2023's Greatest Hits

Wish I could think of something clever and witty to say here but this is just me sharing all the music I enjoyed in the past 12 months, listing the albums, singles (with a Spotify playlist) and reissues/archives, plus my reading list and links to my favorite videos and best music journalism of the year. Hope you find something new to discover here or at least argue about.  Happy new year to all!

ALBUMS

1. Elle King Come Get Your Wife (RCA)

2. Lambrini Girls You're Welcome (Big Scary Monsters)

3. RAYE My 21st Century Blues (Human Re Sources)

4. WILSN Those Days Are Over (Ivy League)

5. M(h)aol Attachment Styles (Tulle)

6. The Go! Team Get Up Sequences Part Two (Memphis Industries)

7. New Age Doom, Lee 'Scratch' Perry Remix the Universe (We Are Busy Bodies)

8. Lakecia Benjamin Phoenix (Whirlwind)

9. Sara Petite The Empress (Forty Below)

10. Hope D Clash of the Substance (Hope D)

11. Brutalismus 3000 Ultrakunst (Live From Earth)

12. Various Artists Funk N' Beats Vol 1 (Curated by Boca 45) (Bomb Strikes)

13. Willie Nelson I Don't Know A Thing About Love: The Songs of Harlan Howard (Legacy Recordings)

14. Nas Magic 3 (Mass Appeal)

15. Light Beams Wild Life (Dischord)

16. Olivia Rodrigo SOUR (Geffen)

17. Kenzo B Top 2, Not 2 (Warner Bros)

18. Tony Touch Tony Touch Presents: The Def Tape (Def Jam)

19. Ireen Amnes, Chloe Lula Synergy (Tresor)

20. Killer Mike Michael (Lorne Vista)

21. The Heavy Amen (Bad Son Recordings)

22. Nicole Yun Matter (Kanine)

23. Fever Ray Radical Romantics (Mute)

24. SZA SOS (Top Dawg, 2022)

25. yeule softscars (Ninja Tune)

26. Bully Lucky For You (Sub Pop)

27. Marnie Stern The Comeback Kid (Joyful Noise)

28. Private Lives Hit Record (Feel It)

29. The Allergies Tear The Place Up (Jalapeno)

30. Carly Rae Jepsen The Loveliest Time (School Boy/Interscope)

31. Dolly Parton Rockstar (Butterfly)

32. The 50x50’s Brew (Fake Four)

33. Roosevelt Embrace (Counter)

34. Brit Taylor Kentucky Blue (Thirty Tigers)

35. Jalen Ngonda Come Around and Love Me (Daptone)

36. Sally C Big Saldo's Chunker EP 003 (Big Saldo's Chunker)

37. Blondshell Blondshell (Partisan)

38. The Bug Club Green Dream in F# (Bingo)

39. The Waco Brothers The Men That God Forgot (Pretty Tuff)

40. Czarface Czartificial Intelligence (Silver Age)

41. Skream 014 - Skream - fabric podcast (Fabric/Soundcloud)

42. Eli “Paperboy” Reed Hits and Misses- The Singles (Yep Roc)

43. Laveda A Place You Grew Up In (PaperCup)

44. Mediocre To Know You're Screwed (Dangerbird)

45. Pony Velveteen (Take This To Heart)

46. Funke and the Two Tone Baby Reacclimate (Funke and the Two Tone Baby)

47. ZZ Ward Dirty Shine (Dirty Shine)

48. Various Artists Bose x NME: C23 (NME)

49. Scotch Rolex and Shackleton Death by Tickling (Silver Triplet) 

50. Lydia Loveless Nothing’s Gonna Stand In My Way Again (Bloodshot)

51. Laura Cantrell Just Like A Rose: The Anniversary Sessions (Propeller Sound Recordings)

52. The Reds, Pinks and Purples The Town That Cursed Your Name (Slumberland)

53. The Nude Party Rides On (New West)

54. The Cash Box Kings Oscar's Motel (Alligator)

55. Speech Debelle Sunday Dinner on a Monday (Monday Sessions)

56. Various Artists Crack Mix 500: GIDEÖN (Crack)

57. Big Freedia Central City (Queen Diva)

58. Joell Ortiz & L’Orange Signature (Mello Music)

59. The Dollyrots Night Owls (Wicked Cool)

60. Nordic, Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra Nordic Symphonic (Swedish Society)

61. Freiburger Barockorchester Mozart's Mannheim (Deutsche Gramophone)

62. Trunkline Mercy Remixes (Arkham Audio)

63. Rich Aucion Synthetic Season 2 (We Are Busy Bodies)

64. freekind. Since Always And Forever (Butter92)

65. Michael Viner Alkan: Character Pieces & Grotesqueries (Piano Classics)

66. ASC Thematic Function (Spatial)

67. anthéne Shelter (DRONARIVM)

68. Anchor and Burden Kosmonautik Pilgrimage (Moonjune)

69. Logic College Park (Three Oh One)

70. Shana Cleveland Manzanita (Hardly Art)

71. LISASINSON Un A ñ o De Cambios (Elefant)

72. Be Your Own Pet Mommy (Third Man)

73. Concerto Copenhagen, Lars Ulrik Mortensen Champagne! The Sound of Lumbye and His Idols (Dacapo)

74. DAIISTAR Good Time (Fuzz Club)

75. The TANK Center for Sonic Arts Slow Beethoven (Round Sound)

76. dragonchild dragonchild (FPE)

77. City of Dawn Liminal Space (Geometric Lullaby)

78. Ryuichi Sakamoto 12 (Milan)

79. Isata Kanneh-Mason Childhood Tales (Decca)

80. Jeffrey Scott Going Down to Georgia on a Hog (Music Makers Recordings)

81. Subsonic Eye All Around You (Top Shelf)

82. zakè & Tyresta Drift (Zake Drone Recordings)

83. Warmth Collider (Archives) and Collider (Slowed) (Archives)

84. Brad Mehldau Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays The Beatles (Nonesuch)

85. Ian Hawgood between pockets of infinite air (Folk Reels)

86. Purling Hiss Drag on Girard (Drag City)

87. Hudi Holy Smoke! (Hudi)

88. Lalalar En K​ö​tü Iyi Olur (Bongo Joe)

89. Loki's Folly Sisu (Kitten Robot)

90. Akumo Astral Moonlight (Faint) 

91. Hopkinson Smith Bright Early (naive)

92. R. Ring War Poems, We Rested (Don Giovanni)

93. The Necks Travel (Northern Spy)

94. Mikael Ayrapetyan Elmas: Complete Piano Works, Vol. 2 (Grand Piano)

95. City of Dawn Transient Lounge (Heart Dance)

SINGLES

1. The Allergies "God Walked Down" (Jalapeno Ltd)

2. James Curd "I Am One, I Am Many" (Pronto)

3. Swansea Sound “Twentieth Century” (Skep Wax)

4. The Heavy "Hurricane Coming" (Bad Son)

5. Cardi B “Bongos (feat. Megan Thee Stallion)” (Atlantic)

6. miesha & the spanks "It's My Year" (Mint)

7. Camaryn Hope "Proud" (Addicted 4 Life)

8. Pretty Dij "Drum Stixx" (Pretty Dij)

9. Body Type "Holding On" (Poison City)

10. Dgx Music “Glory To Hong Kong” (Dgxmusic)

11. Olivia Rodrigo “bad idea right?” (Geffen)

12. Purling Hiss "Drag On Girard" (Drag City)

13. Floating Points “Birth4000” (Ninja Tune)

14. Shana Cleveland "Faces in the Firelight" (Hardly Art)

15. Caroline Polachek ”Welcome To My Island (George Daniel & Charli XCX Remix)” (Perpetual Novice)

16. Fucked Up "Cicada" (Merge)

17. Blondshell "Veronica Mars" (Partisan)

18. Ice Spice "Bikini Bottom" (Ice Spice)

19. Slayyyter “Erotic Electronic” (Fader)

20. METTE "Mama's Eyes" (no label)

21. felicita ft. Caroline Polachek "Spalarkle (Alys)" (PC Music)

22. JESSIKA “Nine Inch Heels” (BBR Music Group)

23. Margo Price “Been To the Mountain” (Loma Vista)

24. Danny Brown “Jenn's Terrific Vacation (featuring Kasa Overall)” (Warp)

25. Dean Blunt "NOLA Freestyle" (World Music)

26. Consequence feat. Amerie & Rick Ross "Blood Stain 2" (192)

27. Lonnie Holley "I Am A Part Of The Wonder feat. Moor Mother" (Jagjaguwar)

28. Wurld Series “Lord of Shelves” (Meritorio)

29. Brontez Purnell “Blues of Every Night ft. Bergo Husky” (Dark Entries)

30. Nicole Yun "Lost Keys" (Kanine)

31. Water From Your Eyes "Out There" (Matador)

32. Mae Muller “Me, Myself & I” (Universal)

33. Kate Davis "Monster Mash" (ANTI-)

34. Problem Patterns “Lesbo 3000” (Alcopop!)

35. Roosevelt “Ordinary Love” (Counter)

36. Dominic Fike “Ant Pile” (Sandy Boys)

37. Fiyah Marshall x Magic R x El Fara MC "PAPI (Dale Pa Que Lo Prenda)" (Fiyah Marshall)

38. Morgan and the Organ Donors "So Dark" (perennial.)

39. NF "Hope" (NF Real Music)

40. JOHN (TIMESTWO) "Trauma Mosaic" (Brace Yourself)

41. Paris Green “Without Your Love” (Needwant)

42. Akta “Lenny” (Atka)

43. Haiku Hands "Nunchucka" (Spinning Top)

44. The Nude Party "Ride On" (New West)

45. Circa Waves "Do You Wanna Talk" (PIAS)

46. Sexyy Red, Raedio “No Panties” (Def Jam)

47. NOBRO “Where My Girls At” (Dine Alone Music)

48. Gorillaz "New Gold ft Tame Impala & Bootie Brown (Dom Dolla Remix)" (Parlophone)

49. Overmono “Blow Out” (XL)

50. Javier Ferreira & Persona RS “Shifting Sands (Original Mix)” (Duro)

51. julie “catalog” (Atlantic)

52. Lord Afrixana “No Dey Tire” (Warner)

53. Slow Pulp  "Cramps" (Anti-)

54. Maino "Vibe With Me" (Maino)

55. IAmRev “Far From You” (Vernon B. McQueen)

56. The Serfs “Club Deuce” (Trouble In Mind)

57. Veps "No. 2" (Kanine)

58. Hozier "Eat Your Young" (Sony)

59. The Ducks "Mr. Soul (Live)" (Reprise)

60. Killer Mike "Don't Let The Devil ft. El-P, Run The Jewels, thankugoodsi" (Loma Vista)

61. Sprints "Literary Mind" (City Slang)

62. Bully "Hard to Love" (Sub Pop)

63. Dennis Ferrer "Hey Hey (camoufly Remix)" (Camoufly)

64. Matt Corby "Big Smoke" (Communications Group)

65. BENEE “Green Honda” (Republic)

66. Bag of Cans "Pub Money" (Fierce Panda)

67. Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers “I Love You” (Domestic La La)

68. LUPO.THEBOY “Shelter” (LOVE CLUB)

69. dust "Joy (Guilt)" (Kanine)

70. lau.ra x Dope Earth Alien "Down With Me (Ashibah Remix)" (Material Music)

71. Chappell Roan “Femininomenon” (Island)

72. Cable Ties "Crashing Through" (Merge)

73. Golden Apples “Waiting For A Cloud” (Lame-O)

74. Central Cee x Dave “Sprinter” (Neighbourhood)

75. Low Cut Connie “Whips and Chains” (Contender)

76. Grrrl Gang “Spunky!” (Kill Rock Stars)

77. PATRA "Gimmi Way" (Size 8)

78. Ian Sweet “Your Spit” (Polyvinyl)

79. Tyla "Been Thinking" (Fax/Sony)

80. Lucero "Macon if We Make It" (Liberty & Lament)

81. Yaeji "For Granted" (XL)

82. Pony "Tres Jolie" (Take This To Heart)

83. Pixies “Crystal Closet Queen” (Primary Wave)

84. Dream Wife "Hot (Don't Date A Musician)" (Lucky Number)

85. DJ Mr. Famous “D.W.H.M. ft. Papa HNIC” (The Next Phase Entertainment)

86. Chris Stamey "She Might Look My Way" (Car)

87. HARU NEMURI & Jaguar Jonze "[ANGRY ANGRY]" (TO3S)

88. BAMBII “One Touch” (Innovative Leisure)

89. L.F.T. "I Want To Be A Witch" (Mannequin)

90. Jawny "StrElaquent

91. Hoes Mad (Feat. Brittney Carter & JazStarr)awberry Chainsaw" (Interscope)

92. Omarion "Girls" (Omarian Worldwide)

93. Jade The Ivy "Motiv8" (SMG)

94. FREEZ “Chanel” (Wild Honey)

95. Teddy Swims “The Door” (Warner)

96. Shalom “Happenstance” (Saddle Creek)

97. Onipa “Danger ft. Moonchild Sannelly” (Real World)

98. Miya Folick "Get Out of My House" (Nettwerk)

99. TOKiMONSTA ft. Rochelle Jordan "Eats The Tale" (Young Art)

100. DAIISTAR "Tracemaker" (N.I.T.A.)

101. Hoorsees “Artschool” (Kanine)

102. Stuck "Time Out" (Born Yesterday)

103. Vv Pete "Frauds (Mall Grab Remix)" (Trackwork)

104. Dreamcastmoe “Love Songz ft. ZDBT” (Spectral Sound, 2022)

105. Benny Sings "Pyjamas ft Remi Wolf" (Stones Throw)

106. Coi Leray "Bops" (Uptown)

107. Hotline TNT “Out of Town” (Third Man)

108. The Exbats “Himbo” (Goner)

109. Elaquent “Hoes Mad (Feat. Brittney Carter & JazStarr)” (Mello Music)

110. Joe Bonamassa  "Lazy Poker Blues” (J&R Adventures)

111. The Howdies “50/50 (If You’re Lucky)” (Normaltown)

112. Kari Faux “White Caprice (ft. Gangsta Boo)” (drink sum)

113. Aunty Rayzor “Bounce” (Hakuna Kuala)

114. Matana Roberts ”but i never heard a sound so long” (Constellation)

115. Mo Dotti “For Anyone And You” (MD)

116. Wilder Woods "Maestro (Tears Don't Lie)" (Dualtone)

117. Ni'jah "Agatha" (Sony)

118. Scowl "Opening Night" (Flatspot)

119. Richard Chartier “Recurrence.Expansion” (Portraits GRM)

120. Steel Panther "Magical Vagina" (Steel Panther)

Here's a link to these songs in my Spotify playlist. 

REISSUES/ARCHIVE RELEASES

1. Big Star #1 Record (Ardent)

2. The Maytals Essential Artist Collection (Trojan Records)

3. Fela Kuti Shakara (50th Anniversary Edition) (Partisan)

4. De La Soul Three Feet High and Rising (Chrysalis)

5. Various Artists The R&B No 1s of the 40s (Acrobat)

6. Various Artists Disco Not Disco: Leftfield Disco Classics From The New York Underground (Compiled by Joey Negro and Sean P) (Strut)  

7. Various Artists The Birth of Bop: The Savoy 10-Inch LP Collection (Craft Recordings)

8. Marshall Crenshaw Field Day (40th Anniversary Expanded Edition) (Yep Roc)

9. Various Artists Birthright: A Black Roots Music Compendium (Craft Recordings)

10. Jon Hassell Further Fictions (Ndeya)

11. Gabriels Angels & Queens (Parlophone)

12. Various Artists The 1959 R&B Hits Collection (Acrobat) 

13. Neko Case Wild Creatures (Anti, 2022)

14. Marshall Crenshaw Marshall Crenshaw (Yep Roc) 

15. Muddy Waters Hollywood Blues Summit: Live at the Ash Grove July 30, 1971 (Liberation Hall)

16. King Geedorah Take Me To Your Leader (Big Dada)

17. Various Artists Yo! Boombox- Early Independent Hip Hop, Electro and Disco Rap 1979 - 83 (Soul Jazz)

18. John Coltrane Evenings At The Village Gate: John Coltrane With Eric Dolphy (Impulse!)

19. Bounaly Dimanche à Bamako (Sahel Sounds)

20. Walter Wegmuller, Cosmic Jokers Tarot (Die Kosmische Kuriere)

21. John Lee Hooker Burnin' (Craft Recordings)

22. Freestyle Fellowship To Whom It May Concern... (Key Systems Recordings)

23. Various Artists Dollar Bill Y'All- Spring Records And The First Decade Of Hip Hop (BGP)

24. Various Artists Dance Craze: The Best of British Ska…Live! (Chrysalis) 

25. Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens Music Inferno: The Indestructible Beat Tour 1988 – 89 (Gallo)

26. Various Artists Playing for the Man at the Door: Field Recordings from the Collection of Mack McCormick, 1958–1971 (Smithsonian Folkways)

27. Sonny Rollins with Heikki Sarmanto Trio Live at Finlandia Hall, Helsinki 1972 (Svart)

28. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band The Darkness Tour '78 (Columbia)

29. Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Cookin' With Jaws and the Queen (Craft Recordings)

30. Nina Simone You’ve Got To Learn (Live) (Verve)

31. Phil Alvin Un "Sung Stories" (Liberation Hall)

32. Lady Lamb In The Mammoth Nothing Of The Night (Ba Ba Bing!)

33. Chet Baker Chet Baker Sings & Plays (Blue Note)

34. The Kevin Fingier Collective El Sonido de Fingier Records (Fingier)

35. Various Artists Yo! Boombox: Early Independent Hip Hop, Electro and Disco Rap 1979 - 83 (Soul Jazz)

36. Superchunk Misfits & Mistakes: Singles, B​-​sides & Strays 2007​–​2023 (Merge)

37. Thelonious Monk The Classic Quartet (Remastered) (Candid)

38. Various Artists Eccentric Nothern Soul (Numero Group)

39. Joe Gibbs & The Professionals The 1970s Dub Albums (Doctor Bird)

40. Julius Brockington Sophisticated Funk (BBE)

41. Kiwiro Boys Vijana Wa Kazi (We Are Busy Bodies)

42. Syl Johnson Diamond In the Rough (Fat Possum) 

43. Slapp Happy Sort Of (Week-End)

44. Neutral Milk Hotel  The Collected Works of Neutral Milk Hotel (Merge)

45. Various Artists Guerrilla Girls! She-Punks & Beyond 1975-2016 (Ace) 

46. Al Tanner Quintet Happiness Is... Takin' Care of Natural Business... Dig? (JAZZMAN)

47. Tom Robinson Band The Albums 1978-79 (Cherry Red)

48. John Lee Hooker Alone: Live At Hunter College 1976 (BMG)

49. Various Artists Blank Generation: A Story Of US/Canadian Punk & Its Aftershocks 1975-1981 (Cherry Red)

50. The Counts What's Up Front That-Counts (Westbound)

51. Keith Hudson Pick A Dub (VP)

52. Nastyfacts Drive My Car + 2 (Bandcamp, 2022)

53. Horace Ferguson Sensi Addict (Death Is Not the End)

54. Hella Hold Your Horse Is (5RC)

55. Mr. Lee “Scratch Perry” and The Upsetters Battle of Armagideon (Millionaire Liquidator) [Expanded Edition] (Doctor Bird)

56. Terri Lyne Carrington TLC & Friends (Candid)

57. Ary Lobo 1958-1966- Limited Dance Edition No. 19 (Analog Africa)

58. Man...or Astro-Man? Peel Sessions 1993 (Chunklet Industries)

59. William S. Burroughs Break Through In Grey Room (DIAS)

60. Cluster Cluster II (Superior Viaduct) 

61. Various Artists Turkish - Syrian Earthquake Relief (Canary)

62. Black Ivory Black Ivory (BBE)

63. Harold Budd White Arcades (All Saints)

64. Various Artists New Orleans Senior Prom (Tuff City)

BOOKS

(to be honest, this is my reading list- haven't gotten around to finishing all of these...)

Ahmed Abdullah A Strange Celestial Road

Grace Ambrose Kleenex/LiLiPUT

Vashti Bunyan Wayward, Just Another Life to Live

Mark Davidson, Parker Fishel Bob Dylan: Mixing up the Medicine

Wesley Doyle Conform To Deform: The Weird & Wonderful World Of Some Bizzare

Laura Flam But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of the ’60s Girl Groups

Will Hermes  Lou Reed: The King of New York

Bill Janovitz Leon Russell

Peter Jesperson Euphoric Recall

Dylan Jones Loaded: The Life (and Afterlife) of the Velvet Underground

Richard Johnson Lost in Room: Mark Perry, Alternative TV and Related, 1977 - 1981

Richard King Travels Over Feeling: Arthur Russell, a Life

Richard Koloda Holy Ghost: The Life and Death of Free Jazz Pioneer Albert Ayler

Loretta Lynn  A Song and a Prayer: 30 Devotions Inspired by My Favorite Songs 

Robert Mack McCormick Biography of a Phantom: A Robert Johnson Blues Odyssey

Aaron Lange Ain’t It Fun: Peter Laughner & Proto-Punk in the Secret City

Richard Langston Pull Down The Shades – GARAGE Fanzine 1984-86

David Menconi Oh, Didn’t They Ramble: Rounder Records and the Transformation of American Roots Music

Thurston Moore Sonic Life

Arlo Parks The Magic Border: Poetry And Fragments From My Soft Machine

Matthew Ruddick Funkiest Man Alive: Rufus Thomas and Memphis Soul

Joel Selvin Arhoolie Records Down Home Music-The Stories and Photographs of Chris Strachwitz 

Sly Stone Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)

Henry Threadgill and Brent Hayes Edwards Easily Slip into Another World

Steve Turner Mud Ride- A Messy Trip Through the Grunge Explosion

Michelle Zauner Crying in H Mart: A Memoir

Also see my list of  favorite music videos at Rock & Roll Globe.

And see my list of best music journalism of 2023 at Rockcritics.com.