The 2023 End of Year music lists thread

what is Ocean Blvd

a place above a tunnel, apparently

If the UK critical consensus is forming around Lankum, then for once I’m delighted. It’s an outstanding album, sonically gorgeous, and easily the most original take I’ve heard on traditional music I’ve heard in years.

Researching all year for the podcast has played havoc with my Unwrapped; I got a video message from Calvin Harris thanking me for my support! (Also, apparently I need to visit Newcastle. At least it’s not far away.)

what is Ocean Blvd

― alpine static, Thursday, November 30, 2023 3:21 PM (forty-six minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

An Eric Clapton album I think

My top artist was Ryuichi Sakamoto. Spotify asked if I wanted to send him a message.

i'm sure they have an AI Ryuichi ready to receive it

I only use Spotify if absolutely necessary for work, so my top artists are mostly shit I hate but have to write about. I got a personal message from right wing country dumbass Creed Fisher.

I listen on Tidal, and only open Spotify when I need to paste a streaming link into an article.

Music fucking sucks now

Agreed. You should leave this messageboard and join us at music sucks now dot com

the only thing i hate more than music is people putting music in a list

not sure what Lankum is

irish folk as played by swans

I got Berkeley instead of Burlington, even though boygenius was in my top 5. Maybe having De La Soul as #1 did that?

(the De La thank-you video is v charming fwiw)

Sounds like you all need to set your GPS units to Ocean Blvd, stat...

not sure what Lankum is

― Beyond Goo and Evol (President Keyes)

https://daily.bandcamp.com/best-folk/the-best-folk-music-on-bandcamp-march-2023
https://daily.bandcamp.com/scene-report/new-dark-folk-uk-ireland-scene-report
https://daily.bandcamp.com/resonance/lankum-between-the-earth-and-sky-essay

Nourished by Time a deserving #1 on the gorilla vs. bear list.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/30/arts/music/best-albums-2023.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

3 NY Times writers top albums

Pareles - has Karol G on his list

Caramanica has Asake

Zoladz has Water From Your Eyes

Really happy with ML Buch at #2 at gorilla vs bear. Great album.

gorilla vs bear is always one of the best lists because their taste aligns decently with mine but they always still have a ton of stuff i haven't heard to dig through

One of the jazzheads, UK leading Jazz music magazine: Jazzwise

Jazzwise Albums of the Year 2023

https://www.jazzwise.com/features/article/jazzwise-albums-of-the-year-2023

Top 20 and further 80 Albums listed that were voted by the critics.

That Popmatters ambient list posted up thread by DJ Martian is nice

gvb list has that wonderful being dead album, and might just share a number 1 with my eventual list

xpost to whoever said this was a "light" year- yep, my spotify wrapped was about 90% catalogue things and stuff from last year i was late on. there was definitely some new music this year that i'm very enthusiastic about. just... man, this year was kinda bunk, wasn't it?

(and a retort to the "favorites"-
sufjan stevens has always been insufferable. time for some good old fashioned racism: the same music by a not white person would be rightfully ignored.
lana del rey is intentional self-parody and, while i live and die by a cynical mind, i can't have that shit spewed back at mr in my pop music. it's just too far. she cain't sang no matter, anydamnway.
jessie ware + beyonce are the perfect type of milquetoast garbage for these and the exact kind of music i hate.)

sza dominating is, i guess, not going to happen. the curse of the late season album release.

Austin, we finally agree on something music-wise— Sufjan sucks and always has

the same music by a not white person would be rightfully ignored.

kinda boggled at how wrong this is

usually annoyed by the ldr love in these lists but this was far and away her best album imo

Manchester's Piccadilly Records

Piccadilly Records EOY Review Top 100 Albums Of The Year.
https://www.piccadillyrecords.com/counter/feature.php?feature=1378

1 - SLOWDIVE
EVERYTHING IS ALIVE
DEAD OCEANS

2 - NABIHAH IQBAL
DREAMER
NINJA TUNE

selective highlights

10.OVERMONO - GOOD LIES
XL

11. NOURISHED BY TIME - EROTIC PROBIOTIC 2
SCENIC ROUTE

15 - CAROLINE POLACHEK
DESIRE, I WANT TO TURN INTO YOU
PERPETUAL NOVICE

21 - YUSSEF DAYES
BLACK CLASSICAL MUSIC
BROWNSWOOD

23 - THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS
FOR THAT BEAUTIFUL FEELING
EMI

26 - SAY SHE SHE
SILVER
KARMA CHIEF RECORDS

27 - JAMES HOLDEN
IMAGINE THIS IS A HIGH DIMENSIONAL SPACE OF ALL POSSIBILITIES
BORDER COMMUNITY

40 - HARP
ALBION
BELLA UNION

42 - MANDY, INDIANA
I'VE SEEN A WAY
FIRE TALK

45 - GOGO PENGUIN
EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OKAY
XXIM

58 - ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER
AGAIN
WARP

71 - LADYTRON
TIME'S ARROW
COOKING VINYL

80 - SOFIA KOURTESIS
MADRES
NINJA TUNE

82 - ALISON GOLDFRAPP
THE LOVE INVENTION
SKINT

91 - FOREST SWORDS
BOLTED
NINJA TUNE

re:

40 - HARP
ALBION
BELLA UNION

Tim Smith (ex-Midlake) tells us how The Cure, Cocteau Twins, The Sundays & more influenced his solo debut as Harp
https://www.brooklynvegan.com/tim-smith-ex-midlake-tells-us-how-the-cure-cocteau-twins-the-sundays-more-influenced-his-solo-debut-as-harp/

usually annoyed by the ldr love in these lists but this was far and away her best album imo

It’s one of the best albums I’ve ever heard! Like the Big Thief album was last year.

I’m not ashamed to stan for my favorites… I’ve never loved music as much as some of the music I’ve loved in the past 10 years, for whatever reason

sufjan stevens has always been insufferable. time for some good old fashioned racism: the same music by a not white person would be rightfully ignored.

everyone's just going to let this go? i am not a sufjan fan but i'm not sure how "people only like him because he's white" is your main criticism (btw the album is dedicated to his dead black life partner)

i thought this year was great but i spent a lot of time working myself out of my comfort zones

going by my lists the meagerest year in recent memory is 2021. prob for obvious rasons

the same music by a not white person would be rightfully ignored

i don't really have anything to defend here. sufjan will continue to do just fine without my attention. i'm being a bit flippant about it, but it's about time for ol' suffy to get a career ending critical beatdown imo. and i'm sorry/not sorry: most of these feelings i have are about white artists. none of them have anything new or worthwhile to say, but continue to thrive because of their milque-y appeal. gross, no thank you.

I think most of the big year end lists agree with you and white guys ike Sufjannaise are basically outliers at this point

THEY’RE gross, huh?

yes and smelly

none of them have anything new or worthwhile to say

i haven't heard his music in like 20 years, but really? "dae think white people music is bland?!" what year is this? embarrassing posts tbh

"All white artists have nothing to say" is an insane thing to say

i have to just assume that illinois being kinda twee made austin incandescent with rage 18 years ago and he still hasn't recovered or heard anything else by sufjan since then

Austin whenever someone writes an intimate concept album about their dead partner

https://i.etsystatic.com/36270455/r/il/c63a90/4152133450/il_fullxfull.4152133450_fqlf.jpg

we're in "that thing white people do..." territory here, right?

i guess i truly have no idea what austin means by milquetoast because he's also mad at beyonce, who didn't even have an album this year. i have no idea how that makes sense as a criticism of her, and i didn't even care for renaissance that much

I'm all for more bands making albums that sound like Espers II but not sure why Lankum is hitting this year. Is everything ok across the pond? This is some pretty glum sounding stuff.

if by glum you mean "fire is raining from the sky and we are all doomed so let's hold each other to remind ourselves that life had meaning," then yes

I guess Sleaford Mods and 2022 ILM AotY winner Real Lies are milquetoast too? Brb - gonna sell those records and delete from my hard drive

I mean... I wouldn't even let Sleaford Mods anywhere near my hard drive in the first place, but I realize I'm in the minority about that. They aren't milquetoast tho, that's true.

John Robb's Louder than War have unveiled the EoY List

Louder The War Top 100 Albums of the Year 2023
https://louderthanwar.com/louder-than-war-albums-of-2023/

the only top 100 that will include all the following: Crime and the City Solution, Hawkwind, The Damned, Mudhoney, Rhoda Dakar, EBTGirl, Gorillaz, Sparks, Therapy, Orbital, Band of Holy Joy, DJ Shadow and Vince Clarke.

plus some right obscure / esoteric / who are they selections / I never knew this band existed.

Louder Than War’s Albums Of 2023 was compiled with votes from John Robb, Wayne Carey, Iain Key, Ged Babey, Nathan Whittle, Gordon Rutherford, Mark Ray, Jazz Hodge, Audrey Golden, Robin Boardman, Nathan Brown, Paul Scott-Bates, Jim Mumby, Ian Corbridge, Paul Clarke, Christopher Lloyd, Adam Brady, Paul Evangelista, Tim Cooper, Phil Newall, Andy Brown, Paul Grace, James Kilkenny, Neil Crud, Nigel Carr, Tiernan Canon, Melanie Smith, Gus Ironside, and Keith Chapman.

Mostly men (of a certain age) voted.

do they have anything new to say?