The Top 12 Albums of 2023 (So Far)

2023 has been a strange year for music so far. I would hardly call it filled to the brim with highlights, but there have certainly been some albums more than worthy of note. They have mostly come from unexpected places, and there might be some surprises here. But that is what makes qualifying lists like this so interesting, you find music you would not have heard otherwise.

For this feature, any album, containing five or more tracks, released from January 1, 2023, to June 30, 2023, is qualified. A special note to Tears of the Kingdom's soundtrack, which I have yet to fully hear, but am quite impressed by.

A.R. Rahman - Ponniyin Selvan II

For the people of Tamil Nadu, the novel Ponniyin Selvan has played a special place in their hearts, and there have been attempts to turn the epic into cinematic form for the better part of the last hundred years. When the task was finally accomplished by Mani Ratnam over the past two years, who better to call than local boy and legendary Indian composer A.R. Rahman? Continuing where he left off last year, Ponniyin Selvan II allows the composer to explore his skill in Carnatic compositions, utilizing Indian instrumentals and classic Raagas for a collection of beautiful ballads. The tempo might have taken a hit from Ponniyin Selvan I, but the ornamental results are more than worth the sacrifice.

Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer Shahzad Ismaily - Love in Exile

Love in Exile is not an easy album to listen to. The shortest track is over eight minutes, and the longer tracks can extend over fourteen. The three South Asian origin artists each bring their own strengths to the album, merging Hindustani classical, jazz, and ambient genres for an experience that is as soothing as it is confounding. Vijay Iyer's compositional skills stand large over the album, adding great panache to even the simpler moments. The album thrives in silence, making every syllable uttered by Aftab all the more impactful. Tracks like Sajni and Sharabi reverberate inside of you long after they have finished their runtime.

B.I - To Die For

Two years after a return to the music industry after being placed in one of the most notorious K-Pop controversies of the past few years, B.I has more than reestablished him as one of the best allrounders in South Korea, singing, rapping, dancing, composing, and songwriting for most of his new album. Despite being released in two parts nearly two years apart, there is a consistency to To Die For that feels authentic. The lyrics see B.I tackle the idea of "loved," voiced by him as the opposite of love. There is a level of desperation and earnestness that permeates much of the album. Despite this, To Die For never falls into a trap of being one-note, with B.I playing lord over all genres, performing traditional ballads, punk-rock, future R&B, and of course, dramatic hip-hop.

Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, is a distillation of the elements that made Caroline Polachek an indie darling in the first place. You have self-aware humor, cheeky yet cryptic lyricism, a mysterious aura, pummeling yet sensual vocal delivery, and the willingness to play around with any genre and concept within a fifteen-mile radius. Polachek has always existed in the brief plane between funny and thought-provoking, and Desire, I Want To Turn Into You is very much in a careful act of balance. Never is this better seen than in the five singles, all of which have become the darlings of fans and critics for a reason.

Cicada - Seeking the Source of Streams

With the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantines in full hindsight, life returned to normal for most. It was in this want to feel the world once more that the Taiwan-based band Cicada released Seeking the Source of Streams. An album meant to feel like a walk across the mountains, the LP feels conceptual in its slow yet refreshing trek through any woods from any place. The album is rare in how it encapsulates the joy of finding a new trail you had never been on before, or taking a wild detour with no aim in sight.

Cwondo - Tae

The artist Bansky is attributed as saying, "Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable." Cwondo's abrasive blend of electronics and light, natural, and airy sounds feel attuned to the ideas expressed by Bansky, and nowhere is this better seen than in Tae. There are moments on the record where you will be afraid, worried, and anxious, and then moments later, calm, at peace, in an almost trance-like calmness. This is a merger of both synths and natural instruments, and Cwondo's knack for melody, one that guides through the album's transcendental second half.

LE SSERAFIM - Unforgiven

Unforgiven's first half relives the short-lived girl group's biggest and best moments yet in one collection, with fan favorites such as Antifragile and Blue Flame ripe for the picking. The second half sees the new songs, merging across genres from '90s house to sing-along country rock. LE SSERAFIM's performance and charisma unites the somewhat scattershot genre-based goals of the album with a level of earnestness and panache that makes this a contemporary K-Pop highlight.

Magdalena Bay - Mini Mix Vol. 3

Magdalena Bay's sound has barely changed since debut, which makes it all the more impressive that every song on Mini Mix Vol. 3 feels so distinct. Both 2 Wheel Drive and Top Dog come right after one another, and both are lo-fi synth-pop, but one is an aggressive and fearful hunt, while the other is a cheeky song about dogs. Mini Mix Vol. 3 is another strong entry in the duo's discography for good cause.

One Love One Heart - LOVE1

With AAA on indefinite hiatus, there has opened a hole in the Japanese market for experimental, vocally powerful co-ed pop idol bands. One Love One Heart are one of the most promising talents in this field, and across their eleven-track debut LP, they make a claim not only to AAA's legacy but their own identity. From dramatic pop-ballads (Now or Never) to rock anthems (Glory Dayz) to bonkers genre-melding, tempo-bending tracks (The Witch), all while staying within the greater sphere of J-Pop.

Pritam - Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar

Twenty-one years since debuting in Bollywood, Pritam remains as overworked as ever as India's most in-demand composer. The end result may be quantity over quality, but occasionally an album of his will showcase the same sparks that made him the legend that he is. Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar may feature a few duds across its short soundtrack, but even the weakest songs will soon grow to guilty pleasures, while the best will garner a safe spot in your playlist.

SHINee - Hard

Fifteen years after debut, SHINee remain an essential force in the ever-growing K-Pop scene. Hard may be far from their very best, but that praises their consistency rather than criticizes their new LP. Merging their classic electro-funk sound with trendy hip-hop and jazzy piano flourishes, Hard is more expansive than consistent, though it culminates in a beautiful run of tracks through its center from Satellite to Sweet Misery.

The Scarlet Opera - Comedy

Part Queen and part The Ark, The Scarlet Opera take their influences seriously, resulting in some of the freest and most energetic rock anthems this year. With only five tracks, there is hardly any room for duds in Comedy, but the album is definitely quality over quantity, releasing five fantastic orchestral, glam rock operas, with nearly each better than the last, especially when lead by Lukas Bazulka's towering voice.