The best albums of 2023 (March 31 update)
The numbers presented next to each album title are the weighted average rating, and, in parentheses, the raw average and number of ratings (out of 31 included sources). The weighted average is based on a formula ((Y-21)*(1/3)+X) that includes the raw average of ratings (X) and the number of sources that have rated the album (Y).
The magazines I used for the ratings were:
EUR + Australia: Dansende Beren; Gaffa-dk; Gaffa-sw; Humo; Indiestyle; Jenesaispop; Laut; Mondosonoro; Musikexpress; Nojesguiden; Ondarock; Plattentests; Sentire Ascoltare
UK: Clash; DIY; God Is In The Tv; Load And Quiet; Music OMH; NME; The Guardian; The Line Of Best Fit; The Skinny
USA + Canada: Allmusic; Beats Per Minute; Exclaim!; Nothern Transmissions; Paste; Pitchfork; Popmatters; Rolling Stone; Spectrum Culture; Under The Radar
Highlights: Rob makes the top three songs from the album according to Allmusic, Consequence of Sound, Jenesaispop, Plattentests, The Skinny, etc…
New Opening Act
Demoted Album
New or promoted Headliner
Headliners with new reviews and a better score
Headliners with new reviews and a worse score
Opening Acts:
57: The Go! Team - Get Up Sequences Part Two: 70.05 (74.71 / 7)
56: M83 - Fantasy: 70.07 (70.40 / 20)
55: Altın Gün - Aşk: 70.33 (75.00 / 7)
54: The Golden Dregs - On Grace & Dignity: 70.76 (75.43 / 7)
53: Billy Nomates - Cacti: 71.07 (73.07 / 15)
52: The WAEVE - The WAEVE: 71.41 (74.08 / 13)
51: Rozi Plain - Prize: 71.42 (74.42 / 12)
50: Quasi - Breaking the Balls of History: 71.76 (75.09 / 11)
49: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - V: 71.83 (73.5 / 16)
48: Frankie Rose - Love as Projection: 71.92 (76.25 / 8)
47: H.C. McEntire - Every Acre: 71.93 (75.60 / 10)
46: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs - Land of Sleeper: 71.95 (74.62 / 13)
45: Fucked Up - One Day: 72.02 (74.36 / 14)
44: Debby Friday - Good Luck: 72.33 (77.00 / 7)
43: U.S. Girls - Bless This Mess: 72.45 (74.79 / 14)
42: RAYE - My 21st Century Blues: 72.53 (74.53 / 15)
41: Kate NV - WOW: 72.79 (77.13 / 8)
40: Joesef - Permanent Damage: 72.90 (77.57 / 7)
39: Gorillaz - Cracker Island: 72.93 (70.93 / 27)
38: Algiers - Shook: 73.06 (74.06 / 18)
37: Caroline Rose - The Art of Forgetting: 73.19 (77.86 / 7)
36: Meg Baird - Furling: 73.83 (77.50 / 10)
35: Belle and Sebastian - Late Developers: 73.95 (73.95 / 21)
34: Lil Yachty - Let's Start Here.: 74.26 (76.92 / 13)
33: Complete Mountain Almanac - Complete Mountain Almanac: 74.33 (79.00 / 7)
32: Robert Forster - The Candle and the Flame: 74.42 (78.75 / 8)
31: Black Belt Eagle Scout - The Land, the Water, the Sky: 74.49 (77.15 / 13)
Headliners:
30: James Yorkston, Nina Persson & The Second Hand Orchestra - The Great White Sea Eagle: 74.63 (78.30 / 10)
Highlights: Hold Out for Love — The Harmony — The Heavy Lyric Police
Chamber Folk
29: John Cale - Mercy: 74.77 (75.10 / 20))
Highlights: Moonstruck (Nico’s Song) — Mercy — Time Stands Still
Art Pop, Electronic
28: H. Hawkline - Milk for Flowers: 75.48 (80.14 / 7))
Highlights: Milk for Flowers — Suppression Street — Empty Room
Psychedelic Pop, Art Pop, Progressive Pop
27: Iggy Pop - Every Loser: 75.52 (75.52 / 21)
Highlights: Comments — Frenzy — Strung Out Johnny
Garage Rock Revival
26: Ryuichi Sakamoto - 12: 75.56 (79.56 / 9)
Highlights: 20220302 – sarabande — 20210310 — 20211130
Ambient, Modern Classical
25: Anna B Savage - in|FLUX: 75.58 (78.58 / 12)
Highlights: The Ghost — in|FLUX — Hungry
Singer-Songwriter, Art Pop
24: 100 gecs - 10,000 gecs: 75.61 (76.61 / 18)
Highlights: mememe — Hollywood Baby — Doritos & Fritos
Alternative Rock, Hyperpop
23: Samia - Honey: 75.67 (77.67 / 15)
Highlights: Charm You — Dream Song — Breathing Song
Singer-Songwriter, Alt-Pop, Indie Pop
22: Sleaford Mods - UK GRIM: 75.71 (77.38 / 16)
Highlights: UK Grim — Force 10 from Navarone — Apart from You
Synth Punk, UK Hip Hop
21: Shame - Food for Worms: 76.25 (75.25 / 24)
Highlights: Fingers of Steel — Orchid — Adderall
Indie Rock, Art Punk
20: Andy Shauf - Norm: 76.58 (78.25 / 16)
Highlights: Wasted On You — Halloween Store — Norm
Singer-Songwriter, Chamber Pop
19: Paramore - This Is Why: 77.24 (77.24 / 21)
Highlights: This Is Why — Running Out of Time — Crave
Post-Punk Revival
18: Margo Price - Strays: 77.25 (78.59 / 17)
Highlights: Change of Heart — Radio — Been to the Mountain
Contemporary Country, Heartland Rock
17: Hamish Hawk - Angel Numbers: 77.54 (81.88 / 8)
Highlights: Think of Us Kissing — Angel Numbers — Money
Singer-Songwriter, Indie Rock
16: Gaz Coombes - Turn the Car Around: 77.58 (80.91 / 11)
Highlights: Don’t Say It’s Over — Feel Loop — Turn the Car Around
Indie Rock, Neo-Psychedelia
15: Kali Uchis - Red Moon in Venus: 78.20 (77.86 / 22)
Highlights: Moonlight — I Wish You Roses — Endlessly
Neo-Soul, Contemporary R&B
14: Black Country, New Road - Live at Bush Hall: 79.05 (83.71 / 7)
Highlights: Up Song — Turbines/ Pigs — Across Pond Friend
Art Rock, Progressive Pop, Chamber Pop
13: Depeche Mode - Memento mori: 79.23 (79.89 / 19)
Highlights: Ghosts Again — My Cosmos Is Mine — Before We Drown
Synthpop
12: Yves Tumor - Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds): 79.52 (79.85 / 20)
Highlights: God Is a Circle — Heaven Surrounds Us Like a Hood — Meteora Blues
Neo-Psychedelia, Post-Punk
11: The Murder Capital - Gigi's Recovery: 79.83 (81.50 / 16)
Highlights: Return My Head — Only Good Things — Ethel
Post-Punk Revival
10: Lana Del Rey - Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd: 79.83 (81.50 / 16)
Highlights: Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd — A&W — Let the Light In
Singer-Songwriter, Art Pop
09: Yo La Tengo - This Stupid World: 80.50 (79.50 / 24)
Highlights: Tonight’s Episode — Apology Letter — Sinatra Drive Breakdown
Indie Rock, Post-Rock
08: Kelela - Raven: 80.92 (80.59 / 22)
Highlights: Happy Ending — On the Run — Contact
Alternative R&B, Electronic
07: slowthai - UGLY: 81.14 (80.48 / 23)
Highlights: HAPPY — UGLY — Selfish
Post-Punk, UK Hip Hop
06: Fever Ray - Radical Romantics: 82.26 (80.26 / 27)
Highlights: Carbon Dioxide — What They Call Us — Shiver
Art Pop, Synthpop
05: Lankum - False Lankum: 82.56 (86.56 / 9)
Highlights: Go Dig My Grave — Newcastle — Master Crowley’s
Irish Folk Music, Avant-Folk
04: JPEGMAFIA x Danny Brown - Scaring the Hoes: 83.12 (86.45 / 11)
Highlights: Lean Beef Patty — Steppa Pig — SCARING THE HOES
Experimental Hip Hop, Hardcore Hip Hop
03: Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy: 83.43 (83.43 / 21)
Highlights: I Saw — Geronimo — Rice
Neo-Psychedelia, Art Pop
02: Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You: 86.71 (85.71 / 24)
Highlights: Bunny Is a Rider — Sunset — Welcome to My Island
Art Pop, Alt-Pop, Electronic
01: Boygenius - The Record: 87.20 (89.2 / 15)
Highlights: Not Strong Enough — True Blue — $20
Singer-Songwriter, Indie Folk, Indie Rock
MCCh 2023: March 31
MCCh 2023: March 31
Last edited by Solitair on Sat Apr 01, 2023 1:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: MCCh 2023: March 31
Great job as usual. Thanks again!
Re: MCCh 2023: March 31
Awesome
- Rob
- Die Mensch Maschine
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Re: MCCh 2023: March 31
Perhaps my two favorite artists of the moment debut in the top 10: Lana Del Rey and Phoebe Bridgers (through boygenius). Have heard the Del Rey album, which I think is indeed amazing, but not yet the boygenius one. Anyway, these are great times to make such a playlist (despite my nemeses of Depeche Mode trying to spoil the party once again):
9 new albums is a lot. Is it a record? I'm also quite sure that Live at Bush Hall is the first live album to make this list. I always wondered if Otisredding didn't count live albums.
9 new albums is a lot. Is it a record? I'm also quite sure that Live at Bush Hall is the first live album to make this list. I always wondered if Otisredding didn't count live albums.
Re: MCCh 2023: March 31
Under most circumstances, I wouldn't allow for live albums on the list. I'm making an exception for Live at Bush Hall because it features all new songs and the new version of BCNR after their original singer quit.
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- Superunknown
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Re: MCCh 2023: March 31
Live albums are something I generally wouldn't let on the list. Live at Bush Hall is an unusual because it includes just brand-new songs and the BCNR lineup following the departure of the original singer.
Best retro bowl college
Best retro bowl college