Below are my 20 favorite albums I heard in 2023. (Read my Top 20 songs of 2023 here and my Top 10 live sets of 2023 here.)
20. Full Of Hell and Nothing - When No Birds Sang (Closed Casket Activities) BUY / STREAM
I’ve been a fan of Domenic Palermo’s nü-shoegaze sound under the Nothing brand name for more than a decade, so anything he releases catches my attention. I did not initially expect this collaborative effort with grind merchants Full Of Hell to be as enthralling as it is — I guess this is what people say Deafheaven sounds like? I’ve listened to that band and it is Snoozeville USA, but this shit, on the other hand, rules.
19. LIES - Lies (Polyvinyl) BUY / STREAM
What started off as demos for American Football’s LP4 ended up being a fascinating new chapter for Mike Kinsella — synths abound, a string section makes itself known time and time again, there’s a song-stealing saxophone solo (“Echoes”), and even a harp shows up on a few tracks. It feels indebted to artists like Peter Gabriel, who never stopped incorporating progressive elements into pop song structures, as well as Phil Collins, who never met a an absolutely booming drum sound he didn’t like. Had this been released under the American Football moniker, it surely would have been heard by many more people, yet likely would have gotten soundly rejected by many of them. It is definitely worth a listen if you want to see yet another musical side of the Kinsella family.
18. Wednesday - Rat Saw God (Dead Oceans) BUY / STREAM
I am a late addition to the Wednesday hype train, but since finally digging into Rat Saw God recently, I can’t get enough. It sounds like if Big Thief got really, really into Nirvana and My Bloody Valentine for an album cycle — if that description makes you feel funny, like when we used to climb the rope in gym class, this album is for you.
17. AJJ - Disposable Everything (Hopeless) BUY / STREAM
Crazy to think this band turns 20 next year and just caught their second wind (I liked 2020’s Good Luck Everybody quite a bit, but much of their 2010s output didn’t land with me). This is the most fun AJJ has sounded since… Can’t Maintain, maybe? It’s nice to hear ’em rock again. (Also, Sean still owes me $20 for overnighting his absentee ballot back to Arizona a number of years ago and I will publicly remind him every chance I get.)
16. Fake Names - Expendables (Epitaph) BUY / STREAM
Allow me to slightly repurpose what I wrote about Fake Names in my Top 10 live sets of 2023: It seems absolutely insane to me that a band featuring the singer of Refused (and the (International) Noise Conspiracy, and INVSN, and…), the guitarist of Bad Religion (and Minor Threat, and Dag Nasty, and…), the guitarist of S.O.A. (and Embrace, and Faith, and…), the bassist of Girls Against Boys (and Soulside, and New Wet Kojak, and…) and the drummer of Fugazi (and Rites Of Spring, and the Messthetics, and…) seemingly has gotten zero traction with the punk world at large, especially considering how strong their new album is. It’s rooted in revolution summer emo and harDCore yet has a strong pop sensibility and an absolute firecracker of a frontman. Getting old does not mean slowing down, folks.
15. Chris Farren - Doom Singer (Polyvinyl) BUY / STREAM
At this point, Chris Farren is like the best type of pro wrestler — he’s garish, over-the-top and obnoxious, in a way that’s so endearing it will make you pay to see him in person. I adore Chris Farren the persona as much as I adore Chris Farren the musician but for totally different reasons — his albums continue to explore new territory in the power-pop genre, his lyrics have taken a sharp turn in recent years to be far deeper and self-probing than many of his “aw shucks” contemporaries who have tried to escape the Orgcore dungeon in the past decade, and Doom Singer is by far his best solo effort (non-Christmas album edition). In short: Hell yeah, baby!
14. White Reaper - Asking For A Ride (Elektra) BUY / STREAM
After making virtually no impact on pop culture at large with their super-polished (and pretty good) major label debut, 2019’s You Deserve Love, White Reaper said “fuck it,” and cranked out a another 10-song album on Elektra’s dime that’s somehow a half-minute shorter than its predecessor (which was already under 30 minutes!) and about 100 times more aggressive. Seriously, it’s like these dudes dared each other to secretly make an ‘80s hard-rock record without telling the label.
13. Vacationer - Cherish (Paxico) BUY / STREAM
Kenny Vasoli has been making records for more than two decades between three different projects and literally none of them have been anything less than top-notch. He is one of the most unsung heroes of pop-punk, emo, indie rock and electronic music. Dude does not miss.
12. Queens Of The Stone Age - In Times New Roman... (Matador) BUY / STREAM
I have to respect the endless pursuit of tone. Listen with noise-cancelling headphones.
11. Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit - Weathervanes (Southeastern) BUY / STREAM
I’ve never seen a more accurate hype sticker applied to the front cover of an album than the one on Weathervanes, which reads “Life and death songs played for and by grown-ass people.” That sums up this album perfectly.
10. Baroness - STONE (Abraxan Hymns) BUY / STREAM
Just an absolute monster of a record, my favorite thing Baroness has done since Yellow & Green for sure, and maybe even earlier. STONE’s songs have an intensity and propulsion behind them that you rarely hear in prog-metal, which tends to focus more on “blistering fretwork” and “fluid basslines” instead of, y’know, songwriting. (That said, Gina Gleason’s lead guitar on this record is stunning.)
9. Ben Folds - What Matters Most (New West) BUY / STREAM
After numerous diversions (a capella, orchestras, musical collaborations with a famous author, a reunion, a memoir), Ben Folds finally made a brand new, real-deal full-length solo album for the first time since 2008 — and What Matters Most truly might be his finest solo work since 2001’s Rockin’ The Suburbs. The songs are intimate (“Back To Anonymous”), heartbreaking (“Kristine From The 7th Grade”) and hilarious (“Exhausting Lover”), with the excellent arrangements and ace instrumentation you’ve come to expect from him over the past 30 years. Folds has said this might be his final “rock record,” and if so, it’s a hell of a way to go out.
8. The Gaslight Anthem - History Books (Rich Mahogany) BUY / STREAM
The Gaslight Anthem’s reunion record is a little on the uneven side (and I also agree with a lot of other folks on the internet that the mix on this thing is kinda wacky), but the strong songs are so strong that it elevates the whole album into Gaslight’s top 3 (The ‘59 Sound and Handwritten are Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, and I’ll fight anyone who disagrees). On the plus side, “Autumn” is beautiful and “Positive Charge” kicks ass; alternately, “The Weatherman”’s guitar lead sounds like it’s from an insurance commercial and “Michigan, 1975” sounds identical to Fake Problems’ “Song For Teenagers” (a song which Gaslight actually covered before!). But overall, it’s a very strong return effort, one which takes the best parts of the Horrible Crowes and blends it with the Gaslight of old — plus they shot the music video for “Little Fires” at the Cleveland stop of their fall tour, which I was at, so that’s worth a few bonus points.
7. Jeff Rosenstock - HELLMODE (Polyvinyl) BUY / STREAM
Another fantastic (and fantastically profane) album from Mr. Rosenstock that is nonetheless docked a few points because I am once again not on the front cover (unlike the 2016 smash hit WORRY.). You’re only holding your own career back, Jeff! Give the people what they want!
6. Foo Fighters - But Here We Are (Roswell/RCA) BUY / STREAM
It’s kind of weird to publicly say it, but Foo Fighters make their best music when Dave Grohl is facing serious personal crisis. Foo Fighters came into existence in the wake of Kurt Cobain’s suicide; The Colour And The Shape was borne out of a messy divorce; Wasting Light was Grohl facing all of the band’s past demons and owning up to them (sidenote: go watch Back And Forth, an excellent warts-and-all band documentary that was made in tandem with Wasting Light); and now But Here We Are is in direct response to the shocking death of the band’s drummer (and Grohl’s best friend) Taylor Hawkins. Lyrically, this is the most honest Grohl has been ever, and the songwriting is inspired and fiery, something the band has lacked for the past decade. This record is top-tier Foo Fighters.
5. The Hives - The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons (Disques Hives) BUY / STREAM
Rock is back, baby!!!!!
4. Spiritual Cramp - Spiritual Cramp (Blue Grape) BUY / STREAM
Rock is back, baby!!!!!
3. Paramore - This Is Why (Atlantic) BUY / STREAM
There is truly only one Hayley Williams, and I’m thrilled to be alive at the same time she is creating art.
2. Ratboys - The Window (Topshelf) BUY / STREAM
The first time I saw Ratboys, six years ago, I was more into their stage clothes than their songs. I never really connected with much of their music in the interceding years, until JD, the host of WCSB’s Monday morning program Crocodile Slowdance, played a few tracks on the air as I drove Aubrey out to one of her many midwife appointments earlier this fall. I was enthralled, and immediately dove into The Window, discovering a band who has taken great leaps forward and produced what is easily their artistic high-water mark to date. It jangles (“Morning Zoo,”) it pogos (“Crossed That Line,”), it legitimately rocks out (“Empty,” with its endlessly repeated “I have” hook) and it equally vibes out (the absolutely stunning “Black Earth, WI”). This album is perfect for both long road trips and a night at home with the turntable. Turn it up.
1. Superviolet - Infinite Spring (Lame-O) BUY / STREAM
The Sidekicks were the greatest rock & roll band in America. Don’t take my word for it: It was on their merch! But America never quite understood the genius of this Ohio quartet (who will always be from Cleveland, no matter how long they lived in Columbus); as a result, they quietly disbanded in 2020 and didn’t tell anyone until two-and-a-half years later. But fear not, indie/emo/power-pop fans, because frontman Steve Ciolek spent that time creating the debut album as superviolet, and it absolutely picks up where the Sidekicks left off — not just because Sidekicks drummer Matt Climer is back on the kit, nor because a few of the songs actually started off as Sidekicks demos (“Big Songbirds Don’t Cry,” “Long Drive”).
Every moment of Infinite Spring feels simultaneously joyous and fragile in the way that all the best Sidekicks songs felt, like Ciolek wrote the song specifically for you and there’s no possible way anyone else could relate (see also: Josh Caterer’s finest moments). His voice, a truly angelic countertenor, smoothly glides atop folksy fingerpicking (“Good Ghost,” “Wave Back”) and and energetic power-pop (“Locket,” “Overrater”) alike — sometimes even in the same song (the title track). There is no skippable song on Infinite Spring; of course, there’s no TikTok-ready viral hit, either. Will superviolet continue to fly under the radar like the Sidekicks before them? I certainly hope not — so I encourage all of you to listen.
This has been Colors Of Insomnia. If you liked this post, please consider subscribing, clicking on the heart icon and sharing it with a friend. You can also follow me on Instagram and Twitter.