like Locals and Geez louise. Slower tracks like You don't even know who I am still manage to keep things interesting, and provide a nice contrast to the faster tracks, while keeping things interesting.

I looooooove the vocals on this album, there's something about the energy, delivery, and little bit of tongue in cheek that just perfectly fits. 2122 is such a fun first track, there's no lead up it's just full tilt pedal to the metal from the start. 3D Country feels to me like something that's simulatenously very old-school rock, but also something that wouldn't exist without having decades of rock to learn from and tinker with.

I think my elevator pitch for Green Lung would be like Ghost but 30% less cringe. I came into the album late in the year (I actually found it on someone else's top 10) but haven't been able to put it down since. There's no frills or big risks here, but this is just really, really, solid metal to me from start to finish. Usually I find albums like this have 1-2 tracks I'm really into and the latter half is just kind of phoned in, but I think this album is kind of the total opposite. The falsetto-y vocals in Hunters in the Sky are just the right amount of cheesey and fit so well in the whole vibe, this album's just a lot of fun.

'But Brendan, this is just an EP!'' I know, I know, imaginary person, but is also very good and felt like exactly the kind of album I would have ignored in previous years knowing it was country. It turns out if you love sad girls and guitars, there are some sad boys and guitars albums that are just as good. Zach Bryan also released an album this year that I discovered from this and is solid, but for me the stripped down, honest sound of this EP is just a big step closer to what I love. Really solid features from absolute giants Bon Iver and Noah Kahan fit perfectly into their respective songs, but to me the real stars of this album is the instrumentation. Sure there's some piano, electric and slide guitar, but for my money the clean, acoustic guitars and all the character they bring are the highlights.

You know it's going to be a banger death metal band when you can't even tell where the letters are in the band's logo. This album is everything I've rediscovered in my love of death metal, from the deep growling vocals, screechy fast guitars, and someone just beating the absolute shit out of the drums. Tomb Mold manage to incorporate influences from all sorts of other genres but come through with an album that feels to me like death metal through and through without being unoriginal.

Way back in 2017, I loved Paramore's last album After Laughter for its much more disco-y, funky approach to pop punk and I think there are parts of that that persisted through to this album that I still love. However, this album feels more post-punk-y to me, with a more straightforward rock sound and some very outwardly critical themes on tracks like The News and Big Man, Little Dignity. It's really impressive to hear a band who's been together for like 20 years still putting out culturally and emotionally relevant albums, and it's of course a given that the impossibly talented Hayley William's vocals are flawless.

Plain and simple, this album fucking rocks. This was by far the album I had the hardest time picking a favourite track from. Partially because they all rule, and partially because they all feel like such a cohesive whole. How great this album comes together is even more impressive when you realize just how much music King Gizzard release, they released 5 albums last year and two this year. This album is fast, loud and an absolute wild ride start to finish. It's very hard to not want to crank up the volume and get caught up in the energy.

If you like sad girls, you'll probably like sad girls³.
All 3 of the boys are incredibly gifted songwriters, singers, and musicians and gel together like they've been playing together since day 1. Not Strong enough is easily my favourite song of the entire year, the 'always and angel/never a god' crescendo always gets me right in the feels, and I am truly happy I got the chance to see it live this year. I often think about what bands from today might stand the test of time and be the ones people still listen to 20 or 30 years later, and boygenius consistently comes to mind for me as a top choice.