I find every year to be an exciting discovery in music. I try to listen to each new album released weekly, within reason. And I buy each album I really like. For mainly the reason of supporting artists I love, streaming just doesn’t give enough to artists. Anyway I found plenty to love in 2023. Some by new acts, some by veterans. But one artist stood head and shoulders above the rest. North Carolina band Wednesday made a record full of spark and beauty. It leant on rock, country and folk and I loved every song. They had been on my radar before but this new album really was a breakthrough. And in great news they are touring Australia next month!

It was great to see several Indie stalwarts make great albums in 2023. Mitski and Sufjan Stevens both made unbelievably beautiful music, whilst Explosions in the Sky, Wilco, Yo La Tengo and Animal Collective proved that being veterans is no barrier to making great music. Lots of young artists made great music too. Even if they weren’t new I felt their new albums were their best yet, such as Squirrel Flower, Slow Pulp, Palehound and Ratboys.

1. Rat Saw God-Wednesday
2. The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We-Mitski
3. Javelin-Sufjan Stevens
4. Tomorrow’s Fire-Squirrel Flower
5. The Land,The Water,The Sky-Black Belt Eagle Scout
6. End-Explosions in the Sky
7. This Stupid World-Yo La Tengo
8. Heaven Is a Junkyard-Youth Lagoon
9. Isn’t It Now?-Animal Collective
10. Yard-Slow Pulp
11. No Ordinary Crown-Will Johnson
12. Cousin-Wilco
13. Perennial-Woods
14. The Whaler-Home is Where
15. The Price of Progress-The Hold Steady
16. Villagers-Califone
17. New York City-The Men
18. Western Cum-Cory Hanson
19. Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You-Bonnie Prince Billy
20. Hold the Door for Strangers-Labrador
21. 7s-Avey Tare
22. Haunted Mountain-Buck Meek
23. The Window-Ratboys
24. The Record-Boygenius
25. Multitudes-Feist
26. Eye on the Bat-Palehound
27. Haunted Mountain-Jolie Holland
28. Aging-Kevin Drew
29. Drag on Girard-Purling Hiss
30. First Two Pages of Frankenstein-The National
31. Girl With Fish-Feeble Little Horse
32. Growing at the Edges-Mutual Benefit
33. Bunny-Beach Fossils
34. Quaranta-Danny Brown
35. I Just Drew This Knife-Spencer Krug
36. I Won’t Cry Alone-Roadside Graves
37. For Who the Bell Tolls For-Jonathan Rado
38. Love + Pop-Current Joys
39. Time Will Wait For No One-Local Natives
40. Less-Deathcrash
41. Running From the Chase-Truth Club
42. In the Store-The Lost Days
43. Spectral Lines-Josh Ritter
44. The Rise & The Fall-The Rural Alberta Advantage
45. Run With Me-Bry Webb
46. I Inside the Old Year Dying-PJ Harvey
47. Valley of Heart's Delight-Margo Cilker
48. Continue As a Guest-The New Pornographers
49. Intercepted Message-Osees
50. Atta-Sigur Ros