Year-End Lists

Chris Willman: The Best Albums of 2023, as published by Variety

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018]

1. the record
   boygenius
2. Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
   Lana Del Rey
3. The Returner
   Allison Russell
4. Guts
   Olivia Rodrigo
5. Brandy Clark
   Brandy Clark
6. Weathervanes
   Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
7. Seven Psalms
   Paul Simon
8. My 21st Century Blues
   Raye
9. Bewitched
   Laufey
10. Zach Bryan
    Zach Bryan

Honorable mention

• Rat Saw God
  Wednesday
• The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte
  Sparks
• Lucky
  Megan Moroney
• Mañana Será Bonito
  Karol G
• I/O
  Peter Gabriel
• 10,000 gecs
  100 gecs
• Bluegrass Vacation
  Robbie Fulks
• Strays
  Margo Price
• Good Riddance
  Gracie Abrams
• Proof of Life
  Joy Oladokun
• Loving You
  Amanda Shires & Bobbie Nelson
• Unreal Unearth
  Hozier
• Anarchist Gospel
  Sunny War

Steven J. Horowitz: The Best Albums of 2023, as published by Variety

1. 10,000 gecs
   100 gecs
2. Jaguar II
   Victoria Monét
3. Calico
   Ryan Beatty
4. Like..?
   Ice Spice
5. Something to Give Each Other
   Troye Sivan
6. Faith Is A Rock
   MIKE, Wiki & The Alchemist
7. Raven
   Kelela
8. Larger than Life
   Brent Faiyaz
9. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
   Chappell Roan
10. Guy
    Jayda G

Honorable mention

• That! Feels Good!
  Jessie Ware
• Barbie The Album
  various artists
• Fountain Baby
  Amaarae
• Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
  Caroline Polachek
• Michael
  Killer Mike
• Messy
  Olivia Dean
• Get Up
  NewJeans

Thania Garcia: The Best Albums of 2023, as published by Variety

1. Mañana Será Bonito
   Karol G
2. Fountain Baby
   Amaarae
3. Larger than Life
   Brent Faiyaz
4. Génesis
   Peso Pluma
5. Red Moon in Venus
   Kali Uchis
6. Heaven Knows
   PinkPantheress
7. SUPERNOVA
   Ralphie Choo
8. With A Hammer
   yaeji
9. Let's Start Here
   Lil Yachty
10. Data
    Tainy

Honorable mention

• Utopia
  Travis Scott
• Barbie The Album
  various artists
• Dogsbody
  Model/Actriz
• Desvelado
  Eslabon Armado
• Bebe
  Bebe Rexha
• Forward
  Jordan Ward
• Arepa Mixtape
  MJ Nebreda

Jem Aswad: The Best Albums of 2023, as published by Variety

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019]

1. Larger than Life
   Brent Faiyaz
2. Jamie XX, Live at Forest Hills Stadium, Queens, NY, June 16
3. Scarlet
   Doja Cat
4. Gloria
   Sam Smith
5. Paranoia, Angels, True Love
   Christine and the Queens
6. Red Moon in Venus
   Kali Uchis
7. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
   Caroline Polachek
8. Psychic Dance Routine
   Scowl
9. Átta
   Sigur Rós
10. Asylum
    Uncle Waffles
10. Solace
    Uncle Waffles

Honorable mention

• Space Heavy
  King Krule
• Jaguar II
  Victoria Monét
• Heaven
  Cleo Sol
• Gold
  Cleo Sol
• Playing Robots into Heaven
  James Blake
• Paint My Bedroom Black
  Holly Humberstone

Mesfin Fekadu: The 10 Best Albums of 2023, as published by The Hollywood Reporter

[see also 2022]

1. Jaguar II
   Victoria Monét
2. Red Moon in Venus
   Kali Uchis
3. Gloria
   Sam Smith
4. Barbie The Album
   various artists
5. Magic 2
   Nas
6. Magic 3
   Nas
7. Something to Give Each Other
   Troye Sivan
8. Electric Dusk
   Leon Thomas
9. Guts
   Olivia Rodrigo
10. What I Didn’t Tell You (Deluxe)
    Coco Jones

Honorable mentions

• Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
  Lana Del Rey
• Michael
  Killer Mike
• Zach Bryan
  Zach Bryan
• Submissive
  Destin Conrad
• Raven
  Kelela

Magnet Magazine: Top 25 Albums of 2023

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Nowhere To Go But Up
   Guided By Voices
1. Welshpool Frillies
   Guided By Voices
1. La La Land
   Guided By Voices
2. Blondshell
   Blondshell
3. The Ballad of Darren
   Blur
4. I Inside the Old Year Dying
   PJ Harvey
5. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
   Caroline Polachek
6. Weathervanes
   Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
7. First Two Pages of Frankenstein
   The National
8. everything is alive
   Slowdive
9. I Am Not There Anymore
   The Clientele
10. the record
    boygenius
11. Bird Machine
    Sparklehorse
12. War Poems, We Rested
    R. Ring
13. The Window
    Ratboys
14. The Town That Cursed Your Name
    The Reds, Pinks & Purples
15. Lucky for You
    Bully
16. Jump for Joy
    Hiss Golden Messenger
17. Rat Saw God
    Wednesday
18. A Colossal Waste Of Light
    Eyelids
19. Manzanita
    Shana Cleveland
20. Don't Look Back
    Hurry
21. This Stupid World
    Yo La Tengo
22. Fountain Baby
    Amaarae
23. Javelin
    Sufjan Stevens
24. Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling
    Slaughter Beach, Dog
25. Desire Pathway
    Screaming Females

The Boston Globe: Our 50 Favorite Albums of 2023

• Zach Bryan
  Zach Bryan
• But Here We Are
  Foo Fighters
• Since Time Is Gravity
  Natural Information Society
• Sundial
  Noname
• Dear Departed
  Sam Burton
• Hackney Diamonds
  The Rolling Stones
• 10,000 gecs
  100 gecs
• Solar Music
  Butcher Brown
• Love in Exile
  Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, and Shahzad Ismaily
• The Source
  Kenny Barron
• The Open Book Sessions
  Ronica & The Blazing Stars
• The Fatalist
  Buffalo Nichols
• The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
  Chappell Roan
• Michael
  Killer Mike
• Strays
  Margo Price
• The Enduring Spirit
  Tomb Mold
• Get Behind The Wheel
  Eilen Jewell
• Weathervanes
  Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
• Zodiac Suite
  Aaron Diehl & The Knights
• Songs and Symphoniques: The Music of Moondog
  Ghost Train Orchestra & Kronos Quartet
• Struggler
  Genesis Owusu
• The Comeback Kid
  Marnie Stern
• Ready to Eat
  Beauty School Dropout
• Old Soul
  Stephen Marley
• For Motivational Use Only, Vol. 1
  Jermaine Dupri / Curren$y
• I Am Not There Anymore
  The Clientele
• the record
  boygenius
• Lean In
  Gretchen Parlato & Lionel Loueke
• The Biggest Life
  Summer Dean
• Goodtime Charlie
  Mick Flannery
• Red Moon in Venus
  Kali Uchis
• Yard
  Slow Pulp
• Quaranta
  Danny Brown
• Just Won't Burn
  Susan Tedeschi
• Diatom Ribbons Live At The Village Vanguard
  Kris Davis
• Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
  Caroline Polachek
• everything is alive
  Slowdive
• False Lankum
  Lankum
• Where Are We
  Joshua Redman
• The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
  Mitski
• Golden State
  Logan Ledger
• The Loveliest Time
  Carly Rae Jepsen
• Jaguar II
  Victoria Monét
• 6
  Kenny Mason
• 72 Seasons
  Metallica
• Good Living Is Coming For You
  Sweeping Promises
• The Third Mind 2
  The Third Mind
• Mélusine
  Cécile McLorin Salvant
• Black Classical Music
  Yussef Dayes
• The Soul of Epirus vol​..II
  Petroloukas Halkias & Vasilis Kostas

The Skinny: Albums of 2023

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015]

1. Heavy Heavy
   Young Fathers
2. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
   Caroline Polachek
3. Javelin
   Sufjan Stevens
4. the record
   boygenius
5. Maps
   Billy Woods & Kenny Segal
6. The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
   Mitski
7. Raven
   Kelela
8. Guts
   Olivia Rodrigo
9. False Lankum
   Lankum
10. This Is Why
    Paramore

Didn't quite make the cut

11. Scaring the Hoes
    JPEGMafia and Danny Brown
12. Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
    Lana Del Rey
13. Angel Numbers
    Hamish Hawk
14. Radical Romantics
    Fever Ray
15. Something to Give Each Other
    Troye Sivan
16. I've Seen a Way
    Mandy, Indiana
17. Crazymad, for Me
    CMAT
18. Lahai
    Sampha
19. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
    Chappell Roan
20. Rat Saw God
    Wednesday

Glide Magazine: 20 Best Album for 2023, in alphabetical order

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018]

• Night Construction
  Bohannons
• Solar Music
  Butcher Brown
• All Her Plans
  Cable Ties
• Western Cum
  Cory Hanson
• Wild & Precious Life
  Duane Betts
• Angels & Queens – Part II
  Gabriels
• 3D Country
  Geese
• Struggler
  Genesis Owusu
• Come Around and Love Me
  Jalen Ngonda
• Swinging Stars
  Mapache
• Altitude
  Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives
• And Southern Star
  Mikaela Davis
• Calm Ya Farm
  The Murlocs
• Relentless
  The Pretenders
• Black Bayou
  Robert Finley
• Food for Worms
  Shame
• Anarchist Gospel
  Sunny War
• Rat Saw God
  Wednesday
• Zango
  Witch
• This Stupid World
  Yo La Tengo

20 Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)

• The Returner
  Allison Russell
• The Ballad of Darren
  Blur
• The Fatalist
  Buffalo Nichols
• Higher
  Chris Stapleton
• Cut Worms
  Cut Worms
• Reflector
  Daniel Donato
• Data Doom
  Frankie and the Witch Fingers
• All of This Will End
  Indigo De Souza
• Let's Start Here
  Lil Yachty
• Art Dealers
  Low Cut Connie
• Valley Of Heart's Delight
  Margo Cilker
• City of Gold
  Molly Tuttle
• Jenny from Thebes
  The Mountain Goats
• Bewilderment
  Pale Jay
• The Window
  Ratboys
• Morning
  Sami Stevens
• Desire Pathway
  Screaming Females
• The Third Mind 2
  The Third Mind
• Cousin
  Wilco
• Heavy Heavy
  Young Fathers

Resident Advisor: The Best Albums of 2023

[see also 2018 • 2015 • 2014 • 2012 • 2011]

Album of the Year

• Raven
  Kelela

Other Best Albums

• Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
  Caroline Polachek
• Imagine This Is a High Dimensional Space of All Possibilities
  James Holden
• trip9love...???
  Tirzah
• La Onda
  Regal86
• Good Lies
  Overmono
• Playing Robots into Heaven
  James Blake
• Pearls Don't Lay On the Shore
  Mr. G
• Fluid Meditations
  DJ Gigola
• The Ancient Truth
  Maara
• Crash Recoil
  Surgeon
• Agartha
  Wata Igarashi
• Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)
  Yves Tumor
• Flood City Trax
  Nondi_
• Tikiman Vol.1
  Paul St. Hilaire
• Atlas
  Laurel Halo
• Ansiedade
  DJ Danifox
• a.s.o.
  a.s.o
• Madres
  Sofia Kourtesis
• The Chants Of The Holy Oyster
  various artists
• ULTRAKUNST
  Brutalismus 3000
• Inflatable Gravestone
  Mun Sing
• Natural Wonder Beauty Concept
  Natural Wonder Beauty Concept
• Homesick
  Ciel
• Changing Channels
  Pangaea
• Swells
  K-LONE
• Jbal Rrsas
  Deena Abdelwahed
• Choral Feeling
  Oceanic
• Radical Romantics
  Fever Ray
• Signs
  Purelink