Ah, December. The time of year where we curl up by the fireside with our loved ones and recount the moments when the outside world felt less cold. Music has always been a warm solace in this regard. And what better time than the end of the year to recap all of 2023’s most monumental records? It has been a year rife with standout debuts, as well as pantheon-worthy latest additions from established artists. But as with every year, only five albums are given the distinguished honor of being Top 5 of 2023. Before we begin, some ground rules. The very same that we establish year-in, year-out. Er-herm:

Disclaimer: This is an editorialized Top 5 countdown. All opinions expressed are as they pertain to my particular tastes throughout the year. I listen to what I listen to, so if you don’t see an album featured that you were expecting, chances are either I didn’t listen, or it was simply bumped out of my bracket. But hey, this is my list. You’re more than welcome to tell me yours down in the comments. The albums featured are here for a combination of their artistic merit, as well as my own personal subjective enjoyment. Objectivity is a myth, and we’re here to have fun. And with that out of the way, why not dive right in, shall we?

Let’s start by offering up to the altar my Honorable Mentions for the year:

• Mitski – The Land is Inhospitable, & So Are We
• Boygenius – The Record
• Albert Hammond, Jr. – Melodies on Hiatus
• Phum Viphurit – The Greng Jai Piece
• The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons
• Metric – Formentera II
• The Trenchies – Addie’s Got A Famous Dad

Now onto the list proper, yes? Kick it.

5. Pacifica – Freak Scene

If you exist in the same corners of YouTube that I do, (scrounging for the most obscure recordings of early songs by The Strokes) there’s a high chance that the algorithm at one time or another has suggested that you check out a heartfelt rendition by the ever-charming Inés Adam & Martina Nintzel. The Argentina-based pair would amass a hearty following of thousands who fell in love with their voices and talent, eventually clamoring for original material. In 2022, they would release the ironically-titled Not a Cover Band, a collection of 7 covers from existing bands that inspired their own sound. 2023 would see the duo dropping the highly-anticipated Freak Scene, complete with 11 tracks that were entirely their own. The lead-up to the debut saw a trio of singles that help weave the record together. On lead single “With or Without You,” Adam’s smooth vocals and guitar licks are overlaid with Nintzel’s infectious bass, their voices colliding at the chorus: “There’s a place I wanna go/And there’s a place I wanna be at/With or without you.” The track lashes out with a climactic guitar solo that translates the two’s undeniable stage presence in the recording booth. Arguably their signature banger, “Anita” cements itself as one of the year’s biggest earworms. To quote Inés : ‘Anita is the type of girl you just can’t get over. You will love her, you will hate her, but most of all: you will need her.’ And by the bridge, you’ll be begging for her. Rounding out the trilogy is “Premature Rejection,” a shout-it-out indie sleaze anthem where Martina steals the show both on bass and vocals.

The fun doesn’t stop there, though. Freak Scene is loaded with track after track of rowdy, moody, swooning fun. “Away” starts with the background chatter of a Friends marathon droning before thumping percussion kicks in. It boasts moments of Strokes-y lilts and Wet Leg instrumentation, the band leaning into its inspirations to craft something wholly Pacifica. Penultimate “Misled” is far and away the crown jewel of the 11 cuts; a distinction not lost on the listener, especially considering how close this track was to remaining on the cutting room floor. Impassioned vocals, a spoken-word bridge, and a righteous drum fill make this tight three minutes one of the easiest songs to revisit this year. “I can’t believe this is our job,” Inés banters in its closing seconds. Its this very authentic level of sincerity that permeates this short, but deeply filling half-hour runtime.

4. Bombay Bicycle Club – My Big Day

London-based quartet Bombay Bicycle Club has long since proved their indie cred in the years since 2009’s I Had The Blues, But I Shook Them Loose. The group’s sonic inventiveness during their many eras and side/solo projects are the rising tide that raises all boats. On LP6, My Big Day, Jack Steadman & co. output 11 tracks sprawling with features that widen and deepen Bombay’s core sound. Opener “Just A Little More Time,” while lyrically skeletal, hearkens back to the confidence-building days of experimentation on So Long, See You Tomorrow. Follow-up “I Want To Be Your Only Pet” is an early highlight. Per Jack’s own words: ‘To me it sounds like if Abbey Road era Beatles had a love child with Rated R era Queens of the Stone Age.’ It is a submission-seeking anthem clad in brass, and crescendoing with gospel-like fervor. The hush-hush repetition of “I want to let go and forget/I want to let go and forget” bleeding into a snarling, pleading assertion of the track’s title is one that will make a grown man’s hair stand on end. The eponymous “My Big Day” is a sunny, breezy, airtight romp just under three minutes. Its summery demeanor is reflected in the chorus: “Don’t get mad at me/I’m just sleeping lightly/’cause it’s my big day/And I’m wasting it away gladly.”

This record’s ace in the hole is its use of features to build upon the decade-plus foundation the band has etched through five prior efforts; of note are Jay Som’s wispy collab on “Sleepless,” a hazy Damon Albarn spot on “Heaven,” the deeply-unexpected, yet welcome-all-the-same Chaka Khan tagteam on “Tekken 2,” and even the Holly Humberstone cold plunge of “Diving.” However, Nilufer Yanya’s feature stands tall above all others on “Meditate,” a track that has catapulted itself to the highest echelons of my Most Listened To Tracks this year. Sidewinding guitar passages and sweeping tandem vocals scratch the itchiest part of my frontal lobe. A soaring brass section elevates the song into dizzying heights. While hardly a massive departure from their existing framework, My Big Day finds the Bombay boys sharper, wittier, and more openly-supported than ever before.

3. Nation of Language – Strange Disciple

Let these words read as a love letter to the immensely talented Nation of Language frontman, Ian Devaney. His previous band, a gaggle of all-American misfits by the name of The Static Jacks, were the openers at the very first 16+ show I was old enough to go to. I was so floored by his onstage energy, that I would revisit total 31 different gigs during the Jacks’ lifetime. I was even fortunate enough to see the blossoming of the love between his wife and bandmate, Aidan Noell, back in those early moshpit days. So many tar ceilings and packed, sweaty venues. Through it all, Devaney remained an absolute mensch, a bon vivant, and a poet both with a mic and the occasional guitar. The Jacks made it through two full-length records before the tunnel narrowed in 2014. Fast-forward, Ian and Aidan have been married for half a decade, and are two-thirds of their own synthpop outfit. Originally, Michael Sue-Poi of former Static Jacks fame supplied the bass grooves, replaced recently by Alex MacKay. The three have paradoxically been conquering the globe quietly as the world’s foremost important name in synthpop.

With debut record Introduction, Presence, NoL fittingly established its burgeoning fanbase with sticky hooks and imaginative synthplay alongside Devaney’s trusty vocal delivery and mindful lyrics. Follow-up A Way Forward is as aptly-titled as an album can get. Their third outing, Strange Disciple, feels every bit like a victory lap for a dear friend that I have witnessed onstage since his long-forgotten curly-haired days. Being able to lovingly craft with his band a third tracklist of delicate, succulent synth-laden songs is such sweet sonor. “Weak In Your Light” feels like a pensive extension of the LP prior, seamlessly bridging the gap between the two eras. “Sole Obsession” lampshades a central theme present throughout the record – devotion and the many degrees it comes in. Some lovely, some alarming. Soft, spoken-word verses thrum as airy reminders of this dichotomy. “Surely I Can’t Wait” is structurally-perfect, reserved in its presentation. It awaits the permission of the instrumentation to leap into greater depths. Many following entries sound like the perfect backing tracks for a tastefully-made indie film that tugs at the heartstrings. “Sightseer” embodies this spirit wholeheartedly. MacKay’s bass is on full display on “Stumbling Still” while Devaney oscillates between that ever-pensive poet and crooning frontman vocal delivery. In its entirety, Strange Disciple feels like a warm hug from a friend you haven’t seen in years. It is yet another mile marker in an artist’s discography that is so deeply entwined with denoting another era of my own life.

2. Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS

It would be the easiest thing in the world to discredit Olivia Rodrigo – a beneficiary of the Disney-star-to-pop-star pipeline that seems tailor-made to fast track anyone into making a splash in the world of commercial pop. Thing is – Liv is not gonna play by anyone’s handbook. Her debut album, SOUR, went quadruple platinum on merit of her talent and hit-making prowess alone. Pressure mounts for a second record, which stands to test beyond the measure of a doubt if a star’s initial success was merely a fluke. On GUTS, Rodrigo serves up the furthest thing from a sophomore slump, cementing her reigning status as a fixture of the pop scene for years to come. A slick 40-minute collection of cuts runs the gamut of sounds from traditional pop to piano ballads to grunge-infused, angst-riddled anthems. This is the pop record of the year for the “teenage twenty-something” girlies. The now-20-year-old Rodrigo flitters between palms-pressed seraphic grace and feminine rage on the dropkick opener “all-american bitch.”

Therein lies the central balancing act that Olivia grapples with throughout GUTS’ duration – the overbearing weight of expectation. “I am built like a mother and a total machine,” she sings, just moments before she breaks the facade with punchy Avril Lavigne-esque vocals delivered with utter disdain. The track flitters between restrained poise and rattled poison, climaxing in a shouting match whose clouds are cleared with the softest of smiles. Lead single “bad idea right?” is the song that made me an Olivia Rodrigo believer. Genuinely, I can not recall the last time a Top 40’s chart topper ROCKED this hard. Goddamn, Liv. Headbang-worthy bass, a rollicking guitar lick, and a moshpit-inspiring chorus shortly ensue: “OHYESIKNOWTHATHE’SMYEX/ BUTCAN’TTWOPEOPLERECONNECT/ IONLYSEEHIMASAFRIEND/ THEBIGGESTLIEIEVERSAID” she rattles off breathlessly. A tale of knowing who and what is good for you, and purposefully flying in the face of it all for a good time.

Somber piano powerhouse “vampire” takes the ramp-up approach of “Driver’s License” to lambast a toxic older lover preying on young flesh. “Went for me, and not her/’cause girls your age know better,” she warns. Untraditional song structure allows the verses to climb and climb until the chorus is ready to sink its teeth into the listener. Sweeping instrumentation closes out one of the strongest three-track runs of 2023. If I’m honest, my first bit of feedback arrives on “Lacy,” a slower, moodier track that would best serve the album after “ballad of a homeschooled girl” – creating a necessary moment of respite after a wallop of a third of the LP’s length. The latter ballad infuses notes of Liz Phair and Hayley Williams whilst dispelling the trappings of social faux pas. “making the bed” and “logical” stand as a pair of emotionally-reflective beats that contrast with the immediate vim and vigor of “get him back!” and “love is embarrassing.” The latter playfully toys with the title’s double meaning – reconciliation or revenge (“I wanna kiss his face…with an uppercut/I wanna meet his mom…and tell her her son sucks!”). GUTS‘ home stretch sees Liv looking her expectations dead in the eye on closer “teenage dream.” “When am I gonna stop being wise beyond my ears and just start being wise?” she muses. With a combination of wild abandon and concerted restraint, Olivia Rodrigo spills her guts, and comes out with undisputed glory.

1. Geese – 3D Country

So we arrive at the top spot. The #1 uncontested album of the year for 2023 (so sayeth I). As I mentioned with GUTS, a sophomore record is a particularly tricky tightrope act to navigate. Brooklyn quintet Geese craft a truly transcendent successor to 2021’s Staff Choice Album of the Year, Projector. With 3D Country, the scrappy twenty-somethings and forebears of NYC rock output all-killer, no-filler. I say that with my whole chest – there is not a single track on this record worth skipping. With the benefit of hindsight since my initial review (where I have raved, ranted, and foamed at the mouth at length), any hangups that existed at any interval of this LP’s duration have been ironed out smoother than the desolate stretch of land before our perennial cowboy.

I’ll say it again: YEE (and dare I even add) H A W. Mythology-laden opener “2122” invokes the Age of Darkness (Kali Yuga), Jormangundr the World Serpent, and many deeply niche references that ostensibly no 20 year-old should be capable of citing. All while melting your face off. Title track “3D Country” sees frontman Cameron Winter ascending to rock-and-roll fame not unlike the moment Julian Casablancas finished recording his vocals for “Reptilia.” The five-minute cowboy epic firmly secures my vote for the BEST track of 2023, full stop. The harrowing conviction with which Winter delivers the line “What I saw could make a dead man die” makes every inch of me – body and soul – shiver. The hushed “C’mon, hit me,” winding up to a choir-backed “HIT ME, MOTHERFUCKER!” is without question a defining, shimmering moment in the year of rock. So too (and not a moment too soon) does breakout single “Cowboy Nudes”‘ bridge devolve into a flailing frenzy of unmatched energy, pursued by twinkly sitar. The 7-minute prog rock sensibilities of “Undoer,’ while slight on lyrical content, boasts the most show-stopping jam session and combination shouting match heard in the last decade. Even the scratchy, false-start/false-ending cymbal clashes baked into “Mysterious Love” have aged exceptionally well, with drummer Max Bassin turning it into a manic I-Call-The-Shots sequence onstage. “Gravity Blues” is the most sumptuous track on the whole shindig, following Winter as he levitates into the ether both lyrically and literally. “Domoto”‘s deceptive structure adeptly buries the lede for the satisfying build raining down with the opening riff that you definitely forget ushered you into the track (a grin-inducingly gratifying moment for the listener).

The broken glass kickoff of jangly closer “St. Elmo” is a perfect note to end this perfect album on, but no – the maniacs go ahead and drop a companion EP, 4D Country, with 5 additional bonus tracks that deepen the narrative and musical pool all the more. Of particular note is the mighty “Art of War,” a rarely-invoked live setlist item that manages to breathe so much life into this set of supplemental B-Sides. By every metric, Geese round the corner on 2023 with an album so gallant, so forward-thinking, so spectacularly-skilled that there is no doubt in my mind that these five will save rock ‘n’ roll.