My Top 10 Albums of 2023

So I'm in my 4th year doing this on LinkedIn, and am always surprised by the response I get for these articles. I know that people say that LinkedIn should be for business, but given that 90% of "Business Content" is generic copy pasta or ChatGPT blah, then I'm much more supportive in having some creative personal content such as this alongside more thoughtful business musings.

This year my listening is at a peak since I started using Last.fm way back in 2009. It's telling me I've listened to 17,000 tracks this year (46 a day). Looking at my most listened to artist this year - Swans are a band which I'd listened to a little before, but a nudge from my fellow music fan Andy Wansell got me listening to their whole catalog and seeing them live. No mean feat given some of their albums clock in at well over 2 hours. Previous years favourites Black Country, New Road were again highly placed in my listening lists, and I have no regret about putting their album at Number 1 in my list last year. Of last years albums, the biggest grower on me was "I Love You Jennifer B" by Jockstrap, and their remix album of it this year "I<3UQTINVU" is well worth a listen as well. I purposely excluded it from my Top 10 list being a remix album - which also explains the absence of "1989 (Taylor's Version)" by Taylor Swift (re-recording), and "Dark Side of The Moon (Redux)" by Roger Waters (re-imagining) - OK... maybe not Top 10, but it was better than I imagined it could have been.

I've attended 16 concerts of varying sizes from the Hyde Park concerts over summer which I wrote about at the time - Bruce Springsteen being the highlight, through to smaller gigs of which Delgados and Peter Cat Recording Co. were both highlights. Live music continues to be the life and blood of a lot of artists and I'm particularly happy to support some my older favourites touring again - Pulp, Primal Scream and New Order for example. Glastonbury tickets for 2024 were another fail (in fact our syndicate of 18 didn't get any this year), and Taylor Swift was even more difficult (I'm glad I saw her on the Reputation tour).

Before I move to the countdown, I'll mention a few disappointments this year. Lana Del Rey and Mitski have both featured in my lists in previous years, but neither of their new albums really stood out to me despite featuring highly in some critics lists. I was excited for the Dexys new album, and despite some great tracks on it, it's a flawed piece of art. And Slowdive, while being good, was simply not good enough to get into my Top Ten - a real surprise.

Right... enough about the misses... let's talk about the hits, and as tradition dictates, we start at number ten and count down to my favourite album of the year. Click on any of the album covers for a link through to Spotify.

10. Rat Saw God - Wednesday

When I first heard this all I could think of was that "Big Thief" (who took my number 2 album spot last year) had discovered shoegaze and had a change of heart from their usual country ways. It wasn't, and in some ways that's a good thing, but it only speaks praise of what Wednesday achieved. I recently discovered that their name was inspired by old indie darlings "The Sundays" - and that should give you a good starting point. Sometimes abrasive, sometimes smooth.... but everything ultimately in balance. The lyrics touch on the darker edges of Americana, and I think this is one that may well grow on me over 2024.

9. A New Tomorrow - Zulu

For some reason this year I've been listening to a lot of heavy metal. Both old school (Judas Priest and W.A.S.P. for example), as well as some new releases. "A New Tomorrow" is the first of two "metal" albums in my top ten, but to describe it purely as heavy metal is a little unfair - it's a mix of death metal, hip-hop, jazz, funk, soul... well pretty much the kitchen sink in a celebration of black culture in multiple musical forms. There are lyrics about racism and opression, but there is also huge positivity and celebration in the music and one which you really don't know where the next turn will take you. Totally experimental, but in a strangely familiar way.

8. Javelin - Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan has released a couple of albums which I could easily rank in my Top 100 of all-time (those are maybe for another day), but his output varies between his "personal" pieces and the more experimental ones. Javelin is definitely in the former camp, and probably his most personal work to date. He has never been an overly public person, but this release came with him coming out as gay, and the announcement of the death of his partner; the album reflects this in themes of both yearning and loss. Tracks with titles such as "Will Anyone Ever Love Me?" and "Shit Talk" will hardly ever be stadium anthems, but Sufjan still manages to bring a warmth and positivity to the album where his previous most personal work "Carrie & Lowell" failed. A big return to form, albeit one born from huge personal tragedy.

7. The Beggar - Swans

Swans are not a band previously I'd really got into. I listened to "The Seer" a few years back, but found it daunting (yes, even for me!). I wouldn't say that "The Beggar" is any easier for newcomers. It's eleven tracks clock in at just over two hours, and one track lasts longer than most of the albums in my Top 10. Not one for the feint hearted, but one which rewards with a depth and power that few bands now achieve. Seeing them live this year was on of the most intense gigs I've been too in a while as well. If you're interested you can probably find easier entry points in their back catalog (White Light from the Mouth of Infinity), or if you're feeling brave, then just dive straight in. There's a good reason why Swans are my number one listened to artist this year.

6. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You - Caroline Polachek

The first truly "pop" album on my list this year, and a great starting point for listeners wanting to tap their foot to something rather than be assaulted with noise! Caroline was the vocalist of group Chairlift, and this is her second solo effort, and in my opinion is the highlight of her career to date. Accessible, yet arty, her vision of pop is really elevated on this release - catchy hooks, clever lyrics, strong vocals. It's all here, and for those missing a TS album on my list this year (no new release), this is a really great alternative from a truly innovative artist.

5. The Ballad of Darren - Blur

So this one was a shock for me. I had no idea that a Blur comeback 8 years after their previous (disappointing) "comeback" album "The Magic Whip" would be anywhere near my Top 10, nevermind gracing the number 5 spot, and also giving me my favourite single of the year as well with "The Narcissist". A reflective album which doesn't try to re-create past glories, but to bring them firmly into their own middle-aged world view. The grey skies of the (fantastic) album cover reflects the mood of the album. This is much more "This is a Low" than "Parklife", and all the better for it. I'll mention "The Narcissist" again - it's up there with the greatest Blur singles - and my own personal single of the year.

4. PetroDragonic Apocalypse - King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

OK. Back to the bonkers stuff! KG&TLW are another prolific band like Swans that previously I'd ignored (to my error). Their back catalog is ridiculously varied, and this year alone they released two albums of huge diversity - the second - "The Silver Cord" is also worth a listen if you're into synth electro pop. However, as the cover and title of this release suggests, I've gone for the less easier option... Crazy title - check, crazy cover - check, crazy concept album - check. All delivered as one of the tightest heavy metal albums of recent memory with several tracks checking in at close to 10 minutes each. The theme is about a dying earth, dragons, witches and goodness knows what else - at the end of the day it doesn't really matter because it gets you head-banging and singing out "Gila! Gila!" at totally inappropriate moments. Totally awesome dude!

3. Live At Bush Hall - Black Country, New Road

So Black Country, New Road have had my number one album spot for the last two years. The departure of lead singer Isaac Wood following the release of "Ants From Up There" led to the band no longer playing any of Isaac's material out of respect for him, and each member of the band has stepped up contributing their own view as to what BC,NR should be. It's different, but in several ways the same. They continue to refine songs by touring them first and so whether any of these tracks make it onto a "real" album is yet to be determined. All new material from the almost pop of "Up Song" through to the truly amazing piano composition "Turbines / Pigs". I also saw them live this year as I mentioned previously, they're one of the most talented group of musicians currently out there. I'm really looking forward to seeing where they go from here.

2. the record - boygenius

As near to a "supergroup" as we currently have, boygenius is made up of solo-artists Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, and is definitely a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Authentic story telling, perfect harmonies, and just enough "indie" enough to give it some edge. Cheekily calling the "the record" it's almost as if they knew how much the critics would love it, and if you have an ear for well engineered indie pop, then I'm sure you will too.

1. But Here We Are - Foo Fighters

As much as the (very plain) album cover image above leaves a gap - this album is all about gaps - the gaps left by Taylor Hawkins the bands drummer when he died suddenly in 2022. I've never been a massive Foo Fighters fan. Back in 1995 I bought there first album, but since then, apart from the occasional single, I've not really listened to them. Maybe a bit too "stadium rock" for my tastes. But this album which is a reflection on loss, death, friendships and partnerships caught me off guard. Certainly these tracks work at a stadium level (they played an amazing "surprise" set at Glastonbury this year, and I'm going to see them in London next year), but they're more personal than anything I've heard them make before. They get to rock heavy on tracks like "Nothing At All" and show a much more mature side on tracks like "Rest" which ends the album on a note that perhaps, while never forgotten, some peace has finally been found. At the start of this year, Foo Fighters were the last band I'd have thought to top my end of year list, but it's fantastic that they made an album like this that did.

As always - I hope you enjoyed this now regular annual review that I do - and I'm happy to hear about any albums which you've personally enjoyed in the comments section. I wish you all a very happy holiday season, and health and happiness to all my colleagues, customers, partners and friends on LinkedIn.