Top 10 Albums of the First Half of 2023
Quiet, beautiful, and sophisticated both in music and vocals. Music for nighttime. If you’re going to be slow and moody, you’d better be a great writer to keep my attention. This fits the bill.
Not at all quiet or beautiful! But a great album by the *other* male/female hyperpop duo. 100 Gecs gets much more attention, but I like this album better than the Gecs’ new one.
IceColdBishop — Generational Curse
He was homeless as he made this debut album, but I hope writing and rapping a brilliant and insightful work gets a roof over his head.
I wasn’t a Paramore fan before this album, though I liked Haley Williams’ recent solo work a lot. Her pen got sharper over the years, and she comes back to her band with a series of really catchy rock tracks.
slowthai was a better than average rapper in his prior two albums, but I didn’t see this coming. It’s only sort-of rap; there’s a greater rock influence here without being the dreaded rap-rock genre. It somehow works.
Jessie Ware — That! Feels Good!
Folks will debate whether this album, or her 2020 one, is the better disco record (it’s the 2020 one, but not by much). The fact that there’s even a debate is a tribute to her, given how great the prior record is. A rare instance of pulling off the same trick twice.
Sometimes I think indie folk is so thoroughly plowed-over, I can’t hear anything new or exciting anymore. Then fun albums like this come along and I’m reminded how much great folk is still out there to be made.
Gaz Coombes — Turn the Car Around
The Brits (and Australians) have some kind of magic psych-pop-rock in their blood. Gaz writes a concise and creative set of songs in that vein with nice surprises.
JPEGMAFIA x Danny Brown — Scaring the Hoes
This was either going to be awesome or a complete and total disaster. The most wild and creative hip-hop producer joins forces with the funniest, most unhinged rapper. The result is exactly what you think it would be if you know these two. In all the best ways!
The Lemon Twigs — Everything Harmony
These guys are 70s songwriting badasses. Total savants, the two brothers strip things down a bit, revealing their sterling songwriting chops. No more monkey musicals here, as much as I like their monkey musical.
Bonus Recommendations:
Surprises: Lil Yachy made a psych rock album, and it’s not bad! Skrillex’s new album is really good (well, one of them).
So many great metal albums so far. Liturgy is incredible, and arguably not metal at all? Might make my end of year overall top 10. Cattle Decapitation comes through again, Ulthar’s marathon songs are great this year, and New Zealand’s Blindfolded and Led to the Woods does a lot of genre-jumping in metal.
We also got great albums from billy woods, Yves Tumor, and Model/Actriz’s debut is excellent. Wednesday, Margo Price, White Reaper, and Q round out my recommendations so far.