It’s the mid-point of the year, which means it’s time to check in with the best pop culture has had to offer. Check out our list of the 30 best albums of 2023 so far below, and stay tuned for more rankings throughout the week.
The summer flowers are in bloom, but the usual summer musical consensus is nowhere to be seen. We’re still spoiled with great music, of course; almost too much, certainly more than a casual listener can consume — a constant truth of the streaming age. Once again, artists have produced some truly transcendent art. But usually by this time, public opinion has coalesced around a couple of big name titles, and these mid-year lists attempt to bring attention to the less-heralded of those transcendent albums, even as the juggernauts suck up most of the oxygen. Well, so far in 2023, the juggernauts have failed to materialize. Where have they gone?
It’s a tough question. Part of the answer may have to do with our emaciated media environment, which every month seems to support fewer music journalists. Perhaps it’s hard to reach a consensus among a handful of people screaming into the void. Then, too, June saw a flurry of releases from established icons which are necessarily hard to rank on such short notice. As more people spend time with these records, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them vault up lists like this one. And one more theory, the industry might find itself in a moment of transition, as so many of the greats of five or 10 years ago reach a natural pause while the next generation makes a case for their own greatness. Certainly, 2023 has seen no shortage of electrifying debuts and sophomore scorchers.
We’ll know more in another six months, though it probably doesn’t matter. This year has once again produced more great music than an average person has time to listen to, and it is a privilege to celebrate those records. Please enjoy 30 albums that have brought us joy this year.
— Wren Graves
Features Editor
30. Killer Mike — MICHAEL
This is Killer Mike’s first solo album since 2012’s R.A.P. Music, though as that record was produced by his Run the Jewels partner El-P, you have to go all the way back to 2011’s Pledge to find the last time he was truly on his own. MICHAEL is worth the wait: a soul-baring collection of deeply personal songwriting that nevertheless contains the kind of bars-on-bars rapping that RTJ fans have come to love. Mike has often reflected on the key role that Black women have played in his life, but he reaches a new peak on the standout single, “MOTHERLESS.” — W. Graves
29. Blondshell — Blondshell
Singer/songwriter Sabrina Teitelbaum’s first studio album goes down so smooth for those nostalgic for the heyday of ’90s girl rock. Yet, the artist recording as Blondshell never feels like an imitation. Instead, she’s playing with her own textual landscapes and dreamy instrumental moments, while her deliberately literal lyrics explore relationships, salad, and the hotness of Veronica Mars’ Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring). “Sober Together” in particular stands out for its empathy, as Teitelbaum sings about a friend who’s fallen off the wagon: “I can’t blame you, it’s in the blood/ Part of the disease is giving up.” Sometimes metaphors are nice, but there’s a special sort of power to be found in just saying what you mean. — Liz Shannon Miller
