The Top 25 Albums of 2023: 15 - 11

2023 was a bizarre year, especially when it came to albums. Perhaps that came down to me exploring new musical avenues, and the lack of any music from some of my favorites, but 2023's album list is a mix of some 2022 discoveries and some new favorites. I also appreciated the album as a united art form quite a lot this year. Thus, let us look into the rules for this list.

• The albums must have been released between January 1 to December 31, 2023.
• It must contain at least four new or unique songs or at least twenty minutes.
• It can be from anywhere in the world.

Well, with that said, let the list begin!

15. Paramore - This Is Why

Given the drama that has followed Paramore for their every release, it is a miracle that they went through no lineup changes for This Is Why. With group synergy finally an advantage, Paramore were able to outshine the pop-punk revival with maturely written punk at its very best.

14. McKinley Dixon - Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?

I didn't love many of the critically acclaimed hip-hop albums this year, but McKinley Dixon's breakout in Beloved! Paradise! Jazz?! gets better each and every listen. Dixon attempts to survive in this record, but also to rise above the trauma and constant death to fulfill his ambitions. Pairing his fantastic lyrics is some killer jazz production, such as with the killer singles.

13. André 3000 - New Blue Sun

André 3000 returning was on no one's 2023 bingo cards, and even less likely was his return with an ambient jazz album, and even less likely was it being really, really good. Nonetheless, New Blue Sun actually met its sky-high expectations, with some melodic ambient melodies that have aged so well.

12. B.I - To Die For

B.I was already a skilled songwriter-producer-rapper-singer before, but To Die For might be his very best yet. A summery, melodic, hypnotic hip-hop album is a rarity, and even more so one that doesn't lose its lyrical depth in the processing. B.I does exactly that here. Even the tracks from the 2021 EP Cosmos (the first half of the double album) sound even better here, culminating in the fantastic Alive.

11. Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We

An album that I didn't return to nearly enough this year, Mitski's The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We is the inevitable conclusion to Mitski's slow maturation, a somber, tragic, yet mature and reflective country album that sees Mitski as a senior artist, no longer an underdog, but a maturity storyteller and a master of Americana. From the golden orchestration to stories of the inevitable rot and decay in the American West, it is hard not to be moved by this album.