2023 Albums and Songs

Time for my list. I've held my nerve, seen off the competitors, and am ready to strike - one of the latest, greatest and Phil de Freitest end of year lists.

I, of course, love the lists. I love the professional lists, and everything they get wrong, god damn them, but particularly I love being on twitter and seeming non-professional music lovers' personal lists, where no one can possibly get anything wrong. 

Pouring over other people's recommendations can be a double-edged sword, as it can point you in in the direction of various albums you hadn't paid much attention to throughout the year, and that's great, but also, you can start to doubt the provenance of your own taste, when most of the albums you love were also on other people's lists. Is this what I really think?

Well, yes, it is. Nothing near the top of my list has newly infiltrated. These are 100% legit my favourites throughout the year (there are a few much lower down which are December discoveries, but I can live with that). 

For me, this has been a great year for music. I always make an end-of-year list of some description, but sometimes (like last year), I just, somewhat grudgingly, throw together 10 or 20 in no particular order. This year, I can honestly say, the top 7 albums might well have been Number 1 in their own right if they'd been released in 2022. I've loved them all, and all of them I came close to considering my favourite. 

And, beneath that top tier, there's a whole chunk of more excellent albums I've derived significant enjoyment from. I'm going to list everything I liked at all and I feel I've got some grip on (that does end up being 100 funnily enough). 

Anyway, let's get cracking.

1. The Ballad of Darren - Blur

Considering I've said I like the Top 7 pretty much equally, maybe I could have chosen something cooler than Blur as Number 1. But my stats tell me I listened to this album all the way through way more than anything else, and, yes, it is definitely, right now, my favourite.

It may not contain Blur's greatest ever songs, but it's the first Blur album which has no songs I dislike. I have loved lovable mockney pop scamps Blur for 30 years even though my main taste in music for the last 25 years has been sad-old-man music. Well, this is Blur's sad-old-man album, and they do it right. This is the most singer-songwriterly album Damon's ever done, the most evidently autobiographical, and yet it could be nothing but a Blur album, and it's all of Blur at their best.

Its critical and commercial impact led me to briefly hope that this was it for good now, that Blur were back as a full-time concern, but of course, Damo's knocked it on the head again, as he does. Probably for the best, both for sanity and career management. Blur manage to manufacture genuine excitement every time they return. I do worry about where they can go from here, though. How can they top this when they're in their 60s? Maybe they'll make an album of songs that sound like Country House ... really commit to the Country House vibe ... or the Crazy Beat vibe ...

2. Black Rainbows - Corinne Bailey Rae

Of all the albums that I don't reckon have had their just desserts in the year-end lists, this one stands out. It had top-notch reviews when it came out, but has been slept on in the end, even though it is a brilliant, bold album. 

This album is especially impressive when you consider Corinne Bailey Rae seemed for ever earmarked as "nice, easy listening, inoffensive" even though her interviews suggested there was scope for a lot more. And then she went and did it. It's a clever, funny, surprising, moving, wide-ranging album, but always listenable. The most punk soul album of the year.

3. Javelin - Sufjan Stevens

It might have been tricky to judge this album on its merits, so overwhelming was the tragedy surrounding it, if it wasn't so obviously brilliant. Also, and this is going to sound dumb as shit, Sufjan is, at last, for me, not the States guy. Remember how after 'Illinois' it genuinely seemed possible and desirable that he would do an album for every state and, for a long time after that, every album he put out was, disappointingly, not another state. 'Carrie and Lowell' evened the score, but now, with 'Javelin', he has released more masterpieces that are not about a state than masterpieces that are about a state. That is, unless you think Michigan is a masterpiece, which would be fair enough, but I don't. So Sufjan is no longer the States guy, he's the "three perfect albums" guy.

4. Multitudes - Feist

I have a funny feeling this will be the one I will still be listening to regularly in a couple of years. 

5. Blomi - Susanne Sundfor

This album is weird and wild but also contains several obviously beautiful songs. Old-fashioned beautiful songs.

6. Heavy Heavy - Young Fathers

Irresistible, joyous music. I mean, I resisted Young Fathers for quite a while, but not this one.

7. why does the earth give us people to love - Kara Jackson

I think the only reason this is as low as 7 is because the title track is my Number 1 song of the year, and so that slightly, slightly unbalances the album, and has made me, at times, want to skip a couple to get to that song. The song 'why does the earth give us people to love' starts like a dirge, then gently moves through various stages of memory and grief, yet as it becomes more spritely, becomes yet more devastatingly sad. 

The whole album is great, her voice is hopefully going to be around for years, but that song, phewee.

8. sundial - noname

Look, I don't approve of lower case, but there's been some really strong lower case works this year. This album keeps your attention all the way through.

9. The Answer is Always Yes - Alex Lahey

I'd really recommend this for lowkey tuneful, no frills, guitar pop. Courtney Barnetty but more tuney.

10. Cousin - Wilco

Wilco are probably my all time favourite band, and this is my favourite album of theirs for 15 years or so. It's not an all-time classic, and it's not like the other Wilco albums in the meantime have not been good, but this one I just immediately felt attuned to, could pick out the tunes, enjoy the details etc. It's tricky for bands who keep on and don't take a break, I imagine. Far easier, in a way, to do what Blur do and dip in and out. The National are another band I loved almost as much as I loved Wilco, but this year's two National releases suggested to me that they had no more tricks that would grab my attention. So, this excellent album, their 13th, by Wilco deserves some real praise.

11. My Back is a Bridge For You to Cross - Anohni and the Johnsons

I still feel like I haven't fully unlocked this album. It's got some real dark power.

12. Desire I Want to Turn Into You - Caroline Polachek

13. Everything Harmony - Lemon Twigs

If you haven't heard Lemon Twigs and you like classic 70s soft rock, check em out.

14. Weathervanes - Jason Isbell

I really love all these. I can imagine this being my favourite album of a bad year. Seriously. This album is tight, has no bad songs and several memorable ones.

15. The Great White Sea Eagle - James Yorkston, Nina Persson and the Second Hand Orchestra

Fence forever! No bad Yorkston albums. Nina Persson is a great twist on the theme. I listened to this yesterday (it came out near the beginning of the year) and thought it should be higher, but never mind.

16. Rat Saw God - Wednesday

17. Lucky for You - Bully

I had the Wednesday and the Bully album back-to-back on my playlist for a few months, so I can't separate them really. Rat Saw God has slightly better pop tunes.

18. the record - boygenius

aah, you know it is good. not strong enough is definitely strong enough. i think i thought i'd like it more than i did initially but then have ended up liking it more in the end that i thought i had. i really think the last song Letter to an Old Poet is bad, though, and put me off the album for a while. unless it's a joke, a quasi-AI version of self-referential lyrical and vocal tropes, and i can't understand why it would be that. this has topped the aggregated critics' list. i place it a somewhat churlish 18th.

19. Chaos for the Fly - Grian Chatten

This is a beautiful album. I like Fontaines DC but I prefer this actually. He really does justice to his own voice here.

20. Time Ain't Accidental - Jess Williamson

21. Joy'all - Jenny Lewis

The previous Jenny Lewis album, On the Line, was, for me, a career high, and this didn't quite top it, but it's still a really enjoyable album which I've listened to more than most. Each Jenny Lewis album, you wonder if it will be one that make her a star, a big star, but, of course, none of them ever quite do. 

22. Jaguar II - Victoria Monet

Tunes. This ones got some tunes on it.

23. The Last Rotation of Earth - BC Camplight

24. Heaven - Cleo Sol

25. Nothing Lasts Forever - Teenage Fanclub

Can't go wrong with Teenage Fanclub. Even so, I have found myself loving this one pretty much more than any of theirs since Grand Prix

26. I DES - King Creosote

27. Albion - Harp

This guy, who is Tim Smith formerly of Midlake, who authored one of the greatest albums of all time, I only wish all the best things in the world for. This album only came out a couple of weeks ago, so still not sure. It's woozy, odd and beautiful  and has songs named after places in Sussex.

28. The Greater Wings - Julie Byrne

29. Irish Rock N Roll - The Mary Wallopers

An album that didn't quite land for me, for some reason, was False Lankum by Lankum, despite all its acclaim. This album's not subtle, but it's got a lot of oomph, and I preferred it.

30. Seven Psalms - Paul Simon

Good, this guy. You should check him out.

31. Shadow Kingdom - Bob Dylan

And this one. Not really an album, and not really from this year, but Shadow Kingdom has such a distinct character and tone, it kind of felt like a studio album when it was released. Also, when he first performed it, not a single one of the tracks on Shadow Kingdom was among my 50 favourite Bob Dylan songs. Genuinely. So it really did feel like listening to something new and uncovering some fresh magic. Throughout his career, when you think you know what the great ones are, he nudges you to say "and these ones, these are great ones too, if you hear them a bit differently".

32. Fountain Baby - Amaarae

33. ROACH - Miya Folick

34. Strays - Margo Price

35. Folkocracy - Rufus Wainwright

This is a covers album, but it's a really interesting selection under the broad banner of "folk", it's a very well-crafted album, and Rufus enlists all manner of surprising famous friends to make something that is really rather grand.

36. Valley of Heart's Delight - Margo Cilker

37. Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You - Bonnie Prince Billy

38. The Age of Pleasure - Janelle Monae

I don't know, Janelle Monae's done a lot of amazing things in the meantime, but The ArchAndroid made you think she might be the new Stevie Wonder, and it's not quite turned out that way. But there are some fun songs on this.

39. Jenny from Thebes - Mountain Goats

40. Let There Be Music - Bonny Doon

Bonny Doon are the band that accompanied Waxahatchee on my favourite album of the century, St Cloud, and this has musical echoes of that, and it's really very up my street. Can't wait for the next Waxahatchee album, too.

41. Cracker Island - Gorillaz

All those gorillaz must be cross that Blur came along and stole their thunder, because this is one of the best Gorillaz albums going.

42. Sundown - Eddie Chacon

Perhaps Eddie will look with some rancour at the sales and acclaim that inferior albums have received, but I expect he says to himself "jealous minds (jealous minds) never satisfy ..."

43. The Window - Ratboys

44. That. Feels. Good! - Jessie Ware

I think my expectations for this album were a bit high. It's good but I'm not sure it soars.

45. Angels & Queens Pt 2 - Gabriels

46. GUTS - Olivia Rodrigo

Upper case less of a scourge than lower case. This album is really good. It is for kids though. And I'm 45. I genuinely don't believe the middle-aged male critics making it one of their favourite albums of the year. 

47. Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing - Kassi Valazza

48. The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We - Mitski 

God strike me down for being such a dick, but Mitski is the most 7/10 artist in history. All her songs are 7/10 on all her 7/10 albums. 7/10 is a good score. I enjoyed this album somewhat, but I do not really agree with the fact that Mitski, in an era when most indie singer-songwriters can't break even, broke out.

49. Tim - The Replacements

Don't know why I've included this, or put it 49. It's an excellent remastering of a classic 80s album. I listened to it a lot. It sounds great. Perfect. 49.

50. I've Got Me - Joanna Sternberg

51. Happy Ending - Hifi Sean and David McAlmont

This is great. Easy to forget, whenever David Mc releases anything new, that you've the chance to listen to one of the greatest pop singers there's ever been. Every note a treasure.

52. Live at Bush Hall - Black Country New Road

Found this quite moving. Good luck to them.

53. Water Made Us - Jamila Woods

54. The Price of Progress - The Hold Steady

Still holding steady. Still writes long wordy lines better than almost anyone else.

55. Bless This Mess - U.S. Girls

U.S. Girls has released her last three albums at the start of the year, and they tend not to be the year's critical round-ups, even through they're really pretty good, so I would advise U.S. Girls to release her next album in October.

56. Turn the Car Around - Gaz Coombes

57. maps - billy woods and Kenny Segal

I did also quite enjoy Armand Hammer's We Buy Diabetic Test Strips. That will have seemed like a non-sequitur, but is not.

58. Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Albert Hall Concert - Cat Power

This is pretty brilliant, especially the first half.

59. Infinite Spring - Superviolet

A late discovery. Really up my street.

60. I Am Not There Anymore - The Clientele

61. Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling - Slaughter Beach, Dog

62. Wait Til I Get Over - Durand Jones

63. My 21st Century Blues - Raye

Still in the territory of albums I really enjoyed, and the numbering still doesn't feel completely random. 

64. Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est la Vie - Madness

Bien.

65. Joan of All - Sarabeth Tucek

66. Race the Night - Ash

67. All of This Will End - Indigo de Souza

68. You're the One - Rhiannon Giddens

69. i/o - Peter Gabriel

70. I Inside the Old Year Dying - PJ Harvey

71. Late Developers - Belle and Sebastian

Still B and S, after all ... a really excellent Belle and Sebastian still feels within reach, but this isn't it.

72. Zach Bryan - Zach Bryan

When I was really into it, I used to consider whatever line there was between alt-country (super cool) and country (lame as fuck) and not always be sure I knew the difference. This extremely successful Zach Bryan album is country, though it sounds quite alt-country, but there's something in the homespun wisdom and the school of hard knocks and the lack of irony, I guess, which tells you where the line is.

73. Lahai - Sampha

74. Sea of Mirrors - The Coral

75. When Horses Would Run - Being Dead

76. Lankum - False Lankum

77. First Two Pages of Frankenstein - The National

78. All of This is Chance - Lisa O'Neill

79. Cartwheel - Hotline TNT

A lot - a lot - of the indie these days is kinda fuzzy, shoegazy, which is never quite my thing. However, I will say to this one's credit, I listened to it directly following on from Teenage Fanclub, coincidentally, and there were similarities, and that is never a bad thing.

80. Yard - Slow Pulp

81. In My Mind There's a Room - Mull Historical Society

82. Dead Meat - The Tubs

83. Hackney Diamonds - The Rolling Stones

84. THE WAEVE - THE WAEVE

Of course, Blur and the Pipettes is good. Of course.

85. Fuse - Everything But the Girl

86. Natural Disasters - Bethany Cosentino

87. Intimism - Nicky Wire

Nicky's singing much better than he used to, and this has some pretty affecting bits.

88. DK1 - Das Koolies

There are some pretty cool bits, but they are not the Super Furry Animals.

89. Paranoia, Angels, True Love - Christine and the Queens

This album's 96 minutes long. I think that was a mistake.

90. 10000 gecs - 100 gecs

Probably a lot of fun to make. Wouldn't be surprised if these two become massively successful doing something slightly different to this.

91. Paint My Bedroom Black - Holly Humberstone

92. Look Over the Wall, See the Sky - John Francis Flynn

93. I Killed Your Dog - L'Rain

94. Oh Me Oh My - Lonnie Holley

95. She Brings Me Back to the Land of the Living - Cian Nugent

96. Mercy - John Cale

97. We Use Diabetic Test Strips - Armand Hammer

98. Radio Songs - Dave Rowntree

99. Messy - Olivia Dean

100. Laugh Track - The National

And, on my least favourite album ...

I didn't like the Lana Del Rey album with the interminable title and the interminable running time. I've listened to Lana Del Rey a fair amount down the years, but have realised, with significant self-reproach, that was wasted time. Lana Del Rey is like WWE to me - something where there is a conceit, and, while others are able to see through the conceit to something they assure me is meaningful, noble, entertaining and beautiful, I can only see the conceit. No doubt it's how lots of people feel about that other auteur of stylised Americana, Wes Anderson. I love Wes Anderson, though, and his films are not 4 hours long. 

Every artist has a long album in them, and every artist should be forgiven one hour-plus album every five or so. But all of LDR's recent albums are well over an hour, apart from Chemtrails Over the Country Club, which was the only one I was close to liking. 

It's always worth giving an artist a chance, but not too much of a chance...

I'm just going to name 10 songs. Harder to pick out songs, for some reason.

1. why does the earth give us people to love - Kara Jackson

2. alyosha - Susanne Sundfor

3. The Narcissist - Blur

4. Will Anybody Ever Love Me? - Sufjan Stevens

5. not strong enough - boygenius

6. Younger and Dumber - Indigo de Souza

7. Now and Then - The Beatles

8. The Greater Wings - Julie Byrne

9. Last Rotation of Earth - BC Camplight

10. Nothing Matters - The Last Dinner Party

I went to three big outdoor shows, and will treasure in particular

Thunder Road 

Under the Westway

That's Entertainment

The Rat

Maps

These were the music videos on youtube I watched many times:

The Only Living Boy ... (isn't that the most poignant thing ...)

Fairytale ...

Get Back

The Weight (70s)

The Weight (2010s)

Isis

(oh yeah, classic rock for me ...)

Next year will hopefully see new albums by Nick Cave, Gruff Rhys, Vampire Weekend, Joanna Newsom, Paul Weller, Waxahatchee, Laura Marling and, who knows, maybe Dylan, Tom Waits and the Walkmen. Joni Mitchell? Why not ...

My favourite books I read this year were (no order):

The Heat of the Day - Elizabeth Bowen

The Ballad of Peckham Rye - Muriel Spark

Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan

A Different Drummer - William Melvin Kelley

Pledging My Time: Conversations with Bob Dylan Band Members - Ray Padgett

Old God's Time - Sebastian Barry

The Wren, The Wren - Anne Enright

Harlem Shuffle - Colson Whitehead 

Western Lane - Chetna Maroo 

and Fantastic Mr Fox. Still perfect. While Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is a mad bag of bad nonsense.

Favourite films watched (no order):

Aftersun

Decision to Leave

The Quiet Girl

Women Talking

Oppenheimer

Flora and Son

Killers of the Flower Moon

May December

Asteroid City

Rye Lane

And actually, I just watched Maestro yesterday, and it was much better than i thought it would be. People have been a bit funny about it. It's a beautifully made and acted film.

The Bear was the best TV, Tom Waits and Iggy Pop on 6Music the best radio. 

There. Finished.