Year-End Lists

Crack Magazine: The Top 50 Albums of 2023

[see also 2022 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012]

1. homeless n***a pop music
   Jim Legxacy
2. Bendik Giske
   Bendik Giske
3. 93696
   Liturgy
4. a.s.o.
   a.s.o
5. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
   Caroline Polachek
6. Àlàáfíà
   Honour
7. Breeze
   Vayda
8. My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross
   Anohni and the Johnsons
9. Tune IN
   Universal Harmonies & Frequencies
10. Nekkuja
    Marina Herlop
11. Fountain Baby
    Amaarae
12. Scaring the Hoes
    JPEGMafia and Danny Brown
13. False Lankum
    Lankum
14. Good Luck
    Debby Friday
15. Atlas
    Laurel Halo
16. Maritz
    Jonnine
17. Let's Start Here
    Lil Yachty
18. I've Seen a Way
    Mandy, Indiana
19. & the Charm
    Avalon Emerson
20. Deliverance And Spiritual Warfare
    Holy Tongue
21. A New Tomorrow
    Zulu
22. Radical Romantics
    Fever Ray
23. Signs
    Purelink
24. Sundial
    Noname
25. I Inside the Old Year Dying
    PJ Harvey
26. Bunyi Bunyi Tumbal
    Hulubalang
27. Excelsior
    Slauson Malone 1
28. Further Out Than The Edge
    Speakers Corner Quartet
29. Techxodus
    Speaker Music
30. Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?
    Kara Jackson
31. Source of Denial
    Nihiloxica
32. Just A Matter Of Time
    AntsLive
33. The Head Hurts but the Heart Knows the Truth
    Headache
34. 绿帽 Green Hat
    Tzusing
35. Mondo Tempo
    Freak Heat Waves
36. Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
    Lana Del Rey
37. Tikiman Vol.1
    Paul St. Hilaire
38. Work of Art
    Asake
39. Raven
    Kelela
40. Blondshell
    Blondshell
41. Viral Wreckage
    Aunty Rayzor
42. WOW
    Kate NV
43. Everyone's Crushed
    Water From Your Eyes
44. I Killed Your Dog
    L'Rain
45. Natural Wonder Beauty Concept
    Natural Wonder Beauty Concept
46. touched by an angel
    Klein
47. We Buy Diabetic Test Strips
    Armand Hammer
48. the record
    boygenius
49. Inti Watana - El Retorno del Sol
    Luzmila Carpio
50. Something to Give Each Other
    Troye Sivan

The Ringer: The 27 Best Albums of 2023

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

1. Lucky for You
   Bully
2. Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
   Lana Del Rey
3. Guts
   Olivia Rodrigo
4. SOS
   SZA
5. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
   Caroline Polachek
6. Madres
   Sofia Kourtesis
7. We Buy Diabetic Test Strips
   Armand Hammer
8. 10,000 gecs
   100 gecs
9. Lahai
   Sampha
10. Life Under the Gun
    Militarie Gun
11. The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
    Mitski
12. Hellmode
    Jeff Rosenstock
13. Scaring the Hoes
    JPEGMafia and Danny Brown
14. Raven
    Kelela
15. Rat Saw God
    Wednesday
16. Time Ain't Accidental
    Jess Williamson
17. Javelin
    Sufjan Stevens
18. Jaguar II
    Victoria Monét
19. The Great Escape
    Larry June and the Alchemist
20. Sundial
    Noname
21. the record
    boygenius
22. Heaven Is a Junkyard
    Youth Lagoon
23. Zach Bryan
    Zach Bryan
24. Softscars
    yeule
25. LIFE AFTER NEPH
    RXKNephew and Harry Fraud
25. Virtuoso
    Valee and Harry Fraud
26. Yallah Beibe
    MC Yallah
27. Blondshell
    Blondshell

Yardbarker: The 50 Best Albums of 2023

1. Driving
   Sam Wilkes
2. Diagonal Musik II
   Prins Emanuel
3. That! Feels Good!
   Jessie Ware
4. London Ko
   Fatoumata Diawara
5. The Happiest Times I Ever Ignored
   Hayden Pedigo
6. Get Up
   NewJeans
7. Alchemy
   Disclosure
8. Mute The Charm
   Unwed Sailor
9. Groove Religion
   Kosmo Kint
10. Volcano
    Jungle
11. An Ever Changing View
    Matthew Halsall
12. Time Will Wait for No One
    Local Natives
13. Anches En Maat
    Grails
14. Gag Order
    Kesha
15. Gentle Confrontation
    Loraine James
16. Let's Start Here
    Lil Yachty
17. Amatssou
    Tinariwen
18. The Rainbow Wheel of Death
    Dougie Poole
19. FML
    Seventeen
20. Days In The Desert
    High Pulp
21. Scaring the Hoes
    JPEGMafia and Danny Brown
22. Bastard Jargon
    Nakhane
23. FADER & Friends Vol. 1
    various artists
24. The Silver Cord
    King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
25. Southern Star
    Brent Cobb
26. Love in the Void
    Hammock
27. Raven
    Kelela
28. Javelin
    Sufjan Stevens
29. Strays
    Margo Price
30. Rat Saw God
    Wednesday
31. Sundial
    Noname
32. The Loveliest Time
    Carly Rae Jepsen
33. Weathervanes
    Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit
34. Western Cum
    Cory Hanson
35. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
    Metro Boomin
36. I am upset because I see something that is not there.
    Fire-Toolz
37. Black Rainbows
    Corinne Bailey Rae
38. All That Was East Is West of Me Now
    Glen Hansard
39. The Returner
    Allison Russell
40. the record
    boygenius
41. The Comeback Kid
    Marnie Stern
42. Red Moon in Venus
    Kali Uchis
43. Maps
    Billy Woods & Kenny Segal
44. Nothing's Gonna Stand in My Way Again
    Lydia Loveless
45. Brand New Life
    Brandee Younger
46. Silver
    Say She She
47. If We Stayed Alive
    12 Rods
48. The Enduring Spirit
    Tomb Mold
49. Michael
    Killer Mike
50. But Here We Are
    Foo Fighters

Maura Johnston: The 10 Best Albums of 2023, as published by Time Magazine

[see also 2018]

1. Red Moon in Venus
   Kali Uchis
2. Zach Bryan
   Zach Bryan
3. SOS
   SZA
4. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
   Chappell Roan
5. Water Made Us
   Jamila Woods
6. Principia
   En Attendant Ana
7. Sundial
   Noname
8. Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war))
   Jaimie Branch
9. Follow the Cyborg
   Miss Grit
10. This Is Why
    Paramore

Craig Jenkins: The Best Albums of 2023, as published by New York Magazine’s Vulture

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

1. Lahai
   Sampha
2. Workin' on a World
   Iris DeMent
3. Javelin
   Sufjan Stevens
4. Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)
   Yves Tumor
5. Sundial
   Noname
6. We Buy Diabetic Test Strips
   Armand Hammer
7. Raven
   Kelela
8. the record
   boygenius
9. Air Not Meant For Us
   Fires in the Distance
10. Imagine This Is a High Dimensional Space of All Possibilities
    James Holden

Stereogum: The 50 Best Albums Of 2023

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Rat Saw God
   Wednesday
2. Guts
   Olivia Rodrigo
3. Maps
   Billy Woods & Kenny Segal
4. The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
   Mitski
5. the record
   boygenius
6. The Window
   Ratboys
7. Life Under the Gun
   Militarie Gun
8. Cartwheel
   Hotline TNT
9. Post-American
   MSPAINT
10. 10,000 gecs
    100 gecs
11. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
    Caroline Polachek
12. Voir Dire
    Earl Sweatshirt and the Alchemist
13. Lucky for You
    Bully
14. Scaring the Hoes
    JPEGMafia and Danny Brown
15. After the Magic
    Parannoul
16. All of This Will End
    Indigo De Souza
17. Yard
    Slow Pulp
18. Dead Meat
    The Tubs
19. Radical Romantics
    Fever Ray
20. Running From the Chase
    Truth Club
21. That! Feels Good!
    Jessie Ware
22. With A Hammer
    yaeji
23. Destiny
    DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ
24. everything is alive
    Slowdive
25. Multitudes
    Feist
26. Raven
    Kelela
27. Softscars
    yeule
28. The Enduring Spirit
    Tomb Mold
29. Everyone's Crushed
    Water From Your Eyes
30. Larger than Life
    Brent Faiyaz
31. Pure Music
    Strange Ranger
32. Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)
    Yves Tumor
33. Ganger
    Veeze
34. Erotic Probiotic 2
    Nourished By Time
35. Javelin
    Sufjan Stevens
36. Death is Nothing to Us
    Fiddlehead
37. Saturnian Bloodstorm
    Lamp Of Murmuur
38. Girl In The Half Pearl
    Liv.e
39. Girl with Fish
    Feeble Little Horse
40. Jaguar II
    Victoria Monét
41. Infinite Spring
    superviolet
42. Good Lies
    Overmono
43. The Rime Of Memory
    Panopticon
44. The Greater Wings
    Julie Byrne
45. Games Of Power
    Home Front
46. Hood Hottest Princess
    Sexyy Red
47. Living Proof
    Drain
48. Eye On The Bat
    Palehound
49. Walk the Wheel
    Truth Cult
50. Orbweaving
    Midwife & Vyva Melinkolya

NPR: The 50 Best Albums of 2023. They explain that "for the first time since 2015, our 50 best albums of the year aren't ranked, but listed in chronological order by release date."

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

• SOS
  SZA
• Eyes Of The World
  The Latin Dead
• Terror
  Tianna Esperanza
• Workin' on a World
  Iris DeMent
• Dark with Excessive Bright
  Missy Mazzoli with Peter Herresthal
• Forward
  Jordan Ward
• Radical Romantics
  Fever Ray
• 10,000 gecs
  100 gecs
• False Lankum
  Lankum
• Scaring the Hoes
  JPEGMafia and Danny Brown
• the record
  boygenius
• Rat Saw God
  Wednesday
• Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?
  Kara Jackson
• Multitudes
  Feist
• Dante
  Thomas Adès
• That! Feels Good!
  Jessie Ware
• Proof of Life
  Joy Oladokun
• Jump On It
  Bill Orcutt
• Maps
  Billy Woods & Kenny Segal
• EADDA9223
  Fito Páez
• Fountain Baby
  Amaarae
• The Age of Pleasure
  Janelle Monáe
• Diamonds & Freaks
  Blk Odyssy
• Hood Hottest Princess
  Sexyy Red
• The Omnichord Real Book
  Meshell Ndegeocello
• Good Living Is Coming For You
  Sweeping Promises
• In the End It Always Does
  The Japanese House
• I Inside the Old Year Dying
  PJ Harvey
• I Am Not There Anymore
  The Clientele
• Sundial
  Noname
• The Patience
  Mick Jenkins
• Jaguar II
  Victoria Monét
• STILLPOINT
  Awadagin Pratt
• Guts
  Olivia Rodrigo
• Black Classical Music
  Yussef Dayes
• Mid Air
  Romy
• Dynamic Maximum Tension
  Darcy James Argue's Secret Society
• SUPERNOVA
  Ralphie Choo
• Valley Of Heart's Delight
  Margo Cilker
• Black Rainbows
  Corinne Bailey Rae
• Heaven
  Cleo Sol
• Scarlet
  Doja Cat
• fLuXkit Vancouver (i̶t̶s suite but sacred)
  Darius Jones
• Falling or Flying
  Jorja Smith
• Rivers In Our Veins
  Allison Miller
• Something to Give Each Other
  Troye Sivan
• chaos takes the wheel and i am a passenger
  awakebutstillinbed
• Lahai
  Sampha
• ULTRABELLEZA
  María José Llergo
• Autopoiética
  Mon Laferte

Pitchfork: The 50 Best Albums of 2023

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. SOS
   SZA
2. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
   Caroline Polachek
3. Maps
   Billy Woods & Kenny Segal
4. Rat Saw God
   Wednesday
5. Erotic Probiotic 2
   Nourished By Time
6. Javelin
   Sufjan Stevens
7. Fountain Baby
   Amaarae
8. Radical Romantics
   Fever Ray
9. My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross
   Anohni and the Johnsons
10. Softscars
    yeule
11. Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
    Lana Del Rey
12. I Killed Your Dog
    L'Rain
13. Sundial
    Noname
14. Guts
    Olivia Rodrigo
15. With A Hammer
    yaeji
16. the record
    boygenius
17. Raven
    Kelela
18. 10,000 gecs
    100 gecs
19. Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?
    Kara Jackson
20. I've Seen a Way
    Mandy, Indiana
21. The Greater Wings
    Julie Byrne
22. That! Feels Good!
    Jessie Ware
23. The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
    Mitski
24. Madres
    Sofia Kourtesis
25. Love in Exile
    Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, and Shahzad Ismaily
26. Atlas
    Laurel Halo
27. Everyone's Crushed
    Water From Your Eyes
28. Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war))
    Jaimie Branch
29. Détwat
    HiTech
30. & the Charm
    Avalon Emerson
31. Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)
    Yves Tumor
32. Like..?
    Ice Spice
33. Dogsbody
    Model/Actriz
34. I've Got Me
    Joanna Sternberg
35. Ganger
    Veeze
36. Changing Channels
    Pangaea
37. Oh Me Oh My
    Lonnie Holley
38. This Stupid World
    Yo La Tengo
39. Girl In The Half Pearl
    Liv.e
40. 12
    Ryuichi Sakamoto
41. Hood Hottest Princess
    Sexyy Red
42. Heaven Is a Junkyard
    Youth Lagoon
43. Red Moon in Venus
    Kali Uchis
44. Time Ain't Accidental
    Jess Williamson
45. The Enduring Spirit
    Tomb Mold
46. Sun Arcs
    Blue Lake
47. After the Magic
    Parannoul
48. Signs
    Purelink
49. Good Living Is Coming For You
    Sweeping Promises
50. New Blue Sun
    André 3000

The Wire: Top 50 Albums of 2023

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

1. This Stupid World
   Yo La Tengo
2. Oxmardyke
   Philip Jeck & Chris Watson
3. fLuXkit Vancouver (i̶t̶s suite but sacred)
   Darius Jones
4. To Be Cruel
   Khanate
5. Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the garden…
   Matana Roberts
6. BOWN
   Mariam Rezaei
7. Protect Your Light
   Irreversible Entanglements
8. Echolocation
   Mendoza Hoff Revels
9. Traveller Song / Thanksong
   Cassandra Miller
10. Une aventure de VV (Songspiel)
    Aksak Maboul
11. Talàn
    Raphael Rogiński
12. Tête-à-tête
    Ruth Anderson & Annea Lockwood
13. Skultura
    Nick Dunston
14. Potential
    Sunik Kim
15. Last Calls
    AMM
16. Under an Endless Sky
    Dorothy Moskowitz & The United States of Alchemy
17. I Am Not There Anymore
    The Clientele
18. Sundial
    Noname
19. My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross
    Anohni and the Johnsons
20. 12
    Ryuichi Sakamoto
21. Smoke Rings Shimmers Endless Blur
    Laura Ortman
22. The Holy Mother (Plays The Rudra Veena)
    Madhuvanti Pal
23. Rhizomes
    Aho Ssan
24. Maps
    Billy Woods & Kenny Segal
25. Requiem for Jazz
    Angel Bat Dawid
26. Eye of the Sea
    Svitlana Nianio & Tom James Scott
27. The Anxiety of Symmetry
    Bill Orcutt
28. Radical Romantics
    Fever Ray
29. Laughing
    Coffin Prick
30. Hotel Spojár
    Škvíry & Spoje
31. Fire Illuminations
    Wadada Leo Smith and Orange Wave Electric
32. Girl In The Half Pearl
    Liv.e
33. Isn't It Now?
    Animal Collective
34. Agua Dulce
    Ale Hop & Laura Robles
35. From the Dancehall to the Battlefield
    Jason Moran
36. Drift
    Gaika
37. Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war))
    Jaimie Branch
38. Leather Blvd
    B. Cool-Aid
39. Pop-Up! Ker-Ching! and the Possibilities of Modern Shopping
    Mozart Estate
40. Reconfiguring the Landscape
    Natasha Barrett
41. Marjaa: The Battle Of The Hotels
    Mayssa Jallad
42. Modern and Unique
    Position Normal
43. Sister Time
    Amy Cutler
44. Since Time Is Gravity
    Natural Information Society
45. Mirage FM
    patten
46. Travel
    The Necks
47. Imagine This Is a High Dimensional Space of All Possibilities
    James Holden
48. Psykor
    Avola
49. Direct Action
    Alternative TV
50. For Mahalia, With Love
    James Brandon Lewis / Red Lily Quintet

Uproxx: The Best Albums Of 2023, "a giant alphabetical list of our favorite albums of the year"

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016]

• 10,000 gecs
  100 gecs
• Kaytraminé
  Kaytraminé
• My Soft Machine
  Arlo Parks
• Work of Art
  Asake
• Sixtape 3
  Bino Rideaux & Blxst
• the record
  boygenius
• Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
  Caroline Polachek
• The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
  Chappell Roan
• Samson: The Album
  Chika
• In Pieces
  Chlöe
• Never Enough
  Daniel Caesar
• Timeless
  Davido
• Scarlet
  Doja Cat
• Love Sick
  Don Toliver
• Glorious Game
  El Michels Affair & Black Thought
• Only Constant
  Gel
• Good Riddance
  Gracie Abrams
• A Gift & a Curse
  Gunna
• Paint My Bedroom Black
  Holly Humberstone
• Cartwheel
  Hotline TNT
• Beautiful and Brutal Yard
  J Hus
• Jackman
  Jack Harlow
• The Age of Pleasure
  Janelle Monáe
• That! Feels Good!
  Jessie Ware
• Forward
  Jordan Ward
• Falling or Flying
  Jorja Smith
• Golden
  Jungkook
• Red Moon in Venus
  Kali Uchis
• Mañana Será Bonito
  Karol G
• Grudges
  Kiana Ledé
• Michael
  Killer Mike
• Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
  Lana Del Rey
• The Great Escape
  Larry June and the Alchemist
• Bewitched
  Laufey
• Electric Dusk
  Leon Thomas
• Pink Tape
  Lil Uzi Vert
• Let's Start Here
  Lil Yachty
• My Vision
  Luh Tyler
• I Killed Your Dog
  L'Rain
• The Good Witch
  Maisie Peters
• I've Seen a Way
  Mandy, Indiana
• Masego
  Masego
• Heroes & Villains
  Metro Boomin
• Life Under the Gun
  Militarie Gun
• The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
  Mitski
• La Vida Es Una
  Myke Towers
• First Two Pages of Frankenstein
  The National
• Sundial
  Noname
• To What End
  Oddisee
• Set It Off
  Offset
• Guts
  Olivia Rodrigo
• This Is Why
  Paramore
• Génesis
  Peso Pluma
• Rocket Power
  Quavo
• The Window
  Ratboys
• My 21st Century Blues
  Raye
• Snow Angel
  Reneé Rapp
• Lahai
  Sampha
• Hood Hottest Princess
  Sexyy Red
• The Mind of A Saint
  Skyzoo & The Other Guys
• Yard
  Slow Pulp
• Javelin
  Sufjan Stevens
• Bad Dream Jaguar
  Sun June
• SOS
  SZA
• How Do You Sleep at Night?
  Teezo Touchdown
• Lonestar Luchador
  That Mexican OT
• Utopia
  Travis Scott
• Barbie The Album
  various artists
• Jaguar II
  Victoria Monét
• Rat Saw God
  Wednesday
• With A Hammer
  yaeji
• Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)
  Yves Tumor
• Zach Bryan
  Zach Bryan