Each year since we started The Minimalists, I’ve catalogued my favorite albums from the past twelve months. Here are my favorites from 2023, a year of musical abundance, so much abundance that I’ve seen my tastes expand in beguiling and unexpected ways.
I usually write a summary and lyric breakdown for these albums (find previous years here), but I’m dealing with an ugly bout of food poisoning as I write this on New Year’s Eve, and I can’t think straight at the moment, so you’ll have to explore each album without my commentary, which is probably better anyway since nearly 70% of these releases are ambient efforts with little or no vocals (only four of the top eleven are traditional records with lyrics on every song). Maybe that’s the vibe going forward—fewer words, more awareness.
1. Sigur Ros, Atta
Favorite song: Blooberg
2. The National, First Two Pages of Frankenstein / Laugh Track
Favorite Song: New Order T-Shirt
3. Two Lanes, Duality
Favorite song: Belong
4. Brian Eno, Top Boy
Favorite song: Afraid of Things
5. Gunna, a Gift & a Curse
Favorite song: bread & butter
6. Halftribe & Space Scavengers, Every Hour Is a Journey
Favorite song: Seabed Surfing
7. The Japanese House, In the End It Always Does
Favorite song: Touching Yourself
8. Noah Gundersen, If This Is the End
Favorite song: If This Is the End
9. Huerta, TV Slang
Favorite song: Humming Bird
10. Andre 3000, New Blue Sun
Favorite song: I swear…
11. Hammock, Love in the Void
Favorite song: Procession
What was your favorite album this year?
Let me know via DM on Instagram.
While you’re at it, don’t forget to explore the Honorable Mentions below. Any of these masterworks could have easily made the Top 11 if I were in a different mood today.
Honorable Mentions: Daughter, Ruston Kelly, Travis Scott, Griffin House, Drake, Gregory Alan Isakov, Majid Jordan, Belly, Russell Dickerson, City and Colour, Bailey Zimmerman, Jack Harlow, The Aces, EST Gee, Tory Lanez, Daft Punk, Chris Brown, The Kid LAROI, Post Malone, Matt Wertz, BJ the Chicago Kid, Lana Del Rey, Luca Fogale, Elhae, boygenius, 6lack, Depeche Mode, Trent Dabbs, Caroline Polachek, Jessie Murph, Sultan + Shepard, Juliet Ivy.