The best albums of 2023 (May 15 update)
The numbers presented next to each album title are the weighted average rating, and, in parentheses, the raw average and number of ratings (out of 31 included sources). The weighted average is based on a formula ((Y-21)*(1/3)+X) that includes the raw average of ratings (X) and the number of sources that have rated the album (Y).
The magazines I used for the ratings were:
EUR + Australia: Dansende Beren; Gaffa-dk; Gaffa-sw; Humo; Indiestyle; Jenesaispop; Laut; Mondosonoro; Musikexpress; Nojesguiden; Ondarock; Plattentests; Sentire Ascoltare
UK: Clash; DIY; God Is In The Tv; Load And Quiet; Music OMH; NME; The Guardian; The Line Of Best Fit; The Skinny
USA + Canada: Allmusic; Beats Per Minute; Exclaim!; Nothern Transmissions; Paste; Pitchfork; Popmatters; Rolling Stone; Spectrum Culture; Under The Radar
Highlights: Rob makes the top three songs from the album according to Allmusic, Consequence of Sound, Jenesaispop, Plattentests, The Skinny, etc…
New Opening Act
Demoted Album
New or promoted Headliner
Headliners with new reviews and a better score
Headliners with new reviews and a worse score
Opening Acts:
78: The Go! Team - Get Up Sequences Part Two: 70.05 (74.71 / 7)
77: El Michels Affair & Black Thought - Glorious Game: 70.67 (75.00 / 8)
76: The Golden Dregs - On Grace & Dignity: 70.76 (75.43 / 7)
75: Alison Goldfrapp - The Love Invention: 70.93 (74.60 / 10)
74: Alfa Mist - Variables: 71.05 (75.71 / 7)
73: Billy Nomates - Cacti: 71.07 (73.07 / 15)
72: Fenne Lily - Big Picture: 71.10 (73.77 / 13)
71: Westerman - An Inbuilt Fault: 71.23 (74.90 / 10)
70: The WAEVE - The WAEVE: 71.41 (74.08 / 13)
69: Rozi Plain - Prize: 71.42 (74.42 / 12)
68: Quasi - Breaking the Balls of History: 71.67 (74.67 / 12)
67: Frankie Rose - Love as Projection: 71.92 (76.25 / 8)
66: H.C. McEntire - Every Acre: 71.93 (75.60 / 10)
65: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - V: 71.96 (73.29 / 17)
64: Fucked Up - One Day: 72.02 (74.36 / 14)
63: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs - Land of Sleeper: 72.31 (74.64 / 14)
61 (tie): Debby Friday - Good Luck: 72.33 (77.00 / 7)
61 (tie): Overmono - Good Lies: 72.33 (76.33 / 9)
60: U.S. Girls - Bless This Mess: 72.45 (74.79 / 14)
59: Angel Olsen - Forever Means: 72.48 (77.14 / 7)
58: RAYE - My 21st Century Blues: 72.53 (74.53 / 15)
57: Kate NV - WOW: 72.79 (77.13 / 8)
56: Joesef - Permanent Damage: 72.90 (77.57 / 7)
55: Gorillaz - Cracker Island: 72.93 (70.93 / 27)
54: The Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony: 73.02 (74.69 / 16)
53: James Holden - Imagine This Is a High Dimensional Space of All Possibilities: 73.04 (77.38 / 8)
52: Meg Baird - Furling: 73.83 (77.50 / 10)
51: Belle and Sebastian - Late Developers: 73.95 (73.95 / 21)
50: Algiers - Shook: 74.23 (74.89 / 19)
49: Lil Yachty - Let's Start Here.: 74.26 (76.92 / 13)
48: Deerhoof - Miracle-Level: 74.30 (77.64 / 11)
47: Complete Mountain Almanac - Complete Mountain Almanac: 74.33 (79.00 / 7)
46: Robert Forster - The Candle and the Flame: 74.42 (78.75 / 8)
Headliners:
45: Black Belt Eagle Scout - The Land, the Water, the Sky: 74.49 (77.15 / 13)
Highlights: My Blood Runs Through This Land — Don’t Give Up — Salmon Stinta
Indie Rock, Dream Pop
44: H. Hawkline - Milk for Flowers: 74.54 (78.88 / 8)
Highlights: Milk for Flowers — Suppression Street — Empty Room
Psychedelic Pop, Art Pop, Progressive Pop
43: James Yorkston, Nina Persson & The Second Hand Orchestra - The Great White Sea Eagle: 74.63 (78.30 / 10)
Highlights: Hold Out for Love — The Harmony — The Heavy Lyric Police
Chamber Folk
42: John Cale - Mercy: 74.77 (75.10 / 20))
Highlights: Moonstruck (Nico’s Song) — Mercy — Time Stands Still
Art Pop
41: Daughter - Stereo Mind Game: 74.78 (76.12 / 17))
Highlights: Party — To Rage — Dandelion
Dream Rock, Indie Rock
40. Indigo De Souza - All of This Will End: 75.03 (77.69 / 13)
Highlights: You Can Be Mean — The Water — Losing
Indie Rock
39: Caroline Rose - The Art of Forgetting: 75.04 (79.38 / 8)
Highlights: Miami — Everywhere I Go I Bring the Rain — Rebirth
Art Pop, Indie Rock, Indie Folk
38: Lael Neale - Star Eaters Delight: 75.33 (79.33 / 9)
Highlights: I Am the River — Faster Than the Medicine — Must Be Tears
Singer-Songwriter, Indie Pop, Twee Pop
37: Liturgy - 93696: 75.44 (79.44 / 9)
Highlights: Djennaration — 63696 — Caela
Avant-Garde Metal, Black Metal
36: Iggy Pop - Every Loser: 75.52 (75.52 / 21)
Highlights: Comments — Frenzy — Strung Out Johnny
Garage Rock Revival
35: Ryuichi Sakamoto - 12: 75.56 (79.56 / 9)
Highlights: 20220302 – sarabande — 20210310 — 20211130
Ambient, Modern Classical
34: Anna B Savage - in|FLUX: 75.58 (78.58 / 12)
Highlights: The Ghost — in|FLUX — Hungry
Singer-Songwriter, Art Pop
33: 100 gecs - 10,000 gecs: 75.60 (76.26 / 19)
Highlights: mememe — Hollywood Baby — Doritos & Fritos
Alternative Rock, Hyperpop
32: Kara Jackson - Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?: 75.62 (80.29 / 7)
Highlights: no fun/party — dickhead blues — curtains
Singer-Songwriter, Contemporary Folk, Chamber Folk
31: Samia - Honey: 75.67 (77.67 / 15)
Highlights: Charm You — Dream Song — Breathing Song
Singer-Songwriter, Alt-Pop, Indie Pop
30: Sleaford Mods - UK GRIM: 75.71 (77.38 / 16)
Highlights: UK Grim — Force 10 from Navarone — Apart from You
Synth Punk, UK Hip Hop
29: Blondshell - Blondshell: 75.85 (79.18 / 11))
Highlights: Olympus — Veronica Mars — Kiss City
Indie Rock
28: Shame - Food for Worms: 76.25 (75.25 / 24)
Highlights: Fingers of Steel — Orchid — Adderall
Indie Rock, Art Punk
27: Andy Shauf - Norm: 76.58 (78.25 / 16)
Highlights: Wasted On You — Halloween Store — Norm
Singer-Songwriter, Chamber Pop
26: The National - First Two Pages of Frankenstein: 77.05 (75.72 / 25)
Highlights: Tropic Morning News — Your Mind Is Not Your Friend — Eucalyptus
Chamber Pop
25: Feist - Multitudes: 77.08 (78.41 / 17)
Highlights: Hiding Out in the Open — Borrow Trouble — Love Who We Are Meant to Be
Singer-Songwriter, Contemporary Folk
24: Paramore - This Is Why: 77.24 (77.24 / 21)
Highlights: This Is Why — Running Out of Time — Crave
Post-Punk Revival
23: Margo Price - Strays: 77.25 (78.59 / 17)
Highlights: Change of Heart — Radio — Been to the Mountain
Contemporary Country, Heartland Rock
22: Hamish Hawk - Angel Numbers: 77.54 (81.88 / 8)
Highlights: Think of Us Kissing — Angel Numbers — Money
Singer-Songwriter, Indie Rock
21: Gaz Coombes - Turn the Car Around: 77.58 (80.91 / 11)
Highlights: Don’t Say It’s Over — Feel Loop — Turn the Car Around
Indie Rock, Neo-Psychedelia
20: Everything but the Girl - Fuse: 77.78 (78.78 / 18)
Highlights: Nothing Left to Lose — Caution to the Wind — Forever
Alternative R&B, Downtempo, UK Bass
19: Kali Uchis - Red Moon in Venus: 78.20 (77.86 / 22)
Highlights: Moonlight — I Wish You Roses — Endlessly
Neo-Soul, Contemporary R&B
18: Black Country, New Road - Live at Bush Hall: 78.33 (81.33 / 12)
Highlights: Turbines/ Pigs — I Won’t Always Love You — Dancers
Art Rock, Progressive Pop, Chamber Pop
17: Depeche Mode - Memento mori: 78.97 (79.30 / 20)
Highlights: Ghosts Again — My Cosmos Is Mine — Before We Drown
Synthpop
16: The Murder Capital - Gigi's Recovery: 79.83 (81.50 / 16)
Highlights: Return My Head — Only Good Things — Ethel
Post-Punk Revival
15: Yves Tumor - Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds): 80.10 (79.43 / 23)
Highlights: Ebony Eyes — God Is a Circle — Heaven Surrounds Us Like a Hood
Neo-Psychedelia, Post-Punk
14: Yo La Tengo - This Stupid World: 80.50 (79.50 / 24)
Highlights: Tonight’s Episode — Apology Letter — Sinatra Drive Breakdown
Indie Rock, Post-Rock
13: Yaeji - With a Hammer: 80.80 (82.80 / 15)
Highlights: Submerge FM — Fever — For Granted
Glitch Pop, Electronic
12: Kelela - Raven: 80.92 (80.59 / 22)
Highlights: Happy Ending — On the Run — Contact
Alternative R&B, Electronic
11: billy woods & Kenny Segal - Maps: 81.05 (85.71 / 7)
Highlights: FaceTime — Soft Landing — Kenwood Speakers
Abstract Hip Hop, Jazz Rap, Conscious Hip Hop, East Coast Hip Hop
10: Lana Del Rey - Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd: 81.13 (80.13 / 24)
Highlights: Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd — A&W — Let the Light In
Singer-Songwriter, Art Pop
09: slowthai - UGLY: 81.14 (80.48 / 23)
Highlights: HAPPY — UGLY — Selfish
Post-Punk, UK Hip Hop
08: Lankum - False Lankum: 81.76 (85.09 / 11)
Highlights: Go Dig My Grave — Newcastle — Master Crowley’s
Irish Folk Music, Avant-Folk
07: Wednesday - Rat Saw God: 81.87 (82.20 / 20)
Highlights: Bull Believer — Chosen to Deserve — Bath County
Indie Rock, Alt-Country, Noise Rock
06: Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!: 81.96 (80.96 / 24)
Highlights: Free Yourself — Pearls — Begin Again
Disco, Dance-Pop
05: JPEGMAFIA x Danny Brown - Scaring the Hoes: 82.15 (83.81 / 16)
Highlights: Lean Beef Patty — SCARING THE HOES — Burfict!
Experimental Hip Hop, Hardcore Hip Hop
04: Fever Ray - Radical Romantics: 82.26 (80.26 / 27)
Highlights: Carbon Dioxide — What They Call Us — Shiver
Art Pop, Synthpop
03: Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy: 83.43 (83.43 / 21)
Highlights: I Saw — Geronimo — Rice
Neo-Psychedelia, Art Pop
02: Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You: 87.21 (85.88 / 25)
Highlights: Bunny Is a Rider — Sunset — Welcome to My Island
Art Pop, Alt-Pop, Electronic
01: boygenius - the record: 87.85 (85.85 / 27)
Highlights: Not Strong Enough — True Blue — $20
Singer-Songwriter, Indie Folk, Indie Rock
MCCh 2023: May 15
MCCh 2023: May 15
Last edited by Solitair on Thu May 18, 2023 5:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: MCCh 2023: May 15
Thanks! I see we’ve gone to the other extreme with brand new entries. It seems like the critics have all gone their separate ways for the moment and very few albums are getting a lot of undivided attention.
Re: MCCh 2023: May 15
I'm just glad that billy woods is finally getting noticed.
- Rob
- Die Mensch Maschine
- Posts: 7352
- Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:53 pm
- Location: Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Re: MCCh 2023: May 15
Small update time:
It should be said that billy woods & Kenny Segal don't have the only truly new album. The one by Indigo De Souza may not be from the last two weeks, but never appeared in the top before, so its entries in the playlist are also really new.
It should be said that billy woods & Kenny Segal don't have the only truly new album. The one by Indigo De Souza may not be from the last two weeks, but never appeared in the top before, so its entries in the playlist are also really new.
Re: MCCh 2023: May 15
For those that want a lot of shake ups, there are many high profile releases coming in June.
"The better a singer's voice, the harder it is to believe what they're saying."
Re: MCCh 2023: May 15
I'm having a bit of trouble accessing reviews at Gaffa.dk. For now I'm going to update my database more often, but if someone can PM me the album scores between May 26 and May 18, I'd be very grateful.
Re: MCCh 2023: May 15
Hope this helps. I copied/pasted artists (all in caps) and titles so as not to butcher the different languages. Star values under the titles.
Very jumpy website, at least on my dinosaur of an iPad, but I think this covers the dates you’re missing.
May 26
A HORRIBLE DEATH TO A HORRIBLE MAN
Days Gone By
2/6
ARLO PARKS
My Soft Machine
3/6
May 25
HÅKAN HELLSTRÖM
Poetiska Försök
5/6
THE OCEAN
Holocene
5/6
MARIE FJELDSTED
Keep it Alive
5/6
May 24
NEW KIDS
Inger
3/6
SUSANNE SUNDFØR
Blómi
5/6
DAFT PUNK
Random Access Memories (10th Anniversary Edition)
4/6
May 22
EVIGBY
John Tonic & Metalhjertet
4/6
MARIE DAHLSTRØM
A Good Life
4/6
May 19
TINARIWEN
Amatssou
6/6
LEWIS CAPALDI
Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent
5/6
KAREN MUKUPA
Bonobo
5/6
KIRA SKOV
My Heart is a Mountain
5/6
DEN SYVENDE SØN
Alt På Spil
3/6
May 18
PHINE & ORMEN
Godnat
5/6
Re: MCCh 2023: May 15
Oops, just realized you wanted someone to PM you. Just did. Hopefully it gets to you.
Re: MCCh 2023: May 15
Alright, now that that's fixed, I'll be dropping the new update in the next hour or so.