It’s the time of the season. The year end routine starts with the albums of the year. A good year of music again and even though the list is ridiculously long, I still would have loved to be able to squeeze in another 50 or so. If you are not on this, it doesn’t mean I don’t like your album. There’s just a few hundred excellent albums out there and I listen to a lot of music. I did put the numbers there this time around, but it’s totally arbitrary. Music is love, not a competition. Maybe half a dozen at the top were somewhat obvious and my biggest favorites this year. After that it could have been alphabetical order just as well. I could move these albums up or down 30 spots and be just as happy with it. So the numbers are only there to give you a vague idea of what I loved the most, because everyone isn’t a music addict and willing to investigate 100 albums.
I left out a lot of the bigger names, because I just didn’t listen to them all that much. Some of them I know I would like, but there’s just not enough time for everything. So that’s why there’s some surprise absence of albums that most likely would be here if I had listened them enough. I still haven’t even really given a proper spin even to that Sufjan Stevens albums and I know I’m going to love it. Tyler Childers was a tricky one too, because there’s a couple of songs that I really love, but it almost felt like an EP with some covers and fairly short length. So yeah love parts of that for sure, but I think he will be alright even if I don’t include it. Many others would fall into this category too. This whole list is also entirely subjective. I never try do any kind of objective best of the year. It’s just about albums/songs that I personally love.
There’s a playlist link with one song from each, if you are into such things. Apple, Tidal and Spotify. I made it on Spotify and transferred to the other ones. Therefore it seems to sometimes take the single instead of the album cut, but I’m sure you’ll find the correct albums from Tidal and Apple too. I only added Bandcamp/youtube embeds to top three. The page just seem to load forever, if there’s a hundred embed on it. So sorry about that. Most of these can be found on bandcamp (and well record stores).
100 FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2023
100. Bonnie Montgomery – River (Gar Hole Records)
99. Max Bien Kahn – When I Cross It Off (Perpetual Doom)
98. Jerry Leger – Donlands (Latent Recordings)
97. Mya Byrne – Rhinestone Tomboy (Kill Rock Stars Nashville)
96. Kyle Cox – Who Cares
95. Steven Adams – Drops (Fika Recordings)
94. The Resonant Rogues – The Resonant Rogues
93. Jordan Moser – PERIL (Keeled Scales)
92. Sam Burton – Dear Departed (Partisan Records)
91. Logan Ledger – Golden State (Rounder Records)
90. Bry Webb – Run With Me (Idee Fixe Records)
89. Nico Paulo – Nico Paulo (Forward Music Group)
88. Jerry David DeCicca – New Shadows
87. Andrew Gabbard – Cedar City Sweetheart (Karma Chief Records / Colemine Records)
86. Jeff Moller – Sigh Baby (Royal Oakie Records)
85. Beth Bombara – It All Goes Up (Black Mesa Records)
84. Johanna Samuels – Bystander (Jealous Butcher Records)
83. Nat Vazer – Strange Adrenaline (Perpetual Doom)
82. The Evening Sons – Tracks (Curation Records)
81. Uni Boys – Buy This Now! (Curation Records)
80. The David Tattersall Group – The David Tattersall Group (Bella Union)
79. Graves – Gary Owens: I Have Some Thoughts (Perpetual Doom)
78. The Sons of Rainier – Take Me Anywhere
77. Woods – Perennial (Woodsist)
76. The Rose City Band – Garden Party (Thrill Jockey Records)
75. Mapache . Swinging Stars (Innovative Leisure)
74. Laith – Lightning (Fluff and Gravy Records)
73. Dylan LeBlanc – Coyote (ATO Records)
72. Kacey Johansing – Year Away (Night Bloom Records)
71. Brigid Mae Power – Dream From the Deep Well (Fire Records)
70. Thomas Walsh – The Rest is History (Curation Records)
69. Diners – Domino (Bar None Records)
68. Michael Cormier O’Leary – Anything Can Be Left Behind (Dear Life Records)
67. The Satchel Kid – When It Stops Hurting (Ella Ruth Institutet)
66. Josienne Clarke – Onliness (Corduroy Punk)
65. Julie Arsenault – Nothing Sweeter (Son Canciones)
64. Leah Senior – The Music That I Make (Poison City Records)
63. Stephen Wilson Jr – Son of Dad (Big Loud Records)
62. Nick Shoulders – All Bad (Gar Hole Records)
61. Brennen Leigh – Ain’t Through Honky Tonkin Yet (Signature Sounds Recording)
60. Colter Wall – Little Songs (La Honda Records / RCA Records)
59. Buffalo Nichols – The Fatalist (Fat Possum Records)
58. Lauren O’Connell – Everything Feels Ridiculous (Sugar Glider)
57. Lydia Loveless – Nothing’s Gonna Stand in My Way Again (Bloodshot Records)
56. Steve Sloane – The Dust I’ve Been Wearing Around / Let the Sunset Have My Stuff
55. Whitney Rose – Rosie (MCG Recordings)
54. Dylan Earl – I Saw the Arkansas (Gar Hole Records)
53. Skyway Man – Flight of the Long Distance Healer (Mama Bird Recording Co)
52. H.C. McEntire – Every Acre (Merge Records)
51. I’m Kingfisher – Glue (Fading Trails)
50. Kitba – Kitba (Ruination Record Co)
49. Withered Hand – How To Love (Reveal Records)
48. The Reds, Pinks and Purples – The Town That Cursed Your Name (Tough Love)
47. Vanity Mirrow – PUFF (We Are Busy Bodies)
46.NQ Arbuckle – Love Songs for the Long Game (Six Shooter Records)
45. James McCann – Tales of a Northbound Drifter
44. Joanna Sternberg – I’ve Got Me (Fat Possum Records)
43. Maybel – Gloam (Idee Fixe Record)
42. Charlotte Cornfield – Could Have Done Anything (Double Double Whammy / Polyvinyl)
41. Sparklehorse – Bird Machine (Anti-)
40. Charles Wesley Godwin – Family Ties (Big Loud Records)
39. Haley E Rydell – Midwestern Daughter
38. Tre Burt – Traffic Fiction (Oh Boy Records)
37. Bart – Some Kind of Way (Idee Fixe Records)
36. Carlene – Looking Out My Window
35. Cinder Well – Cadence (Free Dirt Records)
34. Sluice – Radial Gate (Ruination Record Co)
33. Jalen Ngonda – Come Around and Love Me (Daptone Records)
32. J.E. Sunde – Alice, Gloria & Jon (Vietnam)
31. Esther Rose – Safe to Run (New West Records)
30. Mike Frazier – Another Night, Another Sunrise (Geneva Records)
29. Pony Bradshaw – North Georgia Rounder (Black Mountain Music / Soundly)
28. Michael James Tapscott – The Beasts of History (Royal Oakie Records)
27. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – Weathervanes (Southeastern Records / Thirty Tigers)
26. Anna St. Louis – In the Air (Mare / Woodsist)
25. Will Johnson – No Ordinary Crown (Keeled Scales)
24. Steven van Betten – Friends and Family (Future Gods)
23. Ron Sexsmith – The Vivian Line (Cooking Vinyl)
22. Andrew Bryant – Prodigal (Sentimental Noises)
21. Vincent Neil Emerson – The Golden Crystal Kingdom (La Honda Records / RCA)
20. Hurry – Don’t Look Back (Lame-O Records)
19. Willy Tea Taylor & The Fellership – The Great Western Hangover (Blackwing Music)
18. Summer Dean – The Biggest Life (Next Waltz)
17. Slaid Cleaves – Together Through the Dark (Candy House Media)
16. John R. Miller – Heat Comes Down (Rounder Records)
15. William Matheny – That Grand Old Feeling (Hickman Holler Records / Thirty Tigers)
14. Evangeline Gentle – Where the Diamonds Are
13. Kelly Sloan – Insides Out (Victory Pool)
12. Jason Hawk Harris – Thin Places (Bloodshot Records)
11. Rae Fitzgerald – Say I Look Happy (Keeled Scales)
10. Bella White – Among Other Things (Rounder Records)
9. Cut Worms – Cut Worms (Jagjaguwar)
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8. Austin Stambaugh – Midwest Supernatural (Anti-Corp)
7. Abe Partridge – Love in the Dark (Baldwin County Public Records)
6. Bonnie Prince Billy – Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You (Domino Recording Co)
5. Margo Cilker – Valley of Heart’s Delight (Fluff and Gravy Records / Loose Music)
4. Lucinda Williams – Stories from a Rock N Roll Heart (Highway 20 Records / Thirty Tigers)
3. Jeffrey Martin – Thank God We Left the Garden (Fluff and Gravy Records / Loose Music)
2. Dean Johnson – Nothing For Me, Please (Mama Bird Recording Co)
1. Kassi Valazza – Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing (Fluff and Gravy Records / Loose Music)
